Upon hearing this, Han Li’s face flushed slightly.
“If it’s just delivering a letter, this junior can agree to it.” Since it was a trivial matter, he naturally wouldn’t refuse again.
The woman seemed very pleased with his response. Without further words, she raised her hand, and the black box floated steadily toward Han Li, supported by a green glow.
Han Li reached out and took the box. A sweep of his spiritual sense revealed an abundance of spiritual energy inside—it truly seemed to be the Spirit Eye Jade. Given his cautious nature, he naturally wanted to inspect it personally before accepting it.
With a flash of cyan light from his hand, he lightly tapped the lid of the box, and it opened automatically. Inside, a pure and refreshing spiritual energy instantly filled the stone chamber.
Han Li’s heart stirred, and he peered curiously into the box.
Amidst the soft white glow, a piece of white jade, several inches in size, shimmered continuously.
To Han Li’s astonishment, within the translucent jade, a thumb-sized green calf was wagging its tail and shaking its head, appearing incredibly lifelike.
Seeing this, Han Li’s expression turned to one of shock.
“Well? This Spirit Eye Jade of mine is a treasure on the verge of birthing a manifested form—far beyond any ordinary Spirit Eye Stone. Cultivating with it will undoubtedly yield twice the results with half the effort.” The woman, noticing Han Li’s stunned expression, flashed a strange glint in her bright eyes before chuckling lightly.
“Indeed. With this treasure, this junior wouldn’t need decades—just over ten years—to reach the False Infant stage.” Han Li examined the Spirit Eye Jade in the box a few more times before finally closing the lid and lifting his head calmly.
Only then did he realize that the Snow Cloud Fox must have absorbed the spiritual energy of the Spirit Eye Jade, which explained its faint aura of purity. Its evolution into a demon fox was likely also closely tied to this treasure.
Han Li’s composed demeanor, however, made the woman pause slightly. She was somewhat surprised and couldn’t help but scrutinize him more deeply.
“Very well, the treasure is now yours. Take this jade slip as well. Behind the stone platform I’m sitting on, there’s another jade box with a sealing talisman. Remove the talisman and hand the box to me. Inside is a token that you’ll also need to deliver.” The woman casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and spoke in a light, indifferent tone.
“You want this junior to retrieve something for you?” Han Li was taken aback, his face showing suspicion as he grew wary.
“Hmph! Afraid this old woman will harm you? If I could get it myself, I wouldn’t need your help.” The woman snorted coldly, displeased. Then, with a flick of her hand, she lifted the hem of her long skirt.
What Han Li saw next made his expression change drastically.
Two emaciated legs, no thicker than an infant’s arm, were crossed beneath her. They were nothing but dry skin and bone, devoid of any flesh, appearing ghastly and horrifying. But what shocked Han Li even more were the several silver-white crystalline chains wrapped around her legs—one end piercing through her bones, the other buried deep beneath the stone platform.
Han Li licked his lips and looked up at the woman. Though his face was full of doubt, he didn’t ask anything. He knew she would explain.
Sure enough, though her expression remained frosty, the woman spoke in a dry tone after lowering her skirt:
“I built this stone chamber from azurite and bound my own feet with these chains for one purpose—to imprison myself.”
“Imprison yourself?” Han Li was stunned, unable to comprehend.
“Indeed. The ‘Shadow Slaughter Art’ I cultivate is unlike ordinary techniques. Though it grants rapid progress and immense power, it has a fatal flaw—once mastered, it drives the cultivator to lose control, becoming bloodthirsty and violent. Back then, due to a stroke of fortune, I believed my will and spiritual sense surpassed my peers, so I ignored warnings and practiced it. But after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, I could no longer restrain myself and went on a rampage, stirring chaos in the cultivation world and making many enemies. Eventually, several Nascent Soul cultivators joined forces to severely injure me and cripple one of my arms.”
The woman turned her head slightly, glancing at the empty space where her missing arm should have been, her face expressionless.
“After recovering, I realized that if I continued like this, my demise was inevitable. So, in desperation, I asked my kin to forge the Heavenly Fire Chain and this azurite chamber to trap myself here. Fearing I might regret my decision and break free, I entrusted the chain’s key to a close friend, agreeing they would check on me periodically. Only if I improved would they release me.”
As she spoke, her expression darkened.
“But unexpectedly, after a few visits, my friend vanished without a trace. Whether they met misfortune or something else happened, I was left trapped here indefinitely. The azurite blocks my spiritual sense, limiting it to just a few hundred feet outside. Even at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, I couldn’t call for help. The Heavenly Fire Chain is bound to my soul—if I forcibly break it with my cultivation, I’ll die instantly. Now that you’ve arrived by chance, it seems the heavens have taken pity. This old woman won’t have to wait for death in this chamber any longer.”
The woman finished her tale in one breath, revealing her origins to dispel Han Li’s doubts.
After hearing her story, Han Li was dumbfounded. If true, her experiences were truly extraordinary.
But after a moment of thought, he still asked hesitantly:
“Senior, are you asking me to deliver a letter to that friend of yours? After so many years, the likelihood of them still being alive is slim.”
“Exactly. Deliver the letter and retrieve the key to the Heavenly Fire Chain. As for whether they’re alive—don’t worry. We agreed that if anything happened, they’d pass the key to their descendants. If you can’t find my friend, seek their heirs.” The woman sighed, wearing a bitter smile.
Han Li pondered again and found her reasoning sound. Seeing no flaws, he said no more and stepped forward, circling around the stone platform. There, he found a deep recess.
After cautiously probing with his spiritual sense, he reached in and retrieved a jade box.
The box was antique, slightly yellowed, and carved with an intricate flame pattern. Within the flames, a humanoid figure seemed to be roaring at the sky.
On the box’s surface was a golden talisman, exuding an aura that made Han Li uneasy.
He frowned subconsciously.
“That’s it. Tear off the talisman and hand me the box,” the woman urged eagerly, her voice trembling slightly.
Han Li had been about to remove the talisman when he noticed her impatience. A sense of unease rose in his heart.
Hesitating, he withdrew his hand and looked up at the woman—only to freeze in shock.
Her eyes had turned an eerie green, her face twisted into a ferocious expression, completely devoid of her earlier dignified demeanor.
Realizing she’d been noticed, the woman quickly suppressed her agitation and forced a calm tone:
“Why are you staring at me, Fellow Daoist Han? Just remove the talisman and give me the box. Have you forgotten I’ve already entrusted you with the Spirit Eye Jade—a treasure beyond compare? What reason do you have to hesitate now?”
Han Li glanced at her, then down at the tightly sealed box. Without a word, he narrowed his eyes and slowly walked toward her, holding the box.
“Fellow Daoist Han! What are you doing? Stop—don’t come any closer!” The woman, previously composed, panicked at the sight of him approaching with the talisman-sealed box, her voice sharp with alarm.
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