It took a full two or three hours before Li Shiqing finally came to, her eyelashes trembling as her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was Yang Kai sitting right in front of her.
She wished she could just pass out again!
Just as she was about to close her eyes and play dead, Yang Kai's stern voice cut in: "Sit up properly!"
Li Shiqing flinched visibly, clearly terrified of him down to her bones. She bit her red lip, her gaze drifting uncertainly for a moment, then reluctantly knelt in front of Yang Kai with her head bowed and eyes lowered, looking every bit like a meek, put-upon wife.
Yang Kai found it amusing. Keeping his expression neutral, he asked, "Your name is Li Shiqing?"
She gave a barely perceptible nod.
Yang Kai rubbed his temples. "Great Emperor Huaying is your master?"
Another barely perceptible nod.
"Are you mute?"
She nodded again, then hurriedly shook her head and looked up at him with fearful eyes, her voice barely a whisper: "N-No."
Yang Kai snorted coldly. "Since you're not, then you will answer every question I ask. If I catch you lying, you'll regret it."
"Understood, understood..." Li Shiqing clutched her head as though Yang Kai's voice had been deafening.
Yang Kai suddenly felt a bit sorry for Great Emperor Huaying — what kind of disciple had she ended up training?
After a brief pause, Yang Kai spoke. "Judging by your earlier reaction, you've heard of me before. Am I right?"
"Yes!"
"Ha!" Yang Kai laughed coldly. "Whatever you heard before, I'll tell you this now — I've turned against the Star Boundary. They and I are fire and water, irreconcilable enemies! Sooner or later, I'll go back and make those people learn what I'm capable of."
Yang Kai had actually considered telling Li Shiqing some of the truth so she'd cooperate with him, but seeing how she was, he decided it was better to stay silent. This woman's character was far too unreliable — she'd leak any secret the moment someone pressured her.
Li Shiqing raised her head and looked at him earnestly, blinking.
Yang Kai scowled fiercely. "Did you hear me clearly?"
"I heard clearly."
"Mm." Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction. "Tell me — do you know how you ended up here?"
Li Shiqing shook her head. "Not really. I was knocked unconscious, and when I woke up, I was already here."
That would have been Yu Rumeng's doing, with probably a bit of help from Bai Zhuo as well.
Changing the subject, Yang Kai asked, "There are rumors that Ming Yue fell into the Demon Realm. Do you know where he is now?"
"You mean... Lord Ming Yue?" Li Shiqing seemed to need a moment to process.
"Who else would I mean?" Yang Kai glared.
"Lord Ming Yue is here too?" Li Shiqing's face filled with shock.
Yang Kai sighed inwardly, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. Her reaction told him she had no idea where Ming Yue was — asking had been pointless. He lost all interest in continuing the conversation.
Since he said nothing, Li Shiqing didn't dare speak either, and silence settled over the room.
After a long pause, Yang Kai finally said, "I've noticed you've been resisting the corruption of Demonic Qi. Are you confident you can keep it up?" He had no idea how long she'd been fighting it, but he could sense that her reserves were nearly depleted. When she'd fainted earlier, if he hadn't been shielding her, Demonic Qi would have seeped into her body — and once that happened, the effects would be inevitable. At worst, she could be turned into a demon.
At the mention of this, Li Shiqing's expression turned forlorn. She shook her head slowly. "Ten days at most... Someone stole my Spatial Ring. I don't have anything to help me recover."
Yang Kai had already noticed this — Li Shiqing wasn't wearing a Spatial Ring, which explained why her energy had been completely exhausted.
He casually tossed a Spatial Ring to her, snorting coldly. "Stay alive. If you become a demon, you'll be of absolutely no value to me." With that, he stood and walked toward the door.
Behind him, Li Shiqing picked up the Spatial Ring and checked its contents. Delight bloomed on her face — inside were the Source Crystals and various medicinal pills she needed most urgently. With these, she could restore her strength and continue resisting the Demonic Qi's corruption.
...
The moment Yang Kai stepped out of Li Shiqing's room, he spotted Yu Rumeng standing by the flowerbed outside, wearing an enigmatic smile.
Yang Kai nearly jumped. He hadn't sensed a trace of her presence at all. He silently congratulated himself — fortunately, nothing had slipped during his conversation with Li Shiqing, or this would have been impossible to smooth over.
"What are you doing here?" Yang Kai walked over and, without a shred of courtesy, wrapped his arm around Yu Rumeng's slender waist.
Yu Rumeng glanced down at his large hand and smiled. "Did I interrupt something good?"
Yang Kai curled his lip. "You already know the answer. There's nothing good going on."
Yu Rumeng gestured toward the room with her chin. "You made a huge scene at the Blood Arena just to bring her back here. Don't tell me you've taken a fancy to her?"