Leaving the four of them behind to stand guard and wait, he instructed that if he did not return for a long time, they should find someone from the Star God Palace and leave this place. Only after giving these orders did Yang Kai set off through the air in the direction Gao Zhan had indicated.
He searched all the way but found no trace of Li Shiqing. All that remained was a faint hint of her lingering fragrance in the air.
Gao Zhan's guidance was correct! He really could divine Li Shiqing's whereabouts, which filled Yang Kai with no small amount of admiration. The legendary ability of divine calculation truly did exist.
However, one thing struck him as odd—he could only smell the residual fragrance of Li Shiqing herself, with no trace of anyone else's aura. If that was the case, then Li Shiqing had left entirely on her own.
But why would she leave alone? Was there something so urgent that she couldn't even notify the rest of them first?
A short while later, a lake suddenly appeared in his field of vision. Before he even drew close, Yang Kai heard the sound of splashing water carrying over from that direction. Growing suspicious, he concealed his aura and approached the lake with stealth.
Before long, he reached the lakeside and hid behind a tree, quietly peering over at the scene.
The moment he glanced over, Yang Kai felt a flush of awkwardness.
In the lake, a graceful and shapely figure was bathing. Though it was only a fleeting look, Yang Kai's eyesight was extraordinary, and the lake water was crystal clear—everything that should be seen and everything that shouldn't were all laid bare before him.
Her figure was exquisitely alluring, truly enough to quicken anyone's pulse! Even Yang Kai, a seasoned veteran, felt his heart skip a beat, his pulse suddenly accelerating.
The person bathing in the lake was none other than Li Shiqing, who had vanished without a sound.
Yang Kai had never imagined that his search would lead him to such a tantalizing scene, leaving him caught between exasperation and amusement. It was clear now that Li Shiqing had not been in any danger, nor had she been captured—she had left of her own volition.
But one thing still puzzled him: how had she managed to leave without leaving the slightest trace, completely undetected by everyone?
Just as he was pondering this, Li Shiqing suddenly cried out in alarm: "Who's there!"
Perhaps the slight increase in Yang Kai's heartbeat had given him away. She immediately turned her head toward the spot where he was hiding, and as she shouted, her feet churned up the muddy sediment at the bottom of the lake, clouding the water around her with a murky swirl that concealed the enticing sight.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment, then had no choice but to come clean: "It's me—Yang Kai!"
He hadn't deliberately peeked at her bathing, and now that she had caught him, any sneaking around would only make things worse. He might as well own up to it openly.
"Brother Yang?" Li Shiqing's voice carried a note of surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Hearing her ask that, Yang Kai felt a surge of irritation: "I should be the one asking you! What are you doing coming to a place like this? Do you have any idea what kind of situation this is? You just slink off without a word and end up here—are you courting death? Is there something wrong with your head?"
After the words left his mouth, he couldn't help but furrow his brow. He had no real relationship with this woman—whether she lived or died was none of his concern. If she wanted to throw her life away, no one could stop her. Yet he had just lashed out at her without thinking.
Over by the lake, there was a brief silence before Li Shiqing's voice drifted over: "I'm sorry. I just wanted to clean myself up. It's been a long time since I've had a proper bath, and I was feeling miserable. I saw you all busy with things and figured there was still some time, so when I spotted this little lake earlier, I came over."
Her response caught Yang Kai slightly off guard. He scratched his face and said, "If that's the case, you should have told us beforehand. They were all very worried about you."
"I won't do it again next time," Li Shiqing replied.
Next time? Yang Kai couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly. He made up his mind—as soon as they left this place, he would part ways with this woman and never see her again for the rest of his life. He had a nagging feeling that nothing good could ever come of staying around her.
"Brother Yang…" Li Shiqing called out again, sounding rather embarrassed. "Are you still there?"
"I'm here!" Yang Kai responded in a steady voice.
"Could you please look away for a moment? I'd like to… put my clothes back on."
The words were practically begging for the imagination to run wild. The scene from that brief, stolen glance involuntarily surfaced in Yang Kai's mind. He quickly shook his head, banishing the stray thoughts, and said, "Fine. I'll wait for you over there."
"Thank you," Li Shiqing said softly.
Yang Kai launched himself into the air and flew off toward the distance.
But no sooner had he started moving than he heard Li Shiqing cry out in alarm from behind. He immediately halted and spun around, only to see enormous bubbles rising from the center of the lake where Li Shiqing had just been. A pale, slender arm struggled briefly before it was rapidly dragged down toward the lake bed.
What was going on? Yang Kai stared in shock.
There was no time to think. He shot across the distance in an instant while shouting at the top of his lungs: "Li Shiqing!"