A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248

by Translator: Johnchen

  [TL: gecko cinnabar is supposed to tell whether or not someone is a virgin.]

  As Han Li watched, the woman clenched her teeth and she lightly pressed her thumb onto the spot before quickly releasing it.

  Han Li’s heart stirred as he watched from the bedside. He saw the spot of gecko cinnabar gradually fade away to reveal a silver phoenix pattern. The flowing brilliance made it appear astonishingly lifelike.

  Han Li muttered in delighted surprise, “So this is the Transient Jade Spirit Phoenix!”

  “Fellow Daoist should now know that I spoke truthfully.” Mei Ning glanced at Han Li to confirm that he had seen it and hastily rolled down her sleeve with a flushed expression.

  Han Li nodded his head and silently returned to his seat as he started to think.

  Although she cannot be compared to those with extraordinary spiritual roots, she still possessed a rare constitution that was rarely seen even once every hundred years. It’s presence was to be celebrated in the cultivation world and everyone knew of its existence.

  Although only female cultivators could possess this constitution and it didn’t provide any assistance on the path of cultivation, they would be in great demand by many male cultivators. This was because once the woman entered late Foundation Establishment stage, her body would produce a strand of pure Transient Spirit Qi.

  This Transient Spirit Qi was known to be one of the seven pure spiritual powers in the world. While it was of no use to a woman, it could easily cleanse a man’s essence and allow their cultivation to greatly progress.

  Of course, while this essence cleansing effect was of lesser value to higher grade cultivators, it was still comparable to ancient rare medicinal pills.

  However, this Transient Spirit Qi was something that could only be passed to a man willingly. There was no way to forcefully extract it from her by using a secret technique. Furthermore, in her entire lifetime, she would only be able to give the Transient Spirit Qi once. She won’t be able to produce more of the spirit Qi for the rest of her life. Additionally, if she lost her maidenhood before the Transient Spirit Qi was transmitted, it would vanish.

  Han Li had previously browsed through records that were related to this matter. After recalling them, Han Li felt that if he acquired this spirit Qi, it could be possible that he’d be able to use a bit of magic power. After all, Transient Spirit Qi was one of the seven pure spirit Qi’s in the world. At the very least, it should allow him access to his storage and spirit beast pouches. With that thought, Han Li raised his head and swept his gaze to the beautiful woman, calmly asking, “Lady Mei, could you tell me your other condition?”

  After some hesitation, Mei Ning resolutely said, “It’s simple. I wish for Brother Han to find my elder brother and bring him out of the Umbra Realm.”

  After some consideration, Han Li shook his head and said, “I’m afraid that I will only be able to meet that condition halfway.”

  “Halfway?” Mei Ning wore a strange expression. It was clear she didn’t understand what he meant by this.

  “Yes. There is another reason why I can’t remain in the Umbra Realm for too long. As such, I can only agree to do my utmost and spend three months searching for your brother. If I am not able to find him within that time, then I will have to set off immediately.”

  After some thought, and feeling that Han Li wouldn’t budge on this matter, she nodded her head and agreed, “Three months! This place isn’t that large. You should be able to find him in that time. Alright, I accept.”

  Han Li smiled at her frank acceptance. Mei Ning then stared at Han Li and slowly said, “Although I’ve only known you for a short while, I don’t believe that I’ve misjudged you. As such, to prove to you that I intend to keep my word, I will give you the Transient Spirit Qi whenever you ask. If Brother Han wishes for it now, then I will not hesitate to give it to you.”

  Chapter 588: Sensual Kiss

  Han Li was surprised that the woman had spoken so bluntly. However, his surprise only lasted for a moment before his expression quickly returned to normal. “The Umbra Realm is extremely dangerous, and surprises are almost certain to happen. It would be best that I immediately recover magic power so that I may take out a few treasures. Otherwise, we may be unprepared when danger comes knocking.”

  Whe Mei Ning heard Han Li, she nodded without the slightest surprise, but she soon thought of something and a slight blush appeared on her face. She whispered, “If I still had magic power, I would be able to easily give you the Transient Spirit Qi with a mere touch of the hand. But under these circumstances, I am only able to transfer it to you through... through mouth to mouth contact.” When Mei Ning said ‘mouth to mouth contact’, she lowered her head and her voice grew nearly indiscernible.

  Han Li was startled, but upon seeing her heart-wrenching bashfulness, his heartbeat quickened. In order to restore his magic power, he would have to kiss this beautiful woman. This was an alluring affair that Han Li wouldn’t even have thought of, arousing a strange sensation in his heart. The air in the room became obscurely warm.

  Seeing Mei Ning silently lower her head, Han Li knew that she wouldn’t take the initiative despite having little experience in this regard. After all, they didn’t have a particularly intimate relationship.

  With that thought, Han Li wordlessly stood up and arrived at the stone bed’s side with a blur, sitting closely at the woman’s side.

  Mei Ning unconsciously pulled back, but Han Li’s arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her in place.

  The woman’s heart began to heavily thump as she raised her head. When she saw Han Li’s mysterious smile, she bowed her head again with a blush. However, Han Li raised her head with his free hand and prevented her from turning away. Mei Ning felt her mind grew completely blank as her heart fluttered. Han Li took a deep breath and smelled her faint fragrance. Then when he saw the bashful charm that exuded from her eyes, his heart grew fervent and he could no longer restrain himself. He lowered his head and fiercely pressed his lips onto hers.

  It was warm, fragrant, and even a little sweet, arousing a feeling of ecstacy. As this occurred, Mei Ning’s eyes grew weak and despondent. But a short moment later, she regained her bearings and she weakly attempted to push Han Li away.

  Although she had already made preparations for Han Li’s advance, she became overwhelmed with shyness as she faced the real thing and became completely flustered. Although this woman had many suitors, she had never been intimate with any of them.

  The kiss sent waves of ecstasy throughout Han Li, leaving him filled with desire.

  When she pushed her hands against Han Li, he boorishly pressed against her soft body. Taking advantage of the fact they were on the bed, he greedily grasped her lips with his own as if they were ambrosia.

  Given Mei Ning’s inferior strength, she had lost hope of breaking free once she entered his embrace. Although she had weakly struggled for a moment, she had eventually given up all resistance and closed her eyes, taking in the dense masculine scent that surrounded her. Her cheeks were flushed red as her long eyelashes fluttered, and her mind grew confused and lost.

  For a time, the woman had completely forgotten to bestow the Transient Spirit Qi.

  However, due to Han Li’s exceedingly staunch will, he was able to regain clarity from his crazed passion after a short moment.

  Han Li parted lips with Mei Ning for the time being and brought his mouth to her fine small ears. He chuckled and said, “Lady Mei, although the feeling of a man and a woman being together is truly wonderful, don’t forget to bestow the Transient Spirit Qi to me.”

  When she heard this, her body trembled and her face grew to an even deeper shade of scarlet.

  Han Li’s boorish behavior from before had now disappeared. He gently pressed his lips against her small mouth and began to feel a cold sensation slowly enter his body from their lips.

  Han Li didn’t dare to be negligent and hastily climbed off Mei Ning and sat down cross-legged to the side as
he began to circulate the spiritual Qi throughout his body.

  Soon after, Mei Ning sat upright on the bed and flusteredly straightened out her disheveled robes with a scarlet face. For a time, she was incapable to regaining her bearings. The woman hesitantly stole a quick peek at Han Li and saw that his eyes were closed, causing her to unconsciously sigh in relief.

  She then stood up from the bed and walked over to the chair that Han Li originally sat in. A complicated expression appeared on her face as she began to stare at Han Li’s tranquil expression.

  After an unknown amount of time, Han Li eventually opened his eyes and saw the worried expression in Mei Ning’s eyes. In that instant, she hastily turned her face away, not daring to meet his gaze.

  Han Li smiled upon seeing that the woman was at a loss. However, his smile immediately disappeared as he slapped his storage pouch. Items began to continuously emerge with flashes of white light, appearing at Han Li’s side. Not longer after, a large pile had formed.

  There were materials such as demon beast hides among these items. It was unknown what Han Li intended to use them for.

  “You can use magic power!” Although Mei Ning held confidence in her Transient Spirit Qi, she had shouted in joy upon seeing that Han Li was truly able to use his storage pouch.

  Han Li smiled and said, “I don’t possess enough magic power to even cast low grade magic techniques, but opening a storage pouch shouldn’t be a problem.” After making sure that he had everything he needed, he put away the ancient treasures such as the golden mirrors, the flower basket, and the silver bell into the storage pouch with a wave of his sleeve.

  When Mei Ning saw this, she was overwhelmed for a moment. An odd expression appeared on her face when she glanced at the pile of items at Han Li’s side.

  Feeling that something was amiss, she hesitantly asked,“Brother Han, I haven’t asked you this yet. Are you a Foundation Establishment cultivator?”

  Han Li had no intention of concealing anything and openly replied, “Of course not. I am a Core Formation cultivator!”

  “What!” Although Mei Ning had suspected this, she couldn’t but cry out in surprise.

  Han Li chuckled and paid no further heed to the woman’s sudden change in expression. He slapped the spirit beast pouch at his side, summoning a small monkey in a flash of brilliance. Surprisingly, the Weeping Soul Beast was extremely excited once it appeared. It sniffed around Han Li several times before frequently hopping around him.

  Han Li’s heart stirred at the sight.

  Having yet to recognize this famed beast, Mei Ning merely glanced at the monkey with a curious expression.

  “Lady Mei, stay here for a moment. I wish to take advantage of my remaining magic power and attend to a few matters,” Han Li calmly said.

  “A few matters?” The woman blinked in slight confusion.

  Without saying anything further, Han Li began to store various items amongst his robes and departed from the room without paying any heed to the items he left behind.

  Upon leaving the room, Han Li glanced around. The sky appeared the same as always since there was differentiation of day or night, but regardless, there was far less movement in the village. It was likely that a majority of people had fallen asleep.

  Han Li beckoned to the Weeping Soul Beast, and had it enter his sleeve with a quick scamper. He then smiled at Mei Ning before confidently walking off.

  As for Mei Ning, she merely remained in the room with blank confusion on her face.

  Han Li walked through the village with extremely nimble movements, avoiding the gaze of others. In an instant, he stopped in front of one of the larger buildings in the village. After taking a quick glance around, he pushed open the door without any hesitation and walked inside. Han Li’s expression then revealed joy. As expected, this was one of the buildings that stored “dark water”.

  Han Li took out several large capacity void containers that he early grabbed from his storage pouch and filled up about half of the building’s reserves before leaving.

  Then after turning a few corners, he spotted a rather unusually fashioned stone building. His expression stirred and he stopped in place. If hadn’t guessed incorrectly, this should be the residence of the middle-aged man surnamed Feng.

  At that moment, he felt his meager magic power begin to fade away.

  Chapter 589: Guests

  Han Li swept his gaze over his surroundings. Ensuring that no one was nearby, he slapped his spirit beast pouch and had a single black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetle silently fly out. Then with great difficulty, he managed to command it with a sliver of spiritual sense. The insect then shot toward the stone room with a buzz and slipped in through a small crack.

  The building was extremely quiet.

  Han Li inwardly sneered and walked back to his residence without looking behind him. By the time he had turned a corner, he heard a miserable wail from the middle-aged man’s residence.

  Han Li pursed his lips and expressionlessly continued on his way. However, the disturbance had already began to attract the attention of the villagers.

  Since the middle-aged man was all but guaranteed to come for revenge, it would be better to cleanly deal with him while Han Li still had use of his magic power and spiritual sense. Otherwise, the man would remain a worry on his mind.

  The remaining magic power that had been produced by the Transient Spirit Qi had disappeared by the time he returned to his residence. Likewise, his spiritual sense was once again incapable of leaving his body. Han Li could only shake his head in helplessness as he hurried back.

  After walking into the room, he found Mei Ning lying down on the bed. From the rhythm of her soft breaths, it seemed she had fallen asleep a while ago.

  When Han Li saw her sleeping figure, he recalled the kiss from not long before and felt his heart roil. But after seeing the woman’s figure coldly curled up on the bed, he hesitated for a moment before fetching a large piece of demon beast hide from the pile of materials on the table and placing it on top of the woman.

  She soon relaxed her expression, and she unconsciously rolled the beast hide around her, remaining soundly asleep.

  Han Li couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

  This turn of events was of no surprise. Although she possessed a body that was far superior to ordinary mortals, she was still a member of the fairer sex and both her mind and body must’ve been exhausted from all that happened. As a result, she had unintentionally fallen asleep.

  Han Li smiled and then turned his attention to the pile of materials on the desk with a strange expression appearing in his eyes.

  Not long after, Mei Ning slowly roused from her slumber. Before her eyes were entirely open, she heard a calm voice speak, “If Fellow Daoist Mei is awake, then please get up. We will be busy with preparations over the next two days.”

  After she heard Han Li’s words, her face reddened and she sat up. Naturally, the demon beast hide fell off as a result.

  This surprised her and she glanced in the direction of Han Li’s voice with a complicated expression.

  Han Li was currently sitting in a chair and was handling a rather large piece of demon beast hide. After Mei Ning rose, he smiled at her.

  “Would Fellow Daoist Mei happen to be skilled in needlework? I have a few high grade fire-attribute demon beast hides. If it is possible, it would be best to turn them into clothes so that we’d be able to better resist Yin winds.”

  Mei Ning’s embarrassment waned after seeing that Han Li hadn’t brought up the matter of yesterday’s kiss. But for some unknown reason, she also felt a trace of indescribable disappointment. Still, her face slightly blushed as she replied, “I can give it a try, but I’ll be requiring a needle and thread.”

  Han Li grabbed a faint blue needle on the table and handed it over to her. “This demon beast hide is rather tough. Only flying needle magic tools are able to pierce through them. You’ll also be using the beast’s tendons to sew the hide together. In the end, we
will only use this to withstand the Yin winds so there is no point in caring about appearance.”

  The needle was a top grade magic treasure that was extremely sharp. Han Li had acquired it from some unfortunate cultivator that he had already forgotten about. He felt that it would prove quite useful as of present and took it out of his storage pouch.

  Mei Ning bit on her lips and softly whispered, “I will do my best.”

  Han Li nodded and thought to say something else when he heard footsteps from outside. An old man’s voice soon followed, “Is Fellow Daoist present?”

  “Who is it?” Han Li asked, confused. He felt that the voice was rather familiar, and soon recalled that it belonged to the long haired old man.

  “Hehe, Fellow Daoist and I had quite an enjoyable chat yesterday on top of the stone platform!”

  Since it was the cultivator from the day before, Han Li found it awkward to keep the door shut. And since he was also curious about why they had suddenly paid him a visit, he walked towards the door and opened it, revealing the chuckling long-haired old man and two other old men behind him. One was red-faced and white-haired while the other had a hunchback and an eerie aura.

  “Please, come in!” Han Li confidently invited the three in without asking them of their intentions.

  “So this is Fellow Daoist Mei!” When the three saw Mei Ning, they revealed a slight trace of astonishment before calmly saluting her.

  Mei Ning returned the greeting and moved to stand by Han Li’s side. She remained silent as if she were deferring the matter to Han Li.

  The three pensively glanced at one another. After they took a seat, Han Li glanced at the other two and slowly asked, “Are these two also...?”

  “Fellow Daoist guessed correctly. These two are fellow cultivators who arrived from the Great State of Jin. This is Fellow Daoist Yun from the Heavenly Talisman Sect, and this is Fellow Daoist Jin from the Four Seas Institute.”

  Han Li nodded his head to each of them. The two then examined Han Li before politely smiling at him.