"This is all your fault!" complained Han Shui as soon as the two escaped from the fort. If the three ladies had not started fighting, Han Shui might have been captured. It was not the first time he had found himself in such a situation.
"Damn, how was I supposed to know that these women would be so damn clingy? I think from now on I will only target those who are married. They are the most straightforward and would always part smoothly and cleanly after the act," Han Mu said.
"Where are you going, Han Mu?" a roar sounded in the distance. Then the powerful middle-aged man could be seen rapidly closing the vast distance between them. His Midgod henchmen were also flying at high speed behind him.
Han Mu and Han Shui turned to look at each other. They had not expected to be caught so soon after escaping from the fortress. They felt somewhat helpless.
The middle-aged man whose face was covered in scars was an Early-stage Highgod of Fire emblem. He launched an attack as he flew towards them. A raging stream of fire shot into the sky, flying over Han Mu and Han Shui's heads and forming a huge wall of fire in their path. The flame travelled much faster than the two of them and overtook them in no time.
Although Han Mu and Han Shui had a deep understanding of the energy they had cultivated, the energy in their bodies lagged far behind. When the fire generated by a Highgod raged in their path, they had no choice but to stop flying.
"Why don't we try to break through this wall of fire by using the formation to merge our energy? As long as we make it through this plain and into the dense forest ahead, they won't be able to catch us!" Han Mu suggested to Han Shui. He was confident that with his mastery of vital energy, once they entered the dense forest, no one would be able to find them.
"Too late, it seems!" said Han Shui with a grimace. The pursuers arrived as they spoke. It was indeed too late to try anything.
"Ah fuck! God damn it!" Han Mu cursed softly. After looking around, he felt remorse for the first time. He thought he shouldn't have dragged Han Shui into this mess.
"Han Mu, accept your fate," the stocky middle-aged man said as he approached them step by step. "As long as you marry my daughter, I will let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, I will give you both hell!"
"I have absolutely no feelings for your daughter. What's the point of forcing me to marry her?" said Han Mu with a wry smile. His eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings.
"Capture him!" The brawny man seemed to know that Han Mu was excellent at the art of escape. He stopped wasting words with them and instructed his men to capture them before they could try anything.
The Midgods had wanted to give them a good beating for a long time. As soon as they heard the order, they charged at them.
At that moment, a deafening whistle suddenly sounded in the night sky. Several shadows as sharp as knives sliced into the Midgods trying to capture Han Shui and Han Mu. Then came an explosion. A burst of sinister energy struck the gods, knocking them off balance. None of them were able to touch Han Mu and Han Shui.
"Big Brother!" Han Mu and Han Shui shouted at the same time in surprise. They could not be happier.
Little Skeleton, or Han Hao, swept his cold eyes over all the paralysed gods before slowly turning to the Highgod of Fire. He raised his three metre long bone spear at the middle-aged brawny man and warned with an emotionless face, "You step forward, you die!"
The middle-aged brawny man was furious that his henchmen were paralysed after being hit by a strange energy. As he was about to launch an attack of his own, he suddenly noticed that the space around him was filled with a terrifyingly evil energy that seemed to come from nowhere. After furrowing his eyebrows and carefully feeling the energy, the man turned pale with fright. He shouted, "Who are you? What is your relationship to Han Mu?"
Han Hao did not answer, but stared at him indifferently for a moment. Then Han Hao turned to the inexplicably excited Han Mu and Han Shui and said, "Let's go," before flying off towards the Ethereal City as if the fire Highgod wasn't there.
Han Mu and Han Shui giggled mischievously as they made an insulting hand gesture at the Fire Highgod. Then they turned their backs on the Highgod and happily left with Little Skeleton.
The few Midgods who had finally gotten to their feet felt so insulted by the trio that they nearly lost their minds. As soon as they got to their feet, they began cursing and attacking the trio, ready to tear them to pieces.
"Stand back!" ordered the middle-aged brawny man. When his henchmen looked at him in confusion, he shouted again, "Do not pursue!
"But, my lord..."
The middle-aged brawny man raised a hand to stop his henchman from complaining and looked at Han Hao as he slowly fly away. He said, "Don't speak. We are going home."
Although the group of Midgods were puzzled, they dared not ask or complain. They hung their heads dejectedly and followed their master home.
"Father? Did you catch him? Where is he?" exclaimed the beauty known as Mimi.
"From now on, you will not mention that Han Mu guy again!" The brawny man suddenly put on a stern face and instructed in a deep voice, "He is not a person we can touch. For the sake of our family clan, you better forget about him, the sooner the better!"
"Why, Father? How could you do this to me?" Mimi's father had never been so strict with her. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"I cannot allow the entire clan to be annihilate because of you! Mimi, remember this - you will never look for Han Mu again! Otherwise, I will simply lock you up!" the brawny man warned coldly, not sparing Mimi's feelings.
"My Lord, those two youngsters, do they have that kind of strength?" asked one of the confused Midgod henchmen.
"Han Mu and Han Shui do not have that kind of strength. But as for the boy who appeared after them, he's definitely not someone I can defeat!" The brawny man turned to his henchman and said, "That young man has a strong killing intent. He is definitely not a merciful person. If we had attacked recklessly, we would all have died, including myself.
The Midgods were stunned when they heard these words. Even Mimi fell silent, no longer blaming her father for being so harsh.
***
"What was that about?" Han Hao asked his younger brothers soon after they entered a vast mountain range outside of Ethereal City.
"Ask that bastard!" said Han Shui as he glared at Han Mu.
Han Mu felt guilty when Han Hao started to stare at him as well. He told Han Hao a summary of his deeds.
Han Hao was a good listener. After Han Mu told him the whole story, Han Hao furrowed his brow slightly and said, "Be more careful next time. And put more energy into cultivation instead!"
"Yes, brother," Han Mu replied with his head down. He was a little afraid of Han Hao and didn't dare to argue.
"Only the two of you are left. Father is very worried. He will leave town to look for you if you don't arrive soon."
Han Mu and Han Shui were excited when Han Shuo was mentioned. They asked at the same time, "How is Father?"
Han Hao thought for a moment and replied, "Very well.
.....
***Ethereal City, Celestial Pearl Pharmacy.
Baum personally came to visit Han Shuo's pharmacy. After walking around the shop, he followed Han Shuo into the guest lounge. He casually asked, "Right, I heard that there were thieves who tried to rob the shop. How do you deal with them?"
"We get clowns trying to sneak in from time to time. Don't worry, City Lord, they can't hurt us," Han Shuo replied with a smile. Then he gestured for Rose, Han Huo and Han Tu to retreat before asking, "City Lord, have you come here with an update?"
Baum nodded. He pulled out a magic mirror and it began to float in the air. He explained, "This friend of mine does not live in Ethereal City. I usually communicate with him through a magic mirror. Instead of meeting face to face, is it okay if you talk to him through the device?"
Han Shuo knitted his eyebrows and thought for a moment before replying, "Fine.
Baum then proceeded to insert a strand of his divine energy into the magic mirror. The energy crystals embedded around the mirror began to glow. A blurred figure appeared in the mirror and gradually became clear.
""I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. It's a great honour to do business with Celestial Pearl Pharmacy," a hoarse voice sounded from the mirror as a middle-aged man with messy red hair appeared.
"You are?" Han Shuo immediately focused all his attention on the person. He could not detect this person's aura through the magic mirror, and therefore could not determine his strength.
"I am Lehi. I'm currently in the Light Dominion," the red-haired middle-aged man briefly introduced himself before smiling broadly and saying, "I have full confidence that Celestial Pearl Pharmacy will produce quality products. As long as you agree, we can start working together right away. Baum can give you the first payment batch immediately."
"Bryan, if you agree, I can deliver Lehi's five hundred thousand black crystal coins right now. Here, this list. All you have to do is deliver the medicines written here to me," Baum interrupted as he handed Han Shuo a long list of medicines.
Han Shuo glanced at the small piece of paper and immediately noticed that most of the medicines listed were illegal substances. If Baum, the City Lord of Ethereal City, was cooperating with him in the transaction, then there shouldn't be any problems for Han Shuo in Ethereal City. It seemed like no harm could come from the deal.
However, Han Shuo did not immediately accept the business proposal. Instead, after smiling and accepting the list from Baum, he replied, "I will not take the crystal coins for now. I must ask my apothecaries if they can get me the medicines on the list. We will talk again if they think they can do it.
Lehi seemed rather surprised, as if he had not expected Han Shuo to be such an overly cautious person - to be so cautious even when Han Shuo seemed to have nothing to lose and everything to gain. As he looked at Han Shuo in a somewhat puzzled manner, he asked, "Given the capabilities of the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, you are definitely capable of producing the medicines on the list. Baum is the city lord of Ethereal City. Do you have any other concerns?"
"Well, not really. It's just that I don't have enough pharmacists here. I'm not sure if I can produce the medicine in time, even with five hundred thousand black crystal coins. That's why I need to communicate with them first," Han Shuo replied politely, offering a fair excuse.
Lehi thought for a moment before nodding and smiling, "Very well, I like your approach to business - you have a sense of responsibility to your customers. All right, I look forward to hearing good news from you!"
Lehi then ended the call. Baum said nothing more about the transaction, but talked to Han Shuo about some random, irrelevant things before saying goodbye.