Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Yang Kai was stunned. [If I remember correctly, she’s the girl who fought in the first match in the Eighth Arena on the first day of the Martial Gathering.]
Smiling lightly, his first reaction was to refuse her. He was the Referee that day; hence, it was his job to help her when she was sent flying. He did not expect repayment for what he did. However, he thought about it again. [She is already here, so refusing will make me seem a little unapproachable and unkind.]
The words were on the tip of his tongue when he changed what he wanted to say, “Show her in.”
“Yes!” The maid responded before retreating.
Outside the hall, Yu Zhuo stood there respectfully with both hands held flat in front of her. She was holding a set of clean clothing that she had washed previously with a nervous expression. She had no idea whether the person known as ‘Elder Yang’ would be willing to meet with her. After being rescued by Yang Kai the other day, she rested for a day and recovered fully. She initially wanted to thank him immediately, but unfortunately, she did not know who he was or which Sect he belonged to. She had been asking around for the past few days and finally obtained some information today.
The Referee who rescued her and even fed her a Spirit Pill turned out to be the famous High-Rank Guest Elder of Azure Sun Temple. Yang Kai’s name was familiar to most of the people in the Southern Territory. Refining the Extraordinary Treasure Pill in the Four Seasons Realm, being instated as a High-Rank Guest Elder of Azure Sun Temple, and clashing with the Elder of Star Soul Palace during the canonization ceremony. News about him had long since spread across the lands. It was just that he had been keeping a relatively low profile for the past ten years, so he had gradually been forgotten as a result.
Yu Zhuo never imagined that she would be so fortunate as to cross paths with such a person; thus, she couldn’t help feeling surprised, and upon learning his identity, she immediately rushed over.
Many disciples of Azure Sun Temple came and went while she was waiting there, almost all of them glancing at her strangely. Some even came over to ask the reason she was here, but when they learnt that she was here to meet Yang Kai, they didn’t bother her anymore.
Just as she was battling with her uncertainties, the maid came back. Yu Zhuo’s expression froze as she stared at the maid nervously, but luckily, the maid smiled and said, “Elder Yang invites you inside.”
“Many thanks,” Yu Zhuo nodded politely.
The maid didn’t say anything else, turning around to lead the way. Yu Zhuo composed herself and followed behind the maid, soon arriving in front of a certain room. The maid stretched out her hand to gesture for her to enter. Yu Zhuo breathed in lightly and stepped into the room.
There was only one person in the room, standing by the window with his hands behind his back, staring out at the distant scenery. He turned around when he heard a sound and when their eyes met, Yu Zhuo immediately recognized this man as the Referee of the Eighth Arena.
“Luo Sha Sect disciple Yu Zhuo, greets Senior!” She quickly stepped forward and gave a half bow.
Yang Kai looked her up and down, then he fixed his gaze on the clothes she was holding in her hands, immediately having an idea of what was going on. Smiling, he asked, “How can I help you?”
Yu Zhuo lifted her head and stared at him with big, bright eyes that held no fear while respectfully replying, “Senior rescued me the other day and even gave me a precious Spirit Pill to aid with my recovery. That’s why I came here today to express my gratitude.”
Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “I was just doing my job. You are being too polite.”
To which Yu Zhuo smiled, “It might have been Senior’s job to save me, but giving me a Spirit Pill was a kind deed. Although my consciousness was hazy at the time, it’s not like I completely lost consciousness. If not for the Spirit Pill Senior gave me, I would not have been able to continue the competition the next day.”
Those words were the truth. She might not know what grade Spirit Pill he had secretly given her was, but if not for that Spirit Pill, she would not have been able to go all out in the following competitions. She even suspected that it was an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill because only such a pill could have such powerful restorative effects, allowing her to recover completely by the very next day.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, neither affirming nor denying her words. It stood to reason that he, a Referee, shouldn’t have given any Spirit Pills to a contestant; however, he had done it without anybody noticing so he believed that nobody else was the wiser and Yu Zhuo would not speak about it. Besides, it was taken after the fight, so even if someone did notice, who would really care?
Yu Zhuo took a step forward and held up the clothes she was holding in her hands next, “Senior, I washed your clothes and came to return them.”
Yang Kai nodded, “You can put them down over there.” He didn’t reach out to take them either.
It was just an ordinary set of clothes, one he took out to cover her wounds without much thought and had no intention of taking them back. Nevertheless, her actions gave him a good impression of her.
Yu Zhuo obediently placed those clothes down to the side then, turning around, she studied the environment in the room curiously. She didn’t show any timidity, rather, she seemed rather forward instead.
Seeing this, Yang Kai rubbed his nose and asked, “Is there anything else?”
The door was left open to avoid unsavoury rumours, but it wasn’t good for a lone man and woman to be seen in the same room alone. Moreover, he was still a Referee, so how would it be perceived if he were seen privately contacting a contestant participating in the Martial Gathering? If word got out about this, he could not guarantee that they would not be slandered. Therefore, his words were politely asking his guests to leave.
Yu Zhuo was not a fool and she could perceive the meaning behind his words; thus, she hurriedly took out a beautiful shirt from her Space Ring and apologetically said, “Yu Zhuo will forever remember Senior’s kindness that day. I didn’t know what to give you as thanks, but it so happened that I saw a good shirt while at the shopping district nearby and I bought it. If Senior doesn’t mind… Please accept it.”
Her voice became softer and softer as she obviously realized that it was inappropriate for a woman to give a man she barely knew clothes. It was just that she really had no idea what to give him as thanks.
Yang Kai’s cultivation was no secret; furthermore, the fact that he could bring out an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill to treat her wounds indicated that he came from an affluent background. With her financial resources, even the things she could afford to buy only by going bankrupt would probably be of no value to him. Rather than wasting her money like that, she figured buying him a new set of clothes would be more appropriate; after all, she had dirtied his with her blood. It could be considered an act of reciprocation. It didn’t matter how expensive it was, it was the thought that counted.
Glancing at that shirt, Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This was the first time anyone had gifted him clothes. In addition, it was somebody he barely interacted with before. The funniest point was that it was a gift from a woman. If somebody were to witness this particular moment, it would be hard not to misunderstand the situation.
Staring at Yu Zhuo thoughtfully, Yang Kai calmly stated, “As a Referee in the Martial Gathering, it is only natural that I be impartial in the arena. Rescuing you was simply part of my job. Giving you that Spirit Pill was the least I could do since the fight was over. If it had been anybody else, I would have done the same.”
The implied meaning behind his words was that she shouldn’t overthink things. Yang Kai was a little suspicious as to whether this woman had any special reasons for approaching him, but if she did, wouldn’t she be a little too scheming?
Upon hearing those words, Yu Zhuo nodded, “It is as you say, Senior.”
Yang Kai stared at her unblinkingly.
Although she wasn’t looking at him, she seemed to sense something out of the corner of her eyes and suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. Lowering her head, she said, “If it is not to Senior’s liking, I will take it back.”
She couldn’t help feeling a little sad. Even so, she bowed elegantly, “I won’t intrude any further, Senior. I will be taking my leave.”
[Aahh… It’s just clothes. Why did I shamelessly take them out?] Thinking about it now, she couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed.
But to her surprise, Yang Kai suddenly added, “It’s a thank you gift, so there’s no reason for you to take it back.”
She glanced up at him with a stunned expression.
Before she could respond, Yang Kai took the shirt from her but did not try it on. The main reason was that the clothes were a little too flashy and he would definitely look extremely gaudy in them, so how could he dare wear them?
Seeing him accept her gift, Yu Zhuo suddenly broke out into a smile. She had two small dimples in her cheeks, and her gaze only contained pure happiness.
[It seems that I worried too much.] Yang Kai judged after seeing her reaction.
“Please get some rest, Senior. I will take my leave now.” Yu Zhuo paid her respects again, feeling happy both physically and mentally.
“Wait a moment.” Yang Kai raised his hand.
“Is there something else, Senior?” She half-turned to look at him curiously.
“You mentioned the shopping district just now. Is there a shopping district nearby?”
Yu Zhuo nodded, “En. There is a big shopping district in Orthodoxy Temple that sells everything and anything. Have you never been there before, Senior?”
Yang Kai shook his head as he really had not known about it and asked, “Where is it?”
“It’s just below the valley, not far from here. If Senior wishes to visit it, I can bring you there,” She voluntarily offered.
“Just point me in the direction. I’ll go by myself.”
She smilingly replied, “It’s quite alright. Besides, I’ve finished my match for today, so I have nothing better to do.”
Yang Kai had no idea what she was thinking. [Doesn’t she understand I’m trying to avoid scandals?]
When she heard that he wanted to visit the shopping district, Yu Zhuo became very enthusiastic and even added, “What do you want to buy, Senior? I’m quite familiar with the shopping district and can show you around.”
Yang Kai felt awkward turning down such enthusiastic kindness, so after pondering in silence for a moment, he decided to just go with the flow and nodded, “Good. Then, I’ll be troubling you.”
She hurriedly waved her hands dismissively, “Senior is being too polite.”
After deciding on the matter, they immediately walked out together. Yang Kai pushed his Emperor Qi and wrapped her up with it before flying in the direction of the shopping district that she pointed out.
He casually asked about the situation of her battles over the past few days and learnt that she had passed all of them without suffering a single defeat, making him feel some admiration for her. Truthfully, he had noticed from day one that her performance would surely have caught the interest of many people, regardless of the final results of the Martial Gathering.
As long as Luo Sha Sect was willing to let her go, he had the feeling that the top three Sects of the Southern Territory would not object to taking her in. The question was whether Luo Sha Sect would be willing to let her go. No, they would surely refuse as it wasn’t easy for them to produce a disciple like her. How could they let her go so easily? Besides, it was unclear whether she herself was willing to leave Luo Sha Sect.
They chatted away throughout the entire journey, and Yang Kai got a better understanding of her personality. She was a lively and cheerful character, not a calculative or manipulative person. Yang Kai was not repulsed by people like her. Not to mention that she was rather good looking and her voice was very pleasant to the ears, so it wasn’t a bad feeling being around her.
“The Martial Gathering has always been a place to change one’s fate overnight. If somebody invites you to join a better Sect on the day the Martial Gathering ends, how will you choose?” Yang Kai casually asked.
Yu Zhuo’s expression turned solemn at those words as she declared, “I am greatly indebted to the Master Sect, and my Honoured Master is no different from my biological mother. I will not leave Luo Sha Sect for any reason.” After a pause, she looked at him and asked, “Senior, are you asking me to join Azure Sun Temple?”
She looked troubled and didn’t seem to know how to respond.
Yang Kai waved his hand casually, “I was just asking curiously, I didn’t have such intentions.”
“Oh,” Yu Zhuo nodded. Then, she suddenly pointed downward, “We’re here. That’s the shopping district.”
