"Mother is currently discussing matters with Director Zhang, and Qin senior has invited you in!" Pancheng replied as he spoke. Having no particularly negative impression of the young master of Tian Dong Trading House, Han Li naturally did not feel the need to be formal—he nodded in return and, at the same time, caught the young girl clinging to him and gently set her down on the ground. However, as soon as the girl's feet touched the floor, she immediately pressed herself tightly against Han Li's body, as if made of sticky rubber, and clutched his robe with both hands. Though he had anticipated this, seeing it unfold in person still left him somewhat exasperated. He sighed and simply walked in with the girl trailing behind him. The room was a temporary structure, thus not very spacious—only about seven or eight zhang in size—but it was neatly arranged, and even featured a set of elegant teak furniture. This set of furniture was certainly not hastily assembled! The graceful Lady Fang was seated at the head of the room, engaged in conversation with Zhang Kui, while six others stood respectfully by the side. Two elderly men in gray robes were precisely the attendants who had previously suffered a minor setback at the hands of Han Li. The four young women were Li'er and the other three maids. Han Li's arrival naturally interrupted Lady Fang's speech, who rose to greet them: "Master Qin, you've finally returned. I had intended to have Commander Zhang accompany you on a visit—ah, Commander Han has been brought back by you. That's wonderful. Then I needn't make a separate effort. This... isn't she the granddaughter of Lord Zhao?" Upon seeing Han Li, Lady Fang's face brightened with surprise. When her eyes swept to the young girl standing beside him, her expression suddenly turned astonished. The others, upon seeing Han Li and the young girl, were equally amazed. Yet Li'er and the other three young women naturally expressed delight. "Lord Zhao? Is that the Zhao Lord of An Yuan City, Lady Fang meant?" The man in silk robes was momentarily taken aback. "Could it possibly be anyone else?" Lady Fang said, with a slightly puzzled expression. Master Zhao's body cultivation technique is nearly on par with a late Foundation Stage cultivator. Even if the city falls, he should be able to escape with his life. Should he learn that his granddaughter is safe and sound, he would surely be overjoyed. But I wonder if there are any members of Master Zhao's family still here, in this very place?" The Qin gentleman said thoughtfully. "There seems to be an elderly house steward from the Zhao household and several servants nearby. I'll send someone to locate them right away." Lady Fang smiled slightly, turned to a large man, gave him a few instructions, and sent him out of the room—without asking a single question about why the young girl had ended up with Han Li. "It's truly surprising that Captain Han managed to remain unharmed amidst the herd of beasts. However, this time, four waves of beasts have simultaneously attacked the small city of Anyuan. I can't help but feel something is off about it." As soon as the gentleman in the brocade robe and others had taken their seats, Lady Fang frowned slightly. "Indeed, it's rather unusual. Such a large-scale wave of beasts is not uncommon in medium-sized cities. It seems rather odd when considering just a small city like An Yuan. By convention, when the beast surges occur, the Qing Luo Desert—being adjacent to An Yuan City—shouldn't see the sandworm beasts at all. In fact, given its proximity to the territory where the Red Python beasts dwell, one would expect the Red Python beasts to be drawn into conflict, rather than making such a long journey specifically to attack An Yuan City. Qin, the man with the surname Qin, seems to share this doubt. "Master's point is that the fall of An Yuan City truly involved the intervention of high-level immortal beasts," Pan Qing exclaimed, his face startled. "That's hard to say—perhaps it's merely a coincidence. Still, regardless of the truth behind this matter, it's beyond our current capabilities to intervene. The matter will naturally be investigated by senior figures from Tian Yuan City." The man in the brocade robe shook his head. "Your reasoning, Master Qin, is sound. We need not discuss this further. In fact, if more than a hundred foundation-level cultivators from An Yuan City come to assist, the beasts would still not be a serious threat," the Lady Fang added, her eyes sparkling. "This simply isn't possible. Although there are countless cultivators across the three realms, only a few are willing to step in and assist when the beast surges hit human cities—especially at the very moment it occurs. After all, human cities are densely populated with ordinary people, resulting in significantly thinner qi reserves compared to other regions, far falling short of the lush spiritual grounds and mountain sanctuaries. Cultivators, unless deeply tied to mundane affairs, generally have little interest in venturing into such cities. Indeed, our own markets and commercial hubs—outside of a few major cities directly managed by cultivators—have no standing in smaller or mid-sized towns. This explains why there are no outbreaks of beast herds in these large cities. The number of lower-tier cultivators appearing daily in these urban centers must number in the hundreds of thousands. What kind of beast herd dares to attack such a city?" Qin said calmly. "Hundreds of thousands?" Although Han Li knew the number of immortal realm cultivators was astonishing, hearing that the number of cultivators flowing through a single city was so overwhelming made his mouth twitch involuntarily. "Perhaps I have been overly optimistic," said Fang Fu. "With such a vast territory of the Three Realms, the areas controlled by ordinary human cities are merely a fraction—naturally, they don't command much attention from the immortal cultivators." After a gentle sigh, Fang Fu expressed her slight disappointment. Hearing her slightly critical tone, the man in a rich robe, also a cultivator, could only offer a faint, wry smile. It was well known among all that the tension between ordinary people and cultivators existed; how could he, a mere junior foundation-stage cultivator, dare to speak up with confidence? At that moment, a report came from outside the room: "Madam, Master Zhao's steward has arrived. Shall we invite him in?" "Of course. Let him come in," Fang Fu replied without hesitation. "Yes!" With a respectful nod, the door opened, and three figures entered. One of them was the gray-robed man, while the other two were a slender, graceful young lady and an elderly man with white hair. As soon as the young lady and the elder man appeared, the young girl who had been tightly clutching Han Li's garments suddenly stiffened, her small face breaking into a joyful expression for the first time. "It's really Ms. Sun! That's wonderful. De'er, are you all right? Let Lan see you right away," the young lady said, rushing over and kneeling half-squatting before the girl, her voice slightly choked. The young girl also finally released Han Li's garments, embracing the young lady tightly and crying softly, her lips pressed together. "Thank you, Lady Fang, for having found Ms. Sun back. Otherwise, I truly don't know how I could explain myself to the Lord," the elderly man said, deeply moved, and thanked Lady Fang repeatedly. "This isn't really my achievement—it was Ms. Han who rescued Ms. Zhao," Lady Fang added, giving a slight nod to Han Li. "Thank you, young sir. I will certainly report this matter to the lord and offer my sincere thanks." The elder hurriedly said to Han Li in this manner. "Rescuing the lady of your household was merely a simple task—there's no need for any thanks at all. You take this young girl with you." After observing the elder carefully and confirming that he was no more than an ordinary man, Han Li waved his hand and said so. "It seems that Mr. Han has a strong affection for this young lady. Yet, although Master Zhao has indeed remained unharmed, the city has fallen, and so many have perished beneath the beasts. Even with numerous excuses, Zhao's family cannot escape significant blame. Their situation is certainly not promising." The man in the silk robe had been quietly observing Han's actions all along, and suddenly said this. "This has nothing to do with me. Naturally, matters concerning the Zhao family should be handled by the Zhao family themselves." Han glanced at the man of the Qin surname, his expression instantly becoming calm and composed. "Ah, then perhaps I have been overly concerned. Madame Fang, since Mr. Han has returned, shouldn't we now clearly explain certain matters to him?" The man in the silk robe chuckled and, suddenly turning to Madame Fang, said. "We should explain clearly—of course. To request Mr. Han's assistance naturally requires a clear presentation of the situation. This time, it seems we shall indeed need Mr. Han's help with Master Qin." "Upon hearing this, Lady Fang was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered, immediately becoming unusually courteous. "Please, Lady, share your story with me. Should it be of such significance that it exceeds my capacity, I wouldn't want to delay the important matters of Lady Fang and Master Qin," said Han Li, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "The matter is this: one of my merchant caravans, by chance, discovered an item that greatly enhances a cultivator's chances of achieving the Dan stage..." Lady Fang organized her thoughts and began to recount the tale slowly and steadily. Han Li listened silently, his expression impassive, revealing nothing about his inner thoughts. No one could have guessed that, almost at the same time, far beyond a journey of ten thousand miles, in the sky above a forest, a cluster of purple light was speeding swiftly through the air, trailed by two leopard-like bird beasts—one massive and impressive in size, the other glowing with a bright blue hue. These were precisely the two leading spectral birds that had appeared before the city of Anyuan just a few days prior. And ahead of the purple light, figures were moving swiftly, with one person clearly riding a vehicle through the sky. Suddenly, the purple light ahead trembled, then dimmed, revealing a tall man dressed in a purple robe. He was stepping on a rectangular object beneath him, which was rapidly descending—appearing as though he had lost control. The two mythical birds trailing behind immediately cheered at this development. After a few swift movements, they surged forward to join the pursuit. One of them flapped its wings, sending out countless yellow streaks that converged like a dense net, shielding the descending purple-robed figure. The other, smaller bird opened its mouth, and instantly a thunderous roar erupted, launching a brilliant blue arc that surged toward the man. Seeing this, the purple-robed figure grew deeply alarmed. With a powerful cry, he suddenly pressed his feet firmly onto the object beneath him, intensifying the downward momentum. As a result, he darted through the air like a meteor, just narrowly evading the attacks and vanishing into the forest below. (Second update!) —Monthly monthly votes are now being requested!