Chapter 203

Han Li let out a bitter laugh. Although the W. M. Net had dealt with the Giant Sword Sect members, there was still one major problem left to handle!

The slender, frail figure of the green-clad girl, her pale and weak face, and the fear in her eyes—all flashed clearly into Han Li's vision in an instant as he glanced sideways at her; clearly, she had been deeply frightened.

He did not answer the girl's question, but bent down, picked up the storage bag from the big man's corpse, flicked his fingertip, and sent a small fireball at the body, instantly reducing it to ash. Then, with the Qingning Mirror, he retracted the green light trapping the silver sword and golden blade, freeing them and stowing them away in the bag.

Only then did Han Li turn his head and walk toward the girl with a blank expression.

Seeing Han Li actually approaching her, the girl's already pale face lost even the last trace of color; she shrank back, stepping several paces away in fear.

"What are you doing? If you come any closer, I won't be polite!" The green-clad girl finally gathered her courage, reached into her storage bag, and pulled out a small black sword, pointing it at Han Li. But Han Li took one look and knew the sword was merely a low-grade magic treasure—clearly, the yellow silk scarf was her only top-tier magic treasure!

"Is this how you repay your savior?" Han Li suddenly rubbed his nose and smiled.

"Savior?" The girl blinked, confused by the sudden contrast in Han Li's demeanor; she seemed not to have processed it yet.

"You're truly a noble lady with a short memory! If I hadn't just intervened and rescued you from that man's sword, why would I have gone to such lengths to kill and erase witnesses!" Han Li said, torn between laughter and frustration.

"Oh… I'm so sorry! I… I was so scared, I forgot!" The girl suddenly remembered, her face flushing crimson as she stammered out an explanation, looking utterly flustered—so pitiful to behold.

"No matter! It's quite incredible that after we met once at the Tainan Gathering, we should run into each other here again!" Han Li waved his hand, speaking warmly. For some reason, seeing the girl's shy demeanor made him feel unusually close to her, as if she were his own little sister.

"I'm Han Li. May I ask your name, Miss?" Han Li asked casually.

"I… I'm Han Han Yunzhi." The girl hesitated, then blushed as she spoke her name, feeling deeply embarrassed to reveal it to this young man.

"Han Han Yunzhi? A fine name—perfect for you!" Han Li repeated her name, smiling gently.

"Really?" Han Han Yunzhi's cheeks flushed again.

"But how did you end up joining the Spirit Beast Mountain, and why are you here for the Blood Trial?" Han Li asked, slightly curious.

"This…" Han Han Yunzhi's face twisted with discomfort; she hesitated, unable to speak.

"Heh! If it's inconvenient, you don't have to tell me—I was just asking out of curiosity!" Han Li said with understanding, greatly touching Han Han Yunzhi.

"By the way, let's go into the stone hut and harvest the spirit herbs—before someone else shows up and complicates things!" Han Li suddenly said after chatting casually with the girl.

Upon hearing this, Han Han Yunzhi nodded eagerly, then softly, with a hint of embarrassment:

"Big Brother Han, could you let me have those few Yang Flame Flowers? I only want those—nothing else, I swear!"

"Of course! Even if you hadn't asked, I planned to do exactly that!" Han Li smiled and agreed at once.

"Thank you so much, Big Brother Han!" The girl's face lit up with joy as she thanked him repeatedly; her gratitude deepened.

"Then you go first and harvest the Yang Flame Flowers—don't let me accidentally take them!" Han Li smiled, suggesting calmly.

"All right!" The girl thought it sensible, bowed her head to Han Li, then turned toward the stone hut.

But the moment she turned, she heard Han Li sigh—then felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck, her vision went black, and she collapsed toward the ground. Yet, just inches above the ground, someone caught her from behind.

It was Han Li—he had slipped behind her while she turned, struck her lightly with a palm, knocking her unconscious, then swept her into his arms, holding her soft, warm body close.

Holding the girl's delicate form, inhaling her faint, sweet scent, Han Li's spirit stirred involuntarily—he leaned down and kissed her rosy cheek. But reason returned; he bit his tongue lightly, snapped back to clarity, and stared at her lovely face, unable to suppress a bitter smile.

He gently laid her against the stone hut's wall, then vanished inside. Moments later, having stripped the hut of all spirit herbs, he emerged, lifted her again, flickered a few times, and disappeared into the nearby pile of rocks.

In a natural cave near the summit of the ring-shaped mountain, Han Li laid the girl flat on the ground, then sat cross-legged beside her, closing his eyes to rest.

Han Li finally opened his eyes, a flash of divine light passing through them—his body, exhausted from using the extreme-speed technique, had regained some strength. He reached into his storage bag and pulled out a delicate silver box, palm-sized.

Han Li stared at the silver box, lost in thought.

After a while, he silently opened the lid, revealing a neat row of silver needles inside—the very acupuncture tools he had often used back at the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Han Li raised his fingers and gently traced over the needles. Images of Master Mo, Li Li Feiyu, and others rose vividly before him; life on Cai Xia Mountain and in Divine Hand Valley felt as if it had been only yesterday. He sighed deeply.

Han Li's thoughts finally returned from their reverie. He steadied his mind, skillfully pinched two fingers, and drew out a long, slender silver needle—expertly, effortlessly.

Then he glanced at the girl, then at the needle in his hand, his brow furrowing with helplessness.

"Miss Han, if not for this Wuyou Needle Technique, which can erase short-term memories, I truly wouldn't know how to handle the risk of a leak! I believe you'd sincerely keep my secret—but the world holds too many accidents. You might unconsciously slip up, or someone might use a secret method to extract the truth from you without your knowledge. I must guard against it."

He then pulled a red porcelain bottle from his storage bag, poured out a fiery-red pill with an exotic fragrance, and without hesitation, slipped it into the girl's mouth.

"Thankfully, I still had these Wangchen Pills I once casually brewed—now I can use the Wuyou Needle Technique without worry. Though there's still some risk, it won't be serious—you'll only forget everything that happened in the past half-day. I never imagined that this needle technique I learned from Master Mo's relics would one day be useful in the cultivation world." Han Li gently stroked the girl's hair, speaking with tender affection.

Several hours later, Han Li emerged from the cave, pale-faced, and quickly hid atop a nearby large tree, intently watching the cave entrance.

Fifteen minutes later, Han Han Yunzhi stepped out, holding several Yang Flame Flowers, her expression blank. She glanced around the cave entrance, then placed a hand on her forehead, her eyes slowly filling with confusion.

Suddenly, as if remembering something important, she hastily stuffed the Yang Flame Flowers into her storage bag and hurried away, sprinting down the mountain.

Soon after she left, Han Li leapt down from the tree. He gazed at the direction she had vanished, sighed deeply, and slowly walked toward the dense forest on the other side.

The third day of the Forbidden Zone had finally passed, but the fourth day brought Han Li far less ease than the day before.

Either he encountered powerful beasts chasing or blocking him, or the records were wrong—the places said to hold spirit herbs contained none he needed. The guardian beasts guarding the herbs had also multiplied sharply; within just half a day, Han Li had slain three mid-tier beasts and two high-tier beasts, leaving him drained of both physical strength and spiritual power.

Now, standing beneath a massive boulder, Han Li assessed his haul. Though he hadn't yet reached his target quantity of the three spirit herbs, it was enough to suffice—even leaving the Forbidden Zone now wouldn't be unacceptable.

Moreover, the Huang Feng Valley records clearly stated there were no other locations with unripe spirit herbs. The only remaining locations came from the data he'd traded from the ugly man Zhong Wu—and there were several of them!

Previously, Han Li had feared the information was false and dared not go to those places, afraid of wasting time on a wild goose chase. But now, as he re-examined these external records, he immediately spotted a hidden spot not far from his current location, rich with spirit herbs.

Not only were there unripe herbs there, but ripe ones should abound as well. This made Han Li reconsider. According to his calculations, even if Zhong Wu hadn't harvested the ripe herbs, others should have taken them already. But the unripe ones should still be there.

Since time was still early and he had no other clear targets, why not make this trip? Even if the information was false, he'd lose nothing.

The moment this thought took root, Han Li could no longer hold back. After a brief rest, he leapt into the air and vanished.

WM