When they walked through the city gates, warriors stood guard at the entrance. Upon seeing the young man, they all clasped their fists in greeting. "Brother Wuxin."
One of the younger warriors grinned. "Brother Wuxin is truly impressive—captured them the moment you made your move. Are these two from Cang Lei City?"
The young man shook his head. "No. They're outsiders."
"Outliers!" Everyone's expression turned serious, and they all sized up Yang Kai with curiosity. Living within the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven, they had all heard the elders speak of outsiders—once every few centuries, a group of people from the outside world would enter, stay for a while, and then vanish again.
Today was the first time they actually got to see what outsiders looked like, only to find that they weren't so different from themselves. Moreover, this man was covered in wounds, clearly having fought someone, while the woman was still unconscious, her face pale and her breathing weak.
"Alright, keep your posts and watch carefully." The young man waved his hand and led the group into the city.
Inside, the streets were wide and spacious, lined on all sides with houses standing in neat rows. Yang Kai looked around as he walked but didn't notice anything particularly remarkable—the place looked like any ordinary city one might find in the outside world.
Under the young man's lead, they headed straight for a building at the very center, which must have been the City Lord's mansion.
Sure enough, upon arriving at the City Lord's mansion, the young man summoned someone, gave a brief report of what had happened, and asked him to inform the City Lord so that the City Lord could decide how to handle Yang Kai.
The man promptly entered the mansion, only to emerge a short while later with a frown. "Senior Brother Fan, the City Lord is in closed-door cultivation and previously instructed that he not be disturbed unless something urgent arises. What do you think…?"
Fan Wuxin frowned as well, mulling it over for a moment. "In that case, lock them up for now. We'll deal with it once the City Lord comes out of seclusion."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Fan." The man clasped his fists.
Before long, Fan Wuxin brought Yang Kai down to a cell on the underground level and tilted his head toward it. "Get in."
Yang Kai glanced at him but said nothing more. Carrying Qu Huashang, he ducked into the cell. He was their prisoner at this point and had no intention of arguing with them. The cell was a bit small, but it was clean and free of any foul odors—even furnished with a small bed.
Fan Wuxin stood at the cell door. "Make yourself comfortable here for a few days. The City Lord will see you once he emerges from seclusion."
Yang Kai made no reply. He desperately needed to recover from his injuries. Once he was back in fighting shape, nobody in this small city could touch him, so there was nothing to worry about.
They thought he was helpless, pinned down by those Origin-Assembling Nails. Little did they know they posed no real problem for him.
Fan Wuxin finished speaking, turned to leave, and suddenly his eyes shifted. He lowered his gaze toward Yang Kai's waist, reached out with a grabbing motion, and snatched the token dangling there.
Examining it closely, Fan Wuxin said with surprise, "Where did you get this?"
The token was something the Madam had given Yang Kai back at the lake-heart palace. He had hung it from his waist as a bluff to intimidate the Black Crow Divine Lord, and after fleeing with Qu Huashang, he had simply never taken it off.
The way Fan Wuxin spoke, it seemed he recognized this token.
A sharp glint flickered in Yang Kai's eyes. Instead of answering, he asked, "What is this token?"
Fan Wuxin gave him a long, deep look, frowned, and said nothing further. He closed the cell door, turned, and left—taking the token with him.
Yang Kai didn't ask for it back. It was something the Madam had given him, so naturally he couldn't just let it go. Once he recovered, he would get it back.
He laid Qu Huashang on the small bed and let out a soft breath.
This trip into the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven had utterly exhausted him. Apart from the first few relatively peaceful days, he had subsequently been chased by the Black Crow Divine Lord, then pursued by Yin Xinzhao, and now he had been captured and brought here. It had truly been one trial after another.
Still, at least he could rest easy for a few days now. With his recuperative abilities, a few days should be enough to recover the majority of his strength.
He reached out and placed his fingers on Qu Huashang's wrist to assess her injuries, frowning slightly. She was seriously hurt—her energy had been almost completely drained. During the two days he had been unconscious, she must have pushed herself to the limit trying to escape Yin Xinzhao.
He produced some spirit pills, swallowed a few himself, and stuffed a couple into Qu Huashang's mouth.
The bed was too small for more than one person. Yang Kai climbed onto it, sat cross-legged at the head, and rested her head on his lap. One hand held her wrist as he channeled the wood-element power within his Dao Seal into her body, healing his own injuries while simultaneously nourishing hers.
The wood-element power condensed from the essence of the Tree of Unaging was incomparably effective for healing. In barely an hour, Qu Huashang let out a soft hum, and her eyelids began to flutter.
"Senior Sister Qu." Yang Kai called softly.
Her long lashes trembled even more, and after a good while, her eyes slowly opened. Looking up, she found Yang Kai's face right above hers. She blinked. "Junior Brother… are we dead?"
"Not at all. We're alive and well." Yang Kai smiled.
"No wonder everything hurts." Qu Huashang managed a weak smile, her face as pale as blank paper.
Yang Kai said, "Now that you're awake, Senior Sister, don't waste your energy. Focus on healing."