Qiu Yu couldn't watch any longer. She reached out and tugged Luo Bing's sleeve. "Bing'er, stop making a scene. The City Lord has important matters to attend to for tomorrow's ceremony — I'm afraid he won't see you."
"I'm not making a scene! I want to buy these herbs!" Luo Bing declared stubbornly.
Yang Kai shook his head, reached out, and gathered the medicinal herbs into his space ring. He then placed the corresponding number of source crystals on the counter and turned to leave.
He couldn't be bothered to entangle himself with these two any further.
"Don't you walk away!" Luo Bing called out, refusing to let it go, but her words had no effect. Seeing Yang Kai about to leave, she hastily grabbed Qiu Yu's arm and pleaded, "Brother Yu, help me stop him! I'm getting those herbs today no matter what."
"Enough!" A flash of impatience crossed Qiu Yu's eyes. He'd already reached the limit of his tolerance playing along with this sheltered little girl's whims. But Tianhe City was no small power nowadays, and Tianzhao Palace intended to build closer ties with it — which was why every time he visited, he accompanied Luo Bing by the City Lord's side. "It wouldn't be good if the City Lord found out."
"What's not good about it? Within this Tianhe City, I can take whoever I want! If anything happens, I'll take responsibility," Luo Bing said with an imperious air. "Besides, isn't he mixed up with the Thousand Leaves Sect and those others? I can just ask him what schemes he has coming into the city."
"Ai!" Qiu Yu sighed helplessly. Seeing her carry on like this, he had no choice but to steel himself and agree. Besides, he was also curious about Yang Kai's connection to the Thousand Leaves Sect. He was quite certain there was no one named Yang Kai among the Sect's ranks, yet at the city gate, Ye Qinghan had claimed he was a member of the Thousand Leaves Sect. That had made Qiu Yu somewhat wary. On that thought, he nodded. "Fine. But if the City Lord asks about this…"
"I absolutely won't mention you. Brother Yu is the best!" Luo Bing beamed with delight.
Qiu Yu's expression hardened. He barked in a low voice: "Elders — I'll have to trouble you!"
It wasn't clear who he was speaking to.
Luo Bing stood there grinning, staring at Yang Kai's retreating back, imagining him being taken down, fantasizing about subjecting him to a thorough interrogation until he knelt and begged for mercy, handing over those herbs meekly with both hands. But as she watched, her smile faded, because Yang Kai had strolled leisurely out through the shop's front entrance, turned a corner, and melted into the crowd — vanishing without a trace.
"He… he ran!" Luo Bing tugged at Qiu Yu's arm, alerting him.
Qiu Yu was equally stunned. He called out toward the empty air: "Elders, what happened?"
As soon as his words fell, two figures flickered into existence beside him — the two Dao Source Third-Order elders who had arrived with him at the city gate. Both of them now had cold sweat beading on their foreheads, their faces faintly pale, looking thoroughly shaken.
"Why didn't you make a move?" Qiu Yu's expression darkened. He felt he'd lost face in front of Luo Bing and was in a terrible mood.
The two elders exchanged a glance. One of them said: "Young Master, with all due respect — it wasn't that we didn't want to act. We couldn't!"
"What do you mean?" Qiu Yu's face sank.
The elder said: "I can hardly explain it myself. Just as the two of us were about to strike, an inexplicable sense of extreme danger arose — as if… as if…"
As he spoke, a look of lingering fear surfaced on his face.
The other elder picked up: "As if, were we to truly act, the two of us would be struck down on the spot!"
"You're joking, right?" Qiu Yu's jaw dropped as he stared at the two elders, unable to believe what he was hearing.
The elder who had spoken first said: "Young Master, we have followed you for many years and have never once refused your orders. But this time… something is very wrong."
"Indeed. Please forgive us, Young Master," the other elder added.
Qiu Yu stared at them for a long while before managing hoarsely: "You're saying that kid has been playing the pig to eat the tiger… and might be an Emperor Realm powerhouse?"
The moment those words left his lips, Qiu Yu couldn't help swallowing hard. Cold sweat erupted across his back and his face turned white.
Both elders were Dao Source Third-Order powerhouses. Though advanced in age, their cultivation had only grown more refined and profound. For someone to suppress them both in an instant, filling them with fear so deep they wouldn't dare act — leaving no detectable trace whatsoever — was impossible for anyone below the Emperor Realm.
The thought that he had provoked an Emperor Realm powerhouse made Qiu Yu's legs go weak and trembling. He could barely keep his footing.
"No, no, no…" The elder who had spoken first shook his head. "That kid is far too young to be an Emperor Realm powerhouse. Moreover, the two of us carefully scanned him with our divine sense — his cultivation is undoubtedly Second-Order Dao Source Realm."
"Then is there an Emperor Realm expert protecting him in the shadows?" Qiu Yu was startled once more.
"Also no. That feeling didn't come from an Emperor Realm powerhouse…" The other elder shook his head.
Qiu Yu swallowed. "Could it be that the two of you sensed incorrectly?"
The first elder said: "Young Master, do you not believe us?"
"That's not it." Qiu Yu hastily waved his hands. "It's just… there has to be some explanation, doesn't there? Are you telling me that kid could easily overpower the two of you?"