Having heard Yang Kai's answer, Yang Zhen showed no surprise, as though he had long anticipated it. He merely nodded lightly and said, "Since this is your choice, this old man won't say any more. Look after yourself. However, I must remind you — now that the Seven Great Families have caught a whiff of something suspicious, they won't let it go easily. My Yang Family won't sever ties with the other seven families on your behalf. If you don't return to the family for protection, you won't be able to sustain yourself at all."
Having said this, Yang Zhen stood up and departed alongside the other Elders.
The woman glanced back at Yang Kai before leaving, her voice soft: "You should reconsider. There's no harm in doing this. Even if your cultivation is crippled, you can live peacefully within the Yang Family. The family is willing to grant you any request."
Yang Kai gazed at her with icy eyes, his gaze utterly cold.
The woman shook her head slowly, said nothing more, and quickly followed the others out.
After they had gone, Yang Kai finally drew a soft breath, a trace of weariness surfacing on his face.
An innocent man becomes guilty simply by possessing a treasure — no saying better described the Myriad Medicine Spirit Liquid. That was precisely why he had always kept it hidden away. Besides a handful of people he trusted most, no one else knew of its existence.
However, the Eight Great Families had pieced together clues from various signs, and that was something Yang Kai couldn't prevent.
After all, he couldn't very well say that he'd gotten hold of something good and then abandon even his own parents, could he?
The rapid improvement in everyone's strength at the estate was also because Xia Ningshang had been using the Myriad Medicine Spirit Liquid in her pill refining. The medicinal properties of the liquid seeped into the pills, amplifying their effects, and in the process they were unknowingly helping everyone cleanse their meridians and improve their constitutions.
But their rate of improvement was still relatively slow — after all, they hadn't consumed the Spirit Liquid directly.
Given the Eight Great Families' overbearing power and their covetous interest in the Myriad Medicine Spirit Liquid, this matter was extremely thorny and could very well spiral into something far worse.
As he stepped out from the side hall, he nearly bumped into Qiu Yimeng, whose face was flush with panic.
Yang Kai had rarely seen Qiu Yimeng wearing such a flustered, helpless expression. Young Miss Qiu had always been the composed and collected type — even when faced with the most dire and dangerous situations, she never lost her composure.
But now, her anxiety and fear were written plain on her face, visible to anyone who wasn't blind.
"Yang Kai." Qiu Yimeng called out softly, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
Yang Kai's expression remained calm as he looked straight at her. "What happened?"
"My father sent someone with a message — I need to return to the family immediately." Qiu Yimeng answered hastily.
"They're moving fast." Yang Kai's smile was bright, but his eyes were as cold as a blade's edge.
Yang Zhen had barely left when the Qiu Family sent word to Qiu Yimeng, telling her to return to the Central Capital at once. The Eight Great Families truly were grasshoppers on the same string.
"What do you mean?" Qiu Yimeng looked at Yang Kai suspiciously. When she'd first received the message, she hadn't known what to make of it — her heart had lurched with panic, and she'd hurried over to find Yang Kai, only to hear him say something so baffling. Her unease only deepened.
"Nothing." Yang Kai composed himself and asked with a smile, "When are you leaving?"
"Immediately." Qiu Yimeng bit her red lip lightly. "And Father's message specifically told me to bring the people of the Qiuyu Hall back with me."
The Qiuyu Hall was the sole contingent of helpers Qiu Yimeng had brought along when she moved into Yang Kai's estate.
"I understand."
Qiu Yimeng shook her head gently, her expression pained. "I don't know why, but I keep feeling this sense of unease—like something major is about to happen. And if I leave here... I'm afraid... I'm afraid I'll never be able to come back."
Qiu Shoucheng telling Qiu Yimeng to bring the people of the Qiuyu Hall back as well said more than enough.
Qiu Yimeng was no fool. Quite the opposite—she was sharp and perceptive. How could she fail to sense the undercurrents at play?
The problem was that she had no idea what any of this was really about. She had come to help Yang Kai in the succession battle, temporarily stepping away from the family. She represented not the Qiu family, but herself.
The Qiu family's true ally was Yang Shen, the sixth young master of the Yang family. The succession battle wasn't over yet—there was no reason for the Qiu family to suddenly recall her.
"You're overthinking it." Yang Kai flashed her a grin.
Qiu Yimeng grabbed Yang Kai's arm nervously, gazing at him with a pleading look. "Do you know something?" she asked softly.
Yang Kai shook his head. "How would I know anything about your Qiu family's affairs?"
"Does this have to do with people coming from the Yang Family Elder Hall?" Qiu Yimeng pressed.
Miss Qiu's insight was, as always, astonishing.
"It doesn't." Yang Kai shook his head again. "It's probably just your uncle missing you after not seeing you for so long. He wants you to come home for a visit."
Qiu Yimeng stared at Yang Kai in a daze, slowly releasing his arms. She forced a bitter smile. "You've always been like this—never willing to tell me anything."
Yang Kai opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to say.
"Fine, then..." Qiu Yimeng drew a deep breath. "Then I won't ask. Take care of yourself."
"You've worked hard these past few days. I'll walk you out!" Yang Kai's voice was low and quiet.
Outside the estate, the people of the Qiuyu Hall were packed and ready to depart. Qiu Yimeng and Yang Kai faced each other in silence. One pair of eyes brimmed with expectation and longing; the other remained perfectly calm.
The atmosphere was deeply peculiar.
After a long moment, the light in Qiu Yimeng's eyes gradually dimmed. She let out a bitter laugh, turned, and led the Qiuyu Hall contingent toward the Central Capital.
Even until the very end, she never heard a single word of persuasion to stay from Yang Kai's lips.
If Yang Kai had asked her to remain—even once—she would have ignored the Qiu family's summons without hesitation and stayed right where she was.