Chapter 3221
Chapter 3221 – Guilty Conscience
Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
“Palace Master, you want us to move out?” Ye Hen was surprised. After what happened to Thousand Leaves Sect back then, the Sect only had around two or three hundred members left out of its previous thousands and their strengths varied greatly. If not for the care given by Yang Kai all these years, the Sect would have fallen apart a long time ago. Instead though, the cultivation of his disciples advanced by leaps and bounds over the years while he, the Sect Master, had also advanced to the Emperor Realm.
“You have two other choices, Sect Master Ye,” Yang Kai said and raised one finger, “The first choice is for Thousand Leaves Sect to fully merge with High Heaven Palace. From then onward, there will be no more Thousand Leaves Sect, only Thousand Leaves Peak will remain, and you will become its Peak Master. While we discussed this before, that was then, and this is now. If you choose this option, the other Peak Masters won’t have complaints anymore.”
Ye Hen’s expression changed slightly. If he chose this option, Thousand Leaves Sect would truly be gone forever, so he hesitated before asking, “And, the second choice?”
Yang Kai responded, “I will send you back to Thousand Leaves Sect’s original foundation. Manager Hua passes through the area every time she travels to the Southern Territory and I’ve heard that nobody is occupying that place at the moment, but it is a little worn out. Sect Master Ye, you will only need to instruct your disciples to do some minor repair works and you can move back in immediately. As for safety issues; there is no need to worry. You are already in the Emperor Realm and have enough strength to protect yourself and your disciples. Combined with the Heaven Grade Puppets, I’m sure not many would come looking for trouble. In addition, I am still a High-Rank Guest Elder of Azure Sun Temple so I will call on Azure Sun Temple to ask that they take good care of Thousand Leaves Sect. That will give you some space and time to grow stronger.”
Ye Hen was moved by those words and gratefully said, “Many thanks for your kindness, Palace Master Yang.”
Knowing that Yang Kai had done all he could, Ye Hen held no resentment towards him. Rather, choosing to discuss this matter so frankly and openly was the greatest respect Yang Kai could give to Ye Hen. With Yang Kai’s current strength, he was perfectly capable of kicking them out without a word.
[Will I still have the opportunity to exact my revenge if I leave this place and return to Thousand Leaves Sect?] His disciples had made rapid progress in their cultivation over the years and even he had broken through to the Emperor Realm. Those achievements were thanks to the excellent cultivation environment of High Heaven Palace and the continuous supply of cultivation resources that High Heaven Palace provided. On the contrary, they would need to start over from scratch if he chose to return to the Southern Territory. Even if Azure Sun Temple protected them from danger, where were they going to obtain their cultivation resources? Thousand Leaves Sect excelled at refining puppets, but refining those puppets required a lot of materials too.
More importantly, would his disciples be willing to go back to the Southern Territory with him? Having stayed here for a few decades now, those hundreds of Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples had long since gotten used to life here. To put it bluntly, this was a paradise. It was easy to change from a lifestyle of frugality to one of luxury, but it was difficult to do the reverse. Who would willingly return to a barren place that even birds and beasts avoided after living in such a wonderland?
“Sect Master Ye, you can take your time to think it through. This matter is not urgent enough that you need to rush with your reply.” Yang Kai sighed when he saw the troubled expression on Ye Hen’s face.
Patting Ye Hen on the shoulder, he stood up.
“I don’t need to consider it any further.” Ye Hen suddenly piped up.
Yang Kai turned to look at Ye Hen.
In response, Ye Hen stood up and respectfully cupped his fists, “This Ye Hen is willing to lead all of Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples and submit under High Heaven Palace. I have but one requirement.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Let’s hear it.”
“When the time comes, Palace Master, please allow me to lead the disciples of Thousand Leaves Peak to Flowing Shadow Sword Sect to seek justice!”
Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was the Sect that destroyed Thousand Leaves Sect back then, and even if it was instigated by others, they were responsible for carrying out the act. Ye Hen had been painstakingly cultivating for so many years just to be able to set foot into the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect and avenge his dead disciples.
“If you can agree to this condition, I am willing to serve High Heaven Palace faithfully.
“Good, how can I not agree to that?” Yang Kai chuckled, “You and I talked about this back then. What I said then still stands. If you want to get revenge with your own hands, you need to work hard on your cultivation. Flowing Shadow Sword Sect is not an easy opponent.”
Ye Hen nodded in acknowledgement. Throwing his sleeves back, he placed his hand on his chest and bowed in the utmost formal manner, “Peak Master of Thousand Leaves Peak, Ye Hen, greets the Palace Master!”
Although he had always addressed Yang Kai as ‘Palace Master’, it had a different meaning now. From now onward, those originally in Thousand Leaves Sect would truly belong to High Heaven Palace; moreover, their puppet refining and puppet controlling methods would also become part of High Heaven Palace’s heritage.
Despite Yang Kai’s reluctance to let Ye Hen leave and interest in integrating them into his Sect, he had still spoken the truth. The two to three hundred disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect were occupying an excellent Main Peak, and the other Peak Masters were indeed making some noise about it. If they had been one of their own, it wouldn’t have mattered as much; however, they were outsiders who were occupying a good spot purely because they had arrived earlier. Fortunately, that concern was no longer valid.
Yang Kai informed Ye Hen that more people would be assigned to Thousand Leaves Peak in a few days. With such a large Main Peak, it would be a waste not to house at least two thousand people.
He had a relaxed expression as he returned from Ye Hen’s place.
Upon entering the main hall of High Heaven Peak, a maidservant immediately stepped forward and reported, “Palace Master, Senior Ji is here.”
“Brother Ji? Is something the matter?” Yang Kai was stunned.
The maidservant covered her mouth to hide her smile, “Not Sir Ji Ying, but Lady Ji Yao.”
Yang Kai was walking inside when he paused mid-stride. Feeling a little guilty, he asked, “What is her purpose for coming here?”
An incident had occurred in the Cultivation Technique Pavilion of Ice Heart Valley previously, and Yang Kai thought back on the memory of that incident at this moment, still feeling Ji Yao’s attitude at the time was confusing. They had shared such an intimate moment together, and yet, she had acted as though she was unaffected and nothing unusual had happened afterwards.
The good news was that she warned him not to let Su Yan know about the incident. If not, he would have worried about whether she would blackmail him with the information. Seeing as she had warned him not to reveal anything though, it meant that she would not leak the secret either.
He had been so busy since his return that he had completely forgotten about what happened that day. Hence, he couldn’t help feeling a little apprehensive when he heard that she was here. [Ji Yao’s emotions seemed a little out of control that day. She couldn’t have regretted her actions and came here to settle the matter with me, right? If that’s the case, then I most likely will be humiliated.]
The maidservant replied, “I don’t know. After Lady Ji Yao came, she went inside immediately and told me to inform you to visit her as soon as you returned, Sir.”
Yang Kai scratched his neck and looked uncomfortable. Glancing at the maidservant, he asked again, “What expression did she have on her face when she arrived? Was she angry?”
The maidservant had a strange look on her face, “No. Lady Ji Yao has always been cold, so I don’t know if she was angry.”
“Can’t you even tell whether or not she is angry?” Yang Kai glared at her.
The maidservant hurriedly lowered her head, “I really don’t know.”
“Forget it. Forget it.” He waved his hand dismissively, “You can go back to your work.”
The maidservant obeyed his command and scuttled away as if to escape.
Afterwards, Yang Kai paced back and forth in the main hall. He simply could not figure out Ji Yao’s purpose in coming here. It stood to reason that it would be rather awkward to meet right now. Not knowing her intentions, he hesitated to head inside.
He paced back and forth a few more times. At one point, he walked to the entrance of the main hall, ready to ignore her. She would not be able to stay in High Heaven Palace forever, so waiting it out until she left would save him from embarrassment. Then, he thought about it again. [I’m not the one who should be feeling embarrassed. It should be her instead, and she isn’t even scared. I’m a man, so what am I afraid of? The one who suffers the most is her anyway.]
Turning around, he gallantly and spiritedly walked inside, holding his head up high. It took him a long while to finally locate Ji Yao in one of the rooms.
It was Su Yan’s room, which was built on a cliffside. The balcony faced a bottomless canyon with clouds and mist rolling around below.
When he pushed open the door and entered, he saw Ji Yao standing next to the guardrail. She was looking out at the setting sun. The afterglow of the sunset enveloped her, dyeing her whole body in golden light. A breeze blew past and her hair was gently lifted while her robes fluttered around her, making it seem like she could float away at any time.
Ji Yao did not turn around, as if she had not sensed his presence at all.
Yang Kai closed the door behind him and walked over to her. Standing next to her, he glanced at her side profile. Her snow-white skin, her slender neck, her proud peaks, and her demure posture revealed an enchanting kind of style.
“Junior Sister Yao, you came.” He chuckled and rubbed his hand together,
Without understanding her current attitude, he did not dare to be too presumptuous. When men and women shared such an intimate moment, a man should feel as though he had taken advantage of the woman. Thus, he felt a little like he was in the wrong.
“I came to take something.” Ji Yao turned to look at him.
“Take what?” he asked curiously.
“Some changes of clothes for Little Junior Sister,” she replied.
Yang Kai stared at her in a daze. A long while later, he realized that she was not planning to say anything else, “That’s it?”
She gently nodded.
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in response, “Do you need to personally come here for something like that?”
As a cultivator, everybody had a Space Ring; furthermore, they would have prepared several sets of spare clothes in their Space Rings normally. He himself had some in his Space Ring, and he was certain Su Yan did too. Hence, there was no need to come here on purpose just to get some spares.
“Am I unwelcome here?” She raised an eyebrow at him.
“No! Of course not. That’s absolutely not it. Why would you be unwelcome here?” He denied vehemently.
She lifted her chin and said, “Then, go and find some for me. It’s not appropriate for me to rummage through Little Junior Sister’s personal effects.”
“En, just wait for a moment.” While speaking, he turned around and walked into the room. He walked over to the closet and began searching through it. Su Yan was not particular about the clothes she wore, and with her beauty, she would still look gorgeous regardless of what she wore.
There were not many clothes in the closet to begin with, so Yang Kai just stuffed them all into an empty Space Ring. Turning around, he discovered that Ji Yao had followed him in. She was sitting sideways on the bed and being so quiet that it was strange.
He handed the Space Ring to her, “It’s all here. Go back and tell her that she can cultivate in Ice Heart Valley without feeling burdened. Just let me know if she needs anything. I will send somebody over to deliver the items.”
“Good.” She took the ring from him with her bare hand and placed it on her finger. Then, she raised her hand to admire it. She was acting as if he had gifted the ring to her.
“Junior Sister, is there anything else?” Yang Kai asked.
“No.”
[If there’s nothing else, then why are you still sitting there!?] He had a speechless look on his face. Even so, he could not bring himself to kick her out. He didn’t know if he was imagining things, but it felt like their encounter this time was different from all their previous encounters. He felt like he was constantly making blunders and mistakes; thus, he couldn’t wait to send her away as soon as possible, so that he was not stuck in anxiety all the time.
“Is there something wrong?” She looked up at him with bright eyes.
“Of course not,” He scratched his head. [There’s nothing wrong with me. You are the only one who has a problem.]
“If you have something to attend to, you can leave. You don’t need to mind me.”
“Haha…” The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched in response. [You are a guest here. How can I leave my guest alone?]