"How could the old Master's cherished boots be in your hands? What is your relationship? As far as I know, that man holds these Cloud-Soaring Boots in the highest regard and never lends them to anyone!" With these words, a figure in vibrant, colorful attire suddenly appeared out of nowhere, beneath a massive flowering tree some twenty paces away from Han Li. Of medium build, with one eye larger than the other, a face dotted with black spots, and around forty years old, he carried seven or eight pockets of varying sizes. Yet, despite his otherwise unattractive appearance, he now looked utterly astonished—his eyes fixed intently on the spiritual boots on Han Li's feet, as though still unable to believe that the Cloud-Soaring Boots had actually appeared there. "Who are you, and why have you attacked me?" Han Li did not answer the man's questions directly; instead, he bluntly countered, unwilling to be led by the other's pace or have his own demeanor subdued. Upon hearing this, the man first paused, startled, then immediately erupted into rage, his otherwise unprepossessing face now displaying fierce determination. He lifted his hand, intending to immediately reprimand the young man who showed such lack of courtesy, but then remembered something, and instead forcibly restrained his impatience, finally setting his hand down. Yet he still said with a gruff tone, "Young man, don't think that wearing Lord Lao Feng's spiritual boots makes me any less inclined to discipline you! When Lord Lao Feng gave you the boots, didn't he mention my name, Zhong Wu, of Ling Shou Mountain? It's strange, though—though you're clearly from Huang Feng Valley, how did he end up giving you the boots? Wasn't it possible that Lao Feng had a private son? Though, looking at you, he doesn't seem like one at all!" The ugly man, as he spoke, began to gaze at Han Li with a noticeably different expression. This time, it was Han Li who grew annoyed. He frowned, exhaled sharply, and said coldly, "Sir, don't just make up connections between people at random! Lord Feng Yue has been dead for some time now—the boots were actually ripped off his feet!" "Dead? Lord Feng Yue, the madman?" The once-angry man immediately leaped three feet high, his expression now filled with surprise and uncertainty. He then involuntarily stepped back a few paces, taking a fresh look at Han Li. "You're the one who killed him?" the man drew a deep breath, his eyes darting around as he asked the question in a hesitant tone. His demeanor had completely softened, no longer displaying the initial fury and aggression. Han Li stood with his hands behind his back, calm and composed. Yet, quietly, he had drawn a thread from his storage pouch and wrapped it around the base of his ring finger. He had chosen to openly admit responsibility in front of this man—not only to establish his authority but also to encourage him to back down and avoid further conflict. He certainly didn't want to engage in a fierce battle right from the start, jeopardizing his primary mission of gathering medicinal herbs. Though it seemed the man had some connection with the man who had been married off to the family. Yet Han Li believed the likelihood that the other party would truly seek vengeance for Feng Yue's death was absolutely negligible! After all, most cultivators are naturally emotionally reserved and restrained, and even more so someone as relentless and passionate as this one! Of course, if the other party insisted on taking action to avenge Feng Yue, Han Li would have no choice but to act first—vigorously expending his physical strength, fully unleashing his movements, and then using the fine threads on his fingers to silently wrap around the opponent's head, causing him to fall without anyone noticing. However, Han Li was well aware that such a sudden and hurried assault would succeed only with a probability of no more than three or four in ten. Given the distance—the other man was twenty zhang away—Han Li, no matter how swift his movements, could not guarantee a decisive strike. And if the opponent simply cast a defensive spell, the threads would be completely useless. "Vengeance? What a joke! Do I seem like someone who'd be dull and uneventful?" "Indeed, things unfolded exactly as Han Li had anticipated. After listening to Han Li, the bulky man chuckled, dismissively remarked, 'We did have some acquaintance in the past—though not particularly close. Now that he's gone, our connection naturally fades!' He spoke with unapologetic insincerity, yet his words clearly revealed his stance, with no hint of embarrassment. Han Li remained silent, neither loosening his vigilance nor entirely at ease, but he felt a measure of reassurance. It seemed they wouldn't have to engage in a major battle right upon entering the central district. 'Nevertheless, young sir! You truly are impressive. Feng Yue isn't an easy opponent, especially his several top-tier artifacts—remarkable pieces, indeed!' The bulky man rubbed his nose, suddenly warming to Han Li, even changing his address to 'young sir'. Yet, just as he spoke casually, he subtly stepped back a few paces, widening the distance between himself and Han Li. This left Han Li silently chuckling to himself! Based on his estimation, even if he immediately turned against the other party now, his chances of success had already dropped to less than ten percent. These "masters" truly were seasoned and shrewd—far from being ordinary! He suspected that the other party likely believed he had secured all of Feiyue's treasures, which was why they subtly displayed their caution toward him. With this fully understood, Han Li merely smiled calmly, neither confirming nor denying whether he had obtained the artifacts. This only deepened the other's frustration and sense of apprehension. "Was the artwork on the wall before the gate yours?" Han Li then recalled the scene at the gate, gently asking. "Rubbish! That was done by Han Tianya, the human-ghost from Huadao Workshop. I wouldn't waste my time on such a trivial thing! How unfortunate it is that so much flesh and blood was simply squandered—what a pity! If only I could feed it to my little darlings, I've heard that the flesh of cultivators is particularly nourishing." At first, Han Li could still smile and listen patiently as the ugly man spoke. But when the man reached the latter part of his remarks, pulled out a large cloth sack from behind, removed a chunk of blood-soaked meat, and tossed it inside, Han Li's smile grew strained, even slightly bluish. The man glanced at Han Li's expression and felt a quiet sense of satisfaction. After all, this young recruit from Huang Feng Valley was still rather inexperienced—too green! With only a few words, he had already unsettled him. Should a real confrontation arise, that would surely be a significant weakness. Yet, Han Li had managed to defeat Feng Yue—something truly surprising. To Han Li's eyes, however, the man seemed utterly ordinary, hardly someone capable of such a feat. Considering his youth and relatively weak magical prowess, even with a few fine artifacts, he still couldn't match Feng Yue's top-tier items—such as the Yellow Silk Umbrella and the Cloud-Stepping Boots. And yet, Feng Yue had fallen at the hands of this young man. This truly seems rather strange. Yet the cloud-steps boots are indeed on the other man's feet—this is absolutely true. Could it be that the person wasn't killed by him at all, but merely happened to escape by chance, or perhaps there's some other reason? Zhong Wu found himself still somewhat confused, unable to form a clear judgment about Han Li's capabilities. But to willingly go and personally test him—that he would never do! What clever person would willingly expose themselves to such risks? After pondering it over, the burly man folded up the cloth bag, blinked several times with his large and small eyes, and smiled warmly at Han Li. "By the way, I haven't yet asked your name. Could you kindly tell me, Mr. Zhong?" "Han Li from Huang Feng Valley." There was no need to conceal this, and with his complexion now improved, Han Li answered calmly. "Ah, so you're Han Li! I've never heard of you before. I'd imagine you must be one of the rising talents from Huang Feng Valley. How familiar are you with this central district?" "Zhong Wu seemed as if he were a close friend we hadn't seen in years—so warm and enthusiastic. 'I may not know much, but Zhong brother is considerably older than me, so I'm certain you know far more than I do!' Han Li didn't quite understand Zhong Wu's intent, and his alertness grew. 'Hehe! Han brother, if you trust Zhong Wu, why don't we exchange our central district records? This will benefit us both!' After a moment's hesitation, Zhong Wu finally softly voiced his true intention. Han Li listened, startled, and quietly pondered. Though it was officially forbidden for disciples to exchange records with other sects without their master's permission or direct arrangement, such exchanges actually happened quite frequently. A moment later, Han Li smiled warmly and said, 'Agreed. After exchanging records, we'll both surely gain much.' 'Great! I knew it—Han brother isn't one to be fussy. Come! Let's input the records into our jade scrolls and then exchange them!' Zhong Wu's face was dotted with numerous freckles, all glistening with excitement, and he kept rubbing his hands continuously, clearly eager to learn more about Han Li's background. Seeing this, Han Li silently chuckled to himself, though he naturally agreed on the surface. Copying the documents was actually quite simple! After just one cup of tea's worth of time, Han Li had completed the task and exchanged jade scrolls with his counterpart. When the other received the scroll, both Zhong Wu and Han Li briefly reviewed its contents and confirmed that they indeed contained the central region's information. Then, with a mutual sense of subtle reservation, they exchanged a knowing smile. It was impossible to fabricate such documents in such a short time—yet, during the copying process, deliberately omitting certain key details was entirely expected and unspoken. Since then, Zhong Wu and Han Li's relationship had noticeably strengthened, and they began to share some fascinating anecdotes and stories from the realm of cultivation. Seeing the two of them chatting and laughing so warmly, it was truly hard to believe that not long ago they had nearly fought to the death. It seemed both were truly accomplished masters who knew how to handle themselves in any situation! Han Li smiled amiably, appearing fully engaged in the conversation with his counterpart. Yet in his heart, he was deeply dissatisfied. Why did they keep maintaining such a distant distance? As soon as Han Li took even a single step forward, the other would smile politely and retreat a few paces. Though Han Li had no intention of killing his counterpart, the other's cautious demeanor only left Han Li with a helpless smile.