"What's your name? Where are you from?" Yang Kai asked.
The woman glared at him furiously. "You think I'm going to tell you?"
"Quite the temper." Yang Kai chuckled, then called out, "Li Zhengqing!"
"Here, sir!" Li Zhengqing hurriedly stepped forward.
"Take her out and give her a hundred lashes first. I'll question her afterward."
Li Zhengqing was taken aback, but he quickly replied, "Understood!" and began striding toward the woman.
The woman's face went pale with horror. A hundred lashes wouldn't be life-threatening—she was a Heaven Rank cultivator, after all—but after that many strikes, her clothes would certainly be in tatters. If she were left exposed for all to see, how could she ever show her face again?
How could there be such a vicious man in this world?
"My name is Hua Rong! Hua as in flower, Rong as in beauty!" the woman blurted out hurriedly.
"So it's Miss Hua," Yang Kai said with a slight nod. "What were you scheming by coming to my Void Spirit Sword Sect?"
Hua Rong batted her big eyes and said, "If I told you this place has beautiful mountains and clear waters, perfect for cultivating one's mind and body, so I simply came here to enjoy myself for a few days—you wouldn't believe me, would you?"
Yang Kai looked up and called out, "Li Zhengqing!"
"Wait, wait—if you don't believe me, I'll make up another story!" Hua Rong hastily shouted.
Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively. "Take her away. A hundred lashes!"
"The Qingxu Sword!" Hua Rong cried out in panic. "I came for the Qingxu Sword!"
"Oh?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow and drew the sword at his waist, dangling it in front of her. "You came for this?"
Hua Rong nodded. "That's right!"
Yang Kai stared steadily into her eyes. She didn't seem to be lying—she had most likely come for the Qingxu Sword after all. It looked like his and Li Zhengqing's earlier guess had been wrong.
Within the Void Spirit Sword Sect, what caught the interest of a Heaven Rank cultivator wasn't limited to the Black Jade deposit. The Qingxu Sword was another attraction.
And that was hardly surprising. The Qingxu Sword might only be a replica of a true divine weapon, but the former Qingxu Sword Master had poured enormous resources and manpower into its creation. It was no ordinary blade—it was a Spirit-grade weapon of immeasurable value.
But this Qingxu Sword had been left as a legacy for future generations by the former Sword Master. How could it come without protections?
Three sword qi seals were bound within it. Only the Void Spirit Sword Art could activate them. If an uninformed person obtained it and rashly tried to unleash its power, the Qingxu Sword qi would not strike the enemy—it would instead tear apart the one wielding the sword.
This Hua Rong had somehow gotten wind of the Qingxu Sword's appearance and rushed over immediately. Unfortunately, even if she obtained the Qingxu Sword, she would never be able to use it without first dispelling the two sword qi seals contained within.
"That's the Qingxu Sword?" On the other side, Gao Ming—who had been calm as still water until now—couldn't help but show a flicker of emotion, his eyes fixed on the blade in Yang Kai's hand.
As a Heaven Rank powerhouse, how could Gao Ming not have heard of the Qingxu Sword? It was one of the Ten Great Divine Weapons.
Yang Kai shook his head. "It's naturally not the real Qingxu Sword. It was forged by an ancestor of the Void Spirit Sword Sect as an imitation of the divine weapon. At most, it's only a Spirit-grade weapon."
"A Spirit-grade weapon…" Gao Ming drew a sharp breath. Even if this so-called Qingxu Sword was merely a Spirit-grade weapon, it was far beyond what an ordinary person had any right to possess. An innocent man's wealth is his own doom—once word of this spread, the Void Spirit Sword Sect would never know peace again.
Forget the Heaven Rank—even many Spirit Rank cultivators would surely come scrambling to seize it.
"You've certainly got well-connected sources," Yang Kai remarked, glancing at Hua Rong with a faint smile.
Hua Rong was still lying on the ground in a worm-like position, though she had stopped squirming. With her power sealed away, struggling was pointless. She simply tilted her head to look up at Yang Kai. "This thing—your Void Spirit Sword Sect can't protect it. Better hand it over to me. I'll save you the trouble and deal with the aftermath myself."
"And if I hand it to you, could you protect it?" Yang Kai laughed.
Hua Rong shrugged. "That's my problem."
Gao Ming snorted coldly from the side. "A Spirit-grade weapon may be invaluable, but if Alchemist Yang cannot safeguard it, then no one in this world can."
Hua Rong was momentarily stunned. "What arrogance! Your little Void Spirit Sword Sect—"
Gao Ming cut her off. "The Void Spirit Sword Sect naturally couldn't protect a Spirit-grade weapon. But what about the Xuan Dan Sect?"
"The Xuan Dan Sect…" Hua Rong's expression shifted with shock. She stared at Yang Kai in confusion, trying to make sense of it. "You're from the Xuan Dan Sect?"
Gao Ming said, "Alchemist Yang is a thirty-fourth-generation Disciple of the Xuan Dan Sect, and moreover, he is a Heavenly Alchemist!"
"What?!" This time, Hua Rong was truly stunned. She shot upright into a kneeling position, craning her neck to stare up at Yang Kai standing before her, eyes wide. "He's… a Heavenly Alchemist?"
"Surprised?" Yang Kai looked down at her with a smile.