In the void, Uncle Li had concealed his form and was watching Yang Kai below with some surprise. He let out a frivolous whistle and remarked, "This kid… his thinking is remarkably sharp!"
"Big Brother Yang knew I was here?" Mo Xiaoqi was stunned as well, watching Yang Kai wave in their direction not far off. She hurriedly waved back, but no matter what she did, her voice could not reach Yang Kai's ears.
The void had been sealed by a tremendous force, cutting off all communication between inside and out.
Mo Xiaoqi immediately grew anxious.
Over there, Yang Kai called out with a chuckle, "Xiaoqi, as long as you can see me, that's enough. Be good and go home. If fate wills it, we will meet again!"
"Okay…" Mo Xiaoqi nodded. "Alright."
The melancholy she had felt at not seeing Yang Kai one last time before she left evaporated entirely upon hearing those words, and she broke into a happy smile.
Yang Kai then turned his head to look at the red-clothed woman and said, "Aunt Feng…"
"Who's Aunt Feng? Who are you calling that?" The red-clothed woman glared at Yang Kai with a cold face.
"Senior…"
"Call me that one more time and see what happens!"
Yang Kai took a deep breath. "My lady… I believe I already know why you're blocking my path here…"
"Stop flattering yourself!" the red-clothed woman snorted coldly, cutting him off.
Yang Kai stared blankly for a few breaths, then furrowed his brow. "Still refusing to admit it, are we? In that case…" He paused, then suddenly gazed toward the void with a look of tender affection and declared in a gentle voice, "Xiaoqi, be good and go home. Once Big Brother Yang has gathered the proper betrothal gifts, I'll come to marry you!"
The red-clothed woman's expression changed drastically. She cried out sharply, "You brat, how dare you—"
Before she could finish, she suddenly seemed to realize something and said through gritted teeth, "You're a crafty one!"
Only then did it dawn on her—Yang Kai's words just now had not been transmitted to Mo Xiaoqi at all. He had deliberately spoken them for her to hear… and her reaction had clearly confirmed that his earlier guess was correct.
"That's right. This queen is Xiaoqi's Aunt Feng!" The red-clothed woman, seeing that playing dumb had failed, decided to admit it outright. She fixed Yang Kai with a piercing stare. "Boy, this queen doesn't care where you come from or what bright future you may have. Xiaoqi is not someone you can harbor delusions about. You'd best remember that well."
"So my lady came here to warn me not to be a toad lusting after a swan?" Yang Kai said blandly. "If that's the case, couldn't you have just said so from the start?"
"At least you have a shred of self-awareness!" The red-clothed woman gave a light humph. "Since you're so sensible, this queen has no desire to bully someone weaker. Remember my words—if the day ever comes that you harbor improper thoughts about Xiaoqi, this queen will make you regret ever having been born!"
"My lady's threats… don't carry much force, I'm afraid," Yang Kai replied with a calm smile. "But please rest assured—Xiaoqi and I are merely friends…"
"That's for the best!" The red-clothed woman nodded with satisfaction.
Yang Kai smiled again. "Compared to a youthful, innocent girl, I personally prefer a stunning, mature woman—someone like… my lady, for instance. Truly enough to make one's mouth water!"
"Pfft—" In the void, Uncle Li spat out another mouthful of tea, his jaw practically unhinged, mouth hanging open. It took him a long moment to recover, and cold sweat beaded on his face. "He's flirting with her… Young Master Ninth is actually being flirted with…"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. "A brash young man actually dares to flirt with Young Master Ninth! If the Great Emperor found out about this, he'd have a grand laugh!"
"Big Brother Yang, how could he say something like that…" On the other side, Mo Xiaoqi blushed crimson as well, spitting out, "What absolute shamelessness…"
"You prefer someone like me?" The red-clothed woman's expression turned rather peculiar. She studied Yang Kai with evident amusement. "Based on that impudent remark alone, this queen could tear out that wretched tongue of yours!"
"However…" Her tone shifted, and a delicate smile bloomed across her lips. A subtle allure flowed from her beautiful eyes as she spoke in a honeyed voice, "This queen actually admires your bluntness. Someday, if your cultivation surpasses mine, I might just give you a chance to court me!"
"Ha ha, then it's a deal!" Yang Kai laughed heartily.
The red-clothed woman gazed deeply at Yang Kai for a long moment before finally sneering, "Overestimate yourself!"
With those words, her lithe figure flickered, and she vanished without a trace.
"Hey, my lady, you destroyed my flying Artifact and now you're just leaving? Isn't that a bit unconscionable?" Yang Kai called out into the void.
As his voice fell, a streak of azure mystic light shot toward him from the distance. It flashed and stopped right before his eyes.
Yang Kai focused and examined it, discovering that the azure light enveloped a miniature wooden boat, roughly three inches in size, radiating the energy fluctuations of an Dao Source-grade Artifact.
"She actually compensated me?" Yang Kai was somewhat surprised, but he didn't stand on ceremony. He directly stowed the wooden boat into his space ring.
Afterward, he stood in the void, waiting quietly.
A good while passed before a sudden shudder ran through his body. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and in an instant his robes were drenched. He looked like a fish torn from the water, mouth gaping open as he gasped for air in great, heaving breaths.
His encounter with the red-clothed woman, though not truly perilous, had been far from safe.
After all, she was an Emperor Realm Third Stage powerhouse—levels and levels above Yang Kai. Even if he had truly unleashed the gold-and-silver dual-colored seal on his lower abdomen, he would not have been entirely confident in his ability to escape from her grasp.