Han Li left the teahouse and did not immediately fly back to his cave abode on his magical tool. Instead, he walked along the street for a while before suddenly turning into the back of another shop, which was not far from the teahouse.
Then, he gently closed his eyes and stood motionless with an expressionless face.
After a moment, Han Li's expression shifted slightly. He furrowed his brow, then opened his eyes.
Just now, he had secretly sent his spiritual sense back into the teahouse, intending to eavesdrop on what they might say after he left. But unexpectedly, as soon as his spiritual sense approached the private room in the teahouse, it was blocked by a layer of restriction.
This restriction was not particularly sophisticated. If Han Li were to rely on the power of his spiritual sense to force his way through, he could easily break it.
However, doing so would create too much commotion, defeating the purpose of using his spiritual sense to spy. Han Li naturally would not engage in such a futile effort, so he retracted his spiritual sense.
"It seems the Melodious Sound Sect is not to be underestimated. There are no loopholes to exploit for now."
With this thought, Han Li opened his mouth and spat out a small, inch-long green sword. He mounted the sword and soared into the sky.
Upon returning to his residence, Han Li retrieved the storage pouch containing the monstrous beast materials from his secret chamber. Then, to be cautious, he also summoned Qu Hun, and the two of them left the cave abode together.
This back-and-forthrunning back and forth consumed several hours for Han Li.
Fortunately, when he returned to the teahouse with Qu Hun, the middle-aged man under Madam Fan's command was waiting expectantly at the entrance. Seeing Han Li return, he immediately ran inside with a look of joy.
Han Li knew the man was going to inform Madam Fan, so he paid no attention and followed him into the teahouse at a leisurely pace, with Qu Hun close behind.
When they reached the private room, the young girl and the middle-aged man were already standing respectfully at the door, waiting for Han Li.
"The Madam and the Elder are waiting for you, Senior!" the young girl said respectfully, but as she spoke, she shot a curious glance at Qu Hun.
Han Li had no intention of introducing Qu Hun. He nodded slightly and entered the room without ceremony. Qu Hun followed closely behind.
The young girl hesitated for a moment but did not dare to step forward and ask any questions.
Inside the room, Madam Fan had put on her veil again. Upon seeing Han Li enter, her eyes lit up as she greeted him with graceful charm.
"Senior Han, you've arrived quickly! I thought we would have to wait a bit longer. Oh, and this is...?" Madam Fan was smiling, but upon seeing Qu Hun behind Han Li, she froze for an instant.
"This is my friend Qu Hun. He heard about this matter and wanted to come along. Surely you don't mind the company, Madam?" Han Li chuckled lightly, speaking in a casual tone.
"Not at all. Please, both of you, take a seat!"
Madam Fan's beautiful eyes glanced over Qu Hun's ugly face. Seeing his cold demeanor, she smiled faintly.
However, she secretly rejoiced, thinking that fortunately, she had not truly planned to make a move earlier. Otherwise, with the sudden appearance of a Foundation Establishment stage helper, the plan would certainly have failed and provoked a powerful enemy.
Still, her desire to win Han Li over grew even stronger.
"All the materials are inside. You may examine them first!" Han Li did not beat around the bush. As soon as he sat down, he tossed the two storage pouches containing the materials onto the tea table in front of her.
Madam Fan's face could not conceal her joy. After thanking him profusely, she took the storage pouches and, after a brief inspection with her spiritual sense, handed them to Elder Zhao beside her.
The old man calmly received the items and began to examine each material one by one, taking them out of the storage pouches to verify their authenticity.
Since there were many materials, this process naturally took some time. Madam Fan of the Melodious Sound Sect, with a beaming smile, engaged in casual conversation with Han Li, subtly trying to inquire about the origin of these materials.
But Han Li was incredibly shrewd. He continued to chat with her in a roundabout manner, naturally leaving her with nothing useful.
After a while, Elder Zhao finally finished inspecting all the materials. He then estimated a price and transmitted it to the woman from the Melodious Sound Sect via voice transmission.
After hearing the price, she pondered for a moment and then slightly lowered the offer by ten percent before reporting it to Han Li.
Han Li listened to the price and fell into contemplation. This reaction made Madam Fan somewhat uneasy.
To secure the deal, she hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and proactively increased the price by an additional five percent.
Upon hearing the new offer, Han Li finally nodded in agreement.
Although he knew the price was still a bit low, being able to dispose of everything in one go satisfied him greatly.
Madam Fan breathed a sigh of relief when Han Li agreed.
Then, she poured out a small pile of mid-grade spirit stones from her own storage pouch and pushed them toward Han Li.
Han Li accepted them without ceremony.
The transaction was now successfully concluded, and both parties were quite satisfied.
Han Li was about to stand up and take his leave.
"I have heard that you have been searching for some unusual spirit bamboos. I happen to know something about that. Would you be interested in hearing a bit about it, Senior?" Madam Fan said this as if it were a casual remark.
Han Li was shocked upon hearing this and could not help but look at her.
At this moment, Madam Fan's beautiful eyes also met Han Li's, smiling, with a subtle glint of unusual light hidden in her gaze.
This expert in charm techniques from the Melodious Sound Sect intended to take advantage of Han Li's moment of shock to subtly plant a seed deep within his mind, so that in the future, without him noticing, Han Li would gradually become compliant to her will.
However, the moment their eyes met, Han Li felt a strong sense of springtime allure in her gaze, which was deeply captivating, giving him the sensation of being drawn in and unable to extricate himself.
"Charm technique!"
Just as his mind was about to falter, Han Li's thoughts flashed like lightning.
Immediately, Han Li's heart grew cold, and his eyes turned extremely icy. The piercing cold in his gaze sent a chill through Madam Fan's heart as she was attempting to use her fox charm art on him. Her entire charm technique instantlylost its effect.
In a panic, Madam Fan quickly tried to shift her gaze away. However, for some reason, her entire head, from the neck up, became numb and immobile. She could not turn it even slightly, nor could she open her mouth.
"Technique backlash!"
Realizing this, Madam Fan was terrified and desperately tried to break free from Han Li's counter-control with her eyes.
"What are you doing to Madam Fan?" Elder Zhao sensed something was wrong with Madam Fan. His eyes flashed with a cold glint, and he took a large step forward.
But in a flash, Qu Hun's expressionless figure disappeared from one side and reappeared in front of him. The strange movement startled the old man, making him hesitate whether to attack.
At this moment, Madam Fan struggled repeatedly but could not break free. Her gaze at Han Li was devoid of charm, replaced entirely by a look of desperate pleading, appearing pitiful and hopeful that Han Li would show mercy.
"Hmph!"
Han Li let out a cold snort, and the chill in his eyes finally receded.
This time, the woman, as if granted amnesty, quickly averted her gaze. At the same time, she could not help but open her mouth and spit out a mouthful of blood, staining her thin veil red.
"Madam Fan, you..." Elder Zhao's brows furrowed in anger, and he glared at Han Li, his hair bristling, as if about to make a move.
"Elder Zhao, please don't be angry! Senior Han was merciful. I was just a bit overwhelmed, and spitting out this blood has made me feel much better!" Madam Fan said quickly, stopping the old man's rash action with a forced smile.
Upon hearing this, the old man's expression eased slightly, and he returned to normal.
"I truly didn't expect that you, Senior, are also an expert in mesmerism techniques! My earlier test was quite reckless. I hope you won't hold it against me. However, I truly do know the whereabouts of a piece of Sky Thunder Bamboo," the woman said, still looking at Han Li with a hint of fear, afraid that he mightpursue the matter of what had just happened, so she took the initiative to mention it.
"Sky Thunder Bamboo!"
Han Li's icy expression changed upon hearing Madam Fan's words.
"The Sky Thunder Bamboo, one of the three great spirit woods?" Han Li could not help but ask in disbelief, though his voice carried a note of excitement.
Although he had wanted to use an unusual bamboo to craft a magical treasure, he had never dared to hope to use one of the three great spirit woods for such a purpose.
Hadn't it been said that the three great spirit woods were already extinct?
"Yes, it is indeed the Sky Thunder Bamboo. To tell the truth, this divine item was personally handled by me. It is definitely the genuine article." Madam Fan took out a small jade bottle, swallowed a medicinal pill to restore some energy, and said with great certainty.
"Is this item already sold to someone else?" Han Li's voice grew cold again as he stared at her.
At the same time, he wondered if this woman had not yet learned her lesson and was trying touse him as a weapon.
"No. It was originally intended to be auctioned off at the Heavenly Star City auction house, but it was unexpectedly intercepted along with a large shipment of our sect's goods. However, our sect has now discovered the whereabouts of those individuals and is preparing to invite some fellow cultivators to wipe them out!" Madam Fan hesitated for a moment but then frankly explained the situation.