Monthly tickets — if I don't ask, how would you all know I need them?
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"You guys chat, hehe." After greeting them, Fang Ziqi tactfully fell back a good distance, where he ran into Huo Xingchen and the others who had hurried over from behind.
"Oh? Senior Brother Fang?" Lan Chudie's bright eyes lit up. Though they belonged to different sects, they both hailed from the same place, so meeting here naturally brought a sense of familiarity.
"You're... a junior sister from Lingxiao Pavilion?" Fang Ziqi couldn't quite place Lan Chudie.
Lan Chudie nodded with a smile.
Dong Qinghan furrowed his brow, looked Fang Ziqi up and down, and suddenly clapped his hands in recognition. "I know! I was wondering why those two girls looked so familiar — they're the twin flowers of the Blood Battle Gang!"
The last time Dong Qinghan had visited Lingxiao Pavilion, he'd also looked into the Wind and Rain Tower and the Blood Battle Gang. The charming twin flowers and Fang Ziqi were all prominent figures within their respective sects, so he was naturally no stranger to them.
They simply hadn't dealt with each other before, so he hadn't been able to recognize them right away.
That explained why she had tossed that Artifact to him.
The group was perceptive enough to notice Hu Jiao'er's odd expression and didn't rashly go over to disturb her. Instead, they chatted warmly with Fang Ziqi while quietly pricking up their ears to listen to what was happening not far away.
"You're already here, so why were you hiding from me?" Yang Kai looked at Hu Jiao'er and asked.
"I wasn't hiding from you." Hu Jiao'er let out a soft hmph, her cheeks flushing slightly red.
"You really weren't hiding from me?" Yang Kai's lips curled upward as he took a step forward, pressing the question.
"No..." Hu Jiao'er murmured, her beautiful eyes flickering. "I only just arrived today."
Yang Kai turned his head to glance at Hu Meier. Meier gave a lovely smile, her lips moving slightly as she silently sold her sister out.
"Fine, since you're here, come back to my residence with me." Yang Kai knew she was too proud to back down gracefully, so he didn't press the matter further.
Hu Jiao'er scoffed. "We only came to War City to have some fun. We never said we'd join your succession war. I'm not going."
"Meier, are you going?" Yang Kai asked with a smile.
"I'm going!" Hu Meier nodded enthusiastically.
"Meier!" Hu Jiao'er cried out, her chest heaving with indignation. She hadn't expected her sister to be so flimsy in her resolve — Yang Kai had only asked casually, and she'd already agreed.
Hu Meier stuck out her tongue and giggled.
"We're only a second-rate sect. Even if we went, we wouldn't be much help. What's the point of going?" Hu Jiao'er's expression was somewhat awkward as she muttered under her breath.
Yang Kai suddenly realized — so that was what she was worried about.
The factions gathered at Yang Kai's estate were almost all first-rate powers. The only exception was Chen Xueshu and Shu Xiaoyu's Reflecting Moon Gate, which was a second-rate sect. Hu Jiao'er was probably feeling insecure about that, which was why she had been avoiding him.
"Jiao'er, you and Meier are destined to stand at the very peak of this world someday. Don't be so fixated on your sect." Yang Kai regarded her with a serious expression. The last time they had met, the sisters had only been at the fifth layer of the Zhenyuan Realm. Now they had reached the eighth layer — the same as his own. And the Connected Spirit Divine Art they cultivated was no ordinary technique; given time, they would surely ascend beyond the Divine Sea Realm.
It could be said that in the years to come, the two of them would undoubtedly have their place among the world's greatest.
"You really think so?" Hu Jiao'er's expression softened slightly, a glimmer of wonder rising in her beautiful eyes. She gazed at Yang Kai with a touch of joy, clearly not expecting him to hold her and her sister in such high regard.
Yang Kai nodded with a solemn face.
"Heh... looks like someone's falling for it." Huo Xingchen glanced over and muttered under his breath.
"Already fallen," Fang Ziqi chuckled with a lecherous grin.
"Tsundere. I like it!" Young Master Huo fanned himself with a flourish.
"Mm... let me think about it. If I come around, I'll go to your estate with Meier in a few days." Hu Jiao'er was secretly delighted inside, lightly biting her luscious red lips, which made her look incredibly tempting.
Yang Kai beckoned her with a curl of his finger.
"What?" Hu Jiao'er looked puzzled. She leaned in a little closer, tilting her ear toward him.
Yang Kai let out a sly grin and whispered by her ear: "If you keep dithering like this, I'll broadcast your secret to the whole world!"
"What secret?" A flush crept up Hu Jiao'er's neck. With Yang Kai's warm breath blowing right into her ear, her whole body went uncomfortable — it felt as though countless ants were crawling across her delicate skin, ticklish and tingling.
"One cheek of your butt is bigger than the other!" With that, Yang Kai straightened up, let out a strange laugh, and let his eyes drift pointedly toward her backside.
Caught by that predatory gaze, Hu Jiao'er couldn't help but feel as though she'd been stripped bare. A chill ran through her heart, and her face flushed crimson as she snapped: "I do not!"
As she spoke, she unconsciously lifted her hips and tightened her stomach.
"I've said my piece — come or don't, that's your call. Meier, you're coming with me." With that, he grabbed Hu Meier by the hand and strode toward War City without looking back.
"Yang Kai, how can you be so shameless and rogue?!" Hu Jiao'er shouted after him, gnashing her teeth in fury.