After Qiu Yueyao finished her vigil, Han Li planned to take her and leave Fenglei City to return to Lingjun City.
Before leaving, Han Li asked Qiu Xuan's disciples if they were willing to follow him back to Lingjun City, otherwise, he would send them to other counties within Fenglei Manor.
In the end, only Zhang Xuan was willing to follow Han Li back to Lingjun City; the others thought Lingjun City was too far and merely a county town; along with other reasons, they were unwilling to go.
Han Li casually settled the rest in a county town, gave them some cultivation resources, and then started the return journey with Qiu Yueyao and Zhang Xuan.
It was still Han Li who carried the two of them by flight, only the speed was much slower than on the way there. He wasn't in a hurry to get back, as long as he arrived in time for the birthday celebration. If he didn't make it in time, he could postpone it. Who else would dare say anything?
On the way back, Han Li kept part of his attention on flying, three parts on staying vigilant, and the rest on the Space Ring.
The principle behind the manufacturing of a Space Ring is very simple: the main material is a type of ore with spatial properties, which is then refined by an Artifact Refiner.
To refine a Space Ring, one needs at least a Profound Rank Artifact Refiner and to learn some corresponding spatial arrays for easy engraving. The larger the space, the stricter the requirements for refining.
Before this, Han Li didn't have a Space Ring. Although they aren't rare, they are quite expensive, and the main consumers are Cultivators of the Pihai Realm and above.
Previously, as an Innate Realm Cultivator, Han Li didn't have many cultivation resources, so it didn't make a difference whether he had a Space Ring or not.
"Qiu Xuan is actually not bad."
Han Li thought to himself. Although it might bring him disaster, the probability was very small, and the benefits were tangible. Not to mention the Rebirth Pill Formula, the Space Ring and the resources within were a significant fortune that nearly doubled his wealth.
For the time being, Han Li had no plans to purchase a new Space Ring; a ten cubic zhang Space Ring was enough for his use for a while.
As soon as he saw the Pill Formula, Han Li's heart heated up. Although he had no use for it himself, it solved a problem that had long troubled him.
Once his cultivation level was high enough, he could search for the appropriate materials to refine the Rebirth Pill, which he could then give his concubines to consume so they could reach higher realms and accompany him through the long years.
After calming down, Han Li was a bit confused. Why hadn't Qiu Xuan offered this Pill Formula to the Sect at Tianxuan Mountain, instead choosing to wait for death and send someone to ask him to take care of his posthumous affairs in Fenglei City?
If handed over to the Sect, Tianxuan Mountain would have definitely given generous rewards, and Qiu Xuan's injuries could have been easily healed, with the future possibility of advancing to the Hollow Realm Master.
What Han Li didn't know was that Qiu Xuan indeed considered offering the Pill Formula to Tianxuan Mountain, but he was incapacitated.
He had offended an inner gate Elder of the Tianxuan Mountain, a true person of the God Refining Realm. To appease the anger and save his life, he voluntarily promised to leave Tianxuan Mountain and never return, nor would he allow his disciples to join the Sect. Only then did the Elder spare him.
The Pill Formula that could enhance Cultivation Talent was too precious; Qiu Xuan dared not tell anyone, fearing the news might leak.
If he informed his disciples to report to Tianxuan Mountain, there was a potential they could turn traitor and divulge the information to the major powers of Fenglei City. Even if the disciples remained loyal, arriving safely at Tianxuan Mountain and making the report, it was likely that the inner gate Elder, upon learning that his disciple had come, would first think to suppress the matter.
Even if the Elder didn't kill the disciple, he might capture and interrogate them for information. If the Elder learned of the Pill Formula, there was a fear he would come to snatch it and eradicate any loose ends.
There were too many uncertainties, and under various reasons, Qiu Xuan didn't dare take the risk. If his family was endangered, it would be too late for regrets.
He could only blame his own misfortune; after his breakthrough to the Pihai Realm, he had injured the beloved grandson of that inner gate Elder due to a dispute.
Three days before the grand birthday celebration, Han Li, bringing Qiu Yueyao and Zhang Xuan, returned to Lingjun City, weary from the journey.
He had corresponding arrangements for the two: Zhang Xuan would become a guard commander in the Han Family, eligible to receive abundant cultivation resources. If he performed well, Han Li might even share some tips with him.
As for Qiu Yueyao, after some consideration, she decided to marry Han Li as a concubine.
She did not dislike Han Li, in fact, she had a rather good impression of him. Han Li was handsome, had a high level of cultivation, treated her well, and was a close friend of her father.
Since she had followed Han Li to Lingjun City, and had no one to rely on in the Han Family, she simply decided to become Han Li's concubine, thus directly turning from a guest into a hostess.
She had inherited Qiu Xuan's cultivation talent, and even better, she possessed a seventh-rank cultivation talent with the hope of breaking through to the Gangyuan Realm, yet she had never joined any major Leizhou Sects.
Tianxuan Mountain was out of the question, as was the Hehuan Sect. The Sword Cleansing Pool had requirements for one's talent in the Sword Dao, and the True Sun Sect only accepted male disciples.
Qiu Xuan's original plan had been to wait for Qiu Yueyao to reach the age of twenty and break through to the True Qi Realm, then take her to join the sect of Fenglei Manor. Although it was far from matching major sects like Tianxuan Mountain, it was still a decent choice, but plans couldn't keep up with changes.
Han Li had no objections to Qiu Yueyao's request. Why wouldn't he agree to a woman with a seventh-rank talent becoming his concubine? This way, he could also fulfill Qiu Xuan's last wish.
Qiu Yueyao was not only nineteen years old, but her appearance was also stunningly beautiful, pure and impeccable, exquisitely charming, even slightly surpassing Li Mingmeng.
He had never taken a woman with a seventh-rank talent as a concubine before, which was a bit of a pity for her mother, who died so young. Had she still been alive, he could have fulfilled his filial duties.
After settling Qiu Yueyao and Zhang Xuan properly, Han Li returned to the back courtyard. He hadn't seen his concubines for almost a month and missed them dearly; he certainly was not intending to perform any miracles through sheer willpower.
Soon, Han Li was living another round of blissful and joyful immortal days.
Three days later, Han Li's two-hundredth birthday celebration took place as scheduled, and the whole of Lingjun City came alive, with festivities far grander than those of his past concubine acceptances.
All forces and wealthy merchants from Lingjun City and even Fenglei Manor either came in person or sent representatives. In any case, everyone presented a token of their goodwill.
There were also crowds of onlookers, causing the city to be overloaded with people, turning it into a sea of humanity, which in turn made Lingjun City even more prosperous.
On the day of the birthday celebration, Han Li received congratulations from his descendants and people from various walks of life, giving numerous formal speeches and exchanging business pleasantries.
A few days after the celebration, Han Li formally married Qiu Yueyao, making her his thirteenth concubine.
It wasn't because he was particularly lustful; he wanted to use the occasion to wrap up affairs and then quietly observe and see if any forces were still investigating the whereabouts of the pill formula.
Of course, his attention to Qiu Yueyao would not be lacking; in fact, it would be even greater. The pomp of the wedding ceremony was much grander than before, after all, Qiu Xuan had left him a priceless pill formula.
That's what he thought, but the outside world was abuzz with different rumors.
Having just celebrated his two-hundredth birthday, only a few days had passed, and the old ancestor of the Han Family had taken another concubine. Such a high frequency of concubine acceptances was astonishing.
The old ancestor of the Han Family was so enamored with the company of women that he would ultimately meet his demise through them.
Han Li was aware of these rumors but was too indifferent to care. After a billion years, all these people would have long since perished; who would remember these matters then?
At night, the Han Mansion was filled with great jubilation, brightly lit and decorated everywhere.
Han Li entered the bridal chamber and saw Qiu Yueyao sitting on the bed. Even though she was covered with a red bridal veil, she appeared somewhat nervous and uneasy.
Han Li smiled, walked over, and gently lifted her red bridal veil.
A face of pure, impeccable beauty and exquisite charm appeared before him, and Han Li immediately felt his heart stir.
The oil lamp went out at some point, and the quiet night was broken by the beautiful symphony of events unfolding.