“Which Ningzhong could it be? Naturally, it’s the Feng family of Guanning. In Guanning Prefecture, they’re considered quite a formidable force,” Feng Yue replied without hesitation.
“Guanning Prefecture? Which state is that in?” Han Li narrowed his eyes.
“There are indeed several prefectures named Guanning across the Great Jin, but the Ningzhong Feng family exists only in Liaozhou’s Guanning Prefecture,” Feng Yue said, casting a peculiar glance at Han Li, seemingly surprised by his detailed questioning.
Han Li, however, simply nodded indifferently and didn’t press further about the Feng family. Instead, he pointed at the jade pendant and asked, “How did you obtain this? Does it have any special origin?”
“This Lingxia Pendant was passed down to me by my father as a token of the Feng family. Why do you ask, Fellow Daoist?” Feng Yue was visibly taken aback.
“A token? Does every Feng family disciple possess a top-grade magical artifact as a token?” Han Li glanced sideways at the young man, skepticism evident in his tone.
“Of course not. The entire Feng family only has three or four such tokens. Only direct bloodline disciples can possess them,” Feng Yue shook his head.
“So, your status in the Feng family must be quite high.”
“I am the eldest son of the main branch. If nothing unexpected happened, I should have taken over the Feng family in a few decades,” Feng Yue said, his lips twitching slightly, a flash of pain crossing his eyes.
Hearing this, Han Li realized his suspicions were correct—this man was indeed entangled in serious trouble, and it seemed the Feng family itself had fallen into some crisis. Since it didn’t concern him, Han Li didn’t press further. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the young man and asked the question he most wanted answered.
“What is the relationship between your Feng family and the Buddhist sects of the Great Jin? Don’t claim ignorance. Since this token is imbued with such profound Buddhist spiritual light, there must be some connection.”
“The Buddhist sects do have some ties with our Feng family. One of our ancestors was once a lay disciple of the Qianguang Temple in Guanning, which itself is a branch of the Golden Luo Sect, one of the major Buddhist sects. Our Feng family originally practiced Buddhist techniques. However, after the Qianguang Temple relocated from Liaozhou centuries ago and returned to its main sect, our family switched to Confucian cultivation methods,” Feng Yue replied after a brief hesitation, speaking frankly without concealment.
Han Li inwardly rejoiced. Though he had never heard of the Qianguang Temple, the Golden Luo Sect was indeed one of the four great Buddhist sects of the Great Jin. It seemed the Feng family had once practiced orthodox Buddhist techniques.
“Do you know all of these Buddhist techniques?” Han Li pressed further.
“I had no intention of practicing Buddhist techniques, so why would I memorize them? However, our Feng family still preserves the cultivation methods for these techniques,” Feng Yue answered after a moment of hesitation. By now, he had realized that this enigmatic man before him seemed particularly interested in Buddhist techniques, which puzzled him.
After all, while Buddhist techniques were renowned for their immense power in later stages, their slow and demanding cultivation process was infamous in the Great Jin’s cultivation world. Few willingly chose to practice them.
“Han boy, ask him what realm that ancestor of theirs reached and whether he cultivated a Sariras. Only those who have cultivated a Sariras can master methods to dispel killing intent,” the Great Divination Elder suddenly reminded him.
Before coming to the Great Jin, Han Li had already read about Sariras in ancient texts.
Sariras were unique to Buddhist practitioners—some manifested them during the Core Formation stage, others only during the Nascent Soul stage, seemingly without any fixed pattern. To non-Buddhist cultivators, they remained a mysterious phenomenon.
However, one thing was certain: many advanced Buddhist techniques and divine abilities required the cultivation of a Sariras before they could be practiced or unleashed. Thus, even if cultivators from other sects far surpassed Buddhist practitioners in cultivation, they still treated those with Sariras with great caution.
Han Li nodded inwardly and calmly posed the same question to Feng Yue.
“Sariras? Indeed, that ancestor of mine did cultivate one. If not for his limited aptitude in other areas preventing him from breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, he might not have grown disillusioned and founded the Ningzhong Feng family,” Feng Yue replied, frowning slightly.
Han Li’s spirits lifted. It seemed luck was on his side—perhaps he wouldn’t even need to venture deep into the Great Jin to find a method to dispel his killing intent.
With this thought, Han Li smiled faintly, his expression softening. “Now, I have one last question. Answer this, and we’re done.”
“Fellow Daoist, feel free to ask whatever you wish!” Feng Yue forced a smile.
“You’re only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Why would someone use a rare poison like Bitter Venom against you? In some ways, the Ten Ultimate Poisons are even more valuable than rare pills. If he intended to capture you alive, he wouldn’t have used this poison. But if he wanted to kill you outright, given his Core Formation cultivation, it would’ve been unnecessary.” Han Li slowly voiced the question lingering in his mind.
“Ah, this matter. Fellow Daoist, you may not know, but that old traitor Feng Zhen was originally a rogue demonic cultivator taken in by our Feng family. Years ago, he offended a powerful figure and was hunted down. To save his life, he willingly became a servant of the Feng family, even changing his name. At the time, my grandfather was still alive, and the Feng family was prosperous enough to offer him shelter. Later, he was sent here to handle trade between the Feng family and some tribes of the Uptala people. I came here intending to find him, but little did I know he had secretly pledged allegiance to the Kong family and lured me here. As for the Bitter Venom, it was because he had long been subjected to a secret technique of the Feng family—any direct descendant above Foundation Establishment could suppress his cultivation. If he hadn’t ambushed me with the poison, I wouldn’t have been rendered powerless,” Feng Yue explained, his face darkening at the mention.
“I see. It’s said Bitter Venom is invisible and odorless, instantly incapacitating low-level cultivators upon contact. The Kong family must be your Feng family’s sworn enemy,” Han Li mused, tilting his head slightly.
“Exactly. The Kong, Zhang, Jin, and our Feng families are the four major cultivation clans of Guanning Prefecture. We’ve always kept to ourselves, but in recent years, as the Feng family weakened slightly, the Kong family suddenly allied with the other two and launched a covert attack on us.” Feng Yue’s expression twisted with hatred.
As a young master of a prominent family, now exiled to foreign grasslands and facing imminent death, his resentment toward these three clans ran deep.
“I have no interest in the disputes between your clans, but your answers satisfy me. Now, let’s discuss the Haoyuan Pills. I don’t have many left—perhaps a dozen or so—enough to sustain you for another ten days. However, each pill is worth several thousand spirit stones. Can you truly afford them?” Han Li said coolly.
“Several thousand spirit stones!” Even though he had braced himself, Feng Yue was still shocked—that was equivalent to the price of a top-grade magical artifact.
“Fine, I’ll buy them,” Feng Yue gritted his teeth and agreed.
“You have tens of thousands of spirit stones on you?” Han Li raised an eyebrow, eyeing the young man with a faintly mocking smile. He doubted the other carried such wealth.
“I don’t have that many spirit stones, but I can offer this key to the Feng family’s secret vault as collateral.” Feng Yue yanked a silver key from around his neck and handed it over without hesitation, as if he had already considered this.
“The Feng family’s secret vault?” Han Li stared at the key without immediately taking it, knowing the other would explain.
“Indeed, this is the only artifact capable of opening our family’s secret vault, which has accumulated treasures over a millennium. As the eldest grandson of the main branch, I was entrusted with this key when the family fell into chaos. Though I’ve never been there myself, its contents are undoubtedly worth far more than tens of thousands of spirit stones,” Feng Yue stated calmly.
“Using this as collateral? How can I verify its authenticity? Even if it’s real, by handing it over, are you abandoning any hope of the Feng family’s resurgence?” Han Li’s expression remained unreadable.
“Resurgence? From what I know, apart from me, the only others who escaped were servants and peripheral disciples. I’m the last direct descendant left. Otherwise, I would’ve gathered the remaining family members instead of fleeing alone to the grasslands. If I die, the Feng bloodline ends, and the vault will eventually fall into the Kong family’s hands. So, I might as well use it to save my life. If I fail to cure this poison within ten days, the vault is yours—better that than letting the Kong family claim it. Moreover, the Buddhist techniques you seek are also stored there,” Feng Yue said grimly.
Han Li fell silent, contemplating for a long while before speaking evenly, “Very well, you may exchange this key for the pills. But first, you must cooperate with me in verifying the authenticity of the key and the Buddhist techniques through a soul search. Otherwise, I’d rather forgo the vault than be deceived.”
“Soul search? Isn’t that a Nascent Soul-level technique? How can you—” Feng Yue paled, fear flashing in his eyes.
“Forced soul searches do require Nascent Soul cultivation, but if the subject cooperates, it’s far simpler. Moreover, my technique differs from ordinary soul searches. Though a Foundation Establishment cultivator can’t probe complex memories, discerning truth from falsehood is effortless,” Han Li said, his lips curling slightly to reveal gleaming white teeth.
Seeing Han Li’s expression, Feng Yue shuddered inwardly. As a scion of a noble family, he knew the horrors of soul searches and would never agree under normal circumstances. But glancing at his blackened hands and considering the alternative, he resigned himself to his fate.
“Fine, I’ll cooperate. But you may only probe matters related to the vault and the Buddhist techniques—nothing else. I won’t open myself fully to you,” Feng Yue clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and declared resolutely.
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