Four months after moving into the First Inn, one day, Old Fang was sitting cross-legged on the ground meditating when he suddenly heard Yang Kai call out to him. He hurriedly opened his eyes, but before he could ask what Yang Kai wanted, he saw a dark shadow swoop down over his head.
Old Fang was alarmed and tried to dodge, but the shadow seemed to possess the power to seal off heaven and earth, giving him the inescapable sensation that there was nowhere to flee. In a moment of distraction, his vision went dark and he entered a pitch-black space with no hint of light.
He blinked, then suddenly realized—he had been collected into that bag by Yang Kai. Recalling Yang Kai's recent behavior, he called out in a hurry, "Brother, did you manage to refine it?"
Yang Kai's voice drifted over: "Barely enough to activate it."
On the bed, Yang Kai held the Six Harmonies Treasure Bag in his hand, his brow slightly furrowed. Previously, although this bag had been in his possession, he could only open and close it—he couldn't unleash its true power. Now, after a round of refinement, he could barely use it against an enemy.
The bag gave him a feeling much like the Myriad Demon Bead—both could forcibly collect people, and the amount of energy consumed varied depending on the target's strength.
The difference, however, was that Yang Kai was the master of the Myriad Demon Bead. Once someone was drawn inside, he could do whatever he pleased. In that respect, the Treasure Bag fell somewhat short of the Bead. But the Treasure Bag was not limited to merely collecting people—there were also many restrictions and killing formations within that could be activated.
For this trial run with Old Fang, there was no need to trigger any of those restrictions, so he let him out almost immediately.
Old Fang stared at the Treasure Bag in Yang Kai's hand, his envy plain to see. "What a fine artifact." He had lived quite a few years, but he had never seen such a treasure before.
Yang Kai offered no comment. He rose to his feet and said, "Let's go outside and take a look."
The two of them walked out from the rear courtyard into the main hall. Yang Kai froze. The hall, which was usually bustling with noise, was now utterly silent—the tables inside were all empty.
He looked up and saw the accountant behind the counter, clacking away at his golden abacus. In one corner of the hall, the young attendant was lying on a bench, dozing off.
"What's going on?" Old Fang looked left and right, utterly bewildered.
Yang Kai was equally puzzled. He walked straight up to the attendant, gave him a pat, and said, "Wake up."
The attendant jolted awake, looked around, and upon seeing Yang Kai, said, "Oh, it's you two." Even as he spoke, he flopped back down listlessly.
After months of staying here, they had grown familiar with each other, and the attendant had long since dropped his earlier enthusiasm, speaking with much more casualness now.
"Where is everyone? How come the place is empty?" Yang Kai asked.
The attendant rolled over and pointed toward the door. "They all went outside."
Yang Kai's heart skipped a beat. "Has something happened with the Sun Star?" The reason all those guests had been waiting at the First Inn was to keep tabs on the situation at the Sun Star. Now they had all rushed out—clearly something had changed.
The attendant said, "Yeah, it sounds like the Solar Fire is about to go out. Everyone's rushing over to try their luck." He suddenly sat up and looked at Yang Kai. "Oh, right—the people from Great Moon Prefecture have arrived too. They're all over at the Sun Star."
Yang Kai's expression turned serious. He looked at Old Fang and said, "Call Die You and the others."
"No need to call them," came Die You's voice from behind. Yang Kai turned to see Die You and Ah Sun walking out from the rear courtyard. "I overheard. What do we do now?"
Yang Kai looked at Ah Sun and said, "Let's find the people from Great Moon Prefecture first. We can make further plans after that."
The Solar Fire was about to go out, so exploring the Sun Star was now inevitable. The four of them alone were far too few—if they could shelter under Great Moon Prefecture's wing, there might still be a chance.
No one had any objection, and they set off immediately.
The attendant scrambled to his feet and shouted after them, "Do you want me to hold on to those two rooms for you?"
"Hold on to nothing, you crooks—I'm never staying in this dump again." Yang Kai didn't even look back. He had lived here for four months and spent over a hundred thousand just on room and board. If not for the windfall he had scored off a dead man, he could never have afforded it. No matter how things turned out from here, he would never return to this wretched inn—he would go out of his way to avoid it in the future.
The attendant pointed at Yang Kai's retreating back and yelled, "Try calling this place a crooked inn in front of the proprietress—I dare you! She'd skin you alive!"
But Yang Kai had already vanished without a trace, long since disappeared to who knew where.
They flew onward for several full days without reaching their destination. Along the way, they encountered other travelers heading in the same direction, every one of them radiating formidable auras. The sight left all four of them quite unnerved.
But this also confirmed that they were heading the right way.