As soon as Han Feng walked into the courtyard, a black shadow emerged from the corner of the wall.
Ling Ying.
Han Feng looked at this guard who had been diligently protecting Gu Xun'er. The aura on his body was much deeper than years ago, but he was still at the Dou Emperor stage, probably at the nine-star level.
Breaking through to Dou Ancestor was a difficult hurdle. It was not uncommon to be stuck at this stage for a few years or even decades.
However, as the guard of the eldest miss of the Gu Clan, Ling Ying's aptitude was slightly mediocre.
Perhaps there was another reason for a Dou Emperor to guard Gu Xun'er.
"Mr. Han, long time no see," Ling Ying greeted.
"Elder Ling."
Han Feng nodded slightly.
Ling Ying walked up to Han Feng, his eyes narrowing under the mask.
"Your aura... you've broken through to Dou Ancestor?"
Han Feng smiled without speaking and nodded.
"Hehe, stronger than this old man," Ling Ying laughed.
"Elder Ling's aura is profound. I think you are not far from breaking through to Dou Ancestor," Han Feng returned the compliment.
"Did you come back this time just to take a look or..."
"Just to take a look, but I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence," Han Feng said.
"If you were a few days later, Miss Xun'er would have already left."
"Is someone from the Gu Clan looking for her?"
Ling Ying hesitated slightly, then nodded.
"Someone from the clan has already urged her. After the miss comes of age, she should logically go back."
"She didn't agree?"
"No."
After speaking, Ling Ying looked at Han Feng with a somewhat strange gaze.
"Because of you."
Han Feng paused and sighed softly.
"Miss Xun'er is really a person who values relationships."
"Only towards you," Ling Ying said.
"I have been guarding the miss all these years. She seems warm to others, but in reality, she always keeps her distance."
"Only the book you gave her, she reads every day."
With every sentence Ling Ying said, Han Feng's heart grew heavier.
Compared to Xun'er's feelings for him, he had indeed been somewhat negligent.
When they parted ways back then, he thought that when they met again many years later, they would just be nodding acquaintances.
But who would have thought...
The girl had placed her hopes on him.
Han Feng had previously said that it might be inappropriate for the Gu Clan leader to raise his daughter in such a free-range manner.
But looking at it now, what right did he have to say such things?
He gave the other party a little bit of care, and then ignored her afterwards.
He was also an incompetent elder.
"Thanks to you for staying by Miss Xun'er's side all these years," Han Feng sighed.
In the end, Ling Ying, the guard, was the most competent.
"It's my duty, nothing to say."
"I'm telling you this just to let you know that the miss misses you very much. Don't break her heart."
When Ling Ying said this, his tone was somewhat serious.
"Naturally," Han Feng nodded solemnly.
Ling Ying said no more and burrowed back into the shadows.
Han Feng walked to the courtyard door and knocked.
"Xun'er?"
Footsteps quickly came from the room.
Gu Xun'er opened the door and welcomed him with a smile.
"Mr. Han, come in quickly."
Han Feng walked into the room and looked at the three women.
"What were you talking about so happily just now?"
"We were talking about what you've been doing all these years, Master," Lin Xian'er said.
"Xun'er said she was very curious."
Han Feng sat down on a chair.
"When I have time, I'll take you to see the places I've been," Han Feng said gently, looking at Gu Xun'er.
Gu Xun'er nodded expectantly.
"Mr. Han, I heard from Sister Xian'er just now that you have important business to attend to this time. Can Xun'er help?"
Han Feng was taken aback. His disciple had even told her about this?
Lin Xian'er smiled embarrassedly.
Gu Xun'er called her Sister Xian'er, which made her a little carried away for a moment.
"Master, Xun'er has waited for you for so many years. Since we have to go back to Jia Nan Academy anyway, why don't we take her with us?"
Han Feng gave his disciple a strange look and nodded.
"If Xun'er wants to follow, naturally she can."
Han Feng felt a little guilty towards Gu Xun'er. How could he refuse her small request?
"Really? That's great!" Gu Xun'er said in surprise.
In this way, she could spend more time with Han Feng.
"Tell that mentor about this later. Don't leave without saying goodbye."
"Mm!"
Gu Xun'er nodded.
"I'll go right now."
"Let's go together. We can take a stroll in Wu Tan City."
Han Feng also stood up, and Lin Xian'er and Qing Lin stood up to follow.
The four of them walked out of the Xiao family's main gate together.
Ling Ying silently followed behind.
Arriving at the enrollment square in the city, Gu Xun'er went in and told Ruo Lin about her leave request. The other party agreed quickly without testing her like she did with Xiao Yan.
Mainly because Han Feng was an academy elder, she could rest assured.
And Ruo Lin vaguely felt that she had no choice but to agree. Gu Xun'er didn't take Jia Nan Academy seriously at all.
If she refused, this girl would probably just quit, and her enrollment quota for this session would lose an SSS-level genius.
Gu Xun'er was swift and decisive. After explaining the matter, she immediately walked out.
"Mr. Han, I've settled it."
"Mm."
Han Feng smiled.
"Xun'er, you've stayed in Wu Tan City for so many years. Do you know any places worth visiting?"
Gu Xun'er thought for a moment. "Let's go to the Xiao family's marketplace. Sometimes there are some strange and novel gadgets there."
After the turmoil of the struggle between the three major families, the Xiao family's marketplace had become the biggest winner and the most important trading point in Wu Tan City.
Han Feng nodded.
"Then let's go there and have a look."
The four of them arrived at the Xiao family's marketplace. The three women went shopping together, while Han Feng followed behind, his gaze sweeping over the goods on both sides.
When he traveled in the past, he also liked to wander around similar marketplaces. If he was lucky, he might pick up some treasures.
But this time, his luck was average. After strolling through the entire Xiao family's marketplace, he didn't find anything worth picking up.
On the other hand, the three women got more and more excited as they shopped and bought quite a few things.
"Turn left ahead and it's the Miteer Commercial Firm. The things inside are more high-end than those in the marketplace, but they are also more expensive. Shall we go there and have a look?" Gu Xun'er said to the two women.
Lin Xian'er's eyes lit up when she heard the word Miteer.
Wasn't that the family that was on good terms with her master?
"Sure!"
So, the three women ran towards the Miteer Commercial Firm, and Han Feng followed helplessly.
Miteer was indeed Miteer. Even in the small Wu Tan City, its building was still resplendent.
Compared with the conventional buildings in the city, every part of it revealed luxury.
But auction houses were like this. If they didn't decorate themselves in a high-end manner, how could they raise the status of their customers and make them willing to pay more when bidding?
The three women browsed at the counter. Generally, products from within the Miteer family were sold there.
Occasionally, if the Miteer family was interested in some treasures they encountered, they would buy them out and keep them for exhibition and trading.
The flow of people in the hall was very large, and the service staff of the Miteer Commercial Firm didn't have time to attend to everyone one by one, so Han Feng wandered around on his own.
Suddenly, his gaze focused on a product.
[Foundation Building Spirit Liquid: Second-grade pill. Can help cultivators at the Dou Disciple stage speed up their cultivation speed without side effects.]
Han Feng's heart tightened inexplicably, as if he had grasped a clue.
He quickly found a waiter.
"Excuse me, how much is this Foundation Building Spirit Liquid?"
Seeing that Han Feng was in a hurry, the waiter put down what he was doing for the moment and went over to take a look.
"Sir, the fixed price for a small portion of this item is 20,000 gold coins."
"Since it is a special product with no supply source, the price is a bit higher."
The other party explained.
However, Han Feng didn't care about the price and directly took out a gold card.
"I'll take this."
Decisively swiping the card, the other party handed a small bottle of Foundation Building Spirit Liquid to Han Feng.
"Sir, please keep it safe."
Han Feng couldn't wait to open the bottle cap, poured out a drop of Foundation Building Spirit Liquid, and put it in his mouth.
"Sir!"
The waiter was shocked.
"This spirit liquid cannot be eaten!"
Han Feng turned a deaf ear and swallowed the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid.
It's over!
The waiter's face turned pale.
This Foundation Building Spirit Liquid cannot be eaten directly. The supervisor explained how to use it.
The waiter immediately found someone to call Master Gu Ni.
People can't die in the Miteer Auction House.
After Han Feng swallowed the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid, he quickly identified the ingredients in the spirit liquid.
One drop was not accurate enough, so he quickly took another drop.
A moment later, Han Feng's body began to tremble slowly, and his breathing became more rapid.
"Sir, are you alright?"
Han Feng's state made the waiter even more worried.
"Master..."
Han Feng clenched his fists, his heart incomparably excited.
"I've finally found you."
This Foundation Building Spirit Liquid was Yao Chen's exclusive formula. Han Feng wouldn't remember it wrong.
For Foundation Building Spirit Liquid to suddenly appear in the small Wu Tan City was a very strange thing in itself.
Because low-level cultivators simply didn't have the concept of foundation building, nor did they have such methods.
Don't look at it as just a second-grade pill, but it took Yao Chen several years to configure this secret recipe.
If it were in the Central Plains, perhaps someone would accidentally refine a similar spirit liquid.
But in fact, even if it was similar, Han Feng could distinguish the difference.
The facts told him that the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid before him was definitely made by his master!
Rapid footsteps soon came from the hall. Gu Ni rushed over upon hearing the news, thinking someone was causing trouble.
"This customer, you..."
Han Feng tried hard to calm down and looked at the newcomer.
"What's wrong?"
"You... are you okay?"
Gu Ni looked at the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid in his hand and asked in surprise.
The energy in this spirit liquid could not be taken directly.
For cultivators at the Dou Disciple stage, the most taboo thing was the impact of powerful energy.
"Are you the supervisor here?"
Han Feng asked instead.
Gu Ni nodded.
The person in front of him didn't look like a cultivator at the Dou Disciple stage, but since that was the case, why did he swallow the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid?
Did he have nowhere to spend his 20,000 gold coins?
Gu Xun'er and the others also rushed over at this time.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Lin Xian'er noticed that Han Feng's current state was a bit wrong, as if he was in a very concentrated and excited state.
"It's nothing."
Han Feng responded, then decisively took out the Miteer family elder token.
"I am an elder of the Miteer family. I have something to ask you."
Gu Ni glanced at the token and turned pale with fright.
He was an old timer and recognized the token in Han Feng's hand.
This was not just an elder.
This was... a Grand Elder!
"Gu Ni pays his respects to my lord!"
"Cut the crap. Where did this Foundation Building Spirit Liquid come from?"
Han Feng asked sternly.
Gu Ni glanced at the crowd. "My lord, let's talk inside."
Han Feng followed Gu Ni into the interior of the auction house.
Gu Xun'er and the others were in no mood for shopping at this time and followed Han Feng inside.
"My lord, this Foundation Building Spirit Liquid was sold to us by a mysterious alchemist before. I'm not very clear about his identity either."
Han Feng frowned.
Gu Ni quickly said, "But there is another person who might know his identity. I'll go call her right away."
Han Feng watched Gu Ni leave in a hurry and muttered in a low voice, "Alchemist..."
Soon, a beautiful woman in a red dress was brought in by Gu Ni.
"My lord, this is our auction house's chief auctioneer, Miteer Ya Fei. She was responsible for the transaction with that alchemist before."
Ya Fei bowed respectfully to Han Feng.
On the way here, she had heard from Gu Ni that the person before her was the family's Grand Elder.
"Do you know the identity of that mysterious alchemist?"
Han Feng looked at Ya Fei and asked.
Ya Fei seemed to be making a difficult decision in her heart.
She wasn't sure if she should reveal the identity of that alchemist.
After all, that little brother had extraordinary potential.
However, her hesitation, although not foolish enough to show on her face, was clear in the eyes of Han Feng, who was in the [Brahma Heart] state.
"You know the answer."
Han Feng's gaze was sharp, like an arrow piercing the heart, penetrating Ya Fei's soul.
Ya Fei instantly lost her composure and panicked. In her panic, she braced herself and replied, "Grand Elder, isn't the rule of the Miteer family that we cannot reveal the identity of our customers?"
Han Feng was silent.
"You're right."
"But you have to tell me about this matter."
Ya Fei clenched her jade hands nervously.
The moral balance in her heart was slowly sliding to the other side.
She didn't know Han Feng's intention for finding the other party, but her subconscious thought was definitely not a good one.
If because of this, Xiao Yan...
Gu Ni scolded in a low voice, "Ya Fei, what are you doing?! Say it quickly!"
This rule was just for show. Did you really take it as a standard?
Ya Fei took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
Actually, thinking about it carefully, she didn't have much of a friendship with Xiao Yan.
For this, she was willing to talk back to the Grand Elder. Ya Fei felt that she was crazy enough.
Sorry, Xiao Yan.
"Grand Elder, the one who sold the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid to the Miteer Commercial Firm is the third young master of the Xiao family, Xiao Yan. However, I think this spirit liquid was not refined by him. It is very likely just related to him."
"Recently, the three major families in the city have been fighting, and a mysterious alchemist helped the Xiao family. I think it might have been refined by that alchemist."
Han Feng's stern gaze slowly softened, and he looked a bit lost.
"Xiao Yan..."
So that's it.
Three years of Dou Qi disappearance, and then spending a year to rise and overtake, stunning everyone.
It turned out that Master was helping him.
"Grand Elder..."
Seeing Han Feng staring at her, Ya Fei became even more nervous.
"That's all I know."
Han Feng came back to his senses and glanced at Ya Fei.
"You did very well. Xiao Yan must have been in disguise when he sold the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid to you, right? Did you recognize him, or did he confess to you?"
"I recognized him by accident."
Ya Fei responded.
"You have a good relationship with Xiao Yan, and you would rather offend me than hide it for him?"
Han Feng asked.
Ya Fei's heart tightened, and she said somewhat bitterly, "I... do have some friendship with him, but now... it's gone."
In any case, she had chosen to betray Xiao Yan.
Han Feng smiled gently.
"No need to be so nervous. I am friends with Xiao Yan's father. I won't hurt him."
"Really?"
Ya Fei was pleasantly surprised.
"Alright, you go down first. We'll talk about rewards later."
Han Feng waved his hand.
Gu Ni immediately took Ya Fei and withdrew.
In the room, Han Feng pinched the center of his brow.
"Master..."