Cracked Beads, Grim Tidings

Chapter 301: Cracked Beads, Grim Tidings

Seeing the deep disappointment on the young girl’s face, Han Li suddenly smiled, then spoke softly.

“Although I cannot take you as a disciple, do not lose heart! I can recommend another senior—a Foundation Establishment cultivator like myself—to be your master. But whether you succeed in becoming his pupil depends on whether he finds you satisfactory.”

“Really?” The girl’s previously crestfallen expression brightened at these words.

Without another word, Han Li produced a sound transmission talisman from his person, whispered a few words to the talisman, and then handed both the talisman and a jade token to the girl.

“Take this talisman and token to the Hundred Medicines Garden of Yellow Maple Valley and find a Senior Ma there. Whether you can become his disciple will depend on your fortune,” Han Li said with an indifferent expression.

The young girl had not expected that although Han Li was unwilling to take her as his own disciple, he would still offer her another opportunity. A spark of hope rekindled within her, and she hurriedly bowed to him in thanks. The old man was visibly encouraged as well.

“Since the introduction may not succeed, I will give you two more high-grade magical tools as compensation for the Daoist scripture you gifted me.”

With these words, Han Li reached into his storage pouch and brought out a piece of emerald green silk and a small blue sword, casually handing them to the old man.

The old man’s face lit up with surprise.

He had already thought that securing a master for his granddaughter was a considerable favor. He never expected Han Li to give them additional gifts, and he felt immensely grateful.

The old man hurriedly expressed his thanks before respectfully receiving the magical tools, his face showing undisguised delight at the treasures.

A high-grade magical tool! In all his years of cultivation, he had possessed only one such item. To gain two more in a single stroke left him with nothing to complain about.

Han Li did not linger long. With a casual gesture, he withdrew the two wisps of spiritual energy he had planted in the pair’s bodies, then departed under their respectful gazes, drifting away as if carried by the wind.

Only after Han Li had truly vanished into the distance did the old man, beaming, hand the silk to the girl and keep the small sword for himself. He resolved to set out soon for Yellow Maple Valley to seek out Senior Ma and see if his granddaughter had the fortune to be accepted into one of the Seven Great Sects.

Still, a flicker of confusion crossed Old Man Xiao’s mind. Why had Han Li been mingling with the Qin family? Those people were all genuinely mortal!

…

Leaving aside Old Man Xiao’s idle thoughts, Han Li finally returned to the Qin estate in high spirits.

Since he had landed directly in his own quarters using his magical tool, his return drew no attention. He arrived in his bedroom unseen and unheard.

The newly acquired nameless qi-concealment technique proved highly practical. Han Li opened the ancient book that very night and began to study it.

The oral formula consisted of only minor skill in manipulating spiritual power. With Han Li’s profound mana reserves supporting him, mastering it posed little difficulty.

In a single night, he grasped seven or eight-tenths of its intricacies.

By the next morning, Han Li had just finished his meditative cultivation and was reflecting that his luck seemed to be running well when a dull bang suddenly sounded from the storage pouch at his waist. It seemed as though something had broken inside.

Han Li’s expression immediately turned grim, a shadow falling over his face. After a moment, he reached into the pouch and retrieved a purple bead. It was identical in form to the magical tool he had given the white-haired old Daoist. However, the bead’s once smooth and lustrous surface was now split by several deep cracks of varying size.

Han Li stared at the bead in silence for a long moment. Then, without a word, he rose and walked out of the room. After sweeping the courtyard with his gaze to confirm no one was around, he released the Divine Wind Boat. The vessel floated before him, and with a flicker of movement, he was aboard. Silently, he vanished from the Qin estate.

A quarter-hour later, Han Li appeared above a small village outside the Yue capital. His expression unchanged, he swept his gaze across the surroundings from midair, as if searching for something.

Finally, on a desolate hillock several li from the village, Han Li landed his magical tool. His eyes flickered as he fixed his gaze on a large willow tree.

After a long moment, Han Li formed a hand seal and softly uttered the word, “Rise.”

From deep beneath the tree, buried among its roots, a ball of green light shot forth. Within the light was a round bead, a brilliant purple color, its surface also marked by several cracks. The shape and size of the cracks were identical to those on the bead in his hand.

Han Li sighed. With a beckoning gesture toward the light orb, the cracked bead flew directly into his palm.

The moment the bead touched his hand, the outer layer of green light dissolved and melded back into his body, leaving only the bare bead resting in his hand. He turned it over and over in contemplation.

After a short while, Han Li’s finger flicked. A fist-sized fireball shot from his fingertip, striking the base of the large tree and blasting a massive crater. In an instant, the entire willow was reduced to ashes.

Han Li stepped forward and examined the spot closely, but found nothing.

“It seems he has likely met with misfortune.” Han Li shook his head and muttered to himself.

The “Violet Light Bead” magical tool he had selected and given to the old Daoist was more accurately named the “Violet Light Resonance Bead.”

This magical tool, once forged, produced a pair of beads. Not only could each release a protective light barrier, but if one bead was destroyed by the breaking of its shield, the other bead—so long as it remained within a thousand li—would simultaneously crack and shatter. An uncanny property, to say the least.

This type of magical tool was the most common defensive artifact used by disciples of the Joyful Union Sect, one of the Six Demonic Sects. Han Li had seized several pairs during the border conflicts and, finding them peculiar, had kept them instead of selling them.

When he gave the bead to the old Daoist, he had harbored a quiet intention: if the old man ever met with foul play, he would know of it immediately.

But he had never expected that the old Daoist would be forced to deploy the magical tool in a single night. And judging by the state of the bead, his chances of survival seemed grim.

This had caught Han Li completely off guard, leaving him feeling as though he’d been caught flat-footed.

He stood motionless beside the crater, as if weighing his options.

After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a flicker of change crossed his expression. Then, with a blank face, he released the Divine Wind Boat, leaped aboard, and transformed into a streak of white light, speeding away into the distance.

The barren hillock once again fell into silence, save for the occasional chirping of a few birds. It grew still and lifeless once more.

“Whoosh...”

Half an hour later, a long, deep sigh echoed nearby.

Then, from beneath a small tree a dozen or so zhang from the crater, a figure slowly emerged. The entire person was wrapped tightly in black cloth, leaving only a pair of eyes that gleamed with a cold, sharp light. Above them shimmered a yellow barrier.

But as soon as the figure fully surfaced, the yellow barrier promptly faded and vanished without a trace.

The man emerged, cast a wary glance around and into the sky, then spoke in a heavy voice:

“Come out. He’s really gone.”

As the words fell, several patches of ground around them began to bulge. Three more figures dressed identically emerged—yellow barriers, black cloth, faces hidden. One of them had a slender frame, suggesting she might be a woman.

“Big Brother, what do we do now? They ordered us to capture or kill whoever came. But we just let him go. Won’t there be trouble?” A figure with a tall, lean build asked anxiously. Judging by his voice, he seemed fairly young.

At these words, the first man’s body trembled involuntarily. The words had struck precisely at his own worry. The ruthlessness of those who had given them their orders was something they had all experienced firsthand.

“It should be fine, right? When they gave their orders, they didn’t say the one coming would be a Foundation Establishment cultivator. That’s far beyond our ability to handle. If we had acted, we would have been throwing our lives away.” The man spoke with uncertain conviction.

“Hmph! Big Brother is right. How are we supposed to keep a Foundation Establishment cultivator here? I still don’t believe those people are so unreasonable!” The only woman among the three said indignantly.

Hearing this, the other three looked at each other and smiled bitterly. Their little sister was still so naive. When their very lives were in the hands of others, what room was there for reason?

“Still, what Little Sister said isn’t entirely without merit. I reckon they never expected such a big fish to show up. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have left this matter to us. At the very least, they should have sent a Foundation Establishment cultivator to assist,” the last figure, a tall, thin man, spoke up.

“Right! If we explain things clearly, we shouldn’t end up too heavily punished!” The tall, lean one seemed to perk up at this and quickly chimed in.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, they sounded more like self-consolation than anything else.

“Still, it’s strange. I keep feeling like I’ve seen that young Foundation Establishment cultivator somewhere before. He looks familiar...” The first man’s eyes suddenly showed a flicker of doubt as he murmured softly to himself.

These words startled the other three, filling them with surprise.

The woman, especially, showed a flash of curiosity. She opened her mouth, intending to press for more details.

But the man they called Big Brother suddenly raised his hand to cut her off.

“Alright. We need to leave this place immediately. Whatever it is, save it for later.”

Seeing this, the woman had no choice but to swallow the words on the tip of her tongue and nodded in agreement.