While Han Li was observing the other's appearance, the man chuckled and stepped into the herb garden, warmly greeting, "I notice your face is quite unfamiliar. Are you one of the new recruits from last year? Then, I can truly claim to be a seasoned senior brother now." "My name is Han. I've only been a disciple for a few years. Are you one of the senior disciples from Yinjian Peak?" Han said, returning his gaze and smiling. "Ah, it's Han, then. My name is Kui Huan from Yinjian Peak. I work alongside a few senior brothers to manage a small spirit-beast sanctuary located just several dozen miles away in a small basin. I'd be happy if you ever visit. Though my own cultivation level isn't particularly high, I've been a disciple for nearly eight years now. I'm quite familiar with the affairs of Luoyun Sect and the relationships among the disciples across various peaks. If you ever have any questions, just ask me." He spoke with a natural ease. Han smiled slightly. The man before him, eloquent and fluent as he spoke, reminded him of the young disciple from seven years ago who had boasted of being a "jack-of-all-trades" with a constant juggling of schemes—just as polished, just as adept at handling people! Clearly, both were of the same kind. Frictionless and amused, Han Li found himself neither particularly impressed nor unkind toward this man. "Thank you, brother, for your kind offer. But has Qu Huanyuan come specifically to discuss something important?" Han Li crossed his arms and blinked thoughtfully. Upon hearing this, Qu Huanyuan looked slightly embarrassed, hesitated a moment, then rubbed his scalp. "Actually, it's not something particularly urgent. I originally came to ask my sister for some assistance. But I didn't expect that Yuan sister, who has managed this herb garden for five or six years, would suddenly decide to leave. Now, things have become quite difficult." "Assistance?" Han Li furrowed his brows, his expression showing a hint of doubt. "Actually, it's not that serious. Brother, I'm sure you know, our external affairs disciples have always been somewhat overlooked due to our inherent qualities." If any spiritual implements or elixirs are dispatched from within the sect, we naturally won't be included. Moreover, a year's worth of spiritual stones is insufficient to purchase elixirs that enhance cultivation—those that would accelerate our own progress. Thus, my fellow disciples and I have been steadily gathering a rare small creature, the "Snow-Cloud Fox," from the Green Trace Marsh and selling it at the market. Though not an immortal beast, this fox is slender and charming in appearance, and possesses a certain human-like intelligence, making it especially popular among the female disciples. This has allowed us to earn a modest income. However, recently, we discovered a unique variant of the Snow-Cloud Fox in the marsh, one that exuded a faint aura of spiritual energy—clearly evolved into the form of a low-tier immortal beast. Naturally, we were overjoyed; if we could successfully capture this creature, we could sell it for at least a hundred spiritual stones—an uncommon and promising transaction. Yet, unfortunately, we were too eager and had not considered all the details, and thus allowed it to slip away from our grasp. From then on, this spirit beast retreated deep into the marsh, rarely appearing again. Though we searched thoroughly through most of the Green Trace Marsh and encountered it a few times, each time we managed to approach, it would suddenly vanish into the muck without a trace. "At this point, Kui Huan looked deeply regretful. But upon seeing Han Li's thoughtful expression, he paused and continued: "Later, we observed it for an extended period and discovered that this unusual snow-cloud fox particularly enjoys consuming aged Yellow Jing roots—especially those with a medicinal potency of over ten years. It shows an especially strong preference for roots that are more than a decade old. We reasoned that to successfully lure it out, we would need to offer it roots at least fifty years old, so that it would be willing to leap into our trap without hesitation. As your brother knows, once medicinal herbs reach several decades old, they are no longer affordable with just a few blocks or even a dozen spirit stones. Although we had some savings previously, recently we jointly purchased a tonic to enhance our cultivation, and now we have no extra灵stones left. In desperation, I thought of Yuan sister's medicinal garden, where I believe there might still be a few older Huangjing plants—so I came to have a look. To my surprise, however, the garden has now been taken over by Han brother. Could Han brother kindly lend me one or two Huangjing plants? Qu Huian said the last sentence with a slightly lowered voice, hesitating a bit. It seemed he also realized that the request was somewhat demanding. After listening to the speaker, Han Li's face showed no clear expression—neither agreement nor disagreement. After a brief silence, he slowly said, "Indeed, there are two Huangjing plants in the garden that are over fifty years old. They fully meet Senior Qu's requirements. As Han, a junior disciple, I should not refuse such a request from Senior Qu's first visit." But Master, you must know that I have no right to draw upon any of the medicinal herbs from last year or earlier in this herb garden. Should any be missing or if anything goes wrong, I simply won't be able to explain myself to the senior uncles above. I might even receive a reprimand. I'm afraid I won't be able to assist you with this. My words sound remarkably calm, and the yellow-robed man on the other side listens with a look of disappointment. "Brother, please rest assured—we will only borrow this herb for a few days. Once the time comes, we will return it exactly as we found it. We will take the utmost care when extracting and transplanting it, and we promise no mistakes will occur. Of course, we are not borrowing this herb without expecting something in return. After we successfully obtain it, we will certainly share a portion of spirit stones with you. You will not be at a loss." He continues to urge with a touch of persistence. "I'm sorry, but this matter is of great importance. I cannot possibly draw upon the medicinal herbs from the garden." However, if Master is truly short on spiritual stones, I have also saved a few that I can temporarily lend to the other masters so they may purchase another at the market. At first, Han Li firmly declined, but then with a light smile, he proposed lending the spiritual stones. Upon hearing the initial part of the statement, the man in yellow robes had looked somewhat displeased, but as he heard the latter part, his spirits lifted immediately. He exclaimed in surprise, "Master, is this truly so? If the spiritual stones are lent, then we won't need to draw from the medicinal garden at all. Yet a single herb that has grown for several decades would require at least thirty spiritual stones—how truly does Master possess so many?" Kui Huan was delighted, yet a hint of doubt remained. After all, for a cultivator at the Qi Stage, this was no small sum. "These stones were saved by Master before entering the academy. Currently, I don't need them, so I shall temporarily lend them to Master." After all, if these spiritual stones could be significantly upgraded within just a few days, Han would surely not want to miss such a rare opportunity. Han spoke slowly. "Heh. I see now that Brother Han is truly a seasoned merchant. Please rest assured—once we have the Yellow Root, capturing that Snow Cloud Fox is a certainty." At this moment, Kui Huan realized that Han's earlier words were genuine, and he couldn't help but smile warmly. Han smiled quietly, then gently reached into his storage pouch, pulling out over twenty spiritual stones of varying colors, which he immediately handed over to Kui Huan without hesitation. Kui Huan eagerly accepted the stones, patting his chest and firmly promising that there would be no issues at all. However, after a few more casual conversations, he felt something on his mind and excused himself to leave. As he watched the figure of his guest gradually fade into the distance, the gentle smile on Han's face softened and eventually faded, and he gently shook his head. He naturally didn't care much about the twenty or thirty spirit stones promised by the other, merely not wanting to offend anyone right from the start upon his arrival at the Luoyun Sect. He intended to stay at the Luoyun Sect for a long time, and the other person was well-informed—perhaps there would indeed be a time when he could benefit from their assistance. With this thought in mind, Han Lin calmly reactivated the cultivation restrictions in the herb garden and returned to his secret chamber on the small stone mountain, resuming his meditation. We originally borrowed several flags for the Mízōn Array technique from a close junior colleague within the inner sect. This would allow us to set up a small Mízōn Array to trap this fox. However, one of the colleagues unexpectedly received a new assignment from above yesterday and has now left the sect. With him gone, the array is now missing a crucial element. If we need to find someone else, we’ll have to allocate an additional share of spiritual stones to them. The other colleagues are rather reluctant, so I’ve decided to ask my younger brother to step in. Of course, when the time comes, my brother will receive his fair share of extra spiritual stones." Kui Huan said with a cheerful smile. Thus, going out for a walk with the other person today might be a good idea. After all, the moment when a bottleneck is broken is something no one can predict with certainty. After a moment's thought, Han Li nodded slightly and said, "Since Master Kui has suggested it so clearly, we might as well go. I'm genuinely curious to know where this Green Trace Swamp actually is!" Upon saying this, Han Li smiled with a touch of relaxed ease.