Chapter 348: Beating Around the Bush

"To be honest with you two, I am also short on cash. I only have these ten immortal essence stones, and I will use these items to make up for the remaining five," Han Li said, gently flicking his sleeve again. Five more milky-white crystals appeared on the table, each the size of a fist, emitting faint traces of cold air.

It wasn't that he cared about the mere five immortal essence stones, but given the cultivation level of the Integration Stage he had displayed, easily producing fifteen immortal essence stones would have been far too conspicuous.

After all, in the Black Wind Sea region, even an Earth Immortal at the early True Immortal Stage might not have a total wealth of fifteen immortal essence stones.

"Cold Soul Crystals!" Xue Luo's eyes fell on these white crystals, and she was overjoyed. She picked up one of the white crystals and examined it closely.

Qin Chongben, who was beside her, had been about to say something, but upon seeing the change in Xue Luo's expression, he immediately stopped speaking.

"Do you two have any objections to using these five Cold Soul Crystals to offset five immortal essence stones?" Han Li said slowly.

"No objections at all." Xue Luo immediately nodded and quickly put away the five white crystals, as if afraid Han Li might change his mind.

Han Li smiled faintly and unhurriedly put away the white token.

"As for the guarantee, Fellow Daoist Liu need not worry. Just come with me to the Xue family, and it will be handled quickly," Xue Luo then added.

"Very well, I'll leave this matter to you, Fairy Xue," Han Li nodded.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, I wonder... do you have any more of these Cold Soul Crystals?" Xue Luo hesitated for a moment, then looked at Han Li with some hope and asked.

"What, does Fairy Xue wish to buy some?" Han Li rubbed his nose and said.

"This item is very useful to me. If Fellow Daoist Liu has any, I would be willing to purchase them at a high price," Xue Luo said after exchanging a glance with Qin Chongben.

"Please help us, Fellow Daoist Liu. Qin would be most grateful. If you ever need anything from me, I will not refuse," Qin Chongben also pleaded immediately upon seeing this.

"I do happen to have two more Cold Soul Crystals," Han Li said, glancing at the two of them. With a wave of his hand, two white crystals appeared on the table.

Each of these two Cold Soul Crystals was as big as two fists, far larger than the previous five.

Xue Luo was delighted at the sight, but she did not recklessly touch the two Cold Soul Crystals. Instead, she took a deep breath and said to Han Li:

"Please, Fellow Daoist Liu, part with them. Don't worry about the price."

"I obtained these Cold Soul Crystals by chance. Since Fairy Xue needs them, I'll give them to you," Han Li said, pushing the two Cold Soul Crystals in front of the woman in white.

“As the saying goes, one should not accept a reward without merit. How could I, a humble maiden, accept such a generous gift for no reason? Might I ask the Daoist friend to name a price?” Xue Luo’s beautiful eyes flickered with surprise as she shook her head.

“Since Fairy Xue says so, I will not stand on ceremony. Since you are a member of a noble family in Guanlan City, you must be well-informed. May I ask what major events have occurred in the Black Wind Sea in recent years? Also, why has Black Wind Island become so strict in inspecting those heading to the Black Wind Sea? If you can answer these two questions, I will give you these two pieces of Cold Soul Crystal for free.” Han Li waved his hand and asked.

“Are you serious, Daoist friend?” Both Xue Luo and Qin Zhong’s eyes flashed with joy, and the former asked again.

“Liu Mou always keeps his word.” Han Li said without hesitation.

“Although Guanlan City and the Black Wind Sea are separated only by a teleportation array, information between them is very scarce, and we don’t know much. As for major events in the Black Wind Sea, the most notable is the conflict between its two largest forces, Black Wind Island and Qingyu Island. In recent years, the struggle between them has gradually surfaced and is intensifying.” Xue Luo pondered for a moment before speaking seriously.

“Oh, have the remote sea areas been drawn into it?” Han Li’s eyes flickered, and he immediately asked.

“That is unclear, but according to people who have come from there, the fighting is still limited to the central region, and some remote sea areas remain relatively calm. Daoist Liu, that’s roughly all I know.” Xue Luo shook her head.

Han Li nodded. Wumeng Island was remote and should not have been affected yet.

“By the way, I heard something from a Daoist friend who came from the Black Wind Sea over a decade ago. It caused quite a stir at the time.” Qin Zhong suddenly spoke up.

“Oh, what was it?” Han Li’s heart stirred, and he immediately asked.

“I’m not clear on the specifics, but it seems that the Desolate Gale somewhere on the periphery of the Black Wind Sea inexplicably began to surge inward, destroying several islands in succession.” Qin Zhong said.

“Desolate Gale…” Han Li was slightly startled.

“I’ve heard a little about this too. The Desolate Gale, as a natural barrier isolating the Black Wind Sea from the outside world, has existed for countless millennia and has never behaved abnormally before.” Xue Luo chimed in.

“Alright, I understand. As for the second question I raised, do you two know the reason?” Han Li nodded and then asked.

Xue Luo and Qin Zhong exchanged a glance and shook their heads. “Regarding this question, many people in Guanlan City would like to know the answer, but unfortunately, no one has ever found out.”

“I see… Regardless, since you have answered one of my questions, you may take one piece of Cold Soul Crystal.” Han Li frowned in thought, then said.

“Then thank you, Daoist Liu.” Xue Luo picked up one piece of crystal and put it away, then looked at the other piece and asked:

“As for this piece of Cold Soul Crystal, I am willing to buy it for two Immortal Origin Stones. Would you be willing to part with it as well?”

Han Li heard this and did not refuse.

The three sat in the tavern for a short while, then rose and left.

Han Li followed the two to the Xue family, a sizable trading company located in the east of Guanlan City.

Xue Luo was as good as his word, quickly completing the guarantee for Han Li.

Thus, each side got what they needed, and the transaction was perfectly concluded.

Han Li did not stay long at the Xue family estate. Declining Xue Luo's invitation to remain, he soon took his leave.

"This trip went quite smoothly," Crab Daoist's voice sounded in Han Li's ear.

"Yes," Han Li murmured to himself, flipping his hand to produce a white token.

On one side of the token was engraved a pattern of a white bird, with a flat head and an eagle's beak, quite peculiar; on the other side were the words 'Xue Family'.

This was a token of the Xue family, a gift from Xue Luo.

Han Li looked at the white token, a contemplative expression in his eyes.

"What's wrong with the token?" Crab Daoist asked.

"Nothing, I just find the bird pattern somewhat unusual," Han Li said, shaking his head.

He had seen this pattern before in the Black Wind Sea Region. If he remembered correctly, the white bird emblem was the mark of Xueying Island, a fairly large island power near Wumeng Island.

According to records from Wumeng Island, tens of thousands of years ago, everyone on Xueying Island suddenly vanished, becoming a mystery of that sea region at the time.

He wondered if the Xue family had any connection to Xueying Island back then.

Han Li quickly put the token away, no longer dwelling on such trivial matters, but a trace of worry still lingered between his brows.

"What, are you still worried about the upheaval in the Black Wind Sea Region? Didn't you say the most formidable there was merely Black Wind Island Lord, a True Immortal late-stage Earth Immortal? With your strength, why be so concerned?" Crab Daoist said.

"That's true, but for some reason, I can't shake a feeling of unease," Han Li said.

"I think you've been dodging the Heavenly Court's pursuit for so long that you've grown paranoid," Crab Daoist said.

"I hope I'm just overthinking it," Han Li said with self-mockery, but his expression did not relax.

As he spoke, Han Li arrived at a street in the eastern part of the city.

It was noon, and the street was thronged with people.

These people were all of considerable cultivation, many at the Void Refining or Integration stage. They were likely rogue cultivators here to hunt and seek treasures.

Most of the shops lining the streets were also material stores, where various spirit herbs and demon beast materials were very fresh, clearly just acquired.

With his matters settled and nothing else to do, Han Li idly strolled through the various shops.

Although Guanlan City was not large and had few shops, they contained a motley assortment of items, including some rare curiosities, which yielded him quite a few gains, and his interest grew.

Before long, he stopped before a relatively large material store. From outside the door, he could see a considerable number of items stacked on a dozen shelves inside.

A smile appeared on Han Li's face, and he stepped inside.

At that moment, a young man in white happened to walk out from within, and the two passed each other.

Han Li stopped and turned to look at the man's back, a hint of surprise on his face.

The young man in white displayed a cultivation of late-stage Body Integration, but Han Li saw through his true cultivation at a glance—it was actually that of a high-level cultivator at early-stage True Immortal.

Moreover, this person's method of concealing his aura was exceptionally skillful; had Han Li's divine sense not been extremely powerful, he might not have detected it.

The young man in white did not notice Han Li's gaze behind him. He quickly walked into the crowd and soon disappeared from sight.

Han Li withdrew his gaze, shook his head, and stepped into the shop.

After all, it was normal for high-level cultivators to conceal their cultivation—wasn't he himself the same?

"Esteemed guest, do you need anything?" The shopkeeper, seeing Han Li enter, hurriedly greeted him warmly.

……

After half a day, Han Li had made a circuit of the city, visiting every shop. He found several fine materials and two rare varieties of spirit herb seeds.

Perhaps because Guanlan City had just been established and was located in a remote area, there were no immortal inns here yet.

For some reason, this fact made him feel inexplicably relieved.

At this moment, Han Li stood in the central area of the city. Not far ahead was the white pagoda where the teleportation array was located.

Under the night sky, the white pagoda emitted a crystalline glow, reflecting off the moonlight in the sky, creating a rather unique atmosphere.

But at this moment, the pagoda's gate was tightly shut, and he could not see inside.

He did not forcibly probe with his divine sense. After standing there for a moment, he turned and left, found an inn in a remote corner of the west city to stay in, and quietly went into seclusion.