Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Yang Kai had been at the Alchemist Association the entire period, teaching Wu'er and Mina while refining his own pill-craft. Days passed at a leisurely pace.
Yang Kai watched Wu'er's progress with satisfaction and devoted himself even more earnestly to training her. He had a genuine fondness for this bright, quick-witted girl who grasped everything in an instant.
One day, while Yang Kai was busy in the pill workshop, he suddenly sensed a disturbance. He stopped what he was doing and looked up, only to see Old Du walking in with a deeply troubled expression.
The three of them quickly bowed in greeting.
Old Du waved his hand. "I've come to let you all know — if you have nothing pressing, don't go outside for the time being."
"What happened?" Mina asked suspiciously.
"The situation out there isn't too peaceful right now..." Old Du's expression was solemn. "If you go out, you might end up in some trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Mina looked puzzled.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and said suddenly, "This is related to all the outsiders who've been pouring into Giant Stone City recently, isn't it?"
Old Du looked at Yang Kai with surprise, then smiled. "That's right — seems you've noticed too. For the past few months, quite a few outsiders have been coming to stay here, apparently searching for something. And lately, the numbers have only been growing."
Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Although he had stayed within the Alchemist Association the entire time without venturing outside, the changes in Giant Stone City could not escape his divine sense.
The various outsiders bustled about in a rush, periodically arriving in Giant Stone City to purchase supplies for daily life or cultivation, then hurrying off again. It all seemed quite abnormal.
Especially recently, more and more outsiders had been using Giant Stone City as a transit point — lingering briefly before departing.
It appeared they were heading into the endless Snow Mountains.
At this thought, Yang Kai couldn't help but frown. "Old Du, did you manage to hear any specific news?"
Old Du nodded gently. "Some. Today, Ran Jing from Guyue Grotto-heaven and Mao Da from Luosheng Gate came to see me. They asked me to refine a few Poison-Resisting Pills. I casually asked about it, and according to the two of them, they plan to venture deep into the Snow Mountains to search for something — the pills are just a precaution in case something goes wrong... I suspect whatever they're after is connected to some potent toxin."
Poison-Resisting Pills could shield the body from the invasion of toxins. Especially ones refined by a master of Old Du's caliber, they could essentially render a person immune to any poison under heaven. They were costly, but well worth the price.
As for Ran Jing from Guyue Grotto-heaven and Mao Da from Luosheng Gate — Yang Kai had heard their names before.
Centered on Giant Stone City, there were four reasonably notable factions in the surrounding region.
The Tianxiao Sect, the Thunderlight Divine Cult, Guyue Grotto-heaven, and Luosheng Gate.
Yang Kai had even served as a guest elder at the Thunderlight Divine Cult.
When Yang Kai had first arrived in Giant Stone City, Old Du had explained to him the strengths and weaknesses of these four factions. The Tianxiao Sect was the strongest of the lot, while the other three were roughly equivalent — none had a Saint Realm expert to anchor them. Ran Jing and Mao Da were comparable in strength to the deceased leader of the Thunderlight Divine Cult, Xia Chengyin — both at the Transcendent Stage Three level.
Not only were large numbers of outsiders flooding into the Snow Mountains, but even the nearby Guyue Grotto-heaven and Luosheng Gate had gotten drawn in.
Hearing this from Old Du, Yang Kai suddenly realized something. His expression shifted, and a torrent of divine sense surged outward, condensing into a slender thread that pierced over a thousand li in an instant.
After a long moment, his expression sharpened, and he pulled his divine sense back with a jolt. His gaze was grave.
"Old Du, I need to head out for a bit!" Yang Kai said suddenly, his voice low.
"What?" Old Du was startled. He had just come specifically to tell them not to go outside, and yet here Yang Kai was volunteering to leave. He thought for a moment, then asked gravely, "Whatever these outsiders are after — it wouldn't happen to involve you, would it?"
Yang Kai smiled bitterly. "I wish it didn't. But it looks like it does."
Old Du was taken aback, staring blankly at Yang Kai. After a long pause, he spoke solemnly. "Then you need to be careful. Best to return to the Tianxiao Sect first and discuss it with your four martial uncles. With them backing you up, there shouldn't be any problems."
"Right, I'll play it by ear." Yang Kai brushed him off and hurried outside.
After he left, Old Du slowly shook his head and sighed helplessly. "If I'd known this was going to happen, I never would have opened my mouth..."
Mina's delicate brows knitted together. "Old Du, what exactly is going on this time? And what does it have to do with Yang Kai?"
"I don't know... I just hope he stays safe." Old Du was annoyed with himself. If he had known, he should have pressed Ran Jing and Mao Da for more details. Since those two were making moves, they had to know something on the inside.
...
After leaving the Alchemist Association, Yang Kai shot forward like lightning. But rather than heading toward the Tianxiao Sect, he flew directly toward the endless Snow Mountains.
Between what Old Du had told him and what his own investigation had uncovered, Yang Kai had already begun to piece together what was about to happen here.
He simply hadn't expected things to be so dramatic.