Hearing the woman’s cry, Han Li was taken aback and instinctively turned his gaze toward her, halting his sword light.
“Are you a disciple of the Mystic Yin Sect?” Han Li asked calmly.
The woman appeared to be in her twenties, with a face as smooth as warm jade and skin as fair as snow. Her delicate, flower-like features were filled with pleasant surprise, making her look utterly enchanting.
“Disciple Wen Siyue pays her respects to Elder Han!” The exceedingly charming young woman quickly flew to Han Li’s side and bowed respectfully. Her chest was firm, her hips full, and her figure exquisitely graceful. As she spoke in her delicate voice, an intoxicating fragrance wafted from her.
Han Li, however, remained expressionless as he looked her up and down before leisurely asking, “How do you know me? Have we met before?” He was slightly puzzled, certain that this was their first encounter.
“Elder Han may not be aware, but though I have never had the honor of meeting you in person, the sect leader long ago hung portraits of the elders in the Hall of Worship. We see them every time we visit the main hall,” the beautiful young woman replied respectfully.
Hearing this, Han Li was first stunned, then inwardly amused. He hadn’t expected the three women of the Mystic Yin Sect to go to such lengths. No doubt this was their way of publicly announcing that he had become an elder of their sect!
Though inwardly annoyed, Han Li showed no sign of it on his face. Instead, he suddenly turned to the middle-aged man beside them and said with a smile, “Brother Wen, it’s been many years. How have you been?”
The middle-aged man had worn a strange expression since Han Li’s appearance, and now his face grew even more complex. His gaze at Han Li seemed to mix both envy and self-abasement.
“I never expected Senior Han to still recognize me. Even after seeing your portrait in the Mystic Yin Sect, it took me a long time to believe it. Congratulations on achieving Core Formation,” he said, his lips twitching into a bitter smile.
This middle-aged man was none other than the young cultivator Wen Qiang, whom Han Li had met twice on Turtle Spirit Island.
Though his features still vaguely resembled those of his youth, the once fair and scholarly young man now had graying temples and a face weathered by time, clearly approaching old age.
“Brother Wen, there’s no need for such formalities. We were acquainted once, so let’s speak as equals,” Han Li said with a smile.
With a single glance, he could tell that the other was still only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, with no hope of ever reaching Core Formation. The thought of that once vibrant young man reduced to such a state filled Han Li with a sigh of regret.
In truth, even if Wen Siyue hadn’t called out to him, he would have stopped. Thanks to his photographic memory, though their interactions had been brief, he had recognized Wen Qiang in the instant he flew past. The man had left a favorable impression on him back then, so Han Li naturally wouldn’t stand by and watch him die.
Wen Qiang, however, repeatedly declined the offer of informal address, leaving Han Li with no choice but to let him have his way.
Meanwhile, the young woman beside them listened to their exchange with wide-eyed astonishment.
Just as she was about to ask something, Han Li suddenly turned his head and coldly addressed the opposite side: “Where do you three think you’re going? Did I say you could leave?”
The three cultivators on the other side had been terrified ever since Han Li, a Core Formation expert, arrived. Seeing that he seemed entirely preoccupied with his conversation, they had cautiously begun to retreat, hoping to escape unnoticed.
Now, at Han Li’s words, their faces turned pale. After exchanging glances, they immediately split up and fled in three different directions on their artifacts. As they sped away, they summoned colorful defensive magic tools and various protective barriers around themselves.
“Hmph! Seeking death!” Han Li snorted coldly, his expression turning icy as he raised his hand and lightly flicked his fingers. Three dazzling green sword lights shot out, vanishing and reappearing behind the three cultivators in an instant.
With a series of muffled *thuds*, their magical instruments and protective barriers shattered like paper under the bowl-sized sword radiance. Almost simultaneously, agonized screams erupted as the three cultivators and their artifacts disintegrated into specks of shimmering light, vanishing without a trace.
Witnessing Han Li effortlessly eliminate the three Venom Dragon Sect cultivators, Wen Siyue and Wen Qiang were visibly shaken, their eyes filled with newfound awe and fear.
Han Li himself nodded inwardly with satisfaction. The three Green Origin Sword Radiance beams might have seemed unremarkable, but they contained a significant amount of his spiritual power. Their ability to instantly kill Foundation Establishment cultivators pleased him. It seemed that as his cultivation advanced, the Green Origin Sword Radiance would remain a formidable technique.
“By the way, both you and Brother Wen share the surname Wen. Could it be that…” Han Li seemed to recall something and suddenly turned back to ask Wen Qiang.
Wen Qiang looked slightly embarrassed at the question and replied, “Please don’t laugh, Senior Han. Siyue is my daughter.”
Han Li was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. “Then I must congratulate you, Brother Wen! Fellow Daoist Siyue is already at the Foundation Establishment stage at such a young age. Perhaps she, too, will achieve Core Formation in the future?”
Hearing this, Wen Qiang’s face lit up with pride. “To be honest, Senior Han, Siyue is indeed my pride. She achieved Foundation Establishment in just over twenty years, and I have high hopes for her. I’ve reached my limit, but I hope she can go further than I ever could.”
As he spoke, Wen Qiang looked at the young woman with tender affection, while Wen Siyue lowered her head in bashfulness.
Han Li smiled and glanced at the young woman again, nodding slightly. Wen Siyue’s aptitude was indeed exceptional.
Afterward, Wen Qiang and Han Li briefly shared their experiences over the years.
Though they weren’t particularly close, unexpectedly meeting an old acquaintance after so long was a pleasant surprise. In high spirits, Han Li chatted with him a while longer.
From Wen Qiang’s account, Han Li learned of the fairly typical life of an ordinary cultivator in the Scattered Star Seas.
Not long after parting ways with Han Li, Wen Qiang’s master had reached the end of his lifespan and passed away. After decades on Turtle Spirit Island, Wen Qiang barely managed to achieve Foundation Establishment. He then began wandering between various islands, during which time he caught the eye of a female disciple of the Mystic Yin Sect and joined the sect as an external affairs disciple.
From then on, he handled miscellaneous tasks for the Mystic Yin Sect. Later, Wen Siyue was born, but his wife fell ill and passed away shortly after. Deeply attached to his wife, he never remarried and raised Wen Siyue alone, naturally leading her to also become a disciple of the Mystic Yin Sect.
Hearing this, Han Li sighed softly.
His own experiences were far simpler—aside from cultivation, there was little to tell, which left him somewhat rueful.
Eventually, Han Li asked why the father and daughter had been fighting others here. At this question, Wen Qiang’s face darkened with anger, while Wen Siyue’s expression turned somber.
Han Li found this puzzling.
After a moment’s hesitation, Wen Qiang slowly explained.
After Wen Siyue came of age, she married a young cultivator who seemed to have a bright future ahead, becoming his cultivation partner. Unfortunately, the young man was short-lived and died unexpectedly in a duel with another cultivator shortly after their marriage, leaving her a widow.
As a lone widow with innate charm, Wen Siyue naturally attracted the attention of several male disciples within the sect. However, still grieving her husband’s recent death, she had no intention of remarrying anytime soon and politely declined several offers to become cultivation partners. Unintentionally, she offended some higher-ups in the Mystic Yin Sect.
As a result, Wen Siyue was assigned a dangerous and arduous task: escorting a batch of valuable goods through territory controlled by the Venom Dragon Sect, long-time rivals of the Mystic Yin Sect.
As her father, Wen Qiang couldn’t stand by idly and accompanied her on the mission. Somehow, information that should have been highly confidential was leaked to the Venom Dragon Sect. Pursued and cornered, the father and daughter were finally caught here by three Venom Dragon Sect cultivators and forced into a desperate fight.
Had Han Li not happened to pass by, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
After listening to Wen Qiang’s furious account, Han Li stroked his chin and remained silent for a long time. He could sense the underlying plea in Wen Qiang’s words, hoping Han Li would intervene on their behalf.
However, this was only one side of the story. He wasn’t about to meddle in the affairs of the Mystic Yin Sect without careful consideration, simply because of a slight past acquaintance.
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