Han Li turned the jade slip over in one hand for a moment, lost in thought. A flash of azure light flickered across his palm, and the jade slip vanished without a trace. After that, he oriented himself and strode away from the area.
Having made his way through most of Tiantian City, Han Li arrived at a quieter corner of the massive metropolis and stopped in front of what appeared to be an ordinary general store.
Above the shop's entrance hung a black wooden signboard bearing the characters "Yu He Xuan" in bold, sweeping calligraphy.
Han Li gave the sign a few appraising glances, then walked inside at an unhurried pace.
The interior was modest — just a small hall some twenty feet across, stocked mostly with ordinary merchandise such as talismans and raw materials. On one side, a narrow side door led straight to the back room.
Behind the counter facing the entrance sat a middle-aged man in grey robes, studying a small booklet that resembled a ledger.
Han Li's spiritual sense swept over the man, revealing that his cultivation was extremely low — merely at the Qi Refining stage. Moreover, the shopkeeper's features were thoroughly unremarkable, the sort of face one would never notice in a crowd.
The moment the shopkeeper saw Han Li walk in, his face broke into an ingratiating smile. He rose to his feet and hurried over.
"Esteemed sir, what can I show you today? Our shop stocks every variety of goods — there is sure to be something that meets your needs." The man mouthed the same stock phrase that every shopkeeper in the world recited.
Han Li smiled faintly and flipped his palm over. The green jade slip appeared in his hand, and he pressed it directly into the man's grasp.
The shopkeeper's expression shifted the instant he saw the jade slip. He hastily tucked it away and asked respectfully, "May I ask the esteemed sir's honored name?"
"Han," Han Li replied offhandedly.
"So it truly is esteemed Han! Our patriarch mentioned long ago that you would come — I simply did not expect you so soon. Esteemed Han, please follow me." The shopkeeper spoke with deep respect, then stepped aside and gestured for Han Li to enter through the side door.
Han Li nodded and walked through without a word.
To his mild surprise, the space inside resembled a storeroom, filled with all manner of chests and cabinets arranged along every wall, completely concealing the surfaces behind them.
The middle-aged cultivator took a few steps forward, stopped before a wooden cabinet, and pressed lightly on one corner. Instantly, two adjacent cabinets on the opposite side slid apart on their own, revealing a bare wall.
"We were afraid that formal restrictions might be detected by the occasional customer who wanders in, so all the external mechanisms are built using mundane methods," the shopkeeper explained as he moved forward.
Han Li listened with a placid expression, finding nothing surprising in this.
The man stepped on a grey flagstone set into the floor before the wall. With a muffled creak, the wall slowly split open, revealing a dark, ominous passage that slanted downward into shadow.
"This humble one is not permitted to go inside — esteemed sir will have to descend on his own," the shopkeeper said, stepping aside with an obsequious smile.
Han Li's brow furrowed slightly as he sent a light sweep of his spiritual sense inward. Inside the passage, faint fluctuations of spiritual energy could be detected — extremely weak. When he probed deeper, his sense was blocked by a layer of restrictions. However, with Han Li's mastery of formations, he instantly recognized it as nothing more than a simple spiritual awareness concealment barrier. He could force his way through, but those inside would certainly notice.
Han Li hesitated for a moment.
While he believed that old man from the Heavenly Limit Sect would not be foolish enough to attempt anything right under Tiantian City's nose, he also had no intention of plunging headlong into an enclosed space of unknown depth for a meeting with someone whose allegiance — friend or foe — remained uncertain.
Just as Han Li briefly wavered, the person inside seemed to sense his reservations. In an instant, the barrier that had been blocking his spiritual sense was withdrawn.
Han Li's heart stirred. He knew the other party had done this deliberately to win his trust.
Without standing on ceremony, he promptly sent his spiritual sense sweeping through the area below once more, examining it thoroughly this time. A look of surprise flickered across his face.
"So it's him! Now this is getting interesting."