While Yang Kai was examining himself, Zhu Qing stood nearby, watching him with open curiosity but making no effort to rush him.
A few days ago, although she had been the first to find him, she had no idea what had actually happened — only that he had been through a fierce battle. It was only later that she learned his opponents had included a Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivator and a Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivator…
Many of them had cultivation far above his own, and one of them had even been an Elder of the Star God Palace.
Yet in the end, he had won, and every last one of his enemies had been killed.
Zhu Qing could not help but be moved.
As a member of the Dragon Clan — who regarded themselves as the noblest of all living beings and bore the most powerful Sacred Spirit bloodline — her standards had always been lofty. She had never placed other races in her eyes, and even among the motley collection of Sacred Spirits, few could rival the Dragons.
But Zhu Qing knew that even if she herself had acted at the First-Order Emperor Realm, she could never have pulled off such a feat.
Was he truly human? On that count alone, she genuinely admired him. But the man's character was absolutely abominable. The first time he had groped her could perhaps be excused as an involuntary reaction, drawn by her bloodline. But the second time had been entirely deliberate.
If the Elder hadn't specifically instructed her to befriend him, Zhu Qing would have torn him to pieces long ago, let alone tolerate his continued existence in this world.
"You're staring at me like that — aren't you afraid I might get self-conscious?"
Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes, smiling at Zhu Qing with amusement.
Zhu Qing hastily averted her gaze and turned her head away.
"I'm curious — why didn't you kill me?" Yang Kai asked with a frown.
"Why would I kill you?" Zhu Qing looked out the window, answering without turning back.
Yang Kai found that strange. "If you weren't coming to kill me, then why did you come back?"
He hadn't seen her for nearly a month, and then she appeared at his most vulnerable moment. It was no wonder he had assumed she was there for revenge. He hadn't expected things to turn out differently from what he'd anticipated.
Zhu Qing turned her head and glared at him furiously. "What else would I come for? To be friends with you, of course!"
"Friends…" Yang Kai was taken aback. Those words sounded oddly familiar somehow.
Zhu Qing tossed something toward him. "Here's what you wanted. It took me considerable effort to get it."
Yang Kai caught it reflexively, then gave her a bewildered look. He realized the object in his hand was a wineskin.
No way…
His heart skipped a beat. He opened the wineskin and took a sniff — the rich aroma of wine filled his nose.
"Sword Wine from the Western Regions' Sword Manor Vineyard. They brew only ninety-nine skins each year, and the one in your hand is one of them."
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Yang Kai's forehead. He stared at her in astonishment. "You went to the Western Regions?"
A month ago, he had merely tossed out a casual remark — partly to make things difficult for her. He never imagined she would actually go and procure a skin of Sword Wine for him. Did that mean she hadn't been discouraged during this time, but had gone off specifically to fetch the wine?
A single offhand comment had sent her dashing about for an entire month. Yang Kai didn't know whether to call this girl truly foolish or truly foolish…
Though he did feel a small pang of guilt.
But then he thought again — that didn't add up. Even if she was of the Dragon Clan, how could a single month have been enough for a round trip from the Western Regions?
"It's none of your business where I went. The point is, I got you what you needed," Zhu Qing said through clenched teeth. Fetching this skin of Sword Wine had cost her dearly. She fixed Yang Kai with a hard stare. "So we're friends now?"
Yang Kai looked up at her and said nothing.
Zhu Qing flared up in anger. "Are you going back on your word?"
She was seething inwardly. If this despicable man dared renege, she would beat him senseless regardless of any punishment the Elder might impose on her, then knock him unconscious and haul him back to Dragon Island. Judging by his current condition, she should be able to take him. She clenched her dainty fist, her eyes sweeping over Yang Kai's body as she calculated which spot to strike for a one-hit finish. Otherwise, once he activated his Progenitor Dragon bloodline, she would be suppressed again.
Yang Kai studied her for a long while before finally giving a slight nod. "Very well. We're friends now."
Being friends with a Dragon — and one who had been forced on him at that — felt decidedly odd all the same.
As he spoke, he stored the wineskin away in his spatial ring.
Zhu Qing's face lit up with delight, her smile blooming like a flower. "Really?"
"Really," Yang Kai replied with a solemn nod.
Zhu Qing's expression shifted instantly, her tone turning fierce. "Then why don't you drink it? Are you just agreeing with your mouth but not actually considering me a friend in your heart?"
Yang Kai smiled. "No one has ever gone to such trouble for me. I want to keep this as a memento — so that whenever I see this wineskin in the future, I'll think of you."
For all he knew, there could be something suspicious about this wine. He had agreed to be friends with Zhu Qing, but this Dragon Clan friend had appeared under the strangest circumstances — Zhu Qing clearly had ulterior motives, and Yang Kai naturally could not trust her completely.
But one thing was certain: the girl bore him no ill will. During the time he had been unconscious, no amount of lives would have been enough to save him if she had.
And as he had told Zhu Qing before, the word "friends" was not something to be thrown around lightly.