A Storm Rising Overseas — Divine Thunder Bamboo

Han Li left the tea house, but instead of immediately riding his tool back to his cave, he followed the street for a stretch before turning into an alley behind another shop, not far from the tea house.

He closed his eyes and stood there motionless, his expression blank.

A long moment later, his features shifted. He frowned, then opened his eyes.

He had just extended his divine sense back toward the tea shop, hoping to catch what the other party might say after he left. But the moment his spiritual sense approached the private room, it was blocked by a layer of restrictive wards.

The wards were not particularly powerful. If Han Li had been willing to force his way through with his strong divine sense, he could have broken them easily.

But that would have been too obvious, defeating the purpose of covert eavesdropping. Han Li had no intention of expending effort for so little gain. He withdrew his divine sense.

“It seems the Sublime Sound Sect is no ordinary force. No openings to exploit for now.”

With that thought, Han Li opened his mouth and spat out an inch-long green flying sword. He mounted it and shot into the sky.

Back in his cave, he retrieved the storage pouch filled with beast materials from the secret chamber. As a precaution, he also called for Qu Hun before they both left the cave together.

The whole round trip wasted several hours.

Still, by the time he and Qu Hun returned to the tea house, the middle-aged subordinate of Madam Fan was already waiting at the entrance, craning his neck impatiently.

Seeing Han Li approach, the man’s face lit up and he hurried back inside.

Han Li knew he was reporting to Madam Fan, but paid it no mind. He followed unhurriedly with Qu Hun.

When they reached the private room, the maidservant and the middle-aged man were already standing respectfully by the door, waiting.

“Madam and Elder Zhao are expecting you, Senior,” the maidservant said with proper deference, though she stole a curious glance at Qu Hun.

Han Li did not introduce Qu Hun. He nodded and entered the room without ceremony, Qu Hun close behind.

The maidservant hesitated, but did not dare press the matter.

Inside, Madam Fan had already replaced her veil. When she saw Han Li enter, her eyes brightened and she rose gracefully to greet him.

“Senior Han, you arrived sooner than I expected. I thought I would have to wait a while longer. And this senior is…” Madam Fan’s smile faltered for a moment when she noticed Qu Hun behind Han Li.

“This is my friend, Qu Hun. He heard about this matter and wanted to take a look. You wouldn’t object, would you?” Han Li said with a light laugh, brushing it off.

“Of course not. Please, both seniors, have a seat.”

Madam Fan’s beautiful eyes swept over Qu Hun’s ugly face. Seeing his icy expression, she smiled gracefully.

But inwardly, she was relieved that she had not actually attempted force earlier. If a Core Formation helper had suddenly sprung up, her plan would not only have failed—it would have invited a formidable enemy.

Her desire to recruit Han Li grew only stronger.

“The materials are all here. You may inspect them first, Madam,” Han Li said without further preamble. As soon as he was seated, he tossed two storage pouches of materials onto the low table before her.

Madam Fan could not hide her delight. After thanking him profusely, she picked up the pouches, gave them a rough check with her divine sense, and casually handed them to Elder Zhao beside her.

The old man took them without expression and began pulling out the materials one by one, examining each to verify their authenticity.

With so many items, this process would naturally take some time. Madam Fan used the opportunity to chat amiably with Han Li, casually probing for the source of the materials.

But Han Li’s mind was sharp. He circled her questions with practiced vagueness, leaving her with nothing solid.

After a while, Elder Zhao finished his tally. He estimated a price and transmitted it to the woman from the Sublime Sound Sect.

The woman considered it privately, then deliberately lowered the price by about ten percent before presenting it to Han Li.

Han Li heard her offer and fell into silent thought. His silence seemed to unsettle Madam Fan.

To secure the deal, she grit her teeth and voluntarily raised the price by another five percent.

Hearing the new number, Han Li finally nodded his agreement.

He knew the price was still a bit low, but he was satisfied to have disposed of everything in one go.

Seeing Han Li’s agreement, Madam Fan felt a wave of relief.

She retrieved a small pile of mid-grade spirit stones from her own storage pouch and pushed them across the table to Han Li.

Han Li accepted them without ceremony.

The transaction was thus concluded to both parties’ satisfaction.

Han Li prepared to take his leave.

“I heard, Senior, that you have been searching for rare and unique bamboo varieties. As it happens, I have some information on that topic. Would Senior be interested in hearing it?” Madam Fan said, as if the thought had just occurred to her.

Han Li’s heart jolted. He turned to look at her.

Madam Fan’s beautiful eyes met his, a faint, knowing smile on her lips. A strange gleam lurked behind that gaze.

This master of charm arts was attempting to plant a seed deep in Han Li’s mind while he was momentarily caught off guard—a subtle influence meant to make him gradually more pliant to her will over time.

The moment their eyes met, Han Li sensed a thick, alluring warmth in her gaze. It pulled at him, tempting him to sink into it and lose himself.

Charm technique.

The thought flashed through his mind like lightning, just as his concentration nearly slipped.

His heart hardened. His eyes turned icy cold, so sharp that Madam Fan felt a chill pierce her heart. All her charm arts failed in an instant.

Startled, she tried to look away. But from her neck up, her entire head felt frozen stiff, unable to turn even a fraction of an inch, nor could she open her mouth.

Art backlash!

The realization terrified her. She desperately channeled her magic, struggling to break free from Han Li’s gaze.

“What are you doing to Madam Fan?”

Elder Zhao finally noticed her distress. His eyes glinted coldly as he took a step forward.

But before he could advance, a blur of movement appeared before him. Qu Hun had vanished from his spot and now stood directly in his path. The suddenness and strangeness of the movement made the old man pause, uncertain whether to attack.

At that moment, Madam Fan struggled several more times without success. All traces of allure were gone from her gaze, replaced by a look of pure, desperate pleading, as if begging Han Li to show mercy.

Han Li let out a cold snort.

The ice in his eyes receded.

Madam Fan finally managed to tear her gaze away. But she could not help opening her mouth and spitting out a mouthful of blood, staining the veil that covered her face.

“Madam Fan, you…” Elder Zhao’s brows shot up in fury. He glared at Han Li, his hair and beard bristling as if ready to attack.

“Elder Zhao, don’t be angry! Senior Han showed mercy. I only suffered a minor qi backlash. Spitting out the blood has already helped,” Madam Fan said quickly, forcing a weak smile as she stopped the old man from acting rashly.

Hearing this, Elder Zhao’s expression relaxed slightly, and he returned to normal.

“I never expected that Senior was also a master of soul-maze arts! My earlier test was truly reckless. I hope Senior will not hold it against me. But I do indeed know the whereabouts of a piece of Divine Thunder Bamboo,” the woman said, her eyes still holding a trace of fear as she looked at Han Li, hoping to divert his attention from the earlier incident.

“Divine Thunder Bamboo!”

Han Li’s cold expression flickered with surprise at her words.

“The Divine Thunder Bamboo, one of the Three Great Sacred Trees?” Han Li asked, suspicion and excitement mingling in his voice.

He had been searching for an unusual bamboo to refine his magic treasure, but he had never dared to hope he could use one of the Three Great Sacred Trees.

Hadn’t they gone extinct long ago?

“Yes, it is indeed Divine Thunder Bamboo. In fact, I handled the item myself. There is no mistake,” Madam Fan said. She pulled out a small jade bottle, took a pill, and recovered some of her energy before speaking with certainty.

“Has it already been sold to someone else?” Han Li’s voice turned cold again as he stared at her.

A thought crossed his mind: had this woman still not learned her lesson, trying to use someone else to do her dirty work?

“No. We originally intended to put it up for auction at Heaven Star City, but unfortunately, the bamboo, along with a large shipment of our sect’s goods, was intercepted en route. However, our sect has already located the group responsible. We are currently gathering allies to wipe them out in one fell swoop,” Madam Fan said, hesitating for a moment before speaking honestly, putting on the appearance of a well-behaved partner.