"Robbed?" Han Li's gaze flickered, his expression one of disbelief.
"It seems the senior doesn't believe what I have to say, but this is the absolute truth!" Madam Fan suddenly dropped her smile, revealing a bitter expression.
"Two months ago, our sect's shop took on a large order — so large it would keep our Mysterious Sound Sect occupied for the next ten years. After gathering a massive shipment, Sect Master Wang personally led the majority of our sect's experts to escort and deliver the goods. But halfway there, a group of masked cultivators ambushed us. Among them were no fewer than five or six Core Formation cultivators, every one of them highly skilled in dark arts, and the rest were expert at fighting in coordinated formations. Our sect master was outnumbered and killed on the spot, and the storage bags containing the goods were snatched away. As for the ordinary sect disciples, more than half of them were killed or wounded. Had the two elders not sacrificed their own cultivation levels to power a secret technique and fight desperately, we would likely have been wiped out entirely without anyone ever knowing." As the woman spoke, her voice grew low and heavy, her face full of grief.
"Could it have been a setup by the buyer?" Han Li blurted out almost without thinking.
"Impossible! The buyer for this order is one of the four great merchant alliances of the Starssea. They've always had an excellent reputation — why would they resort to robbery and murder? Besides, with their level of resources, they wouldn't destroy their own standing over something like this!" Madam Fan shook her head lightly, her face pale as she denied it, her whole bearing radiating a fragile, helpless air.
But Han Li merely shot her a cold glance and said nothing more, showing not a trace of sympathy or comfort.
Seeing Han Li's detached demeanor, Madam Fan had no choice but to softly set aside her grief and continue explaining: "That small section of Heavenly Thunder Bamboo was originally a sect-protecting treasure of a minor sect. But that sect has since fallen into desperate straits, with only a single disciple remaining. Not long ago, they sold it to our Mysterious Sound Sect. Our sect master had been carrying it along with the shipment, planning to head straight to Heavenly Star City to auction it off once the big deal was done. We never expected it to be taken by those cultivators as well."
"However, before our sect master left with the shipment, she secretly placed a small mark on the goods. So our sect's disciples were able to track down where these cultivators were hiding relatively quickly. But the problem is they have quite a few Core Formation cultivators, and our sect simply doesn't have the strength to take them on head-to-head. That's why I've come out this time — not only to procure goods, but also to recruit powerful cultivators willing to lend a hand. Both of you seniors appear to have exceptional magical power. If you're willing to help, I can offer this section of Heavenly Thunder Bamboo as your reward, on behalf of my sect. What do you say?"
After her carefully measured speech, the woman finally revealed her true purpose. Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes flickered as if weighing something.
Seeing this, Madam Fan knew Han Li was calculating the pros and cons, so she quickly added another bargaining chip: "If you feel the reward is still too low, my sect is also willing to gift a pure, untouched female disciple to serve as your maidservant. How about it?"
"No interest." Han Li rejected the offer immediately, without a moment's consideration.
The woman's face fell with disappointment.
"This section of Heavenly Thunder Bamboo hasn't been refined yet, has it? Can it still continue to grow?" Han Li exhaled softly and suddenly asked a question that caught the woman completely off guard.
"It hasn't been refined. This section of Heavenly Thunder Bamboo was carefully cultivated by that minor sect for over a thousand years — it was dug up whole, root and all. So continuing to cultivate it naturally isn't a problem. Does the senior perhaps not intend to use it to refine a magic treasure, but rather save it for descendants? But Heavenly Thunder Bamboo grows extremely slowly — only about an inch per thousand years. It's truly a nightmare to cultivate!" The woman was slightly startled, her tone tinged with confusion.
Hearing this, Han Li didn't answer her question. Instead, he lowered his head slightly and sank back into deep thought.
It wasn't until even Elder Zhao was showing signs of impatience that Han Li finally made up his mind: "In addition to that section of Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, I want to pick one more item from among those goods. After all, Brother Qu and I are both participating."
Han Li added another condition in his usual placid tone.
"No problem — my sect can agree to that!" The moment Madam Fan heard that Han Li had agreed to help, her face lit up with elation, and she agreed to his condition almost without a second thought.
"In that case! When it's time to depart, just have someone come to my cave dwelling to let me know. I imagine your sect already knows where it is." With those words, Han Li stood up expressionlessly.
Before Madam Fan could say anything more, he cupped his hands in a brief salute and drifted away with Qu Hun, making no mention whatsoever of the fact that she had tried to use her seduction technique on him.
Watching Han Li leave so abruptly, the man and woman from the Mysterious Sound Sect exchanged startled glances. A complex, flickering look crept into Madam Fan's eyes, her expression shifting between light and shadow.
…
Back at his cave dwelling, Han Li didn't simply sit around waiting for the Mysterious Sound Sect to send for him. Instead, he visited several other Core Formation cultivators to inquire about the sect.
Sure enough, these people had heard of it. One of them had even had dealings with it before.
According to them, the Mysterious Sound Sect could be called a proper sect, or it could be considered a merchant alliance — neither description was really wrong.
However, the sect had always been predominantly female throughout its history, and only a woman could serve as its sect master.
The Mysterious Sound Sect's strength in the Starssea wasn't particularly impressive. Besides the sect master, the highest-ranking members were the Left and Right Envoys. Naturally, they also typically employed two or three Core Formation guest elders as backers.
Among the various mid-tier powers, they were neither the best nor the worst — somewhere in the middle.
Still, other forces generally didn't provoke this sect lightly, because every female cultivator in the Mysterious Sound Sect was beautiful and talented. Quite often, outstanding female disciples from the sect became prized dual-cultivation partners sought after by other powers, earning the sect both overt and covert support.
What Han Li cared about most was the sect's reputation, which was actually quite decent — there were very few reports of them ever harming other cultivators. However, the Mysterious Sound Sect's charm techniques were well-known in the Starssea, and had driven quite a few male cultivators to lose their minds over the sect's female disciples.
After gathering this intelligence, Han Li formed a general impression of the Mysterious Sound Sect. He weighed everything carefully once more — and still couldn't bring himself to give up on that Heavenly Thunder Bamboo.