“My mother is currently discussing matters with Captain Zhang. Please come in, Senior Brother Qin!” Pan Qing replied, then gestured to Han Li behind him.
Han Li didn’t have a particularly bad impression of this young master of the Tian Dong Trading Company, so he naturally wouldn’t be rude. He nodded in response and casually plucked the little girl clinging to him off and set her on the ground.
But as soon as the girl’s feet touched the floor, she lunged forward again, sticking to Han Li like glue, her tiny hands gripping his clothes tightly.
Though he had somewhat expected this, Han Li still sighed in exasperation at the sight. Resigned, he entered the wooden hut with the little girl trailing behind him like a tail.
The hut was a temporary structure, so it wasn’t particularly large—only about seven or eight zhang in size—but it was neatly arranged, even furnished with an exquisite set of sandalwood furniture.
This furniture was clearly not something hastily made!
The elegant-looking Madam Fang was seated in the main seat, speaking with Zhang Kui, while six others stood respectfully nearby.
A pair of gray-robed burly men—the same guards who had suffered a minor setback at Han Li’s hands that day—and four young women, Liu’er and the other three maidservants.
The arrival of Han Li and the others naturally interrupted Madam Fang’s conversation. She rose to greet them: “Immortal Qin, you’ve finally returned. I was planning to have Captain Zhang accompany you on a trip… Oh! Captain Han has been brought back by you? That’s wonderful, saving me the trouble. And this… isn’t this the granddaughter of City Lord Zhao?” Madam Fang’s face lit up with pleasant surprise at the sight of Han Li, but when her gaze fell on the little girl beside him, she was visibly shocked.
The others were equally astonished upon seeing Han Li and the girl, though Liu’er and the other maidservants were clearly delighted.
“City Lord Zhao? Are you referring to the City Lord of Anyuan City?” The brocade-robed man was taken aback.
“Who else could it be but him?” Madam Fang replied with a strange expression.
“City Lord Zhao’s body-refining techniques are nearly on par with a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if the city fell, he should have been able to escape. If he knew his granddaughter was safe, he’d surely be overjoyed. I wonder if any of his other family members are here?” The Qin-named man mused thoughtfully.
“I believe there’s an old steward from the Zhao residence and a few servants nearby. I’ll send someone to fetch them immediately.” Madam Fang smiled, then turned to instruct one of the burly men, who promptly left the hut. She showed no interest in questioning why the girl was with Han Li.
“Captain Han’s safe return from the beast horde is quite surprising. But this time, four waves of beasts attacked a small city like Anyuan simultaneously—something feels off.” Once the brocade-robed man and the others had taken their seats, Madam Fang frowned slightly.
“It is indeed strange. A beast tide of this scale wouldn’t be unusual for a mid-sized city, but for a small one like Anyuan, it’s suspicious. According to past patterns, during a beast tide, the Green Luo Desert isn’t adjacent to Anyuan City, so sandworm beasts shouldn’t appear. In fact, given its proximity to the territory of the Crimson Python Beasts, they should have been hindering each other rather than traveling so far just to attack Anyuan.” The Qin-named man also seemed doubtful.
“Senior Brother, are you suggesting that high-level demonic beasts were involved in Anyuan’s fall?” Pan Qing exclaimed in shock.
“It’s hard to say. It might just be a coincidence. But regardless of the truth, this matter is beyond our level. The seniors of Tianyuan City will investigate it.” The brocade-robed man shook his head.
“Immortal Qin makes a valid point. We needn’t dwell on this. In truth, if Anyuan City had another hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators assisting, these beasts wouldn’t have been a threat.” Madam Fang’s eyes flickered as she suddenly changed the subject.
“That’s impossible. Though the Three Realms are teeming with cultivators, very few happen to be in human cities during a beast tide and are willing to help. Human cities, due to their dense populations, have far thinner spiritual energy compared to other places, let alone spiritual mountains. Unless bound by worldly affairs, cultivators avoid mortal cities altogether. Even our cultivator markets are only established in a few major cities directly controlled by cultivators—small and mid-sized cities aren’t qualified to host them. That’s why major cities never face beast tides. The number of low-level cultivators in those cities daily likely numbers in the millions. What kind of beast horde would dare attack such cities?” The Qin-named man replied coolly.
“Millions?” Though Han Li knew the Spirit Realm had an astonishing number of cultivators, hearing that a single city could host such a terrifying number still made his lips twitch involuntarily.
“I was being overly hopeful. The Three Realms are vast, and the areas controlled by mortal cities are but a drop in the ocean. Naturally, they don’t hold much weight in the eyes of cultivators.” Madam Fang sighed softly.
Hearing her slightly discontented tone, the brocade-robed man, also a cultivator, could only offer a wry smile.
The tension between mortals and cultivators was common knowledge. As a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, he dared not comment further.
Just then, a voice reported from outside the door:
“Madam, the steward of City Lord Zhao has arrived. Shall I let him in?”
“Of course, bring him in.” Madam Fang replied without hesitation.
“Yes!” With a respectful acknowledgment, the door opened, and three people entered.
One was the gray-robed burly man, while the other two were a slender, delicate-looking young woman and an elderly man with graying hair.
At the sight of the latter two, the little girl clinging to Han Li’s clothes trembled, her small face lighting up with joy for the first time.
“It really is the young miss! Wonderful! Miss Dai’er, are you alright? Let Lan’er check you…” The young woman rushed forward, kneeling before the girl with tears in her voice.
The girl finally released Han Li’s clothes and threw herself into the young woman’s arms, her lips trembling as she began to cry.
“Thank you, Madam Fang, for bringing the young miss back. Otherwise, this old servant wouldn’t know how to face the master.” The elderly man also expressed his gratitude profusely to Madam Fang.
“This isn’t my doing. Captain Han was the one who rescued Miss Zhao.” Madam Fang deferred the credit, nodding slightly toward Han Li.
“Thank you, young master. This old servant will surely report this to the master, and you will be generously rewarded.” The old man hurriedly bowed to Han Li.
“Saving this young lady was a trivial matter. No thanks are necessary. Take her with you.” Han Li glanced at the old man, confirming he was an ordinary mortal, then waved dismissively.
After a few more words of gratitude, the old man left with the girl and the young maidservant.
Though the girl named Dai’er no longer clung to Han Li, she kept looking back at him as she left, her large, dark eyes filled with reluctance.
Amused by her puppy-like adoration, Han Li playfully stuck out his tongue at her before resuming his usual stern expression.
The girl giggled at his antics, finally leaving the hut with a sweet smile.
“It seems Brother Han is quite fond of that little girl. But even if City Lord Zhao is safe, the fall of the city and the deaths of so many under the beast tide will leave him with heavy responsibilities. The Zhao family’s situation isn’t looking good.” The brocade-robed man, who had been observing Han Li’s actions, remarked suddenly.
“What does that have to do with me? The Zhao family’s affairs are for the Zhaos to worry about.” Han Li glanced at the Qin-named man, his expression indifferent.
“Haha, my apologies for overstepping. Madam Fang, now that Brother Han has returned, shouldn’t we clarify some matters with him?” The brocade-robed man chuckled before turning to Madam Fang.
“Clarify? Oh, of course. If we’re asking for Young Master Han’s assistance, we should explain things clearly. This time, we may need Young Master Han to accompany Immortal Qin on a trip.” Madam Fang paused briefly before catching on, her tone turning polite.
“Madam Fang, please elaborate. If this matter exceeds my capabilities, I wouldn’t want to hinder you and Immortal Qin.” Han Li stroked his chin noncommittally.
“It’s like this—one of my trading teams accidentally discovered something that can significantly increase a cultivator’s chances of forming a Core…” Madam Fang organized her thoughts and began explaining slowly.
Han Li listened silently, his expression unreadable.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, far away in a forest tens of thousands of li distant, a streak of purple light was racing through the sky, pursued by two leopard-winged beasts—one enormous, the other smaller and shimmering with blue light. These were the same two leading demonic birds that had appeared before Anyuan City days earlier.
Within the purple light, a figure could be seen fleeing on a magical tool.
Suddenly, the purple light flickered and dimmed, revealing a purple-robed burly man standing on a rectangular object plummeting toward the ground, seemingly out of control.
The two demonic birds closed in eagerly. One flapped its wings, releasing a dense barrage of yellow needles, while the smaller one opened its maw and unleashed a blinding blue lightning arc.
The purple-robed man let out a furious roar, stomping hard on the object beneath him to accelerate his descent like a meteor, narrowly evading the attacks before vanishing into the forest below.
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