On the beach, Yang Kai stood for a long time.
The sea breeze blew past, and the stench of blood faded considerably.
Lü Sanniang and her daughter had dug several nearby graves and laid the four dead to rest, letting them return to the earth in peace. That was simply her nature — even though Madam Hua had targeted and humiliated her earlier, even though the woman had harbored ill intentions toward mother and daughter alike, she still refused to abandon their remains after death.
She couldn't bear the guilt otherwise.
After all, they had lived together for two or three hundred years. There may have been no warmth between them, but they were all acquaintances — how could she stand by and watch their bodies be left to rot in the open?
Even Yuan Wu, reduced to little more than a charred husk, she had carefully attended to.
This kept her busy until dusk. It wasn't until the sun had set that everything was properly handled. With her arm around the pale-faced Lü Yuqin, she walked back. Lü Sanniang felt somewhat lost, unsure of where to go from here.
Li Jiao had been taken away to cultivate the Dragon Blood Flowers, and at this point the only person she could rely on was Yang Kai. But she wasn't particularly close with him either, and through the day's events she had come to realize that Yang Kai was an utter enigma — someone she simply could not see through.
He hadn't backed down an inch against Madam Hua. He had spoken with open hostility toward a member of the Dragon Clan. Everything he did seemed supremely dangerous, and yet somehow he always came through unscathed.
She stood roughly thirty feet away from Yang Kai, deliberating over what to say. The day's events had shown her that there was a vast gap between herself and Yang Kai — she could no longer treat him as casually as before.
With a splash, a plume of water vapor erupted from the sea, as though some sea beast was breathing. Through the haze, a dark silhouette the size of a small mountain rose from somewhere on the surface.
Without turning his head, Yang Kai said, "Sister Lü, I need to step out for a moment. I'll be back shortly — don't wander off."
"Oh, all right." Lü Sanniang answered reflexively, a small measure of warmth rising in her chest. She knew Yang Kai was looking after her only because of Li Jiao, and she felt quietly glad that Li Jiao had made such a friend.
But thinking of Li Jiao brought a familiar darkness to her expression. In this lifetime, she feared she could never return to the way things had once been with him.
These feelings could become fond memories, but in the moment they had been nothing but confusion.
When she came back to her senses, Yang Kai had already taken flight, landing directly upon a spot in the sea.
Another plume of water vapor surged upward as the unknown sea beast turned and swam into the depths, though its back now carried an uninvited guest.
An hour later, a small spirit island appeared ahead. The mountain-sized sea beast swam up to it and stopped.
Yang Kai understood. One step carried him onto the island, and only then did the sea beast turn and vanish into the ocean.
His spiritual sense swept out and immediately locked onto a specific point on the island. With a surge of the Space Laws, he appeared in an instant atop a small peak.
Zhu Lie was already waiting there. He had evidently seen Yang Kai arrive, because he showed no surprise — only glancing back with a frown. "How did you end up on Dragon Island?!"
Yang Kai's anger flared. He stormed forward and seized Zhu Lie by the collar, glaring at him with a savage expression. "What do you think, brother-in-law?!"
"Let go!" Zhu Lie glanced down, his brow furrowing deeply.
There was no one else around, but being grabbed by the collar and spoken to like this was still grating for a proud member of the Dragon Clan.
"I've been putting up with you for far too long!" Yang Kai refused to release his grip, his expression growing ever more ferocious. "Don't think I can't see through it — Zhu Qing didn't return to the Northern Domain but came straight back to Dragon Island with you, and that's all your doing, isn't it? If you hadn't been stirring up trouble at every turn, Qing'er would have been waiting for me at Lingxiao Palace."
Zhu Lie replied coldly, "Dragon Island is the ancestral land of our Dragon Clan. If not Dragon Island, where else would she go?"
"Still talking back, are you? You really think I wouldn't dare teach you a lesson?"
"Don't push your luck. This isn't your Lingxiao Palace — this is Dragon Island!"
"What are you shouting for? I came here, so of course I know this is Dragon Island! But then again... a brother-in-law disciplining his wife's brother is perfectly natural — do you think I care whether this is Dragon Island or not? Even if Zhu Qing were standing right here, I'd still do it. Go ahead and see which side she takes."
Zhu Lie clenched his teeth. "Utter nonsense!"
Yang Kai sneered, "Still better than your underhanded scheming."
Zhu Lie snapped, "What scheming? Don't you dare sling accusations at me!"
Yang Kai said, "Then explain why Zhu Qing came back to Dragon Island without so much as a word to me! Why didn't she even say goodbye — and you dare tell me this had nothing to do with you?"
"Who knows? Maybe she grew tired of you. Don't flatter yourself too much — you're nothing but a human. In the eyes of our Dragon Clan, you're nothing more than an ant."
Yang Kai was so furious he actually laughed. "Fine then. Today this ant will trample on your Dragon Clan's precious pride, and we'll see just how much you're really worth."
"Impossible to reason with!"
"You show no respect for your elders!"
They bickered back and forth for a time, then both suddenly fell silent, staring each other down. Neither was willing to yield. The air between them crackled with tension.
After a long moment, Yang Kai finally released Zhu Lie's collar and gave a soft snort.
Zhu Lie's expression was unpleasant. He straightened his robes and brushed off the spot where Yang Kai had grabbed him, his face twisting with distaste.
"Where is Zhu Qing?" Yang Kai asked, his gaze sweeping across the starlit sea.
Zhu Lie didn't answer but countered with a question of his own: "How exactly did you get in here?"