Published: August 27, 2025
Chapter 356: Blessings and Misfortunes Intertwined
A quarter of an hour later, Han Li emerged from Stardust Pavilion, unhurried and calm.
He glanced back at the tall pavilion, a mysterious smile playing on his lips, then strode away confidently.
Now, in Han Li’s storage pouch, the set of "Red Thread Light-Escape Needles" and the Jade Slip containing the pill formula obediently remained inside.
Not long ago, when he casually inquired about the price of millennial spirit medicine from that young girl, he didn’t show her any spiritual herbs. Instead, he took out two "Beauty-Setting Pills," which contained the essence of millennial spirit medicine, and handed them to her.
Han Li clearly remembered the cold and aloof girl’s reaction. Once she understood the miraculous beauty-preserving effects of the Beauty-Setting Pill, a fervent expression instantly appeared on her face. The stark contrast in her demeanor surprised him greatly.
Soon after, the girl summoned a pill refiner from Stardust Pavilion to personally verify the pill, which was widely rumored but no one dared to refine.
The result confirmed that the two pills were indeed Beauty-Setting Pills, and they truly possessed the remarkable ability to preserve youth. The girl immediately anxiously called up Madam Lan, who was on the fifth floor.
After a whispered conversation between the two women, Han Li exchanged the pill formula and the magical artifact for the two Beauty-Setting Pills plus one thousand spirit stones.
Looking back now, Han Li couldn’t help but smile to himself.
The desire for eternal beauty is truly irresistible to women, impossible to resist. Even Madam Lan, a shrewd and highly accomplished female cultivator, revealed the same eager look as the girl upon hearing Han Li had the Beauty-Setting Pills. This gave Han Li a thorough understanding of how much women cared about their appearance.
However, this also caused the selling price of the Beauty-Setting Pills to far exceed his expectations.
He had originally thought they would fetch at most two thousand spirit stones, but as soon as the two women spoke, Han Li was greatly satisfied and naturally didn’t bother to haggle. Fortunately, the shopkeepers here were women; if they had been men, Han Li guessed he might have only gotten a few hundred spirit stones for them.
After the transaction, a now somewhat sober Madam Lan couldn’t help but ask about the origin of the pill. Han Li casually dismissed it with, “I came across it by chance.”
When Han Li left Stardust Pavilion, he felt a slight sense of reluctance.
He knew that since Stardust Pavilion could easily produce such rare items as the "Red Thread Light-Escape Needles" and the pill formula, they must have even more precious treasures. Unfortunately, he couldn’t trade any more pills or spirit herbs, or the exposure of his wealth would be extremely dangerous—Han Li didn’t need to imagine the consequences.
With some regret, Han Li found an inn in the market district where cultivators could rest and settled down.
For the remaining time, he began qi refining meditation, preparing to find shopkeeper Xu the next day to have him refine a magical artifact.
The next morning, Han Li arrived at the artifact refining shop as promised.
Shopkeeper Xu had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Han Li, he immediately excitedly invited him to the backyard. Han Li smiled faintly and followed him inside...
...
More than half a month later, Han Li finally walked out of the shop.
But unlike when he entered, his face was clouded with gloom, looking as if his mood was terrible.
Behind him, shopkeeper Xu followed closely, shame written all over his face, murmuring apologies repeatedly.
Han Li exhaled deeply, feeling a bit better. Then he kindly spoke a few words to Xu before slowly heading out of the market district, leaving the old man bewildered.
Shortly after, Han Li left the restricted area of the market district and flew directly on his Divine Wind Boat toward Xin Ruyin’s Unnamed Small Mountain.