"Senior!" Han Li stroked his chin, a peculiar expression crossing his face.
The portly elder was none other than "Uncle-Master Lei" — the very same Lei Wanhe who had once traded pill recipes with him for spirit herbs — and now the man was actually addressing him as "Senior."
Though according to the customs of the cultivation world, this was perfectly normal, Han Li still couldn't help but feel a twinge of strangeness in his heart.
As for that stunning beauty named Nie Ying, she was the "Senior Sister Nie" he had crossed paths with once years ago — the woman who had defended the Lei Spirit Root-bearing Mu siblings.
Though Han Li had never had much interaction with her, he had heard enough over the years to know that she was extraordinarily talented, brilliant both inside and out. Back in the day, the number of male disciples who had been lovestruck over her was practically uncountable.
He hadn't expected that after all these years, she had also formed a Golden Core.
While Han Li silently studied Lei Wanhe and Nie Ying with a complicated expression, Lei Wanhe was harboring his own private suspicions.
The "Senior" before him not only looked impossibly young — clearly blessed with some extraordinary technique for preserving his appearance — but for some reason, that seemingly ordinary face seemed faintly familiar, as though he had seen it somewhere before. This realization left him both startled and uneasy.
Nie Ying's beautiful eyes were fixed on Han Li as well, and a flash of surprise and suspicion passed through their depths. She too seemed to have noticed something.
Han Li naturally wasn't going to stand there in silence forever. After flashing a smile, he finally spoke:
"It seems that after we parted ways back then, Uncle-Master Lei truly doesn't remember me. However, that pill recipe you gifted me all those years ago really did Han a tremendous favor."
"Uncle-Master? Pill recipe? You... you are..." The moment Lei Wanhe heard Han Li address him as Uncle-Master, his jaw dropped wide open in shock, unable to close for the longest time. But when he heard mention of the pill recipe, something clicked, and he began stammering in horror.
The others present were equally thunderstruck. The fact that this Nascent Soul cultivator had suddenly called Lei Wanhe "Uncle-Master" short-circuited their brains entirely.
Only Nie Ying, after recovering from her initial shock, looked Han Li up and down once more before her expression changed dramatically.
"You're Junior Martial Uncle Li's disciple — Han Li... Junior Martial Brother Han?" Her voice was filled with utter disbelief.
"I didn't expect Daoist Friend Nie to still recognize me," Han Li said, genuinely a bit surprised.
What Han Li didn't know was that during his Qi Condensation days, when he had kept a low profile and his cultivation was unremarkable, very few people had known or recognized him. But after he emerged alive from the Blood Trial, successfully established his Foundation, and was taken as a disciple by Li Huayuan, a number of attentive individuals had taken note of him.
Senior Sister Nie had been one of them.
Once the six sects of the Devil Path invaded the Yue Kingdom and he slew numerous cultivators of the same rank, his reputation among the lower-level disciples had surged further. Although they had never met again, the impression he had left on Senior Sister Nie had deepened threefold.
Now, with Han Li's appearance being identical to what it had been when she last saw him, all it took was his brief mention of the past for her to recall that once-famous Junior Martial Brother Han, and she blurted out her words in astonishment.
"You really are that Junior Martial Nephew Han from back then." Lei Wanhe swallowed hard, his gaze somewhat unfocused as he spoke in a daze.
Though the cultivation world was full of bizarre occurrences — and it was not uncommon for a talented cultivator to leap from the rank of disciple to equal standing with the elders — for a Junior Martial Nephew who had originally been at the Foundation Establishment stage to suddenly become a Nascent Soul powerhouse, even someone as well-traveled as Lei Wanhe could not process it immediately.
"Uncle-Master Lei, there's no need for shock. However, this is no place to talk. Let us discuss everything in detail on the road." Han Li glanced around, his expression calm.
"That title of Uncle-Master — Lei would not dare presume to accept it any longer. Since Senior Han has already advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, then you are this junior's senior. I shall follow your orders in all things." Lei Wanhe's face cycled through several shades of red and white before he finally let out a bitter laugh. His words still carried the same deference he had shown from the very beginning, without a trace of negligence.
Regardless of what Han Li's former status may have been, now that his cultivation and abilities far exceeded his own, Lei Wanhe naturally would not dare to presume and accept such a familiar address.
The other three cultivators had by now grasped the nature of the relationship between Han Li and Lei Wanhe. They exchanged glances, and their faces were naturally filled with expressions of bemusement.
Han Li showed no sign of surprise at his words. After a brief moment of silence, he simply nodded in acceptance.
"Since Daoist Lei puts it that way, Han won't stand on ceremony. We must leave this place immediately. Your movement techniques are likely too slow — allow me to carry you along."
The moment he finished speaking, Han Li patted his storage pouch with one hand, flipped his palm over, and a small, exquisitely crafted object appeared in his grasp.