"Are you truly unwilling to come with me? I could stay by your side for a lifetime, never to be separated." Li Shiqing gazed at him with a face full of sincerity.
Yang Kai replied impatiently, "I hate it most when people speak in riddles. Tell me first — who are you, where do you want me to go, and what am I supposed to do once I get there?"
Li Shiqing deliberated for a moment before saying, "I'm not at liberty to say too much just yet. All I can tell you is that something momentous will happen in the near future, and you, being well-versed in the Space Laws, will play a very important role. Why else do you think I came in person? As for who I am… you'll find out eventually. I promise my identity will be no disgrace to you."
Yang Kai sneered, "That's the same as saying nothing." His eyes darted about, and he spoke up: "Let's rest for a bit. We'll go find them later."
With that said, he couldn't be bothered to pay her any more attention and simply sat down.
With that ridiculous Heart Seal Secret Technique at work, Yang Kai didn't need to worry about Li Shiqing harboring any ill intentions toward him. She had already been completely seen and touched by him — if she had any designs against him, they would have shown long before now. So he felt quite at ease in front of her.
Seeing him sit down, Li Shiqing suddenly leaned closer. "Hmm? Are you trying to use my secret technique to probe my identity?"
This woman was really sharp! Yang Kai's mouth twitched. Wasn't it supposed to be "big chest, no brain"?
He indeed had that very idea. He couldn't extract any useful intelligence from Li Shiqing's lips, but today's events weren't entirely without clues. His best chance lay in that so-called Heart Seal Secret Technique.
He had clearly felt something additional take root in his Spiritual Sea, yet he couldn't find it.
Now that he thought about it, that extra presence had to be the Heart Seal Secret Technique. If he could locate its source and examine it carefully, he might just catch a glimpse of something revealing.
He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Are you going to stop me?"
Li Shiqing covered her mouth and giggled, "Why would I stop you? Go ahead and investigate if you like. But let me give you a word of warning — this technique is ethereal and traceless. Once it takes hold, it entangles the target for life and simply cannot be undone. Forget that you're only at the second stage of the Emperor Realm right now — even if a Great Emperor tried to dispel it, it wouldn't work."
Yang Kai curled his lip. "You're bluffing!"
No matter who this Li Shiqing turned out to be or where she came from, her cultivation was identical to his — both at the second stage of the Emperor Realm. The sheer audacity to spout such claims made Yang Kai want to spit in her face.
Li Shiqing smiled. "Then do your best. I'll be right here waiting."
Yang Kai snorted, "Talk properly."
Li Shiqing fell silent, and Yang Kai closed his eyes and focused his mind. Within his Spiritual Sea, his spiritual soul took form, and he began searching meticulously.
A quarter of an hour later, Yang Kai opened his eyes, his face dark and grim.
Li Shiqing immediately asked, "How did it go?"
Yang Kai glared at her. "Don't get smug. I was short on time and didn't have a chance to search thoroughly. Just you wait — I'll settle this with you later."
"Oh, I'll be looking forward to that," Li Shiqing said with a smile. She paused and added, "Where do we go now?"
Yang Kai very much wanted to tell her to take her own road while he took his, but the words caught in his throat and he couldn't bring himself to say them. All he could manage was a sullen: "Let's go back and find them." He suddenly added a warning: "If you dare lay a finger on them, I will never forgive you."
Li Shiqing said, "Relax. My purpose on this trip has already been accomplished. From now on, I just need to stay by your side."
Yang Kai frowned. "Aren't you going back to the Myriad Flower Valley?"
Li Shiqing laughed. "I'm not Li Shiqing. What would I go back to the Myriad Flower Valley for?"
"Then how are you going to explain things to the Flower Shadow Great Emperor? If she ever investigates this matter, your identity will certainly be exposed."
Li Shiqing blinked. "Are you worried about me?"
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm worried about getting dragged into this myself. In any case, even if the Flower Shadow Great Emperor doesn't pursue the matter after we leave, I still plan to inform her."
Li Shiqing was noncommittal. "Whatever makes you happy." She wore the expression of someone certain Yang Kai would never go snitching, which set his teeth on edge. Scowling, he said, "Forget everything else for now — the least you can do is tell me your name."
Li Shiqing was quiet for a moment, then broke into a smile. "Rumeng. Yu Rumeng!"
Yang Kai gave a slight nod, said nothing more, and led the way back along the original path.
Yu Rumeng naturally followed without a moment's delay. But they had barely flown a few li before a sudden peal of thunder cracked across the sky, roaring like the drums of heaven and earth.
A suffocating wave of pressure descended from above. Yang Kai's expression changed as he halted in midair and craned his neck toward the hazy grey sky, his face a mask of alarm and unease.
The thunder-like sound wasn't actual thunder — it was the clash of combatants in the sky above. What truly sent a chill down Yang Kai's spine was that the combatants' cultivation had clearly reached the level of a Great Emperor. The mere shockwaves of their exchange set his blood churning in his chest, forcing him to circulate his Emperor Yuan to shield body and soul.