Han Li, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, naturally wouldn't look down on the mortal's pills. He certainly couldn't refuse the other party's kindness, so he pretended to be embarrassed and reluctantly accepted it.
"Haha, Nephew Han! This Heart-Protecting Pill is Elder Hua's secret medicine, which he rarely gives to others. It's really generous of him to bring it out as a meeting gift today!" Qin Yan knew Han Li wouldn't think much of this item, but he still put in a good word for his friend. He hoped Elder Hua would leave a good impression on Han Li.
The old man looked at Qin Yan strangely, not understanding what he meant by saying this in front of Han Li.
He gave this extremely precious pill to this young man entirely for Qin Yan's sake! Otherwise, this medicine was worth a fortune and wouldn't be given to a stranger he just met.
Just as the old man was puzzled and wanted to ask a few questions, a sharp voice came from outside.
"Prince Xin arrives!"
This announcement from the servant immediately silenced the noisy hall. Everyone looked solemnly toward the side door of the hall.
First, four maidservants walked out from the side door, standing on either side of the main seat. Then a man and a woman walked out unhurriedly.
The man was a middle-aged person in his forties, with a beard several inches long. He had a square face and a pair of tiger-like eyes, giving him an air of authority even without anger. The other was a beautiful woman in her early twenties, dressed in palace attire with a long skirt trailing on the ground.
Seeing this scene, everyone present stood up and bowed to the man and woman:
"Your Highness, Madam!"
Since this woman was not Prince Xin's original wife but only a favored concubine, these people could only address her as Madam.
"You are all my good friends, there's no need to be so polite. Come, everyone take your seats."
Prince Xin's manner of speaking was very different from his appearance—very straightforward and amiable, making people naturally feel fond of him! His favored concubine beside him only smiled charmingly without saying a word.
After hearing this, everyone looked at each other with smiles and sat down as instructed.
"I'm a straightforward person, so I'll speak directly to everyone!" Prince Xin had just settled into his seat when he said with a smile.
This remark immediately prompted the people opposite to speak up one after another.
"Your Highness, please speak freely."
"Yes, we've been friends with Your Highness for many years. Everyone knows Your Highness's temperament."
...
It was obvious that among these words, some were sincere, but others were flattering Prince Xin.
"The reason I've invited everyone here today is twofold: First, my beloved Concubine Qing'er's strange illness has been cured. Given my personality, of course, I want to celebrate grandly! Second, I have an enormous benefit to offer all of you. Whether you can have the fate to obtain it depends on your own destiny."
These words from Prince Xin greatly surprised everyone, leaving them looking at each other in astonishment.
The Prince had gathered them all here, and it turned out he wanted to give them benefits? This was almost too incredible!
"Hehe, Qing'er, look. Isn't everyone as surprised as I expected!" Prince Xin said this without getting angry. Instead, he turned to the beautiful concubine beside him with a smile.
The beautiful woman named Qing'er giggled upon hearing this and replied in a delicate voice:
"Your Highness, anyone would be surprised to hear such words! Their reaction is perfectly normal."
Hearing the woman's words, Prince Xin chuckled. He stroked his short beard, then turned back to explain to the somewhat embarrassed crowd:
"There's no need to wonder! Here's what happened. Qing'er's strange illness was actually cured by a distinguished person who recently arrived at our manor. This person can command winds and rains, swallow fire and spit ice—he is truly an immortal among immortals! Moreover, after curing Qing'er's illness, this living immortal immediately saw that my young son has spiritual roots and can comprehend immortal arts. He has taken my unruly son as his disciple, and soon he will follow him to cultivate immortality and learn the Dao."
At this point, Prince Xin could no longer contain the joy on his face, showing a look of pride!
Hearing this, a portly person in the hall blurted out:
"A cultivator? Could this person be the legendary cultivator?"
This statement immediately caused a stir among everyone in the hall.
Although cultivators were very mysterious to ordinary mortals, the people present were not commoners. They had naturally heard various rumors about cultivators, and some of their ancestors had even come into contact with wandering cultivators.
Even now, it was rumored that cultivators guarded the imperial palace, which made the people even more awestruck of cultivators.
Now, the guests in the hall heard that such a living immortal had come to Prince Xin's manor, and most of their faces immediately showed extremely excited expressions.
When Qin Yan heard this, he was startled and couldn't help turning to look at Han Li.
But Han Li's face remained unchanged, showing no reaction at all.
Seeing this, Qin Yan didn't dare ask more questions and had to turn back to listen to what Prince Xin would say next.
At this moment, Prince Xin saw that everyone was shocked by his words, so he chuckled and continued:
"Of course, I also asked this distinguished person, and he indeed admitted to being a cultivator. Moreover, at my earnest request, he was willing to stay at our manor for a few more months to guide me in some health preservation methods. During our conversations, I learned that this immortal had entered the mortal world specifically to take disciples with immortal fate. Knowing this, I immediately thought of all my good friends. That's why I've invited all your sons, daughters, nephews, and nieces here. This immortal master accepts both male and female disciples. Later, I will invite this Immortal Master Wu to meet everyone. Whether they have the fate depends on their own destiny."
If the previous words only made everyone present envious, then Prince Xin's subsequent words were like a huge pie falling on their heads, leaving them all pleasantly surprised. Immediately, a chorus of gratitude rang out.
A cultivator! This was a living immortal in the world. They heard that once one achieved success in cultivation, one could live for several hundred years and possess immortal arts and techniques! If their children or nephews were lucky enough to become this person's disciples, what a powerful backer that would be!
When Han Li heard this, although his face still maintained a wooden expression, he felt somewhat puzzled in his heart.
When he first heard Prince Xin mention the living immortal, he thought the cultivator had found traces of demonic path people.
But now hearing that the other party wanted to recruit disciples publicly, something wasn't right. Would a cultivator infiltrating another country for sabotage be so reckless as to attract attention? Wouldn't that be making himself a target? Unless this cultivator was...
While Han Li was thinking, amid everyone's excitement, the living immortal finally appeared majestically in the hall.
He wore a gray Daoist robe, his beard and hair were completely white, and his face was rosy like a baby's, exactly like the legendary immortal master. With this appearance alone, before this immortal master even performed any magic, more than half the people present believed.
But when Han Li looked clearly at this immortal who was almost like a painting, he was speechless for a long time.
This person was clearly only a small cultivator at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining. If Han Li extended a single finger, he could probably crush him to death easily.
Yet for such an "expert," these people of high status among mortals crowded around him, constantly flattering him. They hoped this old immortal would mercifully accept their sons and daughters as disciples.
Qin Yan, who was in front of Han Li, saw this scene and couldn't help feeling tempted, while the juniors behind him looked even more anxious. They were afraid that if they were late, all the immortal fates would be taken by others.
Just as Qin Yan was hesitating, Han Li's voice suddenly came to his ear.
"Don't worry, this person is not from the demonic path! As for whether your grandchildren should become his disciples, that's up to you! I'm only here to protect your Qin family's safety! However, this immortal master's cultivation level... heh heh!"
With a few cold laughs, Han Li's voice suddenly disappeared.
Qin Yan was startled and quickly looked around, but found that no one else seemed to have heard these words. That Elder Hua still asked him with a blank expression why he hadn't gone to the immortal master to let the juniors try their immortal fate.
At the same time, the old man kept saying with sudden realization that it was no wonder he couldn't cure the strange illness while the other party could work wonders. It turned out he was a cultivator!
After saying these words, the old man didn't bother with Qin Yan's group anymore and also moved toward the white-haired Daoist. His pair of grandchildren naturally followed closely behind.