"Do you know anything about this cultivator's cultivation technique? If it's not Yan Zi and his cultivation is low, I'll go have a good talk with him. It should be resolved smoothly," Han Li said calmly, rubbing his nose. Actually, he knew very well how high a cultivator's level could be if they resorted to coercing mortal women. Asking this was just a habit born of caution.
"I already had Caihuan inquire about this beforehand. I heard he's only at the fifth layer of the basic cultivation technique. Although his surname is Yan, he must be an insignificant figure in the Yan family. Otherwise, any disciple with even a little importance wouldn't be living together with us mortals!"
Madam Yan was worthy of being the former head of the Mo residence. Even in her current destitute state, she remained organized and clear-headed when handling matters.
"That shouldn't be a problem then! In a while, junior sister, you can take me there and show me the way. I'll resolve this issue for you," Han Li said with a nod.
"Thank you, senior brother! I knew senior brother would definitely help!" Mo Caihuan called out sweetly from the side, clearly overhearing everything and extremely happy.
"Han Li, this is truly troublesome for you! Otherwise, facing the coercion of a cultivator, I really wouldn't know how my daughter and I could handle it," Madam Yan's eyes showed relief, but then she sighed deeply and said helplessly, "Although this place formally prohibits cultivators from harassing mortals, in reality, the bullying of mortals happens far too often. How could the Yan family truly punish those cultivators? More often than not, it's actually the mortals who clash with cultivators who vanish without a trace—that's what commonly happens."
Han Li heard a tone of helpless frustration in her words. After all, compared to her former glory wielding power in the Mo residence, this current life of swallowing one's pride was indeed humiliating for Madam Yan.
Han Li remained silent for a while after hearing this. Suddenly, he asked a question that had been puzzling him.
"Madam Yan, junior sister is long past the age when she should have married. Why hasn't she found someone suitable here in the fortress to marry? If she married a cultivator, wouldn't she have someone to rely on?"
"Marry?"
"I'm certainly not marrying any of those Yan family cultivators!"
As soon as Han Li finished speaking, Madam Yan gave a bitter smile, while Mo Caihuan loudly objected, her face full of displeasure.
"What's wrong?" Han Li was somewhat surprised.
"Senior brother! Those Yan family cultivators don't treat mortal women as human beings at all! Marrying them as wives is worse than being a common servant. If we displease them in the slightest, they often beat and scold us. I'd rather stay single for life than marry anyone in this fortress!" Mo Caihuan's words were rapid and sharp, clearly indicating her strong aversion to the topic.
"Han Li, you don't know, but a friend of your junior sister here married a cultivator from the fortress. Not only was she not treated with any respect, but she was often abused. Later, after her appearance faded with age, she was divorced with a simple letter and a flimsy excuse. Her fate was truly tragic! And that cultivator simply married a younger, prettier woman. Sigh! Cultivators with a good heart like Caihuan's stepfather are truly rare here. I also don't want Caihuan to suffer like that! As for marrying an ordinary person, your junior sister's standards are too high. Who would she ever find suitable?" Madam Yan explained on behalf of Mo Caihuan.
"I see. But junior sister can't stay unmarried her entire life, can she?" Han Li frowned, naturally stating this.
But as soon as these words left his mouth, Madam Yan's expression shifted slightly, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated and ultimately stayed silent. Meanwhile, Mo Caihuan, seemingly remembering something, lowered her head and fell silent.
Only then did Han Li realize that the atmosphere had suddenly become awkward. He quickly changed the subject:
"Junior sister, you should show me the way first. Let's resolve that cultivator's harassment first!"
"Mm!"
After a brief hesitation, Mo Caihuan agreed. Madam Yan, seeing this, did not object.
Thus, Han Li and Mo Caihuan temporarily left the shop and headed straight for the cultivator's residence, which seemed quite far away.
...
"Senior brother, what level is your cultivation technique really? That guy—how come as soon as he saw you coming, he was like a mouse seeing a cat? He kept calling you 'senior' and bowing nonstop! His expression was so respectful it was like he was seeing his own ancestor!" Mo Caihuan had completely returned to the cheerful demeanor Han Li remembered, chattering away without pause on the secluded path back, hardly looking like a woman in her twenties!
Han Li smiled slightly and said lightly, "Nothing special. I'm just one realm higher than him, so according to the rules of the cultivation world, he really should call me 'senior.'"
Mo Caihuan's eyes lit up with delight, and she grinned even more. "But I still can't help laughing when I think about the ridiculous expression he made when he saw me appear!"
This time, Han Li said nothing, just gazed at Mo Caihuan with a smile. Before long, Mo Caihuan shyly turned her face away, no longer speaking.
But after a while, she suddenly said something that greatly surprised Han Li. "Senior brother, is it really true that without spiritual roots, one cannot become a cultivator? I want to become a cultivator just like you!" When Mo Caihuan turned back, her face was filled with sorrow, and her voice was full of longing.
Seeing this scene, Han Li felt a pang of heartache, but could only respond in silence. Since ancient times, it had been an unshakeable truth of the cultivation world for hundreds of thousands of years that those without spiritual roots could not practice cultivation arts! How could he possibly have the power to break that rule?
Seeing Han Li's expression, Mo Caihuan's already cooling heart turned completely cold. She knew that even her now immensely powerful senior brother seemed to have no solution at all.
She couldn't help but feel dejected, silently falling several paces behind Han Li, walking slowly, her entire demeanor turning quiet and reserved.
When they were not far from the small shop, Han Li suddenly stopped and turned to face Mo Caihuan.
"I have other matters to attend to and won't go back to see Madam Yan. Let's part ways here. Fortunately, I'll be staying in Yanling Fortress for a while longer, so perhaps we'll have the chance to meet again."
"What? Senior brother is leaving now?" Mo Caihuan was startled at first, then her face filled with disappointment.
"Yes. Here are several dozen spirit stones. Leave them with Madam Yan for emergencies. This is all I can do for now!" Han Li said, taking a small leather pouch from his storage pouch and handing it to Mo Caihuan.
"Thank you, senior brother," Mo Caihuan said softly, appearing utterly frail, her eyes filled with reluctance to part.
Seeing her like this, Han Li felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of discomfort in his heart.
After a moment of hesitation, he took out a small silver bottle and poured out a pink pill.
"Swallow this. Although it won't let you become a cultivator, it will at least preserve your beauty for the rest of your life and prevent you from aging. This is a small gift from your senior brother," Han Li said solemnly.
"Senior brother, I..."
Hearing these words, Mo Caihuan was pleasantly surprised and so moved that she wanted to confess her feelings. But Han Li didn't let her speak. Instead, with a flick of his finger, the pill flew directly into her mouth, and she swallowed it involuntarily.
"Junior sister, I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself and Madam Yan!"
The moment Han Li said this, his figure blurred slightly and vanished on the spot.
"Senior brother!"
Mo Caihuan cried out in surprise, hurriedly taking several steps forward and searching all around. But where was any trace of Han Li?
With no other choice, Mo Caihuan could only walk slowly back toward the shop, her expression downcast.
Only after a short while did Han Li reveal himself from behind a nearby building. He watched silently for a moment, then turned and left without hesitation.
What his junior sister had wanted to say to him, Han Li couldn't be completely certain, but he had a pretty good guess.
But sadly, they were simply not destined for each other. His feelings for her hadn't reached that level.
Moreover, after achieving Foundation Establishment, his lifespan was far too different from hers, which was another reason he was unwilling to become entangled in such feelings. After all, watching a loved one wither before his eyes while being powerless to help it was something Han Li simply could not bear.
...
"Heavenly Crane Teahouse"—this was the name of the teahouse that appeared before Han Li. A three-story ancient-style building, it was indeed quite imposing.
Han Li only glanced at it briefly before heading inside without hesitation. He could already sense more than a dozen fluctuations of spiritual power inside, all belonging to Foundation Establishment cultivators whose power was similar to or even greater than his own.
He stepped into the teahouse, glanced around the first floor, and without pausing at all, went directly to the second floor. The first floor was filled entirely with mortals who had no spiritual power whatsoever.
Although there were some cultivators on the second floor, most were at the Qi Refining stage, not worth Han Li's attention at this point. It was the spiritual power fluctuations on the third floor, growing ever closer and stronger, that were his target for this visit.