“Related to the Demon Path?”
Upon hearing that Han Li was a disciple of the Yellow Maple Valley, the old Taoist showed little surprise, as he had already vaguely guessed it. Foundation Establishment cultivators outside the seven major sects were exceedingly rare. However, when he learned that the disciple he intended to take and Steward Wang might be connected to the Demon Path, his face instantly turned ashen.
In the Yue Kingdom’s cultivation world, the Demon Path was almost synonymous with bloodshed and cruelty. As a mere Qi Refining cultivator, the old Taoist naturally wanted nothing to do with them.
“Senior, are you certain? I personally examined the young prince’s body and found no trace of spiritual energy within him.” After the initial shock, the old Taoist pondered carefully and found it hard to believe.
After all, he had interacted with the young prince for some time and saw no signs of the rumored Demon Path cultivators.
Hearing this, Han Li offered no lengthy explanation and simply said calmly, “Whether these two are from the Demon Path, you will notice their abnormalities if you observe them closely. There’s no need for me to explain further. I’m not asking you to take any action against them, just to keep a discreet watch. However, do not attempt to test them in any way. If they discover you know their identities, your life will be in grave danger.”
Han Li’s final warning erased the doubt in the old Taoist’s eyes, replacing it with fear.
After a moment of hesitation, the old Taoist timidly asked, “What if they catch me watching them? My cultivation is weak, and I fear I might fail you, Senior.”
Han Li frowned. The old Taoist seemed frightened and on the verge of backing out. This wouldn’t do—he needed to offer some incentive.
With this in mind, Han Li reached into his storage pouch, retrieved an item, and placed it gently on the table.
“Monitoring them does carry some risk. Here is a suitable high-grade magical tool for your protection. Once this matter is resolved, it will be yours to keep.” Han Li pointed to a faintly glowing purple pearl on the table and spoke indifferently.
“A high-grade magical tool!” The old Taoist’s spirits lifted instantly. He was usually too poor to afford even a mid-grade tool, let alone a high-grade one.
“This is the Purple Light Pearl. Infuse it with spiritual energy, and it will instantly form a protective barrier around you. I doubt any ordinary Qi Refining cultivator could break through it. It should suffice to handle most dangers.” Han Li explained calmly.
“A defensive tool?” The old Taoist’s eyes gleamed with desire upon hearing the details.
Defensive tools were the rarest and most precious of all magical instruments. If the old Taoist had to save up spirit stones to buy a high-grade defensive tool, he would likely never afford it in his lifetime.
“Very well, I will do my best.” After a long internal struggle, the white-haired old Taoist gritted his teeth and agreed.
It seemed the saying “birds die for food, humans die for wealth” held true even in the cultivation world.
Seeing the old Taoist agree to such a risky task, Han Li smiled outwardly but sighed inwardly.
“I will place a spiritual mark on you. If anything happens, I can locate you quickly and might even save your life. Additionally, after this matter is resolved, I will reward you with a bottle of Yellow Dragon Pills.” Han Li implanted a spiritual mark into the old Taoist, employing both carrot and stick.
The old Taoist feigned ignorance of Han Li’s true intentions and thanked him repeatedly.
Pleased with the old Taoist’s compliance, Han Li smiled, stood up, and took his leave. He then quietly exited the prince’s residence under the old Taoist’s respectful send-off.
Instead of returning to the Qin residence immediately, Han Li found a teahouse to sit and reflect on recent events, pondering whether he had made any mistakes or oversights.
Regular self-reflection and identifying gaps were habits Han Li had cultivated. Only by continuously addressing his weaknesses could he survive in the perilous world of cultivation.
He spent most of the day in the teahouse, leaving only as dusk fell under the curious gaze of the waiter.
A customer who ordered only one cup of tea and stayed all day was a first for the waiter, who later boasted about it to others. Unintentionally, Han Li became the subject of ridicule among mortals—a humiliation he never anticipated.
The agreed-upon time with Old Man Xiao hadn’t yet arrived, but Han Li had no intention of waiting until midnight. He preferred to arrive early to guard against any tricks.
After walking for a while, Han Li frowned. He sensed that the marks on Old Man Xiao and his granddaughter were not in the eastern district as expected but in the opposite western district. This annoyed him.
With a cold snort, Han Li waited until the area was deserted, summoned his Divine Wind Boat, and soared into the sky as a streak of white light, heading toward the sensed location.
The technique of tracking others through spiritual energy was common among Foundation Establishment cultivators, though most could only sense within a few dozen miles. Thanks to his training in the Great Development Art, Han Li could detect within a radius of over a hundred miles—an astonishing feat.
This made him even more eager to master the second layer of the Great Development Art.
Moments later, Han Li stood on his Divine Wind Boat, coldly gazing at an inconspicuous small courtyard about thirty yards below. The courtyard contained only three modest, slightly worn houses.
Standing on his jade-white boat, Han Li did not descend immediately but remained silent, as if deep in thought.
Finally, he gently tapped his foot, and the boat descended like a meteor.
However, it halted abruptly about fifteen to twenty feet above the ground. Han Li leaped down lightly into the courtyard while beckoning with his right hand. The boat shrank and flew into his palm.
The entire process was smooth and silent.
Like a ghost, Han Li stood before the central house and calmly released his spiritual sense to probe inside.
He clearly sensed two spiritual energy signatures corresponding to his marks inside the house.
As soon as his spiritual sense entered, he heard the young girl’s voice.
“Grandpa, won’t this anger him? If that person really finds us, will our prepared excuses work?” The girl’s voice was full of worry, clearly deeply impressed by Han Li’s power.
“Hmph! Silly girl, do you really believe he can find us just by sensing our spiritual energy? I’ve seen more of the world than you have. I’ve encountered plenty of bluffers and intimidators. I doubt his claims are true. Even if such a sensing technique exists, no Foundation Establishment cultivator could detect us from such a distance. If we stayed in the eastern district, he might actually find us.” Old Man Xiao lectured his granddaughter with a cold snort.
“If that’s the case, why didn’t we leave Yue Capital overnight instead of just moving to the western district?” The girl retorted, still unconvinced.
“What do you know? My earlier words were just speculation! Whether it’s true remains uncertain. If I’m right, we can avoid this person’s coercion and live freely elsewhere. But he is a Foundation Establishment cultivator after all—he might indeed have a long-range tracking technique. If we fled Yue Capital and he caught us, we’d have no excuse. Here in the western district, we can easily come up with a plausible story.” Old Man Xiao seemed to dote on his granddaughter and patiently explained.
“Hehe, Grandpa, you’re so cunning! But that person didn’t seem like the type to do vile things. Do we really need to hide from him? Why not just trade the manual with him properly? We might even gain some benefits! That manual is too profound for us anyway.” The girl giggled, speaking nonchalantly.
“Hmph, the world is crueler than you think! Normally, a fair trade would be ideal, but have you considered that fairness only exists between equals? When one side is strong and the other weak, there is no fairness.”
“Moreover, that manual might be useless to us, but it could be a treasure to him. And I’ve seen more than once how people kill to silence witnesses after obtaining treasures. How can I trust him? The gap between our cultivation levels is vast—eliminating us would be effortless for him.” Old Man Xiao’s voice grew somber, clearly resigned to their precarious situation.
“Grandpa, don’t be so disheartened. Didn’t you say that although he looks young, he might be an ancient monster who has lived for who knows how long?” The girl tried to comfort him.
Just then, a cold voice they feared most came from outside the house.
“Oh? Do I really seem like an ancient monster?”
As their faces paled, the tightly shut door opened silently, and Han Li walked in unhurriedly.
Upon entering, Han Li unceremoniously took the seat of honor and gazed at them calmly without a word.
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