Chapter 611: True Identity

Upon receiving Han Li's telepathic message, Elder Jingyang paused noticeably.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment before replying after a long while:

"I'm truly sorry, but this gold-and-jade slip was not easily obtained, so I cannot sell it to you. However, rest assured, if any Xuanzhi crystal appears at the auction, I will find a way to secure it for you."

"Since you cannot sell it, can you at least tell me how you obtained this gold-and-jade slip?" Han Li asked again.

"Although the auction at Yulou Tower is still over two hundred years away, preparations have already begun. I heard they are currently in need of a pill master to appraise elixirs. I see that you, Fellow Daoist Li, are quite skilled in alchemy—why not give it a try?" After another pause, Elder Jingyang transmitted.

"So, Fellow Daoist Jingyang obtained his gold-and-jade slip in the same way?" Han Li raised an eyebrow slightly and transmitted.

"I'm trying to help you out of goodwill, but if you keep pressing like this, it's no fun..." Elder Jingyang sighed helplessly.

"Then thank you very much." Han Li surprisingly stopped asking.

Rehe Immortal and the others were completely unaware of this, continuing to drink and jest, mocking Elder Jingyang for being too stingy.

...

Half a month later, Han Li left Xianyun Mountain again.

Following Elder Jingyang's instructions, after entering the inner city of Jukun, he headed straight for Yulou Tower.

Yulou Tower was still as he had seen it last time—its main gate tightly shut and sealed with talismans.

Han Li bypassed Yulou Tower, walked along the street behind it, and eventually entered a dead-end alley about six feet wide.

Reaching the gray stone wall at the end of the alley, he raised a palm, gathered spiritual power in his palm, and pressed it against the wall. Instantly, an invisible pulling force dragged him into the wall.

Han Li's vision went dark, and he found himself in a spacious courtyard.

Immediately, a clattering sound of armor came, and several silver-armored warriors surrounded him, trapping him in the center.

Han Li swept his gaze over these 'people' and realized they had no aura of the living—they were all Dao soldiers. What surprised him even more was that the armor they wore was covered with spiritual patterns, each piece seemingly extraordinary, emanating powerful fluctuations.

Each one was likely no weaker than a Mahayana-stage cultivator. Although they were no match for a Golden Immortal, who knew what other special restrictions were hidden within these Dao soldiers.

"Who goes there, and for what purpose?" At that moment, a somewhat mechanical voice came from one of the Dao soldiers.

"I heard Yulou Tower needs a pill master, so I came to try out." Han Li stood still and stated directly.

"Follow me." One Dao soldier said, then turned and walked toward a main hall at the back of the courtyard.

Han Li followed him, and the other Dao soldiers formed a line and followed closely behind.

At the hall entrance, all the Dao soldiers split into two rows, standing on either side of the door without moving.

After glancing around, Han Li stepped forward, pushed open the hall door, and entered.

The hall was brightly lit. Facing the door were three wide seats. On the left and right sat two old men in crimson robes—one thin with a tall crown, the other robust with a face like a red date. The middle seat was empty.

The old men wore identical robes, each embroidered with a flame pattern on the chest, above which were two crossed objects resembling hammers.

"You say you've come to apply as a pill appraiser?" the tall-crowned old man on the left asked, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"That's right." Han Li said clearly.

"Do you know our requirements for a pill master?" the robust old man on the right asked.

"No." Han Li shook his head.

"We need at least a pill master capable of refining Taiyi-level elixirs. Are you qualified?" the tall-crowned old man said, his voice still flat.

"So, if I can refine a Taiyi-level elixir, I can obtain a gold-and-jade slip?" Han Li raised an eyebrow slightly and asked.

"Yes. If you can truly do that, you will naturally be qualified to participate in this auction, and of course, you must also fulfill the duties of a pill appraiser." The robust old man nodded.

"Do you have a pill room I can use?" Han Li asked without further ado.

"The left side hall is available." The robust old man pointed.

Han Li, fully prepared, turned and walked into that side hall without another word, closing the door behind him.

At that moment, a figure slowly walked out from the rear hall, sat down grandly in the middle seat, glanced at the side hall, and said, "Heh, quite cautious—even set up isolation restrictions... Oh, and not low-grade either..."

"Deputy Mountain Lord, can this person really refine Taiyi-level elixirs?" the tall-crowned old man turned sideways and asked the person in the main seat.

"How would I know? Just taking a chance... Let's wait and see." The man laughed.

...

In the blink of an eye, over five months passed. The door to the side hall, which had been tightly shut, finally opened.

After one failure, Han Li used the last remaining batch of materials to successfully refine three 'Yuqing Pills.'

"This pill is full of spiritual energy and of excellent quality. Among all the Yuqing Pills I've seen, it ranks in the top three." The tall-crowned old man held a freshly made pill in his palm and praised.

"Not bad, not bad! Fellow Daoist, your alchemy skills are superb. You are indeed qualified to serve as our pill appraiser." The robust old man with a face like a red date was calmer, showing a smile as he spoke.

"In that case, shouldn't you invite your master, Fellow Daoist Jingyang, to come out and meet me?" Han Li took back the Yuqing Pill from the tall-crowned old man and suddenly changed the subject with a smile.

Hearing this, the two crimson-robed old men's expressions stiffened. They exchanged glances and remained silent for a moment.

"Haha... As expected of Fellow Daoist Li, you guessed my identity at once." A hearty laugh came from the rear hall, and Elder Jingyang slowly walked out.

He was now wearing a crimson robe identical in style to the other two, except that the flame pattern on his chest was golden.

"What's so hard to guess? The day I first arrived here, they didn't even ask my identity and directly had me try refining pills. Clearly, they already knew who I was. And the only person who knew I would come here, after much thought, seems to be you, Fellow Daoist Jingyang. Besides, you almost made it too obvious by leaving the main seat empty, as if you wanted me to figure out you were the one in charge." Han Li said with a smile.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Li, from now on, you should learn to see through things without exposing them..." Elder Jingyang glanced at the empty wide seat and laughed.

With that, he waved his sleeve. The two old men immediately took their leave and withdrew into the rear hall.

"Ahem, ahem, Fellow Daoist Li, I actually wanted to tell you directly, but the auction is jointly organized by the Black Mountain Immortal Palace and our Baizao Mountain branch, so there are rules that must be followed. I was confident in your alchemy skills and just had you go through the motions." Elder Jingyang coughed lightly and said with a smile.

"Thank you for your kindness. I hope you won't hide anything from me, Fellow Daoist Jingyang. What exactly is your identity?" Han Li frowned slightly and asked.

Elder Jingyang sighed upon hearing this. Instead of answering directly, he pulled out a gourd of wine from under his robe and took a swig.

"I am one of the seventy-two deputy mountain lords of Baizao Mountain, in charge of the branch sect in the Black Earth Immortal Domain." He continued after the wine went down.

"Black Earth Immortal Domain? Why not Black Mountain Immortal Domain?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"The Black Earth, Black Mountain, Fuze, and Yuanjing Immortal Domains are close to each other and no longer separated by the desolate wilds, so they are collectively called the 'Four Alliance Immortal Region.' Our Baizao Mountain branch is based in the Black Earth Immortal Domain but covers the entire Four Alliance Immortal Region. Otherwise, why would a deputy mountain lord like me be stationed here?" Elder Jingyang said directly without hiding anything.

"If so, why did you hide your identity in Wild Crane Valley?" Han Li frowned and asked.

"My temperament is similar to that old ghost Rehe—I can't stand these trivial matters. I heard there was a wonderful place in the Black Mountain Immortal Domain, so I traveled there out of admiration. On the way, I met Yu Ziqing, became close friends, and we went together to Xianyun Mountain, staying in Wild Crane Valley." Elder Jingyang explained.

Seeing that Han Li still seemed suspicious, Elder Jingyang couldn't help but scold with a laugh:

"Don't be ungrateful! I didn't need to personally handle this Jukun City auction, and I didn't want to get involved. It was only to gather information about 'Flower Heart Stone' for you that I meddled again... And now you suspect me for no reason. Don't you think I'm wronged?"

"Is that really all?" Han Li relaxed his expression and asked with a light smile.

"Hehe, not entirely... I come to the Yulou Tower auction every time, but before, I always participated as a private bidder. This time, I made an exception and got involved in the auction affairs." Elder Jingyang smiled awkwardly and said teasingly.

"Regardless, I must thank you for this. You've always wanted the brewing methods for Fire Saliva Wine and Red Mulberry Wine. I'll organize them and give them to you along with some of my brewing insights. As for Wild Crane Valley, rest assured, I am not a gossip and will not say a word." Han Li cupped his hands slightly and said.

Elder Jingyang gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Fellow Daoist Li, you're a true friend! Come, come, let's have a drink! Today, we won't go home until we're drunk!"