The green-robed girl's slender, delicate frame, her pale, thin face, and the fear in her eyes—all of it registered clearly in that brief sideways glance Han Li cast. She had clearly been shaken badly.
He did not answer the girl's question. Instead, he bent down, picked up the storage pouch from the big man's corpse, then flicked his fingertip to send a small fireball into the body, reducing it to ash in an instant. After that, he used the Green Condensing Mirror to withdraw the green radiance that had been trapping the silver sword and the golden blade, freeing both the giant sword and the golden blade before storing them away.
Only then did Han Li turn around and walk toward the girl with an expressionless face.
The moment the girl saw Han Li actually approaching her, the last trace of color drained from her already pale face. She shrank back in fear, stumbling a few steps away.
"What are you doing? Come any closer and I won't hold back!" The green-robed girl finally mustered her courage, reaching into her storage pouch to pull out a small black sword aimed squarely at the advancing Han Li. But one glance was enough for Han Li to tell that the sword was nothing more than a piece of trash—a mid-grade magic tool at best. It seemed that yellow silk scarf was this girl's only top-quality magic tool!
"Is this how you treat someone who saved your life?" Han Li suddenly rubbed his nose and broke into a grin.
"Saved my life?" The girl blinked, somewhat confused by the abrupt shift in Han Li's demeanor. She still hadn't quite caught up.
"You really do have the memory of a noble lady! If I hadn't stepped in just now and pulled you out from under that man's sword, why on earth would I have gone and silenced a witness like this?" Han Li said, caught between laughter and tears.
"Oh… I'm sorry, I… I was so scared just now that I forgot!" The girl finally recalled what had happened, her face flushing scarlet as she stammered out her explanation in a flustered, helpless manner. The sight was quite endearing.
"It's nothing! It's just that after our brief meeting at the Tainan Conference, running into each other again here really is quite remarkable!" Han Li waved his hand and said warmly. For some reason, seeing this girl's shy demeanor made him feel an inexplicable sense of fondness, as though he were looking at his own little sister.
"My name is Han Li. Might I ask how I should address you?" he asked casually.
"I… my name is
"Han Yunzhi? A lovely name, and it suits you perfectly!" Han Li repeated the girl's name and chuckled softly.
"Really?" Another wave of crimson rose to Han Yunzhi's cheeks.
"However, how did Miss Han come to join
"Well…" A look of difficulty crossed Han Yunzhi's face, and she hesitated, unable to bring herself to answer.
"Ha ha! If it's inconvenient, there's no need to tell me. I was only asking in passing," Han Li said understandingly, which brought a wave of gratitude to Han Yunzhi's heart.
"Oh, right—we should go into the stone hut and gather the spirit herbs before anything else! The longer we wait, the more likely someone else will show up." After chatting idly with the girl for a few more moments, Han Li suddenly spoke up.
Han Yunzhi nodded eagerly at first, but then said softly, looking a bit bashful:
"Brother Han, could you let me have those few stalks of Lieyang grass? That's all I want—I won't take a single thing more than that!"
"Of course, no problem. Even if you hadn't asked, I was planning to do exactly that," Han Li replied with a smile.
"Thank you so much, Brother Han!" The girl's face lit up with joy and she thanked him repeatedly, her gratitude toward Han Li growing even deeper.
"In that case, why don't you go pick the Lieyang first, Miss Han? I wouldn't want to accidentally take it by mistake!" Han Li suggested with a smile, his expression perfectly composed.
"All right!" The girl considered this reasonable, bowed her head politely to Han Li, then turned and headed toward the stone hut.