Martial Peak
chapter-4812

Yang Kai had never expected that his attempt to help someone would end up causing such a big problem.

He reckoned that the Secret Arts of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven were indeed abstruse.

If it was just like what Yu Xiang Die had said, Tao Ling Wan would never be able to accept another man’s Yang Qi as her Small Universe had absorbed Yang Kai’s strength. In that case, without Yang Kai’s help, she would never be able to make it to the Seventh-Order in her lifetime.

It wasn’t something those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wanted to see. A Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was valuable to every Cave Heaven or Paradise. Tao Ling Wan had high hopes of ascending to the Seventh-Order. If her future was ruined by Yang Kai, those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wouldn’t let him off.

Yang Kai felt helpless while his mind was a mess.

It had only been a short time since he and Tao Ling Wan first met, and they had barely even spoken to each other. However, if her future was destroyed because of him, he would feel guilty.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t bring himself to simply accept her. He had come all the way to this place for Qu Hua Shang. It wasn’t the right thing to do if he was tangled up with another woman while he hadn’t even met Qu Hua Shang.

“Chen Xiu!” Yang Kai suddenly cursed. He was puzzled previously, but upon hearing Yu Xiang Die’s explanation, he seemed to have realised something, “It was Chen Xiu’s doing, right?”

Tao Ling Wan was Chen Xiu’s Disciple, so he must be fully aware of her situation. Perhaps he knew that Tao Ling Wan would be struck with cultivation dissonance soon at that time, so he insisted on making her serve Yang Kai. After that, he went missing for half a month.

On the other hand, he never told Yang Kai anything.

Chen Xiu knew that once Tao Ling Wan suffered from cultivation dissonance in front of Yang Kai, the latter wouldn’t turn a blind eye to it. The moment Yang Kai decided to help, he would fall into the trap.

This probably wasn’t a well-thought-out plan; after all, Chen Xiu had no idea when Yang Kai would visit Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so he had most likely improvised it.

When Yang Kai arrived, it just so happened that Tao Ling Wan would be struck with cultivation dissonance soon.

Yu Xiang Die parted her lips for a moment before letting out a sigh, “You’ve figured it out, after all.”

With a frown, Yang Kai asked, “But, why?”

Regardless, Tao Ling Wan was a powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was also strikingly beautiful. If such a beautiful woman got together with Yang Kai, outsiders would think that he had found a partner that was out of his league.

However, Yang Kai couldn’t figure out Chen Xiu’s intention for doing this. It wasn’t like he didn’t know that Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang were engaged.

The titles of Yang Kai, which included Star Boundary Great Emperor and Void Land’s Lord, were probably not prestigious enough to make him sacrifice a Legacy Disciple just to establish a connection.

“It’s for Qu’er!” Yu Xiang Die replied.

“What do you mean?” Yang Kai became even more doubtful.

Yu Xiang Die explained, “100 years ago, you won first place in the Dao Theory Assembly and became engaged with Qu’er. Supposedly, you should have come to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven a few years ago.”

Yang Kai nodded, “That was my plan, but I was held up by something.”

“It was the Chaotic Dead Territory, right?” Yu Xiang Die asked.

Yang Kai was shocked, “How do you know?”

“The Ancestor who is responsible for monitoring the Chaotic Dead Territory is from Luo Sheng Cave Heaven. When he saw that you entered the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside the Giant Spirit God, he asked around to find out about your identity. That was how all Cave Heavens and Paradises knew that you had entered the Chaotic Dead Territory.”

Yang Kai nodded gently. The appearance of a Giant Spirit God and someone entering the Chaotic Dead Territory were both major events. Since the Ancestor from Luo Sheng Cave Heaven had seen it, he would definitely inform everyone about it. The Cave Heavens and Paradises naturally had channels to communicate with each other; hence, it wasn’t a secret that Yang Kai had barged into the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside the Giant Spirit God.

“The Chaotic Dead Territory is a dangerous place. Even the Eighth-Order Ancestor from Luo Sheng Cave Heaven could only stay in the periphery for a short moment before having to retreat. What do you think the outsiders would speculate when you had gone missing for decades?” Yu Xiang Die stared at him and asked.

After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “They must have believed that I was dead.”

Yu Xiang Die nodded, “Exactly. In fact, I just came back from the Star Boundary not long ago. I was also shocked when I heard that you had entered the Chaotic Dead Territory back then. I too believed that you were killed; however, when I asked the Head Manager of High Heaven Pavilion, she firmly declared that you were fine. If I hadn’t seen you with my bare eyes this time, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

At that time, she was puzzled by Hua Qing Si’s confidence. No one could survive after entering the Chaotic Dead Territory, but Hua Qing Si told her to rest assured and said that her Sect Master must be fine. As for when he would leave the Chaotic Dead Territory, she didn’t have a clue either.

Yu Xiang Die didn’t probe her further. Since Hua Qing Si had said so, she chose to believe her.

When she returned to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, she really met Yang Kai.

While Yu Xiang Die didn’t understand the reason behind it, Yang Kai knew why Hua Qing Si was so certain.

That was because he had the Loyalty List which had nine names written in it. The life or death of those nine hinged on Yang Kai. If something happened to him, Mao Zhe and the others would instantly lose their lives as well.

Since Mao Zhe and the others were still alive and kicking, it meant that Yang Kai was fine.

“But others wouldn’t think of it this way. All the Cave Heavens and Paradises believed that you were dead. This speculation was further verified since you didn’t show up after the 100 year promise was due.”

Yang Kai appeared worried, “Did Senior Sister Qu enter seclusion because of this?”

“Yes.” Yu Xiang Die nodded, “If you were still alive and had come to this place on time, those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wouldn’t have gone back on their word. You would still be a Son-in-Law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. However, since you were thought to be dead, the engagement became invalid as well. Qu’er is one of the Sect’s Core Disciples who has a bright future after all. Given the uniqueness of the Secret Art she has cultivated, those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven decided to look for a partner for her.”

Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and asked calmly, “What did Senior Sister Qu think about the idea?”

Yu Xiang Die shook her head, “She naturally refused. It was because of this that she decided to cultivate in seclusion. Out of sight, out of mind. At the same time, she wanted to wait for you to appear.”

Yang Kai fell silent, thinking that he didn’t deserve Qu Hua Shang’s trust. If he had simply come on time, all this wouldn’t have happened.

“Qu’er’s stance was firm; however, since she is a Core Disciple, the Sect has the right to interfere in her affairs. She can’t change anything on her own. If Brother Xu were still around, he could have put in a word for her; however, since he’s gone, Qu’er was all by herself while I was far away in the Star Boundary. There was no one in the Sect who could speak up for her. She had tried her best by choosing to cultivate in seclusion to avoid this problem.”

“So… who is the partner that your noble Sect has selected for Senior Sister Qu?”

Yu Xiang Die shot him a glance, “Qu’er is a Core Disciple who has the hope to ascend to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm one day and become an Ancestor. There are not many people in the Sect who are a match for her. First of all, his aptitude must be similar, and his seniority comes next. With that said, there is a suitable person. He is Chen Xiu’s Disciple as well as Tao Ling Wan’s Junior Brother, Feng Cheng Si. He was the most recent Core Disciple before Qu’er who had directly ascended to the Sixth-Order. Although he’s much older than Qu’er, they are of the same seniority. In fact, the Sect’s Managers initially wanted Qu’er and Feng Cheng Si to get together. However, since she had violated the taboo, they had no choice but to hold the Dao Theory Assembly.”

Yang Kai frowned in puzzlement, “According to you, Feng Cheng Si is Chen Xiu’s Disciple, so why would he set me up to help Junior Sister Tao Ling Wan resolve her cultivation dissonance? He wouldn’t gain any benefits out of it, nor would it be beneficial to Junior Sister Tao.”

It would be terrible if they had to be tied up for life because of this as it had only been a short time since they first met. It probably wasn’t Tao Ling Wan’s intention either. She was just forced to obey her Master.

“He wouldn’t get any benefits out of it, but his plan could perfectly resolve the embarrassing situation that Yin-Yang Cave Heaven is facing,” Yu Xiang Die explained, “Although I don’t agree with what he’s done, and I think that he’s too short-sighted, there’s no doubt that he’s doing it to protect the Sect’s interests. I hope you’ll understand that he didn’t have any ill intentions against you.”

Yang Kai nodded.

Yu Xiang Die went on to say, “Those from the Sect thought you were dead, so they had designated a partner for Qu’er; however, with you being alive now, the Sect would have to go back on their word. That’s the embarrassing situation the Sect is facing.”

Yang Kai could somewhat understand it. Following her explanation, he deduced, “So, Chen Xiu thought of a way to resolve this conundrum, which is to pair me with his Disciple as a form of compensation. He would probably force me to give up the engagement as well. In that case, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven could get away with it, and outsiders couldn’t blame your Sect.”

Yu Xiang Die nodded, “Yes, that’s exactly his plan. Strictly speaking, Wan’er is not bad. It’s just that her aptitude is not comparable to Qu’er’s. If you’re happy with her, it will be a win-win situation. Do not think that just anyone can make Chen Xiu sacrifice his Legacy Disciple. If not for your amazing achievements over the years, he wouldn’t have the heart to use Wan’er to set you up. Back then, Wan’er directly ascended to the Fifth-Order, and her cultivation journey has been smooth sailing over the years. If nothing unexpected happens, she’ll make it to the Seventh-Order within a few hundred years. You directly ascended to the Fifth-Order as well, so outsiders would think that you and Wan’er are a perfect match. On the other hand, Qu’er would be out of your league.”

Yang Kai fell silent for a while before letting out a sigh, “Junior Sister Tao has sacrificed the most in this matter.”

Yu Xiang Die sighed, “She must have thought of it when she decided to obey her Master. Although she’s innocent, she’s not a fool. No fool can ever attain her achievements. Since she didn’t reject it, it means that she’s at least fond of you.”

Yang Kai shook his head, “But it’s different from becoming partners for life.”

“It’s indeed an embarrassing situation for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, and it’s the same case for you. So, I have to ask you seriously. Are you willing to accept Tao Ling Wan and give up on Qu Hua Shang? In that case, everyone will be happy.”

“Everyone will be happy?” Yang Kai snorted, “I don’t think so. Has anyone asked what Senior Sister Qu thinks about it? What is really on Junior Sister Tao’s mind? What’s my stance on this matter? No one has bothered to ask. Only those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven will be happy with this!”