The group had been waiting for less than half an incense stick's time when Tu Feng returned, drenched in blood.
The killing intent radiating from him was as thick as a physical force, making him look like a god of slaughter descended upon the world. Even someone of Qiu Yimeng's caliber couldn't help but shudder at the sight.
In Tu Feng's hands, he carried two severed heads—belonging to the two experts who had previously been engaging him and Tang Yuxian.
Having rushed back in a hurry, Tu Feng tossed both heads onto the ground and said in a frigid tone, "They all committed suicide. One managed to get away."
He had pursued them relentlessly. The two experts at the seventh and fifth levels of the Shenyou Realm, once gravely wounded, had immediately bitten off their own tongues and killed themselves. Only the strongest among them had managed to flee in panic, narrowly escaping with his life.
"The ones on our side are all dead too," Tang Yuxian said, her eyes turning cold.
"Interesting," Yang Kai said, his expression dark with a strange smile playing on his lips. "The people behind these assassins certainly have some skill!"
Otherwise, the assassins wouldn't have been able to bite off their own tongues at the last moment, preferring death over revealing any information.
"Throughout this entire journey, only the Lu family knew your whereabouts, Young Master!" Tu Feng's face was contorted with killing intent as he spoke in a deep voice.
He was seething with humiliation and rage.
This assassination attempt had happened right under his and Tang Yuxian's noses. The enemy had used some unknown method to completely mask everyone's aura, so thoroughly that even the two Blood Guardians hadn't sensed a thing. If Yang Kai himself hadn't been vigilant at the critical moment, the assassins might have actually succeeded.
Under the protection of two powerful Blood Guardians, the young master of the Yang family could still be killed! If word of this ever got out, the entire Blood Guardian Hall would lose all face. Both of them would be punished by the clan—or even be ordered to take their own lives as penance!
That was entirely possible!
In other words, Yang Kai's alertness had not only saved his own life—it had also saved Tu Feng's and Tang Yuxian's lives.
Gratitude warred with shame in Tu Feng's heart, and he immediately pinned the blame on the Lu family. It wasn't that he was being malicious. It was just that with the Blood Rage technique boosting his killing intent, his murderous urge was surging and his will to fight was at its peak—he simply couldn't think clearly.
On top of that, the Lu family's recent attitude toward Yang Kai had already pissed him off. It was only natural that he'd seize this outlet for his frustration.
Hearing this, Qiu Yimeng's expression changed and she quickly said, "Lü Liang would never do something so suicidal!"
Tu Feng showed no regard for Qiu Yimeng's status or feelings and let out a cold snort. "Lü Liang wouldn't, but that doesn't mean others in the Lu family wouldn't!"
Qiu Yimeng was stunned into silence, not knowing what to say. She looked at Yang Kai, hoping he wouldn't be as unreasonable as Tu Feng.
Yang Kai said nothing. He simply furrowed his brow, glancing left and right at the battlefield and the corpses strewn across the ground. Then he looked up at the Silver-Blood Golden Feather Eagle circling overhead, his expression calm. "It has nothing to do with the Lu family. It was most likely the eagle that exposed our position. We were too careless this time!"
Hearing him say this, Qiu Yimeng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although Lü Liang's past behavior had left her somewhat displeased, the Lu family had nonetheless risen to prominence under the Qiu family's patronage. Over the years, the Lu family had sent many valuable tributes to the Qiu family. As the eldest miss of the Qiu clan, she both had the duty and the responsibility to protect the Lu family's safety within her power.
"That beast!" Tang Yuxian clenched her teeth, glaring hatefully at the golden eagle soaring above them.
Yang Kai said lightly, "For so many years, no one has dared to target the Yang family's younger generation. That's why none of us—not me, not any of you—ever expected this kind of ambush. Let's learn from this lesson!"
As he spoke, he blew a sharp whistle, and the golden feather eagle immediately dove down.
With a strange smile, Yang Kai glanced at Qiu Yimeng and said, "This time it really had nothing to do with the Lu family, but I hope word of today's events reaches Lü Liang's ears—and specifically, that it's delivered through the Qiu family!"
Qiu Yimeng didn't immediately grasp what he meant. Her delicate brows furrowed as she thought for a moment. Then her heart sank with understanding, and she gritted her silver teeth in vexation, spitting out, "You—what kind of person are you? What time is it and you're still scheming like this? You're absolutely dripping with venom. You don't even need to pluck every goose that flies by—do you really have to go this far? I swear... I really have to hand it to you."
"Hmph! They brought it on themselves. Do they really think I'm some useless piece of mud they can walk all over? Consider this a little lesson for them," Yang Kai scoffed coldly.
Only then did the others realize that he had, in fact, been bothered by the Lu family's attitude toward him all along.
He might not have cared for the Lu family's backing, but he absolutely would not tolerate being looked down upon. Those who looked down on him would sooner or later pay the price.
Yet the riddle-like exchange between the two had left both Blood Guardians and Luo Xiaoman completely bewildered.
"Sister Qiu, what are you two talking about?" Luo Xiaoman asked with guileless innocence, straightforward as ever, and simply spoke up when she couldn't figure it out.
Tu Feng and Tang Yuxian were both staring at Qiu Yimeng eagerly, wanting to understand the hidden implications that had made her so disdainful of Yang Kai's methods.
Qiu Yimeng let out a bitter laugh and looked at Tu Feng and Tang Yuxian. "I told you that your young master is the kind of person who settles every score, no matter how small. You didn't quite believe me... Hm, let me put it this way: although this incident really had nothing to do with the Lu family, Yang Kai only stayed with the Lu family during this entire journey. If word of today's ambush reaches Lü Liang, just imagine what his reaction would be?"
Tu Feng blinked, then smacked his thigh in sudden realization. "Lü Liang would be terrified—absolutely terrified that the young master would suspect he was the one who leaked their whereabouts!"