The Wind Stirs Beyond the Sea — The Transaction

The wind stirred beyond the sea. A transaction.

“Senior Li, please enter!” the woman said, pushing the stone door open before making a respectful gesture for Han Li to enter first.

Han Li nodded without a word and stepped inside. The woman followed close behind.

The stone door slid shut on its own, the outer side reverting to an ordinary wall.

Once inside, Han Li saw a bluestone passage, its end faintly lit by a white glow, appearing to be of no great length.

Without a sound, he walked forward at a measured pace. After rounding a corner, another wide-open stone door suddenly appeared before him.

Standing outside that door was a middle-aged cultivator with a gloomy expression—a mid-Core Formation cultivator dressed in a blue Confucian robe.

The moment he saw Han Li, his face immediately broke into a broad smile, and he clasped his hands in greeting.

“You must be Fellow Daoist Li, yes? I am Yun Tianxiao, the host of this gathering. Welcome to the exchange meet. Most of the other friends have already arrived. Miss Wen, be sure to treat Brother Li well—do not be negligent.” The Yun-named Confucian spoke with exaggerated courtesy toward Han Li, then turned to the woman and issued a flat command.

“Fellow Daoist Wen?”

This address naturally revealed the white-clothed woman’s identity. She was none other than Wen Siyue, the daughter of Wen Qiang and a member of the Sublime Sound Sect, whom Han Li had once met in passing.

Han Li had no idea what events had transpired in her life to bring her to this place.

To suddenly encounter her here was naturally a great surprise.

Of course, because he was using the Change-Shifting Art, Han Li recognized her, but she had no way of recognizing him.

At that moment, upon hearing the middle-aged Confucian’s words, Wen Siyue’s expression flickered as she quickly answered from behind Han Li.

Though Han Li did not turn his head, he could faintly sense that Wen Siyue seemed extremely afraid of this Yun Tianxiao.

A trace of surprise flickered in Han Li’s eyes, but after a light laugh and a few casual pleasantries with the Confucian, he stepped through the door.

Inside lay a square hall. In the center stood a massive round table, surrounded by over a dozen unusually wide Taishi armchairs arranged loosely, most of which were already occupied by cultivators.

However, when Han Li got a clear look at the scene around the chairs, a strange expression crossed his face.

Apart from two female Core Formation cultivators sitting alone, every male Core Formation cultivator had a beautiful, alluring female cultivator nestled by their side. These female cultivators were all at the twelfth or thirteenth layer of Qi Condensation, or even at early Foundation Establishment.

Every single one was young, pretty, and possessed of striking beauty.

Just as Han Li was momentarily stunned, a fragrance suddenly drifted to his side, and a soft, trembling body pressed against him.

Han Li straightened his body and slowly turned his head. A somewhat wooden, pretty face met his eyes.

It was Wen Siyue, who had actively moved close, filling his nostrils with her scent.

Han Li frowned slightly but did not act the hypocrite by pushing her away.

Instead, he glanced again at the other cultivators and their accompanying women, a glint of understanding dawning in his eyes.

After a brief moment of deliberation, he reached out and wrapped an arm around her slender waist, then strode over to an empty Taishi armchair and sat down steadily.

Like the other women at the cultivators’ sides, Wen Siyue sat down reluctantly, half her body leaning into Han Li’s embrace.

For a moment, warmth and fragrance filled his arms—an unexpected stroke of luck.

Just as Wen Siyue sat in silent numbness, her body stiff, the arm around her waist loosened slightly.

This caught Wen Siyue off guard. She instinctively glanced at Han Li, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

But at this moment, Han Li was calmly surveying the others in the room.

The seven or eight Core Formation cultivators present naturally took a long look at Han Li as well.

Though they found his face unfamiliar, none showed any particular reaction. Most of them, in fact, offered him friendly smiles.

Han Li’s expression softened as he returned the smiles.

After a little while longer, another five or six Core Formation cultivators entered the hall, each accompanied by a young, beautiful female cultivator.

Seeing all this, Han Li kept his face neutral, but inwardly he felt a small stir of surprise.

This Yun Tianxiao truly had considerable skill, to have gathered so many young, beautiful female cultivators.

More notably, these women were all quite formidable in magical power, making their identities seem far from ordinary.

As Han Li was silently pondering this, Yun Tianxiao also entered from outside. This time, however, a graceful, elegant beauty walked beside him.

This beauty was only at late Foundation Establishment, but she had her hand looped through Yun Tianxiao’s arm, behaving with great intimacy.

“Madam Fan!” Han Li’s heart gave another jolt at the sight.

“This Fan Left Envoy of the Sublime Sound Sect is also here. And she seems to have quite a close relationship with the host. It appears this trip might prove rather interesting.” Han Li skillfully masked the surprise on his face, but his mind could not remain calm.

“Ah!” The Wen Siyue in his arms gave a slight shudder, a soft moan escaping her half-open lips.

The sound carried a hint of pain and perhaps a touch of shame and annoyance!

Startled, Han Li looked down.

He saw that Wen Siyue’s face was flushed crimson, her expression one of deep embarrassment.

Somewhat puzzled, Han Li shifted his gaze, only to realize that his hand, which had been wrapped around her waist, had somehow come to rest atop her full, firm breast. In fact, his fingers had even caught a slightly hardened nub.

The soft, intoxicating sensation beneath his palm caused a faint tremor deep in Han Li’s soul. Almost subconsciously, he hastily moved his hand away, immediately averted his eyes, and felt a peculiar stir within.

The flush that had risen to Wen Siyue’s jade-like neck suddenly halted.

She hesitated, lifting her head, her gaze landing on Han Li’s face with a hint of surprise mixed with curiosity.

Han Li’s expression was subtly uncomfortable, but he pretended nothing was amiss, ignoring her. Instead, he loosened his arm around her waist by another fraction.

He had never considered himself a righteous gentleman, but this woman was, after all, the daughter of an old acquaintance. This left Han Li in a rather awkward position.

These unusual reactions of Han Li’s went unnoticed by anyone except Wen Siyue.

By this time, Yun Tianxiao had already taken the host’s seat, and Madam Fan stood elegantly by his side.

Everyone else’s attention naturally fell on the two of them.

“To have thirteen fellow Daoists participating in this exchange meet is truly my honor, Yun,” he said. “Although two other friends had prior engagements and left early, this gathering is the largest we have ever had. I won’t say much else. Everyone may now bring out their items, give a brief introduction, and then state your price and what you wish to exchange. If both parties are agreeable, a transaction can be made.”

After delivering these words with a smile, Yun Tianxiao turned slightly to the first person on his left—a fat, elderly man in a blue robe— and signaled for him to begin.

This fat elderly man had been tightly holding a petite female cultivator. At Yun Tianxiao’s smile, he reluctantly released his grip. After a moment, he spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.

“Since that’s the case, let old Qi start. I’ve brought quite a few good things this time. If anyone has what I need, feel free to trade,” the fat old man said. With that, he removed a storage pouch from his waist and dumped its contents onto the round table before him.

A shower of multicolored light scattered. When the glow subsided, several items lay on the table, their spiritual energy swirling around them, suggesting they were no ordinary goods.

“Three Strange Pill Pillars, one Demon Core from a Crouching Tiger Shark, one pelt from a Sea-Transforming Beast…” As the old man picked up each item, he introduced them with evident pride. More than a few of the seated cultivators showed signs of being impressed, their eyes widening slightly with surprise. Clearly, these were indeed rare treasures.

Han Li listened, but a cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. These items might indeed be valuable to ordinary Core Formation cultivators, but to him, they were utterly unremarkable.

Even the most prized of them, the Crouching Tiger Shark Demon Core, was merely a grade-six demon core. Han Li had personally killed no fewer than seven or eight such demon beasts.

After finishing his recitation, the fat old man plopped back into his seat and immediately pulled the petite female cultivator into his arms again, his face full of self-satisfaction.

The Qi Condensation female cultivator beside him, who had seemed reluctant to be held before, now found her eyes lighting up, her demeanor softening as her gaze turned tender.

The next person next to the fat old man was a strange figure with a red headwrap. After a dry cough or two, he rose unsteadily to his feet.

He was exceptionally tall and gaunt and utterly terrifying, like a bamboo pole.

“I have brought only one thing: the egg of a grade-five demon beast, the Coiling Earthworm.” He said this without any hurry, then reached into his robes and pulled out a yellow demon beast egg, about the size of a chicken egg.

“Coiling Earthworm…”

At the strange man’s words, the cultivators who had been sitting quietly all suddenly brightened, their gazes fixed on the demon beast egg, most of them burning with desire.