Chapter 919: Small Town Inn

Volume Four: Winds Rise Overseas, Volume Six: Heavenly Reach Spirit Treasure

He walked into an inconspicuous room in the pavilion. The large man was already stiff on the ground, covered in blue frost. His ox-like eyes were wide open, filled with terror.

With a flip of his wrist, Han Li produced a slender silver needle between two fingers. Without a word, he leaned forward and quickly inserted several needles into the sides of the man's head.

The man's body trembled, and then the light in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a vacant, listless stare.

Han Li formed hand seals, muttering low incantations as he cast a series of magical formulas onto the man.

The chill on the man's body immediately dissipated. His eyes still vacant, he automatically turned over and sat cross-legged on the ground like a puppet, unmoving.

A green glow enveloped Han Li's face. With a flick of his sleeve, several formation flags of various colors shot out, embedding themselves around the two men. A formation designed to block spiritual auras instantly took shape.

He then activated the formation. With a flicker of his figure, he positioned himself behind the large man.

Han Li slightly raised a hand, pressing his splayed fingers onto the man's head. Simultaneously, a brilliant aura emanated from his body, enveloping both figures in light.

From within the shimmering light, Han Li's voice echoed, cold and devoid of emotion: "What is your name? What is your position in the Kong family?"

"Kong Dou, Outer Hall Deacon!" the man replied blankly.

"When did the Kong family take control of Swiftcloud Town? Where did the original residents go?"

"Seven years ago. The town's residents were all mortals. They were relocated to a small city called 'Snow River' a hundred miles away."

"What is the Kong family's purpose for this Ginseng King Convention?"

In this strange question-and-answer exchange, Han Li obtained most of the information he sought from the man. Finally, after abruptly withdrawing his fingers, the large man immediately collapsed, unable to get up. Han Li took out a pill, placed it into the man's mouth, and then quickly pricked various acupuncture points on the man's body with silver needles.

After a while, he stood up, murmuring thoughtfully:

"With these Worry-Free Needles, I should be able to seal this man's memories for a period, preventing immediate commotion. Unfortunately, due to my cultivation level, I couldn't fully employ the Dream Inducement Art. Otherwise, I would have used Soul-Searching directly; why go through all this trouble? It seems I'll have to go to that small city."

Han Li shook his head, collected the surrounding formation flags, and then walked out of the room and exited the pavilion.

He no longer paid attention to the Ginseng King Convention. He walked directly toward the main gate.

Not a small number of cultivators left in the middle of the convention, so when Han Li exited the gate and flew away on his artifact, the gatekeepers had no suspicion.

A streak of green light sped directly towards the small city the man had mentioned.

The small city was also not far from the Snow Tomb Mountains. Soon after the green light passed Swiftcloud Town, the city of Snow River faintly appeared. Han Li immediately descended at the city gate and slowly walked in.

Snow River City was three or four times larger than Swiftcloud Town, but it could still only barely be called a small city.

When Han Li entered the city, it was already late and pitch black. Consequently, there were few pedestrians on the streets, and naturally, no one noticed the arrival of this uninvited guest.

Han Li walked along the street, cautiously releasing his spiritual sense to guard against being discovered by high-level cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage hidden within the city.

Indeed, there were cultivators in the small city, but most were low-level immortal cultivators. The highest cultivated individual was a Core Formation cultivator hidden in a residence in the southwest corner. Han Li's spiritual sense was exceptionally discreet; upon scanning, this person showed no hint of detection.

However, Han Li hadn't come to the small city to find high-level cultivators. Seeing no presence that could threaten him, he immediately withdrew his spiritual sense and concealed his aura. As he walked along the street, his gaze continuously swept both sides, as if searching for something.

Soon, he reached a somewhat wider intersection, which seemed to be the center of the small city.

After glancing at an inn's sign, Han Li's pupils contracted, and he suddenly stopped.

The sign was several feet in size, displaying the silver powder characters 'Yuelai.' It looked no different from any ordinary sign. In the Great Jin, there were probably hundreds, if not a thousand, inns with such a common name as 'Yuelai.'

Han Li, however, stared unblinkingly at a teapot-like symbol in the bottom right corner of the sign.

After a moment, he exhaled lightly, then looked up at the small inn before him, scanning the surroundings. Finding no one nearby, his figure flickered, and after a faint yellow light shimmered, he seamlessly passed through the tightly shut main door as if invisible.

The inn's main hall was dark and silent. It was unclear whether there were no guests or if everyone was already asleep.

After a brief observation, Han Li closed his eyes and released his spiritual sense, instantly gaining a complete picture of the entire inn in his mind.

Suddenly, he noiselessly transformed into a wisp of wind, disappearing into the darkness.

The owner of Yuelai Inn was a thin, elderly man in his fifties, possessing moderate wealth in the small city. After a busy day, exhausted, he was deeply asleep, embracing his young concubine whom he had married less than a year ago.

Suddenly, he faintly felt a biting cold wind sweep over him, so intensely cold that it startled him awake.

When he opened his eyes, the inn owner immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

A shadowy figure stood right at the head of his bed, a pair of gleaming eyes staring coldly at him.

"You..." He was about to shout, but no sound escaped his throat.

"Don't shout. Although there isn't a single cultivator in this inn, I don't wish to alarm anyone. Look at this first." The figure raised a hand, and a shimmering silver key appeared before the inn owner.

The moment the inn owner saw the silver key, his body stiffened, then instantly relaxed. His eyes, instead, revealed surprise and joy.

This shadowy figure was, of course, Han Li, who had secretly entered the inn.

The inn owner hastily jumped out of bed, gesticulating with his hands, stammering as he tried to say something, but still no sound came from his mouth.

Han Li smiled faintly. With a raise of his hand, a silver thread shot back from the man's throat and landed in his palm—it was a hair-thin silver needle.

"May I examine that key again?" The inn owner coughed a few times, finally regaining his ability to speak.

Han Li said nothing, simply tossing the key to him.

The owner took the silver key and meticulously examined it for a long while before his face showed reverence. He returned the key to Han Li with both hands, bowing deeply as he spoke.

"You are the Young Master, aren't you?"

"You've already verified the key. Do you have any further doubts?" Han Li did not answer directly, but spoke coolly.

"No, since Young Master was able to find this old servant and possesses this key, your identity is naturally authentic. It's just..." The owner subconsciously glanced back at his concubine behind him.

"Rest assured, before waking you, I had already cast a spell to render her unconscious. Even if you were to shout into her ear, she wouldn't hear a thing." Han Li's eyes flickered, his expression unchanged.

"That's good. The Family Head hasn't contacted this old servant for several years, and being a mortal, I didn't know what had happened. I dared not inquire randomly, fearing I might attract the attention of other cultivators. Now that Young Master has brought the key, this old servant can finally breathe a sigh of relief. If not for the Family Head mentioning that Young Master would appear differently next time, I truly wouldn't have dared to acknowledge you so readily," the inn owner stated honestly.

"Indeed, something has happened to the Feng family, which is why I need to open the secret vault this time and retrieve some items. Besides the Family Head, there should be a backup map of the secret vault's location stored with you. Hand it over!" Han Li spoke without ceremony, in a commanding tone.

"Yes, Young Master! Since you have the secret vault key, you are naturally qualified to open the vault. Please wait a moment!" the inn owner said without a hint of doubt. He then hastily put on a few layers of clothes and led Han Li out of the room, heading straight for the inn's backyard.

In a discreet corner of the backyard, the inn owner found an iron hoe nearby. After digging for a while, he carefully fumbled with both hands and pulled out what appeared to be an ordinary green brick. Only then did he wipe away his sweat and turn around.

"The secret vault's location is sealed within this object; it has a restriction on it. This old servant cannot open it, nor have I ever seen it with my own eyes. Young Master, you should have a way, correct?" the old man said, handing the green brick to Han Li with some hesitation.

"Of course, I have my methods. Furthermore, once I take this item, you no longer need to stay in this city. Leave immediately for a distant land and live under a false name!" Han Li took the green brick, glanced at it a few times as if confirming its authenticity, and nodded with satisfaction. Then, his expression solemn, he instructed.

"So, something truly happened to the Feng family! Young Master, rest assured, I will leave this place within a few days. I won't let any news of Young Master's affairs leak out," the inn owner said, his expression dimming as he readily agreed.

"As long as you understand the gravity of the situation. Given your steadfast loyalty to the Feng family, take this pill! Although you are a mortal, taking this pill can still strengthen your body and extend your lifespan!" Han Li put away the green brick. After seeing the old man's crestfallen expression again, his own expression shifted. With a sudden flip of his hand, a small green bottle appeared and he offered it to the old man.

"Thank you for the Young Master's generosity!" The inn owner was startled at first, then his face broke into a joyous expression as he said.

"Very well. I have other matters to attend to, so I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself!" Han Li waved his hand, his expression impassive. Then, before the inn owner, a flash of green light appeared, and he vanished without a trace.

The old man was startled. He searched around for a while before finally confirming Han Li had departed. Only then did he lower his head, gazing blankly at the medicine bottle in his hand.

After a long moment, he let out a deep sigh.

As soon as Han Li left the inn, he immediately flew out of the small city. After finding a random unnamed barren mountain nearby, he descended with his artifact.

Then, with a flip of his palm, the green brick floated into his hand.