The moment he stepped into the windmill, Tong Yuquan's gaze locked onto Yang Kai standing ahead. Their eyes met, and a flash of fury and killing intent passed through Tong Yuquan's before he lowered his lids. "I want to see the state of Yu'er's injuries."
"Please, Guard Tong, help yourself." Yang Kai gestured to the side.
Tong Yuquan ducked into the adjacent chamber. Inside, Shangguan Yu lay still, her breathing steady. Dried blood still stained her chest, and her complexion was faintly pale.
Tong Yuquan's face darkened as he approached and sat beside his daughter, reaching out to press her wrist. After a moment of probing, he found her vital signs stable—clearly she had been treated, and a potent medicinal force still coursed through her meridians, seeping into flesh and bone to mend her wounds.
"I already had Lu Xue treat her injuries. There shouldn't be any lasting harm—just a few days of rest and she'll recover." Yang Kai's voice came from behind him.
Tong Yuquan let out a cold snort and said nothing.
Though the whole affair ultimately stemmed from Shangguan Long's blinded greed, and Yang Kai had merely seized the moment to protect himself, Shangguan Yu's wound had unmistakably been dealt by Yang Kai's hand. Seeing his own daughter run through the chest with a sword—even if the man responsible was also the one who'd saved her life—Tong Yuquan could no longer muster any warmth toward Yang Kai.
"I estimate Junior Sister Yu will regain consciousness tomorrow. But under the circumstances, I can't very well explain what happened to her myself. Even if I did, she probably wouldn't believe me. To avoid any unnecessary conflict, I'd ask that Guard Tong leave behind a jade slip with a full account of the events. Once Junior Sister Yu wakes, I'll have her read it. She should believe what her own father tells her."
Tong Yuquan said, "I'll stay here. Once Yu'er wakes, I'll explain things to her myself."
Yang Kai shook his head. "That won't do. Allowing you to come see Junior Sister Yu is already the fullest extent of my goodwill. I can't let you remain inside this windmill indefinitely. You're a Fourth-Rank Open Heaven cultivator, after all—if you were to suddenly turn on me, I'd have no way to withstand it. I trust Guard Tong will understand."
Tong Yuquan looked up, glaring at Yang Kai. "If I'd meant to make a move, I could have done so long before this. I wouldn't be wasting my breath arguing with you."
Yang Kai shook his head slowly. "I do trust that Guard Tong harbors no ill intent. But one must always prepare for the worst. Before I boarded your vessel's lotus, I never imagined things would turn out this way. Since Madame Long could repay kindness with betrayal, and Guard Tong is her bedmate—could it be she never whispered her plans in your ear?"
"She is she, and I am I. Don't you dare lump me together with that venomous hag." Tong Yuquan's rage boiled over.
Yang Kai's voice dropped to a low, hard tone. "If Guard Tong insists on staying, then I'm afraid we'll have to tear off the pretense and settle this with a fight. I only hope that when things get violent, Guard Tong can ensure Junior Sister Yu remains unharmed. She is innocent, after all."
As he spoke, Lu Xue materialized silently behind Yang Kai, her cold eyes fixed on Tong Yuquan.
The corner of Tong Yuquan's eye twitched. The fury drained from his face in an instant, replaced by resignation. He gave a stiff nod. "Fine. I'll do as you say. I'll leave a message telling Yu'er exactly what happened. But you must promise me you won't harm a single hair on her head."
"Rest easy, Guard Tong. As long as your vessel doesn't cause trouble, I guarantee your daughter won't lose a single strand of hair."
"You'd better mean that!" Tong Yuquan said through clenched teeth.
A short while later, Tong Yuquan departed. True to Yang Kai's demand, he left behind a jade slip recording the full sequence of events. Yang Kai probed it carefully and found nothing amiss—the account within was straightforward, neither embellished nor exaggerated. The only omission was the detail of Shangguan Yu being driven to madness by the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Wine and forced into shameful acts.
Yang Kai understood why Tong Yuquan would want to keep that hidden, so he said nothing about it.
He tucked the jade slip away safely, intending to hand it to Shangguan Yu once she woke.
After Tong Yuquan returned to the lotus, the enormous vessel gradually slowed its pace, maintaining a distance of three thousand li from the windmill before resuming its pursuit.
This, too, had been Yang Kai's demand. With Shangguan Yu in his hands, the Flying Flower Vessel had no choice but to comply.
A day later, the unconscious Shangguan Yu slowly came to.
When her eyes fluttered open, her gaze was vacant. The last thing she remembered was drinking with Yang Kai—everything after that was a hazy blur.
She was about to sit up when a familiar voice reached her ear. "Junior Sister Yu, don't move around too much. You've been injured—you should stay still."
"I... was injured?" Shangguan Yu froze. She turned her awareness inward and her face went white. She could feel it clearly now—she was wounded, and the injury had come terrifyingly close to a vital point. She had very nearly been at death's door.
"What happened? Did Senior Brother Yang save me? Where are my parents?" She turned her head to look.
Yang Kai said nothing further. He simply handed her the jade slip Tong Yuquan had left behind.
Shangguan Yu took it and sent her spiritual sense pouring in. After a moment, her face had gone deathly pale.
She would never mistake her father's aura, and she trusted his words without question. The jade slip informed her that a conflict had broken out between Yang Kai and the Flying Flower Vessel, after which Yang Kai had taken her hostage and fled aboard the lotus Artifact.
Her injuries, it said, had been dealt by Yang Kai himself.
Tong Yuquan further warned her not to act rashly—that the Flying Flower Vessel's powerful cultivators were close behind, and once they reached Void Territory, Yang Kai would release her.
Having absorbed the contents of the jade slip, Shangguan Yu's mind was a tangled mess.