章 13: [DD]: 13
The residences of the two were not far apart, and after running just a few steps, Han Li arrived at his destination.
The surrounding servants didn't obstruct him. This young master had been here before, and though he was Guang Ling's disciple, he had recently been with their own master. His favored status was visibly evident, so it wasn't much different from being their master's disciple.
Hurriedly, Han Li rushed straight to the hall and saw that Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo had already arrived early.
Without Bibi Dong's presence, the atmosphere among the four wasn't as tense. Except for Ghost Douluo, who still didn't speak much, the other three were chatting happily, mainly due to Yue Guan's efforts to keep the mood lively.
After all, the Spirit Hall Elders were former subordinates of Qian Xunji. Although the two worships didn't think much of Qian Xunji, they had some interactions in the past. Their relationship soured after they joined Bibi Dong's camp.
"Xiao Li is here. Have a seat," Azure Luan, the host, saw the still slightly panting Han Li and smiled while pouring a cup of tea and handing it over.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp," Han Li didn't stand on ceremony, taking the teacup and drinking it all in one go, then handing the cup back.
"Teacher, Martial Uncle, greetings to Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo," Han Li said after catching his breath and saluting the four Douluos.
Ghost Douluo didn't speak, nodding in response, while Yue Guan looked Han Li up and down and chuckled lightly, "So this is the disciple of the Fifth Worship. What a handsome young man. I believe he will become a pillar of our Martial Soul Hall in the future."
Han Li's mouth twitched imperceptibly. To be honest, he had a good impression of Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo. They appeared throughout the entire book, had a high presence, and were extremely loyal and skilled. It was just unfortunate that they followed the wrong person and met a tragic end.
However, Yue Guan's behavior was something he understood but wasn't quite used to yet.
"Chrysanthemum Douluo, you're too kind. I'm just fortunate to be valued by my teacher and martial uncle. As long as I can contribute to the Martial Soul Hall in the future, I'll be satisfied," Han Li replied humbly.
Seeing the two were about to continue with formalities, Guang Ling hurriedly interrupted, "Since Xiao Li is here, let's start the trade. Yue Guan, just give your flowers, plants, and botanical illustrations to Xiao Li."
Hearing Guang Ling's words, Chrysanthemum Douluo was taken aback. He hadn't expected Guang Ling to want these things for his disciple.
Was this little guy in front of him interested in these? But this was better than Guang Ling wasting them. Some plants had been acquired with great effort and couldn't be ruined by Guang Ling.
With this thought, Yue Guan developed a good impression of Han Li. Here was another flower lover! He decided to give him a cultivation manual as well; he couldn't let these plants die. Who knows, he might gain a companion to share his hobby with, much more pleasant than communicating with that old man Dugu Bo.
"Alright, let's trade now."
After confirming with Ghost Douluo, Yue Guan began taking items out of his storage ring. He carefully placed flowerpots on the ground while introducing their names, functions, uses, and suitable growing environments to Han Li, very earnestly.
Han Li was quite interested and listened attentively. In no time, the hall was filled to the brim with plants, creating an atmosphere akin to being in a sea of flowers, with a fragrant scent wafting through the air.
Han Li, seeing this, quickly activated his wristband to store everything away. Noticing Yue Guan's anxious expression, he hurriedly explained, "My wristband can store living things, so don't worry, senior."
Yue Guan breathed a sigh of relief and resumed his actions, repeating the process four times before he finally handed over all the plants. However, he still looked at Han Li's wristband with some reluctance. He then turned his gaze to the manual beside Guang Ling, gritted his teeth, and held back his feelings.
With a flip of his wrist, two booklets appeared in Yue Guan's hands. He spoke seriously, "All the information I've collected and known about plants is in here. The other booklet is my cultivation manual. I hope you will treat them well."
"Alright, you have my word," Han Li responded, stunned for a moment before taking the booklets with both hands. Although he wasn't fond of tending to these plants, he had no intention of deliberately destroying them. He had planned to hand them over to a specialist to create a garden, and now with Chrysanthemum Douluo's manual, this task had become much easier.
Seeing Han Li's earnest promise, Yue Guan felt much better. He turned to Guang Ling to hand over the medicinal materials and gold soul coins, suppressing his reluctance.
Han Li didn't join them but took this opportunity to browse through the exquisitely crafted botanical illustration booklet. His eyes lit up as soon as he opened it. Chrysanthemum Douluo was indeed sincere. Though he didn't provide ancient book fragments, it was clear he had put a lot of effort into compiling this.
The first page he opened recorded Chrysanthemum Douluo's martial soul vividly. It not only detailed everything but also included colored illustrations, making it impossible to misidentify anything.
Eagerly, Han Li flipped through a few more pages and, as expected, found the names of the immortal herbs he knew. There were nearly thirty different types recorded. Although some information was incomplete, even Yue Guan couldn't find all the details in the ancient books. For Han Li, this was already more than enough.
Treating the two booklets like treasures, Han Li stored them in his wristband. He glanced at Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo, still trading with Guang Ling, feeling that he might have taken a bit too much. However, given the current situation, he had no choice. After all, they were on Bibi Dong's side now.
Moreover, he hadn't lied. After completing the annotations last night, he confirmed the situation with his master and martial uncle. Both of them had no chance of advancing. For the two who had taken the wrong path, reaching level 95 was already a stroke of luck, as Qian Daoliu had assessed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Qian Xunji's subordinates switch to Bibi Dong without any obstruction.
Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo would either have to find something to compensate for their potential, as Han Li had indicated, or find soul bones highly compatible with their martial souls, and these would need to be at least 50,000 years old. However, relying on soul bones for a breakthrough would mean they could never progress further in their lives.
Han Li also thought about Bibi Dong's attitude towards the two. Following Bibi Dong, they might not even get a 30,000-year soul bone, let alone a highly compatible one over 50,000 years. Dreaming about it seemed more realistic.
Hmm, he should have his master tell them about the soul bone issue. There's no need to write that in the booklet. Who knows if they'll tell Bibi Dong?
This way, although he didn't provide any enlightenment, he hadn't thoroughly offended the two either. Trading some resources they couldn't use for these was already a good deal. After all, if you can't achieve it even after being given the method, you can't blame anyone else. Let them and Bibi Dong worry about it.
Feeling happy, Han Li used his soul bone to notify his teacher and mentioned the potential outcomes to Guang Ling, who immediately agreed. His gaze towards Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo even became somewhat kinder.
If it can make Bibi Dong uncomfortable, then you are my good friends, Guang Ling secretly chuckled to himself.
The smooth transaction surprised both Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo. After handing over the items to Guang Ling, he kept his word and immediately gave the booklet to Yue Guan, even making a vow on the spot.
As soon as Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo received the booklet, they were ready to leave and delve into its contents to see if it could help them break through. However, Guang Ling's words stopped them.
"You'd better take a look here first. Of course, you can leave if you prefer. It's up to you," Guang Ling said lazily, reclining comfortably in his chair with a slight smile.
Yue Guan, who was about to leave, paused and looked at Ghost Douluo in his black robe. After a moment of thought, Ghost Douluo nodded in agreement with Guang Ling's suggestion.
Thus, Yue Guan sat back down and, together with Ghost Douluo, began to examine the contents of the booklet.
Azure Luan, noticing Guang Ling's unusual behavior, wanted to ask why things were different from what they had previously discussed. However, seeing Guang Ling wink at him, he refrained from questioning further.
The hall fell into silence, broken only by the sound of Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo turning the pages.
Initially, the two read attentively, but as they progressed, their expressions grew increasingly grim. The booklet mainly contained information they already knew. Their page-turning became faster and more forceful, their grip on the booklet tightening, and their breaths growing unsteady.
"Don't get angry; keep reading. You'll thank me," Guang Ling's voice broke the silence again.
The two took a deep breath to steady themselves and continued flipping to the end, their eyes fixed on the annotated content. After a while, their breaths calmed, though accompanied by bitter smiles. They understood why Guang Ling had said what he did.
"Thank you for your guidance, Fifth Worship. It seems we are not destined to progress further in this life," Yue Guan said, rising to bow, looking somewhat dejected. Ghost Douluo also bowed silently, though the occasional swirling of black mist outside his robe indicated his inner turmoil.
"No need for thanks; it was a transaction. Staying at level 95 isn't bad. Perhaps one day you'll find some heavenly treasures to enhance your potential," Guang Ling said insincerely, then abruptly changed his tone. "If you're determined to break through, there's a way, though the consequences might be hard to accept."
Both Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo, who had been despairing, perked up and looked at Guang Ling with renewed hope.
Then, with bitter smiles, they said, "Fifth Worship, we have nothing left to trade."
"Trade? That's unnecessary. Consider this information a gift, so you won't accuse me of setting you up," Guang Ling said, sitting up and giving them a half-smiling look.
"We wouldn't dare," Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo said in unison, bowing again.
"Wouldn't dare doesn't mean you won't," Guang Ling retorted, cutting them off before they could apologize. "For those with fusion techniques like you, understanding is sufficient. Breaking through to level 96 isn't hard. What you lack is potential. If you can find a soul bone of an extremely high age that suits your martial soul perfectly, the breakthrough will come naturally. Of course, it must be at least 50,000 years old, the older the better. But once you break through this way, you'll never progress further in this life."
"Do you understand now? Can you accept that?"
Guang Ling spread his hands, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes, no longer paying attention to them.
Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo stood in place, their expressions shifting for a while. In the end, they said nothing, deeply bowed to Guang Ling and left silently.
After a long silence, two sighs almost simultaneously echoed in the hall. Guang Ling opened his eyes again, glancing at Azure Luan and Han Li, who had just emerged from behind a pillar, seemingly puzzled by their sighs.
"You two, master and disciple, scheme against others and still want them to thank you. Truly..."
AzureLuan didn't finish his sentence, but Guang Ling and Han Li understood his meaning.
"Then, my obedient disciple, why are you sighing?" Guang Ling asked, looking at Han Li, who was pretending to be deep in thought.
"I'm merely feeling sad for those two. Two level 95 Super Douluos with fusion techniques, working tirelessly and dutifully, don't even dare to ask Bibi Dong for two high-year soul bones suitable for themselves. Isn't that lamentable?" Han Li retorted.
Azure Luan and Guang Ling were stunned for a moment. After thinking about it, they realized he was right, and a trace of pity unconsciously appeared in their eyes.
...
After chatting with his teacher and martial uncle for a while longer and receiving another gold card worth a million gold soul coins, Han Li chose to take his leave, heading happily toward his residence.
He needed to go back and handle those precious plants. Although they might not be of any use to him for now, he had promised Chrysanthemum Douluo, and creating a garden was something he enjoyed. It would give Xiu'er something to do, preventing her from spending her free time with the other maids and getting her thoughts corrupted.
Soon, he arrived back at his residence. First, he called Xiu'er, took out the plants, and handed her the cultivation manual given by Chrysanthemum Douluo. He specifically instructed her to take good care of them. Seeing Xiu'er so excited to have something to help with, Han Li shook his head, unsure of what to say, and let her be.
Returning to his room, he instructed the maids not to disturb him, then sat at the table and took out the plant guide. He didn't plan to memorize it all immediately but instead began to ponder over the booklet.
His fingers tapped lightly on the table, and in the rhythm of the tapping, his thoughts gradually became clearer.
Due to intensive training over the past three months, he hadn't had time to plan his future development. Now that he had a bit more free time, he needed to bring his previously conceived, actionable ideas to the forefront.
Acquiring celestial herbs wasn't urgent yet. Judging by Yue Guan's notes, although the sooner one takes celestial herbs, the better, there is still a basic threshold.
With his current strength and physique, even if he obtained them through other means, in this world of Douluo Continent where everything relies on soul skills and other aspects are underdeveloped, he probably couldn't consume them directly without benefiting others.
No way. He, Han Li, wasn't a savior, nor did he enjoy being a big fool.
Though Guang Ling had a good relationship with him now, it wasn't to the extent of hiding everything for him. It was still unstable, so he would stick to his original plan and proceed slowly. If necessary, he didn't mind sacrificing himself a bit and considering a marriage alliance.
Ahem, actually, Snake Lady Dugu Yan was his first choice in his previous plan. He just didn't know if the consciousness of the Douluo plane favored him in the "finding a mother" aspect.
Of course, that's for the future. For now, he had more pressing matters to gradually bring up. How to present them more reasonably was what he needed to consider.
Han Li continuously pondered one feasible plan after another, quickly discarding them after simulations. This went on for nearly an hour before a smile appeared on his face.
This plan should work!
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