A Name Revered Far and Wide; The Old Acquaintance Ying Ning

Chapter 739: A Name Revered Far and Wide; The Old Acquaintance Ying Ning

“You three have arrived just in time. I’ve just received word that a force of Dharma Warriors has breached the Heavenly Terrace Valley defended by Fellow Daoist Bu and is advancing this way. At most, it will be half a day before the routed allies from Heavenly Terrace Valley arrive here. I’ll need the three of you to go and receive them.” The bald, thick-browed man did not stand on ceremony. After a brief explanation, he put forward his request.

“That’s easy enough. A trivial matter. Leave it to me alone. There’s no need for Fellow Daoist Han or Brother Gu to trouble themselves!” The old man surnamed Ma wore a look of complete indifference, taking full responsibility himself.

This caused both Han Li and Gu Shuangpu to cast him a glance of slight surprise.

“Don’t find it strange, fellow Daoists. It’s not that Ma wants to steal the spotlight, but I recently acquired a new exotic treasure and was just thinking of testing its power. The two of you won’t fight me for the chance, will you?” The old man stroked his beard, a mysterious smile playing on his face.

“Heh! If Fellow Daoist Ma is so confident, I certainly won’t be so meddlesome.” Gu Shuangpu gave a dry laugh and spoke indifferently.

Han Li, standing by, merely offered a faint smile.

“Very well. Then let Fellow Daoist Han and Brother Gu rest for a while. I’ll trouble Fellow Daoist Ma with this. But, I’ll have the Mu Rong brothers accompany you on this trip. The lightning-element spells the two of them cultivate are quite formidable.” The bald, thick-browed man thought it over for a moment before nodding his agreement, also ordering the pair of twin brothers to go along.

The old man had no objection to this. After all, being new to this place, having some company would make things easier.

And so, the old man from the Haoran Pavilion and the Mu Rong brothers immediately set out, heading to receive the retreating Nine Nations Alliance cultivators.

Han Li and Gu Shuangpu, meanwhile, were led out of the great hall by the woman surnamed Li and Chong Xuzi, who arranged resting quarters for them.

Halfway, Han Li parted ways with the vulture-faced old man. Under the guidance of the petite female cultivator, Han Li arrived before a quiet and secluded two-story building.

“Senior Han, this place is normally off-limits to low-grade disciples, so it should be the best place for quiet cultivation. Please rest here in the pavilion.” The pretty, petite female cultivator pointed at the building before her, then stepped to the side.

“It’s quite good indeed.” Han Li nodded, a hint of satisfaction appearing on his face.

“Senior, is Fellow Daoist Nie Ying truly alright? I haven’t seen Senior Sister Nie in a long time either.” The woman didn’t leave immediately, but after a moment of hesitation, she asked.

“Oh? Are you familiar with Miss Nie?” Han Li was a little surprised, gave the woman a careful look, and asked in a calm voice.

It was only now that Han Li noticed that although this was his first time seeing her, there was a certain familiarity about her delicate brows and bright eyes that he couldn’t quite place.

Han Li’s unblinking stare made the woman surnamed Li feel somewhat uneasy. Though she was secretly annoyed, her face still flushed crimson.

“I was able to join the Carving Knife Dock Sect thanks to Senior Sister Nie’s recommendation back then. How could I not be familiar with her?” The petite female cultivator lowered her head slightly, explaining softly.

“Ying Ning… Li Ying Ning?” Upon hearing this, Han Li couldn’t help but show a look of surprise on his face.

“What, Senior, have you heard of this junior’s name before?” Li Ying Ning caught the strange tone in Han Li’s voice. She couldn’t help but lift her head again, asking a bit dazedly.

“What was your mother’s name? What country was she from?” Han Li didn’t answer her question. Instead, he took a deep breath before asking his own.

“My mother is Mo Yuzhu, and she hailed from the Yue Kingdom. Senior, why do you ask?” The woman hesitated for a long while before speaking somewhat haltingly. She felt there was nothing worth hiding, and a faint suspicion began to stir in her mind.

“Is that piece of spirit-linked jade still on you?” Han Li was silent for a moment, then said the words that made the petite woman’s heart leap. A sudden realization dawned on her.

“Yes, I have. I’ve always kept it close to me since I was a child.” The woman quickly replied. Under Han Li’s gaze, she blushed and turned around.

After fumbling inside her clothing for a moment, she pulled out a milky-white jade pendant. Holding it in both hands, she turned back around.

Han Li took a look, then simply beckoned with his hand. The jade pendant flew over like a winged bird, landing in his palm.

He rubbed the smooth surface of the pendant with two fingers, then let out a long sigh. A trace of melancholy flickered across his face.

After a long moment, he spoke again:

“I suppose you must know who I am by now. What did your mother tell you back then?”

Han Li appraised the female cultivator before him once more. Now that he was certain, he could finally see traces of Mo Yuzhu in her features. This woman’s beauty was slightly inferior to her mother’s youthful splendor, but upon closer inspection, she possessed a different kind of spirited, heroic charm.

“Mother didn’t say much back then. She only said it was a congratulatory gift from one of her immortal friends. She didn’t say anything else about it. Over the years in the cultivation world, I’ve had a few people identify the jade, but I never got any useful information. I never imagined the pendant was actually a gift from Senior, and that Senior turned out to be a cultivator of the Falling Cloud Sect.” Li Ying Ning murmured, her face shifting between emotions. She seemed a little at a loss.

“I only joined the Falling Cloud Sect in recent years. Before that, I wasn’t cultivating in the Yue Kingdom either. It’s perfectly normal that you had no news of me. But how did you end up joining the Carving Knife Dock Sect? Honestly, if you had appeared in the Imperial Spirit Sect, I wouldn’t have been surprised at all.” Han Li rubbed his nose and gave a wry smile.

“Why wouldn’t Senior have been surprised if I joined the Imperial Spirit Sect?” Li Ying Ning was stunned by this.

“Don’t you know anything about your father’s affairs?” Han Li was taken aback.

“To be honest, I don’t know much about my father’s matters. Not long after I started forming memories, our family met with a catastrophe. My maternal grandfather and my father both died early. Only my mother took me and left the Yue Kingdom. We wandered for a long time before finally settling down in the Nine Nations Alliance.” The woman’s expression darkened, and she forced a faint smile.

“I see. It seems it was mostly a case of being caught up in the internal strife of the demonic path, and your parents suffered as collateral damage. After all, the Yue Kingdom is now controlled not by the Imperial Spirit Sect, but by cultivators of the Ghost Spirit Sect.” Han Li nodded, as if he understood.

“Internal strife in the demonic path…” The woman opposite him wore a look of complete confusion, as if she didn’t quite grasp the meaning.

Seeing this, Han Li had no intention of explaining further. He returned the jade pendant to her and offered a faint smile.

“This spirit-linked jade has been with you for so many years; I naturally won’t be taking it back. Back in the mortal world, before I stepped into the cultivation world, I was considered your mother’s half-brother under the same master. You can call me ‘Uncle Master Han’ from now on.”

“Uncle Master Han!”

Li Ying Ning hesitated for a moment upon hearing this. After a few rapid blinks of her large eyes, she finally called out softly, her face growing slightly red.

To have an extra senior of the Nascent Soul stage appear out of nowhere was, after a moment of embarrassment, a matter of great delight for this woman. There was even a faint, barely perceptible hint of secret joy.

“Since you’ve called me ‘Uncle Master,’ I can’t let it be without something to show for it. Here are two bottles of medicinal pills. They should be useful for a Core Formation cultivator trying to break through a bottleneck. Take them.” A gentle smile appeared on Han Li’s face. He flipped his palm, and two jade bottles appeared in his hand. Smiling, he offered them to the woman.

For Han Li, helping the descendant of an old acquaintance when he could was no cause for stinginess.

“Thank you, Uncle Master.” The woman took the pill bottles, her face full of pleasant surprise. This time, her address was sincere and crisp.

“What magic treasure are you using now? Is it that flying blade I saw you conjure earlier? What material was it refined from?” Han Li thought for a moment, then asked another question.

“Yes, that’s it. The flying blade was refined from Blazing Iron and Profound Bright Crystal. Its power is decent enough.” Li Ying Ning was taken aback for a moment, then replied, a bit puzzled.

“In ordinary times, that flying blade would be sufficient. But now that you’re about to clash with the Dharma Warriors, relying on that treasure alone might be a bit dangerous.” Han Li shook his head.

“But right now, even if Uncle Master were to give me a new magic treasure, I wouldn’t have the time to refine it.” Li Ying Ning said helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Han Li fell into a pensive silence.

But a moment later, he patted a certain spirit beast pouch at his waist. A large swarm of three-colored Gold Devourer Beetles poured out in a buzzing tide, coalescing into a cloud of insects several zhang in size that floated above Han Li’s head.

A sharp glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes. He pointed a finger at the insect cloud. A small portion of it detached and flew out on its own. Then, with a wave of his hand, a streak of azure spell light shot out and struck it.

The small swarm of Gold Devourer Beetles condensed together amid a shimmering azure glow, transforming in the blink of an eye into a fist-sized, brightly shining, three-colored sphere. It slowly descended into Han Li’s hand.

“Keep this safe. It is formed from spirit insects I have carefully bred and refined. If you encounter an enemy that is hard to deal with, just throw this sphere out. It should save your life.” Han Li tossed the sphere to the woman, his expression solemn as he spoke.

“Thank you deeply for your generous gift, Uncle Master Han!” Li Ying Ning, already stunned speechless by the sight, was filled with immense gratitude at Han Li’s words. She thanked him profusely before reaching out to take the three-colored sphere.

Any last trace of doubt in this woman’s heart vanished without a trace at Han Li’s gift of the treasure.

It was only now that she truly believed Han Li’s earlier words were not false.

Otherwise, unless there was some connection, who would give away something so valuable?

“Alright, you may go now. I need to meditate for a while.” Having done all this, Han Li put away the remaining insect cloud and waved his hand dismissively at the woman.

After traveling through the night without rest, his magical power was no longer at its peak. He needed to recover.

“Uncle Master Han, please rest well. If the Dharma Warrior army arrives, Ying Ning will naturally inform you.” Now, Li Ying Ning’s words carried a faint, elusive note of intimacy.