Chapter 794: Allaying Suspicions

The two of them remained silent as the carriage made its way to the end of the street before turning into an alley.

At the entrance of the alley, Shi Chuankong instructed the coach driver to stop, then asked Han Li to wait for him for a moment before stepping off the carriage himself and making his way toward an extremely small shop at the end of the alley.

The shop had no visible signage with the exception of a cloth banner that read "Traveler House", and after a few minutes, Shi Chuankong emerged from the shop before returning to the carriage.

From there, the carriage traveled eastward before arriving at an inn called the Cloud Mountain Inn.

The inn was situated in a rather secluded location in the eastern region of the city, and it was surrounded by lush forest. There were more trees than buildings in the area, and the inn itself had a rather antiquated appearance.

After paying the carriage fare, Shi Chuankong pushed open a wooden door with peeling paint and led Han Li into the courtyard.

Upon entering the courtyard, Han Li felt the surrounding space ripple slightly, following which he suddenly found himself standing in a spacious garden.

There was a flowing creek nearby, as well as an elegant covered bridge arching over a small lake, presenting a beautiful sight to behold.

A seductive woman who looked no different from a normal human emerged from the inn before asking, "How can I help you?"

"Are the Serene Lotus Courtyard and the Wicker Comb Courtyard still vacant?" Shi Chuankong.

The woman faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied, "The Serene Lotus Courtyard is still vacant, but the Wicker Comb Courtyard is currently occupied by a permanent resident. As an alternative, may I suggest the Green Sorrow Courtyard?"

Only after hearing the woman's response did Shi Chuankong recall that the Wicker Comb Courtyard was permanently reserved for him, and he slapped a hand to his own forehead as he chuckled, "Oh, I forgot about that. In that case, we'll take the two vacant courtyards."

With that, Shi Chuankong dismissed the woman, then led Han Li over the covered bridge before making their way deeper into the inn. Along the way, they could see a series of well-constructed courtyards that were encompassed within arrays.

Shi Chuankong accompanied Han Li through a bamboo forest, and the two of them arrived at Green Sorrow Courtyard, which contained a two-story building.

Using the token given to him by the woman, Han Li opened the restriction around the courtyard before stepping inside.

The first floor of the building was a guest hall, attached to which was an inner room and an outer room, and Han Li and Shi Chuankong sat down at a round table in the inner room.

Han Li made a hand seal to conjure up a light barrier around the room, then said, "Alright, now we can talk."

"Brother Li, I... I'm honestly not sure where to start," Shi Chuankong said after a brief silence.

"Then start from when the Golden Rhinoceros King began coming after us. Initially, I thought that my breakthrough had attracted his attention, but judging from the events that transpired after that, I presume things aren't that simple, is that right?" Han Li asked.

"You're correct, Brother Li. The Golden Rhinoceros King's target was me, and he was hunting me under orders from my brother, the eldest prince," Shi Chuankong sighed.

"Why is your brother trying to kill you?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.

"I'm afraid I can't reveal all of the details to you. All I can tell you is that it concerns an inheritance that is of the utmost importance to our Holy Race. My brother is most likely under the impression that I pose a threat to his claim over the inheritance, and that's why he colluded with the Golden Rhinoceros King to hunt me down," Shi Chuankong replied.

"You're related by blood, are you not? Why is he going so far?" Han Li asked with slightly furrowed brows.

"Countless brothers have been pitted against each other throughout history in the face of significant inheritances. On top of that, we only share the same father, but have different mothers. This isn't the first time that something like this has happened, but in the past, I've never been targeted. After all, a mere Golden Immortal like myself poses no real threat to him," Shi Chuankong replied with a self-deprecating smile.

"Clearly, something must've happened to convince him that you do pose a threat to him now, is that right?" Han Li said in a meaningful voice.

Shi Chuankong already knew the answer to this question, and he replied, "It's most likely because I recovered the Virata Lute, and it certainly didn't help that my father was willing to save me from the Gray Realm at the expense of a vast amount of resources."

"I presume the latter had more of an impact than the former," Han Li mused.

"Perhaps. Even when my brothers and sisters have encountered severe peril in the past, my father has rarely ever intervened. Perhaps this incident convinced my brother that our father is considering me as the recipient of the inheritance," Shi Chuankong said.

"I don't think he's the only one who thinks that. I've been wondering why the Black Weasel King was willing to help us even after the trouble that we caused in his city. He must be placing his bets on you, right?" Han Li asked.

"You truly possess a keen eye like no other, Brother Li. That is indeed what the Black Weasel King told me," Shi Chuankong replied.

"Now that your brother has decided to come after you, I'm sure there will only be more trouble to come. Why didn't we return to Night Sun City right away using the teleportation array in the city? Surely we'd be safer once we return to Night Sun City. Could it be that you don't trust the Heavenly Ax Marquis?" Han Li asked.

"Back when I was last at Preeminent City, the Heavenly Ax Marquis still wasn't the city lord. Instead, he only took over the role during my absence. I paid a visit to the Vast Origin House branch earlier to see if the circumstances in Preeminent City have changed, and sure enough, there was a secret warning symbol outside the building.

“All of my trusted subordinates have already been cleansed from the branch, and that tells me that the city lord's manor is no longer a safe haven for me," Shi Chuankong explained.

"In that case, why are we staying here instead of leaving right away?" Han Li asked.

"My brother previously contacted the Black Weasel King, instructing him to intercept us. However, now that the Black Weasel King has chosen to help me, he'll be issuing a false report to my brother, claiming that we're still on the run in the Ten Hazards Mountain Range, so Preeminent City is still safe for now," Shi Chuankong replied with a smile.

"I presume that's not the only reason you decided to stay in Preeminent City, right? Did you visit that shop in the alley earlier to request reinforcements?" Han Li asked.

"I went there to send a message to another brother of mine, the third prince. He'll be sending reinforcements to us, and in the meantime, we'll stay here in this inn," Shi Chuankong confirmed with a nod.

"Is this brother of yours trustworthy?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"You can rest assured of that, Brother Li. My third brother and I share the same mother, and I once saved his life. If I can't trust him, then there's no one I can trust in the entire Holy Realm," Shi Chuankong replied in a confident manner.

Han Li nodded in response.

"I'll admit that I was at fault for keeping this from you, but there were some very sensitive circumstances at play, so I had to be careful, I hope you can understand. Even though we haven't known each other for long, we've been through a lot together, and I have a great deal of trust in you," Shi Chuankong said as he rose to his feet before extending a solemn salute toward Han Li.

"Truth be told, I really don't want to get involved in your family matters. However, our lives are intertwined on this journey back to Night Sun City, so I'll do everything in my power to protect you. Having said that, please don't keep any more secrets from me," Han Li said in a serious voice.

"Rest assured, Brother Li, I've already told you everything, and I'll be sure to do everything in my power to fulfill the request that you made to me once we arrive at Night Sun City," Shi Chuankong promised.

After that, the two of them chatted for a while longer before Shi Chuankong departed, and after sitting in silence for a moment, Han Li made his way up to the second floor of the building.

There, he set up a restriction in a silent cultivation chamber before conjuring up a door of silver light and stepping into the bamboo building in the Flower Branch domain.

The second floor of the bamboo building was where Mo Guang had previously stayed, but at this moment, the room was occupied by Weeping Soul.

She was laying on the bed with pieces of Purple Sun Warm Jade hovering above her, giving off gentle energy fluctuations.

At this moment, her expression was very peaceful, and her breathing was slow and even. Her entire body was enshrouded in a layer of faint purple light, and it looked as if she were merely sleeping, but she showed no signs of waking up.

After replacing the low-grade Purple Sun Warm Jade in the array with ones of the mid-grade variety, Weeping Soul's condition had somewhat improved, but it wasn't enough to replenish her lost essential energy, so she still remained unconscious.

Han Li had given Shi Chuankong most of the mid-grade Purple Sun Warm Jade that they had obtained, and he had kept both of the pieces of high-grade Purple Sun Warm Jade for himself.

However, he knew that this didn't address the problem at its roots, so even high-grade Purple Sun Warm Jade wouldn't be enough to cure Weeping Soul's condition.

Right at this moment, Daoist Xie's voice suddenly rang out from outside the bamboo building.

"Can I come in, Fellow Daoist Li?"

Han Li immediately made his way down to the first floor upon hearing this, then invited Daoist Xie into the room, and the two of them sat down at a bamboo eight immortal table.

As soon as Daoist Xie sat down at the table, Han Li immediately noticed that there was a hesitant look on his face, in contrast with his normal perpetually neutral expression.

"Is something wrong, Brother Xie?" Han Li asked.

"Recently, a certain name has been frequently popping up in my mind, and I feel like it may have something to do with my former owner," Daoist Xie replied.

"What's the name?" Han Li asked.

"Scalptia Spatial Domain," Daoist Xie replied.

The name didn't ring any bells for Han Li, and he asked, "What's that?"

"I'm not sure myself, but the phrase has been frequently appearing in my mind of late," Daoist Xie replied with a shake of his head.

"It sounds like some type of secret area... How is this place related to your former owner?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.