The person who walked in was, unexpectedly, a tall woman around twenty years of age with purple hair. A short white horn several inches long jutted from her forehead. Her bearing was dignified and refined, and she regarded
This was the true face of the Bai family's ancestor — somewhat surprising, to say the least.
"What? Surely Fellow Daoist Han did not know beforehand that I was a woman?" the purple-haired woman said with a light laugh.
"Fellow Daoist Bai Yunxin indeed never mentioned the matter to me. I was a trifle unprepared — I hope the Fairy will forgive my discourtesy." Han Li was no ordinary person. After cupping his hands toward the woman, he quickly composed himself, though a trace of surprise still lingered in his eyes.
"Think nothing of it. This is not the first time I have encountered such a reaction. After all, the title 'Hermit Futian' does lend itself to misunderstanding. But this name has been passed down through more than a dozen generations of Bai family ancestors, so even though my demon arts are now fully mastered, I cannot very well change it on a whim." The purple-haired woman smiled gracefully and offered a brief explanation.
This helped Han Li understand the situation. Some clans did indeed preserve certain titles and positions across generations in order to bolster cohesion and the sense of continuity. The practice might seem somewhat frivolous, but from what Han Li had heard, it actually seemed to work quite well.
By now the purple-haired woman had seated herself across from Han Li. With a casual wave of her hand, several handmaidens who had been standing at attention around the hall immediately filed out and quietly pulled the door shut behind them.
"I heard from that lackluster descendant of mine that Brother Han is a solitary cultivator who seldom ventures out into the world. No wonder this was my first time hearing the name 'Fellow Daoist Han.' However, your demon arts seem quite accomplished — you must have broken through to the Body Integration realm some time ago. Otherwise, how could I be unable to gauge the depth of your cultivation?" The woman's spiritual sense swept over Han Li in a faint, almost imperceptible wave, and her bright eyes shimmered as she asked.
"I cultivate the Path of Slaughter and prefer to practice in wastelands where demon beasts are plentiful, so I have had little contact with others. As for the time of my breakthrough to the Body Integration realm, you have guessed wrong. It has been only a few centuries since I advanced. The reason you cannot see through my cultivation is simply that the demon arts I practice are somewhat unusual." Han Li chuckled, his reply half truthful, half evasive.
At the same time, he also sent a thread of spiritual sense probing toward the Hermit Futian. The result was the same — his sense of perception sank without a trace, yielding nothing. This caused a faint stir of wariness in his heart.
It seemed this woman either possessed a powerful protective treasure or had cultivated a peculiar art capable of concealing one's aura.
As for the possibility that her magical power far surpassed his own, that was extremely unlikely. After all, Han Li's cultivation base was already nearly double that of an ordinary cultivator at the same level. He absolutely refused to believe that the woman before him had managed to condense her magical power to an even greater density than his.
"The Path of Slaughter! Though I have had little exposure to that type of demon art, I know that Fellow Daoists who cultivate the demon arts of slaughter are invariably far more formidable in actual combat than their peers. In that case, I have been remiss in showing proper respect!" The moment she heard Han Li's words, the purple-haired woman's expression shifted with surprise. The doubts that had lingered in her mind dissipated considerably, and an almost imperceptible gleam of pleasure appeared on her face.
"While the demon arts of the Path of Slaughter are powerful, they are genuinely difficult to cultivate. If I hadn't realized that solitary seclusion and slaying the occasional demon beast simply would not allow me to break through my current bottleneck, I probably would not have ventured out at all." Han Li said mildly.
"I do not cultivate the Path of Slaughter, yet I too have been stuck at a bottleneck for over a thousand years. Once one enters the Body Integration realm, making further progress becomes exceedingly difficult — for the most part, one needs a certain amount of opportunity to succeed."
It seemed Han Li's words had touched upon the purple-haired woman's sore spot. She let out a soft sigh and nodded in fervent agreement.
"I have long heard that the Phantom Wail Desert is one of the most infamous forbidden zones in the Holy Realm, so I made a detour to come here. I hope to rest and reorganize in this city for a time before venturing into the desert to hone my skills. If I can find some opportunities inside, all the better." Han Li nodded, then abruptly shifted the topic.
"Although the Bai family is not a particularly large clan, we do have some influence in the local area, and we are quite familiar with the Phantom Wail Desert. If you have any needs at all, Fellow Daoist, please do not hesitate to ask. I will instruct our clansmen and disciples to provide you with every convenience." Upon hearing this, the purple-haired woman's eyes glinted as she spoke.
"Since you are kind enough to offer, I do in fact have one matter on which I would be grateful for the Bai family's assistance." Han Li lightly patted one palm against his knee and smiled.