Chapter 294

"Related to the Dark Dao?"

Upon hearing that Han Li was a cultivator from Huang Feng Valley, the old Daoist showed no sign of surprise—he had already suspected as much, for Foundation Establishment cultivators outside the Seven Sects were exceedingly rare. But when he learned that the disciple he was to take on and the Chief Manager might be tied to the Dark Dao, his face turned green.

Everyone in Yueguo's cultivation world knew the Dark Dao was synonymous with bloodshed and cruelty. As a mere Qi Refining cultivator, he naturally wanted nothing to do with them.

"Master, you must be mistaken! I personally examined that Young Master's body—there wasn't a trace of magic power inside him." After his initial shock, the old Daoist thought harder and found it hard to believe.

After all, he had interacted with the Young Master for some time and saw nothing about him that resembled the rumors of Dark Dao practitioners.

Hearing this, Han Li said nothing extra, only speaking calmly:

"Whether these two are Dark Daoists or not, you'll notice their abnormalities yourself if you keep watch. No explanation from me is needed. I'm not asking you to act against them—just keep mild surveillance. And above all, don't dare test them. If they find out you know their true identities, your life won't be worth a penny!"

Han Li gave the old Daoist one final warning.

The old man's skepticism vanished instantly after hearing Han Li's words, replaced by fear.

After a brief hesitation, he opened his mouth, speaking timidly:

"What if they notice me watching them? My cultivation is so low—I'm terrified I'll ruin your plans!"

Han Li frowned at this.

The old man seemed ready to back out. That wouldn't do—he'd need to offer more incentives.

Thinking this, Han Li reached into his storage bag, pulled out an object, and placed it gently on the table.

"Monitoring them does carry some risk. I have here a suitable high-grade magic treasure—I'll give it to you for protection. Once this matter is settled, it will officially become yours." Han Li pointed to the faintly glowing purple bead on the table and spoke coolly to the old Daoist.

"High-grade magic treasure!" The old Daoist's spirits lifted instantly.

Poor man—he was always broke. Not even a mid-grade magic treasure was within his means, let alone a high-grade one!

"This is the Purple Light Pearl. When infused with spiritual power, it instantly forms a shield around your entire body. Few Qi Refining cultivators could break through this defense. It should be sufficient to handle most dangers." Han Li spoke calmly, expression unchanged.

"A defensive magic treasure?" After hearing the detailed explanation, the old Daoist's eyes burned with desire again.

Defensive magic treasures were the rarest and most valuable of all types. If the old Daoist had to save up spirit stones to buy this high-grade defensive item, he'd never afford it in a lifetime.

"Fine, I'll do my utmost." After a long struggle, the white-haired old man finally clenched his teeth and agreed.

It seemed the saying "Birds die for food, men die for wealth" held true even in the cultivation world.

Seeing the old man accept such a dangerous task, Han Li smiled on the surface but felt a quiet sigh inside.

"I'll temporarily implant this spiritual marker inside you. That way, if anything happens, I can find you immediately—and perhaps even save your life. Also, once this is done, I'll give you a bottle of Huanglong Pills as payment." Han Li used the same method to embed a spiritual marker into the old Daoist's body, speaking with a mix of firmness and kindness.

The old Daoist, startled by this move, pretended not to understand Han Li's true intent and thanked him profusely.

Seeing how well the old man understood the situation, Han Li smiled, rose, and took his leave. Under the old man's respectful escort, he quietly departed from the Prince's mansion.

He had no intention of returning immediately to the Qin residence. Instead, he entered a random teahouse, ordered tea, and sat in quiet contemplation, reviewing everything that had happened recently to check for mistakes or oversights.

Regularly reflecting on his actions and identifying weaknesses was a habit Han Li had cultivated. Only by constantly reducing his vulnerabilities and filling his gaps could he survive unscathed in this perilous cultivation world.

Thus, Han Li sat in the teahouse for most of the day, only leaving when dusk had fallen, drawing strange glances from the waiter.

A customer who ordered only one cup of tea and drank it for half a day—the waiter had never seen such a thing before. He would later boast about it endlessly, turning Han Li into an unwitting laughingstock among commoners—a humiliation Han Li had never imagined.

The appointed time with the Xiao elder had not yet arrived, but Han Li had no intention of waiting until deep night.

He wouldn't be so punctual. Better to arrive early, in case the other side played tricks.

After walking a while, Han Li suddenly frowned.

The spiritual markers of the Xiao elder and his granddaughter were not where they should be—in the eastern district—but instead appeared in the opposite western district. This angered Han Li.

With a cold snort, Han Li tossed the Divine Wind Boat into the sky when no one was nearby, his body instantly turning into a streak of white light as he shot toward the sensed location.

In truth, using spiritual energy to track someone was a common technique among Foundation Establishment cultivators, though most could only sense within a few dozen li at best. Han Li, having cultivated the Great Expansion Scripture, could faintly track targets over a hundred li away—truly astonishing.

This made Han Li all the more eager to master the second layer of the Great Expansion Scripture!

Moments later, Han Li stood atop the Divine Wind Boat, gazing coldly down at a modest, unremarkable courtyard below, containing only three small, slightly worn houses.

Standing on the pure white boat, Han Li did not land immediately. He remained silent, as if pondering something.

Finally, Han Li lightly pressed his foot down—the boat plummeted from the sky like a falling star.

But when it was still five or six zhang above the ground, the artifact suddenly halted. Han Li moved, leaping lightly from it into the courtyard. At the same time, he waved his right hand toward the sky—the boat shrank rapidly and flew into his grasp.

The entire process flowed as smoothly as water, utterly silent.

Han Li then appeared like a ghost before the central house, calmly extending his spiritual sense to probe the interior.

He had clearly sensed two spiritual energy clusters matching his markers—undoubtedly inside this house.

As soon as Han Li's spiritual sense entered the room, he clearly heard the girl's voice.

"Grandpa, won't this provoke them? If that person really comes, will our prepared excuse even work?" Her voice was filled with worry—Han Li's overwhelming presence had left a deep impression on her.

"Hmph! You silly girl, do you really believe someone can track us just by a bit of spiritual energy? Your grandfather has eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. I've seen too many empty threats and scare tactics! I don't believe a word of what he said. Even if such a tracking technique exists, how could a Foundation Establishment cultivator detect us from this distance? If we'd stayed in the eastern district, we'd have been found for sure." The elder scoffed and scolded the girl.

"Then why not leave Yuejing entirely tonight instead of just moving to the western district?" the girl retorted, still unconvinced.

"What do you know? That's just my guess—it's still uncertain. If I'm right, we avoid this man's blackmail and can roam freely elsewhere. But he's a Foundation Establishment cultivator—he might truly have a long-range tracking technique. If we fled beyond Yuejing and he caught us, we'd have no excuse. But here in the western district, we can always come up with some plausible reason." The elder, clearly doting on the girl, patiently explained.

"Hehe, Grandpa, you're so sneaky! But I don't think this man is the kind to do vile things. Do we really need to hide from him? In my opinion, we should just trade that Dao book with him properly—maybe we'll get a good deal! That book's too obscure for us anyway." The girl laughed lightly, unconcerned.

"Hmph! The world is treacherous—you think it's that simple? True, fair trade should be possible between equals. But when one side is strong and the other weak, there's no such thing as fairness."

"Besides, that Dao book might be useless to us, but to him it could be a treasure. Once he gets it, he might kill us to silence us—I've seen that happen more than once in my life! How can I trust him? Our cultivation levels are too far apart—he could erase us without even breaking a sweat." The elder's voice grew bleak—he was utterly helpless before the reality of his life hanging in another's hands.

"Grandpa, don't be so discouraged! Didn't you say that although he looks young, he might be a monster who's lived for countless years?" the girl quickly tried to comfort him.

But at that moment, a cold voice from outside the room shattered their conversation—the very voice they feared most.

"So I look like an old monster, do I?"

As the grandfather and granddaughter turned pale, the tightly shut door opened soundlessly. Han Li walked in calmly.

Entering the room, Han Li sat without invitation in the main seat, then gazed at the two with perfect calmness, saying nothing.

web