"Since Senior has already advanced to the Mahayoga stage and spotted me at a glance, it would be nothing but self-deception for me to pretend otherwise. I know full well that no amount of smooth talk could possibly bluster my way out of this." The burly, bearded man let out a bitter laugh.
"Heh heh. Before I ran into you, I certainly never imagined that the famed Sacred Beast of Tianlan from the mortal realm would turn out to be one of the seven great demon kings. Fellow Daoist Tianlan, that Tianlan clone of yours really did know how to keep its mouth shut — not a single hint slipped out back in the mortal realm." Han Li chuckled, a flicker of something peculiar passing through his gaze.
This Heavenly Hollow Rat King was, in fact, the true main body of that Sacred Beast of Tianlan from the mortal realm.
It was something no one could have possibly anticipated.
"I never imagined either that a mere mortal cultivator I once dismissed without a second thought would, over a thousand years later, become a Mahayoga existence I now have to look up to. However, Senior and I have no enmity to speak of — if anything, that clone of mine even developed a certain rapport with Senior. And given Senior's present standing, you surely wouldn't trouble yourself over little old me, would you?" As he reached the end of his words, the bearded man's voice dropped several notches.
"You're right, that mortal-realm incarnation of yours and I did share a certain karmic bond. But before that — when it first descended — it very nearly joined forces with others to take my head. I think it's only fair that I settle a few scores with you, the original, first, don't you think?" Han Li's lips curved upward slightly as he delivered the words with such casual nonchalance that the Rat King was left speechless.
"What happened back in the mortal realm was entirely a misunderstanding! That clone of mine descended using another body and had no awareness to speak of in the beginning — it was merely being used by others. Besides, didn't Senior eventually make peace with the Tianlan Saintess in the end?" The Heavenly Hollow Rat King hastened to exonerate himself in his alarm.
"That does sound somewhat reasonable — but whether I'm willing to accept that explanation is another matter entirely," Han Li replied with a faint smile that carried deeper meaning.
"Senior Han, what would it take for you to let the matter drop? Name any condition — as long as it's within my power, I won't refuse." Under Han Li's unwavering gaze, the Heavenly Hollow Rat King finally caught on to what was being asked. After a brief moment of deliberation, he gritted his teeth and made his offer.
Han Li's words were somewhat high-handed, but in the face of such an overwhelming gap in power, the Rat King had no choice but to swallow his pride and accept his bad luck.
"Very well. Since Fellow Daoist Hollow is willing to make amends for what happened back then, I won't press the issue. Here's what you can do — tell me where my Six-Winged Frost Centipede went, and we'll call the matter settled." Han Li yawned lightly, the words drifting out in an airy tone, but the final sentence struck the Rat King's ears like a peal of thunder, draining all color from his face as though he had been struck by lightning itself.
"The Six-Winged Frost Centipede? S-Senior Han must be joking — that spirit insect ran off on its own, so how would I know where it went?" Blurted out in panic, the words left his mouth almost reflexively, but the moment they did, his expression shifted once more — this time to one of visible regret.
"Oh? When did I ever tell anyone that the Six-Winged Frost Centipede left on its own?" Han Li's expression was somewhere between amusement and reproach, and his retort was anything but gentle.
"Fine. I'll admit I do know something about that Six-Winged Frost Centipede's whereabouts. But before I reveal it, I'd like to know — how did Senior learn that I had encountered this insect? I'm certain I never breathed a word of it to anyone." The bearded man's face turned ugly. After turning it over in his mind for a while and realizing he could no longer conceal the truth, he sighed and confessed — though not without one last reluctant question.
"That's simple enough. Even without me spelling it out, you should be able to figure out part of it." A strange look flickered across Han Li's face, and he answered with a light chuckle.
"I should be able to figure it out... That spirit insect was once a contracted beast under Senior Han — could it be because of that...?" The bearded man's eyes darted back and forth before a glimmer of understanding finally appeared.
"Correct. Although the Six-Winged Frost Centipede severed the master-servant blood bond linking us back then and broke free of my control, there remained an exceedingly faint spiritual connection. You spent a period of time with it, so naturally you absorbed a trace of its aura. Even though so much time has passed that this trace has faded to almost nothing, it's still not something that can evade my spiritual perception." Han Li saw no reason to hide the truth and explained candidly.
"I see! But I suspect Senior's abilities have also undergone a tremendous surge in recent years, haven't they? An ordinary person could hardly detect traces left years ago through spiritual perception alone. And as it happens, I walked right into Senior's path at exactly this moment!" The bearded man's expression shifted between dark and pale for some time before he finally replied, sounding rather helpless.
"Enough. I've told you what you wanted to know — now it's time to talk about the Six-Winged Frost Centipede. You strike me as a sensible person, so I trust you won't feed me any half-baked stories. Once I find that insect, verifying the truth will be trivial." Han Li's tone was calm and level.
Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Hollow Rat King felt a chill run through him. The little schemes he had been entertaining evaporated on the spot, and he hurried to defend himself: "Rest assured, Senior Han. I came across that Six-Winged Frost Centipede purely by chance. When I saw its astonishing potential, a business proposition occurred to me — one that would benefit us both."
"A business proposition?" Han Li raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. This has its roots in the 'Inverse Spirit True Yin Art' I obtained all those years ago — a heaven-defying technique capable of inverting the secret arts within the Golden Portal Jade Book. Back then, I once..." The Heavenly Hollow Rat King dared not conceal anything further and proceeded to recount the whole affair from the very beginning.
Han Li sat cross-legged across from him, listening in silence with an unchanged expression, though waves of emotion rippled through his mind from time to time.
"And that was that. Ever since parting ways with the Six-Winged Frost Centipede, I've received no news of it whatsoever over all these years. If not for the fact that I hold one of its life-bound soul plates, I wouldn't even be certain whether it's still alive somewhere in the Wastelands." With a long sigh, the Heavenly Hollow Rat King finally concluded his account. Knowing the proper etiquette, he gave his waist a pat, produced a pale blue crystal tablet, and respectfully presented it to Han Li with both hands.