Han Li was somewhat surprised to hear such straightforward words from the beauty before him. However, he was no ordinary man either. Though a flicker of astonishment flashed across his face, he quickly composed himself and nodded, saying, “This Yinming Land is fraught with dangers and unexpected perils. Naturally, it would be best to restore my spiritual power as soon as possible so I can retrieve a few treasures. Otherwise, if something were to happen, we’d be caught unprepared.”
Mei Ning nodded without surprise at Han Li’s words, but as if recalling something, her face flushed slightly, and she lowered her voice to say, “The method of transferring spiritual energy… If my spiritual power were still intact, I could easily pass it to Brother Han through palm contact. But now that my spiritual power is sealed within my body, the only way to transfer it to you is… through mouth-to-mouth transmission.” As she uttered the words “mouth-to-mouth,” her head drooped, her voice becoming almost inaudible, and she even stuttered slightly.
Han Li was momentarily stunned, but seeing her bashful and alluring demeanor, his heart couldn’t help but race. The prospect of restoring his spiritual power while also receiving a fragrant kiss from such a beauty was an enticing opportunity he couldn’t resist. A peculiar feeling stirred in his heart, and the atmosphere in the room instantly turned ambiguous.
Seeing Mei Ning lower her head in silence, Han Li, despite his limited romantic experience, knew that expecting her to take the initiative was nearly impossible—especially since the two of them had no prior intimate relationship.
With this in mind, Han Li stood up without another word. In a flash, he appeared by the stone bed and sat down right beside her.
Mei Ning instinctively moved to shift away, but her slender waist was suddenly encircled by a strong arm, pulling her close.
Her heart pounded wildly as she lifted her head, only to meet Han Li’s teasing gaze. Blushing furiously, she tried to lower her head again, but Han Li raised a hand to cradle her delicate face, leaving her no escape. Mei Ning’s mind went blank, her thoughts scattering like mist. Han Li inhaled the faint fragrance emanating from her, captivated by the shyness and allure in her bright eyes. His gaze grew intense, and unable to restrain himself any longer, he leaned in and pressed his lips firmly against hers.
Warm, fragrant, even slightly sweet—it was a sensation that drove one to madness. Mei Ning’s beautiful eyes glazed over with a dazed vulnerability, but moments later, she abruptly snapped out of it, extending her delicate hands to push Han Li away.
Though she had mentally prepared herself for such intimacy, when the moment actually arrived, her shyness surged, and she instinctively resisted. After all, despite having many suitors, she had never been this close to a man before, leaving her utterly flustered.
Yet, with that single kiss, Han Li seemed to have tasted something exquisite, and his desire flared uncontrollably.
He roughly pinned her jade-like hands behind her back and pressed his body heavily against her soft, boneless frame, sending them both tumbling onto the stone bed. His mouth greedily sought the nectar of her lips.
Mei Ning’s strength was no match for Han Li’s. Under his forceful embrace, she quickly lost the ability to resist. After a feeble struggle, she eventually gave in, surrendering to fate. Enveloped in his overwhelming masculine presence, she closed her eyes, her cheeks flushed crimson, her long lashes trembling faintly—her mind was in complete disarray.
For a moment, she even forgot the original purpose of transferring spiritual energy.
However, Han Li’s mental fortitude far surpassed that of ordinary men. After a short while, the fiery madness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by his usual calm composure.
He reluctantly pulled his lips away from hers, tilting his head to whisper playfully into her exquisitely carved ear, “Miss Mei, as delightful as this is, let’s not forget the matter of transferring spiritual energy.”
At his words, Mei Ning trembled, her face turning even redder.
But when Han Li, now gentle instead of rough, kissed her again, a cool sensation finally flowed from her lips into his body.
Not daring to delay, Han Li quickly rose from her, sitting cross-legged nearby to circulate the newly acquired spiritual energy.
Mei Ning sat up as well, hurriedly straightening her disheveled robes, though the blush on her face lingered. She hesitated for a moment before stealing a glance at Han Li, who sat with his eyes closed, and for some reason, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Then, she slipped off the bed and walked over to sit in the chair Han Li had previously occupied, staring blankly at his serene face as he meditated, her expression a mix of hope and apprehension.
After what felt like an eternity, Han Li finally opened his eyes, meeting her troubled gaze. Startled, Mei Ning immediately averted her face, not daring to look at him any longer.
Amused by her flustered reaction, Han Li chuckled but quickly schooled his expression. He slapped his storage pouch, and one by one, items began appearing beside him in flashes of white light. Soon, a sizable pile had formed.
Among them were treasures as well as materials like demon beast tendons and hides—though it was unclear why Han Li had retrieved them.
“You can use spiritual power now!” Mei Ning, though confident in her spiritual energy, couldn’t help but exclaim in delight upon seeing Han Li open his storage pouch.
“The amount is minuscule—barely enough to cast even the simplest spell—but it’s sufficient to access the storage pouch,” Han Li replied with a smile, swiftly retrieving the items he needed. He then took out the unused ancient treasures—the golden mirror, flower basket, and silver bell—from his robes and stored them back into the pouch with a flick of his sleeve.
Mei Ning watched in mild bewilderment, eyeing the pile beside Han Li with a strange expression.
“Brother Han, I never asked—are you a Foundation Establishment cultivator?” she finally ventured, sensing something amiss.
“Of course not. I’m at the Core Formation stage,” Han Li answered frankly, seeing no reason to hide it now.
“What?!” Even though she had vaguely suspected it, Mei Ning couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment.
Han Li merely smiled, ignoring her suddenly awed gaze, and patted another spirit beast pouch. A flash of light later, a small monkey appeared before them—the Soulcrying Beast! Oddly enough, the previously lethargic creature perked up the moment it materialized, sniffing the air excitedly before hopping around Han Li with newfound energy.
This piqued Han Li’s interest.
Mei Ning, however, didn’t recognize this famed creature of the cultivation world, merely glancing at the monkey with mild curiosity.
“Miss Mei, wait here for a moment. While I still have some spiritual power left, I’ll take care of a few matters and return shortly,” Han Li said calmly.
“Matters?” She blinked in confusion.
Without elaborating, Han Li selected a few items from the pile and tucked them into his robes. Ignoring the rest, he walked to the door, pushed it open slightly, and peered outside.
The sky outside remained unchanged—evidently, this place had no distinction between day and night. However, judging by the lack of activity, it seemed most people had retired to their dwellings.
Han Li beckoned to the Soulcrying Beast, which promptly darted into his sleeve. With a final smile at Mei Ning, he strode out confidently, leaving the bewildered beauty alone in the room.
Outside, Han Li moved with remarkable agility, avoiding detection as much as possible. Soon, he stopped before a relatively large stone house. After a quick glance around, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Moments later, he emerged with a satisfied expression.
Inside, he had found a stock of the local specialty liquid, “Sinking Water.” Using several large empty bottles from his storage pouch, he filled them, taking away nearly half of the available supply before leaving.
As he rounded a corner and spotted a uniquely shaped round stone house, Han Li paused. If he remembered correctly, this was the residence of the middle-aged man surnamed Feng.
At that moment, he felt the faint trickle of spiritual power he had been able to manipulate begin to wane, its strength dwindling rapidly.
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