Time slipped by, the sun set and the moon rose, and Yang Kai remained immersed in his cultivation, unable to pull himself away for the longest time.
It wasn't until a knock sounded at the door that he finally stirred.
Yang Kai frowned slightly. He extended his senses, then waved his hand to send a gentle breeze that pushed the door open. Qiu Yimeng stood before him.
"What is it?" Yang Kai looked at her and asked.
The young miss of the Qiu family stepped inside and said softly, "Someone from the Yang family has arrived bearing an elder's command, ordering... the ninth son, Yang Kai, to return to Zhongdu immediately!" After speaking, she stared straight at Yang Kai, a complex flicker passing through her beautiful eyes.
She had no idea what the Elder Hall wanted with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai's expression shifted slightly. He tilted his head and asked, "Just me? What about Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Seventh Brother?"
"It seems to be only you," Qiu Yimeng pressed her lips together.
"Understood." Yang Kai rose slowly, his brow furrowing involuntarily.
This family summons was interesting, to say the least. Why would they call only him back to Zhongdu? The last time someone from the Yang family had come had only been a few days ago—that was to deliver information about the Mirror-Breaking Lake treasure battle to the legitimate young masters. And now this?
"Yang Kai, I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this!" Qiu Yimeng's voice grew low and heavy. Her slender, jade-like hands kept twisting and fidgeting together, betraying the tension and unease churning inside her.
For the Yang family to summon only Yang Kai back to Zhongdu without any explanation, something significant must have happened. What exactly it was, she couldn't say for the time being.
And the journey back and forth would be the perfect opportunity for someone to make a move.
"If the family has issued a command, then there's no need to worry about safety along the way," Yang Kai said, shaking his head with a calm and composed air. If he were ambushed on the road to or from Zhongdu and lost his place, the family would never accept that as a valid excuse.
"Just be careful, alright?" Qiu Yimeng reminded him. "I've already had Ying Jiu and Tang Yuxian make their preparations. The two of them will go with you."
Yang Kai gave a slight nod.
Since the family had ordered him to return immediately, Yang Kai couldn't afford to delay. He headed straight for the exit.
At the main gate, the healed Ying Jiu and Tang Yuxian were already waiting. The taciturn Ying Jiu was as silent as ever, unwilling to say more than a word. But Tang Yuxian, with her alluring and mature figure, had a bright, happy smile on her cheeks as she called out in a sweet voice, "Young Master."
Having returned to serve under Yang Kai's banner, both Tang Yuxian and Tu Feng felt genuinely happy. Over the past half year or so, the two of them had been serving under Yang Kang, and while they had fulfilled their duties faithfully, not a day had gone by when they hadn't wished to once again fight alongside Yang Kai and create miracles.
"Your injuries are more or less healed, right?" Yang Kai asked with a warm and genial expression.
"Don't trouble yourself to worry, Young Master. I've fully recovered." Tang Yuxian bit her lip lightly, her beautiful eyes filled with gratitude.
After using the Tyrant Blood Frenzy Technique and fighting a fierce battle with Ying Jiu, her recovery period should have been far longer. Yet under the miraculous effects of the pills Yang Kai had given her, she and Ying Jiu had both recovered in just a day or two.
Although she had personally experienced such miracles before, Tang Yuxian still found it hard to believe.
"Some other day when I have time, I'll need to ask you about the use of soul techniques," Yang Kai said with a chuckle as he mounted a Cloud-Treading Steed.
"I am at your service at any time, Young Master," Tang Yuxian replied in a steady voice.
Among all the Blood Guards, when it came to soul techniques and the refinement of Divine Sense, Tang Yuxian stood at the very top. Each Blood Guard had their own area of expertise—Qu Gaoyi excelled at explosive bursts of power, Ying Jiu specialized in stealth and assassination, and Tu Feng was a master of head-on clashes. Tang Yuxian's attainments in the soul arts were unmatched in the Blood Guard Hall.
"Go swiftly and return swiftly. Be careful along the way," Qiu Yimeng said softly as she watched the three mount their steeds.
Yang Kai nodded slightly. The three Cloud-Treading Steeds shot forward like bolts of lightning, galloping toward Zhongdu at breakneck speed.
Outside the estate, a gentle breeze stirred, brushing through Qiu Yimeng's dark hair. The sun was sinking in the west, stretching the young miss's shadow long across the ground, and the unease in her heart only grew stronger.
"Pass the word—everyone, halt your cultivation. Split into two groups and take turns standing watch. If any enemy forces attack, kill without mercy! Until Yang Kai... returns!"
"Yes!"
Night fell. The vast city of Zhongdu lay like a slumbering dragon, coiled across the expansive land. Stars dotted the sky like grains of sand from the Milky Way, adorning the firmament.
Three Cloud-Treading Steeds burst through the Yang family's private passage at the main south gate in a flash.
The guards at the entrance didn't even have time to ask a question. By the time they snapped back to reality and gave chase, the three riders were already long gone.
"The Ninth Young Master has returned to the family. Stand down!" Tang Yuxian called out over her shoulder with a sharp, commanding tone. The guards immediately halted in their tracks, their faces pale with alarm.
The Ninth Young Master—Yang Kai.
His name had already become legendary. How could they dare to offend him? They slunk back to their posts at once and steadied themselves for the night watch.
At the Fourth Master's estate, Yang Siye and Dong Suzhu, who had been cultivating, were startled awake by the commotion of the Cloud-Treading Steeds. They rushed out to look and saw Yang Kai striding in from outside, with Ying Jiu and Tang Yuxian trailing behind him.
"Kai'er?" Yang Yingfeng was stunned for a moment, but Dong Suzhu's eyes immediately welled up with tears. She threw herself forward, wrapping Yang Kai in a tight embrace as she kissed his forehead and checked him over for any sign of injury.