"What old monster? Nobody said anything like that!" the girl said with a forced laugh, her face having gone pale. She hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to glance up.
Han Li chuckled lightly and didn't bother to fuss over the young girl. Instead, his gaze turned cold as he looked at the old man.
The old man's expression was equally flustered and panicked.
He had no idea how much Han Li had overheard, and he cursed inwardly, not daring to utter the lines he had prepared beforehand.
"I didn't expect the senior to arrive so soon! This junior had thought he would need to wait at least two more hours! This junior will go fetch that book for the senior right now."
With no other choice, the old man forced himself to compose his spirits and deal with Han Li's hostile look. Quick-witted, he immediately mentioned the scripture, hoping it would cool Han Li's anger a bit.
"Fine. Go get it." Han Li's blade-sharp gaze lingered on the old man for a moment before he finally spoke coldly.
This eased the old man's heart somewhat. In his view, at least the other party wasn't about to unleash his fury immediately.
The old man hurriedly agreed, then headed toward the next room. Seeing this, the girl shifted her feet, wanting to follow, but the old man stopped her with a look.
What a joke!
If both of them went to the next room together, wouldn't that be deliberately provoking the other party? It would make him think the grandfather and granddaughter were still plotting something. By now, the old man had thoroughly abandoned all unrealistic notions, terrified of giving Han Li any misunderstanding.
The girl could only pout and stay behind in the room, standing in place without daring to say a single word, keeping Han Li company.
The old man moved very quickly. In the blink of an eye, he came back carrying a worn wooden box. The scripture had to be inside.
"Senior, my granddaughter and I learned our Breath Concealment Technique from this very book. Please take a look and see if it might be of some use to you?" The old man walked up to Han Li in a few steps and said respectfully, then gently opened the wooden box, revealing a yellowed book with a somewhat darkened cover. He handed it to Han Li.
Just one glance, and you could tell it was an ancient artifact!
Han Li narrowed his eyes and studied the book in the old man's hands for a few moments, then nodded and accepted it.
Though the book had discolored from age, when Han Li's fingers touched the cover, it felt smooth and delicate, and seemed remarkably tough.
It appeared this book was not made of ordinary material but rather some special demon beast hide. Otherwise, it couldn't have survived for so long.
Han Li gently stroked the book for a while, musing, before slowly turning its pages.
After only a casual glance, he furrowed his brow.
The moment the book was opened, what met his eyes was some very unfamiliar ancient script. Han Li was certain he couldn't read these characters at all, nor had he ever seen similar symbols in any of the texts stored in Yellow Maple Valley.
Since he couldn't read it, Han Li didn't waste time and quickly flipped toward the back of the book.
On the last two pages, he finally found what appeared to be a set of nameless formula that someone had added. The script used for this formula was a relatively common ancient character system in the cultivation world, allowing him to read it with ease.
Han Li knew immediately that this was the Breath Concealment Technique, and without standing on ceremony, he settled his mind to study it carefully.
After about the time it takes to eat a meal, Han Li slowly closed the book, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
Beside him, the old man, who hadn't dared to breathe loudly this whole time, felt his heart pounding furiously once more. He knew this was the moment that would decide the fate of him and his granddaughter—how the other party would deal with them depended entirely on a single thought.
Han Li paid no heed to the old man's inner tension. Calmly, he took out a jade box from his storage pouch and properly stored the book inside.
Then he turned to the old man and said evenly: "I'll take this scripture. Now, the two of you—grandfather and granddaughter—tell me what you'd like in exchange. If it's possible, I'll do my best to fulfill your request!"
Han Li's voice was not loud, but when it reached the ears of the old man and the girl, it was as pleasant as the sound of heavenly music.
The two of them now realized that not only had their lives been saved, but it actually seemed like they were going to get something good out of this. They couldn't help but reveal expressions of joy and surprise!
"Senior, might this grandfather and granddaughter discuss it briefly first?" Now that the crisis had passed, the old man couldn't help but want to maximize the gains from this exchange. He quickly put on an apologetic smile and said to Han Li: Before Han Li had arrived, the two of them had been so terrified that the other party would kill them to silence them that they hadn't even discussed what to exchange. Now that Han Li had actually asked, they were naturally caught off guard!