Seeing the veiled woman truly depart from the Star Palace Hall, the sallow-faced man let out a long breath of relief and straightened up alongside the old man, both still shaken by their close call. The sallow-faced man's gaze swept over Wen Siyue and the others, and a flash of irritation crossed his eyes.
If it hadn't been for these people, how would he have been caught red-handed? And to think he was about to suffer the punishment of lightning lashes as well!
His face turned stern and he was about to let loose with a few cutting remarks when the old man beside him suddenly cupped his fists and addressed Wen Siyue with surprising courtesy:
"You two truly have extraordinary fortune — to have connections with Senior Han. This is an opportunity one might not encounter in a thousand years. With such a senior offering occasional guidance, advancing to Nascent Soul should pose no great difficulty."
Every trace of the cold demeanor the old man had previously shown toward Wen Siyue and her companions had vanished without a trace.
The sallow-faced man wore a look of blank astonishment at first, but after hearing the old man's words, understanding dawned on him. The biting remarks he had been about to utter were immediately swallowed back down, and his expression flipped as easily as turning a page, breaking into a wide, warm smile.
How could he have forgotten? These people had ties to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator — far beyond the likes of them, mere early-stage Core Formation juniors who had no business making enemies.
"Indeed, what Brother Huang says is perfectly true! My brother and I may well have reason to seek your assistance in the future, Fellow Daoists. Please, take these spirit stones back. We'll cover the full cost of the teleportation ourselves." The sallow-faced man pulled the storage pouch full of spirit stones he had previously collected from his waistband and presented it back to them with both hands, though his heart ached at the loss. Nevertheless, he kept up the pretense of heartfelt enthusiasm.
The refined man hesitated as he looked at the storage pouch before him, but Wen Siyue smiled gently from beside him:
"The fact that you two are willing to teleport us to the outer seas is already more than enough for our gratitude. We would hardly be so rude as to take back the spirit stones after all this. Please, keep them. What I truly need is for you two to let us pass through immediately — I'm in a hurry to catch up with Senior Han."
"Of course! I'll swap out the spirit stones right now and we can teleport at once!" The sallow-faced man, seeing that Wen Siyue genuinely had no intention of reclaiming the pouch, offered an awkward smile before readily agreeing.
He then flickered several times and appeared before the teleportation array, bending down to replace the spirit stones that had already been used once.
The old man surnamed Huang stayed behind to accompany Wen Siyue and her husband in conversation, subtly probing for information about the background of this late-stage cultivator, Han Li.
The refined man was completely in the dark, knowing nothing at all to begin with. Wen Siyue answered with a placid smile and vague deflections, naturally unwilling to reveal anything easily.
After a short while, the spirit stones in the teleportation array had been fully replaced.
Wen Siyue was truly anxious to chase after Han Li and dispensed with any further pleasantries with the sallow-faced man and the old one. She immediately pressed a teleportation talisman to her body and led the others into the array without delay.
A flash of white light, identical to before, and all seven of them vanished without a trace.
Witnessing this, the old man and the sallow-faced man exchanged a glance, let out a long breath of relief, and then simultaneously broke into bitter smiles.
At the other end of the teleportation array, in a stone chamber roughly thirty zhang across, a teleportation array flickered with white light as the figures of Wen Siyue and her six companions materialized.
After a brief moment, the seven of them recovered from the dizziness of teleportation.
Wen Siyue hastily swept her gaze around the chamber, and her heart sank without warning.
The vast stone chamber was completely empty — not a single soul in sight.
"Wait here for me a moment. I'll go check whether Senior Han is still nearby!" Wen Siyue hurriedly said to the refined man. Without waiting for his reply, she turned and strode briskly toward the stone doorway.
The refined man opened his mouth as if to ask something, but after a moment's hesitation, he said nothing. He merely watched Wen Siyue's slender retreating figure, his brow furrowing slightly.
Wen Siyue stepped through the stone doorway, and her vision opened up at once — the stone structure sat atop a broad stone platform, which itself was perched on the peak of a treacherous mountain. Sheer cliffs dropped away on all sides, impossible for any mortal to scale.
But what made her heart race with excitement was this: Han Li was standing at one corner of the platform, conversing with a long-haired cultivator wearing the robes of the Star Palace.
His hands clasped behind his back, speaking in an unhurried manner!
The burly mid-stage Core Formation man — who had originally worn a fierce and imposing expression — stood before Han Li as docile as a sheep, nodding and bowing ceaselessly, answering Han Li's questions with an air of genuine trepidation.
This had to be the Star Palace cultivator who guarded the teleportation array on this end.
Wen Siyue steadied her emotions and did not approach immediately. Instead, she stood obediently where she was, quietly watching Han Li's conversation with the man.
After a short while, Han Li waved his hand, apparently having finished his questions.
The burly man bowed deeply in a show of respect, then took several steps backward before striding toward the stone chamber.
Only then did Wen Siyue glide gracefully over to Han Li.
"I must thank Senior for speaking up on our behalf earlier. Without your help, my husband and I not only would have been unable to reach the outer seas, but we likely would have found ourselves in serious trouble." After performing a proper curtsy, Wen Siyue spoke with genuine reverence.