Although the Ten Thousand Slave Tower also had a prestigious history, and among its upper ranks there were certainly Demon Venerable-level elders, there was no such powerful being stationed in the Illusory Night City.
Therefore, the two Void Refining-stage demon elders, though inwardly frustrated, had no desire whatsoever to offend Han Li when they did not yet know his exact background.
In a manner of speaking, a Demon Venerable of unknown origins was more intimidating to them than the ancestors of the Four Great Families.
"Reporting to the two Protectors—the female slave just taken was one that the Zhao family head had already reserved. If we simply allow this senior to leave with her, this subordinate fears he will be unable to give the Zhao family an explanation." The brocade-robed elder hurried over to the two Void Refining demon elders to plead his case after Han Li departed.
"So it was a female slave that Zhao Wenhao wanted? The Zhao family is indeed not one to brush off lightly. Have you already collected his deposit?" The single-horned elder asked with a furrowed brow.
"No, I have not, but Zhao Wenhao came to this tower in person several months ago and specifically requested the purchase of a young female cultivator of the human race at or above the Core Formation stage, expressing his willingness to pay a large sum of demon stones for her. There have been prior cases of such reservations for suitable slaves through our tower." The brocade-robed elder hurried to explain.
"Prior cases are prior cases! Since no deposit has been collected, that human female cultivator does not necessarily have to be sold to the Zhao family. If he insists, he can simply wait a while longer and find another female slave who meets his requirements." The other Void Refining elder stroked his beard and remarked.
"Quite right. Since you were originally responsible for the Zhao family's affairs, you will handle how this matter is resolved as well. Make certain that the Zhao family has no grievances with our tower, and above all, do not anger this Senior Han. Very well—the two of us will return to continue our meditation. The affairs of the tower remain in your hands." The single-horned elder nodded in agreement, then beckoned to his companion, and the two stepped together into a nearby teleportation array.
"By your command, Protectors!"
The brocade-roached elder's expression turned somewhat unsightly upon hearing this, while the middle-aged man felt a secret surge of delight. Both of them bowed deeply in a respectful send-off posture.
"Oh, and if this Senior Han ever returns to our tower, you are to notify us immediately so that we may receive him in person. We must not give him the impression that our tower has been remiss in its hospitality." Just as the teleportation array was about to activate, the single-horned elder suddenly remembered and issued this additional instruction.
"Understood!"
The two managers of the Ten Thousand Slave Tower naturally lowered their heads in acknowledgment once more.
Before their eyes, a flash of white light blazed, and the two Void Refining demon elders vanished simultaneously within the formation.
"Heh heh, it looks like Brother Huang will have to put in some extra effort this time. But from what I know, Brother Huang has always been on good terms with the Zhao family—surely this matter can be handled impeccably."
As soon as the middle-aged man straightened up, he cast a light laugh toward the brocade-robed elder, then shifted his form and stepped into the formation as well, teleporting away at once.
The brocade-roached elder's face had turned completely ashen. He stood rooted in place, deliberating for a long while, before finally stamping his foot and muttering through gritted teeth:
"Just my luck! To encounter such a monster intervening while escorting this woman. It seems I'll have to visit the Zhao family in person to explain, and find another female slave. But a human female cultivator matching his requirements—how easy is that going to be to find?"
…
At that moment, Han Li was already sitting in a small beast-drawn carriage with the yellow-robed young girl, the vehicle racing down the streets under the whip of a coachman.
Han Li sat cross-legged in the center of the carriage, eyes half-closed in motionless meditation.
The yellow-robed young girl had curled herself into a ball in the corner, casting furtive, terrified glances at Han Li from time to time.
After the events at the Ten Thousand Slave Tower, she naturally understood that Han Li was a Demon Venerable-level existence. But his outward appearance was so young and ordinary that it still left her feeling somewhat bewildered and uncertain.
However, regardless of anything else, a Body Integration-stage cultivator was the kind of existence she had never even dared to imagine in her wildest thoughts. Now that she had fallen into the hands of such an old monster, whatever shred of hope for escape she had once held had long since evaporated entirely.
The yellow-robed young girl's heart was consumed by both extreme terror and utter despair, as she truly had no idea what kind of unimaginably dreadful fate awaited her.
Although Han Li did not use any secret technique to directly probe the girl's thoughts, he could guess roughly seventy or eighty percent of what was running through her mind.
Yet while his outward expression appeared utterly calm, his heart was churning like stormy seas. The face of a white-robed young girl—her joys, her anger, her sorrow, her happiness—surfaced one after another in his mind without cease.
Some of these images were hazy and indistinct, while others were vivid and clear, as though they had been left just yesterday. Even Han Li, whose heart had been tempered into perfect stillness by a thousand years of bitter cultivation, found himself unable to suppress them in the slightest.
Han Li clearly had no intention of forcibly using a secret technique to dispel the woman's image from his mind either. Instead, he slowly savored that thread of soul-tugging longing buried deep within his heart.
After an unknowable amount of time, the carriage finally came to a halt. A respectful voice called from outside:
"Senior, we have arrived at the location you requested. Shall we step out and take a look?"
"Since we've arrived, of course I'll step out."
Han Li took a deep, silent breath, forcibly suppressing the scattered thoughts in his mind, then opened his eyes and replied.
He then rose to his feet and calmly descended from the carriage.
Although the yellow-robed young girl saw that Han Li had not called for her, after a moment's hesitation she gritted her teeth and followed after him.
She was clever enough to understand that when one lay on the chopping block, it was best to be docile and obedient. Otherwise, with his unfathomable powers, he had countless ways to make her wish for death rather than life!