Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
While Yang Kai was still fretting, he heard a soft groan behind him and turned his head back to take a look there and saw Ye Jing Han sitting atop the boat with furrowed brows and a confused look plastered on her face.
She was a little confused by her current situation.
But, she quickly recalled what had happened before she got knocked out. She suddenly stood up and shouted, âYoung Master Yang!â
âYou finally woke up!â Yang Kai cast a glance at her and spoke calmly, âDonât move around, you should first check your body and see if you have suffered any injuries.â
Upon hearing him, Ye Jing Han nodded and closed her eyes to observe the state of her body for a moment then opened them again, âIâm fine.â
She had just been knocked out by Hua Qing Si, and even though she was swept by the shockwaves of the Thunder-titled cultivatorâs self-destruction, she hadnât sustained any serious injuries. It was just her vitality that had gotten a bit feebler. Consuming some pills would be more than enough for her to make a full recovery.
âYang Kai, where did that Elder Sister and the Big Stone Man go?â Ye Jing Han observed the surroundings, yet she couldnât see Hua Qing Si or the Embodiment at all, so she couldnât help but inquire about them.
âWhat Elder Sister and Big Stone Man?â
âThoseâŚâ Ye Jing Han was just about to describe them, yet she suddenly furrowed her brows and spoke with an odd look on her face, âWas it just an⌠Illusion?â
As she started mulling over the emergence of Hua Qing Si and the Embodiment, she felt like everything looked surreal, and she couldnât help but suspect that she had fallen victim to an illusion.
âI used a special Secret Technique earlier to deal with those four; you must have seen an illusion because of it.â
âSo thatâs what happened!â Ye Jing Han let out a breath and said in self-mockery, âYoung Master Yang, youâre endowed with remarkable abilities and I couldnât provide any help to you. Iâm really ashamed of myself.â
âDonât brood over it, Blood Daggerâs so-called Four Ghosts are all quite strong. If you had meddled in the battle, you wouldnât be alive right now.â
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han broke down into cold sweat and she realized the large disparity between Yang Kai and her.
The Blood Daggerâs Four Ghosts were all Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators and they had even used a Formation Technique to join their strengths together. In that state, they could fight evenly against an Emperor Realm Master for a time, yet they had all been killed by Yang Kai.
It was an amazing feat!
They were both Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, yet the disparity between them was like Heaven and Earth. She couldnât help but feel gloomy over this and she started longing for the great power possessed by Yang Kai.
She suddenly chuckled bitterly and she reached her hand back to rub her neck as she felt some slight pain on it. This was another point she was dumbstruck by!
She suddenly recalled how the âillusionaryâ woman had knocked her out and she continued to have doubts, wondering if everything she had seen was real or not.
The rest of the road was crossed in silence!
Yang Kai had just suffered the attack of Four Ghosts, and it looked like Ye Jing Han was still in a low mood because of it. She didnât bother him on the way and she just gave him some directions, then sat down on the boat to rest.
After around ten days, they finally saw a mountain range in the distance.
At this moment, Ye Jing Han stood up on the boat cheerfully and pointed at the mountain range, âYoung Master Yang, this is the Thousand Leaves Mountain where my Thousand Leaves Sect is located. Weâll reach it in half a day.â
âEn!â Yang Kai replied casually.
Ye Jing Han added, âIâll send a message to my father, he must be worried about me.â
She had spent several months alone outside and her relatives would probably be worried about her. She had already returned safely, so she wanted to quickly get in touch with them.
Yang Kai didnât pay heed to her and just sat at the front of the boat and observed the surroundings.
Ye Jing Han took out a communication artifact and inputted some information into it. Shortly after, she got a response.
After Ye Jing Han checked it, she couldnât help but furrow her brow and a displeased look showed up on her face.
Yang Kai had detected that her expression had turned for the worse and he inquired over this, âWhat happened?â
Ye Jing Han pouted and grumbled, âMy father asked me to participate in the wedding ceremony of Sky Crane Cityâs Lord with his new concubine. Itâs so infuriating! If I had known this earlier, I wouldnât have told him I had come back so I could avoid this troublesome matter.â
âIt looks like you donât want to go,â Yang Kai looked at her with a smile.
Ye Jing Han snorted coldly, âI donât want to mingle with a man who betrayed his allies. If he wants to take a new concubine, then thatâs his matter. Why does my father even bother with such a man, even sending our Sect disciples to this ceremony.â
Ye Jing Hanâs expression turned cold, âThat man is just a treacherous and ungrateful scum. He only obtained the City Lordâs position thanks to our Thousand Leaves Sectâs support, yet he quickly sought another backer after he got it and didnât put us in his eyes anymore. He had even chased off many of our already established industries in Sky Crane City. Heâs just a vile man!â
Yang Kai wasnât really interested in this matter, so he just inquired about it briefly then dropped it.
Ye Jing Han had also realized that it wasnât really proper for her to grumble about this to Yang Kai and apologized, âYoung Master Yang, I apologize, I let my frustrations get the better of me.â
âItâs no bother, there are many vile and infuriating people in this world,â Yang Kai waved his hand in response.
âYoung Master Yang, just wait for a little while. Iâll notify my father, then bring you back to the Sect and arrange residence for you,â Ye Jing Han said then started composing a new message.
âYou donât have to bother,â Yang Kai grinned in response. âIâll just take a trip with you there, itâll be less troublesome and Iâll just take it for a brief outing to loosen up a little.â
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han spoke in delight, âMany thanks, Young Master Yang; if you experience something unpleasant during this situation, please donât take offence.â
âItâs fine!â
Saying so, they adjusted the direction and headed off to Sky Crane City.
Sky Crane City was located three thousand kilometres from Thousand Leaves Mountain. It wasnât a big city, but it was still a lot better than Maplewood City, and it could be said that it was medium-scale.
According to what Ye Jing Han had said, Sky Crane Cityâs City Lord Mansion had around a dozen Dao Source Realm Masters, including its City Lord, Luo Jin, who was a powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. Luo Jin wasnât any weaker than some second-class Sect Masters in the vicinity, and he had been able to take a firm hold of the City Lordâs position with his power.
When Yang Kai and Ye Jing Han reached the city gates, they found it bustling with activity with many carriages loaded with goods waiting for their turns to enter the city. Those carriages were loaded with precious treasures and Yang Kai had even sniffed the odour of some pills and spirit medicines.
Those carriages were all decorated with festive ornaments, and they were obviously loaded with congratulatory gifts prepared by the local forces.
Sky Crane City was one of the most powerful forces within a hundred thousand kilometres, and all of this regionâs Sects had to send delegations to congratulate the City Lord for taking in a new concubine.
The guards standing next to the gates were all spirited and delighted. They welcomed the guests with a smile, then inspected the goods before letting them pass.
Yang Kai and Ye Jing Han didnât rush into the city and just waited at a spot a hundred metres or so from the city entrance. They were doing so because Ye Jing Han told him that disciples of the Thousand Leaves Sect would shortly arrive.
Ye Jing Han had gotten this assignment by pure chance. If she didnât come back today, she wouldnât have been given this hateful mission by Ye Hen.
She was still the Young Lady of Thousand Leaves Sect and it wouldnât be unseemly for her to lead the group of envoys to congratulate the City Lord.
After they waited for a short while, Ye Jing Hanâs eyes lit up and she pointed in a certain direction, âTheyâre here!â
Yang Kai gazed over there and saw a ray of light streaking across the sky, one that became clear as it approached. This was a ship-shaped Flight-Type Artifact with several cultivators in matching uniforms atop it. The person standing near the shipâs bow was looking around and upon seeing Ye Jing Han, he grinned and waved at her amicably.
Ye Jing Han responded in the same way as the ship landed shortly after. The man who had been waving at Ye Jing Han a while ago descended and waited for the others to disembark before he waved his hand and collected the ship.
âYeâer, youâve finally returned. If you didnât come back, I would have gone to Maplewood City to look for you.â The man went toward Ye Jing Han directly then gazed at her affectionately with his bright eyes. He had ignored Yang Kai completely!
âSenior Brother Du Xian!â
Upon facing his ardent gaze, Ye Jing Hanâs face got flushed and she couldnât help but lower her head bashfully.
Upon seeing this, Yang Kai couldnât help but smile. He had realized right away that these two had a âmeaningfulâ relationship.
One of the other men stuck his head out behind Du Xian and grinned, âSenior Sister Ye, you have no idea what Senior Brother has been like since you left for Maplewood City. He didnât even get a proper meal and he wasnât even in the mood to cultivate! He was scolded plenty of times by our Master.â
âEnough of your babbling!â Du Xian glared at him with a smile in his eyes.
Ye Jing Han pursed her lips and said in a low voice, âThis is unacceptable⌠You must still cultivateâŚâ
Du Xian looked affectionately at Ye Jing Han and said softly, âI have been trying to cultivate⌠but, I couldnât calm down, I couldnât stop thinking about someone.â
âAnd who⌠was thatâŚ.â Ye Jing Hanâs body trembled as her cheeks flushed even more.
âWho else could it be but you!?â A sneaky man butted in and continued, âSenior Sister Ye, I have also missed you, I missed you so much that I couldnât get proper sleep at nightâŚâ
Saying so, he put on a pained look and started twisting around, which incurred a peal of laughter from the other disciples of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
âWu Ma, get lost!â Du Xian stretched his hand and struck Wu Manâs head. The latter couldnât help but lower his head and grumble, âYou can do whatever you want, but we canât even flirt a little? How can you be so unreasonable? Senior Sister, you must seek justice for me.â
Ye Jing Han spat and spoke, âYou deserve it, who told you to keep jabbering on and on? Senior Brother, you must teach him an unforgettable lesson.â
Upon hearing this, a dejected and dismayed look surfaced on Wu Maâs face.
Yang Kai had just been observing this from the side and found the disciples of the Thousand Leaves Sect to be pretty interesting, feeling that they all had close ties with each other. He couldnât help but chuckle and sigh slightly. The smaller a Sect, and the more precarious its situation, the more united its disciples would be, but once a Sect grew larger, then they would start trying to outwit each other and they would even put on fake acts of civility.
At this moment, Du Xian finally noticed Yang Kai and a surprised glint flashed past his eyes. Cupping his fists, he introduced himself, âDu Xian of Thousand Leaves Sect greets this friend, may I ask for your noble name?â