Han Li stepped out of the teahouse and instead walked along the street for a while before suddenly turning to the back of another shop. The spot was not far from the teahouse. Then, he gently closed his eyes and remained motionless, expressionless. After a while, Han Li's expression shifted slightly; he furrowed his brows and opened his eyes. Earlier, he had subtly returned his awareness to the teahouse, hoping to eavesdrop on what the other person would say after he had left. However, as soon as his awareness approached the private room, it was blocked by a simple seal. This seal was not particularly sophisticated—should Han Li use his strong awareness to forcefully break through it, he could easily do so. But doing so would create too much disturbance, thus losing the very purpose of silent observation. Han Li naturally did not want to make such an effort for little gain, so he withdrew his awareness. "It seems the Miao Yin Sect is no ordinary group—they've truly sealed off all the openings now." With this thought, Han Li opened his mouth and expelled a green, sword-like blade about an inch long, which he then summoned skyward. Upon returning to the estate, Han Li retrieved a storage bag filled with materials from the magical beasts from the inner chamber, and, for extra caution, invited Qu Hun to join him, and they both stepped out of the pavilion together. This back-and-forth journey took Han Li several hours. Fortunately, when he and Qu Hun arrived at the tea shop, the middle-aged man from Lady Fan's staff was already standing at the entrance, eagerly awaiting them. As soon as he saw Han Li, he immediately beamed with joy and hurried inside. Han Li knew that the man had gone to inform Lady Fan, so he paid no attention and calmly followed Qu Hun into the tea pavilion. When they reached the private room, the young woman and the middle-aged man were already respectfully waiting at the door. "Lady Fan and the Elder are waiting for you," the young woman said with a respectful tone, though as she spoke, she glanced at Qu Hun with a slightly curious expression. Han Li had no intention of introducing Qu Hun, merely nodded and then entered the room without hesitation, with Qu Hun following closely behind. The young lady hesitated a moment, but still dared not step forward to ask further questions. Inside the room, Fan Fu had rehung her veil. Upon seeing Han Li enter, her eyes lit up and she greeted him gracefully. "Master Han has come so quickly! I thought we'd have to wait a while longer. Oh, by the way, this 'Master'—?" Fan Fu had been smiling warmly, but her expression softened when she noticed Qu Hun standing behind Han Li. "This is my close friend Qu Hun, who also heard about this matter and came to see it for himself. I'm sure you won't mind having both of us here, Lady Fan," Han Li chuckled lightly and said with ease. "Of course not—please both sit down!" Fan Fu's eyes, beautiful and bright, swept over Qu Hun's rather unattractive face. Seeing his stiff, reserved demeanor, she smiled gently. Yet, in her heart, she was secretly relieved—thankfully, she hadn't truly intended to take active steps earlier. Otherwise, if the other party suddenly sent a helper from the Jiandan stage, her plans would surely have failed and she would have drawn a strong rival. Nevertheless, the lady's efforts to win over Han Li were growing more and more intense. Yet Han Li, so astute and resourceful, had always kept circling around the young woman without ever making direct contact, leaving her completely unimpressed. After some time, Elder Zhao finally counted all the materials and estimated a price, which he then transmitted to the woman of Miao Yin Sect. Upon hearing the figure, the woman quietly deliberated and slightly reduced the price by ten percent before reporting it to Han Li. Han Li listened carefully and pondered, and this development made Lady Fan somewhat uneasy. To secure the deal, she hesitated for a moment, then firmly decided to increase the price by an additional half percent. Only upon hearing this revised offer did Han Li finally nod in agreement. Though he knew the final price was still slightly lower than expected, he was quite satisfied that the entire batch could be settled in one go. Seeing Han Li agree, Lady Fan felt a great sense of relief. Then, from her storage pouch, she poured out a small pile of mid-tier spiritual stones and presented them to Han Li. Han Li accepted it without hesitation. The transaction had now been concluded to everyone's satisfaction. He prepared to rise and bid farewell. "Earlier, I heard that you've been seeking some rare and mystical bamboo species. I just happen to have information on this matter—would you be interested in hearing a bit about it?" Lady Fan said casually. Han Li was deeply startled and turned to look at her. At that moment, Lady Fan's eyes, warm and bright, met his, carrying a subtle, unusual gleam. This accomplished mistress of the Miao Yin Sect's seductive arts had evidently planned to, while Han Li was momentarily stunned, gently plant a seed of influence deep within his mind—so that, in time, she could subtly guide and gradually win his loyalty. As soon as their eyes met, Han Li felt a strong sense of spring-like charm emanating from her, drawing him in so powerfully that he found himself utterly captivated, as though already sinking into her presence. The moment Han Li's spirit was on the verge of collapse, a sudden thought flashed through his mind—like lightning. Instantly, Han Li stiffened, his gaze turning icy, so intense that even the fox-magic charm being cast upon him by Fan Fu-ren faltered, her entire charm instantly unraveling. Startled, Fan Fu-ren quickly tried to shift her gaze away. Yet for some inexplicable reason, her entire head grew rigid from her neck upward, motionless, her mouth unable to open at all. "Reversal of the technique!" As the realization struck her, Fan Fu-ren was stunned beyond words, desperately channeling inner energy to break free from Han Li's penetrating gaze. "What are you doing to Fan Lu-shi?" Zhao the Elder, now noticing Fan Fu-ren's distress, flashed a glint of cold determination in his eyes and stepped forward. But as he moved, Qu Hun vanished silently from one side, appearing suddenly before him—so fluid and unexpected that the elder was momentarily startled, unsure whether or not to intervene. At that moment, after repeatedly struggling to escape, the lady Feng no longer radiated her alluring grace, but instead looked at Han Li with a pained, pleading expression—so delicate and helpless, as if desperately hoping he would spare her. "Hmph!" Han Li exhaled coldly, and the frost in his eyes finally receded. Now, the lady hurriedly shifted her gaze, as though granted a royal pardon. Yet, she could not help but open her mouth and cough up a stream of blood, staining the delicate silk on her face. "Feng Left-Commander, you..." Zhao the Elder's brows shot up in fury, his eyes blazing with anger, his hair and beard standing on end, as if ready to intervene. "Zhao Elder, please don't be so angry! Master Han has shown great mercy. I merely have a momentary surge of blood pressure, and now that I've coughed up this blood, I feel much better!" The lady, startled, quickly restrained the elder's outburst and managed a weak smile. Upon hearing this, the elder's expression softened slightly, returning to his usual composure. "Truly unexpected—Master Han is also a master of the art of ** My earlier probing must have been rather hasty—I hope you won’t mind. But I do know the whereabouts of a small detail concerning the "Heavenly Thunder Bamboo." With a slightly apprehensive gaze toward Mr. Han, she spoke up voluntarily, fearing he might hold her accountable for her earlier actions. "The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo!" Upon hearing this, Han’s composed expression softened, revealing genuine interest. "A divine bamboo among the Three Sacred Trees?" Han, no longer concerned about her earlier remarks, could hardly believe what he heard, yet his tone carried a hint of excitement. Though he had long intended to use exceptional bamboo in crafting his treasures, he had never imagined that he could utilize the Three Sacred Trees at all! Didn’t it say that these three divine trees had already gone extinct? "Indeed, it is the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. In fact, I personally handled this sacred item—there is no doubt about it," said Lady Fan, who produced a small jade bottle, took a pill, and regained some of her strength, speaking with great confidence. "Is it truly rare that this item has already been sold to someone else?" Han Li stared at the woman, his voice growing colder. At the same time, he murmured to himself, wondering if this woman hadn't yet learned her lesson, and was now aiming to use others as pawns. "No. Originally, we intended to auction this item off at the Tianxing City Auction House. But unexpectedly, this item—along with a large number of our goods—was seized en route. However, our sect has now located the group's current settlement and is preparing to invite several allies to bring them all to justice!" After a moment's hesitation, the Lady Fan spoke plainly, maintaining her honest demeanor.