At the mountain gate of Wu Hua Palace, Yang Kai walked forward at a leisurely pace and came to a small mound of earth. He lowered his head and gazed at the cold corpse, a flicker of sorrow passing through his eyes. The body was encased in a layer of ice, so despite having lain there for several days, it showed no signs of decomposition — nor had any beasts come to gnaw on it.
The fatal wound was at the chest, pierced through by a blade or sword of some sharp-edged weapon. There was only this single wound, and it was plain to see that she had not suffered much pain before death. Yet her wide-open eyes were filled with nothing but terror and helplessness.
"Palace Master!" Hua Qingsi stepped forward and called out softly.
"What are you doing here?" Yang Kai asked as he crouched down, sweeping his large hand over the icy corpse. The hard frost melted at once, and he gently closed her eyelids, brushing aside the stray locks of hair from her forehead.
"Elder Ji asked me to stand guard here," Hua Qingsi replied, secretly studying Yang Kai's expression. She now knew that Ji Yao had been right — the Palace Master did indeed know this dead woman, though she couldn't tell what their relationship was. But seeing the guilt and sorrow written across Yang Kai's face, it was clear they hadn't been ordinary acquaintances, even if it hadn't reached the level of romantic affection.
Yang Kai nodded. When Ji Yao had broken through Wu Hua Palace's sect-protecting formation alongside him and charged inside, he had noticed her using a secret art to freeze Yu Zhuo's body in ice. But at the time, with a great battle looming, he simply hadn't had a moment to linger. Only now, with everything settled, had he come to pay his respects.
The dead were gone, yet their voice and smile kept rolling through his mind's eye. Had she not died here, with the way Yu Zhuo had performed at the Martial Assembly, her future advancement to the Emperor Realm would have held great promise. But the path of martial arts was one of hacking through thorns — the slightest misstep meant utter annihilation of body and soul.
He hadn't really been that close to her. Tens of thousands had perished in this southern campaign — even over a third of the Purple Azure Divine Temple's disciples had fallen — and yet the only one whose loss filled Yang Kai with genuine regret and heartache was her alone.
What a strange feeling. Looking at the person before him, Yang Kai could still recall the day he had refused to meet her, only for her to suddenly turn back and wave at him with all her might. No one had imagined that that one turning glance would be their last farewell.
"Palace Master, those people over there are her fellow sect members. They wish to lay the body to rest," Hua Qingsi said after waiting for a while. Seeing that Yang Kai still hadn't reacted, she finally spoke up to remind him.
Yang Kai looked up. A dozen or so people stood nearby at a respectful distance, looking somewhat apprehensive. Leading them was a young woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, and the entire group behind her consisted of women. Every face was drawn with grief, and several of the younger ones were softly sobbing.
"Please, come over," Yang Kai nodded.
"Yes." Hua Qingsi acknowledged the order and walked over to them. After exchanging a few words with the woman at the front, she led the group of a dozen or so back within moments.
"Qin Pei of the Raksha Sect greets Elder Yang." The young woman bowed, her gaze sweeping over Yu Zhuo's body. Her eyes immediately reddened, though she managed to restrain herself from bursting into tears right then — mindful of Yang Kai's presence.
Yang Kai's gaze swept over the group and noted that among these dozen people, Qin Pei had the highest cultivation at only the second-level Dao Source Realm. There was only one other at the first-level Dao Source Realm; the rest were at the Void King Realm or the Void Return Realm.
"You were Yu Zhuo's fellow sect members?" Yang Kai asked.
Qin Pei nodded. "Yes. I was Yu Zhuo's senior sister."
"Where is your Sect Master?" Yang Kai looked at her. The Raksha Sect was not a particularly powerful sect in the southern region, but he remembered that they did have an Emperor Realm Sect Master, and it was she who had led the delegation to the Martial Assembly this time.
Qin Pei lowered her head, her voice catching. "The Sect Master is gone too."
The moment those words left her lips, the several women behind her who had been quietly weeping could no longer hold back and burst into tears. The Raksha Sect was an all-female sect — all-female sects inevitably attracted attention, and there were always those of predatory inclination who harbored designs on them. With an Emperor Realm Sect Master presiding and marriage alliances forged with nearby sects and families, they had managed to keep things stable. Now, with the Sect Master dead and all but two of their Dao Source Realm members killed at the Martial Assembly, the sect's foundations had been shattered. Going forward, it would be extremely difficult for the Raksha Sect to maintain a foothold in the southern region. Once word spread, the fate of the sect's many female disciples was a grim prospect indeed. Thinking of the bleak future while mourning the present, how could a group of women contain their grief?
Yang Kai said nothing.
Qin Pei produced a cloth pouch from her spatial ring and held it out to Yang Kai.
"This is…?" Yang Kai regarded her with puzzlement.
Qin Pei wiped her tears and forced a smile. "Junior Sister Yu Zhuo asked me a while back to keep an eye out and collect some seeds for her. I imagine she meant to give them to you. I collected them a bit too late and didn't have time to hand them to her."
Yang Kai pressed his lips together and reached out to take the cloth pouch. It felt impossibly heavy for something so small.
Qin Pei continued, "Junior Sister Yu Zhuo admired you greatly, Elder Yang. Some time ago—" She faltered, unable to continue, and covered her mouth as quiet sobs wracked her body. Behind her, the dozen or so women, swept up in the wave of grief, all embraced one another and wept openly.
Even Hua Qingsi felt her heart twist at the scene, her own eyes rimming red.
After a long while, Qin Pei finally composed herself. She drew a deep breath and managed a smile. "Junior Sister Yu Zhuo was truly blessed to have met Elder Yang before the end."