Yang Kai spoke again: "A few years ago, I happened to run into Qiongqi outside Heavenly Wolf Valley in the Eastern Domain. He was being chased by two seniors, Li Wuyi and Jiufeng, who wanted to capture him and bring him back to Spirit Beast Island for custody. He claimed me as his young master to enlist my help in escaping the predicament. I've heard a fair bit about Qiongqi's notorious reputation. Grand Elder, do you know why I agreed to take him in back then?"
Zhu Yan asked, "Wasn't it because you've cultivated the Time Flies Like a Shuttle art?"
Yang Kai smiled faintly. "That was only part of it. The main reason was that old Qiongqi told me the true inheritance of the Time Emperor still lies hidden within the Four Seasons Land. If I were willing to lend him a hand, he could take me into the Four Seasons Land to try my luck and see whether I might inherit the Time Emperor's mantle. The Time Emperor's achievements were extraordinary, and his Dao of Time was profoundly deep — I had no reason not to be tempted. Naturally, I agreed, and I put in a good word with Spirit Beast Island to keep him by my side."
Zhu Yan's eyes lit up. "The Time Emperor's inheritance is in the Four Seasons Land?"
Yang Kai nodded solemnly. "That's exactly why I said Xiao'er going with old Qiongqi to the Four Seasons Land may not be a bad thing at all — it could even be an incredible opportunity. Although old Qiongqi doesn't understand the Dao of Time himself, he followed the Time Emperor for so many years that even tens of thousands of years after the Emperor's death, he continued to guard the Time Divine Temple. His loyalty to the Time Emperor is beyond question. No one knows better than he does who would be most suitable to inherit the Emperor's legacy. Perhaps... in his eyes, Xiao'er has a better chance than I do of obtaining the Time Emperor's inheritance within the Four Seasons Land, which is why he brought him along."
Zhu Yan finally broke into a smile, pacing back and forth a few steps. "If what you say is true, then the Second Elder and I truly owe Qiongqi a debt of gratitude."
Yang Kai looked at him with a smile. "As for safety, Grand Elder, you needn't worry too much. I can't vouch for old Qiongqi's character with absolute certainty, since I haven't known him that long, but Liu Yan is traveling with them as well, and Liu Yan will definitely protect Xiao'er."
"Good, good, good!" Zhu Yan clapped his hands, then paused in thought. "In that case, everything will have to wait until Xiao'er emerges from the Four Seasons Land before we know the outcome."
Hearing him say this, Yang Kai couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking he had finally gotten through. He still wasn't sure how the Second Elder would react, though. The Grand Elder was relatively easy to talk to, but the Second Elder was another matter entirely — far more difficult to deal with.
Just as he was thinking this, a sharp whistle cut through the air, and a moment later an elegant figure landed right beside Yang Kai. It was none other than Fu Zhun. Her beautiful eyes swept left and right, and her expression fell with disappointment when she looked at Yang Kai. "Xiao'er didn't come along this time?"
Yang Kai shook his head stiffly.
Fu Zhun sighed. "Oh, why didn't you bring him along?"
Yang Xiao had left Dragon Island with Yang Kai shortly after he was born, and nearly three years had passed in the blink of an eye. Fu Zhun missed him terribly. If not for the fact that it would cause too much of a stir, she would have long since rushed to Lingxiao Palace in the Northern Domain to visit him instead of waiting helplessly on Dragon Island. After all, she was a tenth-rank Giant Dragon and the Second Elder of Dragon Island — it simply wasn't appropriate for her to keep showing herself in the outside world.
Yang Kai quickly glanced at Zhu Yan, his expression clearly pleading for help.
Zhu Yan caught on at once and hastily changed the subject. "The matter is this: Yang Kai has come here to take all the Void King Realm cultivators and above from Half-Dragon City. Something has come up in the Star Boundary."
"Then just take them," Fu Zhun replied absently, clearly distracted.
Zhu Yan was taken aback. "You're not even going to ask what happened?"
Yang Kai was equally surprised. He hadn't expected Fu Zhun to be so agreeable. Was this really Fu Zhun — the Second Elder of the Dragon Clan, famous for her iron impartiality? Could it be that someone was impersonating her?
Fu Zhun couldn't be bothered with him and simply looked at Yang Kai. "How has Xiao'er been doing over there these past few years? Has he grown taller? Does he miss me?"
Yang Kai broke into a cold sweat under the barrage of questions, having no idea how to answer.
Zhu Yan sensed trouble and quickly interjected, "We were just talking about Xiao'er with Yang Kai. Yang Kai says he's doing very well at Lingxiao Palace, so you don't need to worry. He misses us too."
"Is that so..." Fu Zhun smiled, but then suddenly gritted her teeth. "If he misses me, he could have at least come back to visit. It's not that far with the Space Formation, after all."
Zhu Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Xiao'er has been in seclusion recently."
Fu Zhun frowned. "He's so young — what's he doing going into seclusion?"
Yang Kai immediately said, "Second Elder, although Xiao'er is young, he's extraordinarily talented with remarkable aptitude. The next time you see him, you'll be truly astonished."
Fu Zhun had never really been angry in the first place — she was simply a mother worrying about her son. Hearing Yang Kai's words, her face lit up with anticipation.
Yang Kai continued, "I should mention that I have a sister. She's a few years older than Xiao'er, but the two of them look about the same size and get along wonderfully. They're practically inseparable at Lingxiao Palace."
Fu Zhun smiled, her lips curving. "Having a playmate is a good thing. It's just as well you took Xiao'er away. If he'd stayed on Dragon Island, he would have been terribly lonely."
Zhu Qing stared at Yang Kai in surprise and whispered, "You have a sister?" There was a hint of nervousness in her voice. If Yang Kai had a sister, that meant she would be her sister-in-law — which would make her the elder brother's wife. This sudden realization of the family relationship left her quite flustered.