When Yang Kai appeared, he made no effort to conceal his aura, so the six of them naturally detected him.
Even in the heat of battle, none of them had forgotten to remain vigilant of their surroundings—a sign of excellent awareness. Though they sensed that Yang Kai harbored no hostility, they still dispatched one man and one woman to feign an attack on him from the side, keeping a close eye on his movements, looking for all the world as though they were afraid he might jump in and disrupt the fight.
Yang Kai smiled faintly and paid their wariness no mind. Running into strangers out here, especially during combat, their reaction was entirely correct.
The demon beast they were dealing with wasn't particularly high-level either—only sixth rank—and under the combined assault of the remaining four, it was swiftly killed.
Once they had finished cleaning up and rested for a while, Yang Kai stepped forward in a friendly manner, greeted them, and asked for directions.
"Fuyun City?" A woman with slender brows furrowed slightly studied Yang Kai with suspicion, then pointed in a direction. "Fuyun City is that way. Head in that direction and you'll arrive in three to five days."
"Thanks!" Yang Kai let out a sigh of relief. He had genuinely been worried that wherever he'd ended up was too far from Fuyun City. The Profound Continent was simply too vast—if the spatial passage in the starry sky had deposited him at some remote location, flying for a year or two wouldn't be unusual at all.
"Friend, what do you want to go to Fuyun City for? The scramble for the Millennium Demon Flower ended a whole year ago. Don't tell me you didn't get the news?" A burly man with rough features spoke up.
"A year ago?" Yang Kai's face darkened. He had underestimated the passage of time yet again. He'd thought he'd spent at most half a year in the starry sky, but it turned out a full year had already passed.
Seeing his stunned reaction, the group immediately misunderstood—they assumed he really had been heading to Fuyun City for the Millennium Demon Flower and had simply missed the window.
All three women covered their mouths and giggled, looking at him the way one might look at a fool.
"That's right, it ended a year ago. Apparently two young men got to it first, but they've since disappeared without a trace. Lots of people are looking for them now, hoping to buy the medicine from them." The burly man smiled. "You're coming this late, friend—it's really a bit pointless."
"I really had no idea." Yang Kai grew immediately alert, thinking to himself that it was about time he removed the disguise artifact from his face. If someone observant noticed him, it would definitely spell trouble.
"Where are you from, friend? How is your information so far behind?" the burly man asked with a chuckle.
"I come from a backwater village—news does travel slowly out there," Yang Kai said casually. Before the man could say anything more, he cupped his fists. "Regardless, thank you all. Goodbye!"
Even as he spoke, he shot off in the direction the woman had indicated.
"Well, he's certainly an interesting one. A bit slow on the uptake, though," the woman beside the burly man laughed.
"Never mind him. Let's check the quality of this beast's inner core."
All six of them immediately perked up with anticipation.
Yang Kai raced onward like the wind. Mid-flight, he reached up and peeled the disguise artifact from his face, revealing his true appearance.
The artifact Old Du had given him really had proven useful. Without it back then, Yang Kai reckoned he'd surely be hunted by every Transcendent Realm expert on the entire continent by now.
Just imagining Zhai Yao—that pretty boy—being put through the same ordeal gave Yang Kai a hearty dose of schadenfreude.
Though, with Old Li protecting him, even if people did find him, nobody would dare cause trouble.
…………
Fuyun City, the City Lord's Mansion.
Old Li and Zhai Yao had been guests here for a full year. The City Lord and Vice City Lord—human, demon, and monster Transcendent Realm experts alike—were absolutely delighted. Though they couldn't understand why the pair had chosen to stay so long, having Old Li as a guest brought them endless prestige. They paid their respects daily, calling themselves juniors, and dined out on their care for Zhai Yao.
At this moment, Zhai Yao was sitting and listening to Old Li give a lecture, studying his alchemy.
Nine months ago, Zhai Yao had already returned. He had lingered in the starry sky for three months, reaping unimaginable benefits—a figure that greatly satisfied Old Li.
He had originally thought Zhai Yao could last at most one month in the starry sky, but his disciple's performance had far exceeded his expectations.
As he spoke, Old Li suddenly noticed Zhai Yao seemed distracted. He smiled faintly, stopped lecturing, and asked, "You're worried about that Yang kid, aren't you?"
"Mm." Zhai Yao nodded. "I should have acted together with him back then. It's been over a year now and he still hasn't returned. Master, do you think he might have…"
"If that's truly the case, then it was simply his fate." Old Li sat down, took a sip of fragrant tea, set down the cup, and said calmly, "Surviving a full year in the starry sky—I find it very hard to imagine he's still alive."
If Zhai Yao hadn't insisted on staying at the City Lord's Mansion to wait for Yang Kai's return, Old Li would have long since taken him traveling the four seas. Though he and Yang Kai had an agreement, given Old Li's exalted status, waiting this long was more than enough.
"Brother Yang probably isn't dead," Zhai Yao said, his brow tightly furrowed, his tone uncertain.
"Seems like you have some confidence in him after all," Old Li chuckled.
"Yes. I saw his physical strength in the starry sky!" Zhai Yao's eyes gleamed with a flash of awe. "Even after I spent three months tempering myself up there, I wouldn't dare compare myself to how he was at that time. A man like that—I find it very hard to believe he's simply dead."