The Gratitude and Sorrow of the Heng Ha Two Generals, Plans for the Next Step

The ease of the transaction exceeded Yue Guan and Guimei's expectations. After handing the items over to Broad Hill, he kept his word and immediately gave the booklet to Yue Guan, even swearing an oath in front of them.

The moment Yue Guan and Guimei received the booklet, they prepared to take their leave. They could hardly wait to return and study it, to see whether its contents could help them break through, but Broad Hill stopped them with a single sentence.

"You'd better read it here first. Of course, you can leave directly if you want. The choice is yours." Broad Hill leaned comfortably against the back of his chair, the corners of his mouth slightly raised as he spoke lazily.

Yue Guan, who had been about to leave, stopped and turned his gaze toward Guimei in his black robe. After thinking for a moment, Guimei nodded, agreeing to Broad Hill's suggestion.

Thus, Yue Guan turned back and sat down again, leafing through the contents with Guimei.

Seeing Broad Hill's unusual behavior, Azure Luan had wanted to ask why this differed from what they had agreed upon earlier. But when Broad Hill winked at him, he chose not to ask further.

The hall fell silent, with only the sounds of Yue Guan and Guimei turning pages echoing continuously.

At first, the two read with great focus. But gradually, the farther they read, the worse their expressions became. Most of what was written was information they already knew. Their page-turning sped up and up, until they reached the useless nonsense. Their hands clenched tightly around the booklet, and even their auras grew faintly unstable.

"Don't be angry. Keep reading. You'll thank me," Broad Hill's voice sounded again.

The two took a deep breath and steadied their auras, continuing until the very last page. Their eyes fixed on the marked content. After a long while, their auras returned to calm, though bitter smiles appeared on both their faces. They understood why Broad Hill had said that.

"Thank you, Senior Broad Hill, for your guidance. It seems the two of us are not blessed with such fortune in this lifetime."

Yue Guan took the initiative to rise and bow, though he appeared somewhat more dejected. Guimei followed suit without speaking. Yet the black mist occasionally surging beyond his robe showed that his heart was equally unsettled.

"There's no need to thank me. This was a transaction. Besides, remaining at rank ninety-five isn't bad. Perhaps one day, you'll obtain some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to make up for your lacking potential." Broad Hill spoke words he did not believe himself, then his tone suddenly shifted. "If you truly want to break through, it isn't impossible. But you may not be able to accept the consequences."

Yue Guan and Guimei, who had already fallen into despair, were instantly invigorated by Broad Hill's words. They abruptly raised their heads and looked at the languid Broad Hill.

Then, both revealed bitter smiles again. "Senior, the two of us have nothing left to trade."

"A trade? That won't be necessary. Consider this information a gift, so you won't resent me for setting you two up." Broad Hill sat upright and gave them a half-smiling glance.

"We wouldn't dare." Yue Guan and Guimei bowed at the same time.

"See? Not daring isn't the same as not doing it," Broad Hill blurted out. He then waved a hand to interrupt their impending apologies and continued, "For those like you who possess a Fusion Skill, your comprehension is already sufficient. Breaking through to ninety-six won't be difficult. What you lack is potential. As long as you can find a high-age Soul Bone that is exceptionally suited to your martial souls to support you, your breakthrough will come naturally. Of course, it must be at least fifty thousand years old. The higher the age, the more reliable it will be. But once you break through this way, you will never make any further progress in this lifetime."

"Do you understand now? And can you accept it?"

Broad Hill spread his hands, leaned back against the chair, and closed his eyes, no longer paying attention to them.

Yue Guan and Guimei stood there, their expressions shifting for quite some time. In the end, they said nothing. They gave Broad Hill a deep bow, then silently departed.

After a long while, two sighs rang out in the hall almost simultaneously. Broad Hill opened his eyes again and glanced at Azure Luan and Han Li, who had just emerged from behind a pillar, seemingly unable to understand what they were sighing about.

"You master and disciple really are something. After scheming against others, you still make them thank you..."

Azure Luan did not continue, but both Broad Hill and Han Li understood what he meant.

"My good disciple, then what are you sighing about?"

Broad Hill glanced at Han Li, who was pretending to be profound, and asked.

"I simply pity the two of them. Two rank ninety-five Super Douluo with a Fusion Skill, who work tirelessly without complaint, yet they don't even have the courage to ask Bibi Dong for two high-age Soul Bones suited to them. Isn't that enough to make one sigh?" Han Li countered.

Azure Luan and Broad Hill were both stunned. After thinking about it, they realized that it really was true, and their eyes unconsciously gained a trace of pity.

After chatting with his master and martial uncle for a while longer, and receiving another gold card worth one million Gold Soul Coins, Han Li chose to take his leave and happily headed toward his residence.

He first needed to deal with those precious plants. Though they might be of no use to him for the time being, he had promised Chrysanthemum Douluo after all. Besides, having a garden was something he was happy to see. It would give Xiu'er something to do, so she would not spend all her free time mingling with those maidservants and having her thoughts polluted.

Before long, he returned to his residence. He first summoned Xiu'er, took out the plants, and handed her the cultivation manual Chrysanthemum Douluo had given him. After especially reminding her to care for them attentively, Han Li watched Xiu'er grow excited simply because there was something she could help with. He shook his head, unsure what to say, and simply let her get to work.

After returning to his room and instructing the maidservants not to disturb him, Han Li sat at the table and took out the Plant Encyclopedia. He had no intention of memorizing it all immediately. Instead, he stared at the booklet and fell into thought.

His fingers lightly tapped against the tabletop, and amid the rhythmic sounds, his thoughts gradually became clearer.

Because of the intensive training over the past three months, he had not had time to plan his future development. Now that his schedule had loosened slightly, he needed to gradually bring the feasible parts of his previous ideas into action.

There was no rush to obtain the immortal herbs. From Yue Guan's records, although immortal herbs were better consumed earlier, there was still a basic threshold.

With his current strength and physique, even if he obtained them through other means, in the Douluo Continent, where everything relied on soul skills and all other aspects developed crudely, he probably would not be able to consume them directly. Was he supposed to let someone else benefit from them?

Don't joke around. Han Li wasn't some savior, and he certainly didn't enjoy being taken advantage of.

Broad Hill's relationship with him was good now, but it was nowhere near good enough for Broad Hill to conceal everything on his behalf. It was still too risky. He should proceed slowly according to the original plan. If necessary, he would not mind sacrificing himself and entering into a marriage alliance.

Ahem. Speaking of which, Snake Woman Dugu Yan had originally been his first choice in his earlier plans. He just did not know whether the Plane Consciousness of Douluo would give him any support in the field of finding a mother.

Of course, that was a matter for the future. Right now, he had something important that he needed to gradually introduce. How to bring it up more reasonably was what he needed to consider most.

Han Li continued considering one possibility after another in his mind, only to swiftly deduce the consequences and decisively discard them. This continued for nearly an hour before a smile finally appeared on his face.

This should work! Thanks to reader 20230602003414826 for the generous tip, orz!

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