"Judging from the techniques and divine abilities you've displayed today, when you were captured by me—a mere early Nascent Soul cultivator—back in the Void Heaven Hall, you deliberately let me obtain the jade ruyi, didn't you?" Han Li didn't answer the young woman directly. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and posed a question.
Silver Moon was stunned at first by these words, but then her eyes shimmered with amusement as she laughed.
"As the spirit of this jade ruyi, I cannot drive the vessel it inhabits to fly for extended periods. To leave that Void Heaven Hall, a cultivator must carry the ruyi on their person. That day, when you captured me, it was partly because I didn't resist with my full strength. But also, breaking through the Void Heaven Cauldron had already severely depleted my cultivation. Even if I had fought desperately back then, I would have ultimately fallen into the hands of those Nascent Soul cultivators. If that were the case, it was better to end up with a Core Formation cultivator like you," Silver Moon explained with a smile.
"There wasn't just one Core Formation cultivator present that day. What about the other two? Why did you choose me?" Han Li murmured thoughtfully, his tone betraying no relaxation of his guard.
"You mean that youth surnamed Wu and that fellow who practiced ghostly cultivation techniques, both of whom perished while fighting over the Void Heaven Cauldron?" Silver Moon's expression flickered as she countered with a question.
"Exactly!"
"Them? I didn't find them appealing! One was grim and unsettling, reeking of ghostly energy. The other was scrawny as a rail and incredibly ugly. While you may not be the epitome of handsome elegance, you're at least presentable. Could that reason suffice?" Silver Moon pressed her lips into a smile, looking both earnest and playful.
Han Li couldn't help but feel a mix of exasperation and amusement upon hearing this.
"Since you're unwilling to say, Fellow Daoist, I won't force you. Let me ask one more crucial question. After I brought this jade ruyi out of the Void Heaven Hall, did you, while inside the storage pouch, observe my every action over these years?" As he brought this up, Han Li's voice instantly turned frigid, and even the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
"Indeed. I have observed everything, big and small, regarding Fellow Daoist Han's techniques and magical treasures. I am also thoroughly aware of that mysterious Heaven-defying Small Bottle." The smile vanished from the young woman's face, replaced by a solemn expression.
Although he had vaguely guessed as much, hearing the woman confirm it still caused Han Li's expression to change drastically, his face darkening instantly.
He stared coldly and silently at the woman across from him, apparently contemplating some countermeasure.
"Is Fellow Daoist Han thinking of silencing me? After all, if the great cultivation sects learned of such a Heaven-defying treasure's existence, I'm afraid Brother Han would truly have nowhere to be buried," Silver Moon said, ignoring Han Li's icy demeanor with a faint smile.
Hearing her words, Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze becoming as sharp as a blade.
"Since Fellow Daoist Silver Moon is so clearly aware, yet dares to state it so brazenly, aren't you afraid I'll simply destroy the vessel you inhabit? If your body and spirit are obliterated, you naturally won't be able to leak anything. Do you possess some other means, believing I lack the ability to kill you?" Han Li said, a murderous intent surfacing on his face.
"With Fellow Daoist Han's current magical treasures and abilities, even before I executed the Body Seizing, I likely wouldn't have been your match. Now, after performing the soul devouring, this artifact spirit's cultivation has already lost more than half its strength. If we were to fight, a thirty percent chance of me winning would be considered fortunate. Moreover, my vessel is still in your hands. Reducing me to smoke and ash is merely a thought's effort away." Silver Moon shook her head, speaking calmly about the matter of her own life and death, appearing utterly composed.
Han Li gave a cold snort but said nothing. The young woman continued indifferently: "That Fellow Daoist Han has endured until now without suddenly striking me down already satisfies Silver Moon greatly. You may not be considered a righteous gentleman, but you clearly distinguish debts and grudges. If I hadn't just stepped in to block that fox demon's attack, I suspect Brother Han wouldn't have given me the chance to speak all this nonsense, would he?" A slight smile touched the corners of her mouth.
"Even if I gave you the chance, if you failed to convince me, I would still strike. I will not allow any being who knows of the Small Bottle to remain outside my control." Han Li didn't deny her claim; instead, he admitted it coldly and frankly.
"Good. Fellow Daoist Han's words align perfectly with Silver Moon's own thoughts. If you weren't a person of decisive action, you couldn't have progressed far in the cultivation world. That was precisely why I intervened to save you earlier. After all, I have no desire to have just taken someone as a master only for that person to be immediately killed." Silver Moon said with a look of appreciation.
"Taken someone as a master? What is the meaning of that? Do you think a mere verbal acknowledgment of me as master will make me spare you?" Han Li was momentarily stunned, then let out a cold laugh.