“Master is calling me?” The elderly man named Fengzhi hesitated, fearing he had misheard.
“Come here, what are you hesitating for? This Venerable has something to ask you. Didn’t you originally reside here?” The Confucian scholar, worried that his disciple’s sluggishness might displease Han Li, suddenly spoke with sternness.
“Yes, disciple is coming right away.” Confirming he hadn’t misheard, the Foundation Establishment elder could only brace himself and fly over, arriving beside the Confucian scholar.
“You used to live here?” Han Li swept his gaze over Fengzhi a few times, his expression shifting slightly before he asked slowly.
“Reporting to Venerable, before joining the sect, my ancestors indeed resided here,” the Foundation Establishment elder replied respectfully, not daring to conceal anything.
“Ancestral home here… How did you achieve Foundation Establishment?” Han Li nodded, then unexpectedly asked a question that stunned everyone.
“This junior’s mother once encountered a senior expert who gifted her a Foundation Establishment Pill, allowing me to successfully break through.” Fengzhi found it strange but answered hastily.
“So, you are Xiaomei’s descendant.” Han Li’s expression softened slightly.
“Xiaomei? Could Venerable be referring to my maternal grandmother? Are you the senior who gifted the Foundation Establishment Pill?” Fengzhi was stunned at first, then suddenly recalled something and exclaimed in shock.
“You’re not stupid—you figured it out.” Han Li chuckled.
“Many thanks for Venerable’s great kindness in gifting the pill back then. This junior has always remembered it in my heart.” The Foundation Establishment elder, overjoyed, hastily bowed in midair.
The Confucian scholar and the dark-skinned elder, however, were left dumbfounded.
Han Li didn’t evade, accepting the bow before leisurely saying, “Before I achieved the Great Dao, I met your ancestors a few times. Later, when I encountered your mother, I gifted her a Foundation Establishment Pill, fulfilling a past connection. But seeing you still stuck at mid-Foundation Establishment, your aptitude must not be outstanding. Now that you’re old and your vitality wanes, your path of cultivation likely ends here.”
“This junior’s aptitude is limited, disappointing Venerable.” The elder named Fengzhi blushed slightly.
“Disappointed? Why would I be? But why has the Huayu Sect moved to this mountain? This was once the residence of your grandmother’s former master. Didn’t you know? And that master was an old friend of mine.” Han Li’s expression suddenly darkened, his tone turning sharp.
The Confucian scholar and the dark-skinned elder beside him paled instantly.
“This junior knows a little about this. However, I have already relocated the bamboo pavilions where Senior Xin once lived to another place behind the mountain, preserving everything exactly as it was, without any damage. This was also a condition for me ceding this mountain to the sect.” Fengzhi’s heart skipped a beat, but he hurriedly explained.
“Is that so?” Han Li’s cold gaze swept over the two Core Formation cultivators as he questioned them directly.
“Indeed, this place is not the Huayu Sect’s main headquarters—it’s only a temporary lodging. The reason so many disciples are gathered here is because I was leading a group to handle matters in Yuanwu Country and had to stay for a short time. After moving Senior Xin’s former residence elsewhere, we never touched a single thing.” The Confucian scholar, sensing Han Li’s displeasure, quickly clarified.
“Very well. Regardless of your original intentions, this is my old friend’s home. I don’t want to see other cultivators lingering here. You two know what to do next.” Han Li spoke coldly to the Confucian scholar and the dark-skinned elder.
“Of course, this junior understands. We will abandon this place immediately and have our disciples evacuate at once.” The dark-skinned elder blurted out without hesitation.
The Confucian scholar naturally voiced no objections, nodding repeatedly in agreement.
“Good. Now, take me to the bamboo pavilion where Senior Xin once lived.” Han Li commanded the two before turning to the Foundation Establishment elder.
“Yes, this junior will guide Venerable there now.” Fengzhi dared not refuse, respectfully agreeing before bowing to the Confucian scholar and flying toward another part of the mountain on his artifact.
Han Li, enveloped in azure light, swept Tian Qin’er along as he transformed into a streak of azure mist and followed.
“Is he really a late-Nascent Soul cultivator? Could we be mistaken? His appearance doesn’t match any of the rumored three great cultivators.” The Confucian scholar, finally relaxing, transmitted his voice to the elder.
Even at this distance, he dared not speak aloud.
“It must be true. His spiritual pressure is several times stronger than even our master’s. He isn’t one of the three great cultivators—could he be a newly ascended fourth?” The dark-skinned elder replied, though he sounded uncertain.
“If true, he must have just broken through, or the entire Tiannan would have been in an uproar.” The Confucian scholar murmured.
“Regardless, even our master wouldn’t dare offend him. We should vacate this place quickly to avoid provoking his wrath.” The elder said grimly.
“Senior Brother is right. I’ll issue the orders immediately. What a pity to lose such a fine lodging.” The Confucian scholar sighed, reluctant to leave.
“Hmph, we’re lucky. If you hadn’t taken Fengzhi as a disciple, given how easily he broke our formations, he might have attacked us outright. How did you not know your disciple had ties to such a figure? And who was the former owner of this place, to be acquainted with a late-Nascent Soul cultivator?” The elder asked after taking a deep breath.
“Senior Brother, you stump me. You know I accepted Fengzhi early on, but only because he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator—his aptitude is mediocre. I never inquired deeply about his background. As for the former owner, I asked once, given the clever formations here, but he was only a Qi Condensation cultivator, so I dismissed it.” The Confucian scholar was equally puzzled.
“A Qi Condensation cultivator and a late-Nascent Soul expert? Even if it was long ago, the gap is absurd.” The elder was speechless.
The Confucian scholar could only smile wryly.
Not daring to delay further, the two led their disciples back to the buildings below. With a single command, over three hundred disciples began packing, preparing to evacuate immediately.
Meanwhile, Han Li and Tian Qin’er entered an exceptionally verdant bamboo pavilion.
Though impeccably clean, the pavilion bore signs of age.
Fengzhi, guiding them, explained obsequiously, “After relocating these pavilions, I followed my mother’s instructions, periodically reinforcing them with spiritual light to prevent decay and cleaning them regularly.”
“Oh? You’ve been thoughtful.” Han Li’s lips curled slightly as he stepped into the main hall, scanning the surroundings.
He remembered correctly—this was indeed the pavilion where Xin Ruyin once lived. The furnishings remained, but the beauty was long gone.
A wave of melancholy washed over Han Li as his gaze shifted to Tian Qin’er. What he saw startled him.
The girl’s eyes were distant, her fingers tracing the bamboo furniture as she wandered the hall, her delicate face lost in reverie—as if entranced.
Watching her, Han Li’s eyes flickered with unreadable emotion.
After a moment of silence, he waved at the Foundation Establishment elder. “Leave us. My disciple and I will stay here alone for a day. Return tomorrow.”
His tone brooked no argument. The elder, intimidated, bowed and withdrew silently.
Han Li sat in a corner of the hall, meditating with closed eyes, allowing Tian Qin’er to roam freely through Xin Ruyin’s former home.
The next morning, when Fengzhi returned nervously, he found the pavilion empty—Han Li and the girl had vanished without a trace. Only two unmarked pill bottles remained on the table.
Overjoyed, the elder carefully stored the bottles, resolving to safeguard the pavilion. If the Venerable ever returned, perhaps another opportunity would arise.
Unaware of Fengzhi’s thoughts, Han Li was already hundreds of thousands of miles away with Tian Qin’er.
Yet the girl’s dazed expression had deepened, her mind clearly unsettled.
“Master, why did you take me there? What connection do those bamboo pavilions have with me?” Tian Qin’er, silent since leaving the mountain, suddenly spoke, her voice strange.
“Initially, I wasn’t certain. But now, it seems there is a connection.” Han Li replied calmly.
“They and I—”
“Do you believe in reincarnation… in past lives?”
Before she could continue, Han Li’s question struck her like a thunderbolt.
Her delicate face paled instantly.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage