Chapter 56 - 56: Big Trouble 1
Lingjun City, Han Mansion.
Han Li silently passed through the barrier and entered the back garden. The three ladies resting in the garden, Qiu Yueyao, Lin Yiwu, and Lin Yiyin, were startled at the sudden appearance, but then their faces bloomed with joy as they gathered around.
“This husband has finally returned-” said Lin Yiwu.
“Husband, I missed you so much- I‘ said Lin Yiyin.
“Husband, did you miss Yao’er?” asked Qiu Yueyao.
Embracing each one and planting a kiss, Han Li then said, “As a husband, I’ve thought of you day and night at Tianxuan Mountain.”
“You’re lying. If you missed us, you wouldn’t come home only once a year,” Lin Yiyin pouted.
“Isn’t it because there were important matters at Tianxuan Mountain?” Han Li rubbed her little head and pinched her cheek.
“Husband, was everything safe on your trip?” Lin Yiwu asked, her pretty face tense with worry that Han Li might have been hurt.
Han Li shook his head and replied, “No, I even gained quite a few opportunities.”
“That’s really wonderful,” beamed Qiu Yueyao, knowing that her husband had gained opportunities and his cultivation would surely improve.
Soon, the news of Han Li’s return spread, and concubines like Liu Yuexin and Li Mingmeng came out one after another to greet and inquire after him.
After a casual chat with them, Han Li cautioned them to keep his return a secret for the time being.
Otherwise, the two female assassins lying in wait would hear the news and come directly to Lingjun City, which would not be good at all.
Back in his bedchamber, Han Li pondered how to deal with the two enemies.
Worried about being discovered, Han Li only spied from afar, aware that the two women were at the early stage of the God Refining Realm, but he was not sure which specific stage they were at. He guessed it was probably the first, otherwise, they would have detected his spying.
The two looked young, clearly talented geniuses from a major sect, with top-tier cultivation techniques and abilities at their disposal, far surpassing his own.
Han Li had the indestructible Vajra body, at the complete level, and the two God Refining Realm True Individuals were still unable to penetrate his protective Gang Yuan Qi, granting him an innate invincibility.
He also possessed the powerful Step Booster Technique, which allowed him to cover a thousand miles in one step, rendering the two God Refining Realm True Individuals unable to catch up with him.
When he sensed the ambush, he didn’t directly break through because he was afraid of alarming them, and he was also concerned that they might have set up a formation.
With three Formation Breaking Beads, even if there was a formation, he could still escape. The two women did not know his true cultivation level, so they most likely did not set up a formation, but it was always best to be careful.
If a battle was inevitable, he would rather choose the battlefield himself and make some preparations in advance.
Before that, he needed to ascertain whether the two were drawn by the Pill Formula for the Rebirth Pill or the Body-Cultivating Furnace so he could respond more effectively.
In the next moment, Han Li’s figure disappeared from Han Mansion, reappearing at Zhenyi Manor.
Now, he had disguised himself thoroughly and even changed his appearance. With his cultivation level, unless a powerful Hollow Realm Master faced him directly, his true identity would remain undetectable.
Once inside Tianji Pavilion, Han Li described the two women’s appearances and purchased the corresponding intelligence. He spent a great deal of Spirit Stones and realized the gravity of the situation.
“This is troubling.”
Back in Han Mansion, Han Li looked at the two jade slips in his hand, which contained the intelligence, his expression solemn.
The jade slips detailed the general information of the two women, and he knew why they had come; it was all because of the Body-Cultivating Furnace.
Jiang Baiye: 72 years old, Fourth Grade aptitude, at the first level of the God Refining Realm, a Core Disciple from Canghai Sect, one of the Ten Major Sects of the Da Qian Dynasty, ranked third. She practiced the “Canghai True
Scripture” and mastered the “Heavenly Sword Technique” and “Canghai Sword Scripture” among other Earth Level Martial Arts. Skilled in swordplay, her strength was comparable to the mid-stage of the God Refining Realm.
Yun Miaoyi: 76 years old, Fourth Grade aptitude, at the first level of the God Refining Realm, a Core Disciple of the Yinyang Sect, practiced the “Extreme Yin
Divine Canon,” and mastered the “Yin and Yang Palm Seal” and “Triple Yin Jie Finger” among other Earth Level Martial Arts. Her strength was also comparable to the mid-stage of the God Refining Realm.
“Jiang Baiye, Yun Miaoyi.”
Han Li murmured the names of these two individuals with an extremely grave expression.
Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi both hailed from major sects and possessed comparable strength, each almost on par with an average cultivator in the mid-stage of the God Refining Realm. However, Han Li was of the same caliber, and in this respect, he wasn’t worried.
Even if he were to battle the two women, they wouldn’t be able to breach his protective Gang Yuan Qi, nor capture him.
But now that these two had set their sights on him, desiring the
Body-Cultivating Furnace he held, shaking them off wouldn’t be easy.
Whether it was the Canghai Sect behind Jiang Baiye or the Yinyang Sect behind Yun Miaoyi, he could not afford to offend either.
“Why have these two set their sights on me?”
Han Li meticulously recollected the past events. When he killed Lu Renbin, he had destroyed the body and eliminated all traces very neatly, even thoroughly erasing any signs of the battlefield.
Han Li suspected that the primary cause of suspicion was likely from the first battlefield. In order to mislead others, he had not destroyed the corpse and erased traces there. In retrospect, he realized it was a misstep.
During the slaying of the seven loose cultivators, he had used palm techniques and archery, which did not match the martial arts he was known for, nor the spear techniques Li Deshun was proficient in.
Under normal circumstances, no one would step forward for these loose cultivators, nor would they go out of their way to look into these matters or notice the inconsistencies.
But once someone started to seriously investigate, things would not add up. The martial arts used did not align with either of the two, yet the killings were tied to him and Li Deshun, making the discrepancy all too obvious.
“Indeed, the one who stands out gets shot first. The moment one’s strength is exposed, trouble follows,” Han Li chuckled wryly, roughly guessing the situation.
He still wasn’t cautious enough, his actions not secure enough. It had been too long since he had made a move, which resulted in leaving such conspicuous clues. This served as a silent warning for Han Li.
If fishing could be avoided, it should be. He would lay low and keep to himself. Even with a ninety percent certainty, any action that risked exposing his strength was absolutely not to be undertaken.
At this moment, in Han Li’s mind, ninety percent certainty had become synonymous with courting death.
Participating in the loose cultivators’ assembly, he had judged it to be almost a sure thing, with his cultivation more than enough to dominate the scene. The chance of successful fishing without exposure was ninety percent sure.
But in reality, he truly could have exposed himself. But who could blame him when he couldn’t bear to part with the all-important Body-Cultivating Furnace?
Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi did not directly approach him, possibly because they hadn’t confirmed their suspicions, given that the level of cultivation he displayed was only at the fifth level of the Pihai Realm, which made it unlikely that he was a Gang Yuan Realm cultivator.
It’s also possible that they did come to his doorstep, but since he wasn’t home, they might be lying in wait outside, expecting him to return from Tianxuan Mountain.
From this, it was evident that the two women had a good understanding of his situation, knowing his whereabouts and weaknesses, otherwise they wouldn’t have thought of using the Han Family to threaten him.
Fortunately, he had hidden his strength well. When he went to Tianxuan Mountain, he was already at the peak of the Gang Yuan Realm, and having returned, he had broken through to the God Refining Realm, significantly boosting his power.
Otherwise, he would have been captured by those two young women.
In rescuing Lin Yiyin and slaying Cui Pingyu, his thoughts were the same. With ninety percent certainty, he proceeded, and although he had not been exposed for the time being, there was still an element of risk.
If the Hehuan Sect were to find out, he would find himself in a great deal of trouble.
In the previous decades, after acquiring the golden finger, things had gone too smoothly for him. A trace of complacency had unknowingly crept into his heart. In simpler terms, he was arrogant, convinced that he would never be exposed, confident in the strength he had concealed, convinced that…
And then, this crisis ensued.
The more Han Li thought about it, the more fearful he became, and the clearer his mind grew. He decided from then onward to be more cautious, to live even more conservatively; without absolute certainty, he could not afford to act.
Once he did, he would leave traces behind, and one day, someone would track them down. After all, he wasn’t too familiar with the strategies of those large forces—who knew if they had any hidden tracking methods?
Without even attaining the True Martial Realm, why should he flaunt himself out there?
Enough talk, let’s continue to seek investment, recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, and all forms of support.
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