Zhongdu, North City District, Tongtian Inn.
Yang Kai, dressed in a fitted blue-green martial outfit with his hands clasped behind his back, strode in with his chin held high.
The slightly portly shopkeeper's eyes lit up at once. He hurried forward with a beaming face and asked respectfully, "Is this young master looking to stay the night or have a meal?"
Yang Kai cut an impressive figure, and he had arrived riding a Cloud-Treading Steed. The shopkeeper had seen countless people in his time, and his sharp eye naturally told him this young man was no ordinary person. There was no way he would show even the slightest negligence.
"I'm looking for someone," Yang Kai said flatly, placing a short section of green bamboo on the table.
The moment the shopkeeper saw the green bamboo, his expression turned grave. He immediately rushed out from behind the counter and said in a low voice, "Please follow me, young master."
Yang Kai pocketed the token, nodded slightly, and followed behind the shopkeeper with a calm expression.
Although Tongtian Inn did conduct some business, that was merely a facade for the outside world. The inn's true identity was actually the stronghold of the Bamboo Joint Gang.
Zhongdu was not home to just the Eight Great Families!
There were countless powers lurking in the shadows, forces that didn't make it onto the public stage. These groups of varying sizes were all backed by members of the Eight Great Families, handling matters that the Eight Great Families found inconvenient to deal with openly. The Bamboo Joint Gang was merely one of them—and compared to the others, it was on the smaller side.
They passed through the entirety of Tongtian Inn and emerged into a massive courtyard. Inside, quite a few martial artists were sparring—some in one-on-one duels, others brawling in groups of three or five, putting on quite the show.
Yang Kai took a casual glance and noticed that the strength of the people here was indeed not particularly high. At best, they had reached the peak of the Zhenyuan Realm, while most hovered around the Separation-Union Realm, with a few even at the Qi Movement Realm.
Within Zhongdu, any decent martial artist had generally been recruited by the Eight Great Families. What remained was naturally a mixed bag.
Yang Kai didn't pay it much mind, but the sparring martial artists, seeing the portly shopkeeper leading Yang Kai inside, looked over with some surprise and began sizing him up and commenting amongst themselves.
Passing through the enormous courtyard, the two arrived before a great hall.
Several fierce-looking martial artists stood guard at the entrance, their eyes vigilantly scanning their surroundings. The moment the pair appeared, all of them turned their gazes toward them.
The portly shopkeeper halted his steps and cupped his fists toward the group with a smile. "The Fourth Master has sent someone. Please inform the Gang Leader."
One of the guards looked Yang Kai up and down, his brows furrowing slightly. He asked suspiciously, "He doesn't look familiar. Is he really one of the Fourth Master's people?"
The portly shopkeeper nodded repeatedly. "Of course. He carries the Fourth Master's token."
Only then did the man nod. "Wait here."
With that, he turned and went inside. Before long, he returned and said to Yang Kai, "The Gang Leader says you should rest in the side hall first. He'll come over once he's finished with his discussion."
Yang Kai's brows furrowed slightly. He hadn't expected to be turned away at the door.
Well, now that was interesting.
Inside the great hall, it sounded as if an argument was going on. Several voices could be heard speaking one after another.
Yang Kai extended his Divine Sense and instantly perceived the cultivation levels of everyone inside. He also caught wind of what they were saying.
His expression gradually turned cold, and he let out a faint snort.
"Young master, why don't you wait in the side hall for a moment?" the portly shopkeeper ventured cautiously.
"No need. I'll go in myself." Yang Kai shook his head and stepped forward toward the entrance.
"Please stop!" The guard who had gone inside to relay the message rushed to block Yang Kai's path. But before the words had even left his mouth, his body was sent flying. Midair, a searing burst of True Yang Energy erupted within his meridians, rampaging wildly. Before he even hit the ground, he passed out cold.
Several muffled thuds rang out in quick succession. The guards stationed before the great hall all collapsed to the ground in an instant. Before the portly shopkeeper could even process what had happened, Yang Kai had already reached the entrance.
With a creak, the tightly shut doors swung open, and Yang Kai casually walked inside.
About a dozen martial artists were seated here, gathered around a table that stretched over ten zhang long. Each wore a dark expression, their faces red and their necks bulging, as though the argument moments ago had been quite heated. The True Yuan within their bodies was still churning slightly.
Yang Kai's gaze swept across the room and settled on the man seated at the head.
This man had a refined, scholarly air about him. He was tall and slender, dressed in a manner reminiscent of a learned scholar, and carried the air of a mature man—quite an appealing presence, actually. But at this moment, a trace of worry and helplessness lingered between his brows.
The Bamboo Joint Gang's Leader—Pang Chi!
It was hard to connect his grand-sounding name with his refined and elegant demeanor.
Yang Kai's entrance had naturally drawn their attention. The instant he stepped inside, the heated argument came to an abrupt halt. Every head turned toward him in surprise, and several people discreetly frowned, their expressions displeased.
But more than that, there was wariness. Regardless of anything, Yang Kai was now technically the person sent by Yang Yingfeng, and that identity carried weight.
Pang Chi hastily rose to his feet, waved away the portly shopkeeper who had followed in, and forced a strained smile. He cupped his fists from a distance and said solemnly, "May I have the honor of your name?"
"The Yang family—Yang Kai!"
At those words, every face in the room changed drastically!
They had assumed that Yang Yingfeng would send no more than one of his subordinates this time. After all, all previous contact between the Bamboo Joint Gang and Yang Yingfeng had been handled through the Fourth Master's people.
But the moment the name "Yang Kai" was spoken, they realized the situation was nothing like what they had imagined.