"Very well. But, Master, what are your plans for this corpse spirit?" White fox transmitted to Han Li through her divine awareness.
"The尸 toxin on the Shiqiao, though not among the Top Ten Most Potent Poisons in the world, is definitely something even your incompletely evolved Jinyin Worm cannot withstand," said Bai Xu, her eyes gliding thoughtfully. Han Li hummed, coldly glanced at the Shiqiao, and furrowed his brows. This creature's body was remarkably resilient—perhaps even surpassing the toxic dragon from that day. Only a slight break in its flesh had been caused by the Jinyin Worm's bites. Given this method of feeding, it would likely take the cost of ten out of every thirteen Jinyin Worms to finally eliminate the creature. Han Li, of course, would not make such a loss-leading investment. "Then let's go," he said, decisively. "We'll have to settle for that. Perhaps we can find another use for this Shiqiao later!" Bai Xu nodded. Then, a flash of unusual light passed over her form, and a small yellow wolf emerged.
As soon as the young wolf appeared, it immediately opened its mouth toward Han Li and the white fox, casting a bright yellow glow that enveloped them both. Suddenly, Han Li and the fox vanished from the stone chamber.
Quihuan and the other two stared at each other, puzzled.
The stocky young man sighed, waving his injured hand as if to speak.
But at that moment, a flash of light suddenly burst from the mountain wall, and out of a pool of golden glow, Han Li appeared, holding the small fox in his arms.
"Han younger brother!"
"Indeed! We've finally caught it!"
...The group immediately rushed over, excitedly speaking at once, their faces glowing with enthusiasm.
"Nothing special—this fox spirit is quite clever, circling around inside for a while. If it hadn't eventually grown weak in spirit, we might not have succeeded so quickly," Han Li said calmly, lifting the white fox and tossing it to Quihuan across the way.
Quihuan was startled, then immediately beamed with joy as he caught it.
"Quihuan younger brother! Be careful—don't let it escape again!" the stocky young man hurried to remind.
"Rest assured—I've got it under control."
"Quihuan mentioned the white fox and replied with confidence. Then he reached into his storage pouch, pulled out a green leather bag, and quickly stuffed the small fox inside. "Hehe! With this Bishun bag, I don't think you'll be able to run very far this time!" Quihuan swiftly sealed the bag's opening and said with a look of satisfaction. Han Li glanced at the leather bag, noting it was merely a lower-tier artifact, and didn't take it too seriously. "This time we were able to capture this beast thanks largely to the help of my younger brother, Han. We're not people who lack courtesy. How about this: once the fox sells for a good price, Han will take three-tenths of the proceeds on his own, and the rest of the share will be divided equally among us four. What do you think?" Brother Wang didn't even glance at the small fox inside the bag, instead speaking to Han Li with genuine sincerity. Han Li smiled slightly, understanding that the other party now truly saw him as a valuable ally.
Thus, without further ceremony, he nodded and said, "Everything shall be decided by Brother Wang. I have no objections." Though the other three were a bit reluctant, hoping to receive a bit more spiritual stones, they knew that without Han Li's intervention, they would truly have come up empty-handed. So, no one raised any objections. After a few more polite exchanges, Han Li suddenly excused himself, saying he had urgent matters, and parted ways with the four of them, flying off alone toward the sect's direction. After discussing among themselves, the four decided to seize the momentum and head straight for a marketplace located in the central region of Yunmeng Mountain, where numerous disciples from three sects mingled, and where they believed they could fetch a good price for the Snow Cloud Spirit Fox. Thus, the three, together with Han Li, proceeded in opposite directions, leaving the marsh with enthusiasm. Not far from the group, Han Li landed at a small hillock and then settled himself upon a stone, closing his eyes and meditating.
He carried the jade如意, and the white fox would naturally sense its presence and come to find it on its own.
About half an hour later, Han Li's expression changed, and he opened his eyes.
At the same moment, a flash of yellow light rippled across the ground, and the white fox emerged calmly.
"Your movements aren't bad at all!" Han Li glanced at the fox and said indifferently.
"It's not that I'm fast—rather, those people managed to encase me in a lower-tier spiritual artifact, which seems to have underestimated me. Now, I suspect they haven't even realized I'm gone yet." The fox lifted her head, smiling brightly, with a hint of amusement still in her eyes.
"Still, by doing this, those Cloud Falls Sect disciples have certainly wasted their efforts. Perhaps I'll give them a chance to benefit from it later." Han Li spoke with a composed expression.
"Then, those people have actually come out of this situation with a gain." The fox shook her head slowly and said with a serene tone.
"Enough. Let's not waste any more words."
Shrink your form a bit and hide within my sleeve, come! We're returning now," Han Li said, shaking his sleeve. Upon hearing this, the white fox said nothing, swiftly shrinking in the silver glow, then flashing into the sleeve of Han Li. Thanks to the seals placed upon her, Han Li had no fear of any sudden ambush or treachery from her, and thus he calmly and steadily proceeded along the way. Han Li did not head straight back to his dwelling, but instead took the white fox to the foot of the main peak of Luoyun Sect. To awaken and cultivate the spirit of the artifact, several materials and certain special tools were required. These should all be available in the market within the gatehouse at the foot of the mountain. He intended to begin this process as soon as he returned to his abode. Otherwise, until he successfully incorporated the spirit of the silver moon, a creature he had named, he would not feel at ease with his procurement of materials. With ease, he selected a supplier of raw materials and purchased everything he needed.
Although these items were not common, they were far from rare or precious. Thus, no one had asked about the purpose of the materials that Han Li had purchased. With the materials and the white fox, Han Li flew confidently toward the herb garden, satisfied with his preparations.
"Wang Shifu hesitated a moment, then smiled sadly and said to Han Li. 'Oh, what's wrong? Has the Snow-Cloud Fox encountered trouble?' Han Li frowned, asking a question that startled both of his counterparts. 'How do you know about this, Han Shizi?' Kui Huan widened his eyes, expressing surprise.