Chapter 125: Arrangements

"Time? Place?" Xi Xi Tie Niu was stunned upon hearing this, seemingly having no impression. But seeing Han Li so serious, he knew this was the key to whether he could earn merit, so he lowered his head and pondered deeply.

Half a quarter of an hour later...

"I've got it!" Xi Xi Tie Niu suddenly raised his head and shouted, his face full of joy.

"I remember the female immortal said that before attending the Immortal Assembly, she wanted the male immortal to accompany her to a place called Tainan Valley. It seems there were other immortals there too."

"Tainan Valley?" Han Li whispered the name twice, but had no impression of it in his mind. It seemed he had never heard of this place.

Han Li turned his gaze toward Sun Ergou. If there was such a place locally, this local snake should know something about it, so he asked casually.

"Jiayuan City doesn't have such a place! If there were such a mountain valley, I would definitely remember it clearly." Sun Ergou frowned and shook his head repeatedly.

"Are you sure you didn't misremember?" Han Li turned his gaze back to Xi Xi Tie Niu, his tone becoming somewhat cold.

"Absolutely not. The woman also said that after traveling for another half-day, they would be able to meet her friends at Tainan Valley." Xi Xi Tie Niu hurriedly swore to the heavens.

"Half a day's journey! If it were on foot, it wouldn't have left the vicinity of Jiayuan City. But these two were traveling on a flying beast, so the range would be much larger, but it shouldn't exceed the borders of Lanzhou." Han Li pondered secretly.

"Do you two know if there is any place called Tainan Valley or Tainan in all of Lanzhou?" Han Li's expression softened as he asked the two.

Sun Ergou and Xi Xi Tie Niu looked at each other and shouted almost simultaneously:

"Tainan Temple!"

"Tainan Mountain!"

"There are two places called Tainan?" Han Li was stunned, feeling a bit of a headache.

"Young Master! No, it's just one place!" Sun Ergou rushed to answer.

"The Tainan Temple is built on Tainan Mountain." Xi Xi Tie Niu added.

"Oh! That's great. It seems the Tainan Valley should be located there." Han Li said easily.

"But Young Master, we have never heard of any Tainan Valley near Tainan Mountain! Could it be a mistake?" Sun Ergou reminded him suspiciously.

Han Li chuckled upon hearing this: "It can't be wrong; this must be the place!"

"You aren't cultivators, so naturally, you wouldn't know about this place. I estimate that this should be the long-term residence of some cultivators." Han Li thought excitedly.

"Where exactly is this Tainan Mountain located?" After the excitement, Han Li realized he hadn't figured out where this place was, so he asked casually.

"Young Master, Tainan Mountain is in the southernmost part of Lanzhou, forty miles west of Guanggui City." Sun Ergou answered respectfully.

"Southern Lanzhou?" Han Li frowned. It was in the complete opposite direction from the Overlord Mountain Villa he was going to assassinate, so it seemed he would have to make a few more trips.

"Sun Ergou, after you go back, let Xi Xi Tie Niu be the Deputy Leader of the Stunning Dragon Society. I know you aren't very happy about it, but since I promised this person, I must fulfill it." Han Li instructed Sun Ergou.

"I wouldn't dare. Whatever you say, Young Master, I will do. I won't have half a word of complaint!" Sun Ergou was startled upon hearing this, and remembering what Han Li had told him at the beginning, his face turned even paler.

"Don't worry, I know whether you are loyal or not. This bottle is an antidote that can completely remove the poison from your body, leaving you with no future worries. This is also something I promised you beforehand; I treat everyone equally and won't deceive you." Han Li took out a bottle of pills and handed it to Sun Ergou.

Sun Ergou was overjoyed upon seeing this. The poison of the "Rotting Heart Pill" had always made him unable to eat or sleep well, so being able to remove it completely made him very excited.

"Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Young Master! I will definitely be loyal to you, Young Master, until death!" Sun Ergou took the bottle and said these words sincerely.

Han Li nodded noncommittally.

The main reason he gave Sun Ergou the antidote so readily was that he felt it was too troublesome to give him the antidote every month! And he was about to be far away from Jiayuan City for a period of time. Since it was so troublesome, he might as well remove it completely. Of course, if the two of them really had any intention of betrayal in the future, Han Li wouldn't mind killing them immediately and replacing them with someone else.

Moreover, Han Li, who had no immediate use for the Stunning Dragon Society, had prepared to use it as one of his "cunning rabbit's three burrows" as a retreat.

Han Li understood very well that there was no such thing as loyalty without reason, nor was there betrayal without reason. Controlling the other party with violence was the most effective but also the lowest-level method of governance, as there was always the possibility of the other party's backlash. Therefore, if he wanted the other party to be loyal for a long time, the method of combining kindness with severity was the best.

That was why Han Li's decision to detoxify the other party could greatly increase Sun Ergou's loyalty for a long time, and it could also establish his image as a leader who kept his word, rewarded merit, and punished mistakes in front of him and Xi Xi Tie Niu, which was beneficial for Han Li's long-term control over the two.

These were Han Li's thoughts after secretly pondering.

Han Li looked at Sun Ergou after he took the antidote and suddenly said something that left him both surprised and happy.

"I will leave Qu Hun in your care for a long time, but you are absolutely not allowed to use it to stir up trouble. You must know that although Qu Hun is very powerful, there are many more strange people in this world, and you might end up inviting a fatal disaster upon yourself instead. Do you understand!" Han Li said sternly.

"Yes, I understand. I will definitely settle Qu Hun properly, Young Master, please rest assured." Sun Ergou nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice.

"If it weren't for the fact that I no longer need Qu Hun's personal protection, and his appearance is too eye-catching to be convenient for my long journey, I wouldn't have handed him over to this person to look after!" Han Li sighed and shook his head secretly, feeling a bit reluctant.

"Both of you, take care of yourselves. Go down now! You don't need to see me for a while; I am going on a long journey and don't know when I will return." Han Li waved his hand lightly, telling them to leave.

Sun Ergou and Xi Xi Tie Niu retreated respectfully from the room, leaving Han Li alone to ponder.

"What kind of cultivators are in this Tainan Valley? If I visit them, will there be any impropriety, or will I encounter any danger?" Han Li thought blankly. At this moment, he drifted away, entering a state of self-forgetfulness...

Time flew like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed. By this time, Han Li could no longer be found in Jiayuan City, and for a very long time to come, Han Li's figure never appeared again...

===== CHAPTER 126 =====