"You and Senior Brother Lü both didn't leave here as agreed — could I not come back?" Han Li sighed, a touch of helplessness in his voice. But after sizing up Mu Peiling a few more times, he chuckled softly.
"Still, I truly didn't expect that you managed to break through your bottleneck during this time and enter the Late Foundation Establishment stage. That really is something worth celebrating!"
"Your servant only broke through half a month ago, by sheer luck. I owe it all to your pills, Young Master. Otherwise, Peiling could never have reached this stage in such a short time, no matter what." Mu Peiling was extremely excited, and as she spoke, her features grew even more enchanting and alluring.
Han Li felt his mind waver for an instant, but after touching his nose, his composure returned to normal.
"Is it because of the Mulan Dharma Masters' invasion that you and Senior Brother Lü didn't leave?" Han Li asked casually, neither confirming nor denying.
"You've guessed correctly, Young Master. Senior Gu and I did originally plan to leave as soon as the trade fair ended. But who could have imagined that news of the Dharma Masters' invasion arrived at the very end of the fair. As the Heavenly Dao Alliance's Nascent Soul cultivator in Tiantian City, Senior Gu had to stay behind to discuss countermeasures with the other factions, and your servant had no choice but to stay as well." Mu Peiling bit her red lip and said carefully.
"In that case, you can hardly be blamed. But Senior Brother Gu is now..." Han Li was about to continue his question when a faint look of surprise crossed his face, and he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Mu Peiling froze. Before she could figure out what Han Li meant, a young man's loud shout suddenly rang out from beyond the pavilion's protective formations.
"Fellow Daoist Mu, are you there? I am Bai Shujun — I ask Fellow Daoist Mu to come out and meet me."
"Who is this person? Someone you've recently met?" Han Li swept his spiritual sense outward and detected a refined-looking Core Formation cultivator — a young man — standing calmly outside the formations, facing the pavilion. He couldn't help but ask in a thoughtful tone.
The moment Mu Peiling heard the man's voice, her face drained of color. Hearing Han Li's question, she hurriedly explained: "Don't misunderstand, Young Master. He is a disciple under one of the Tianji Gate elders. He happened to see me a few days ago and has been pestering me ever since. I've told him that I am Young Master's concubine, but he still won't let go. I'll send him away right now."
"Is that so? Does Senior Brother Lü know about this?" Han Li raised both eyebrows slightly and asked in a detached tone.
"I did tell Senior Lü about it, but he seems to know that Tianji Gate elder and appears somewhat cautious of him. He told me to handle it by playing along for now and said everything would wait until Young Master returned." Seeing that Han Li wasn't angry, Mu Peiling secretly let out a breath of relief.
"Oh? Tianji Gate — isn't that one of the four great sects of the Righteous Path Alliance? No wonder Senior Brother Lü was so careful. But for a mere Core Formation cultivator to act so presumptuously, his nerve seems a bit much. Come downstairs with me — let's see what this junior is really after." After a moment of silence, Han Li spoke with a cold smile.
"As you command, Young Master!" Mu Peiling was briefly stunned, then respectfully agreed.
Han Li silently left the room and headed downstairs. Mu Peiling, trailing a fragrant breeze, followed gracefully behind him.
"Fellow Daoist Mu, you finally — Oh! Senior, you are...?" Seeing someone emerge from the pavilion, the young man calling himself Bai Shujun had expected the woman he admired. But upon seeing Han Li, he was first startled; then, recognizing that Han Li's cultivation was unfathomably deep, his expression shifted immediately and he offered a respectful greeting.
At that moment, Mu Peiling also stepped out from behind Han Li, standing close at his side.
Bai Shujun's expression flickered through several changes at this sight, as understanding dawned.
"You're a disciple of Tianji Gate?" Han Li's face darkened as he addressed the young man in an unkind tone.
"That is correct. This junior is a disciple under Elder Lu of Tianji Gate. You must be Senior Han!" Bai Shujun was truly something out of the ordinary — even facing Han Li, a Nascent Soul cultivator, the panic on his face flashed by only for an instant before he composed himself and asked politely.
"Speak. What exactly is the meaning of this? Why are you pestering my concubine? Doing something so thoughtless — there must be other motives behind it." Han Li's voice was cold.
A look of astonishment appeared on Mu Peiling's delicate face.
"Senior sees clearly! The truth is, my master wishes to meet you. But seeing that Senior Han had been completely out of contact, he had me resort to this approach. However, I do genuinely have feelings for Fellow Daoist Mu. If Senior would be willing to grant this junior's wish, I would be eternally grateful." The young man smiled and spoke in an eloquent, measured manner.
"Eternally grateful — what use do I have for your gratitude? Stop dreaming. Han Li's concubine is not something I hand over to others. Rather, I've had no dealings with your Tianji Gate — so why would they be looking for me?" Han Li narrowed his eyes and glanced at an empty space to one side, as though discerning someone hidden there, a strange smile playing on his lips. At the same time, a startling spiritual pressure erupted from his body, shooting skyward.
Bai Shujun's face changed drastically. He staggered back several steps with heavy thuds, then felt his shoulders sink as though Mount Tai itself were pressing down on them. His knees buckled and he was about to drop straight to the ground.
Panic surged through his heart. He desperately tried to resist the crushing force, but after his body trembled a few times, he still began to sink lower.
Just as he was on the verge of kneeling, a white figure suddenly materialized from one side and flashed before Bai Shujun in an instant, gently patting his shoulder with one palm.
The pressure bearing down on Bai Shujun dropped at once, and he straightened back up.