All along the way, everyone Yang Kai encountered in the manor greeted him with peculiar expressions. The four young women from Myriad Flower Palace were especially noticeable — each one looked at him with a meaningful, knowing glint in her eyes.
Lan Chudie was giggling just the same, her smile brimming with ambiguity.
Yang Kai maintained an utterly solemn expression, too lazy to explain anything. Trying to clarify would only make things worse.
"Young Master Yang, the sun's already halfway up the sky — you sure got up early! Why not stay in bed a little longer?" Huo Xingchen popped out from somewhere, wearing a sly grin and wiggling his eyebrows. "How've things been these past few days?"
"What do you mean, how've things been?" Yang Kai looked genuinely confused.
"Heh heh, drop the act with me." The young Huo scion wore an expression that said he'd seen through everything long ago, looking thoroughly lecherous as he lowered his voice. "A lone man and a lone woman, shut in the same room for five whole days straight — surely something happened?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Yang Kai shook his head, playing dumb.
"Fine, fine, I get it. But I have to say, Young Master Yang, I'm honestly starting to admire you. Sure, I've been with more women than I can count, but I've never managed five straight days without leaving the bed. You've got me beat in that department — we'll have to have a proper discussion about your techniques sometime." Huo Xingchen's face was alight with a genuinely heartfelt smile.
"Can't be bothered with you!" Yang Kai curled his lip.
"What are you two whispering about?" Qiu Yimeng happened to be walking over from ahead. Upon seeing Yang Kai, she let out a soft hmph, her expression displeased. Her voice went cold. "As one of the young masters participating in the War of Succession, Yang Kai, I hope you'll keep the bigger picture in mind. A land of tenderness is a hero's tomb — and you know that better than I do."
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. "I'm well aware. No need to remind me."
Qiu Yimeng opened her mouth, then swallowed the words she'd been about to say. She had already figured out Yang Kai's temperament and knew better than to push him further. Giving him this one reminder was enough — any more, and this stubborn man would likely fly into a rage and turn on her outright.
"Greetings, Young Master Yang!" Standing beside Qiu Yimeng was a handsome young man with a dashing air. Only after the two had finished speaking did he step forward to pay his respects, performing with admirable humility and courtesy.
"Who might this be..." Yang Kai regarded him with a suspicious eye. The face was unfamiliar — he was certain they had never met before.
"The young city lord of Tianyuan City, Liu Feisheng. I mentioned him to you before," Qiu Yimeng explained.
Liu Feisheng wore a gentle smile, his manner warm and deferential. "The young master has graciously accepted our allegiance, and the people of Tianyuan City are immensely grateful."
Yang Kai looked him over and gave a faint nod. "Surname Liu — what's your connection to the Liu family?"
"I wouldn't dare claim any kinship," Liu Feisheng said with a bitter laugh.
Qiu Yimeng spoke up. "To say there's no connection is fair enough, but to say there's none at all wouldn't be entirely accurate either. The Eight Great Families have all had ties with outside powers over the past few centuries, to varying degrees. Young Master Liu's branch was originally a collateral line of the Liu family, but about a hundred years ago they were expelled due to certain matters. If you trace the genealogy, Liu Qingyao would technically be his cousin."
A flicker of sorrow crossed Liu Feisheng's features, and his posture dropped even lower. "As one who was cast out, I wouldn't dare speak of the Liu family. For the past century, our branch has made rejoining the main family our life's goal. Though my father has now risen to become a city lord, we still haven't reached the threshold of being accepted back."
Huo Xingchen's lips curled into a smile. "Just stick with Young Master Yang. If you can help him win this War of Succession, I reckon the Liu family would have good reason to take you back in."
Hearing this, a flash of excitement bloomed on Liu Feisheng's face. He clasped his fists. "Then I shall borrow Young Master Huo's auspicious words! The people of Tianyuan City will follow Young Master Yang's lead without question!"
Yang Kai gave a slight nod without much fanfare, then turned his gaze to Qiu Yimeng. "Has my eighth brother been defeated yet?"
Qiu Yimeng looked back at him with mild surprise, then let out a soft laugh. "You noticed that too?"
"Of course. If the people from Medicine King Valley hadn't shown up, my eighth brother might have held on for a while longer. But their arrival must have sent a shockwave through my other brothers. At this point, if they don't score some victories of their own, I doubt anyone would dare pledge allegiance to them."
"Mm, just as you said. Yang Quan is out of the running."
"When did that happen?"
"The night before last!"
Qiu Yimeng laid out all the intelligence in detail.
The appearance of over thirty alchemists from Medicine King Valley had indeed thrown the Yang family heirs into a panic. On one hand, they desperately needed a victory to bolster their reputations; on the other, they were scrambling to find ways to curtail the advantage that the Medicine King Valley group gave Yang Kai.
The night before last, Yang Zhao, Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying all independently set their sights on Yang Quan's manor.
Yang Quan's manor had only a single Blood Servant at the eighth level of the Shenyou Realm, and apart from that, only a second-tier power from his mother's family serving as an ally.
An overwhelming disadvantage — there was no way he could hold out.