Fairy Violet Spirit noticed Han Li’s doubtful expression but offered no explanation. Instead, she glanced at Qu Hun and said with a charming smile, “This Senior Qu is your external incarnation, isn’t he?”
Her words caused Han Li to pause, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he stared at her for a long moment before asking coldly, “How did you know, Miss Violet Spirit?”
“Hehe! There’s no need for surprise, Senior. Our sect also has a method for refining incarnations, but it’s too costly and has a very low success rate, which is why few in our sect practice it. However, your incarnation is quite unique! Normally, an incarnation’s cultivation is much lower than the cultivator’s, yet Senior Han’s incarnation has also reached the early Core Formation stage. That’s truly remarkable!” Fairy Violet Spirit chuckled lightly, her bright eyes sparkling.
“Since you’ve already seen through it, Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit, I have nothing to hide. But why aren’t the other two fellow daoists here?” Han Li’s expression softened as he admitted it, then glanced around and asked. To him, Qu Hun’s identity as an incarnation being discovered was only a matter of time, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.
“Please sit first, Senior! My two senior sisters have gone to the market to buy some things and are also looking to purchase a cave residence in Heavenly Star City to settle down long-term,” the young woman gracefully invited Han Li to sit and explained softly.
“What? The three of you aren’t planning to return to the Mystical Yin Sect?” Han Li frowned slightly after sitting down, a bit puzzled.
“Return to the Mystical Yin Sect? How could we dare! Since we’ve made a great enemy of the Extreme Yin Island, and with two of our sect’s elders having betrayed us, returning would either mean falling back into the hands of those demons or being swallowed up by other small to medium-sized forces taking advantage of the situation. We’ve decided to temporarily relocate the Mystical Yin Sect to Heavenly Star City. After all, our sect has some savings from over the years,” Fairy Violet Spirit sighed and said with a bitter smile.
“Oh!” Han Li nodded silently and said nothing more. He wasn’t particularly close to them, so he naturally wouldn’t show excessive concern.
Fairy Violet Spirit didn’t seem to mind Han Li’s reaction. Instead, she stood up and poured him a cup of fragrant tea before saying reservedly, “When we sisters escaped the intercepted corpse refiners, we happened to see from afar that you had also subdued the corpse refiners, so we knew you were safe as well. Later, Senior Sister Fan mentioned that you intervened to help because of the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo. So, I had Senior Sister Fan send a message talisman to invite you here for a discussion.”
Fairy Violet Spirit briefly explained the situation.
“The message talisman said that Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit still has the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo. Is that true? Wasn’t it taken by the people from Extreme Yin Island?” Not interested in beating around the bush, Han Li directly asked about what concerned him most.
Hearing Han Li’s straightforward question, a hint of amusement flashed in Fairy Violet Spirit’s large eyes. She replied in a smooth, pleasant voice, “Senior, you’re very direct. In that case, I won’t keep you in suspense. Initially, what our Mystical Yin Sect obtained from that minor sect’s successor wasn’t one section of Heavenly Lightning Bamboo but two. However, to fetch a higher price, my mother split the bamboo in two, taking only the upper half and leaving the section with the roots with me. If you want it, Senior, I can give it to you.”
Han Li was overjoyed inwardly, but he didn’t show any excitement on his face. Instead, he gave her a meaningful look and asked in a deep voice, “Give it to me? There’s no need for such empty words, Miss Violet Spirit. Since you used this item to invite me here, just state your conditions. I’ll consider them.”
Fairy Violet Spirit was slightly taken aback. Her smile gradually faded as she pondered for a moment before saying seriously, “Actually, the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo is useless to the current Mystical Yin Sect. Given the kindness you showed us last time, it’s only right to give it to you. However, our sect has undergone sudden major changes, and with our current strength, we simply can’t support a sect as large as the Mystical Yin Sect. Therefore, I would like to offer this bamboo, along with three hundred spirit stones annually, to hire you as our sect’s guest elder. I hope you won’t refuse!”
“Guest elder?” Han Li’s expression changed slightly. He never expected her to make such a request.
“In addition to the conditions mentioned above, if you need an excellent dual cultivation cauldron for your practice, our sect can also select an outstanding female disciple to give to you as a concubine,” Fairy Violet Spirit added generously.
This condition didn’t elicit any unusual expression from Han Li. With the assistance of various spirit pills, he had no interest in the meager spiritual power gained through dual cultivation.
However, the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo was different. It was likely a rare opportunity he might not come across again.
After some thought, Han Li said cautiously, “This condition won’t work. I’ve long been accustomed to acting alone and can’t stand the constraints of a sect. Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit, please propose another condition. How about I offer to buy it at thirty percent above the market price?”
“Senior, you must be joking. A top-tier material like one of the Three Divine Woods doesn’t have a fixed market price. In the hands of a cultivator who can’t use it, it’s worthless, but to a cultivator practicing wood-attribute techniques, it’s likely priceless,” Fairy Violet Spirit replied, not surprised by Han Li’s refusal. She smilingly rejected his offer to buy it with spirit stones.
Han Li frowned deeply. It seemed this woman knew how much he wanted the item and wouldn’t easily let it go.
The feeling of being coerced by someone who had leverage over him was very uncomfortable. However, he would never join the Mystical Yin Sect and be at their beck and call just for a section of Heavenly Lightning Bamboo.
Just as Han Li was considering whether to give up on the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo and look for other materials to refine his magic treasure, the young woman across from him proposed a compromise.
“Since you’re unwilling to be constrained, Senior, how about becoming our sect’s nominal elder? You would enjoy the benefits of an elder without having to actually follow the orders of our sect leader. Our sect would, at the very least, be able to use your reputation as a Core Formation cultivator for self-protection. What do you think of that, Senior?”
“Nominal elder?” Han Li showed a stunned expression upon hearing Fairy Violet Spirit’s straightforward words.
“If the Mystical Yin Sect encounters a powerful enemy, I wouldn’t have to intervene?” he asked doubtfully, a look of disbelief on his face.
“If our sect truly encounters trouble or genuinely needs your help, you can decide whether to agree or not, and we sisters will express our gratitude separately afterward!” she replied without hesitation, as if she had already considered this.
“Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit! If I understand correctly, you only want to use my reputation as a Core Formation cultivator to bolster the Mystical Yin Sect’s prestige and prevent other ill-intentioned forces from causing trouble while the sect is at its weakest. And when you spread the word, all I need to do is not publicly deny it. Is that right?” Han Li lowered his head in thought for a moment before looking up and asking slowly.
“Senior Han is exactly right! When the time comes, we will also announce that your incarnation is a Core Formation cultivator. This way, we can mitigate the severe impact of Elders Zhao and Meng’s betrayal,” the young woman said with a slight smile, looking confident.
“If those are the conditions, I can agree! However, in front of other cultivators, I won’t actively acknowledge being your sect’s elder, and don’t expect me to put on a show for your sect. How you convince others that I’ve become your sect’s elder is entirely up to you.”
After some consideration, Han Li saw no downside for himself and, driven by his desire for the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo, finally agreed.
“Alright! As long as you don’t deny it when the time comes, we sisters will naturally handle everything else!” the young woman said joyfully, her face radiant.
Since they had reached an agreement, Fairy Violet Spirit didn’t drag things out. She took out a strange box from her person and placed it on the table. The box was strange because it was neither wood nor metal, nor did it seem to be made of jade. It was semi-transparent and covered with a faint blue glow.
Noticing Han Li’s curious expression, Fairy Violet Spirit softly explained, “This box is made from something called Paste Jade. Although its name includes ‘jade,’ it’s not actually jade and doesn’t belong to the five elements. Only this material can preserve the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo for a long time without fear of spiritual energy leakage.”
Han Li nodded. Since he had never heard of “Paste Jade” before, it must be an extremely rare and precious material.
Next, Fairy Violet Spirit extended a jade-like finger, and a green light the size of a soybean appeared at its tip.
Without hesitation, she lightly tapped the box’s lid. The green light met the blue glow on the box, producing a faint crackling sound. The glow immediately vanished, and the lid slowly opened on its own.
Han Li perked up, eagerly focusing his attention on the box’s contents.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage