Chapter 401: Sky Lightning Bamboo

Han Li exited the teahouse but did not immediately fly back to his cave abode on his artifact. Instead, he walked along the street for a while before suddenly turning behind another shop, a place not far from the teahouse.

Then, he gently closed his eyes and stood motionless with an expressionless face.

After a long while, Han Li’s expression shifted slightly. He frowned and opened his eyes.

Earlier, he had secretly extended his spiritual sense back into the teahouse, hoping to eavesdrop on what the others would say after he left. However, as soon as his spiritual sense approached the private room, it was blocked by a layer of restrictions.

The restrictions were not particularly sophisticated. If Han Li had forcefully broken through them with the strength of his spiritual sense, he could have easily shattered them. But doing so would have caused too much commotion, defeating the purpose of covertly spying. Naturally, Han Li wouldn’t engage in such a fruitless effort, so he withdrew his spiritual sense.

“It seems the Miaoyin Sect is truly not to be underestimated. There’s no opening to exploit for now.” With that thought, Han Li opened his mouth and spat out a small green sword about an inch long. He mounted the sword and soared into the sky.

Back at his cave abode, Han Li retrieved the storage pouch containing the demon beast materials from the secret chamber. To be cautious, he also brought Qu Hun along as they left the cave abode. This back-and-forth took him several hours.

Fortunately, by the time he returned to the teahouse with Qu Hun, the middle-aged man under Madam Fan was already waiting anxiously at the entrance. As soon as he saw Han Li return, his face lit up with joy, and he hurried inside.

Han Li knew the man was going to report to Madam Fan but paid it no mind. He and Qu Hun calmly followed him inside.

When they reached the private room, the young woman and the middle-aged man were standing respectfully at the door, waiting for Han Li.

“Madam and the elder are waiting for you, Senior!” the young woman said respectfully, though she couldn’t help stealing a curious glance at Qu Hun.

Han Li had no intention of introducing Qu Hun. He nodded and entered the room without ceremony, with Qu Hun following closely behind.

The young woman hesitated but didn’t dare to press further.

Inside the room, Madam Fan had already put her veil back on. As soon as Han Li entered, her eyes brightened, and she gracefully stepped forward to greet him.

“Senior Han, you’ve returned so quickly! This humble one thought we would have to wait a bit longer. Hmm? And who is this Senior…?” Madam Fan, who had been smiling, paused in surprise when she saw Qu Hun behind Han Li.

“This is my good friend Qu Hun. He heard about this matter and wanted to come along. I hope you don’t mind, Madam!” Han Li said casually with a light laugh.

“Of course not! Please, both Seniors, take a seat!” Madam Fan’s beautiful eyes swept over Qu Hun’s ugly face. Seeing his icy expression, she smiled enchantingly.

Inwardly, however, she felt relieved that she hadn’t acted on her earlier thoughts of making a move. If she had, and this Core Formation-stage helper had suddenly appeared, her plans would have failed and only earned her a powerful enemy.

Yet, her desire to win Han Li over grew even stronger.

“The materials are all inside. You can take a look first, Madam!” Han Li didn’t beat around the bush. As soon as he sat down, he tossed the two storage pouches containing the materials onto the tea table in front of her.

Madam Fan couldn’t hide the joy on her face. She repeatedly thanked him, took the storage pouches, and briefly inspected them with her spiritual sense before handing them to Elder Zhao beside her.

The old man took them without changing his expression and began carefully examining each item from the storage pouches to verify their authenticity.

Since there were many materials, the process naturally took some time. Meanwhile, the Miaoyin Sect’s Madam Fan chatted amiably with Han Li, subtly trying to probe for information about the origin of these materials.

But Han Li was far too clever. He skillfully evaded her questions, leaving her with nothing.

After some time, Elder Zhao finally finished appraising the materials and estimated a price, which he transmitted to the Miaoyin Sect woman. After considering it, she slightly lowered the price by ten percent and quoted it to Han Li.

Han Li fell into thought upon hearing the price, which made Madam Fan somewhat uneasy. Eager to close the deal, she hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and voluntarily raising the price by another five percent.

Only after hearing the new offer did Han Li nod in agreement. Although he knew the price was still slightly low, he was quite satisfied to be able to dispose of all these items in one go.

Seeing Han Li agree, Madam Fan felt greatly relieved. She then took out a small pile of mid-grade spirit stones from her storage pouch and pushed them toward Han Li.

Han Li unceremoniously collected them. With that, the transaction was successfully concluded, and both parties were satisfied.

Han Li prepared to take his leave.

“This humble one has heard that Senior has been searching everywhere for rare spiritual bamboos. I happen to have some information on this matter. I wonder if Senior would be interested in hearing it?” Madam Fan said as if it were a casual remark.

Han Li was inwardly shocked and couldn’t help but look at her.

At that moment, Madam Fan’s beautiful eyes met Han Li’s with a smiling gaze, a strange glint hidden within.

This enchantment expert of the Miaoyin Sect intended to take advantage of Han Li’s momentary shock to plant a seed deep in his mind, making it easier for him to gradually submit to her in the future.

As their eyes met, Han Li felt a strong, alluring charm in her gaze that drew him in, making him feel as if he were sinking into it, unable to break free.

“Charm technique!” Almost as his mind nearly slipped, the thought flashed through Han Li’s mind like lightning.

Instantly, Han Li’s heart turned cold, and his gaze suddenly became icy. The chilling intent in his eyes sent a shiver down Madam Fan’s spine, and her charm technique instantly failed.

Startled, Madam Fan tried to look away, but for some reason, her head from the neck up felt numb and rigid, unable to move even slightly. She couldn’t even open her mouth.

“Technique backlash!” The thought terrified her, and she desperately tried to break free from the counterforce of Han Li’s gaze.

“What are you doing to Vice Envoy Fan?” Elder Zhao, noticing something amiss with Madam Fan, flashed a cold glare and strode forward.

But a figure flickered before him. Qu Hun, expressionless, vanished from one side and reappeared in front of him. His movement was so eerie that the old man was startled, unsure whether to make a move.

Meanwhile, Madam Fan, after struggling several times without success, looked at Han Li with all traces of charm gone from her eyes, replaced by a pleading expression, hoping Han Li would show mercy.

“Hmph!” Han Li snorted coldly and finally withdrew the chilling intent from his eyes.

Immediately, the woman hurriedly averted her gaze as if granted a pardon. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but open her mouth and spit out a mouthful of blood, staining her light veil.

“Vice Envoy Fan, you…” Elder Zhao’s eyebrows shot up, and he glared furiously at Han Li, his beard and hair bristling as if ready to strike.

“Elder Zhao, don’t be angry! Senior Han showed mercy. This humble one merely suffered a minor qi and blood reversal. Spitting this blood has already made me feel better!” Madam Fan hurriedly stopped the old man’s impulsive move, forcing a smile as she spoke.

Hearing this, the old man’s expression eased slightly, and he returned to normal.

“I truly didn’t expect Senior to also be an expert in soul enchantment techniques! This humble one’s earlier probing was rather rash. I hope Senior won’t hold it against me. But I do know the whereabouts of a small section of ‘Heavenly Lightning Bamboo’.” The woman’s gaze still held a trace of fear as she looked at Han Li, afraid he would pursue the earlier incident, so she proactively brought up the matter.

“Heavenly Lightning Bamboo!” Han Li’s icy expression shifted upon hearing Madam Fan’s words.

“Heavenly Lightning Bamboo, one of the Three Divine Woods?” Han Li asked in disbelief, his voice tinged with excitement as he forgot to pursue the earlier matter. Although he had intended to use extraordinary bamboo to refine a magic treasure, he had never dared to hope for one of the Three Divine Woods. Weren’t they said to have long gone extinct?

“Yes, it is indeed Heavenly Lightning Bamboo! In fact, this humble one personally handled it. There’s no doubt it’s the real thing.” Madam Fan took out a small jade vial, swallowed a pill, and regained some spirit as she spoke with certainty.

“Has it already been sold to someone else?” Han Li stared at the woman, his voice turning cold again. At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder if this woman still hadn’t learned her lesson and was trying to use him as a pawn.

“No. We originally intended to hand it over to the Astral Sky City auction house for sale, but unexpectedly, it was robbed along with a large batch of our sect’s goods. However, our sect has already located these people’s hideout and is preparing to invite some fellow cultivators to wipe them out in one fell swoop!” Madam Fan hesitated for a moment before honestly explaining.