novelapdf Chapter 43 Han Laomo's First Disguise
Chapter 43 Han Laomo's First Disguise
None of the three had any intention of showing themselves in front of Wang Chan too early, so they tacitly stopped the conversation and did not mention him again.
The tea room returned to tranquility. Su Mixin lowered her head again, focusing intently on studying the array jade slip in her hand, calming her mind and comprehending its intricacies.
A moment later, Yan Xuanye was the first to stand up, cup his hands in farewell, and take his leave.
After he left, only the two of them remained in the tea room, and Tian Buque suddenly felt bored and at a loss.
Seeing that Su Mixin was engrossed in her meditation and had no time for idle chatter, he didn't disturb her any longer. Instead, he turned around and returned to his room to meditate and cultivate in seclusion.
Time flowed slowly by, and before we knew it, it was afternoon.
A clear, cold voice suddenly entered Su Mixin's ears. It was Feng Hou's secret telepathic message: "Master, the target, Han Li, is approaching the territory of Yanling Fortress."
Su Mixin's heart skipped a beat, and a hint of understanding flashed in her eyes.
Sure enough, less than a quarter of an hour later, a Qi Refining cultivator from the Yan family rushed to Qingping Pavilion to deliver a message: Two Foundation Establishment cultivators from Huangfeng Valley have arrived at the fortress, a man and a woman.
Su Mixin immediately got up, triggered the restriction outside Tian Buque's room, summoned him out, and told him all the information she had just obtained.
"The two people from Huangfeng Valley who came this time, the Foundation Establishment female cultivator, is most likely Dong Xuan'er."
"The Yan family has already sent people to take good care of you. Go over there immediately to identify him. If my guess is correct, do not hesitate and take him away directly."
Upon hearing this, Tian Buque's eyes lit up instantly, his face beaming with undisguised joy. He immediately nodded emphatically, "Alright! I'll go and confirm it right away!"
Before he could finish speaking, he could no longer contain his eagerness and hurriedly pushed open the door to leave.
Su Mixin raised her eyes and looked out the door, her gaze distant, lost in thought.
At this moment, Han Li should have already encountered the one who haunted him for half his life and turned into a lifelong inner demon—Mo Caihuan.
In this fateful reunion, he was destined to hear once again that question etched into his bones, remembered for a thousand years:
"Senior brother, is it really impossible to become a cultivator without spiritual roots?"
This single sentence trapped Han Li in the regrets of his mortal years and firmly shackled his early understanding of cultivation.
It wasn't until he ascended to the Spirit Realm and witnessed firsthand that everyone could cultivate spiritual roots and embark on the path of immortality, that his narrow-minded view of cultivation was completely shattered.
At this moment, he still firmly believes that spiritual roots are a divinely bestowed foundation for cultivation and the only ticket to immortality.
Thinking of this, Su Mixin felt a slight itch in her heart and a sense of amusement arose within her.
"We should go and meet this old devil Han, and see what he looks like when his disguise is exposed before he develops the thick skin he will have in the future."
"But there's no rush yet. Old Devil Han and Mo Caihuan still have some time to spend together."
He chuckled softly and lowered his head to continue studying the array jade slip.
Two hours later, Su Mixin finally got up, put away the jade slip, changed into a simple and ordinary blue robe, took out a low-level magic weapon mask to cover her face, concealing her outstanding temperament, and then slowly walked out.
……
Six days later, Su Mixin stepped into Tianheju Teahouse again.
This time, instead of going to the counter to inquire about the private rooms on the third floor, he walked straight up to the lobby on the third floor.
The moment his foot touched the third-floor floor, several Foundation Establishment stage divine senses immediately swept over to investigate.
Su Mixin looked up and saw that the situation in the hall was exactly the same as described in the original work in her memory, with the group of cultivators clearly divided into two groups.
One group of five people wore the uniforms of the seven sects of Yue Kingdom, while the other group wore different clothes and were all cultivators who had come from other countries.
Under the slightly surprised gazes of the seven factions from Yue Kingdom, Su Mixin walked straight towards their table.
Seeing him approach slowly, an older Taoist priest stood up and asked, "Fellow Taoist, what business do you have with us?"
Su Mixin bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, fellow Daoists. I am Li Feiyu from the Hidden Moon Sect."
Upon hearing this, the others stood up one after another. The eldest Taoist frowned slightly and spoke with a hint of caution: "Since Fellow Daoist Li is a cultivator of the Hidden Moon Sect, why is he not wearing the sect's moon-white outer robe and instead covering his face with a mask, making it difficult for us to distinguish his true identity?"
Su Mixin already had an explanation for this matter. After feigning hesitation, she replied softly, "I encountered an accident while traveling and my appearance was damaged. It is really inconvenient for me to show my true face to others. I hope you will all understand."
"As for proof of identity, I and Junior Sister Yan Ruyan of the Yan family are both disciples of Fairy Ni Chang, and I have come to Yanling Fort with her this time."
As soon as he finished speaking, he reached into his storage bag and took out a token engraved with the character "Yan," displaying it to everyone: "This is a pass to the fortress given to me by Junior Sister Yan; it can be considered proof of entry."
This token was actually given to him by Yan Xuanye on purpose, to facilitate his actions at Yanling Fort.
Seeing that it was indeed a token from the Yan family, most of the doubts in everyone's hearts dissipated.
Yanling Fortress was heavily guarded, and ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would never dare to impersonate others here. The group immediately lowered their guard, returned the greeting with clasped hands, and invited him to sit down and chat.
The older Taoist priest then introduced them: "Junior Brother Li, this is Wu Fazi of the Qingxu Sect, and beside me is Junior Brother Wu Youzi. The remaining three are Fellow Daoist Wu of the Spirit Beast Mountain, Fellow Daoist Ba of the Giant Sword Sect, and Junior Sister Fang of Tianque Fortress."
The group nodded to each other in greeting.
The pleasantries had barely ended when steady footsteps echoed down the stairs.
Su Mi scanned the area with her spiritual sense, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. Sure enough, Old Demon Han had arrived as expected.
A young cultivator with an ordinary appearance, dressed in the standard yellow robe of Yellow Maple Valley, slowly stepped into the hall on the third floor.
The people at the table immediately fell silent, and their divine senses simultaneously probed the newcomer.
This person is none other than Han Li, who is in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.
Han Li scanned the hall with his eyes, then strode toward the table, where everyone stood up to greet him.
"I am Han Li from Huangfeng Valley. Greetings to all my senior brothers and sisters." Han Li stepped forward, bowed, and clasped his hands in a proper and respectful manner.
Wu Fazi, as always, stepped forward and introduced everyone present one by one.
When Su Mixin was mentioned, the old man said, "This is Junior Brother Li from the Hidden Moon Sect."
Su Mixin immediately cupped her hands in greeting: "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Han. My name is Li Feiyu."
Upon hearing this, Han Li froze, stunned on the spot.
At that moment, a subtle divine sense suddenly entered his ears: "Fellow Daoist Li Feiyu, it's only been four years since we last met. When did you change your name and join the Yellow Maple Valley sect?"
Han Li followed the source of his divine sense and looked down at Su Mixin, who was wearing a mask. He immediately used his divine sense to probe back: "Who exactly are you? Why are you hiding your identity like this? Are you perhaps an old acquaintance of mine?"
Su Mixin's smile deepened, and her divine sense slowly returned: "Fellow Daoist Han's memory is rather poor. Why don't you recall our parting at the Tianxing Sect market four years ago?"
Han Li's eyes narrowed suddenly, and he instantly realized: "So it's Fellow Daoist Su!"
Su Mixin nodded slightly: "It seems that Fellow Daoist Han has not forgotten me."
Even though Han Li had been adventuring alone for many years and was calm and experienced, his face couldn't help but blush slightly when his identity and alias were exposed on the spot.
"Fellow Daoist Su, please don't laugh at me. The situation was special back then, and I had no choice but to use an alias and deliberately conceal my true origins."
"Since then, I have never mentioned any information about you to anyone in Huangfeng Valley."
Upon hearing this, Su Mixin's smile deepened beneath her mask, her tone remaining gentle yet tinged with a hint of mockery:
"Fellow Daoist Han is indeed extremely cautious in his actions, which I naturally understand."
"It's just that this 'Li Feiyu' disguise is well hidden. If I hadn't stumbled upon you today, I would have continued to believe that you were just an ordinary rogue cultivator from the Yue Kingdom."
Han Li's brow twitched slightly upon hearing this, but he maintained a respectful expression. While helping to set out teacups for everyone, he whispered:
"Fellow Daoist Su is too kind. At that time, I was on important business and it was inconvenient for me to reveal my true identity. I hope you will understand."
"Fellow Daoist, why are you here as a cultivator from the Hidden Moon Sect? And why are you using the alias that I, Han, am using?"
Su Mixin took the teacup, lightly tapped the rim with her fingertips, and responded telepathically:
"Like Fellow Daoist Han, I'm just borrowing an identity for convenience. Yanling Fort is a mixed bag, so having an extra identity makes things easier."
"As for Fellow Daoist Han's alias 'Li Feiyu,' it is indeed catchy and very useful."
Upon hearing this, Han Li's lips twitched slightly.
Su Mixin paused, then added a sentence, her words carrying a deeper meaning:
"So, Fellow Daoist Han, did you come to this treasure-hunting event for that Qiankun Tower talisman?"
Han Li's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm and replied telepathically, "I was merely sent here by the master of Huangfeng Valley to see if I could gain some opportunities. Fellow Daoist Su, why make fun of me?"
"Is that so?" Su Mixin chuckled softly and didn't press the matter further.
The two exchanged telepathic messages in the blink of an eye, and their gazes met briefly, so the others at the table didn't notice anything amiss.
"Since you two are here, please try the Yan family's famous Snow Bell Tea! This is a top-grade tea that the teahouse only offers to visiting cultivators like us!"
The Wu-surname cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain was a smiling, chubby man. He immediately picked up the teapot on the table and brewed a cup of spirit tea with white mist swirling around Su Mixin and Han Li respectively.
"Excellent tea!"
After tasting it, Han Li immediately praised it.
Su Mixin nodded in agreement.
The atmosphere at the table became lively again, and the group chatted about the rules of the treasure hunt and the rumors surrounding Yanling Fortress.
Han Li smiled politely, but his mind was not on the tea conversation at all. While listening to everyone's chatter, he was secretly wary of the "Li Feiyu" beside him.
Four years ago, during a fleeting glimpse at the Tianxing Sect market, he knew this person was no ordinary cultivator.
At that time, he used swift and decisive methods to instantly kill two puppeteers who were also extremely powerful within the Foundation Establishment stage, which made him feel a chill at the time.
Even after they parted ways and he returned to his cave, he still felt a pang of heartache when he recalled that scene.
Now that the other party has appeared under the identity of the Hidden Moon Sect and publicly exposed his alias, it is clear that he had already recognized him.
What is this person's purpose? Is he a friend or foe?
He glanced at Su Mixin beside him, who was smiling and talking to Wufazi with a calm expression, as if the telepathic conversation had never happened.
Han Li could clearly sense that there was a hint of amusement and scrutiny hidden in that seemingly gentle gaze, which made his heart tighten inexplicably.
But Su Mixin was experiencing a completely different scene at that moment.
Seeing Han Li's forced composure, but actually tense inside, he found it quite amusing.
This old devil Han has always been cautious and suspicious. Now that his true identity has been exposed to his face, he has probably already considered a hundred possibilities in his mind.