Within the Seven Profound Sect, on the very day Han Feng left, Wang Juechu announced to the public that he had accepted Li Feiyu as his Final Disciple.
As soon as the news came out, the entire sect was shaken once again.
Then, a second piece of news arrived.
Li Feiyu had been promoted by special dispensation and would take over as Hall Master of the Outer Blade Hall!
For a time, Li Feiyu's residence was swarmed with visitors, with a constant stream of people coming to offer their congratulations.
Amid the noisy congratulations, Li Feiyu seemed somewhat distracted.
He had received a letter delivered by someone sent by the Han brothers. It contained only a few brief lines informing him that they had already left.
Li Feiyu pushed everyone aside and charged toward Divine Hand Valley as if mad.
The valley remained unchanged, its plants lush and green.
But where were Han Li and Han Feng?
Li Feiyu stood at the mouth of the valley, staring blankly at the deserted wooden house. Only after a long while did he let out a deep sigh.
An indescribable loneliness covered his face as he murmured softly toward the empty valley.
"Brother... take care!"
On the official road, a carriage traveled eastward at an unhurried pace.
Inside the carriage, Han Feng and Han Li sat facing each other, while Qu Hun sat quietly in a corner like a statue.
The carriage's destination was none other than Han Family Village, where they had been born.
Han Li lifted one corner of the curtain and gazed at the scenery constantly retreating outside, his eyes carrying a trace of melancholy and anticipation.
He had left home at the age of ten, and now he was a seventeen-year-old boy.
Nearly seven years was enough time for countless things to change.
He wondered whether his parents were still healthy, and whether his little sister had grown into a young woman by now.
Compared with Han Li's nervousness at returning home, Han Feng's emotions did not fluctuate much.
He had crossed into this world, after all.
All told, he had stayed in this village for only a few days.
To him, the villagers were merely hurried passersby on the journey of life. His emotional ties to them were far weaker than those he had with his master, Wang Juechu, and his old acquaintances in the Seven Profound Sect.
After traveling for several days, the carriage finally arrived at Han Family Village one afternoon.
The old locust tree at the village entrance looked just as it always had, but the village itself had changed greatly.
The two brothers got out of the carriage and slowly walked into the village.
Before long, they saw the Han family's new residence.
The dilapidated mud-brick house was long gone, replaced by a spacious courtyard of green bricks and tiled roofs.
Thanks to the silver the brothers had continuously sent home from the Seven Profound Sect over the years, the Han family had now become the foremost wealthy household in Han Family Village!
The courtyard gate stood wide open, and a large red character for "double happiness" had been pasted on either side of it.
A small troupe of musicians was playing noisily in front of the gate. The sound of suona horns and gongs and drums blended into a lively din.
Today was actually the day Han Li's little sister was getting married.
Han Li stood in the distance without going forward to reveal his identity.
He merely watched in silence as the little sister who had still been a yellow-haired child in his memories had grown into a graceful young woman. Wearing a red veil and surrounded by blessings, she was helped into the bridal sedan by the groom's family.
Firecrackers erupted, and the wedding procession gradually moved away.
Only after that patch of red had completely vanished down the road at the village entrance did Han Li withdraw his gaze.
He turned and said softly to Han Feng,
"Let's go."
With this matter settled, it was time to set out as well.
The two did not linger. Taking Qu Hun with them, they quietly left Han Family Village.
At a fork in the road not far outside the village, two carriages that had been prepared in advance were waiting.
It was time to part ways.
Han Li planned to travel to the Mo Family in Lanzhou, and Han Feng was not worried about him.
With Han Li's current strength and temperament, together with Qu Hun, his ultimate killing weapon, handling that group of ordinary people from the Mo Family would be a piece of cake.
"Brother Feng, take these..."
Han Li took a cloth bag from his Storage Bag and handed it to Han Feng.
Han Feng had mentioned before that in the Immortal Cultivation World, medicinal herbs with considerable age were also valuable and could be used for trade.
However, Han Feng had not told Han Li exactly how valuable those herbs were.
"Doctor Mo had quite a few old medicinal herbs in his collection. I don't know much about them, but perhaps they'll be useful to you..."
Han Feng accepted the cloth bag and opened it for a look.
A rich medicinal fragrance rushed into his face.
Inside the bag were seven or eight medicinal herbs of various shapes. Each was stored in a fine wooden box, and Spiritual Energy practically radiated from them.
Han Feng only opened the boxes and glanced inside, but his heart was already filled with pleasant surprise.
At least three or four of them were Thousand Year Spirit Medicines. The remaining few were also rare treasures several hundred years old!
Doctor Mo's collection?
That excuse was far too flimsy.
These were clearly the herbs that had been grown with the Little Green Bottle.
However, he naturally had no intention of exposing Han Li's well-intentioned lie.
He accepted this gift from his elder cousin with a clear conscience.
"All right, then I won't stand on ceremony."
"See you at the Southern Wasteland Gathering in a few months!" Han Feng said solemnly as he put away the cloth bag.
"See you at the Southern Wasteland Gathering!"
Han Li clasped his fists as well.
The two brothers exchanged no further words. Each boarded a carriage, heading in different directions as they went their separate ways.
The carriage slowly started moving. Han Feng leaned against the carriage wall, and with a thought, a semitransparent Attribute Panel unfolded before his eyes.
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