"You still have the energy to curse!" The attendant chuckled, rising to his feet and tossing the Space Ring onto the counter, gesturing for the cashier to set up a room. He then asked Yang Kai, "Who beat you up like this? How did you end up in such a state?"
"A lunatic of a woman!" Yang Kai gritted his teeth.
"You brat, who are you cursing?" A figure walked in through the doorway, her complexion slightly pale, blood still lingering at the corner of her lips.
"Proprietress?" The attendant was startled. "What happened to you?"
He knew full well just how powerful the proprietress was. Across all the nearby great domains, who could possibly harm her? And judging by the way she was looking at Yang Kai… something felt off about that too.
Yang Kai craned his neck defiantly. "Whoever beat me is who I'm cursing!" He'd thought he'd made it to safety, only to be struck down at the very end — and to add insult to injury, he'd burned through a Golden Crow Feather on top of it. Who could he even vent this frustration to?
The proprietress was fuming as well. A startling surge of killing intent billowed from her slender frame as she stalked toward Yang Kai step by step, a smile playing on her lips. "Quite the nerve you've got, boy!"
The attendant hurried forward, pleading urgently, "Proprietress, please calm down! The signboard — the signboard! You absolutely cannot destroy our own signboard!" If the proprietress laid hands on a guest here, the First Inn's reputation, built up over countless years, would be ruined in an instant.
Hearing that, Madam Lan's brows furrowed. True to form, she halted in her tracks and glared viciously at Yang Kai for a long moment before suddenly breaking into a laugh.
Yang Kai said irritably, "What are you laughing at? Be careful you don't laugh your teeth out!"
Madam Lan waved her hand dismissively and walked over to a seat, the smile still lingering at the corner of her lips. Though she'd been caught off guard and injured by Yang Kai this time around, the fact that a Emperor Realm cultivator had managed to pull off something like that right under her nose was quite extraordinary. The injury wasn't serious either. Compared to her own wounds, the proprietress found herself far more interested in Yang Kai as a person.
In this vast universe, across the Three Thousand Worlds, there probably wasn't another Emperor Realm cultivator alive who could accomplish what this kid had done over the past few days.
As though startled by the proprietress's earlier killing aura, several figures soon appeared at the top of the staircase on the second floor.
Leading the group was none other than Meng Hong of Great Moon Province, followed by Old Fang, Die You, and A Sun. The lot of them had received Wei Que's instructions to come ahead to the First Inn and relay a message to Great Moon Province's headquarters, which was why they were here at this time.
The group immediately spotted Yang Kai, disheveled and sprawled across the floor. Meng Hong's expression shifted in alarm and he was about to rush over to check on him, when he heard Yang Kai's urgent transmission: "Don't come over!"
Meng Hong was puzzled but stopped in his tracks all the same.
"Pretend you don't know me!" Yang Kai sent another message to him and Die You, then averted his gaze.
Old Fang and the others heard the same transmission. Though they didn't understand the situation, they realized Yang Kai must have gotten himself into some kind of trouble.
Just then, the cashier had finished preparing the room. The attendant helped Yang Kai to his feet, holding up the room token. "Come, I'll help you to your room to rest."
Yang Kai said nothing and let himself be supported upstairs. As they passed Madam Lan, she remarked casually, "Once you've thought it through, come find me anytime."
Even now she was able to say something like that — truly remarkable. By this point, Yang Kai's anger had subsided as well. He nodded and said, "Thank you for your generosity, Madam. What I did earlier was out of necessity. I hope you can forgive me."
Madam Lan waved her hand and said no more.
Following the attendant into the room, Yang Kai found it was nothing special — no different from the room he'd stayed in before, just twice the price.
After helping him sit down, the attendant said, "Just call if you need anything. I've got to get back to work."
Yang Kai nodded.
Once the attendant had gone, Yang Kai produced several Spirit Pills and popped them into his mouth. Before he could even begin to refine them, a soft knock came from outside the door.
He forced himself upright and opened the door, only for Meng Hong to lead Old Fang and the others in a flash into the room.
Die You asked with concern, "Yang Kai, are you alright? How badly are you hurt?"
Yang Kai smiled ruefully. "It's nothing too serious. A few days of rest and I'll be fine." Madam Lan had clearly pulled that palm strike — she'd had no intention of taking his life. Though she'd underestimated his physical constitution as well, which was why she hadn't completely incapacitated him, and he'd even used the force of the blow to propel himself into the First Inn.
Any other Emperor Realm cultivator wouldn't have been able to move after a strike like that. They'd have been left lying there at the mercy of their enemies.
With his current physical constitution, injuries that looked gruesome on the surface weren't actually that severe at all.
Old Fang was fuming at his side. "Who did this to you? Tell me, brother, and I'll go settle the score right now!"
Yang Kai waved his hand. "Let's not get into that."
Old Fang pressed on, "Brother, are you looking down on me? My strength may be nothing to speak of, but I've still got blood in my veins! Even if it costs me this wretched life, I'll vent this anger for you!"
Yang Kai was visibly moved as he looked at him. "Old Fang, since you put it that way, I'll tell you the truth — the one who hurt me wasn't anyone else. It was Madam Lan. Go out there right now and beat her up for me!"
"Ma… Madam Lan?" Old Fang was dumbfounded. "Which Madam Lan?"