Chapter 829: No Need to Follow

Han Li listened to Hu Jingjing while sweeping his gaze around. The wide bridge was bustling with traffic, lively and noisy.

Not far from his side was the outer railing of Tongji Bridge. Through the white jade balustrade, he could see the river below, where enormous water-crossing beasts were either carrying or pulling ornate multi-storied boats, moving in an orderly fashion.

“In Dijiang Market, the largest and most powerful shop is called ‘Liufeng Pavilion.’ Behind it is actually the eldest prince. Most of the items there are of very high grade, and naturally, the prices are steep. Next is a shop of Guangyuan Zhai, which is only slightly inferior in strength but has the best reputation…” Hu Jingjing continued explaining.

“Is the headquarters of Guangyuan Zhai here?” Han Li asked, intrigued.

“The Guangyuan Zhai shop in Dijiang Market is just a branch, not the headquarters. Although its headquarters is also in Maha District, it’s over in Tongyi Garden, separated from us by most of Maha District,” Hu Jingjing explained.

As they spoke, the carriage had already crossed Tongji Bridge and was stopped by stationed demon cultivators.

The two of them then got off the carriage and began to walk.

“Continue,” Han Li said.

“Yes. Dijiang Market not only has shops selling sacred clan treasures and spiritual materials but also shops selling celestial domain artifacts. Among them, ‘Xianling Pavilion’ is a shop specializing in selling celestial artifacts. But the strangest one is ‘Jingwu Zhai,’ which sells the most peculiar items. Some items cause a stir throughout Yeyang City as soon as they appear, while others leave people unsure how to evaluate them.” Seeing Han Li listening attentively, Hu Jingjing smiled knowingly and continued.

“That shop is interesting. Does it have any backing?” Han Li nodded and asked again.

“Yes, it’s no secret in Yeyang City. The financial backer of Jingwu Zhai is the twelfth prince, Shi Jingkai,” Hu Jingjing nodded.

“Shi Jingkai… Is he the full-blood brother of the fifth princess, Shi Jingyan?” Han Li pondered briefly and asked.

“Exactly, it’s him. This twelfth prince is also an interesting character. He is extraordinarily handsome but has a dissolute nature, never taking cultivation seriously, and is still at the True Immortal stage. He enjoys traveling, exploring secret realms, and ancient immortal cave ruins. Many items in Jingwu Zhai are things he has collected from various places. The demon artifact Wanhu Vase, which once caused a stir in Yeyang City, was brought back by him,” Hu Jingjing said with a smile.

“With only True Immortal cultivation, he dares to take such risks. The fifth princess must be very worried about him, right?” Han Li also smiled.

“You’re right, Senior. It is said that the fifth princess has arranged for three Taiyi Jade Immortals to follow her brother long-term and has asked a Da Luo cultivator to look after him. Otherwise, how could she allow him to act so recklessly?” Hu Jingjing lowered her voice and said with a grin.

The two arrived at the market entrance. Seeing the tall stone archway, Han Li suddenly stopped and said:

“Alright, Miss Jingjing, you can go back now.”

The demon girl, who had been all smiles, suddenly froze, looking puzzled: “Senior…”

“As a cultivator at the Integration stage, you know far too much. You’ve already led the way to Dijiang Market, and I know the way back. There’s no need for you to follow,” Han Li said, his smile fading.

Hu Jingjing’s smile also gradually disappeared. She bowed expressionlessly to Han Li and said:

“This servant obeys.”

Han Li ignored her, waved his hand dismissively behind his back, and walked into the archway.

The demon girl watched Han Li’s figure gradually disappear into the crowd, a look of indignation on her face. She stomped her foot heavily and turned to walk toward Tongji Bridge.

After walking for a while, Han Li looked back and saw that she had been sensible enough not to continue following secretly. He curled his lips into a faint smile and began to examine the shops on both sides.

The architectural style of Dijiang Market was not as orderly as that of the demon palace. Various styles mixed together, appearing somewhat chaotic. Coupled with the constant flow of pedestrians on the streets, it gave off a rather mundane, worldly atmosphere.

Among these pedestrians, most looked no different from humans, but each retained a slight demonic feature—some a scale, some a horn, some pupils of various colors.

Of course, those who maintained a completely human appearance, though fewer, were not uncommon, so Han Li, mingling among them, was not particularly conspicuous.

After walking inward for a short while, Han Li saw a three-story pavilion with carved beams and painted rafters, eaves curving like flying birds, in an antique style leaning toward celestial aesthetics. The plaque above read “Xianling Pavilion.”

Outside its gate, the flow of people was noticeably less than that of neighboring shops, making it appear somewhat desolate.

Han Li lifted his foot and stepped over the threshold into the pavilion.

As soon as he entered Xianling Pavilion, he immediately felt a surge of dense celestial spiritual energy. This place was actually an independently operating large-scale formation that gathered the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

A young man dressed in a scholar’s robe emerged from the hall and quickly approached Han Li. A familiar smile appeared on his plain face as he greeted: “A distinguished guest arrives; I apologize for not welcoming you from afar…”

“I wouldn’t call myself a distinguished guest. I’m just curious—how did your shop come to be located in this demon domain capital?” Han Li asked casually.

“Just as there are demon clansmen in the celestial realm, there are human cultivators within the demon domain. Aren’t you an example, esteemed guest? Our humble shop mainly serves cross-realm immortals like yourself,” the young man said with a smile.

“That is indeed true,” Han Li nodded.

“May I ask what the esteemed guest needs?” the young man inquired.

“I need to purchase some materials. Does your shop have them?” Han Li said, pulling a paper slip from his sleeve and handing it over.

The man took the paper slip and examined it carefully, but his brow gradually furrowed.

“The items you need are all top-grade materials. Apart from the first two, our small shop doesn’t have the rest. However, if you need them, I can communicate with the chamber of commerce to see if we can transfer stock from elsewhere,” the young man said, hesitating slightly and looking at Han Li with a slightly changed expression.

“If you can transfer the goods, that would be great. It would be best to gather all these materials,” Han Li nodded.

“You jest, esteemed guest. These items are far too rare. Even gathering a small portion would be remarkable. As for the rest, you’ll likely have to search elsewhere,” the young man said with slight apology.

“No matter. I’ll take whatever you can gather,” Han Li said indifferently.

“There’s another matter I need to inform you in advance. Transferring goods from the celestial realm here differs from doing so within the celestial realm; it consumes considerable resources. If you’re willing to wait, we can send them together with the next inter-realm transfer. If you’re in a hurry, we can expedite the transfer, but the cost will naturally be added to the materials’ price,” the young man said after a slight hesitation.

“No problem, as long as the wait isn’t too long,” Han Li said.

“The next transfer will be in about ten years,” the young man replied.

“How much will the premium be, including the transfer fee?” Han Li asked after a brief pause.

“According to chamber rules, a premium of one-tenth of the material price,” the young man answered quickly.

“Can I pay with immortal essence stones?” Han Li asked.

“Of course,” the young man smiled.

“Then I’ll wait ten years,” Han Li said after a long deliberation.

“Very well. Please move to the guest room for a moment. I’ll fetch those two spiritual materials for your inspection,” the young man said, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.

…

Within the imperial city, in a courtyard with exquisite layout and dense demonic energy.

A charming demon girl hurried through the halls and courtyards, stopping before an exquisitely ornate white pointed building at the deepest part.

This girl was none other than Hu Jingjing, who had been dismissed by Han Li earlier. However, her cultivation base now clearly showed as early Golden Immortal.

Just as she was about to speak, the building’s door swung open inward.

After a moment’s hesitation, the girl quickly walked in.

The room was quite spacious. A silver-haired man in black tight-fitting clothes was holding a brush, gently applying color to a huge canvas.

The painting depicted a tall, steep black solitary peak. At the summit stood a blurry figure, facing a violent storm, with a bolt of white lightning striking down from above, tearing through most of the picture.

“Jingjing, what, were you sent away just like that?”

The silver-haired man put down his brush and turned around, a gentle smile appearing on his handsome face.

He was none other than Shi Chuankong’s third brother, Shi Pokong.

“Reporting to Your Highness, that person…” The demon girl bowed respectfully and began to narrate slowly.

From waiting outside the mansion gate to parting with Han Li at the Dijiang Market archway, she recounted everything she had seen and heard along the way, every word Han Li had spoken, and every change in his expression, in meticulous detail to Shi Pokong.

Shi Pokong listened quietly with his arms crossed, not interrupting Hu Jingjing’s account. Only at the end did he ask:

“After he sent you away, you didn’t follow secretly, did you?”

“Your Highness had already instructed me earlier. This servant dared not add unnecessary actions,” Hu Jingjing quickly said.

“Mm, you did well,” Shi Pokong nodded with a smile.

Upon hearing this, a flicker of hesitation appeared in Hu Jingjing’s eyes, as if she wanted to speak but held back.

“Speak your mind,” Shi Pokong said with a smile.

“Reporting to Your Highness, although that person was very amiable throughout the journey, when he spoke his parting words, I couldn’t help but feel… feel a chill down my spine. That’s why I didn’t dare follow rashly—I was somewhat afraid,” Hu Jingjing confessed truthfully.