He had experienced firsthand in the Langya realm just how much influence a popular woman could have among her fellow disciples.
Though this Tao Lingwan before him was extremely shy in temperament, her strength and appearance were both top-tier. In the Yin Yang Heaven, her popularity could not possibly be low.
He tried persuading her a few more times, but Tao Lingwan never responded, simply shaking her head ceaselessly at everything Yang Kai said.
Yang Kai's head started to ache. He had never imagined that Chen Xiu would dump such a troublesome problem on him after leaving.
After thinking for a moment, Yang Kai walked out of the room. "I'm going to take a walk around. Do as you please, Junior Sister!"
Without waiting for Tao Lingwan's response, he turned and left on his own.
Tao Lingwan did not do as she pleased. Instead, she followed him step for step, maintaining a distance of roughly a dozen zhang — neither too far nor too close — like a little handmaiden awaiting her master's orders at all times.
The situation was getting worse. If anyone from the Yin Yang Heaven saw them like this, there would be no way to avoid misunderstandings. So Yang Kai only wandered around outside briefly before returning to his residence. Seeing Tao Lingwan standing obediently at the doorway once more, he decided to simply ignore her.
He shut the door and settled in for closed-door cultivation.
He could feel that his advancement to the Seventh-Order was not far off. In truth, after returning from the Broken Sky, if he hadn't still been mindful of his hundred-year appointment with Qu Huashang, he should have gone into seclusion to attempt the breakthrough to the Seventh-Order long ago.
But considering that breaking through to the Seventh-Order was no overnight matter — one only needed to look at the Shop Madam's situation to understand that; she had been in seclusion for one to two centuries and still hadn't succeeded — he had been waiting. He wanted to finish handling his affairs in the Yin Yang Heaven first, then attempt the Seventh-Order realm.
That said, over these years, even though he hadn't been actively cultivating much, thanks to the unique nature of his Small Universe, his foundation had been growing ceaselessly regardless.
Especially now, with the benefit of Xu Yi's Great Desolation Scripture cultivation, the time flow inside his Small Universe was already more than four times that of the outside world. His foundation was growing considerably faster.
However, he had also spent quite a bit of effort nurturing the Mystic Yin Bamboo. Cultivating the Mystic Yin Bamboo required consuming the foundation of his Small Universe — had it not been for this, Yang Kai estimated he would have already touched the threshold of the Seventh-Order.
For half a month straight, there was no word from Chen Xiu, and Yang Kai couldn't help but grow increasingly suspicious.
When Chen Xiu had left before, he'd said he was going to gather some intelligence. But after such a long time, he should have turned up with something by now, no matter what — after all, he was an inner sect Elder of the Yin Yang Heaven.
Moreover, Qu Huashang was already in seclusion. All he needed to do was find out where she was cultivating. It wasn't exactly a difficult task.
Chen Xiu's prolonged absence was beginning to make Yang Kai feel uneasy.
This day, while Yang Kai was cultivating, he suddenly heard a soft moan from beyond the door — a sound that seemed strained and urgent, exceedingly strange.
Yang Kai's brow furrowed slightly.
Tao Lingwan had been standing outside the door the whole time, and the sound could only have come from this timid woman. Over the past half month, she hadn't made a single sound or moved a muscle, standing there like a piece of wood. Yang Kai had actually felt somewhat guilty about it, but since he hadn't been able to convince her before, he'd left her to it.
Now, it seemed something had gone wrong...
Yang Kai listened carefully, but heard nothing more. He was about to extend his spiritual perception when a muffled thud came from outside, as if something had collapsed to the ground.
He hurried to his feet, crossed the room in two or three strides, and pushed open the door. Looking down, he saw Tao Lingwan curled up on the ground, her body trembling violently. A dense cold aura was emanating from within her, freezing the surrounding walls and floor into a layer of frost.
Not only that — the energy inside her body was extremely unstable.
Qi Deviation!
Yang Kai was shocked. He couldn't understand how this woman could have suddenly suffered a Qi Deviation. She had only been standing outside these past days, and he hadn't sensed any signs of her cultivating. There was simply no reason for her to fall into Qi Deviation.
Besides, she was already a Sixth-Order Open Heaven realm cultivator, possessing considerable strength. How could she run into something like this?
Could it be some hidden danger left over from earlier cultivation?
There was no time to think. Yang Kai quickly bent down and scooped her up. She was ice-cold to the touch, as if he were holding a block of ancient, unmelting ice, yet her body was incredibly soft — a jarring contradiction.
As if sensing warmth, Tao Lingwan — normally so shy and timid — unconsciously nestled deeper into Yang Kai's embrace, as though trying to melt her entire being into him just to seek that sliver of warmth.
Feeling deeply uncomfortable, Yang Kai quickly moved to the bed, intending to set her down. But she wrapped her arms around his neck like an octopus, clinging to his body, and no matter what he tried, he couldn't pry her loose.
"Junior Sister Tao! Junior Sister Tao!" Yang Kai called out urgently several times. Tao Lingwan didn't seem to hear him — or perhaps she did. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, her gaze brimming with unmistakable desire.
Yang Kai knew this look all too well. It was the look of someone ready to devour a man. Shan Qingluo, that enchantress, and Yu Rumeng, that succubus, would often show him such expressions.
Something was very wrong!
With no time to deliberate, Yang Kai could only mutter an apology and pressed his palm against Tao Lingwan's forehead. Channeling the power of his Small Universe, he attempted to forcibly restore the chaotic energy within her body.
This was the most standard approach. Beyond this, Yang Kai couldn't think of any other solution — and more importantly, he had no idea what cultivation technique Tao Lingwan had been practicing, making targeted treatment impossible.
He was simply doing what he could and leaving the rest to fate. Judging by Tao Lingwan's condition, it seemed she hadn't completely lost her reason. She herself was likely still fighting to resist the crisis brought on by the Qi Deviation.