The others fell silent upon hearing this.
With two female cultivators who were their companions standing right there, they really couldn't bring themselves to voice any words of approval or opposition.
Han Li merely stroked his chin, his face betraying not the slightest hint of anything unusual.
He had no need whatsoever for cauldron cultivators to boost his cultivation, and he certainly wouldn't buy any burdens to drag along beside him.
Although he found these female cultivators-turned-cauldrons somewhat pitiful, and felt a faint unease in his heart, he was hardly in a position to save himself, let alone them. He could only turn a blind eye.
By this point, the two female cultivators on stage, having received no bids, were finally led away once more with faces full of disappointment.
Seeing this, Xu Yun chuckled lightly and explained:
"These two women are a bit too shallow in cultivation. Although they volunteered to serve as cauldron cultivators, they wouldn't provide much real benefit to anyone at a slightly higher level — that's why they failed to sell. Still, it's not an absolute certainty. If some Foundation Establishment fellow took a fancy to their looks and bid high to take them home, it wouldn't be unusual."
The brocade-robed man gave a few dry laughs but offered no comment. Xu Yun carried on chatting and laughing as before, seemingly unconcerned.
In the subsequent auctions, several rare and peculiar items rarely seen in the Inner Star Sea appeared, but Han Li wore a languid expression, no longer wanting to waste his time watching.
Just as he was about to find some excuse to leave, Xu Yun seemed to sense Han Li's impatience and proactively suggested:
"There's nothing of real quality at this auction. It's only at the annual joint grand auction that the true treasures appear. You fellows can come back then to see for yourselves. For now, let me take you all to see a few other spots around Black Stone City."
The brocade-robed man and the others naturally wouldn't object.
Even if there were auction items that caught their eye, the spirit stones on their person had long since been extorted clean during the teleportation.
And so, with nods from everyone, Xu Yun led them out of the Treasure Competition Hall. Accompanied by the mortal woman, they exited Mingzhu Pavilion through another passage.
……
"Dozens of stone rooms linked together — those are temporary lodgings for mortal men and women from outside. Any mortal who wishes to make a living in Black Stone City must first register there, for the sake of management. But if no one hires them within a set period, these mortals must leave Black Stone City immediately. The mortal woman you just saw at Mingzhu Pavilion came from that very place."
"That room of considerable size is the city's largest raw materials shop, 'Cunjin Pavilion.' It specializes in all manner of rare materials. They say that as long as you can name it, there's no material this shop can't produce. It's a bit of an exaggeration, of course, but the shop is genuinely famous!"
"The three stone rooms joined together right next to it are…"
Xu Yun led everyone along a certain street, speaking with the easy familiarity of someone who had done this a thousand times.
When Han Li heard this, something stirred inside him, and his steps abruptly halted.
"Fellow Daoist Qu! What's the matter?" The scar-faced cultivator was startled and asked with some puzzlement.
The brocade-robed man and the others looked back at Han Li, who had fallen behind, equally showing expressions of confusion.
"I, Qu, have a few matters I need to handle on my own, so I'll part ways with you all here. Of course, if fate wills it, we shall meet again someday." Han Li raised his head to glance at the sky, then spoke calmly with his head slightly bowed. Although his voice was not loud, it carried a tone that brooked no questioning.
Xu Yun and the brocade-robed surnamed Yi both froze upon hearing this.
Naturally, they did not wish to let a cultivator of no small skill like Han Li simply walk away, and they were about to offer some words of persuasion when the sudden flash of cold light in Han Li's eyes swept over them. An inexplicable chill crept into both their hearts, and whatever objections they had been about to voice were immediately swallowed back down, leaving them able to only mumble vague acknowledgments. They could only watch as Han Li walked into the Inch Gold Pavilion nearby and vanished from sight.
It was only then that the two exchanged a glance, their expressions full of unease and suspicion, a cold sweat breaking out simultaneously across both their bodies. The others standing nearby looked at the two of them with puzzled expressions, having no idea what had just transpired.
"This man is…" The brocade-robed man let out a dry laugh, as though he still wanted to say something.
"Fellow Daoist Qu clearly has no wish to travel with us, so he must have his own plans. I'll continue leading the rest of you down another street to take a look!" For some reason, Xu Yun cut the man off before he could finish, then hurriedly turned and walked off toward a different street.
Immediately after, a voice transmission sounded directly in the brocade-robed man's ear from the scar-faced cultivator.
"Fellow Daoist Yi! This person's ways are unfathomably deep — we'd best have as little to do with him as possible. One wrong step, and it could invite disaster. Fellow Daoist Qu's cultivation is absolutely far beyond yours or mine, so we'd best not speak of him behind his back either."