Li Jiao didn't respond, as though he hadn't heard. His expression shifted ceaselessly, his gaze roiling with conflict.
Lady Hong glanced at him, stepped forward, and straightened his robes. "I remember the Palace Master once said something to me, years ago," she said softly.
"What?" Li Jiao asked reflexively.
"He said his greatest wish in life was to set foot on Dragon Island—the place where his bloodline was born. He said even if it cost him his life, seeing it just once would leave him with no regrets."
"Hong'er, you..." Li Jiao turned to look at her.
He hadn't expected that a casual remark he'd mumbled while drunk all those years ago would be something she remembered so clearly.
"Go. I'll be waiting for you at home." Lady Hong gazed at him, her beautiful eyes full of reluctance, yet her face wore nothing but smiles.
The conflict in Li Jiao's eyes deepened.
Suddenly, he reached out and swept her into his arms—one hand on her slender waist, the other supporting her back—and lowered his head to press his lips against hers.
"Mmm..." A soft murmur escaped Lady Hong's lips as she slowly closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling gently.
Li Jiao kissed her with desperate tenderness and held her with all his strength, as though trying to meld her delicate body into his own so that they would never be parted again.
After a moment, their lips parted. Li Jiao turned away and said in a low voice, "If I don't come back... you should remarry quickly."
The words had barely left his mouth before he shot into the sky, hurtling after Yang Kai with a fierce momentum—even against an army of thousands, he would press on.
Lady Hong watched him disappear through tear-blurred eyes. She cupped her hands around her mouth like a trumpet and shouted at the top of her lungs, "I'll be waiting for you to come back! And if you don't, I'll come find you in the Underworld!"
Li Jiao's flight faltered for just an instant—then he accelerated, vanishing from her sight.
…
Yang Kai set off alone, his mind consumed with the problem of how to reach Dragon Island.
Dragon Island was an exceedingly mysterious existence. Though its reputation preceded it and countless rumors spoke of dragons dwelling upon it, virtually no one knew its actual location—only that it lay somewhere above the Eastern Sea of the Eastern Region.
Yang Kai naturally didn't know either.
His visit to the Li Dragon Palace to ask Li Jiao had been nothing more than a long shot. After all, Li Jiao was a Dragon Descendant with cultivation at the third-layer Emperor Realm. He might know something.
But upon asking, Yang Kai had been sorely disappointed.
If Li Jiao didn't know, then he would have to find another way.
Fortunately, he had a backup plan, so he wasn't entirely unprepared.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly sensed something and looked back.
A figure was hurtling toward him at tremendous speed. Before it even arrived, Yang Kai's divine sense had already detected that familiar aura.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, a peculiar expression crossing his face, and waited where he stood.
A moment later, Li Jiao appeared before him, his face a complicated tangle of emotions.
Yang Kai snorted with amusement. "Brother Li, what are you doing chasing after me?"
"You're really going to Dragon Island?" Li Jiao asked with a frown, sidestepping the question entirely.
"Mm." Yang Kai gave a slight nod.
"For Miss Zhu?"
"Yes." Yang Kai nodded.
Li Jiao smiled bitterly and cupped his fists. "Palace Master Yang is truly a man of great skill and even greater courage. I, Li, am impressed."
"Enough pleasantries. Why did you chase after me?" Yang Kai asked, studying him with open curiosity.
Li Jiao scratched his face, somewhat sheepishly. "I've come only to lend Palace Master Yang a helping hand."
"Oh?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow.
Li Jiao said, "I know the general direction of Dragon Island..."
"Hmm?" Yang Kai's gaze lowered.
Reading Yang Kai's expression, Li Jiao knew he was in trouble. He'd flatly denied knowing anything before, and now here he was practically walking into the lion's den. This guy was probably getting angry. He hastily explained, "I really only know the general direction—I don't know the exact location. That's why I didn't dare say anything before. I was afraid of misleading Palace Master Yang and ruining his plans."
"Is that so?" Yang Kai said with a smile, walking toward him.
Li Jiao's face paled slightly. He thought to himself that he'd definitely made the guy angry. He shouldn't have chased after this at all. Wouldn't it have been just fine to live peacefully with Hong'er back at the Li Dragon Palace? Why did he have to come looking for trouble? Now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and he had no idea what he'd been thinking.
Watching Yang Kai walk up to him and raise a hand, Li Jiao's heart leapt into his throat. There was no chance he could win a fight—even resistance would end in a crushing defeat.
He simply closed his eyes. Whatever happens, happens. He believed Yang Kai wouldn't actually kill him. At worst, he'd just get beaten up to vent some frustration.
*Smack.*
Li Jiao flinched. The blow he'd braced for never came. Instead, an arm settled casually over his shoulder.