"Seven Star Market…"
At the foot of the mountain, Jia Hong came to a halt, gazing up at the three enormous characters carved into the great archway.
The man and woman he had been chasing had fled straight into this very place. As the master of the Spirit Sea Hall, Jia Hong was naturally well aware of Seven Star Market. They were all first-rate Sects, and although the distances between them were considerable, there was still the occasional overlap.
Before the entrance to Seven Star Market, a wizened elder was waiting quietly. Upon seeing Jia Hong, he cupped his fists. "Hall Master Jia graces us with his presence. I, Shangguan Ji, failed to greet you at the gate — please forgive my discourtesy."
Jia Hong returned the gesture with a lukewarm nod. "Master Shangguan, it has been a long time."
Shangguan Ji said, "Our Sect's Supreme Elder has learned of Hall Master Jia's arrival and is waiting on Jade Peak. Please, Hall Master Jia!"
Jia Hong narrowed his eyes at those words and was silent for a moment before speaking. "Master Shangguan — what relation are that man and woman to your Supreme Elder?"
Shangguan Ji offered a faint smile. "Once Hall Master Jia has gone up the mountain, you will find out."
Jia Hong let out a cold snort. "Then I'll accept your hospitality rather than refuse it!"
He strode forward and began climbing the mountain path. Shangguan Ji made no move to stop him, simply watching him go.
In a matter of moments, Jia Hong had ascended to Jade Peak. There, standing quietly atop the summit, were the very same man and woman who had fled all the way back from Qingfeng Town.
Seeing the two of them, Jia Hong was not particularly surprised — he merely furrowed his brow.
If these two had a connection to Seven Star Market's Supreme Elder, then the strange encounters he had suffered along the chase suddenly made perfect sense.
And Hu Xun's vendetta…
It would likely have to remain unavenged.
"Master awaits you in the hall," Zhao Ya said flatly.
Jia Hong raised an eyebrow and strode directly toward the great hall.
No one knew what was said between Jia Hong and Yang Kai inside that hall. But after no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Jia Hong emerged with the utmost respect, then took to the air and departed without a single backward glance — not uttering a word about his disciple's death.
Zhao Ya and Zhao Yebai exchanged a glance and both let out a long, relieved breath. They knew this crisis had passed.
"You two — come in." Yang Kai's voice drifted out from within the hall.
At the sound, Zhao Ya shrank back slightly, as though afraid. Zhao Yebai took her hand, gave her a reassuring look, and led her inside.
Despite having cultivated on the mountain for thirteen years, this was the first time either of them had set foot in the great hall.
The doors stood wide open. The two stepped through and saw a figure standing with hands clasped behind his back, his back turned to them.
"Master!"
"Senior!"
They bowed respectfully.
The figure slowly turned around.
Zhao Yebai's eyes went wide in an instant, and then he cried out in delighted surprise: "Uncle Yang?!"
The person standing in the hall was none other than the Uncle Yang he had regarded as a father figure since childhood. When they had set out on this training excursion, they had even made a point of looking for Uncle Yang in Qingfeng Town — only to fail to find him and stumble upon Zhao Ya's true parents instead!
He had never imagined that he would encounter Uncle Yang here, after thirteen long years apart.
Zhao Yebai was overwhelmed with excitement. "Uncle Yang, how are you here? Did the Senior bring you? Where is the Senior?"
Yang Kai simply smiled without a word.
Zhao Ya, by comparison, was far calmer. She had been startled upon seeing Yang Kai, but her expression quickly shifted to one of puzzled suspicion — and then, just as swiftly, to sudden realization.
"Brother Xiaobai." Zhao Ya tugged at Zhao Yebai's sleeve. "If I'm not mistaken, Uncle Yang is Master — and Master is Uncle Yang!"
"How is that possible?" Zhao Yebai laughed in disbelief. "The Senior's cultivation is immensely powerful, while Uncle Yang is just an ordinary man. And their appearances are completely different — how could they possibly be the same person?"
Zhao Ya said, "Haven't you always found it strange that Master's silhouette looks almost identical to Uncle Yang's? From behind, the two are practically the same. You said it yourself — the Senior's cultivation is profound, so altering his appearance and concealing his cultivation in front of us would be no difficulty at all. Besides, Uncle Yang and Master share the same surname. That alone is proof enough that they are one and the same — we simply never realized it."
Zhao Yebai's mouth hung open, still unable to believe it.
"Master, am I right?" Zhao Ya asked directly.
Yang Kai chuckled. "Little Ya has always been this clever — one hint and she understands."
Zhao Yebai was completely dumbfounded, still unable to process how the all-powerful Senior could have suddenly turned out to be Uncle Yang.
While his mind reeled, he saw Yang Kai extend a hand and sweep it to the side. A figure materialized out of thin air — and it was unmistakably the appearance of the Supreme Elder of Jade Peak, the very same one the two of them had been facing for the past thirteen years.