Standing before Yang Kai was a tall, spirited old man. He was dressed simply — short sleeves and ragged jacket, his gaunt arms and calves exposed, looking for all the world like a farmer fresh from the fields. Nothing about him stood out at all.
But the moment Yang Kai looked at him, he felt as though those deep, fathomless eyes could swallow him whole, pulling him into an endless abyss.
A chill ran through his heart. He knew this old man was far more than he appeared.
And behind the old man, standing three paces back, was Madam Lan — the woman who had been pestering him these past few days — glaring at him through gritted teeth.
"Young friend, won't you come inside for a chat?" The old man smiled as he spoke. His tone was gentle, yet carried an undeniable faint authority — the kind only someone who had held high positions for years could possess. Yang Kai was no stranger to that sort of presence.
He glanced at the proprietress, knowing he probably couldn't refuse. He nodded and stepped aside, making room.
The old man thanked him, slipped inside, and Madam Lan followed close behind.
After closing the door, Yang Kai turned to face Madam Lan and asked suspiciously, "Proprietress, this is…?" He had his own guess about the old man's identity.
Madam Lan said with solemn respect, "This is the owner of my First Inn!"
The old man smiled and nodded. "This old man's surname is Situ. My given name is Kong!"
Just as expected. The moment Yang Kai had seen a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivator like the proprietress standing behind this man, he had already half-guessed who he was. Now, after the proprietress's introduction, he knew his guess had been correct.
This Situ Kong was none other than the hidden owner behind the First Inn! He was certainly a High-Order Open Heaven cultivator — though exactly which order, Yang Kai couldn't tell.
"So it's Senior Situ. This junior has been rude." Yang Kai clasped his fists in a cupped-hand salute and gestured with his hand. "Please, have a seat, Senior."
Situ Kong nodded and sat down with the easy confidence of a man long accustomed to power. Madam Lan, light on her lotus-like steps, took her place standing behind him.
"You sit too!" Situ Kong looked Yang Kai up and down, then raised his gaze to him.
Yang Kai wouldn't dare sit. If even the Sixth-Order Open Heaven proprietress was standing, how could there be any seat for him? He hastily declared he wouldn't presume to be so bold in front of a senior and would rather stand while they talked.
Situ Kong didn't insist. He spoke: "I've heard about your situation, young friend. Do you have any idea how many powerhouses have gathered at my First Inn?"
"Not really." Yang Kai shook his head. If the man had immediately asked about the Golden Crow's corpse, Yang Kai wouldn't have been the least bit surprised, but this sudden change of topic was a bit bewildering.
Situ Kong said, "Thirty-two Mid-Order Open Heaven cultivators, and five High-Order Open Heaven cultivators — not counting this old man. Over twenty first-rate and second-rate factions have come in total."
Yang Kai clicked his tongue. He knew the situation had truly blown out of proportion this time. With so many High-Order Open Heaven cultivators showing up, it showed just how irresistible the Golden Crow's corpse was.
After finishing, Situ Kong smiled. "Then do you know why you've been able to live peacefully at my First Inn all this time?"
Yang Kai was puzzled. "What do you mean, Senior?"
Situ Kong said leisurely, "A few days ago, you diverted the flood, claiming that Madam Lan took the Golden Crow's corpse. Whether that was true or not, those people all had to find ways to verify it. Madam Lan is my First Inn's person — no matter what, they had to give my First Inn face and wouldn't approach her directly. So the most logical move was to come to you for information, to investigate the true whereabouts of the Golden Crow's corpse, and then act accordingly. But you've stayed here for quite a few days now — has anyone come to bother you?"
"No one," Yang Kai said, shaking his head. He was beginning to vaguely understand what Situ Kong was driving at. He probed carefully, "Senior, you mean… the First Inn has been shielding me?"
Situ Kong neither confirmed nor denied. He simply continued, "Those people — some righteous, some evil, and many of them aren't the easiest to deal with." The implication was clear: his First Inn was already being rather courteous.
The proprietress spoke up at this point. "Yang Kai, my First Inn may be powerful, but we can't afford to offend too many people on your account. That Golden Crow's corpse — are you going to sell it or not? You'd better give me an answer today."
Yang Kai looked up at her. "Can you give me a little more time to think it over?"
The proprietress frowned. "What is there left to think about?"
Yang Kai put on a shameless grin. "Ten days. Just give me ten more days. I'll definitely give you a satisfactory answer after that."
The proprietress glared at him. "Out of the question. Ten days is far too long. You have no idea how much pressure my First Inn is under right now. Just keeping those people away from you has already offended a whole host of them. Ten days — too many things could go wrong."
If ten days wouldn't work, then there was no point. Yang Kai estimated he needed at least ten more days to condense his Fire-attribute power. Once that was done, the Golden Crow's corpse wouldn't be of much use to him anymore.
"Three days," Situ Kong suddenly spoke. "Only three days. Think it over carefully."
With that, he gave Yang Kai no chance to speak further, rose, and left. It was an ultimatum.
Yang Kai followed behind, pleading, "Proprietress, Senior, let's talk this through — three days is too short! I might not be able to consider everything properly!"