Inside the room, Yang Kai sat upright in a chair, his expression calm and composed.
Shadow Nine and the Earth Demon had returned to the room as well, standing behind him, while the mysterious woman remained about five zhang in front of Yang Kai.
Having suffered defeat several times, she had become considerably more well-behaved. She understood that as long as the small figurine made from her own hair remained clenched in Yang Kai's palm, there was no escape from his grasp.
Her slender jade-like hands were intertwined, betraying the tension she felt. Her head was slightly bowed, giving the appearance of meek submission, yet those beautiful eyes hidden beneath her bangs never stopped watching Yang Kai's every move, waiting for the moment he might show a crack in his vigilance.
Every so often, her scarlet little lips would twitch, as though she were cursing under her breath.
"Your existence makes me very wary," Yang Kai said bluntly. "You seem to possess some rather special abilities. For someone like you, if I can't make you serve my purposes, I will destroy you at the first opportunity!"
"Really?" The woman raised her head and glanced at Yang Kai with a hint of timidity. Finding his expression deadly serious — clearly no empty threat — her heart immediately filled with fear. This was the first time she had encountered such a ruthless man, one who apparently had no reservations about destroying a beautiful woman.
"Yes." Yang Kai gave a slight nod. "So, I ask, and you answer. If there is anything that displeases me... you understand."
"Fine." The woman rubbed her reddening forehead and nodded quietly. Under such absolute dominance, she dared not resist any further.
"What's your name?"
"Shui Ling..." the woman replied with a pout, her tone tinged with reluctance.
"Shui Ling?" Yang Kai's brow furrowed. It was a name that suited her demonstrated abilities rather well, but in his memory, he had no record of such a person. Even the surname itself was quite peculiar.
"Where are you from?"
"The Water Spirit Temple..."
Yang Kai's frown deepened as he mentally cycled through every faction he knew of, but none could be connected to anything called the Water Spirit Temple. In fact, this was the first time he had ever heard the name.
Behind him, however, the Earth Demon's expression had grown strange the moment he heard the words "Water Spirit Temple." A thoughtful look flickered through his eyes, tinged with a measure of suspicion, as though the name had stirred something in the tangled wreckage of his memories. After a moment, he slowly shook his head. His memory was far too fragmented — "Water Spirit Temple" merely sounded faintly familiar, and no matter how hard he tried to dig deeper, nothing came to mind.
"No need to think about it. You don't know the Water Spirit Temple." Shui Ling could see Yang Kai was pondering, and she let out a light laugh laced with contempt, as though mocking him for being an ignorant country bumpkin.
"But I know whether you just invented some random faction to fool me." Yang Kai snorted coldly. Her condescending gaze made him rather uncomfortable.
Despite being a captive, Shui Ling showed not the slightest anxiety — as if she were the scion of a supreme power who had fallen into the hands of some second- or third-rate sect, utterly unconcerned.
"I didn't. You're just a frog at the bottom of a well," Shui Ling said, slowly shaking her head. Her pale blue tresses swayed from side to side, flowing and ethereal.
"The Water Spirit Temple... does indeed exist as a faction. You don't need to press this matter. When the time is right, I'll tell you." Just as Yang Kai was growing impatient, Meng Wuya's voice drifted into his ear.
"Understood." Yang Kai didn't ask further, simply taking it that the Water Spirit Temple was a reclusive force.
"However, since this girl comes from the Water Spirit Temple, you'd best tread carefully. Otherwise, you could very well bring catastrophic disaster upon the Yang family."
Yang Kai's expression shifted subtly.
The Yang family was already the foremost power in Zhongdu. Across the entire world, it stood among the very top of supreme forces!
Yet judging by Meng Wuya's words, the Water Spirit Temple apparently possessed power that towered even above the Yang family!
How was that possible? Could a reclusive faction truly wield such formidable strength?
A thought flickered through his mind, and Yang Kai continued questioning: "Your age!"
Shui Ling pursed her lips, gently biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth. "Can I... not answer that one?" she said softly.
Yang Kai shook his head firmly.
"Nineteen!" Shui Ling's face was full of displeasure. For a woman, age was always a sensitive topic — especially when being asked by a man.
Yang Kai drew a deep breath, and a sudden wave of unreality washed over him.
He could tell that Shui Ling's answer just now had been truthful. That meant she really was only nineteen years old! And this was perfectly consistent with her temperament and manner of speaking.
But a nineteen-year-old at the eighth level of the Shenyou Realm? No matter how he looked at it, the notion was utterly staggering! Such talent and aptitude surpassed every young prodigy Yang Kai had ever known.
Liu Qingyao and the rest wouldn't even be qualified to carry her shoes.
In an instant, Yang Kai mentally elevated his assessment of the Water Spirit Temple to an entirely new height. A reclusive faction capable of cultivating a freakish talent like Shui Ling — claiming it surpassed the Yang family was not, perhaps, idle talk after all.
He was shaken inside, but not a trace of it showed on his face. He remained as composed as ever.
Noticing this, Shui Ling actually felt a twinge of disappointment. She had been hoping to see a look of shock and deflation on his face.
"So how old are you?" Shui Ling asked curiously.