Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain

Outside the palace, Shen Tu once again apologized, “Brother Yang, I can only send you up to here, my identity is too sensitive, if I leave with you, it’ll draw too much attention. Take care of yourself out there.”

“Xue Tong will accompany you and provide you with all the information you’ll require to maintain your safety,” Jia Long hurriedly added as the Monster Race cultivator who had accompanied Yang Kai to buy his new Star Shuttle and supply of ores flew over and grinned, “Young Master Yang.”

“En, I’ll be depending on you.” Yang Kai knew this all stemmed from Shen Tu’s good intentions, so he didn’t refuse.

“Brother Yang, may we meet again!” Shen Tu cupped his fists.

Yang Kai returned the gesture then, under the leadership of Xue Tong, summoned out his Star Shuttle and flew away.

Water Moon Star’s Starships were all basically used to transport commodities. The various major forces throughout the Star Field would place orders from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce through their own branches on Water Moon Star, then when the goods were prepared, the Chamber of Commerce would deliver the goods to the stars specified by these forces via Starship.

Along the way, according to Xue Tong’s explanation, Yang Kai understood that the Starship the two of them were about to board was headed to a place called Emerald Star, the home star of a force called Roaring Flame Sect. This force was neither strong nor weak and could only be considered mid-ranked among the entire Star Field. It controlled two Cultivation Stars, with Emerald Star being one of them.

The total transit time would be about half a year, and there would be stopovers at some other Cultivation Stars along the way.

“Young Master Yang, you can choose to get off at one of the Cultivation Stars along the way or remain on the Starship until it reaches Emerald Star,” Xue Tong explained.

“Understood, I’ll make a decision when the time comes,” Yang Kai nodded.

Followed behind Xue Tong, Yang Kai quickly arrived at the Space Array he had used once before then transferred to another city before eventually coming to an area crowded with other cultivators.

This place was an open square that was incredibly vastness, and at fixed intervals, various large and small Starships were parked, with an endless stream of cultivator hurrying about, carrying goods in and out of these Starships in an orderly manner.

The contents of the crates most gave off strong energy fluctuations, and many of them were clearly extremely high-grade goods.

After Xue Tong brought him to this place, Yang Kai couldn’t help marvelling once again at the immense wealth of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.

Just these few dozen Starships were worth a massive fortune, and that wasn’t even taking into consideration their loads of precious cargo or the countless cultivators manning them.

Great forces really had the style of great forces!

The two men hadn’t gone far before several Saint King Realm cultivators flew over and barred their way, releasing clear murderous intent as the stared vigilantly towards Xue Tong and Yang Kai, one of them raised his hand and shouting, “You there, halt!”

Xue Tong paused his steps but didn’t reveal any kind of fluster, simply taking a token out from his Space Ring and handing it to these two men.

One of the cultivators accepted the token and carefully examined it before gently nodding, no longer asking anything and simply waving Xue Tong and Yang Kai along.

“Young Master Shen Tu has already arranged everything, we will be leaving here with a Senior who he is on good terms with,” Xue Tong whispered.

Flying through the Starship dock, a short time later, Xue Tong’s eyes lit up and pointed towards the front.

In the direction he pointed was a Saint King Grade High-Rank Starship with its main hatch wide open and a line of cultivators carrying supplies into it. Outside this Starship was a big burly man with his hands crossed in front of his chest, his pair of eagle-like eyes glittering sharply, his expression one of cold indifference.

All the cultivators carrying goods involuntarily stayed away from him, many of them doing their best to not catch his eyes.

When Xue Tong and Yang Kai came over, this burly man couldn’t help frowning slightly as he stared towards Yang Kai, causing the latter to feel a slight pressure.

“Senior Xin Rui!” Xue Tong stepped forward and politely cupped his fists.

“Is this him?” The big man who was called Xin Rui looked Yang Kai over before snorting lightly, “Young Master Shen Tu wants me to ferry him away from this place?”

“Yes!” Xue Tong nodded.

“He’s not from our Chamber of Commerce is he?” Xin Rui narrowed his eyes slightly and asked.

Xue Tong shook his head, “He is a friend of Young Master Shen Tu.”

“Oh?” Xin Rui’s eyes revealed a curious light, “He’s actually Shen Tu’s friend? That’s something quite rare. En, I can take him away from here, but you’d best remember not to cause any fuss on my Starship. Make sure he honestly obeys the rules, otherwise I’ll toss him overboard and leave him to fend for himself amidst the Starry Sky.”

“Rest assured, Young Master’s friend won’t stir up any trouble,” Xue Tong smiled lightly, not paying any mind to this threat.

Xin Rui spat disdainfully, “If he wasn’t a troublemaker, how could Shen Tu be so anxious to arrange for him secretly depart? Seeing him in person, it’s obvious he’s not the law-abiding type!”

Directing a profound and meaningful look towards Yang Kai, Xin Rui seemed to have noticed something, but he didn’t ask any questions and simply shouted, “Go in already!”

“Many thanks!” Xue Tong smiled before motioning for Yang Kai to follow him into the Starship.

Inside the ship, there were still quite a few cultivators running about, each of them incredibly busy.

Xue Tong ignored all the chaos around him and calmly led Yang Kai down a couple of corridors before arriving at a pair of rooms.

“If Young Master Yang feels this room is not satisfactory, I can help you find a different one,” Xue Tong consulted Yang Kai.

Yang Kai walked inside and stared out a large window at the surrounding scenery before slowly shaking his head and saying, “No need, this place has a wide view, that’s plenty.”

“As long as you’re satisfied.”

“That Xin Rui… What is his relationship with Shen Tu? Why would he go out of his way to help him?” Yang Kai asked.

“Senior Xin Rui…” Xue Tong thought for a moment before replying, “He is Young Master Shen Tu’s uncle.”

“What?” Yang Kai was stunned.

“En,” Xue Tong grinned, “Senior Xin Rui sister was Young Master Shen Tu’s mother. The President and Senior Xin Rui’s sister met many years ago, but for various reasons, the two of them could never officially become a couple.”

“Forget it, don’t explain any further. I’m sure it’s a troublesome story!” Yang Kai waved his hand.

Xue Tong also smiled bitterly, “En, there’s a number of unpaid debts related to it. If Young Master doesn’t have any other instructions, I’ll retire first. After an hour or so, this Starship should set sail!”

“Good!”

Xue Tong immediately withdrew.

Yang Kai stood by the window and looked at the crowds down below, his heart beating slowly, once again feeling a sense of loneliness and solitude.

The Star Field was so massive it seemed nearly limitless. He was an outsider here, with no relatives or friends and nowhere to call home.

From where he stood, everything felt foreign and distant. As a lone wanderer in this strange land, Yang Kai couldn’t help subconsciously thinking of the warmth of Little Senior Sister and the tenderness of Su Yan, even remembering the charms of the seductive Shan Qing Luo and the sharp wit of Qiu Yi Meng.

As these familiar faces crossed his mind, his pulses quickened slightly.

Were they all happy and healthy right now? Had they encountered any kind of difficulties? Were they also thinking about him…

Yang Kai’s thoughts drifted about like this, causing his mood to sour slightly.

However, when a certain figure appeared in his line of sight, all these melancholy thoughts were swept aside and his eyes couldn’t help but shrink, his face quickly becoming gloomy.

Out in the giant square, a group of three people were slowing walking this way. The young man leading them was extraordinarily handsome, his skin so fair it would make any woman jealous, his long black hair gently falling across his shoulders, a warm and genial smile that seemed as refreshing as a spring breeze adorning his face.

Wherever he went, the female cultivators who were carrying supplies stopped their movements and stared at him longingly.

What’s more, he was actually walking towards this very Starship!

[Xue Yue!]

Yang Kai quickly left the window and flew straight out of his room, arriving at the door of the one adjacent to him and walking straight in.

Xue Tong was meditating on top of the bed, but upon seeing Yang Kai suddenly burst in, he couldn’t help feeling a bit stunned and asking, “Young Master Yang, do you require something?”

Yang Kai stared at him deeply and spoke in a cold tone, “Answer me honestly, did Shen Tu sell me out?”

Xue Tong’s expression only became more confused upon hearing this, frowning as he asked, “What does Young Master Yang mean by that?”

“Take a look outside for yourself!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.

Xue Tong stood up and gazed out the window, his eyes immediately shrinking up as he cried out, “Young Master Xue Yue? How can he be here?”

“If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?” Yang Kai sneered, “Did Shen Tu rat me out to him?”

Xue Tong wore a serious expression and replied, “Young Master Yang, if you really think so, you look down on Young Master Shen Tu far too much. He sincerely treated you as a friend, how could he suddenly betray you? Moreover, Young Master Xue Yue should have left Water Moon Star yesterday. It was only because of this fact that Young Master Shen Tu chose to have to depart today.”

“Left yesterday?” Yang Kai frowned, his eyes staring fixedly towards Xue Tong, not letting off the slightest change in his expressions.

“En, Young Master Xue Yue was assigned an important mission and should have left yesterday to complete it,” Xue Tong nodded heavily, “Many people witnessed him board a Starship that left Water Moon Star!”

“So how could he appear here? And on top of that, head for this particular Starship?” Yang Kai asked flatly.

Xue Tong smiled bitterly, “I don’t know… but Young Master Yang, Young Master Shen Tu did not betray you, he would not do such a thing.”

Yang Kai stared at him for a moment before letting out a sigh and nodding, “Good, I believe you! Should we get off now then?”

“That’s too risky, there’s too great a chance of running into him,” Xue Tong hurriedly waved, “If Young Master Xue Yue intends to travel aboard this Starship, you’d best remain here and conceal your presence. Hopefully, he is just coming over to discuss something with Senior Xin Rui…”

“I’m afraid there’s no chance of that,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head as he perked up his ears. Xue Tong and his rooms weren’t far from the hatch, so even if he didn’t circulate his strength to enhance his senses, Yang Kai could hear bits and pieces of the conversation going on outside. Listening to the dialogue being exchanged between Xin Rui and Xue Yue, Yang Kai knew that the latter really came here to board this battleship.

Yang Kai’s mood suddenly turned pitch black.