The Proposal on the Boundless Sea

The sea beast before them was a good three to four zhang in length. It had a bluish-green armored hide, small sharp teeth, and a pair of oversized, bulbous eyes that gave it a very ferocious appearance. Most striking of all was the pair of curved, spike-like bone horns growing from beneath its gills, which made it look even more savage.

Han Li lowered his altitude, carefully examining the dead beast several times. Suddenly, a flash of azure light appeared, and a streak of sword-light sliced cleanly through its midsection, splitting the corpse in two.

He casually reached out with a hand, and a dark, clumped object flew into his palm. Without hesitation, he brought it to his nose and sniffed lightly. A peculiar, pungent, spicy odor reached him, faintly mixed with a subtle fragrance.

"It really is a Snout-Tusk Beast," Han Li muttered to himself with a strange expression, tossing the object aside.

"Snout-Tusk Beast?" Zi Ling was startled, and exchanged a glance with Mei Ning.

Both women wore puzzled expressions. Neither of them had ever heard the name before.

"Neither of you would know of this sea beast. They are a unique deep-sea creature found only here. The Chaotic Star Sea doesn't have them," Han Li explained with a faint smile, seeming to perceive their surprise.

"From Brother Han's tone, are you saying this place is no longer the Chaotic Star Sea?" Zi Ling's brow furrowed as she asked with some gravity.

"Correct. This is indeed not the Chaotic Star Sea. Although I have never personally sailed these waters, I have heard others speak of them. If my guess is correct, this should be the Boundless Sea," Han Li said with a wry smile, glancing at the murky sea surface. He then looked up at the sky, falling into a silent, contemplative daze, as if recalling something.

"The Boundless Sea!" The name was, of course, one they had never heard before.

"Brother Han seems to have some knowledge of this sea. I wonder if you could enlighten us sisters on the matter?" Zi Ling asked with a gentle, warm smile after a moment's deliberation.

"Of course, there's no problem," Han Li replied, snapping out of his reverie and nodding in agreement.

"The Boundless Sea is actually the common name given by the people of Tiannan. As the name implies, almost no one has ever explored its limits." Han Li slowly and unhurriedly recounted all the tales and rumors he knew about the Boundless Sea, speaking with unusual detail. At the same time, he was silently considering some questions that had been buried in his heart for a long time.

"From what Brother Han says, this Boundless Sea lies at the northern end of this so-called Tiannan region. Not only are there very few fish or shrimp in this sea, but there are hardly any islands at all," Zi Ling asked, astonished.

"Exactly. And the worst part is, without islands, we have no way to determine our current position, let alone how far we are from the shores of Tiannan," Han Li said calmly, rubbing his nose.

Hearing this, the two women exchanged a look of bewilderment.

"Regardless, it's unlikely we'll face a shortage of spirit stones for a short while. Our best course is to head south as far as we can. Hopefully, we aren't too far from land," Han Li declared decisively after some thought.

"That will have to do. I hope fortune favors the righteous," Zi Ling said with a hint of helplessness on her jade-white face, agreeing with him. Mei Ning, naturally, had no objections.

Thus, after confirming the direction, the three of them immediately flew southward.

After a few days, Mei Ning and Zi Ling were fully convinced of Han Li's judgment. Along the way, just as Han Li had said, there were no islands to be found. The sea seemed lifeless and dead, and aside from a few species of ferocious sea beasts, not a single demon beast was seen.

The two women found this situation quite novel. Perhaps it was because of the hardships they had shared and survived together, the three of them got along very harmoniously, chatting and laughing the whole way. Even Han Li, in the company of two such beautiful women, sometimes found his heart stirred.

However, after arriving in the Boundless Sea, the face of another woman, one as cold as ice, began to surface in his mind.

"Nan Gong Wan." He wondered how this woman from the Moon-Masking Sect, with whom he had shared a union of their bodies, was faring. Whenever he thought of her, a peculiar feeling rose in his heart—a tangled mix of infatuation, affection, and perhaps even annoyance, as if a thousand different flavors were intertwined. He couldn't explain it himself.

And so, the three of them continued flying for three or four months. Finally, one day, they spotted a patch of green appearing on the distant horizon.

Overjoyed, the trio felt the stone that had been weighing on their hearts finally lift. They excitedly sped toward the continent.

……

Xi Country was the northernmost nation in the Tiannan region. Its territory was slightly smaller than Yue Country, Han Li's home nation, being only about two-thirds its size. However, it was divided into seven prefectures.

Of these, Min Prefecture was the one bordering the Boundless Sea and was also the largest of Xi Country's seven prefectures. Fengri City was both the capital of Min Prefecture and the largest city in the entire prefecture.

At this moment, Han Li, along with Mei Ning and Zi Ling, were seated in a private room of a tavern in a small coastal city of Min Prefecture, conversing quietly.

"Brother Han, when you said you knew the local language, I realized you were born in the Tiannan region. You've kept it a secret from us sisters for so long!" Zi Ling said, shooting Han Li a playful, reproachful glance.

Not long ago, Han Li had briefly revealed his background to the two women, which naturally took them by surprise.

Fortunately, given Han Li's familiarity with the Boundless Sea, the two had already guessed as much, so their faces did not show excessive shock.

"What's there to talk about? I ended up in your Chaotic Star Sea entirely by accident. I never expected to return to Tiannan so quickly myself," Han Li said with a light laugh, seeming to be in good spirits.

"Since Brother Han is the local here, you'll have to treat us sisters well!" Zi Ling said with a teasing smile. To avoid drawing unwanted attention with her stunning beauty, she had reverted to the plain, delicate features she wore when she first met Han Li. But to Han Li, who had seen her true face, every smile and frown still seemed to stir his soul with irresistible charm.

"Heh. I was chased into the Chaotic Star Sea, you know. I've lost contact with my sect for years. I can hardly call myself a local anymore. But this jade slip contains a translation guide I specially prepared for the two of you: the language and script of Tiannan. Since neither of you can return to the Chaotic Star Sea for a while, learning it now will make things much easier for you in the future." Han Li took out two white jade slips he had made overnight from his storage pouch and handed them to the women.

"Heehee! Many thanks, Brother Han!" Zi Ling was momentarily taken aback, but then, with a cheerful word of thanks, she reached out and accepted the jade slip.

Mei Ning, too, accepted hers with a grateful murmur of thanks.

"However, what plans do the two of you have for the future? I intend to find out what changes have occurred in Tiannan over the past century or so, and after I have a clear picture, I will immediately find a cave abode and go into secluded cultivation. I have a vague feeling that I have reached the peak of the late Core Formation stage, and it seems about time to begin preparing for the Nascent Soul," Han Li said. After finishing his words, he picked up the fragrant tea before him, took a light sip, and then calmly observed the two women's reactions.

"I only recently formed my core, and my realm isn't even fully stable yet. I was also planning on finding a cave abode to cultivate for a while. As for Sister Mei Ning, do you have any plans?" Zi Ling said, her eyes shimmering as she pondered.

"I… I don't know. I'm only at the mid Foundation Establishment stage. With my aptitudes, the hope of forming a core is very slim. Unless I can find some heaven-defying elixir… otherwise, I can only find a high-ranking cultivator and become his concubine, hoping to use dual cultivation techniques as a chance to form a golden core," Mei Ning said hesitantly, her murmured words startling both Han Li and Zi Ling.

"Becoming a man's concubine? Wouldn't that be too great a humiliation for you, sister? That won't do!" Zi Ling shook her head in opposition.

Hearing this, Han Li frowned but said nothing.

"A concubine's status isn't much better than that of a Human Furnace. If you happen to encounter a high-level cultivator with ill intentions, there's no guarantee he wouldn't use Sister Mei as a mere cauldron for sexual cultivation. That's far too risky."

At these words, Mei Ning bit her red lip and fell silent, her face full of dejection.

"If you really want to rely on dual cultivation and become a man's concubine, you should look for someone you know well and can trust. For instance, someone like Brother Han here. I think he is very reliable. He probably wouldn't let you suffer any grievances," Zi Ling, seeing Mei Ning's expression, said with a turn of her eye as if she had just thought of something, covering her mouth with a laugh.

This remark made Han Li pause, before he nonchalantly touched his nose. As for Mei Ning, she gave a soft cry of surprise, her face flushing crimson, making her look exceptionally alluring. She then lowered her head and remained silent. It seemed she was not opposed to Zi Ling's matchmaking proposal.

After all, Han Li's cultivation had reached the late Core Formation stage, and he was about to prepare for his Nascent Soul. Furthermore, through their shared trials in the Netherworld Domain, she had come to understand a bit of his character, knowing that he was not a violent, cruel, or malicious person.

Thus, even if she did not have the qualifications to be his dual cultivation partner, becoming Han Li's concubine would be satisfactory and reassuring to her.

After all, any beautiful female cultivator with some level of cultivation would eventually have to attach herself to a powerful male cultivator. Otherwise, their path in the cultivation world would become incredibly difficult; a single misstep could lead to being captured and subjected to a hundred kinds of torment.

Especially in her current situation, with her elder brother dead and her being alone and isolated, such a terrible fate was a very real possibility.

With Zi Ling's words, the atmosphere in the private room instantly became charged with a strange, ambiguous tension.