Martial Peak
chapter-5056

Yang Kai frowned as he watched Xu Ling Gong leave. He had a feeling that there was an insinuation in the latter’s words.

Just then, the shop hand came over and looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “Your bill comes up to 1,000 copper coins. The boss said that since you’re a frequent customer, you don’t have to pay for the broken table.”

Yang Kai’s face fell as he had the urge to curse.

Despite being frustrated, he still fished out a Seventh-Order Yellow Crystal to pay for the meal.

After leaving the Marketplace, he returned to his resting place. Surprisingly, Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue were waiting for him.

Yang Kai’s eyes brightened when he saw them and he quickly called out, “Brother Qing Kui, Senior Sister Su.”

Qing Kui nodded and looked around. Appearing to be stealthy, he said in a small voice, “Let’s go inside first.”

Upon finishing his words, he took Yang Kai’s arm and strode forward. They were followed by Su Ying Xue. After entering the courtyard, Qing Kui quickly told Yang Kai to activate the restriction to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

Yang Kai was puzzled by their actions. After inviting them to have a seat, he poured some tea for them; then, he sat across from Qing Kui and asked curiously, “What’s going on, Brother Qing Kui?”

Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue acted as though they were wary of someone; however, who could make them act this way inside Yin-Yang Pass?

Without replying to his question, Qing Kui stared fixedly at Yang Kai and said in a grim voice, “You are truly ignorant and reckless!”

A perplexed Yang Kai asked, “What do you mean by that?”

With a solemn expression, Qing Kui went on to say, “Do you know who the little girl was that was with you in the steamed bun shop?”

Yang Kai was surprised, “Isn’t she a little girl whose parents passed away a long time ago?” Seeing that both Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue appeared solemn, Yang Kai was astonished, “Is there anything special about the little girl’s identity?”

Qing Kui grabbed his head and muttered, “Where do I even begin? Why didn’t you just stay here after arriving at Yin-Yang Pass? Why did you come into contact with her?”

There was a serious expression on Yang Kai’s face as he cupped his fist, “Who is the little girl that makes you feel so concerned? Please enlighten me.”

Qing Kui looked around before he leaned close to him and said in a hushed voice, “She’s the Old Ances…”

“The Old Ancestor?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted, then came to his senses, “No, no, no. I initially thought that she was an Open Heaven Realm Master, but I inspected her cultivation and realised that she’s only in the Origin King Realm. How could she be the Old Ancestor?”

On the other hand, Qing Kui was rooted to the spot. His forehead was beaded with sweat, as though he was going through some difficulties. As his brow twitched, he said, “…. the Old Ancestor’s adopted daughter!”

A speechless Yang Kai quickly picked up a teacup and took a sip, “Brother Qing Kui, I was almost frightened to death. You should have finished your sentence quickly.”

Qing Kui nodded, “Yes yes, she’s the Old Ancestor’s adopted daughter. Right, Junior Sister?”

On the side, Su Ying Xue replied obediently, “Yes.”

Upon that revelation, Yang Kai said, “It’s no wonder that she’s already in the Origin King Realm despite her age. So, she’s the Old Ancestor’s adopted daughter.”

There was an impassive expression on Qing Kui’s face as he said, “Yes, fate has been unfair to the little girl. Her parents passed away not long after she was born. She has an outstanding aptitude, and she’s adorable. The Old Ancestor was fond of her the moment she saw her, so she decided to keep her by her side.”

Yang Kai let out a breath, “She’s truly blessed to be personally guided by the Old Ancestor. Given her aptitude, she’ll be an important figure in the future.”

Then, he turned to look at Qing Kui, “By the way, why have you come all the way here?”

Qing Kui gazed at Su Ying Xue, “Junior Sister, what are we here for?”

Su Ying Xue remained unperturbed, “Nothing.”

Qing Kui nodded repeatedly, “Yes, nothing. We’re just here to see you.” He then examined Yang Kai and said, “I’d never expected that you’d ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm before we did.”

Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I was just lucky, and the Black Ink Battlefield is filled with adversity that stimulates one’s potential. That’s how I achieved an ascension. I can tell that both of your auras are much more condensed than before. I suppose you’ll achieve a breakthrough soon.”

There was a proud smile on Qing Kui’s face, “It will happen in the next 20 years.”

20 years was a very short period of time to Open Heaven Realm Masters as it would usually take them several thousand to over 10,000 years to achieve a breakthrough. Since Qing Kui had said so though, he must have the confidence to succeed.

Yang Kai promptly congratulated him.

They then asked about Qu Hua Shang. Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t hide anything from them.

Two hours later, they left together.

Not long after they stepped out of Yang Kai’s place, they took a turn and became rooted to the spot.

That was because there was a little girl skipping towards them. She seemed to be in a jolly mood. There was an ordinary-looking hairpin on her hair and she was holding a skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in each hand. One of the skewers was half-finished.

As the little girl approached them, both Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue felt that the entire world was rapidly fading away around them. It was as though they had been tossed into the endless Void.

A moment later, the little girl stood right in front of them. It wasn’t until this moment that the world returned, which made them feel relieved.

At this point, they were already soaked in cold sweat.

The little girl was just standing in front of Qing Kui, looking up at him.

Qing Kui somehow forced out a smile.

The little girl also put on a smile before suddenly jumping up and delivering a light pat to his face.

When Qing Kui came to his senses, the little girl already brushed past him, her clear voice was heard saying, “That’s what you get for having a big mouth!”

Qing Kui was shuddering like a quail without shelter in winter. The two of them turned around and saluted the little girl.

A while later, Qing Kui asked in a small voice, “Is she gone?”

Su Ying Xue nodded, “Yes, she’s gone.”

Qing Kui let out a long breath as he almost collapsed to the ground. He felt that the momentary torture he had just gone through was more taxing than an epic battle against the Black Ink Clan.

All of a sudden, Su Ying Xue exclaimed, “Senior Brother, your mouth…”

Qing Kui turned pale, “What happened to my mouth?”

The little girl flicked him just now, and even though he didn’t detect any anomaly, he reckoned that she must have done something horrible to him.

Su Ying Xue covered her lips and giggled, “It’s nothing.”

“What happened?” Qing Kui asked as he had a bad feeling.

Su Ying Xue whirled around, “It’s really nothing.” Her shaking shoulders suggested that she was trying to stifle her laughter.

The sense of unease in Qing Kui’s heart intensified and he quickly fished out an artifact that looked like a mirror and took a glance at his reflection.

In an instant, he sported a dark expression.

That was because he could see from the reflection that his lips were swollen, both of them incredibly plump, literally giving him a ‘big mouth’.

However, he was unaware of such a drastic transformation just now. If he hadn’t seen his own face through the reflection, he wouldn’t have believed it.

He was on the brink of breaking into tears.

How was he supposed to face anyone with such a ridiculous look?

The little girl obviously wanted to let him know the consequences of being big-mouthed.

When he lifted his head, his eyes were already soaked in tears, “Junior Sister, I’d rather die.”

Su Ying Xue scoffed, “You had it coming.”

…..

The next day, Yang Kai headed to the Eastern Army Headquarters to look for Tang Qiu.

Tang Qiu must have informed everyone in the Army Headquarters about Yang Kai’s visit, so he wasn’t probed by anyone. Soon, someone led him to the conference hall.

Including Tang Qiu, there were four people in the conference hall, all in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

Seeing Yang Kai, Tang Qiu quickly rose from his chair and introduced him to the other three people.

They were the other Army Commanders of Yin-Yang Pass.

However, Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he gazed at the Northern Army Commander, Fei Yu Shan, “You…”

Fei Yu Shan put on a grin, “What? Did you like my sugar-coated hawthorn fruits? I made them myself, so they must be delicious.”

This Army Commander of the Northern Army was none other than the old swindler who sold sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in the Marketplace. That revelation astounded Yang Kai.

Besides that, he had also seen the Western Army Commander, Liu Zhi Ping before; in fact, he saw her practically every day these the past few days.

That was because she was the owner of Lin’s Steamed Bun Restaurant!

No one would have believed that the Army Commander of the Western Army in Yin-Yang Pass would prepare dough and steamed stuffed buns in the Marketplace while the Army Commander of the Northern Army would sell sugar-coated hawthorn fruits. Over the past few days, Yang Kai had spent quite a lot of money to buy their wares.

However, he had never seen the Army Commander of the Southern Army Wu Qing before. Wu Qing was burly, and he looked like a reticent man.

Nevertheless, the Marketplace and the Army Headquarters were two different places. Upon Tang Qiu’s introduction, Yang Kai saluted all of them.

As they examined Yang Kai, Wu Qing nodded gently, “You’re indeed a talented young man.”

Yang Kai replied humbly, “Many thanks for your compliment, Senior.”

Wu Qing waved his hand, “I’ve heard a lot about what you’ve done in Blue Sky Pass. You were already able to achieve amazing things when you were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and now you are in the Seventh-Order. This Wu is no match for you, and you don’t have to be overly humble. If you weren’t strong enough, we wouldn’t have asked you to come over.”

Tang Qiu nodded, “Yang Kai, I’m sure you’re already aware of the reason we’ve asked you to come here.”

Yang Kai nodded, “I have to sneak into the Black Ink Clan’s territory, then locate and identify the Black Ink Disciple who can refine Warships.”

“That’s right.” Fei Yu Shan ran his fingers through his beard, “This matter has far-reaching implications, so we have to come up with a proper plan; otherwise, we wouldn’t even consider having a Junior like you take on such a risk. Moreover, you have the experience of pretending to be a Black Ink Disciple before, and you’re unmatched when it comes to escaping. After a discussion, we believe that you’re the best suited to carry out this task. That was the reason we transferred you from Blue Sky Pass to this place.”

With a solemn expression, Liu Zhi Ping said, “Since time immemorial, Warships have always been the greatest advantage of our Human Race. If the Black Ink Clan manages to refine their own Warships and deploy them in large-scale wars, our advantage will be gone for good. By then, the foundation passed down to us from our ancestors will be ruined. In that case, how are we going to face our ancestors when we pass away in the future?”

“I understand,” Yang Kai replied solemnly, “That is the reason I requested to come to Yin-Yang Pass.”

“I’m glad that you understand.” Tang Qiu nodded with gratification, “Let’s cut to the chase. Tell us what you’re thinking and what you might need to help with the plan. We’ll satisfy your needs as long as we can.”

After giving it a thought, Yang Kai asked, “How much information have you gathered so far?”

The Army Commanders shook their heads.

Tang Qiu said, “In truth, we’ve only gathered a tiny bit of information. It’s almost negligible. We just found a pseudo-warship that was used by the Black Ink Clan more than 10 years ago. As for who made it or where it was made, we have no idea.”