Chapter 586: An Eye for an Eye
When Han Li heard what was being said he was stunned, but he soon found himself unsure whether he should laugh or cry.
He eventually realized that the speaker was the middle-aged man surnamed Feng. Han Li finally knew the reason he was so hostile towards him. The man mistakenly believed that Han Li and Mei Ning had some sort of intimate relationship because they had arrived together.
However, it was no surprise to Han Li that this Elder Feng would feel his heart stir upon seeing Mei Ning. The women in the village that he had seen weren’t beautiful in the least.
While Mei Ning wasn’t on par with country-shattering beauties such as Yuan Yao or Fairy Violet Spirit, she was still exceptionally gorgeous by all accounts. With the addition of her many years of cultivation, she possessed an alluring aura that mortals couldn’t possibly match.
“I can pretend that I didn’t hear that. I am a cultivator, I can’t marry a mortal. Please leave.” To Han Li’s surprise, Mei Ning was unwavering even while alone and spoke with a blunt coldness.
The middle-aged man grew enraged at Mei Ning’s refusal and his tone grew sinister, “Humph! It seems Lady Mei still doesn’t realize the situation she is in. This is the Umbra Realm, and your status as a cultivator has no value here. Perhaps commoners might hold some reverence towards you, but in my eyes, without any umbra beast gems you are merely an ordinary mortal. Could it be that you truly believe your male companion would be able to fight me? My martial arts were unrivaled in the entire Four Crest Seas. If I wanted to kill him, who could stop me?”
It was beyond Mei Ning’s imagination that a mortal would dare to threaten her and her voice began to tremble, “You dare to threaten me?”
“Of course I dare. Why wouldn’t I?”
“What do you intend…”
Not knowing what the man would do, Mei Ning suddenly yelled out in terror.
When Han Li heard this, he rubbed his nose and bitterly chuckled in his mind. Although it could be said that he had no prior relationship with the woman, she was still a fellow cultivator that was trapped in the Umbra Realm just like him. He wasn’t so heartless that he could ignore her current plight.
With that thought, Han Li wryly smiled. Bang! Before Mei Ning screamed a second time, he kicked open the room and confidently walked in.
Mei Ning was pushed into a corner of the room by the middle-man surnamed Feng. When he heard the door burst open, his evil grin was replaced with a look of astonishment.
When he saw that Han Li was the one who entered, his expression quickly grew sullen.
When Mei Ning saw Han Li, her pale expression immediately brightened as she ran out of the corner to Han Li’s side.
The woman managed to regain her bearings and immediately warned, “Fellow Daoist Han, be careful. That man wishes to do you harm!”
Without turning his head away from the man surnamed Feng, he calmly said, “Relax! I heard what he said from outside the room.”
The middle-aged man coldly stared at Han Li and asked with a harsh tone, “When did you return? I didn’t hear any movements.” He was extremely confident in his inner strength. With it, he could hear the rustling of leaves and grass from over forty meters away. However, he was baffled by the fact that he hadn’t been able to detect Han Li.
Han Li lazily turned his head towards the man surnamed Feng and half-heartedly said, “It seems you are quite confident in your martial arts. However, it was quite stupid of you to target me.”
When the middle-aged man heard this, a malicious look appeared in his eyes, “Stupid? It’s been a while since anyone has called me that. I’ll have to break one of your arms to discipline you.” His body then blurred without another word and he shot towards Han Li. As his palm fiercely struck towards Han Li’s right forearm, it grew somewhat larger and carried a powerful gale.
From his actions, it appeared that he truly wanted to break Han Li’s forearm in two.
As Han Li watched his quick and violent strike, his figure blurred with a calm expression and he left behind four different afterimages as he met his strike.
The middle-aged man was greatly shocked and reflexively turned his palm halfway to strike the silhouette before him. However, that silhouette was only an illusion, and his palm only struck air.
“This is…” Before the middle-aged man realized what had happened, a small azure dagger had silently been pressed against his throat.
The man felt an ice-cold sensation tremble throughout his body and his hair stood on end.
The middle-aged man heard Han Li speak from behind him with an emotionless tone, “It’s best that you don’t flail about. Although I don’t wish to leave the village due to murder, if you force my hand, I will reluctantly do so.”
The middle-aged man immediately froze as the dagger at his throat was incredibly sharp. He didn’t believe in the slightest that Han Li would hesitate to slice open his throat, and it would take but the slight movement. However, the fear on his face was accompanied by complete disbelief. He hadn’t been able to perceive Han Li going behind him in the slightest.
“Since your esteemed self planned to break my arm, it is only proper that I return the favor in kind.” Without waiting for a response, Han Li swiftly grabbed onto to his forearm at an odd angle and suddenly squeezed.
Crack. The middle-aged man’s forearm bones were cleanly snapped with an inconceivable burst of strength.
“Agh!” Although the middle-aged man was extremely hardy, he still felt an immense pain from his arm and groaned in pain. However, he wasn’t an ordinary man and managed to forcibly stifle his yelp despite the cold sweat covering his face.
Han Li resisted the impulse to finish him off and his body blurred away. With a calm expression, he warned, “Remember that if you dare to enter this building again, it won’t end with your arm. I’ll be taking your life as well.”
Han Li was able to suppress the man by utilizing the miraculous effects of the Shifting Smoke Steps, but he didn’t really intend on killing him as there would surely be someone who had seen the middle-aged man enter this building. He didn’t wish to suddenly be a target of pursuit immediately after coming to this unfamiliar land.
By breaking the middle-aged man’s arm, he had given himself half a month’s breathing room before he would recover his strength. This would give Han Li enough time to plan out what he would do in the future.
He knew that such a minor punishment was only a temporary measure, and that if he let him go, he would surely come back for trouble, given his forceful temperament. If a suitable opportunity arose in the future, Han Li wouldn’t mind secretly killing him.
“I’ve truly made an error in judgement . I didn’t expect that your esteemed self was a top rank martial arts expert. I admit defeat.” With an ashen expression, the middle-aged man uttered this before quickly leaving the building. His departing figure made for a rather sorry sight.
When Mei Ning saw the middle-aged man depart from the building she let out a breath of relief. She then saluted Han Li with a slight blush and said, “Many thanks for Brother Han’s assistance!”
Han Li casually fiddled with one of his flying swords before casually placing it back inside his robes. He nonchalantly said, “It was nothing. If you truly hold no interest in this person, then you should do your best to avoid him. However, if Lady Mei intends to remain in this village, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to become his bride.”
Mei Ning shook her head and bluntly said, “Marry him!? Absolutely not. Ever since I set foot on the path of immortal cultivation, I made a pledge that I would only be wed to a high grade cultivator. How could I possibly agree to marry a mortal without any spiritual roots?”
Han Li’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing the woman. He silently walked over to a chair and calmly sat down before closing his eyes.
While the woman was unable to achieve the same level of calm as Han Li after what she had just experienced, she went to the stone bed and also sat down. Not long after, her expression fluctuated as she expectantly asked, “Fellow Daoist Han, do you have any good plans to escape this place?”
After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes and insipidly said, “Did Lady Mei not listen to the method to depart this place? How could I possibly have a good idea for that already?”
When Mei Ning heard his response, she clearly didn’t believe him and her eyes quickly reddened, “Fellow Daoist Han, don’t deceive me. When I heard the elder’s method, I believed that it was impossible. Although Fellow Daoist remained silent, you appeared calm and confident. You clearly must have some method of escaping this place. Could it be that Brother Han believes this little woman to be a hindrance and plans to move by himself?”
