"We can talk about that later." Yang Kai rose to his feet, looking down at her from above. The corner of his lips curled upward as a faint smile suddenly appeared on his face. He stroked his chin and said, "Actually, if you want to regain your freedom, it's quite simple."
"What do you mean?" Hua Qingsi shuddered, watching Yang Kai warily. "What are you planning to do?"
Yang Kai scoffed. "Relax, I don't have much interest in you. But if you truly want your freedom back, just obediently hand over the imprint of your spiritual soul, and maybe I'll consider it. The strength of the Dao Source Realm Third Stage is actually quite a decent—"
"Wishful thinking!" Hua Qingsi said through gritted teeth, clearly having no intention of letting Yang Kai finish.
"Then... farewell!" Yang Kai waved at her and departed the Small Mysterious World without another word.
Hua Qingsi was left alone, standing there in a daze. It took a long while before she finally wailed in despair, "Come back! Come back! Come back, you—!"
…
Inside the guest chamber, Yang Kai reappeared. After a brief moment of contemplation, he transformed into a streak of light and shot out of the Zhang Family's old residence, hurtling toward Maple Forest City.
A short while later, he had already arrived.
He did not go looking for Mo Xiaoqi or Kang Siran. Instead, he headed straight for the Qin Family's quarters.
He had been to the Qin Family's estate once before and knew the way well. A single sweep of his spiritual sense was enough to pinpoint Qin Yu's location.
He made no effort to conceal his aura, simply striding toward her in the most brazen manner imaginable. Before long, he arrived outside a guest chamber and gave the window a light tap.
"Who is it?" A hushed voice came from within.
Yang Kai answered.
A brief silence fell inside the room, but before long, soft footsteps could be heard moving toward the window. The shutter was pushed open.
Qin Yu stared at Yang Kai with a look of surprise and bewilderment. "L-Lord Yang? It's so late — is something the matter?"
"Yes, there are a few things I'd like to ask you," Yang Kai replied. He craned his neck to peer inside and added, "May I come in to talk?"
Qin Yu's cheeks flushed red. "Please come in, my lord."
The moment she finished speaking, Yang Kai slipped through the window in a flash.
Qin Yu's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
It was the dead of night, and rather than entering through the door, Yang Kai had chosen to make his entrance through the window. If anyone unaware of the circumstances were to see this, they would surely jump to the wrong conclusions.
Still, Qin Yu felt reasonably at ease around Yang Kai. With his strength, if he truly harbored any ill intentions toward her, he could have done so without anyone ever knowing — there was no need to deliberately reveal himself like this.
The room was filled with a pleasant fragrance, and the furnishings were warm and elegant.
This must be Qin Yu's private quarters.
Yang Kai was well aware that his visit was rather forward and discourteous, but he didn't let that bother him too much.
After taking a seat, Qin Yu personally served tea and asked, "What would my lord like to know?"
Yang Kai raised the teacup and took a sip. "Miss Qin is brilliant both inside and out, possessed of exceptional intelligence and a breadth of knowledge unlike anything I have ever encountered. I've come here today primarily to ask for your insight!"
Qin Yu covered her lips and let out a soft laugh. "My lord flatters me too much. I've simply read a great many books, that's all. If there is anything within my ability to help with, please do not hesitate to say so. There is no need for politeness between us."
Yang Kai flashed a grin. "Then I'll get straight to the point. However, I hope that today's conversation..."
"I swear upon my spiritual soul that I will never reveal a word of it to a third party," Qin Yu said solemnly.
Yang Kai glanced up at her and thought to himself that talking with a smart person certainly made things easy. Only then did he say, "Earlier, outside the city, I was corrupted by demonic energy and nearly became one of the devils. You must have witnessed that as well."
A flash of lingering fear passed through Qin Yu's beautiful eyes at his words. She nodded gently. "Indeed. Fortunately, fortune favored you, my lord, and you turned danger into safety."
"During the time I was being corrupted by the demonic energy and transformed into a devil, a great many strange images appeared in my mind," Yang Kai said, improvising on the spot.
Qin Yu was startled. "Many strange images?"
"That's right." Yang Kai nodded. "When we used that secret technique to peer into Jiang Chuhe's sea of consciousness, we glimpsed the silhouette of an Ancient Demon. So I suspect that there might have been a trace of the Ancient Demon's lingering will within that demonic energy. It retained many of the Demon's memories, knowledge, and experiences from its lifetime. Once the demonic energy took hold, I had the chance to see those things."
"That makes a great deal of sense, my lord. That was my thought as well," Qin Yu said, looking as though she had found a kindred spirit.
"However, what I saw was different from what Jiang Chuhe saw. Those images, though fragmented and disjointed, did not contain the silhouette of the Ancient Demon."
"Oh? What kind of images were they?" Qin Yu's curiosity was piqued.
Yang Kai assumed a contemplative expression, his voice dropping low. "There were far too many images. I was only able to make out two of them clearly. The first was a seed — a seed divided perfectly in half between gold and silver. Once it was planted, through the passage of spring and autumn, the chill of winter and the heat of summer, that seed grew into a peculiar tree of gold and silver. Divine light of both colors coiled around its branches, overlapping and alternating, as though possessing tremendous power!"
"A tree of gold and silver?" Qin Yu's delicate face was filled with astonishment, and she let out a soft gasp behind her hand.
"Mm." Yang Kai nodded earnestly, watching her. "I wonder — does Miss Qin happen to know what this gold-and-silver tree is?"