After Yu Xiangdie departed, Chen Xiu made no move to stop her. He simply watched Yang Kai with a smile, one laden with meaning.
Yang Kai had no idea why Yu Xiangdie had flown into such a rage, and didn't dare ask. He followed silently behind her. Half an hour later, the two arrived at a Spirit Peak.
Yang Kai found the surrounding scenery somewhat familiar. After looking around for a moment, he realized he had been to this area before.
The Spirit Peak where Elder Xu Linggong resided was nearby—it seemed to be right next to Yu Xiangdie's domain.
Quite a few disciples were on the peak, all presumably part of Yu Xiangdie's lineage. As an Inner Court Elder of Yin Yang Heaven, she had every right to take disciples. Upon seeing her return, they all bowed respectfully, and they were especially curious about Yang Kai trailing behind her.
Yu Xiangdie walked straight through without a sideways glance, putting on the full airs of a peak master.
The disciples all seemed to shrink back in silence. Yu Xiangdie was normally very mild-mannered and wouldn't usually put on such a show of authority. She would always acknowledge whichever disciple greeted her, but this time, clearly something had happened—her face was frozen in a mask of frost, and it set their hearts unease.
Soon, the two arrived at a palace. Yu Xiangdie turned and instructed, "Stay here for a few days. I'm going to go gather some intelligence."
Yang Kai nodded. "Yes!"
Yu Xiangdie glared at him again, then turned to leave. But after only a few steps, she looked back and added, "Don't see anyone who comes to visit—no one but me!"
What on earth was going on… Yang Kai was completely baffled. This trip to Yin Yang Heaven had turned out nothing like he'd imagined. First, he hadn't even gotten to see Elder Xu or Qu Huashang, then Chen Xiu had taken him to stay at his place for half a month, and after that Yu Xiangdie had stormed over—and now she was furious about something for reasons he couldn't fathom.
Come to think of it, all he'd done was help Tao Lingwan a bit when she'd gone into Qi Deviation. That wasn't exactly a big deal, was it? Given the situation at the time, he couldn't just stand by and watch her die!
Yang Kai suspected Yu Xiangdie might be misunderstanding something, but he'd already explained it to her.
Chen Xiu had said he was going to gather intelligence and then vanished for half a month straight. Now Yu Xiangdie was doing the same. Yang Kai didn't know what she intended to find out, but she was clearly in no mood to be questioned, so he didn't dare push back. He could only silently agree.
Three days passed without Yu Xiangdie showing her face.
It wasn't until the fourth day that she finally appeared before him again.
"Senior Martial Aunt Yu!" Yang Kai greeted her with a respectful bow.
Yu Xiangdie gazed at him with a complicated look in her eyes. There was a trace of deep disappointment in them, and something like frustration at his failure to live up to expectations.
After a long moment, she sighed and gestured with her hand. "Sit down. Let's talk."
Yang Kai nodded. After she took her seat, he sat down to the side and waited quietly for her instructions.
Another stretch of silence followed. Just as Yang Kai was starting to grow impatient, Yu Xiangdie suddenly spoke. "What do you think of that girl Wan'er?"
"Wan'er?" Yang Kai looked at her in confusion, then it clicked. "Senior Martial Aunt means Junior Sister Tao Lingwan? She's innocent and sweet, a very nice person, though she's a bit… hard to get through to."
Yu Xiangdie glared at him. "Who asked you to comment on her personality?"
Yang Kai was taken aback. "Then what would you have me say?"
Yu Xiangdie didn't beat around the bush. "Do you like her?"
Yang Kai let out a short laugh. "Junior Sister Tao and I have only met a handful of times and barely exchanged a few words. There's no question of liking or not liking. Besides, Senior Martial Aunt, you know that this time I came here to—"
Before he could finish, Yu Xiangdie raised a hand to cut him off. "But Wan'er likes you!"
Yang Kai's jaw nearly hit the floor. "You're joking, Senior Martial Aunt."
Yu Xiangdie regarded him with a serious expression. "And it's reached the point where she'd die for you without a second thought."
Yang Kai became even more convinced she was jesting. As he'd said, he and Tao Lingwan had met only a handful of times and exchanged barely a few words. How could there be any talk of liking, let alone something that extreme?
Moreover, even if Tao Lingwan, being sheltered and inexperienced, had developed some fleeting fondness for him because of his help during her Qi Deviation, it couldn't possibly have reached any level of undying devotion.
Without spending prolonged time together, without having faced life and death side by side, where would such devotion come from?
But Yu Xiangdie's expression didn't look like she was joking at all. She simply sighed and said slowly, "The disciples of our Yin Yang Heaven cultivate under two major paths—the Path of the Heartless and the Path of the Sentient. Though the paths differ, they ultimately converge to the same destination."