"What an old grump! No one's ever said that!" The young woman, her face pale with surprise, forced a smile and quickly lowered her head. Han Li chuckled softly, not taking issue with the girl's remark, but instead fixed a cold, stern gaze upon the elder. The elder's face mirrored the same astonishment and anxiety. He had no idea how much of what Han Li had just said he had actually heard, and thus found himself growing increasingly worried—his carefully prepared remarks now slipping from his mind. "I didn't expect you to arrive so soon! I thought we'd have to wait at least another two hours. I'll fetch the book for you right away." With little choice, the elder rallied his spirits to meet Han Li's displeasure and, thinking quickly, immediately mentioned the Dao scripture, hoping to calm Han Li's temper. "Very well," Han Li said, his sharp, penetrating gaze fixed on the elder for a moment, before finally responding coldly. "Go and fetch it." This gave the elder a temporary sense of relief, for in his mind, the other party would not immediately launch into anger. The elder quickly nodded and agreed, then proceeded toward the adjacent room. Seeing this, the young woman also took a step forward, intending to follow him, but was gently stopped by his gaze. What a joke! If both of them went off to the other room without informing the person in question, wouldn't that be deliberately offending them? It would make the person believe that the elder and the young woman still intended to play games. Now, however, the elder had completely discarded such unrealistic hopes, fearing that he might mislead Han Li. The young woman thus pouted and remained in the room, standing silently beside Han Li, saying nothing. The elder moved with remarkable efficiency, and within moments, he carried in a worn wooden box—seeming to indicate that the scroll of texts must be inside. "Senior," the young woman said, "the cultivation technique of our family, which we have learned from this book, is the one we have been practicing. Please take a look and see if it might prove useful to you." The elder took a few steps forward and approached Han Li, bowing respectfully as he gently opened the wooden box, revealing an ancient yellow-bound book slightly faded with age, which he then offered to Han Li. It was clear at once that this was a relic of long standing. Han Li narrowed his eyes, glanced at the book in the elder's hands, and nodded in acceptance, taking it from him. Though the book had faded over time, Han Li felt a smooth, fine texture when he touched the cover, as if it were remarkably resilient. Clearly, the book was not made of ordinary material, but rather of a specially prepared hide from some mythical beast—otherwise, it would not have survived so long. Han Li lightly ran his fingers over the book, paused thoughtfully, and then slowly turned the pages. However, after only a brief glance, he furrowed his brows. The moment he opened the book, he was greeted by a set of unfamiliar ancient characters. These characters, Han Li was certain he had never seen before and had never encountered in any of the books stored in Huangfeng Valley. Since he didn't recognize them, he didn't waste time but quickly flipped the book backward. Eventually, on the final two pages, he discovered a set of unnamed oral formulas added by someone. The characters used in these formulas were a type of ancient script commonly employed in the cultivation world, which he found easy to comprehend at once. Han Li knew this must be the technique for gathering and conserving qi, and so he immediately settled down to meditate and study it attentively. After a meal, he gently closed the book, his face revealing a thoughtful expression. Meanwhile, the elderly man beside him, who had been holding his breath throughout, felt his heart pounding vigorously—knowing that this was the decisive moment when his fate as both grandfather and grandson would be decided, entirely depending on Han Li's judgment in that very instant. Han Li paid no attention to the elder's subtly anxious demeanor, but calmly reached into his storage bag, retrieved a jade box, and carefully placed the book inside. Only then did he turn to the elder and speak in a composed tone: "I accept this Dao scripture. Now, if you and your grandson would like to exchange anything else, please feel free to let me know—I will do my best to meet your requests." To be honest, before Han Li arrived, the two of them—grandfather and grandson—had only been afraid of each other killing one another to eliminate the threat; they had never even discussed exchanging goods. Now, hearing Han Li's question, they naturally found themselves at a loss! Moreover, seeing that Han Li was truly not a petty, untrustworthy person, the elder now dared to ask such a question with confidence. "Whatever you prefer—just keep it brief!" Han Li, delighted with having obtained a highly valuable secret and a mysterious ancient text, waved his hand carelessly. "Thank you so much for your kind generosity! We can complete the exchange in just a short while," the elder said, beaming. Immediately, he led the young woman outside and began whispering to her. Han Li smiled slightly at this scene. Though he could easily eliminate either of them with a single move, he believed in himself as neither a ruthless nor a capricious person, and would never act contrary to his word unless absolutely necessary. A moment later, the elder and the young woman entered, displaying an odd expression, as though slightly uneasy. Han Li found this situation somewhat strange, yet still asked, "Have you both made your decision?" "Master, we have discussed this thoroughly with our grandson and granddaughter. My granddaughter has no desire for any material possessions, but she does have one request that I hope you will be kind enough to grant." After a brief pause, the elder hesitated and then, with a determined breath, uttered a sentence that surprised Han Li. "What request is that?" Han Li furrowed his brows, asking slowly. For some reason, he suddenly felt a growing sense of unease, as though something troublesome was about to unfold. The elder hesitated again, until seeing Han Li's growing impatience, when he finally stammered out the following: "Actually, my granddaughter has long admired your profound cultivation and mastery of your techniques. She would like to become your disciple and serve you faithfully from this point forward." I hope, in light of the sincere devotion of this elderly man's granddaughter, that you would be kind enough to take her under your wing. As soon as the elder finished his somewhat stammered words, the young girl immediately sprang into action, bowing promptly before Han Li and then kneeling firmly on the ground to give him a solid, resounding salute. Han Li, who had completely failed to anticipate this turn of events, was first stunned, then quickly found himself laughing and crying at the same time. Could he really be expected to accept such a request? After all, in the immortal realm, he himself was still constantly on edge, barely able to protect himself from day to day—how could he possibly take on another burden, especially one who might be a liability? He was certain he would not agree. Yet, to be fair, although he had not thoroughly assessed the young girl's potential, he believed she must be quite promising. Otherwise, how could she have already reached the sixth stage of Qi Cultivation at such a young age? When he first achieved that level, he had relied entirely on consuming countless pills and elixirs. Thus, seeing her simply settle into a modest life among the lower-tier cultivators now seemed rather a pity. Though he couldn't take the young girl as his disciple himself, he could certainly introduce her to a master. It was quite rare that such a lively and spirited girl would truly resonate with him! He remembered clearly that his senior, Master Ma, had yet to have any disciples. In fact, even after he had moved away from Bai Yao Yuan, Master Ma had visited him once and expressed his frustration, saying he now had to personally oversee the herb garden and regretting that he should have taken a more obedient disciple earlier. Now, this young girl clearly showed exceptional intelligence—should her potential indeed be strong, introducing her to Master Ma as a disciple would surely be a worthwhile effort. As for whether Master Ma would be satisfied or actually agree to accept her, that would be entirely beyond his control. With these thoughts in mind, Han Li adopted a thoughtful expression, making both the elder and the young girl believe he was genuinely considering the possibility of taking on a disciple. "Come here," he said calmly, after regaining his composure, "and let me examine your spiritual root." "Yes, sir!" The girl proved exceptionally polite, nodding respectfully and then gracefully stepping forward to offer her pale, delicate wrist, a touch of bashfulness evident. Han Li extended his right hand, gently grasping the girl's wrist and allowing his spiritual energy to flow slowly through her body. Soon, however, he released her wrist. "Dual spiritual roots—indeed, excellent potential!" Han Li murmured, gazing intently at her face. Upon hearing this, both the girl and the elder beamed with joy, believing that Han Li had now decided to accept her as his disciple. Yet, as Han Li shifted his tone, he suddenly added, "Unfortunately, I do not take disciples. If I did, your talent would be more than sufficient." These words immediately cooled the spirits of the elder and the young girl, leaving them both stunned and speechless. (Only one chapter will be updated tonight, as I have an appointment to attend later—there's a gathering for a friend. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience!)