A Domain of Quiet Growth

"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Yu." Though he found it a bit awkward, Han Li still put on a respectful expression as he gave his thanks.

As for the burly, bearded man, he just grinned sheepishly, giving off an impression of being slow of speech and simple in nature.

This left Han Li, who already knew something was off about the man's background, feeling utterly speechless.

Either this man's acting skills had reached a state of surpassing perfection, or he truly had no idea about the strange condition affecting his body.

But if that was the case, then the strange look Senior Apprentice Brother Miao had given him was quite intriguing. He refused to believe that a late Foundation Establishment cultivator could also see the cold energy emanating from this man.

There was definitely something fishy going on.

The young man surnamed Yu seemed fairly satisfied with Han Li and the big man's performance. After offering a few more words of advice, he led the two of them down to land before a cluster of buildings halfway up Tianquan Peak.

On a green stone platform where they landed, a young man and a young woman were standing side-by-side, chatting about something. Upon seeing the young man, they immediately stopped talking and walked over.

"Isn't this Uncle Yu! Has Uncle come looking for Grandmaster?" The girl, who had a chubby, doll-like face and looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, asked the young man with a mischievous grin.

Her casual attitude left Han Li, who was deeply aware of the strict hierarchy in the cultivation world, feeling stunned.

"That's right. These two are the outer affairs disciples allocated this time. I want Grandmaster to take a look at them and then decide which senior apprentice brother would be best to assign them to." The young man surnamed Yu seemed very familiar with this girl and replied with a slight smile.

"So they're new junior apprentice brothers. If you get the chance later, don't forget to tell Junior Apprentice Brother Xin and me about the mortal world. I'd really love to hear about it." At these words, the girl's eyes darted around before she spoke to Han Li and the big man behind her with a sweet smile.

"If Senior Apprentice Sister wants to hear it, there's no need to drag me into it. I still have to cultivate," the dark-skinned youth beside her muttered in a simple, honest tone.

"You can cultivate anytime. Having new junior apprentice brothers from the mortal world join Tianquan Peak is a rare event, so naturally we should hear more about the interesting things outside." Though the girl looked young, she forced an air of maturity as she lectured the youth, a scene that was truly speechless.

The young man surnamed Yu revealed a bitter smile. Shaking his head, he didn't say anything more and led the two into the courtyard opposite.

"Both of you, pay attention. Although Apprentice Sister Ma and Junior Apprentice Brother Xin look young and are of the same generation as you, they are Grandmaster's descendants from the mortal world. Although they haven't been formally accepted as disciples yet, it's only a matter of time. You absolutely must not offend them. Otherwise, if Grandmaster blames you, no one will be able to protect you," the young man warned as he walked ahead.

Hearing this, Han Li nodded with a bitter smile.

The big man, on the other hand, rubbed the back of his head and smiled without saying anything.

Seeing their expressions, the young man gave a slight smile and offered some words of comfort:

"Junior Apprentice Brother Xin is an honest man and won't do anything improper. As for Apprentice Sister Xin, she just left home at a young age and is a bit mischievous, but she doesn't mean any harm towards others. So you two don't need to worry too much about this. Just be a bit careful."

Han Li and the big man naturally nodded repeatedly in agreement.

As they spoke, the group passed through several courtyards and appeared before a quiet side room.

"Is that Jun'er?"

Almost the moment they appeared before the side room, a calm male voice sounded in their ears simultaneously.

"Disciple pays respects to Master!"

Upon hearing this voice, Yu Jun immediately stopped walking and answered loudly with a solemn expression.

"Your Third Senior Apprentice Brother and Fifth Senior Apprentice Sister are also here. Bring the two behind you and come inside." The clear voice seemed to be in a good mood and spoke with a hint of a smile.

"Yes!" Yu Jun did not dare to be negligent. Beckoning Han Li and the big man, he quickly walked into the side room, whose door was already half-open.

It was an elegantly refined and tasteful hall. Aside from a few pots of some unknown green grass, there was only a set of dark wood tables and chairs inside. Sitting by the table was a middle-aged man dressed like a Confucian scholar. He had an ancient, extraordinary appearance, three strands of jet-black, long beard flowing down his chest, giving him an otherworldly, immortal air.

On either side of this man stood a man and a woman.

The man had stark white hair and a face full of wrinkles, appearing to be an old man nearly sixty years of age, smiling silently. The woman had a face like white jade and a handsome, refined appearance, looking to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with an expressionless face.

Yu Jun quickly stepped forward, bowed, and paid his respects.

"Greetings to Master, Third Senior Apprentice Brother, and Fifth Senior Apprentice Sister!"

"Rise. We are all among our own, no need for such formalities. These two are the new disciples joining my Tianquan Peak, correct?" The middle-aged man flicked his sleeve, allowing the young man to rise on his own, before appraising Han Li and the big man with some interest.

Han Li could see at a glance that this man was a mid Core Formation cultivator. Though feeling a bit frustrated, he could only force a smile and call him "Grandmaster."

The big man did the same.

This Grandmaster clearly had not noticed the strange condition on the big man's body, and naturally lacked the ability to discover Han Li's true level of cultivation.

Thus, after asking Han Li and the big man named Du Dong their names and casually saying a few words of "not bad," he turned his face to the male and female disciples beside him and spoke in a gentle tone of instruction:

"Since you two are both here, there is no need to trouble anyone else. One of you is proficient in talisman crafting, and the other has considerable skill in alchemy; you should both be short-handed. I'll leave these two new disciples to you for the time being. Of course, take the opportunity to guide them in their cultivation techniques as well. Even if they are outer affairs disciples, if their cultivation is too low, it will make the fellow disciples from other peaks laugh at us."

"Yes, Master! This disciple and Junior Apprentice Sister will each take one." Upon hearing this, the white-haired elder responded with a face full of smiles.

The coldly beautiful woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties, hesitated for a moment before also nodding slightly.

"Since Junior Apprentice Sister has agreed. I need some more stable and reliable helpers for my talisman crafting, so I'll have this Disciple Du come and help me out. As for Disciple Han, Junior Apprentice Sister can take him." The elder thought for a moment before making this suggestion.

The woman let out a noncommittal "mmph" but didn't even glance at Han Li.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man nodded, then suddenly said to Han Li and the big man:

"Both of you, withdraw for now. I still have matters to discuss with your uncles. Wait outside the house for a moment."

Han Li and the big man exchanged a glance, obediently assented, and then retreated from the room, stopping a few zhang away from the side room to wait obediently.

There, the big man Du Dong stood motionless, staring up at the clear, cloudless sky, lost in some thought or another.

Han Li, on the other hand, wore a lazy expression while secretly listening to the sounds coming from inside the side room. With his powerful spiritual sense, nothing of what was discussed inside could escape his ears.

Thus, though his expression remained unchanged, a flicker of different colors constantly shifted in his eyes.

After the time it takes for a meal, the door to the side room opened again. Yu Jun, the white-haired elder, and the coldly beautiful woman came out one after another.

Without a word, the elder raised his hand and released a long, strip-shaped magic tool. After speaking a few words of farewell to the woman and Yu Jun, he swept the big man up and shot into the sky.

It was then that the woman walked up to Han Li. Glancing coldly at him, she spoke without a trace of emotion.

"Let's go. Follow me back to my cave dwelling."

The corners of Han Li's mouth lifted slightly, but he immediately returned to normal and nodded.

A red light flickered, and a patch of crimson glow descended to envelop him.

Han Li stood still, not moving a muscle.

...

Two hours later, Han Li appeared in an unfamiliar medicinal garden about a hundred zhang in size.

Looking at the sparse, single variety of medicinal herbs growing greenly in the garden, the three thatched huts in its center, and the nameless small hill bordering the garden, Han Li stroked his chin. A faint smile appeared on his face.

After that coldly beautiful woman at the mid Foundation Establishment stage had used a red ribbon to carry the two of them to her cave dwelling, this "Uncle" named Mu Peiling had asked him if he preferred to tend the medicinal garden or to learn alchemy from her. This had left Han Li momentarily stunned.

After all, unless a cultivator had a problem with their brain, they would surely request the latter.

But before Han Li could reply, the woman coldly continued her explanation.

Tending the medicinal garden was very simple; one only needed to hand over a fixed quantity of medicinal herbs each year. This allowed for ample time to focus on cultivation techniques. On the other hand, outer affairs disciples who learned alchemy, though they might have the opportunity to be exposed to profound pill arts, had to complete a fixed quantity of pill refining each month. Consequently, their training time would be greatly reduced.

Therefore, each type of work had its own advantages and disadvantages. She told Han Li to think it over carefully before deciding.

Overjoyed, Han Li naturally, without a second thought, chose his old profession of tending the garden.

This job seemed tailor-made for him, allowing him to openly cultivate without any pretense.

He had originally been wondering how to escape the myriad miscellaneous tasks to focus on his training. And now, all of this had been resolved so perfectly.

It seemed he really was fated to work in a medicinal garden!

The coldly beautiful woman showed no surprise at Han Li's choice of the garden work.

She immediately led him here, had him take over from a female disciple working in the garden, left him a jade slip containing a water-attribute cultivation technique called the "Profound Ice Art," and then flew off with the original gardener.

Now, this place had become Han Li's domain.