The bookkeeper glanced up at him, a flicker passing through his eyes. "They went out on business."
Yang Kai said "Oh" and didn't press further.
Meanwhile, across from a certain inn in the Star Market, on the second floor of a teahouse, Old Bai sat by the window. A pot of plain tea and several fruit platters sat on the table before him, and he sipped his tea and nibbled at the fruit while keeping his eyes fixed on the inn opposite.
He'd been watching from here for several days now. After all, this was something the Boss herself had ordered—how could he dare slack off?
At some point, three people suddenly emerged from that inn: a young man, a middle-aged man, and an aging elder. At this moment, the elder was leading the way, the middle-aged man was supporting the young man, whose face was deathly pale as though he'd suffered some grave injury. There were faint traces of blood seeping through the back of his robes. The young man wasn't the only one in such a state—both the middle-aged man and the elder bore similar wounds.
After glancing left and right, the three shot into the sky, streaking straight toward the Void Ferry Point.
Old Bai gazed intently in the direction they'd departed, his expression wracked with conflict. After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh, took out a messaging bead, and channeled his spiritual sense into it to send word.
At the same time, somewhere in the void beyond the spiritual continent where the Star Market lay, a woman of unparalleled beauty and grace suddenly opened her eyes—beautiful eyes brimming with cold intent so fierce it seemed it could freeze the void itself.
Who else could this woman be but the Boss of the First Inn?
Time flowed onward, and before the span of a single cup of tea had passed, a massive ship artifact came hurtling into the Boss's field of vision, heading straight for the very spot where she stood.
Seeing this, the Boss clenched her delicate fist, producing a string of crackling pops.
When the great ship had drawn close enough, she suddenly threw a punch forward. No words could describe the brilliance of that blow—the entire sky and earth seemed to dim in comparison.
Under that single punch, separated by thousands of zhang, the hull of the great ship first emitted a series of sharp cracking sounds before erupting into a thunderous explosion.
Three figures scrambled out from the wreckage of the shattered vessel, covered in dust and grime. An aged voice roared, "Who goes there?!"
Once they made out who exactly had destroyed their ship, the middle-aged man and the aging elder both narrowed their eyes in alarm. The young man, however, seemed to have not yet grasped the situation, and he wailed miserably, "It hurts! It hurts to death! You two trash, what happened?!"
Back at the Grand Marshal's Mansion, Yang Kai had received two lashes of the Dragon Tooth Whip. As the instigators, these three naturally faced heavier punishment—five lashes each. Young Master Hai hadn't been strong enough to endure more than one, with his two attendants taking the remaining four on his behalf. Even so, that single lash had nearly cost him his life.
For the past several days, he'd been hiding in the inn to nurse his wounds, pouring down fistfuls of spirit pills and medicinal elixirs. He'd barely managed to claw his way back from the brink, and not daring to linger any longer in the Star Market, he'd hastily set out to leave. Who could have guessed that the moment he cleared the Star Market, his flying artifact would explode apart—the resulting tremor aggravating his injuries until he was nearly screaming in agony.
After his tirade, he finally noticed his two attendants staring ahead with expressions of sheer horror. Young Master Hai followed their gaze and his eyes lit up. "Now who's this little beauty? Quite the looker!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the middle-aged man and the elder both blanched, silently cursing him as a pig-headed fool. You're going to get us all killed!
Though they had no idea who this breathtakingly beautiful woman actually was, her aura was as deep and fathomless as the ocean—nothing they could hope to match.
This was definitely a mid-grade Opening Heaven expert, or even higher!
Such a powerhouse was not someone to be trifled with casually!
Yet Young Master Hai remained oblivious to the danger. The more he looked at the woman, the more he liked her, and even the pain in his back seemed to fade. He grinned from ear to ear. "Quick, quick, quick—seize her for me! This young master wants to have some fun with her."
The middle-aged man's face turned ashen as he hissed, "Young Master, watch your tongue!"
The elder darted forward in a flash, placing himself in front of his young master. He cupped his fists and said, "This old man greets the honored one. Might I ask why you've blocked our path and destroyed our flying artifact?"
The Boss smiled, her expression graceful and lovely. "When you were giving my employee a hard time, did you bother to find out who stands behind him?"
"Your employee?" The elder's brow furrowed. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he blanched in horror. "
The Boss gave a cold hum. "This old thing isn't entirely stupid!"
The elder swallowed hard, his mouth filled with a bitterness worse than eating bitter herbs. He glanced around and realized they were deep in the void—unable to advance or retreat, cornered here with nowhere to go. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he cupped his fists again. "So it is Madam Lan in person. This old man was blind. Please forgive my offense." He paused briefly, then added, "We hail from Wuxiang Heaven. Our young master is the direct grandson of Elder Hai of Wuxiang Heaven."
The Boss replied coolly, "I know!"
"You know?!" The elder's face was a mask of disbelief. If she already knew, how could she dare block their path and outright destroy their flying artifact? Was this woman insane?
"I have been waiting here for you," the Boss snorted. Her slender, jade-like hand rose—that palm was pale and crystalline, flawless as white jade, yet when it lifted, it sent a surge of overwhelming crisis crashing through the elder's mind, as though the entire world were tilting on its axis.
"Get the young master back to the Star Market!" the elder screamed.
At his words, the middle-aged man immediately spat out a mist of blood, enveloped Young Master Hai within it, and fled backward at full speed.