"Speak! Why did you ambush this Lord?" someone demanded, glaring at the bitter-faced man.
The bitter-faced man clenched his teeth, refusing to utter a single word despite the pain.
"Heh heh, looks like we've got a tough one. I'm afraid we'll have to extract his soul and refine his spirit to find out what he's after." Another man approached with a savage grin.
"Ha ha ha!" The bitter-faced man suddenly burst into wild laughter, so manic and unhinged that everyone froze.
After a moment, the laughter cut off, replaced by a cold, sinister tone: "You want to extract my soul and refine my spirit? Well, you'd need the guts for that first. Do you know which sect I come from, where I'm from? If you dare lay so much as a finger on me, your sects and families will never know a moment's peace again!"
Hearing this, every face in the crowd changed. The bitter-faced man carried himself with the air of someone who had powerful backing, and it genuinely gave them pause.
On closer thought—if he had dared to ambush an Emperor Realm cultivator, he must have had some backing. He really might be a disciple of a top-tier sect. Otherwise, what reason would he have to attack an Emperor Realm master here for no apparent reason?
For all they knew, Yang Kai had some grudge against this top-tier sect, and that was why this man had tried to kill him here.
Earlier, everyone had been too caught up in gratitude for Yang Kai saving their lives to think too deeply about it. Now that they had time to reflect, the whole affair seemed riddled with strange contradictions.
"Ha ha ha, scared now?" The bitter-faced man took in everyone's expressions and couldn't help but sneer repeatedly. "My advice to you all is to mind your own business and not meddle in affairs that don't concern you. Go about your business and stop standing around in front of me—"
Smack!
Before he could finish his sentence, Zhang Ruoxi had flashed before him and delivered a sharp slap across his face.
The bitter-faced man was sent into a daze, stars exploding across his vision, his head spinning. It took him a long while to recover, and the blow had knocked more than a dozen teeth from his mouth, blood pouring freely from his lips.
Yang Kai had been ambushed. Though it had ended without real danger, the fact still left Zhang Ruoxi seething with fury. She simply could not fathom that there were people in this world so utterly ungrateful. Yang Kai had just saved his life, and in the very next breath, the man had tried to kill him.
People like this deserved nothing less than death.
If she hadn't held back the rage in her heart, that single slap might well have ended him.
The others might have feared this bitter-faced man, but Zhang Ruoxi had absolutely nothing to fear.
It seemed that in her genuine anger, an aura of savage ferocity radiated outward from her body, making her look like a maddened beast in human form.
Everyone stared at her, stunned. Not a single one had expected that this fairy-like young woman could harbor such a terrifying side—
"The wind has stopped and the evil spirits have dispersed. You may all leave—I won't see you out," Yang Kai said evenly, his expression unchanged.
The others exchanged glances and needed only a moment to understand what he meant.
Whatever grudge existed between him and this bitter-faced man, whatever background the man had, it was no concern of theirs to intervene—and he didn't need their help.
If they were going to be afraid, what was the point of staying? Better to remove themselves from the situation entirely rather than get dragged in and burned.
Once they understood this, someone immediately cupped their fists and said: "Lord, I will always remember the debt of gratitude I owe you. May you return from the Ancient Lands laden with treasures! I bid you farewell!"
With that, the person shot out of the cave without a second thought and vanished into the strange fog.
With someone leading the way, the rest quickly grasped the situation. One by one, they offered their farewells and departed.
After a moment, Yang Kai turned his gaze to Qi Hefeng with a look of amusement. "You're not leaving?"
Everyone else was gone. Only he had remained, which naturally gave Yang Kai something to think about.
Qi Hefeng shook his head. "I have something to say to you, Lord."
Yang Kai let out a laugh. "You know who I am!"
This was no question—it was a statement of fact. Earlier, when Qi Hefeng had been introducing himself, he had glanced toward Yang Kai, whether deliberately or not. At the time, Yang Kai had suspected the man might recognize him. Now he was certain. Why else would he stay behind while everyone else left?
Qi Hefeng managed an awkward smile. "The Lord noticed."
Yang Kai said: "Did Qi Hai tell you?"
Qi Hefeng straightened his expression. "It was indeed the Young Castle Master. After he returned from the Shattered Star Sea a few days ago, he gathered some of his trusted subordinates and conjured an image of you before us, instructing us to keep watch for your whereabouts. He said you had told him in the Shattered Star Sea that you would be coming to the Eastern Region."
Yang Kai snorted. "I said I'd come to the Eastern Region—I never said I'd come to this Ancient Lands. And you just happened to be standing guard here. Isn't that a little too convenient?"
Qi Hefeng replied with some embarrassment: "Allow me to inform you, Lord. That tavern back in Desolation City… is actually a venture secretly backed by my Qi family."
Yang Kai's expression cleared with understanding. No wonder the tavern owner had insisted on gifting him ten jars of Savage Wine just before he left—it turned out the Qi family castle's people had already recognized him back then.