The old man's gaze naturally settled on Han Li, and the muscles on his face twitched. He hastily cupped his fists and said:
"This junior heard from my martial nephew that a distinguished guest was visiting our sect. I never imagined it would be a Nascent Soul cultivator such as yourself, Senior. To not have gone out to receive you — how terribly rude of me."
This was the only Elder of the Heavenly Talisman Sect, and his face was full of deference.
When Yue Zhen and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators heard Elder Wen's words, their hearts jolted. The last traces of doubt they had harbored completely vanished, and they gazed upon Han Li with even greater reverence.
A Nascent Soul cultivator — to the current Heavenly Talisman Sect, such an existence was utterly beyond reach.
"I merely came on someone's behalf to deliver an item. There's no need to be so formal." Han Li's expression remained unchanged. He paused briefly, then added in a light tone:
"This item has been in my possession for some years. As it happened, I had business in Huayun Prefecture, and so naturally I came to return it. It was specifically designated for your Sect Leader."
With that, Han Li patted his waist with one hand, and a square bone box appeared in his grasp. He casually set it on the table before him.
Elder Wen was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, but quickly turned his head with understanding and said:
"Nephew Yue, you heard the Senior's words too. Go and see what the Senior has brought. If it truly is something our sect lost, we must naturally thank the Senior most generously."
"Yes, Martial Uncle," Yue Zhen replied respectfully.
He then stepped forward, took the bone box in both hands, and opened it with curiosity.
Inside lay several bone plates covered in tiny inscriptions.
"What is this?" Yue Zhen picked one up in surprise and examined it closely.
Han Li simply smiled without a word.
"The Spirit Descending Talisman — this is the method for crafting the Spirit Descending Talisman! The handwriting is Grand-Uncle Yun's!" After only a few glances, Yue Zhen cried out in delight.
"Senior Brother Yun? You're not mistaken, are you?" After his initial surprise, Elder Wen's expression turned grave.
"I'm absolutely certain. The Sect Leader's study still has Grand-Uncle Yun's calligraphy hanging on the wall to this day. I face it morning and night — how could I possibly misidentify it?" Yue Zhen said without hesitation.
The other cultivators all wore looks of astonishment.
"That's correct. This item was indeed entrusted to me by Friend Yun to deliver. The Spirit Descending Talisman is one of your sect's three great secret talismans — surely there can be no mistake about that," Han Li said noncommittally.
"Of course not. But when did Senior last see Senior Brother Yun? Back then, I hadn't yet condensed my Golden Core. Senior Brother Yun suddenly vanished without a trace during a trip overseas. In the blink of an eye, decades passed with no word whatsoever. Has Senior Brother Yun… run into any trouble?" Elder Wen asked with concern.
"He should be fine, actually. My meeting with your Sect Leader was quite the coincidence. Decades ago, I encountered the same fate as your Sect Leader. At the time, I…" Han Li gave a general account of the Ghost Mist and the Netherworld, naturally glossing over the details about himself and the Netherworld Beast Crystal — matters not easily shared — and said very little about them.
"There is actually such a dangerous place in this world? It's truly hard to imagine. No wonder cultivators have been mysteriously vanishing along the coast for so many years — it was all because of this Ghost Mist." Elder Wen drew a sharp breath when he heard that magical power was unusable in the Netherworld.
"Indeed. It took me no small effort to barely escape. The contents of this box were entrusted to me by your Sect Leader, who asked me to deliver them to your sect at the first opportunity. I happen to have some interest in the way of talisman crafting, so I also studied the method for crafting the Spirit Descending Talisman. I trust you Fellow Daoists won't take offense," Han Li said, his eyes flashing briefly and a faint smile playing on his lips.
"For the Senior to personally return our sect's talisman crafting methods — this is already an immense kindness. How could we possibly harbor such ungrateful thoughts? While it's true that the Spirit Descending Talisman is said to be a secret that only our Sect Leader can master, had the Senior not returned this, even the secret art would have been lost forever. Naturally, the rules hardly matter anymore," Elder Wen said, his face full of reverence.
Yue Zhen nodded repeatedly in agreement from the side.
"Fellow Daoists are so magnanimous — I'm somewhat embarrassed. But the item has been delivered, and I've fulfilled a promise. I'll take my leave now." Han Li nodded with satisfaction and immediately rose to his feet.
"Senior, we haven't yet repaid the kindness of your delivering this item. Won't you stay at our sect for a couple of days, so we can at least fulfill our duties as hosts?" Elder Wen said hastily. While the recovery of the Spirit Descending Talisman filled him with joy, what he valued even more was the opportunity to forge a connection with this distinguished cultivator who had appeared before them out of the blue.
Setting everything else aside — if word got out that their sect had formed ties with a Nascent Soul cultivator, the Heavenly Talisman Sect's standing among the smaller sects would immediately soar. Perhaps even the great trouble currently facing them could be resolved without incident.
"Stay a little longer!" The corner of Han Li's mouth curved upward into a half-smile.
"Senior Han, aren't you interested in the way of talisman crafting? Our sect may not be much, but we do have a fair amount of research in talisman crafting. Our predecessors also collected numerous texts and records on the subject. If Senior wouldn't find it beneath him, you're welcome to take a look. And perhaps you could offer this junior a pointer or two," Yue Zhen said, his eyes suddenly lighting up.