"What's the deal with that girl?" Shan Qingluo asked again, her gorgeous eyes scanning the room with wariness.
"I have some history with her. She's also the one who saved me," Yang Kai explained casually.
"You didn't touch her, did you?" A playful, teasing smile curled at the corner of Shan Qingluo's lips.
"Do I really look that bored?" Yang Kai snorted, his expression turning serious once more. "How are things back in Zhongdu?"
"Everything's fine, aside from your disappearance. More than that, everyone close to you has vanished too. They can't find anyone to question about the situation, and they're completely lost."
Yang Kai nodded slightly. This was within his expectations.
Seeing that Yang Kai didn't show much grief, Shan Qingluo immediately realized that the people close to him who had gone missing were probably in no mortal danger—otherwise he wouldn't look so composed.
"That day… what exactly happened underground in Zhongdu? And Yang Bai?" Shan Qingluo hesitated, then asked with a trace of nervousness.
"It's a long story." Yang Kai smiled bitterly and shook his head, not wanting to elaborate. "As for Yang Bai, he's dead."
"Dead?" Shan Qingluo's stunning eyes flashed with joy and excitement.
"Mm, dead. I saw it with my own eyes." Yang Kai grinned.
Biluo clenched her fists, crying out with excitement, "That's wonderful news!"
"If Yang Bai is dead and you're safe, then why haven't you come back to Zhongdu all these months? Instead you've been staying here." Shan Qingluo gazed at him with a soft, almost reproachful look. "What are you running from?"
"I'm not running," Yang Kai said, shaking his head casually. "If I went back to Zhongdu, I'd have to shoulder everything there. Qiu Yimeng and the others would only look to me as their pillar, losing their own initiative. As long as I'm not there, they can develop their own abilities and properly lead the Eight Great Families."
Besides, Yang Kai needed time to think things through and sort out his thoughts—which was why he had been hiding overseas for half a year.
"You want to fade out of their sight?" Shan Qingluo looked thoughtful, catching the meaning behind his words.
"You could say that," Yang Kai admitted without denying it. "Because I'll probably have to leave here before long. I've given them too much to depend on. If I leave suddenly, it won't be good for them."
"Where are you going?" The Enchantress Queen tensed immediately. For reasons she couldn't quite explain, she had a feeling that once Yang Kai left this time, they might never meet again. An involuntary wave of bitterness flooded her heart.
"I'll tell you when the time comes." Yang Kai smiled faintly. "But since you've come looking for me today, I suppose it's time I paid Zhongdu a visit."
As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head to the side and said, "Elder Han, now that you're here, why don't you show yourself?"
Shan Qingluo pursed her lips in a smile, her gorgeous eyes shifting in the same direction, her expression perfectly calm.
Han Zhao had arrived long ago—almost at the same moment Shan Qingluo had touched down on the island. However, when such a bewitchingly beautiful woman suddenly appeared on Guyun Island, Han Zhao couldn't help feeling wary, so he had been hiding nearby, secretly observing.
He wanted to figure out who this woman was.
He never expected that she had sensed his presence from the very beginning.
Han Zhao was shocked, only then realizing that the other party's strength far surpassed his own. Otherwise, how could she see through his concealment so effortlessly? Without a second thought, his figure flickered as he prepared to flee.
At the same time, a piercing howl escaped his lips, sending out a rapid warning signal.
Yang Kai looked exasperated and shot Shan Qingluo a meaningful glance.
Shan Qingluo raised a finger, and a thread of energy shot out like a strand of spider silk, binding Han Zhao midair in an instant.
Thud—Han Zhao crashed to the ground, his true essence sealed within his body. When he scrambled to his feet, his eyes were trembling violently. He stared at Shan Qingluo in disbelief, his voice cracking: "Above Shenyou?"
Han Zhao himself had a cultivation of the seventh level of the Shenyou Realm. Even a peak Shenyou expert couldn't immobilize him with such an offhand strike. The only ones capable of something like that were those who had transcended the Shenyou Realm!
Han Zhao wasn't stupid—he immediately guessed Shan Qingluo's true level of cultivation.
Panic surged through him. He had no idea why this stunningly beautiful and overwhelmingly powerful woman had suddenly come to Guyun Island, or what her intentions might be.
Yang Kai strolled toward him and stopped three zhang away, regarding him with a calm, indifferent expression.
"Release him," Yang Kai instructed the Enchantress Queen.
Shan Qingluo pouted her full crimson lips, and with a thought, the silk threads binding Han Zhao vanished without a trace.
Han Zhao watched Shan Qingluo with a guarded, wary look, his heart still pounding. Sensing that she held no hostility, he felt slightly relieved. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Who exactly is Your Excellency, and what business brings you to our Guyun Island?"
"She came here looking for me," Yang Kai answered. "There's no need to be tense, Elder Han. She means no harm to Guyun Island."
"Looking for you?" Han Zhao was dumbfounded, staring in astonishment at this seemingly ordinary outer disciple standing before him. His mind couldn't quite process what he was hearing.
Since arriving at Guyun Island, Yang Kai had maintained an utterly ordinary facade—not a single trace of cultivation on him. This had led Han Zhao to believe he was nothing more than a common fisherman whom Zhong Miaoke had personally asked him to shelter, allowing Yang Kai to stay on the island and care for his peacock. He never imagined that someone like this could draw a supreme expert above the Shenyou Realm to come searching for him.