After inquiring at the reception desk, Yang Kai learned that Xu Lingong had actually gone to his own residence to wait. Without lingering, he headed straight for Feng Ying's courtyard.
Before long, from a distance outside Feng Ying's courtyard, Yang Kai spotted a figure standing with hands clasped behind his back, waiting quietly.
The man was tall and broad, draped in a cloak, pacing back and forth before the gate with an air of anxious restlessness. Who else could it be but Xu Lingong?
Sensing movement, Xu Lingong halted and turned to look. Their eyes met, and upon seeing Yang Kai's face, a complicated mixture of emotions flickered in his gaze.
Yang Kai strode forward, and upon drawing close, bowed respectfully. "This disciple greets Senior Xu!"
Xu Lingong reached out and gripped his arm, letting out a heavy sigh. "It really is you, brat."
When he'd first heard that there was someone called Yang Kai at Biluo Pass, he'd assumed it was a coincidence — same name, different person. But the intelligence reports said this Yang Kai was a Sixth-Order cultivator and the son-in-law of Yin Yang Heaven, and he'd thought the chances of that being mere coincidence were slim.
So when Tang Qiu asked whether he wanted to accompany him to Biluo Pass, Xu Lingong had agreed without hesitation, wanting to see for himself whether this Yang Kai was the one he knew.
They had only arrived at Biluo Pass a few days ago. Tang Qiu was being hosted by Lu An, so Xu Lingong had made inquiries about Yang Kai's whereabouts and come straight here. He'd waited several days without seeing him, and only after asking around did he learn that Yang Kai was on assignment, busy with matters outside the Pass.
He hadn't felt it appropriate to go looking, so he'd continued waiting here.
Now he had finally gotten his answer — this Yang Kai was indeed the brat he knew.
"Why did you end up here?" Xu Lingong gazed at him with a pained expression. Where was this place? This was the Ink Battlefield. Coming here meant there was virtually no chance of ever returning to the Three Thousand Worlds.
Over these past few days, he had desperately hoped that the Yang Kai at Biluo Pass was not the one he knew. But the more information he gathered, the slimmer that hope became. Now that they stood face to face, that last shred of hope was instantly extinguished.
He simply could not understand why Yang Kai had come to the Ink Battlefield.
"That is a long story," Yang Kai said with a bitter smile.
"Captain, perhaps you should invite your guest inside?" Feng Ying spoke up from the side.
Xu Lingong turned to look at her. "And this is...?"
Yang Kai quickly made introductions. "This is Senior Sister Feng Ying. She has looked after me greatly during my time at Biluo Pass. Senior Sister Feng, this is my wife's master, Senior Xu Lingong."
Feng Ying smiled and bowed. "Greetings, Senior Brother Xu!"
Xu Lingong returned the courtesy. "Senior Sister Feng is too kind. This brat is hardly a well-behaved one — I'm sure he's caused you no small amount of trouble."
Feng Ying chuckled softly. "Senior Brother Xu exaggerates. The Captain has actually saved my life, and he rendered tremendous service to Biluo Pass during the last great battle. He has earned the deep regard of all the Army Commanders, and even the Grand Ancestor has summoned him for a private audience."
Xu Lingong nodded slightly. "I've heard some things, though not the full picture. In fact, that is precisely why we came to Biluo Pass."
"Please, Senior Xu, come inside first." Yang Kai gestured toward the entrance.
Feng Ying deactivated the ward, and the three entered. Once Yang Kai and Xu Lingong had taken their seats, Feng Ying said, "I'll go prepare some tea. You two talk."
Xu Lingong politely said, "Much appreciated, Senior Sister Feng."
After Feng Ying's figure disappeared, Xu Lingong suddenly leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Boy, why does that lady keep calling you 'Captain'?"
Yang Kai explained. "After the last great battle at Biluo Pass, I earned considerable battle merits. The Army Commanders promoted me to team captain and assigned Senior Sister Feng under my command as vice-captain."
Xu Lingong stared blankly. "You? Captain? Your cultivation is only... wait, you're Seventh-Order?"
As these words left his mouth, he looked Yang Kai up and down, his expression turning to one of startled disbelief.
Yang Kai let a trace of his Small Universe's aura show and said calmly, "I had an insight during the battle. After it concluded, I went into closed cultivation and managed to break through."
Xu Lingong's face twitched. "If I remember correctly, it hasn't been that long since you advanced to Open Heaven, has it?"
He knew Yang Kai's background intimately well — after all, this was the man his precious disciple had chosen as her husband. He'd naturally made sure to learn everything he could. And Yang Kai's forced advancement to Fifth-Order Open Heaven back in Broken Sky had spread throughout all the Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands long ago; Xu Lingong had heard the tale years ago.
And now how long had it been? At most, three or four hundred years.
Three or four hundred years might represent several lifetimes for an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated, but for an Open Heaven cultivator with a long lifespan, it was the snap of a finger.
In a mere few centuries, climbing from Fifth-Order to Seventh-Order — even accounting for the fact that he'd consumed a mid-grade World Fruit along the way, the speed of this advancement was absolutely staggering.
He had never heard of anyone achieving such a feat in just a few hundred years. Advancing from Sixth-Order to Seventh-Order required an incredibly lengthy process of accumulating Small Universe foundation. Even with the most abundant cultivation resources, it would take a thousand to two thousand years.