"Old Feng's precious boots—how did they end up in your hands? What's your relationship? From what I know, that fellow treasures his Cloud-Treading Boots immensely and would never lend them out!"
With these words, a green-clad figure materialized from who-knows-where, revealing himself beneath a giant tree only about twenty meters from Han Li. He was of medium build, with mismatched eyes, a face full of black pockmarks, and appeared to be around forty. Several pockets of various sizes hung from his body.
But that ugly face was currently filled with shock! His eyes were glued to the spirit boots on Han Li's feet, seemingly unable to believe that the "Cloud-Treading Boots" had actually appeared on someone else.
"And who might you be? Why did you ambush me?" Han Li didn't answer the question, instead returning it with an unceremonious inquiry of his own. He had no intention of letting the other lead him around by the nose or allowing his momentum to be suppressed.
The ugly man was stunned for a moment, but quickly flew into a rage, his hideous features twisting into a vicious look. He raised his hand, wanting to immediately teach the presumptuous young man a lesson, but then recalled something and forcibly suppressed his violent urges, lowering his hand. However, his mouth continued to snarl viciously: "Kid, don't think I won't dare teach you a lesson just because you're wearing Old Feng's spirit boots! When Old Feng gave you the boots, didn't he mention my name, Zhong Wu of the Spirit Beast Mountain? Though, it is strange—you're clearly from the Yellow Maple Valley, so why would he give you the boots? Could you be Old Feng's illegitimate son? But you don't really look like him!"
As he spoke, the ugly man sized Han Li up with a peculiar look.
This time, it was Han Li's turn to be annoyed. He snorted coldly, his expression turning grim, and said flatly: "Sir, don't go around forging ridiculous connections! That Feng Yue bastard is long dead. These boots were stripped from his corpse!"
"Dead? The Madman Feng Yue?"
The ugly man had been looking quite menacing, but upon hearing these words, he jumped a foot in the air, his expression turning to one of shock and suspicion! He involuntarily took several steps back and re-examined Han Li.
"Did you kill him?" The vicious man took a deep breath, his eyes darting around as he asked in a strained voice. The previous rage and savagery had completely vanished from his demeanor.
"That's right. Are you looking to avenge him?" Han Li placed his hands behind his back, observing the other calmly.
However, he had already secretly drawn a silk thread from his storage pouch, which was now quietly wound around his ring finger.
He had openly admitted to killing the man primarily to establish his dominance, hoping the other would recognize the danger and back off. He had no desire to immediately engage in a costly fight with someone the moment he entered this central area, which would delay his herb-gathering plans.
Although the man's tone suggested some past acquaintance with Feng Yue, Han Li believed the chances of him actually seeking revenge for Feng Yue were extremely slim. Cultivators were, for the most part, individuals devoid of deep sentiment, let alone a ruthless character like this one!
Of course, if the other insisted on fighting to avenge Feng Yue, Han Li would have no choice but to strike first. He was prepared to expend a great deal of stamina, use his movement technique at full power, and then attempt to catch the opponent off guard with the silk thread coiling around his head, dispatching him silently.
But Han Li was well aware that the chances of such a hasty ambush succeeding were not high—perhaps only thirty or forty percent at best.
The distance between them was too great—at over twenty meters, even with his exceptional speed, Han Li couldn't guarantee a fatal blow. And if the opponent simply cast any defensive spell on himself, the silk thread would be useless.
"Avenging him? Are you joking? Do I look like that kind of boring person?" Indeed, things unfolded as Han Li had anticipated. After hearing his words, the ugly man gave a hollow laugh and said disdainfully: "I did have some dealings with that fellow in the past, but nothing deep. Now that he's dead, any friendship is naturally over too!" The ugly man spoke shamelessly, but his words made his stance perfectly clear, without a hint of embarrassment.
Han Li remained silent. Although he didn't relax his vigilance, he felt somewhat relieved. It seemed he wouldn't have to fight immediately upon entering the central area.
"But, little brother! You're truly formidable! That Feng Yue fellow wasn't easy to deal with, especially with those top-grade magical artifacts he had. Tsk, tsk! Each one was a rare masterpiece!"
The ugly man rubbed his nose and suddenly became warm toward Han Li, even changing how he addressed him! However, as he seemed to ask this casually, he subtly took several more steps back, increasing the distance between them.
Seeing this, Han Li couldn't help but laugh bitterly to himself!
In his estimation, even if he were to turn hostile and attack immediately, his chances of success had already dropped to less than ten percent. These "experts" were indeed cunning and experienced—none of them were to be trifled with!
Moreover, he guessed that the other man likely assumed he had obtained all of Feng Yue's artifacts, which was why he had shown this subtle wariness.
Having understood all this clearly, Han Li smiled but said nothing. He neither confirmed nor denied having obtained the artifacts, leaving the ugly man frustrated and ever more apprehensive.