"You!"
Yun Yun opened her mouth, wanting to scold Gu Han.
How could he mention bathing together in front of Nalan Yanran?
But seeing Gu Han's complete lack of interest and his righteous and stern appearance, she felt she couldn't make a big deal out of it.
They had merely used the same hot spring, making them bathing buddies. She couldn't let her disciple misunderstand.
"It is indeed something I lost." Yun Yun reached out and took the hairpin, her expression calm. "You didn't need to bring it here specifically. I would have naturally retrieved it the next time I went."
"As for you, since you discovered that place by accident, you'd best not go there again without my permission."
This was her way of explaining to Nalan Yanran that she and Gu Han had merely run into each other by chance at a place where one could bathe.
"Yes," Gu Han replied without any sincerity, then turned to Nalan Yanran. "Senior Sister, let's set off."
Nalan Yanran was eager to gossip, but a single glance from Yun Yun extinguished the thought. She decided it was better to ask Gu Han later.
"Teacher, your disciple takes her leave," Nalan Yanran said, bowing respectfully before departing.
"Sect Master, I'll be going now," Gu Han said, as casually as if he were saying goodbye to a friend.
"Go on, come back after you've handled your business," Yun Yun said, feigning indifference with a wave of her hand.
After Gu Han and Nalan Yanran had left, Yun Yun bit her silver teeth, the tips of her ears turning a faint red. "That little rascal, he must have done it on purpose."
Returning her personal hairpin in front of Nalan Yanran would surely make her suspect the nature of their relationship.
"That little sly fox, what a wolf in sheep's clothing, hmph!"
Meanwhile, Nalan Yanran walked ahead, leading Gu Han down the mountain.
As they passed through the outer sect, Gu Han noticed Zhang Chuchen standing not far away, holding his sword. They exchanged a look, and after an imperceptible nod, Gu Han didn't go over to speak, continuing to follow Nalan Yanran.
It wasn't until they were on horseback, heading for the imperial capital, that Nalan Yanran couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer. "Are you very familiar with Teacher?"
"We're so-so," Gu Han answered truthfully.
In his past life, relationships with women could be categorized as first base, second base, third base, and a home run.
If bathing together counted as intimate physical contact, then he had only reached first base.
"Then why were you two meeting so late at night, and how did you come to pick up Teacher's personal hairpin?" Nalan Yanran was clearly unconvinced.
The place where Gu Han and Yun Yun met seemed to be a place for bathing.
If she didn't know Yun Yun's character, she would have suspected her own teacher of cradle-robbing.
"This question, would you ask the Sect Master?" Gu Han retorted.
"Of course not." Nalan Yanran thought to herself that she wasn't that foolish.
"Then why do you think I would answer?" Gu Han asked, his face expressionless.
"You!" Nalan Yanran opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
In terms of talent and strength, Gu Han was superior to her, and now he even had a close relationship with her teacher.
Most importantly, Gu Han had done her a favor, so she couldn't really do anything to him!
The rest of the journey was quiet. The two entered through the north city gate and headed towards the eastern district.
Passing through the marketplace in the northern district, Gu Han made up a random excuse and had Nalan Yanran take him to the third marketplace.
"This second-tier Magical Beast corpse, I'll take it." Gu Han led his horse to a stall and asked, "How much do you want for it?"
The middle-aged man looked up, his gaze sweeping over Gu Han's clothes and the rank insignia on his chest. His expression grew more solemn. "Young Master, there's a high probability that this corpse contains a second-tier Magic Core."
"You are a disciple of the Cloud Mist Sect. I'll sell you the entire corpse for five thousand gold coins. What do you think?"
A second-tier Magic Core was three to four times the price of a first-tier one, and since the Purple Wing Cloud Crane was a flying Magical Beast, it was normal for its price to be higher than that of an ordinary Magical Beast.
Five thousand gold coins was indeed a fair price. Even if there was room for haggling, Gu Han couldn't be bothered.
After all, his target was the Purple Wing Cloud Crane egg that possessed the Heavenly Demon Phoenix bloodline.
If news of that got out, people would offer five hundred thousand gold coins for it.
"Deal!"
Gu Han took out a gold card with a value of five thousand gold coins and handed it to the middle-aged man. At the same time, with a wave of his hand, he stored the Purple Wing Cloud Crane's corpse into the Black Tortoise Mystic Realm—though to outsiders, it looked like he had put it into a Storage Ring.
"A straightforward Young Master!" The middle-aged man's face lit up with joy.
He had expected Gu Han to use his status to haggle the price down further and was prepared to make less of a profit on this deal.
Gu Han nodded slightly and turned to leave.
Just then, a young man's voice sounded from the side. "I want that corpse too. Would you be willing to part with it, brother?"
Gu Han tilted his head slightly and saw a bare-chested young man with bulging muscles.
"Not for sale," Gu Han spat out two words.
The young man's expression stiffened, and a lackey beside him immediately spoke up.
"Kid, our young master is from the Mu Family."
"You'd better think carefully before you speak."
"..."
Gu Han frowned slightly and looked at the young man. "Control your dog. He can't afford the price of his reckless barking!"
The young man frowned. At that moment, Nalan Yanran rode over on her horse and said, "Mu Zhan, what are you trying to do to my Junior Brother?"
"Nalan Yanran!" Mu Zhan narrowed his eyes, then suddenly smiled. "I was just asking. If he's not willing, then forget it."
With that, he turned and left with his guards.
"That person is Mu Zhan, the young master of the Dou King Mu Family. They are also the staunchest supporters of the royal family. Most of their clan members are in the imperial military, and they have a great deal of influence," Nalan Yanran explained to Gu Han.
"As far as I know, he should have already been assigned to the army for training."
Gu Han nodded, paying no mind to the small interruption.
Afterward, he followed Nalan Yanran to the Nalan family estate.
Nalan Su was already prepared. A Nalan family merchant caravan was gathered in front of the residence.
"Gu Han of the Cloud Mist Sect greets Patriarch Nalan," Gu Han said, cupping his fists in salute.
"Hello, young friend, welcome, welcome." Nalan Su instinctively frowned upon seeing a handsome young man beside his daughter, but when he saw the Five-Star Dou Fighter insignia the latter was wearing, his demeanor became extremely amiable.
After some pleasantries, Nalan Yanran and Nalan Su stepped aside to have a quiet chat.
When they finished, Nalan Su's gaze towards Gu Han became even warmer.
Nalan Yanran, on the other hand, handed a Storage Ring to Gu Han. "This is the compensation from Teacher for the Xiao Family. You can decide whether to give it, and how much to give, based on the situation."
"Alright." Gu Han put away the Storage Ring.
He was then arranged by Nalan Su to ride in a carriage at the rear.
Not long after, with an order from Nalan Su, the entire merchant caravan began to move.
Jia Ma Holy City and the Cloud Mist Sect were in the northernmost part of the Jia Ma Empire's northern province. Wu Tan City, on the other hand, was in the easternmost part of the northeastern province. It was the largest city in that province closest to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, surrounded by several satellite towns.
To get from Jia Ma Holy City to Utan City, one only needed to travel southeast along the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The journey would only take a few days on horseback.
Gu Han took out the Ice Jade and spent the entire journey cultivating in the carriage until night fell and the caravan stopped to make camp.
"Young friend, would you care to join us for supper?" Nalan Su personally invited Gu Han.
He had already learned from his daughter how monstrous this young man's talent was and that he had also earned Yun Yun's favor, so he wanted to proactively build a good relationship.
Gu Han didn't keep him at arm's length and agreed to dine with them, maintaining a polite facade throughout.
After he had eaten and drunk his fill, just as he was thinking of an excuse to slip away for a while, Zhang Chuchen's voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Junior Brother, be careful. We have uninvited guests!"
Gu Han's heart tightened, and he instantly became alert, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings.
He saw the bushes rustling in the woods not far away, with several pairs of faint green eyes glinting within.
Immediately after, low roars echoed from the forest, accompanied by a violent aura.
Nalan Su's expression changed slightly, and he commanded, "On guard!"