Han Li swept his gaze around. There wasn't a single person in sight, so without further hesitation, he slapped the spirit beast pouch with one hand. A tri-colored Gold Devouring Beetle flew out silently, and under his strained command using the last wisp of his divine sense, the creature shot toward the stone building with a sharp whoosh.
It flattened its body and squeezed through a narrow crack in the stone door.
Inside, everything was dead silent — not a single sound.
Seeing this, Han Li sneered inwardly and headed back toward his lodgings without looking back.
Just as he turned a corner, a piercing scream suddenly rang out from the quarters of the middle-aged man surnamed Feng.
Han Li pressed his lips together and continued walking, his expression unchanged. But the commotion in the distance was already beginning to stir.
Since he had already drawn the enmity of that middle-aged man surnamed Feng, he naturally had to settle the matter cleanly and decisively while his magical power and divine sense were still available.
Otherwise, being marked by this man would always leave him uneasy.
Before he even made it back to his room, the trace of magical power granted by the spiritual qi had completely dissipated, and his divine sense could no longer extend beyond his body.
Han Li shook his head slightly, glanced at his quarters not far ahead, and strode toward them.
Inside, Mei Ning was lying on her side on the stone bed, breathing gently in a steady rhythm — she had fallen sound asleep at some point without his noticing.
Han Li was momentarily startled. Then, looking at her sweet, captivating sleeping face, he recalled the kiss they had shared not long ago, and a faint warmth stirred in his heart. But when he noticed her body slightly curled up against the chill, he hesitated for a moment, then picked up a large piece of demon beast hide from the pile on the table and draped it over her.
She seemed to feel the warmth. The furrow between her delicate brows smoothed out, and she unconsciously drew the hide tighter around herself, still fast asleep.
Seeing this, Han Li couldn't help but smile.
It was hardly surprising. Though her constitution far surpassed that of an ordinary person, she was still a woman. All that they had been through had left her utterly exhausted in body and mind.
While waiting for Han Li, drowsiness had crept up on her before she realized it, and she had drifted into a deep sleep.
After smiling to himself, Han Li chose not to wake her. Instead, he turned his gaze to the pile of materials on the table, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes.
...
He had no idea how long had passed when Mei Ning slowly woke up. Before she even had a chance to open her eyes, a calm, unhurried voice reached her ears.
"If Fellow Daoist Mei is awake, you might as well get up. These next two days won't be easy — there's still some preparing to do."
Once she clearly registered the words, her cheeks flushed and she sat up, the demon beast hide naturally sliding off her.
She froze for a moment, then her bright eyes stared toward the source of the voice, a complex expression crossing her face.
Han Li was sitting in the chair across from her, working on a fairly large piece of demon beast hide. Seeing her awake, he offered a smile.
"I was wondering — does Miss Mei know any needlework? I have some high-grade fire-attribute beast hides here. If you can manage it, it would be best to sew them into a few leather garments for us to wear. That should give us some protection against the yin wind."
"I can try, but I'll need some needle and thread — something like that."
Seeing that Han Li made no mention whatsoever of the kiss from the day before, Mei Ning's embarrassment eased somewhat. Yet for reasons she couldn't quite explain, a faint, indescribable sense of loss settled in her heart. Outwardly, though, she merely answered with a slight blush.
"These beast hides are quite tough. Only a flying needle magical tool can pierce through them. Then I'll make do with these thinner beast sinews for the stitching. After all, we only need to ward off the yin wind, so we can't be too picky." Han Li reached up, plucked a long, glowing blue needle from the table, and handed it to her — as though he had prepared it well in advance.
The needle was a top-grade flying needle magical tool, extraordinarily sharp. Even Han Li himself had forgotten which unlucky cultivator who had died at his hands had yielded it. Now that it seemed useful, he had simply taken it out along with everything else from his storage pouch.
"I'll do my best," Mei Ning said softly, biting her lower lip.
Han Li nodded and was about to say something more when footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by an aged voice.
"I wonder — is Fellow Daoist Han in?"