Logically speaking, since Yang Kai had been injured by Madam Lan, he certainly wouldn't be able to keep the Golden Crow's corpse either. There was a good chance Madam Lan had already obtained it. But this wasn't something they could simply ask about — Madam Lan's side would never tell them, and if they asked Yang Kai, they feared he might misunderstand.
Wei Que shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Regardless of who has the Golden Crow's corpse, it has nothing to do with our Dayue Zhou anymore."
When the Golden Crow Divine Palace first appeared, he had realized that the matter of the Sun Star had blown up out of proportion. He immediately sent a group of disciples back to the First Inn to await orders and transmitted a message to headquarters, originally planning to marshal all of Dayue Zhou's strength to claim a share. But the appearance of the Golden Crow had completely disrupted his plans.
A treasure of this caliber was simply not something Dayue Zhou was qualified to covet, nor was it something any third-rate force could participate in. Even those second-rate forces would struggle. Forcing their way in would only end in tragedy. The only ones qualified to compete for the Golden Crow's corpse were those first-rate powers — those Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands!
Moreover, on this trip to the Sun Star, while Dayue Zhou's haul wasn't enormous, it was nothing to scoff at. They had collected several portions of True Solar Fire, including a fifth-grade one. It was practically a full load. As long as they could digest this harvest, Dayue Zhou would be guaranteed to produce one more fourth-grade Open Heaven. When that happened, Dayue Zhou's overall strength would receive a boost, and his and Tao Rongfang's trip would not have been in vain.
"Oh, that reminds me — two Senior Uncles." Meng Hong suddenly seemed to remember something and cupped his fists. "There's one more matter to report. When Junior Brother Yang returned to the First Inn wounded earlier, I went to support him, but he stopped me. He even sent a voice transmission telling us to pretend we didn't know him. Was Junior Brother Yang perhaps trying to avoid bringing trouble upon us?"
Hearing this, Wei Que raised an eyebrow. "He sent you a voice transmission telling you to pretend you didn't know him?"
"Yes!" Meng Hong nodded.
Tao Rongfang mused thoughtfully. "To think of something like that in a moment like this — this boy is indeed meticulous. No wonder he was able to snatch the tiger's food from its mouth."
Meng Hong looked puzzled. "What Senior Aunt means is..."
Tao Rongfang explained: "Just as you'd guess. Yang Kai was afraid that you would be dragged into his trouble, which is why he told you to act as if you were strangers. After all, he's kicked up an enormous fuss this time and offended no small number of forces. If anyone discovers that he has close ties with people from our Dayue Zhou, Dayue Zhou will face endless trouble. He was thinking of us."
Old Fang frowned. "But several of us came here with Brother Yang and stayed at the First Inn for months. People must have seen us with him before. Pretending not to know him now won't help."
Wei Que nodded. "Which is why you few should stay out of sight for the time being, lest you attract the wrong kind of attention. As long as no one spots you, there shouldn't be any major problems."
Old Fang and Die You exchanged a glance and both nodded. "Understood."
After chatting a while longer, Wei Que dismissed the group of disciples. When only he and Tao Rongfang remained in the room, he suddenly spoke. "What does Junior Sister think?"
Tao Rongfang said, "That boy is bold yet careful. Most importantly, he has a good heart. He's a fine seedling!" She then smiled bitterly. "It's a pity he has no fate with our Dayue Zhou."
Wei Que fell silent. After a long while, he sighed. "It seems Junior Sister's thoughts are the same as mine."
With the enormous trouble Yang Kai had stirred up this time, Dayue Zhou was completely incapable of providing him with any meaningful protection. So their earlier idea of recruiting him into Dayue Zhou would likely fall through. It wasn't that Wei Que and Tao Rongfang were going back on their word — it was simply that as Open Heaven realm cultivators, they had to consider the other disciples of Dayue Zhou. Accepting Yang Kai wasn't the problem; who could handle the avalanche of trouble that would follow? In the end, it would drag the entire Dayue Zhou into unrest.
"He saved our lives!" Tao Rongfang gazed at Wei Que pensively. "Back in that grand hall, if Yang Kai hadn't warned us in time, who knows whether you and I would still be alive. Now that he's in trouble, we can do nothing — this weighs on my conscience."
Wei Que reddened. "We'll have to find some way to compensate him. If possible, we should secretly help him flee to another great domain and live under an assumed identity."
"There's nothing else we can do."
"There's one more thing — what does Junior Sister think about it?" Wei Que asked.
Tao Rongfang looked at him. "The Golden Crow's corpse?"
Wei Que nodded.
Tao Rongfang said, "I originally believed there was a nine-in-ten chance that the Golden Crow's corpse had been seized by Madam Lan. But looking at things now, it's entirely possible the corpse is still in Yang Kai's hands."
Wei Que smiled. "Why do you say that?"
Tao Rongfang glared at him coquettishly. "Are you testing me, Senior Brother?"
Wei Que raised a hand. "Just chatting. I want to know if Junior Sister's thinking matches mine."
Tao Rongfang said, "If the Golden Crow's corpse had truly been snatched by Madam Lan, then Yang Kai would have nothing weighing on him — there would be no need to send a special voice transmission to Meng Hong. But he did exactly that, which means he has reservations! His concern can only be that his troubles might implicate others. That, in turn, corroborates the possibility that the Golden Crow's corpse is in his possession. Of course, it's also possible that Madam Lan did take it, and he was simply being cautious."
Wei Que smiled. "Junior Sister is as perceptive as they come."
Tao Rongfang shot him a look, elegant and captivating. "Is Senior Brother thinking the same thing?"
Wei Que rubbed his temples. "Yes. The thing is, now even I don't know who actually has the Golden Crow's corpse. But no matter who has it, it's none of our concern anymore."
…