“As long as the information is reliable, even if the price is a bit higher, it’s nothing. I’ll take this intelligence.” Han Li hadn’t expected the matter to be resolved so easily and couldn’t help but feel pleased as he spoke.
“Good. The jian contains some of the materials, along with the price. Fellow Daoist can take a look first. If you truly find no issues, I’ll bring out the remaining intelligence, and we can complete the transaction on the spot.” The flax-robed girl tossed over a black, stone-like object as she spoke.
This girl truly left no room for error in her dealings.
“Very well, Han will inspect it first.” Han Li raised his hand to catch the stone tablet and spoke calmly.
He then placed the tablet against his forehead, sending his spiritual sense into it.
Meanwhile, the flax-robed girl sat opposite him, smiling as she waited quietly for Han Li’s response.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a flash of realization crossed Han Li’s face. He removed the tablet from his forehead and said slowly,
“To think someone in the City Lord’s Mansion is secretly selling large quantities of Bloodtooth Rice. From the intelligence, this person—or rather, this faction—holds a rather high position within the mansion. It doesn’t seem fabricated, and I accept the price. Fairy Lan, please provide the contact method.”
“Since Fellow Daoist sees no issues, the transaction is officially concluded.” The flax-robed girl nodded, then flicked her sleeve toward Han Li, sending another stone tablet flying out.
This time, Han Li caught the tablet and scanned it with his spiritual sense, immediately grasping the contact method.
Without any change in expression, he rubbed his hands together.
*Poof!*
The tablet turned into white powder. Then, with a flip of his palm, a white jade box the size of a hand appeared.
“The contents inside should more than suffice for the intelligence. Fairy Lan, see if you’re satisfied. If there are no issues, I have another matter I’d like to inquire about.” Han Li tossed the jade box over and spoke indifferently.
“Oh? Fellow Daoist Han has another matter? If there’s anything else I can assist with, feel free to ask.” The flax-robed girl raised a slender hand, drawing the jade box into her grasp. She opened the lid, glanced inside, and revealed a satisfied smile.
“Fairy Lan, do you know the origin of this object?” Han Li took a deep breath, flicked a finger, and a green thread shot out. It coiled around the spinning wheel before flashing back and condensing into a small, pea-sized green mist, spinning rapidly at his fingertip.
The next moment, the spinning wheel emitted a muffled *bang* and instantly turned to dust, vanishing without a trace.
The flax-robed girl, who had been composed, suddenly narrowed her eyes.
The demon woman beside her also paled at the sight.
The spinning wheel, though seemingly ordinary, was actually a high-tier auxiliary demon artifact with inexplicably profound uses.
Otherwise, the flax-robed girl wouldn’t have spent her days spinning mundane items with it without the slightest impatience.
What shocked her wasn’t the destruction of the artifact—it was the material it was made from. The artifact was crafted from a rare demonwood called ‘Scorched Demonwood,’ treated by a master craftsman to become nearly indestructible.
Yet, the spinning wheel had been reduced to dust by an unassuming wisp of green mist. Its terrifying power was evident.
The flax-robed girl narrowed her eyes, staring at the green mist with a strange expression, deep in thought.
Han Li could clearly sense a strand of her spiritual sense wrapping around the green mist, probing cautiously.
He remained expressionless, allowing her to proceed.
The demon woman also extended her spiritual sense toward the mist.
After a moment, the flax-robed girl’s expression shifted several times, growing increasingly peculiar. The demon woman, however, still looked puzzled.
Just then, Han Li’s finger trembled slightly, and the green mist *whooshed* back into his fingertip, vanishing without a trace.
“My apologies. I can’t control this thing and could only expel it for this long. But I believe that should have been enough for Fairy to thoroughly examine it. Have you identified its origin?” Han Li spoke apologetically, but his gaze remained fixed on the flax-robed girl, his expression grave.
This green mist was the residue left after he absorbed the mysterious energy from the crystal pearl hidden within the demon gold.
While the energy from the pearl had allowed his cultivation to advance rapidly, converting effortlessly into pure spiritual power, the leftover green mist had become a persistent nuisance. He had no choice but to temporarily seal it within his second demon infant, planning to deal with it later.
Now that he had come to the famed Guangyuan Zhai, which claimed to know all things, and given the flax-robed girl’s mysterious background, he decided to test his luck with a casual inquiry.
If it could be resolved, all the better. If not, he could always return to the human realm and think of another solution.
“Based on the examination just now, I can’t yet give a definitive answer. But from my memory, there are a few things that match. To make a deeper judgment, I’ll need to ask further questions. Brother Han, would you be willing to answer a few more?” The flax-robed girl frowned slightly in thought before speaking seriously.
“Of course. Fairy Lan, feel free to ask.” Han Li perked up and replied without hesitation.
“Then I won’t hold back. Given how bizarre this thing is, how did you obtain it? Aside from the terrifying power you just demonstrated, does it have any other peculiarities? And how long has it been inside your body?” The flax-robed girl fired off several questions in one breath.
“How I obtained it involves some personal secrets, so I’d rather not say. But I can describe some of its characteristics. As for how long it’s been in my body—not too long, less than a century.” Han Li replied cautiously after a brief pause.
“Very well. Brother Han, please describe its unique traits first. I’ll see if I can make a final judgment based on those alone.” The flax-robed girl remained noncommittal.
Han Li smiled faintly and was about to continue when his expression suddenly shifted, and he fell silent.
The flax-robed girl found this odd, but before she could ask, the demon woman beside her stepped forward abruptly and snatched a white talisman out of thin air.
After a quick scan with her spiritual sense, the woman’s expression changed, and she turned to the girl.
“Young Mistress, Lady Zi has come to visit and is already downstairs.”
“Elder Sister Zi? Why is she here? Did my last divination go wrong?” The flax-robed girl first showed a flicker of joy but then seemed to recall something, her expression turning troubled.
“Young Mistress instructed earlier that if Lady Zi came, she shouldn’t be stopped. So she arrived downstairs before the message was sent. She’ll be on this floor shortly.” The woman spoke while giving Han Li a peculiar glance.
“Since Fairy Lan has another guest, I’ll take my leave for now.” Han Li stood up, tactfully offering to step aside.
“That won’t be necessary. She’s a close friend, likely here to ask about something trivial. It won’t take long, and there’s no need for secrecy. Fellow Daoist Han can wait nearby.” The flax-robed girl replied after a brief consideration.
“If that’s the case, I’ll wait until Fairy Lan has finished with your guest.” Han Li nodded, not pressing the matter.
The flax-robed girl nodded and said nothing more.
Moments later, light footsteps sounded from the stairway. Before the person appeared, a melodious voice, like celestial music, drifted up.
“Ying’er, you little rascal, you owe me an explanation this time! After all the effort I put in, why did your divination turn out completely wrong? Today was supposed to be the final day you predicted, yet the person I wanted to see hasn’t even shown a shadow. Were you just fooling me? If so, you’ve ruined your reputation, and I’ll demand double compensation for those spirit medicines I gave you!”
As the voice faded, a figure flashed into view at the fourth-floor stairway—a tall, slender young woman shrouded in a veil of black mist.
Through the mist, glimpses of a purple dress could be seen, and her star-like eyes shimmered with an intoxicating allure that could ensnare hearts with a single glance.
She let out a soft, tinkling laugh, her tone clearly teasing.
Han Li, standing nearby, stiffened as if struck by lightning the moment he saw the black-veiled woman.
His eyes burned with excitement, but the next instant, his expression shifted to hesitation.
The purple-robed woman, upon entering, swept her gaze around and immediately noticed Han Li. Her beautiful eyes widened slightly, a flicker of doubt passing through them.
“Little Sister Lan, who is this…?” The purple-robed woman asked uncertainly.
“Elder Sister Zi, this is a distinguished guest of our establishment—Fellow Daoist Han. His abilities may even rival Aunt Zhu’s. Sister, have you met him before?” The flax-robed girl, noticing the strange expressions on both their faces, suddenly recalled something, her own face flashing with disbelief.
“What? His surname is Han?” The purple-robed woman trembled, her eyes locking onto Han Li’s face without restraint.
Seeing her reaction, the last traces of doubt in Han Li’s heart vanished. After a rapid mental calculation, he took a deep breath and flicked his sleeve, sending a swirl of azure light over himself.
*Crack!*
His body shrank slightly, and his face blurred before reverting to its original appearance—that of a young man in his twenties.
“Zi Ling, it’s been a long time. How have you been all these years?” Han Li gazed at the purple-robed woman, his voice eerily calm as he spoke slowly.
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