Yang Tai seemed quite interested in that Fruit of Time. He set aside Gong Yue and stationed himself beside Yang Kai, subtly probing for information about Yang Kai's so-called "friend."
Yang Kai naturally wouldn't reveal the truth. He deflected the conversation with a few deft turns, and Yang Tai, not wanting to appear too eager, could only give up and walk away with a disgruntled look.
The atmosphere quieted immediately. All seven of them sat in meditation, resting and waiting for nightfall.
A wisp of formless divine sense suddenly extended toward Yang Kai, and then he heard Hua Yulu's secret transmission: "Is something wrong?"
Though she was a woman, as the Palace Mistress of the Hundred Flowers Palace, she was hardly some naive little girl. Yang Kai's earlier behavior had tipped her off to something, which was why she reached out privately.
Yang Kai replied without any change in expression: "Once we enter the ancient cave abode, don't step more than three zhang away from me."
Hua Yulu was mildly startled. "Is there really a problem?"
If there were no problem, Yang Kai wouldn't have issued such a warning. Yet no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't detect anything amiss, and suspicion began to churn within her.
Yang Kai said, "You've probably heard about the opening of the Realm of Four Seasons some years back?"
Hua Yulu replied, "I have. I also heard that Junior Brother Yang refined the Wondrous Spirit Pill in there."
The Realm of Four Seasons wasn't some minor secret realm. It was a palace left behind by the Great Emperor of Time, and each time it opened, only the Southern Domain's most outstanding Dao Source Realm cultivators were permitted to enter for training. Every opening yielded generous rewards.
The most recent opening had caused a huge stir for two reasons. First, Yang Kai had refined the Wondrous Spirit Pill inside — a heaven-defying spirit pill that catapulted him to fame. Second, an ancient Sacred Spirit had walked out of the Realm of Four Seasons: the fierce beast Qiongqi!
When a Sacred Spirit emerged into the world, no one could afford to ignore it — especially one renowned even in ancient times for its ferocity. It was said that this Qiongqi had once been the mount of the Great Emperor of Time. After the Great Emperor's fall, the Qiongqi had slumbered within the Temple of Time until the most recent opening of the Realm of Four Seasons, when it finally strode out.
In the years that followed, the Southern Domain's powerhouses had been living on edge, terrified that the Qiongqi might wreak havoc. But to everyone's surprise, the beast vanished without a trace and was never heard from again. As time passed, concern over the Qiongqi gradually faded.
Hua Yulu, having witnessed Yang Kai's strength on multiple occasions and now preparing to explore an ancient cave abode alongside him, had made a point of looking into his background. She had picked up quite a bit of intelligence about the Realm of Four Seasons incident.
Reflecting on it now — back then she had already been an Emperor Realm cultivator, while Yang Kai had barely entered the Dao Source Realm. Yet the Yang Kai of today could stand as her equal, and she was even relying on him to ensure her safety.
A comparison of their trajectories left Hua Yulu with a complicated mix of emotions.
"During my time in the Realm of Four Seasons, I encountered a descendant of the Gong family. Each of us obtained one Fruit of Time there," Yang Kai said.
Hua Yulu was surprised. "You were both quite fortunate."
Yang Kai chuckled softly. "Most people only know that the Fruit of Time can extend one's lifespan. What they don't realize is that the Fruit of Time actually comes in two varieties. One truly does extend longevity, but the other carries a virulent poison. If consumed by mistake, it will accelerate the passage of time, causing the eater to wither and age rapidly. The two types look absolutely identical on the surface, yet their effects are diametrically opposite."
"Is that so?" Hua Yulu was startled. Though she was at the Emperor Realm, her knowledge of pharmacology was limited. Still, given that Yang Kai had been able to refine the Wondrous Spirit Pill back then, he clearly possessed extraordinary expertise in alchemy and would naturally be well acquainted with the Fruit of Time.
He said he and the Gong descendant had each taken one Fruit of Time. With his mastery of pharmacology, he would certainly have chosen the one that extended longevity. In other words, the Gong descendant had brought back the poisonous one.
Perhaps someone in the Gong family had suffered terribly because of it…
But that seemed unlikely. Even if the Gong family didn't know the dangers of the Fruit of Time, they would surely have had it refined into a pill before use. And any Emperor-tier alchemist would know all about the Fruit of Time. If that were the case, the Gong family should have been fully aware of the situation.
But then there was what Gong Yue had said…
The moment that thought occurred to her, Hua Yulu's heart lurched. She understood immediately where the problem lay.
"Of course, this is only my suspicion. This Elder Gong Yue seems to have been in closed-door cultivation for a long time. It's possible he doesn't fully know what's been happening in his clan. But when in doubt, it never hurts to be cautious."
Hua Yulu nodded in firm agreement, then severed her connection with Yang Kai to avoid drawing anyone else's attention.
After cutting off contact with Hua Yulu, Yang Kai subtly shifted his gaze toward another person. If his suspicions were correct, then this one was a problem too!
Tonight was a moonless night. The sky was awash with stars, glittering and brilliant, but in the Southern Marsh, such a night sky was invisible. The toxic miasma shrouding the earth concealed everything from view.
When the group reached the third watch, they all sensed something at once and opened their eyes simultaneously.
"Shh…" Yang Tai raised a finger to his lips, signaling everyone to stay calm. He then suppressed his aura completely and activated a concealment technique. Without using one's eyes, no one would have been able to detect his presence.