The Yin-Yang Heaven dojo in Void Spirit Land's Star City had originally been established under Qu Huashang's direction, so when Bian Yuqing mentioned an envoy from Yin-Yang Heaven, the first person he thought of was that Qu girl.
Bian Yuqing shook her head. "It's not Senior Sister Qu. The Yin-Yang Heaven dojo has long since changed hands."
Yang Kai couldn't help feeling a pang of disappointment. He had half hoped that if Qu Huashang was still in the Star City, he could thank her properly.
Bian Yuqing asked, "Does the Sect Master wish to meet her or not?"
Yang Kai snapped back to his senses and nodded. "Of course I'll meet her. Send her in." Were it someone else, whether he met them or not would depend entirely on his mood. But since this person was from Yin-Yang Heaven, it was only proper to give her an audience — and besides, he could use the opportunity to inquire about Qu Huashang's situation.
Bian Yuqing acknowledged the order and sent out a transmission.
With the meeting concluded, the people in the great hall rose one after another and departed.
Yang Kai sat alone, waiting.
In less time than it took an incense stick to burn, Bian Yuqing returned leading someone from outside. Yang Kai looked up and saw a woman following behind her. Her features were delicately beautiful, like a painting; her figure was graceful and elegant; her complexion was fresh and pure, and her clear gaze carried an almost ethereal quality, as though nothing in this world had ever left the slightest stain upon her.
Yang Kai's eyes brightened slightly. He had seen no shortage of beautiful women, but he had never encountered one quite so distinctive. The first impression this woman gave him was one of cleanliness — not the mere tidiness of well-kept clothing, but something far more profound and ineffable. It was as though the very existence of all worldly things was a kind of defilement in her presence, stirring in anyone who beheld her an instinctive desire to cherish and protect her.
A quiet wariness stirred in Yang Kai's heart. He had a vague sense that this woman was not as simple as she appeared.
His guest had arrived, so Yang Kai rose to greet her.
Bian Yuqing bowed. "Sect Master, I've brought her."
Yang Kai gave a slight nod, and Bian Yuqing withdrew with a bow.
The woman across from him dipped into a graceful curtsy, her voice soft and gentle: "Su Yingxue greets Sect Master Yang." Her voice was crisp and pleasing to the ear, refreshing like a cool breeze.
Yang Kai extended a hand in a gesture of courtesy. "Senior Sister Su is too formal. Please, have a seat and we can talk."
Su Yingxue thanked him, lowering her gaze slightly. A faint blush tinted her delicate cheeks, her skin so flawless it seemed it might bruise at the lightest touch.
As for her exact cultivation level, Yang Kai couldn't gauge it — she had given no indication of mobilizing any power, making it impossible to discern. Yet he had a vague feeling that her cultivation was no weaker than his own, quite possibly also Sixth Order.
Host and guest took their seats, and tea was promptly served.
After a few pleasantries, Yang Kai asked, "I wonder, what is Senior Sister Su's relationship with Senior Sister Qu?"
Su Yingxue smiled gently. "In name, that girl Qu is my junior sister!"
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "In name? And in reality?"
Su Yingxue replied, "I raised that girl with my own hands!"
Yang Kai was taken aback. Wasn't that essentially a relationship somewhere between sister and mother? But on reflection, it wasn't so strange. Su Yingxue had no idea how many years she had cultivated in the Open Heaven realm. Though Qu Huashang was now a Sixth Order Open Heaven cultivator, her actual years of cultivation were comparatively short. In terms of true age, she was likely countless years younger than Su Yingxue, so being raised by her wasn't at all unusual.
In the Thirty Thousand Worlds, such phenomena were hardly rare. Many fellow disciples within the same generation might share the same seniority on paper, yet differ enormously in actual age, and bonds of nurture and mentorship could form between them naturally.
"I've heard that girl Qu speak of Sect Master Yang many times — always with the highest praise. Now that I've met you in person, I can see she was not exaggerating." Su Yingxue raised her eyes, her beautiful gaze settling upon him.
Yang Kai replied with modest restraint, "Senior Sister Su flatters me. May I ask — where is Senior Sister Qu now?"
Su Yingxue answered, "She recently committed a serious offense and voluntarily returned to the Sect to face punishment. She has been placed in seclusion and is not permitted to leave for a hundred years!"
"A hundred years!" Yang Kai's expression darkened. "Did this have something to do with me?"
Su Yingxue blinked. "Sect Master Yang seems quite concerned about that girl Qu?"
Yang Kai said, "Senior Sister Qu has shown me great kindness. If she is in trouble, I naturally cannot stand by and do nothing."
"And what exactly would you do about it?" Su Yingxue regarded him with curiosity.
Yang Kai's expression faltered. She had a point — what could he actually do? The one who had confined her was Yin-Yang Heaven, Qu Huashang's own Sect. By any reckoning, this was an internal matter. What right did an outsider have to intervene?
Su Yingxue said, "Since ancient times, the Thirty-Six Hollow Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands have been bound by mutual solidarity, and infighting among them is forbidden. She violated that prohibition, so naturally she must face some consequence."
Hearing this, understanding dawned on Yang Kai. Qu Huashang's confinement was indeed connected to him. Outside the Shadowless Hollow Heaven, Qu Huashang had clashed with people from Myriad Demons Heaven and other factions, damaging Yin-Yang Heaven's reputation in the process.