Yang Kai sighed. "What is Miss Lan's reputation in the Eastern Region?"
Lan He replied, "What reputation?"
"Do many people know you?"
Lan He smiled reservedly. "Not many, but I suppose it's not few either." She had long been well-known in the Eastern Region. Though she couldn't compare to that fellow Chi Gui, she was still one of the leading figures among the newer generation — otherwise she would never have qualified to enter the Shattered Star Sea all those years ago.
Moreover, with Yin Lesheng of the Netherworld Sect and the two Holy Sons of the Brahma Heaven Holy Land all having been killed by Yang Kai, she had only risen further in prominence. With her current cultivation at the first level of the Emperor Realm, it was only natural that quite a number of people recognized her.
"That's going to be trouble," Yang Kai said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"What trouble?" Lan He asked, confused.
Yang Kai shook his head. "Nothing." He couldn't care less about the Netherworld Sect or the Brahma Heaven Holy Land. If they left him alone, fine. If they dared to come looking for trouble, he would teach them what it meant to smash an egg against a rock. But now Lan He had come to warn him of her own good will, and in such a public setting at that — it was inevitable that someone with ulterior motives had taken notice.
He could simply leave, but Lan He's actions had already drawn some of the fire toward Heavenly Wolf Valley. If others couldn't track down his whereabouts, they would likely go to Heavenly Wolf Valley to inquire, and Lan He might not come out of that unscathed.
She meant well, and how could Yang Kai ignore that? But he couldn't exactly tell her that her good intentions might backfire. All he could do was quietly devise a way to help extricate Heavenly Wolf Valley from the matter, so they wouldn't get dragged in.
While he was mulling this over, Lan He spoke up. "Brother Yang, weren't you looking for information about Spirit Beast Island? You want to go there?"
Yang Kai's eyes lit up at her words. "Miss Lan knows the way?"
Lan He pursed her lips in a smile. "That matter is confidential — I don't know the details myself, but the Valley Master should."
"Your Heavenly Wolf Valley has connections with Spirit Beast Island?"
Lan He explained, "Our Heavenly Wolf Valley's lineage is tied to the Sacred Spirit, the Moon-Howling Celestial Wolf. In the early years, we used a secret technique to raise a descendant of the Moon-Howling Celestial Wolf. Unfortunately, its bloodline was impure and it could not manifest the glory of its ancestors. Somehow Spirit Beast Island caught wind of this and dispatched a Beast-Seeker, who took the descendant of the Moon-Howling Celestial Wolf from us. Before leaving, the Beast-Seeker left behind a token of assurance, telling our Heavenly Wolf Valley that should we ever face an insurmountable difficulty, we could bring the token to Spirit Beast Island in the Eastern Sea and seek their aid."
"A token..." Yang Kai's face broke into a broad grin. Searching high and low, only to find it with no effort at all. He had been at a loss for how to make his way to Spirit Beast Island, and he never expected to find a lead from Lan He.
That so-called Beast-Seeker she mentioned, Yang Kai suspected, was much like that Elder Tao he had encountered previously in the Misty Heaven Sect — someone dispatched to roam the world in search of unusual formations and extraordinary beasts, bringing them back to Spirit Beast Island for cultivation.
A descendant of the Moon-Howling Celestial Wolf, even a flawed one, was enough for Spirit Beast Island to take interest in. What Heavenly Wolf Valley couldn't cultivate properly didn't mean Spirit Beast Island couldn't.
But Spirit Beast Island clearly wasn't about to take things for nothing. The Beast-Seeker had therefore left behind a token as compensation. For Heavenly Wolf Valley, this token from Spirit Beast Island was arguably their most powerful backing. With it in hand, even the three great supreme forces of the Eastern Region would likely think twice before causing trouble — because if it drew Spirit Beast Island into the picture, factions like the Brahma Heaven Holy Land or the Netherworld Sect would all suffer consequences they couldn't handle.
Lan He smiled faintly. "Now you understand why I invited you to take refuge at Heavenly Wolf Valley, Brother Yang? I knew you'd worry about dragging our Sect into trouble, but everyone in the Eastern Region knows that Heavenly Wolf Valley has some connection with Spirit Beast Island. Even if they learn you've gone to our valley, there's nothing they can do about it."
Yang Kai nodded. "I was overthinking it. In that case, this Yang thanks you in advance."
Lan He shot him a reproachful look. "There's no need to be so formal, Brother Yang. If it hadn't been for you back then, I would have died in the Shattered Star Sea long ago — where would I be today? A drop of kindness in need shall be repaid with a spring, let alone the kindness of saving one's life."
Yang Kai's expression turned earnest. "Miss Lan's goodwill — this Yang will remember it."
Truthfully, what he had done back then was nothing more than a small gesture. Lan He had ended up stranded in the void rift because of him, and sending her out hadn't required any real effort on his part. Yet after all these years, she had gone out of her way to track him down and offer him a place to lay low, even at the risk of bringing trouble to Heavenly Wolf Valley. That was no small favor.
But putting himself in her shoes, that small gesture of his had indeed been a life-saving grace for Lan He. The weight of such a debt was genuinely hard to measure.
Without further hesitation, Yang Kai tossed down a few pieces of Source Crystals and left the tavern with Lan He.
After he stood up, the woman who had just gone upstairs quietly took out a Transmission Compass and began channeling her Divine Sense into it, communicating with someone.
In the city, Yang Kai walked side by side with Lan He, heading toward the outskirts.
Lan He suddenly frowned. "Brother Yang, your whereabouts have already been exposed. Someone is following us."
Yang Kai smiled faintly. "That depends on whether they can keep up."
Moments later, the two passed through the city gates. Yang Kai offered a quick "pardon me," then reached out and grasped Lan He's arm. At the contact, Lan He's body trembled slightly, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.
In the next instant, her vision blurred, followed by a sensation of the world spinning around her. When she came to, she was already somewhere else entirely.
But it didn't stop there. The same experience repeated several more times, and only after a dozen or so such jumps did Yang Kai release her arm and smile. "I'll need Miss Lan to guide us from here."
Lan He was still dazed. She turned to look around, then glanced back the way they had come. The city was nowhere to be seen. Connecting this with Yang Kai's mastery over the power of Space, a startling thought surfaced in her mind.
Spatial Divine Ability — Teleportation!