Winds Stir Beyond the Seas—Setting Sail (Part 1)

Chapter 384: Winds Stir Beyond the Seas—Setting Sail (Part 1)

After a long while, Han Li emerged from his contemplation, a certain thought having taken shape in his mind.

Yet, his expression betraying nothing unusual, he continued his circuit of the shops selling cultivation techniques and manuals.

This time, nothing unexpected presented itself to Han Li. The various techniques and five-element spells sold within the shops were mostly familiar to him, largely indistinguishable from those in the Heavenly South.

If there was any difference at all, it was that there seemed to be a greater number of water-attributed technique manuals, and he even spotted a few new spells he had never heard of before.

Han Li purchased the manuals related to these new spells, along with a book he had stumbled upon called A Critique of Dao Alchemy.

The reason he bought this particular book was that within its pages, a certain master had written a description and critique of the “Dustfall Pill.”

Han Li planned to take it back and study it carefully before deciding whether to agree to the Six Connected Halls’ request for the sake of this pill.

With that, having lost interest in buying anything else, Han Li led Qu Hun out of Celestial Capital Street and headed out of the city.

Not long after leaving Starfrost City, Han Li and Qu Hun took to the air on their magical tools, flying swiftly back towards Gu Family Village.

Half a day later, Han Li spotted the familiar earthen walls of Gu Family Village in the distance.

But Han Li had no intention of flying directly into the village. Instead, acting on a sudden impulse, he first landed on a small hill to take a look at the small wooden hut he had built with his own hands back then.

The small wooden hut still stood in its original place, but it was noticeably more weathered than when Han Li had last left it. Some parts were even starting to rot and turn black.

After gazing at it for a while, Han Li let out a soft sigh before pushing open the wooden door and stepping inside.

“Oh?” Han Li was slightly surprised.

The inside was not the dusty, rotting mess he had imagined. Instead, it had been swept clean, the tables, chairs, and wooden bed all spotless. On the wooden table, there was even a vase of some nameless blue flowers.

Han Li stood still in the room for a moment, then gave a wry laugh.

“It seems the Gu family has been quite thoughtful.” Han Li rubbed his nose, muttering softly to himself.

Then, without any lingering attachment, he walked out of the hut. Leaving Qu Hun to wait on the hill, he himself began to walk slowly towards Gu Family Village.

Han Li had no intention of barging straight into the Gu residence on his magical tool. Although the restriction outside the Gu home was nothing to him now, Lord Gu was, after all, an old acquaintance. Some courtesy was in order.

As Han Li reached the main gate of the Gu residence, two burly guards naturally took notice of him. One of them asked with a hint of uncertainty:

“Who might you be, sir, and what business do you have at Gu Family Village?”

“Tell your master that an old acquaintance by the surname of Han has come to call.” Han Li smiled slightly and spoke softly.

“Our master doesn’t see strangers. Huh? Surname Han? ... Could you be Immortal Han?” The big man started to refuse, but after looking Han Li up and down, a look of dawning recognition crossed his face.

“You know me?” Han Li furrowed his brow slightly.

“It really is Immortal Han! Please wait a moment, Immortal, I’ll go report this to the master immediately!” Without another word, the man turned and sprinted into the village.

Han Li looked into the village with an expressionless face, saying nothing.

Before long, a large group of people emerged from within the village.

An old man at the front, beaming as soon as he saw Han Li, called out loudly:

“Immortal Han, you’ve finally come! I have been waiting for you for many years.”

The old man then hurried forward to offer his greetings, and the others behind him also respectfully paid their respects.

Han Li focused his gaze on the vaguely familiar face of the old man. It was none other than Lord Gu. But now, his hair was completely white, and his face was full of the signs of advanced age.

“Lord Gu, you seem to be well.” Han Li’s expression softened slightly.

Under Lord Gu’s respectful welcome, Han Li entered the great manor at the center of Gu Family Village.

Once inside, without waiting for Han Li to speak, Lord Gu took the initiative to have someone bring a large bundle of spirit stones and hand them to Han Li. He then enthusiastically introduced several young members of the Gu family, especially his eldest son, a man named Gu Kai in his thirties, who was the main focus of his introduction.

Seeing this, Han Li understood Lord Gu’s intention perfectly. Aware that his own life was likely drawing to a close, he wanted to secure the support of this immortal master for the Gu family in the future.

Han Li smiled faintly, and out of the slight affection from their past association, he gave a vague promise to that effect.

Lord Gu was overjoyed and immediately proposed a feast in Han Li’s honor, but Han Li politely declined.

After chatting for a few more moments, Han Li gracefully took his leave of Gu Family Village.

Once outside, he called for Qu Hun, who was waiting on the hill, and together they flew off towards a nearby market town.

In the town, Han Li casually found an inn and settled in. That night, he stayed up reading A Critique of Dao Alchemy.

By the second day, Han Li had gained a general understanding of the various pills of the Chaotic Star Sea. He had pored over the section on the Dustfall Pill countless times.

According to the book, refining this pill required not only the inner cores of several rare demon beasts but also various other uncommon spiritual herbs. It was truly described as exceedingly precious.

The pill was indeed said to have a miraculous effect in increasing the chance of forming a core. Although the increase was reportedly not very large, and one could only take a single pill when attempting Core Formation, it was already regarded as a treasure by the many cultivators facing this bottleneck.

During the Core Formation process, even just an increase of one percent was something a cultivator on the verge of formation would desperately seek!

But with that said, Han Li was well aware in his heart that since the Six Connected Halls was willing to offer such a rare pill as a reward, the matter was not as simple as they made it sound, just overseeing an array.

If he went, the danger would certainly be considerable. Who knew what kind of troublesome events he might encounter.

However, Han Li was desperately eager for this “Dustfall Pill.” After all, both he and Qu Hun were facing the challenge of Core Formation.

He didn’t need to mention his own chances of success this time; he held no expectation. But Qu Hun’s Demonic Core technique boasted a one-third success rate, which still meant failure was more likely. He couldn’t rest easy. He simply had to get this “Dustfall Pill.”

After mulling it over bitterly for most of the day within the inn, Han Li finally decided to take the risk and give it a try.

After all, with himself and Qu Hun as two late-Building Foundation cultivators, as long as they were careful, self-preservation shouldn’t be a problem.

Furthermore, the Six Connected Halls appeared to be a very powerful organization. If he could establish a connection with them, it would probably be very beneficial for him in the future as he tried to establish a foothold in this Chaotic Star Sea.

But before all that, he needed to ask other cultivators about the reputation of the Six Connected Halls.

He absolutely couldn’t end up finishing the job only to be betrayed. That would be a devastating loss!

Having made up his mind, Han Li immediately led Qu Hun, flying back to “Starfrost City.”

...

Half a month later, a gigantic sea vessel sailed into the port of Starfrost Island. Soon after, two streaks of light, one white and one blue, shot over from the distance, diving unhesitatingly into the ship.

As the light faded, three figures appeared at the bow. One was a tall, ugly, burly man, one was a middle-aged man with an unusual appearance, and the last was a young man with ordinary features.

“Welcome, Immortals, to the ship. I am the captain of this vessel, Luo Zheng. The other immortals are already on board. I am the one who will be taking you all to the areas where demon beasts appear.” A burly, rough-featured man walked out from the cabin, addressing the pair respectfully.

The immortals he spoke of were, naturally, Han Li and Qu Hun. The middle-aged man accompanying them was none other than the manager of the White Water Pavilion, Cao Lu.

“Fellow Daoist Qu, take care. I have matters to attend to, so I’ll be heading back now.” After exchanging a few courteous pleasantries with Qu Hun, Cao Lu flew off on his magical tool.

“Please go inside, honored immortals. Your rooms have already been prepared. The ship is about to set sail.” The rough-featured man spoke, standing by with his head bowed.

Han Li glanced at the cabin, then walked inside without a word, with Qu Hun following close behind. The man who called himself Luo Zheng followed them in.

At the same time, the massive hull of the ship began to move once more.

The moment he stepped inside, the sight before him made Han Li pause for a brief moment.

What greeted his eyes was not the narrow passageway he had expected, but a luxurious hall, over ten zhang in both length and width.

The floor was covered in a red brocade carpet. In the center lay a long, gold-and-silver-inlaid sandalwood table, surrounded by over a dozen chairs. Several people were gathered around the table, talking amongst themselves. As soon as they saw Han Li and Qu Hun enter, a few sharp gazes swept directly towards them.

But they merely glanced over Han Li before fixing their attention entirely on Qu Hun.

“I am Qu Hun. This is my junior, Han Li. May I ask how I should address you fellow daoists?” Qu Hun’s figure flickered as he stepped in front of Han Li, speaking with an expressionless face.