Ye Qiu's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and she decided that she had to speak up.

In her eyes, Ye Susu was still too naive, and she was far too trusting of Han Li. Seeing as Ye Susu hadn't asked them to leave, she would just have to do so in her stead.

"Seeing as the warrant for my capture has already reached Golden Rhinoceros City, it'll only be a matter of time before your Azure Fox Tribe is investigated. If I were to continue to stay here, that would only bring disaster upon your tribe, so I'm going to pack my things and leave right away," Han Li said in a serious manner.

Ye Qiu's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and she was at a loss for words. She was clearly not expecting such a response from Han Li, and a guilty look appeared on Ye Susu's face as she said, "I know in my heart that you're a good person, Senior Han, but..."

"There's no need to feel any guilt toward me. I've already stayed for quite some time in Azure Fox City, and it's about time that I left. Weeping Soul, go and pack our things, and we'll leave after you're done," Han Li said with a smile.

Weeping Soul gave an affirmative response before entering the room.

There weren't many things that had to be packed, but the restrictions that Han Li had set up had to be disassembled and recovered.

"Please forgive us, Senior Han. Our Azure Fox Tribe is but a small tribe that's completely powerless to resist the Immortal Palace, so we have no choice but to ask you to leave. Rest assured, we will be sure to keep your visit a secret," Ye Susu said as she extended a respectful curtsey.

"No. Go to Golden Rhinoceros City tomorrow morning and inform the Immortal Palace cultivators there of our stay in Azure Fox City. Make sure to report the precise time frame of our stay, and do not omit any information from them," Han Li said.

"What? What do you mean, Senior Han?" Ye Susu asked in an incredulous manner, hardly able to believe her own ears.

Ye Qiu's expression also changed slightly upon hearing this, and the enmity in her eyes slowly faded away.

"I'm saying that you need to report me to the Immortal Palace," Han Li explained.

"Are you saying that we should point them in the wrong direction?" Ye Susu asked.

"Once I leave Azure Fox City, I'll be continuing northward deeper into the Golden Origin Mountain Range. Make sure to tell them exactly that. Otherwise, a calamity will befall the Azure Fox Tribe," Han Li replied.

"I... I don't understand, Senior Han," Ye Susu said in a perplexed manner.

"Young Mistress, regardless of whether we report Senior Han or not, the Immortal Palace will definitely find out that he's been to our city. As opposed to waiting for them to come to us, Senior Han is instructing us to go and actively report to them. He's doing this in order to protect our Azure Fox Tribe," Ye Qiu explained.

"Once you report me to the Immortal Palace, they'll be sure to send people to investigate, and they'll only let your Azure Fox Tribe off the hook if you can offer them some accurate and useful information," Han Li said.

Only then did Ye Susu come to understand Han Li's intentions, and she was at a temporary loss for words.

"You are a noble man, Senior Han. Not only did you save our chief, you're also thinking in the best interests of our tribe. I feel ashamed to have thought so badly of you," Ye Qiu said as she extended a respectful bow.

"There's no need to be ashamed for anything, Elder Qiu. I've been able to enjoy a rare window of peace in Azure Fox City, so I should be the one thanking you," Han Li said.

Right at this moment, Weeping Soul returned to the courtyard before giving Han Li a slight nod.

On the cusp of parting ways, tears began to well up in Ye Susu's eyes as she asked, "Will we meet again, Senior Han?"

"Trouble follows me wherever I go, so it's best for us not to meet again," Han Li replied.

With that, he and Weeping Soul bade farewell to Ye Susu and Ye Qiu before flying away as two streaks of light, instantly vanishing out of sight, while Ye Susu stared off into the distance with a look of melancholy in her eyes.

"It's alright, Young Mistress, you'll meet again if fate deems it to be so," Ye Qiu consoled, and Ye Susu nodded in response as a faint smile appeared on her face.

......

The two streaks of light only flew northward for several thousand kilometers before descending onto a mountain to reveal Han Li and Weeping Soul.

"Aren't we stopping a little too close to Azure Fox City, Master?" Weeping Soul asked.

"Once the Azure Fox Tribe makes its report, the Immortal Palace will definitely send people to investigate. If they don't detect any traces of us nearby, then that'll still bring trouble to the Azure Fox Tribe," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.

"How thoughtful of you, Master," Weeping Soul praised with a smile.

"The Azure Fox Tribe may only be a small tribe, but its members are very kind and pure of heart, completely different from the fox beings that I've met in the past," Han Li said as a reminiscent look appeared in his eyes.

He couldn't help but wonder how Liu Le'er was currently doing in the primordial land.

"If you're so fond of the Azure Fox Tribe, then why didn't you help them out a little? At the very least, we can ensure that they won't be bothered by the likes of the Golden Horse Sect," Weeping Soul said.

"Right now, we are wanted fugitives of the Immortal Palace, so we can't establish any close ties with the Azure Fox Tribe. No matter what we leave behind, it could spell destruction for the tribe. I'll just have to come back at a later date when I'm no longer weighed down by such inhibitions," Han Li sighed.

The two of them lingered on the mountain until noon before Han Li summoned a green jade flying carriage, and the two of them continued flying toward the north atop the carriage.

......

Two days later.

Several dozen giant, golden battleships were hovering in the air above Azure Fox City, thousands of armored soldiers could be seen standing on the decks of the battleships.

Close to half of the city was shrouded under the shadows cast by the battleships, striking fear into the hearts of all of the Azure Fox beings.

At this moment, there were eight or nine figures in a peaceful courtyard in the city.

One of them was a white-robed, middle-aged man who was seated beside a stone table in the courtyard, staring absentmindedly at a vibrant flower with a contemplative look on his face.

Standing behind him were none other than Tao Ji and Hei Dao, and the former's brows were tightly furrowed as he asked, "Is this the courtyard that he was staying in?"

The Azure Fox beings standing behind them all nodded in response.

Ye Luo stepped forward before extending a slight curtsey, then said, "He was cultivating in seclusion for the entire duration of his stay, but for some reason, he suddenly departed unannounced two days ago. We only received word of the warrant for his capture from Golden Rhinoceros City yesterday, and we immediately reported the matter."

Meanwhile, Ye Susu was standing beside Ye Qiu with her lips tightly pursed.

"You were the one who brought that scoundrel back to your Azure Fox City, is that right?" Tao Ji asked as he turned a cold gaze toward Ye Susu.

Ye Susu shuddered slightly internally, but her expression remained unchanged as she calmly replied, "That's right. He saved my life, so I invited him to stay in our city. Never could I have imagined that he would be a wanted fugitive of the Immortal Palace..."

"If he left two days ago, then why did you only report him yesterday? Were you intentionally buying time for him to escape?" Tao Ji interrogated.

"Of course not, esteemed immortal envoy! We really did only receive word of this from Golden Rhinoceros City yesterday, and we immediately reported him without delay as soon as we found out about his status as a wanted fugitive," Ye Luo hurriedly replied in a fearful manner as she extended a deep bow, as did Ye Qiu and the others.

Ye Susu was also bowing down to Tao Ji, but internally, her heart was full of disdain. In her eyes, these Immortal Palace cultivators were extremely pretentious, as opposed to Han Li, who appeared a little cold and unapproachable, but was actually a very kind and thoughtful man.

"We'll see about that! Elder Lü should be back soon. If he doesn't discover any signs of Han Li traveling northward, then you'll be punished as his accomplices!" Tao Ji sneered.

Ye Qiu and the others were very anxious to hear this.

After all, the other Azure Fox beings didn't have as much trust in Han Li as Ye Susu did, and they were worried that Han Li hadn't actually traveled northward as he proclaimed, or that perhaps he hadn't left any tracks behind. If either of those proved to be true, then the Azure Fox Tribe would be in grave danger.

Right at this moment, Dongfang Bai suddenly turned to look directly at Ye Susu as he asked, "If he saved your life, then why did you report him? Are you not repaying his kindness with ingratitude?"

"Esteemed immortal envoy... I... We..."

An inexplicable sense of horror suddenly welled up in Ye Susu's heart in the face of his scrutiny, and she wasn't even able to muster up a complete sentence.

Right at this moment, a delicate hand reached out to grab onto hers

Ye Susu knew that the hand belonged to her mother, and it instilled within her a sense of reassurance.

She had already thought of a response to this question, so after taking a moment to compose herself, she said, "While it's true that he was a benefactor of our Azure Fox Tribe, he's already been staying in our city for over a century, and we've unknowingly broken the laws of the immortal region by harboring him, so I think we've already more than repaid him for his kindness.

“If we refused to report him even after finding out that he's a wanted fugitive, then that would be an act of active defiance against the Immortal Palace, and we certainly wouldn't dare to do such a thing."

Dongfang Bai's expression remained unchanged after hearing this response, and he continued to scrutinize Ye Susu intently, trying to see any unnatural changes in her expression.