Infiltration

Han Li was all too familiar with the infatuated look the young girl had worn when she left.

He recalled the first time he had seen Li Huayuan commanding that giant flood dragon; the exact same envious gaze had been on his own face.

Thinking this, Han Li found the pretty little girl rather amusing.

Then, with a faint smile, he vanished silently from the tree. When he reappeared, he was already inside the high walls of the Prince’s manor.

At this moment, Han Li was not only using the Invisibility Technique, a spell sufficient to fool mortals, but also the Qi Attraction Art, an aura-concealing technique that only Foundation Establishment cultivators could employ.

He moved like a ghost among the manor’s servants and maids, flashing past them without anyone detecting the slightest anomaly.

In just a few moments, Han Li had infiltrated the inner residence of the manor. He quietly concealed himself behind a pillar in a secluded corridor, his cold gaze surveying everything nearby.

Soon, a maid of moderate charm passed by. Han Li flicked his finger, and a fist-sized mass of yellow light flew from his hand, striking the maid squarely on the head. She swayed and began to collapse.

But before her body hit the ground, Han Li had already darted out, caught her, and retreated to the corner behind the pillar.

With practiced ease, Han Li straightened the maid’s limp body, turning her to face him. Then, opening his mouth, he exhaled a wisp of azure spiritual energy that landed on her closed eyes.

The maid’s eyelids twitched, then slowly opened.

As she came to, her eyes immediately met a pair of golden orbs staring coldly at her.

Startled, she tried to struggle and scream, but the uncanny eyes suddenly blazed with yellow light, stabbing straight into her vision.

The world spun around her; everything seemed to turn golden. Then, her head lolled to the side, and she lost consciousness.

Han Li looked at the maid, who had fainted again, and sighed softly. He withdrew one hand to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Even though casting this “Mind Control Art” had taken only a brief instant, the mental strain it placed on him was immense, nearly exhausting. No wonder this spell was listed among the top ten useless techniques for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Although the spell, if successfully cast, allowed the caster to command the target’s absolute obedience for a period of time, as if they were a slave, its restrictions were far too numerous. Very few cultivators actually bothered to learn it.

First, the spell could only be used on mortals. It had no effect on cultivators. Even if the gap in cultivation between the caster and the target was immense, a simple circulation of spiritual energy through the target’s mind could easily dispel the spell’s hypnotic effect.

Second, the spell required the practitioner not only to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator but also to possess a divine sense far exceeding that of an ordinary person. The vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators did not meet this requirement.

With these two limitations, the number of cultivators with any interest in practicing this spell was pitifully small.

But for Han Li, none of this was a problem.

Han Li had long been worried about his lack of Foundation Establishment spells. When he had seen the incantation for this technique in the Tianzhi Pavilion that day, he had memorized it out of curiosity. Upon returning to his cave dwelling and practicing it briefly, he had found that it flowed naturally without any obstruction, which took him by surprise.

And today, when he used it on this maid, it succeeded on the first try.

After cautiously scanning his surroundings, Han Li gently shook one finger. A small, milky-white orb of light emerged from his fingertip. He touched it to the maid’s brow, and the orb merged into her skin and vanished.

The maid awoke and sat up immediately, staring blankly at Han Li with unblinking eyes.

“What is your Intendant’s background? When did he enter the Prince’s manor? Where does he usually go? Who outside the manor does he frequently contact?” Han Li stared at the maid, firing off a rapid succession of questions.

The maid he had chosen was the one Prince Xin had sent to find the young prince at the beginning of the banquet. This suggested she held a relatively high status among the servants, which would allow him to obtain more accurate information.

“Which Intendant is my master asking about?” the maid said, her expression blank.

“Are there many Intendants in the manor?” Han Li asked, slightly taken aback.

“There is Intendant Wang, who oversees all affairs in the manor; Intendant Li, who is in charge of procurement; and Intendant Zhai, who manages the internal household,” the maid replied, still expressionless.

“Which Intendant was it who greeted the guests at the manor gate today?” Han Li asked, frowning, in a low voice.

“That was Intendant Wang, who holds the most authority.”

“He is the one I am asking about,” Han Li said, a hint of urgency in his voice.

He had no idea how long this spell could control the target’s mind, so he had to finish his important questions quickly. Otherwise, when the maid woke up, it would be more trouble.

“According to the manor’s older servants, Intendant Wang grew up as the Prince’s companion and study-mate from childhood. He has been with the Prince for fifty or sixty years. Aside from accompanying the Prince to the palace once a month on a routine basis, he never sets foot outside the manor. He has no contact with anyone outside the manor, except for a few close friends of the Prince.”

“As for his relationship with the young prince, it’s a bit strange. According to the young prince’s former nanny, before the young prince turned ten, he had a very violent temper and a poor relationship with Intendant Wang. On one occasion, he even slapped Intendant Wang in public. But after turning ten, the young prince’s entire demeanor suddenly changed. Not only did he become polite and refined, but he was also extremely respectful to Intendant Wang, even treating him with the deference due an elder. The Prince was greatly comforted by this and often said it was the blessing of the gods,” the maid stated flatly.

Han Li’s expression did not change, but inwardly, he sneered.

Although it seemed that Intendant Wang had nothing suspicious about him, the young prince’s abnormal behavior was enough for Han Li to confirm that there was definitely some kind of unspeakable relationship between the two.

Furthermore, the fact that the two of them could make a Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself feel such danger meant they were definitely not ordinary mortals.

As for what their mysterious background truly was, Han Li had no desire to investigate deeply.

As long as they weren’t from the Six Demonic Sects, he didn’t care whether they were righteous or evil, or what their unspeakable goals were.

If he could avoid trouble, Han Li certainly wasn’t going to go looking for it.

And from this interrogation, Han Li was now eighty or ninety percent certain that they had no connection to the Six Demonic Sects. After all, the young prince’s behavioral change had not happened recently. If the people of the Demonic Path had truly begun laying this groundwork over a decade ago, then Han Li would be truly speechless.

Thinking this, Han Li gave another instruction.

“Where does Immortal Master Wu live? Lead the way for me.”

“Yes, master!”

The maid obediently stood up and began to walk. Han Li, still concealed, quietly followed behind her.

Under the maid’s guidance, they passed through seven or eight large courtyards before arriving at a relatively quiet one. Here, the maid stopped.

Slap! Slap!

Han Li suddenly struck the maid’s back twice with a palm glowing with white light. Then, with a flicker of his form, he ducked behind a large tree nearby.

“Eh! Isn’t this the old immortal’s residence? Why am I here?”

The maid blinked vigorously a few times, suddenly exclaiming in surprise. The dazed look in her eyes had completely vanished.

“Who is making a racket outside? Did I not make it clear that no one should disturb my cultivation?”

From a room inside the courtyard came the displeased voice of the old Daoist.

Hearing this, the maid’s face turned pale white with fright. Forgetting to consider why she was there, she hurriedly ran off in a panic.

Creak…

The door opened.

The white-haired old Daoist, once again looking like an Immortal, stepped out.

But upon seeing the courtyard empty of any figures, a puzzled expression crossed his face.

“What’s going on? I clearly heard voices. I thought that Prince was looking for me again. I even hurriedly stopped my technique, but where did the person go?”

After scanning the courtyard for a moment, the old Daoist returned to his room, looking a little disgruntled.

But as he closed the door and turned around to face the room, he froze on the spot.

Sitting at the octagonal table inside the room was Han Li, looking at the old Daoist with a beaming smile, as if he was extremely interested in him.

“Who are you?” the old Daoist demanded, his face changing color.

He instinctively raised his hand, and a crimson fireball materialized above his palm.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t be so quick to attack,” Han Li said, smiling as if he had no hostile intentions at all, completely ignoring the old Daoist’s fireball.