Han Li's heart sank at the words, though he was not surprised. The Yellow Dragon Pill and Golden Marrow Pellet were merely saintly medicines of the mortal world — miraculous for common folk, but a cut below for cultivators.
Since the young man had no use for them, Han Li reached out to retrieve the porcelain vials.
"However, even if these pills are lacking, if you could provide a few more bottles, I would be willing to make the exchange!" the youth said suddenly, his face creased with regret.
Han Li drew his arm back and let out a soft laugh.
"Did I ever say these were the only two bottles I have?" Han Li narrowed his eyes, fixing the young man with a slow gaze.
"You have more?" The youth started slightly, but pleasure quickly spread across his face.
"Of course — though if you want too many, I may have to reconsider." Han Li replied noncommittally, wary of the other driving a harder bargain.
"Wonderful! Not too many — three more bottles will suffice. That should be enough for me to break through my bottleneck." The young man's excitement was palpable, his warmth a stark contrast to his earlier icy manner.
Even though Han Li's pills were not first-rate, their quantity could push someone who had lingered at the peak of the ninth layer into the tenth. But only someone like Han Li, who consumed such pills as snacks, could bear to trade them away.
He understood the principle of not displaying one's wealth. He did not want the young man to think he could produce pills without effort.
So he stroked his chin and feigned reluctance.
"That many? That's rather steep — you'd be taking everything I have!" Han Li muttered under his breath, deliberately pitching his voice low.
"That's not much at all! These are high-grade spirit talismans, after all! With this talisman on your person, should you encounter danger, you can take to the sky and flee at once — faster than most spirit beasts. It's like having an extra life. And as long as the spiritual energy hasn't dissipated, it can be used repeatedly." Seeing that Han Li might genuinely produce the pills, the youth extolled the virtues of his talisman at length, afraid Han Li might reconsider.
"Fine, I'll make the trade. But throw in that stack of blank talisman paper as a sweetener. And that book." Han Li pointed at a stack of lower-grade blank talisman paper and a worn volume titled Basic Incantation Remnants on the stall.
The young man blinked, but seeing that Han Li had only pointed at some inferior talisman paper and a book nobody wanted, he was overjoyed and agreed at once.
And so the flying talisman became Han Li's possession, along with a stack of blank talisman paper and a book of incantations he had been eyeing for some time.
Han Li leafed through the old volume. Inside were the most basic first-tier incantations — seven or eight lower-grade spells and one middle-grade first-tier technique called the Earth Thorn Technique.
Such a book would have been worthless to other cultivators, yet it satisfied Han Li immensely.
What he lacked most were these foundational spells. Although other stalls sold similar books at higher quality, their prices were shockingly high — ninety low-grade spirit stones for one, sixty for another. Han Li could not afford them.
Having acquired these items, Han Li felt a measure of fatigue. He had no further desire to browse, so he left the plaza directly and headed toward the cluster of pavilions.
Not far from the plaza, Han Li turned back for one last look. The crowd within seemed to have grown even larger — it appeared that quite a few cultivators were the nocturnal sort who preferred coming out at night.
As he drew close to the palace-like buildings, Han Li noticed they were constructed from valuable paulownia wood and bluestone, each adorned with carved dragons and painted phoenixes. Faint fluctuations of spiritual power surrounded them — this must be what Daoist Songwen had called the protective ward.
Han Li circled the area and finally found the pavilion he was looking for. He stepped forward.
But when he was still several zhang from his target, Han Li suddenly felt as though he had walked into something solid. An invisible force slammed into him, shoving him violently backward several stumbling steps.
Han Li was both surprised and excited. There was so much he did not know about the cultivation world — he truly wished to learn it all.
Even as these thoughts ran through his mind, a thought struck him. He activated the Spirit Eye Art and gazed at the pavilion once more.
Before him, not far away, he now perceived a faint azure barrier blocking his path. The entire pavilion was shrouded in this light, as though covered by an enormous inverted bowl.
Han Li stepped forward again, extending a finger to press against the azure barrier. It yielded softly, springy and elastic. A subtle resistance pushed back when he applied more force — the barrier's defenses were quite impressive.
He produced the talisman Daoist Songwen had given him and pressed it against the luminous surface. Ripples spread across the barrier in widening circles, and a circular opening appeared — just large enough for him to pass through.
Han Li wasted no time. He pocketed the talisman and stepped through the opening toward the pavilion. Behind him, the circular gap slowly shrank until it sealed completely, and the barrier returned to its original state.
The pavilion before him was not large — two stories, roughly ten zhang tall, yet spacious enough for over a dozen people.
Han Li smiled faintly and entered the building. The main hall on the ground floor held two eight-immortal tables and a dozen wooden chairs, arranged with elegant simplicity.
And there, in an empty corner of the hall, sat the young monk called Kusan, head bowed, eyes closed, murmuring sutras — the very picture of an enlightened master. The others Han Li had seen before were nowhere in sight.
"Master Kusan, has Daoist Songwen returned yet?" Han Li walked up to the monk and asked cordially.
The young monk paid him no mind, continuing to chant. Han Li waited with growing impati before the monk finally opened his eyes and said with a look of apology: "Please forgive me, Benefactor Han! This humble monk was reciting the Diamond Sutra at a critical passage and could not pause to respond. I hope you will not hold it against me."
Han Li gave a dry laugh. "Not at all. I most admire those who can focus without distraction."
The young monk smiled at these words, then continued in his unhurried manner: "Daoist Songwen and the others are waiting for you on the second floor. He instructed me to send you up the moment you arrived — it seems he has matters to discuss with you."
Han Li felt a twinge of exasperation. This little monk — if someone was looking for him, why not say so at once instead of dawdling like this? He resolved to keep his distance from monks and their kind in the future.
Though he grumbled inwardly, Han Li's expression betrayed nothing. He nodded, walked to the staircase near the hall, and climbed to the second floor with heavy footfalls.
The moment he stepped onto the second floor, he saw the Heimu and Heijin brothers standing at the top of the stairs, conversing in low tones. Spotting Han Li, they immediately fell silent and came to greet him.
"Brother Han, Daoist Songwen is waiting for you inside. Come with us." Han Li maintained his neutral expression and said nothing, following them as they wound through a corridor that twisted and turned before arriving at a room.
The room was crowded. Everyone except the monk was present, along with two strangers Han Li had not seen before.
One was a smiling youth of sixteen or seventeen. The other was a pale, plump fellow of twenty-one or twenty-two. These, it seemed, were the two who even Daoist Songwen found somewhat difficult to handle.
"Brother Han has arrived! Please, sit down." Daoist Songwen gestured politely to a chair beside him.
Han Li nodded and took his seat.
"Allow me to introduce them. This is Wu Jiuzhi of Yunmen Stream, and this is Huang Xiaotian of Shituo Valley." Daoist Songwen indicated the youth and the plump young man in turn, making the introductions for Han Li.