A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm

Chapter 899: Counteroffer

"You're looking for a woman?" Mistress Liu Hua asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Han Li nodded in response.

"You better think long and hard about this! Not only are you turning down an opportunity to become my disciple, you're also turning down a chance to have the Black Tribulation Centipede in your body removed," Mistress Liu Hua harrumphed coldly.

"I'm aware of that, but seeing as the Molten Flame Pagoda is a place where business is conducted, I would like to propose a deal to you, Senior Liu Hua," Han Li said.

"Piss off! I'm not doing business with an idiot like you!" Mistress Liu Hua snapped as he picked up a beast bone with his right hand, while setting his left hand down onto the table beside him in a way that made it appear as if he were holding an invisible cup.

This subtle detail didn't escape Han Li's notice, and he asked in a seemingly casual manner, "How long has it been since you last had some wine, Senior Liu Hua?"

It seemed to be a completely random question, but Mistress Liu Hua immediately raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, then asked, "How were you able to tell that I'm fond of wine?"

"I can see that your right hand is very greasy all over from the beast bones that you're eating, but your left hand is completely clean and devoid of grease. On top of that, the way that you rest your left hand on the table clearly indicates that you have a habit of holding a cup of wine as you eat," Han Li explained with a smile.

Gu Qianxun's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and she couldn't help but wonder why Han Li would bring up something like this.

"You've got some sharp eyes, it's just a pity that you're not the brightest upstairs. So what if I enjoy having a drink? Do you have wine for me?" Mistress Liu Hua asked.

"I don't have any ready-made wine right now, but perhaps I'll have some if you're willing to wait for some time," Han Li replied.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying that you're going to brew your own wine?" Mistress Liu Hua asked in an incredulous manner.

Han Li nodded in response.

Mistress Liu Hua immediately burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"The Scalptia Spatial Domain is a completely dead and barren place devoid of both devilish qi and world's origin qi. Not only will you not be able to find any spirit ingredients required for brewing immortal wine, you won't even be able to find things like barley or grains in here, so how are you going to brew any wine? Do you have a miraculous ability to squeeze wine out of stone?"

Gu Qianxun's brows became even more tightly furrowed upon hearing this.

However, Han Li remained completely unfazed as he asked, "Have you heard of a type of wine called Blood Plasma Wine, Senior?"

"Blood Plasma Wine?" Mistress Liu Hua repeated with a perplexed expression.

"You may not have heard of it, but I can assure you that I have a way to brew wine from blood plasma. The flavor may be a little... interesting, but you can't ask for too much in the Scalptia Spatial Domain," Han Li said with a smile.

He had learned the brewing method of Blood Plasma Wine from Daoist Hu Yan, but it was a wine with a very strong flavor, and he wasn't a fan of it, so he had never tried to brew it before.

As for whether it would be possible to brew this wine using scaled beast blood in the Scalptia Spatial Domain, Han Li wasn't very confident, but at the very least, it was worth a try.

"Can you really brew wine using blood plasma?" Mistress Liu Hua asked.

"If I can brew this wine, would you be willing to give us the method to remove the Black Tribulation Centipedes from our bodies?" Han Li asked.

"You want me to hand over the Black Tribulation Centipede removal method for a mere flagon of wine?" Mistress Liu Hua scoffed.

Han Li seemed to have already anticipated this response, and he said in a calm fashion, "In that case, what other requests do you have for me? Feel free to state them."

"In addition to this Blood Plasma Wine, I want a fist-sized piece of Heavenly Qilin Crystal as well," Mistress Liu Hua declared.

A spark of hope had just arisen in Gu Qianxun's heart, but it was instantly dashed upon hearing this.

"Senior Liu Hua, Heavenly Qilin Crystal is one of the most premium materials in the Scalptia Spatial Domain, and even a fingernail-sized piece goes for astronomical prices, let alone a fist-sized piece. Even if such a large piece exists, no one would be willing to display it to others, so it'll be impossible for us to obtain," Gu Qianxun said in an urgent voice, and Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

"I'm not just going to ask something from you and not point out a way for you to obtain it. I have reliable information that one of the prizes for this edition of the Five City Martial Gathering is a piece of Heavenly Qilin Crystal. As for what placing you'll need to secure in order to obtain the crystal, that's not something that I'm privy to, but then again, I can't make things too easy for you," Mistress Liu Hua said.

A resigned smile appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this. He had intended to hold back and conceal his true power during this martial gathering, but it seemed that wasn't going to be possible.

"Are you really able to brew wine using blood plasma?" Mistress Liu Hua asked again.

"My life is on the line here, so I certainly wouldn't dare to just fabricate a story," Han Li replied.

"Alright, if you can really brew this wine and bring me the Heavenly Qilin Crystal, then I'll remove the Black Tribulation Centipede from your body," Mistress Liu Hua declared.

"Thank you, Senior Liu Hua. There's some preparatory work that I have to do, so I'll be taking my leave now," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a parting salute.

Following his departure, Mistress Liu Hua and Gu Qianxun were left to sit across from each other in silence.

"At this point, I'm sure you've already guessed the nature of my relationship with your mother," Mistress Liu Hua sighed.

"Why did you leave her?" Gu Qianxun asked as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Your mother had far too unyielding a personality. I wanted to stay by her side, but the feeling wasn't mutual. It's too long a story to tell here, and there's no point in telling it anyway. Now that Du Qingyang is already dead, I'll go to Qin Yuan myself to ensure that he also pays for the role that he played in your mother's death," Mistress Liu Hua replied with a bitter expression.

"There's no need for that, I'll avenge my mother myself," Gu Qianxun said in a cold voice.

Mistress Liu Hua's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he said, "In any case, the top priority right now is to have the Black Tribulation Centipede in your body removed."

"Why were you only willing to save Fellow Daoist Li if he agreed to become your disciple? Is it really just because he's also a human? I don't believe that," Gu Qianxun said.

"I wanted to keep him as my disciple because I could see that he has a great deal of potential. My intuition and experience tells me that there's more to him than meets the eye," Mistress Liu Hua replied.

"Then why are you making him secure a piece of Heavenly Qilin Crystal now?" Gu Qianxun asked.

"On one hand, I want to use this as a test to see if he really is as impressive as I think he is, and on the other hand, I want the Heavenly Qilin Crystal for your sake," Mistress Liu Hua explained.

Gu Qianxun fell silent upon hearing this.

After leaving the Molten Flame Pagoda, Han Li was feeling much more relaxed, having finally found a solution to a problem that had been constantly weighing on his mind of late, and his footsteps were a little lighter and more springy as a result.

Upon returning to the courtyard where the Green Goat City cultivators were staying, Han Li didn't immediately return to his own residence. Instead, he traveled to Chen Yang's residence before knocking on the door, which was quickly opened.

Chen Yang faltered slightly at the sight of Han Li, then hurriedly invited him inside.

At this moment, there was one more person in the room, namely the horned man by the name of Xuanyuan Xing.

Daoist Xie wasn't present, and it was unclear where he had gone.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanyuan," Han Li greeted as he cupped his fist in a salute.

Xuanyuan Xing rose to his feet before giving Han Li a nod.

Han Li could see that there were two cups of tea on the table, both of which had already cooled down to room temperature, and he asked, "Are the two of you discussing something? In that case, I'll come back later."

"It's fine, we've already finished our discussion. I'm sure you must have some important matters to discuss with Fellow Daoist Chen, so I'll leave you to it," Xuanyuan Xing said with a smile before departing.

Following Xuanyuan Xing's departure, Chen Yang invited Han Li to take a seat, then brewed two new cups of tea as he asked, "What brings you here today, Fellow Daoist Li?"

"I would like some information on the cultivators from the other cities participating in the martial gathering," Han Li replied in a direct and straightforward manner.

"Alright, please wait a moment," Chen Yang replied before standing up and making his way into the inner chamber of his residence.

Shortly thereafter, he re-emerged with a stack of papers in his hands, and he handed them to Han Li as he said, "This is all of the information that we've gathered so far. I have a copy of everything, so you can take this back with you."

Even though Han Li had agreed to fight on behalf of Green Goat City, he had never displayed much interest in the Five City Martial Gathering, so Chen Yang was naturally very happy to see him developing an interest in the event, and he had very high hopes for Han Li.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Chen," Han Li said as he accepted the papers.

"Why are you suddenly interested in this information, Fellow Daoist Li? Did something happen?" Chen Yang asked.

"If I'm going to be participating in the martial gathering, then I naturally want to do well. Is that strange?" Han Li asked.

"At the moment, Chen Yang was using Black Tribulation Centipede to control the gladiators under him, just like Du Qingyang had done in the past, so Han Li didn't want him to know about the agreement that he had made with Mistress Liu Hua.

"Not at all! I'm ecstatic to see that you're applying yourself," Chen Yang hurriedly replied.

"In that case, I'll be taking my leave now," Han Li said with a faint smile before standing up to depart, and Chen Yang accompanied him to the door.

As he watched Han Li's departing figure, a contemplative look appeared on his face, and he suddenly clapped his hands together, upon which a young male servant emerged from the inner chamber before getting down on one knee.

It was the same young man that had been sent to fetch Han Li back in Green Goat City, but at this moment, he was wearing a long black robe, and his aura had changed drastically, as if he had become one with the shadows.

"Go and find out where Li Feiyu went and what he did today," Chen Yang instructed.

The young man gave an affirmative response, then abruptly vanished from the spot.