Han Li was ecstatic to hear this, and he immediately said, "As long as the information is reliable, price is not an issue."

"Alright, I've enclosed part of the information within this slip along with the price; please take a look. If you accept these terms, then I'll give you the rest of the information, and we'll complete this transaction right here and now," Lan Ying said as she tossed what appeared to be a black stone toward Han Li.

Han Li caught the stone before pressing it against his own forehead and injecting his spiritual sense into it.

Lan Ying merely sat across from him in silence with a faint smile on her face.

Around 15 minutes later, Han Li removed the slip from his forehead as an enlightened look appeared on his face. "Who would've thought that there would be people in the city lord's manor selling large amounts of Bloodtooth Rice in secret? Judging from the information in the slip, this group of people seems to occupy lofty positions in the city lord's manor. Alright, I'll take this information, and I accept the price; please disclose the contact method to me, Fairy Lan."

"Sure," Lan Ying replied with a nod before sending another stone flying toward Han Li with a sweep of her sleeve.

Han Li caught the stone and only injected his spiritual sense into it momentarily to ascertain the contact method, then rubbed his hands together to crush the stone into white powder.

After that, he flipped a hand over to produce a palm-sized white jade box.

"The item in the box should be more than enough as compensation for this information. If there are no issues, then I'd like to ask you about something else," Han Li said as he tossed the jade box toward Lan Ying.

"I'd be happy to help," Lan Ying replied as she drew the jade box into her grasp, then removed the lid and inspected its contents, upon which a pleased smile appeared on her face.

"Do you know the origins of this item?" Han Li asked as he flicked a finger through the air, and a green thread shot forth before revolving around the spinning wheel, then swept back toward him before forming a pea-sized ball of green Qi that rapidly revolved around his fingertip.

In the next instant, the spinning wheel was suddenly reduced to a pile of dust amid a dull thump. [1]

Both Lan Ying and the devilish woman's expressions changed slightly upon seeing this.

The spinning wheel appeared to be extremely mundane, but it was actually a devilish treasure of quite a high caliber. Otherwise, Lan Ying wouldn't have been able to spend so much time spinning yarn with this wheel without growing bored of the process.

However, the reaction that she had displayed wasn't due to distress from having the spinning wheel destroyed. Instead, it was due to the fact that the spinning wheel was constructed from a rare type of material known as Charred Devilish Wood, and after being processed using special methods, it was virtually indestructible.

Thus, the two women were naturally very alarmed that it had been reduced to dust so easily by that nondescript streak of green Qi.

Lan Ying's eyes narrowed slightly as she scrutinized the green Qi revolving around Han Li's fingertip with a peculiar look in her eyes.

Han Li could sense that a wisp of Lan Ying's spiritual sense had enveloped the ball of green Qi, and that she was carefully inspecting it.

The devilish woman had also swept her spiritual sense toward the green Qi, and moments later, Lan Ying's expression changed slightly, while the devilish woman remained just as confused as ever.

Right at this moment, Han Li's finger tremored slightly, and the ball of green Qi vanished into his fingertip.

"My apologies, but I'm unable to control this thing, so I can only force it out of my body for brief periods at a time. However, I'm sure that was already enough time for you to complete your inspection; have you managed to identify it?" Han Li asked as he appraised Lan Ying intently.

The green Qi was none other than the residual energy left behind after he had absorbed the mysterious energy within the crystalline beads found in the pieces of Foreign Devilish Metal.

The energy within the crystalline beads was able to rapidly enhance his magic power, but the residual green Qi was also giving him a massive headache.

He had sealed it away in the body of his second Nascent Soul for now, but seeing as this Vast Origin House claimed to know everything, he decided to ask Lan Ying if she had any idea of what this was.

If she could provide an answer, then that would naturally be ideal. Otherwise, he would just have to find a way to take care of it once he returned to the Spirit Realm.

"I can't give you any conclusive answers, but there are several items in my memory that are similar to this thing. However, I'll have to ask you some questions to make a more informed judgment; would you be willing to answer my questions, Brother Han?" Lan Ying asked with slightly furrowed brows.

"Of course, go ahead, Fairy Lan," Han Li replied without any hesitation.

"Where did you obtain this thing from, and aside from the astonishing power it just displayed, does it possess any other special characteristics? Also, how long has it been in your body?" Lan Ying asked.

"The avenue through which I obtained this thing is a secret, so I won't be disclosing it to you. However, I can tell you about some of its special properties. As for how long it's been in my body, it's not been a very long time; less than a century," Han Li replied after a brief moment of contemplation.

"Alright, then please tell me about its special properties; I'll see if I can make a final judgment based on that," Lan Ying replied.

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face, yet just as he was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed slightly, and he abruptly fell silent.

A hint of puzzlement appeared on Lan Ying's face upon seeing this, but before she could ask any questions, the woman beside her suddenly strode forward and grabbed a white talisman out of thin air.

The woman injected her spiritual sense into the talisman briefly before immediately turning to Lan Ying. "Young Mistress, we're receiving a visit from Young Mistress Violet, and she's already downstairs."

A hint of elation appeared on Lan Ying's face upon hearing this, but that was quickly replaced by an expression of concern. "Ah, Sister Violet! Why is she here? Could it be that my divination proved to be incorrect?"

"You instructed everyone to grant free passage to Young Mistress Violet whenever she comes to visit, so she's already about to reach this level," the woman said as she glanced at Han Li.

"I can go elsewhere for now if you're entertaining a guest, Fairy Lan," Han Li said as he rose to his feet.

"There's no need for that; Sister Violet is a good friend of mine, and she should be here just to ask me some questions. It shouldn't concern any secrets, so you can just wait for a moment here," Lan Ying replied.

Han Li didn't force the issue any further and merely nodded in response.

Moments later, the sound of light footsteps rang out on the staircase outside, and a delightful voice akin to heavenly music drifted into the room.

"Ying'er, you owe me an explanation! I paid such a heavy price for your divination, but today is the last day that you stipulated, and I still haven't seen the person I want to see! Are you toying around with me? If so, you're going to have to return several times the spirit medicines I gave to you."

As soon as the voice trailed off, a slender young woman enveloped in a layer of black mist appeared at the top of the staircase.

Through the black mist, one could see that the woman had a pair of enchanting eyes that were as beautiful as stars, and was wearing a long purple dress.

She was currently giggling in an amused manner, so it was clear that she had been joking.

As soon as Han Li caught sight of the woman, his entire body abruptly stiffened as if he had been shocked by electricity.

Excitement and ecstasy filled his eyes, only to then be replaced by a hint of hesitance.

The woman in purple had naturally also caught sight of Han Li, and a hint of bewilderment had appeared in her eyes as well.

"Sister Lan, who is this?" the woman in purple asked.

A thought suddenly occurred to Lan Ying at the sight of this Sister Violet's bewildered expression, and a hint of incredulity also appeared in her eyes. "This is an esteemed guest of our Vast Origin House, Fellow Daoist Han; his cultivation base is no lesser than that of Aunt Zhu. Have you met him somewhere before, Sister Violet?"

"What? His surname is Han?" the woman in purple shuddered slightly, and she began to scrutinize Han Li even more intently.

The final trace of doubt in Han Li's heart was erased upon seeing this, and he took a deep breath before sweeping a sleeve through the air, sending a burst of azure light surging toward his own body.

A string of cracks and pops rang out, and he grew slightly shorter, while his facial features transformed into those of an ordinary-looking young man who appeared to be in his twenties.

"Long time no see, Violet Spirit; have you been well?" Han Li asked in a gentle voice.

1. Well that was rude