The infatuated look the young girl showed before leaving was something Han Li knew well.
He remembered when he first saw Li Huayuan commanding that giant flood dragon, and he had worn the exact same look of envy.
Thinking about it, Han Li found this pretty young girl quite interesting.
Then, with a faint smile, he vanished silently from the tree. When he reappeared, he was already within the high walls of the Prince's estate.
Right now, Han Li was not only using the "Invisibility Spell," a technique that could deceive mortals, but he was also employing the "Qi Concealment Art," a concealing method that only cultivators after Foundation Establishment could perform.
This made him move between the passing servants and maids like an unseen ghost, going unnoticed by anyone.
After a short while, Han Li sneaked into the inner quarters of the estate, quietly hiding behind a column in a remote corridor. From there, he coldly observed everything nearby.
Before long, when a somewhat pretty maid passed by, Han Li suddenly flicked his finger. A fist-sized ball of yellow light flew from his hand, striking the maid's head squarely. The maid swayed and was about to collapse.
But before her body could actually hit the ground, Han Li had already shot out to catch her and carried her back behind the corner column.
With practiced ease, Han Li steadened the maid's limp body so she was facing him. He then opened his mouth and spat a puff of green spiritual energy, which struck her tightly closed eyes.
Immediately, the maid's eyelids twitched a few times before slowly opening.
As soon as the maid woke up, she saw a pair of golden eyes staring coldly at her.
Startled, she tried to struggle and scream, but those bizarre eyes suddenly flared with intense yellow light, shooting straight into hers.
The maid immediately felt dizzy, the entire world seeming to turn a golden hue. Then, her head drooped, and she lost consciousness.
Han Li looked at the maid who had passed out again and let out a soft sigh, withdrawing a hand to gently wipe the sweat from his face.
Although performing the "Mind Control Technique" only took a split second, it drained his mental energy tremendously. He even felt a bit strained. No wonder this technique was ranked among the top ten useless spells of Foundation Establishment.
Although once successful, this spell forced the target to obey the caster for a period, much like a slave, its limitations were too numerous. Very few cultivators actually bothered learning it.
First, this technique could only be used on mortals; it had absolutely no effect on cultivators. No matter how vast the difference in their cultivation, as long as spiritual power circulated once through the head, the mesmerizing effect of this spell could be easily nullified.
Second, the technique required the learner to be a cultivator after Foundation Establishment whose spiritual sense far exceeded the norm. The vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators simply weren't qualified to study it.
Given these two limitations, the number of cultivators interested in learning this spell was pitifully small.
But none of this was a problem for Han Li.
Han Li had already been worrying that he knew too few Foundation Establishment spells. When he saw the oral formula for this technique at the Pavilion of Celestial Knowledge, he had memorized it out of curiosity. Once he returned to his cultivation cave and practiced it a little, he mastered it effortlessly, which greatly surprised him!
Using this technique on the little maid now had indeed succeeded in one move.
Han Li first cautiously glanced around before extending a finger and flicking it gently. A small, milky-white sphere of light emerged from his fingertip, which he then tapped onto the maid's forehead. The light merged into her and vanished.
The maid woke up, immediately sat up straight, and stared blankly at Han Li without saying a word.
"Who is your steward, and what is his background? When did he enter the estate? Where does he usually like to go, and who outside the estate does he frequently contact?" Han Li stared at the maid and fired off a series of rapid questions.
He had chosen this particular maid because she was the one Prince Xin had sent to find the Young Prince at the start of the banquet. This suggested she had a decently high status among the servants, which meant the information he got would be more reliable.
"Which steward does the Master ask about?" the maid said expressionlessly.
"Does the estate have many stewards?" Han Li paused slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled.
"There is Steward Wang, who manages all affairs. Steward Li, who is specifically in charge of procurement. And Steward Zhai, who manages the inner estate," the maid continued, speaking without any emotion.
"The steward who was greeting guests at the estate gate today, which one was he?" Han Li asked quietly, frowning slightly.
"That was Steward Wang, who holds the greatest power."
"That is exactly the one I am asking about!" Han Li asked, feeling a bit urgent.
He really didn't know how long this technique could control the person's mind. Naturally, he needed to finish asking the important questions as quickly as possible. Otherwise, once the maid woke up, it would be a waste of effort to deal with her again.
"According to the older people in the estate, Steward Wang was a study companion who grew up with the Prince. He has followed the Prince for fifty or sixty years. Except for the monthly routine of entering the palace with the Prince, he basically never leaves the estate. He doesn't usually contact anyone outside. If he does, it is only the Prince's close friends."
"As for his relationship with the Young Prince, it is somewhat strange! According to the Young Prince's former nanny, before the Young Prince turned ten, he had a very violent temper and a poor relationship with Steward Wang. At one point, he even gave Steward Wang a slap in front of everyone. But after he turned ten, his entire attitude suddenly changed. Not only did he become refined and polite, but he was also exceptionally respectful to Steward Wang, treating him like an elder. This greatly comforted the Prince, who often said that a divine being must be watching over him!" the maid said flatly.
Han Li listened without changing his expression, but he sneered inwardly.
Although Steward Wang didn't seem particularly suspicious on the surface, through the Young Prince's abnormal behavior, Han Li was certain that there was definitely some unspeakable relationship between the two.
Moreover, the two of them, who could make a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Han Li feel great danger, were definitely not ordinary mortals.
As for what mysterious background they had, Han Li didn't want to investigate further.
As long as they were not from the Demon Path, he didn't care if they were righteous or evil, or what their hidden objectives were.
If he could avoid trouble, Han Li certainly wouldn't go looking for it himself.
And through this interrogation, Han Li was now eighty or ninety percent sure they had no connection to the Six Demon Sects.
After all, the Young Prince's erratic behavior hadn't just started recently. If the Demon Path had truly started setting up this scheme over a decade ago, Han Li would have nothing to say.
With this thought in mind, Han Li spoke again, issuing an order:
"Where does Immortal Wu live? Lead the way for me."
"Yes, Master!"
The maid obediently stood up and started walking. Han Li continued to conceal his aura, secretly following behind her.
Led by the maid, Han Li passed through seven or eight large courtyards and arrived in front of a quiet courtyard. At this point, the maid stopped.
"Slap! Slap!"
Han Li suddenly struck the maid's back twice with a palm glowing with white light, then flashed his body to hide behind a large tree nearby.
"Eh! Isn't this the old immortal's place? How did I end up here?"
The maid blinked hard a couple of times and suddenly started shouting, the confusion in her eyes completely gone.
"Who is making that racket outside! Didn't I give orders not to disturb this poor Daoist's cultivation?"
From a room inside the courtyard came the displeased voice of the old Daoist.
Hearing this, the maid's face turned white with fright. She didn't even stop to consider why she had ended up there, and ran off in a panic.
With a creak, the door opened.
The old Daoist with white hair and beard walked out, once again looking like a heavenly immortal.
But when he saw no one in the courtyard outside, a look of confusion appeared on his face.
"What's going on? I clearly heard voices, and I thought it was that Prince coming to see me again! I hurriedly paused my cultivation, but where did they go?"
The old Daoist stood in the yard, looked around in all directions, and only then did he return to the room looking somewhat disgruntled.
But when he closed the door and turned back to face the inside of the room, he froze completely!
There, by the Eight Immortals table inside, Han Li was sitting with a smile, looking at the old Daoist with great interest.
"Who are you?" the old Daoist asked, his face changing drastically.
Almost reflexively, he raised his hand, and a fiery red fireball appeared on his palm.
"If I were you, I wouldn't attack recklessly," Han Li said, smiling and treating the fireball as if it were nothing, showing no hostility whatsoever.