Han Li was willing to stay away from Dong Xuan'er, and Senior Feng and Yan Yu naturally welcomed this!
So not only did they not stop him, but Yan Yu also enthusiastically gave him a jade slip. Inside was a map of Yanling Castle, which would allow Han Li to save some time and go directly to his destination without wandering around like a confused fly.
As for Dong Xuan'er herself, although she was surprised by Han Li's sudden release and lack of restraint, she was delighted to gain freedom among so many male cultivators. Of course, she still looked at Han Li with bewildered eyes, unable to understand the intention behind his actions.
"Intention? Hmph, just don't want to carry a burden and prefer to act alone!" Walking on the cobblestone road of Yanling Castle with his hands behind his back, Han Li thought leisurely, occasionally glancing at the shops on both sides.
These shops sold talismans, refining materials, and alchemy ingredients, and there were one or two shops selling low-grade magical tools, but most of the shopkeepers were ordinary mortals without any magical power.
This was not surprising. Yanling Castle was very large, with a population of tens of thousands living within it. However, only a small fraction of them had spiritual roots and could cultivate spells, while most were ordinary mortals.
These mortals, who should have lived in the secular world, were partly without spiritual roots, but their bloodline still came from the Yan family. The other part consisted of relatives of Yan family disciples. After all, marrying only within the Yan family would be very inappropriate, so it was necessary to absorb some new blood to continue the Yan family's growth.
Of course, maintaining secrecy, once mortals entered Yanling Castle, they could never leave again. They could only live and die within its walls. Although they had no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives, it was still an extremely tragic fate.
Those newcomers from outside were relatively better off since they had seen the outside world, but those who were born within the castle and had no spiritual roots would never have the opportunity to even glimpse the outside world.
However, when mortals entered the castle, they were not forced to do so. They were either at their wits' end or deeply indebted to the Yan family and chose to do so voluntarily. Moreover, Yanling Castle was heavily guarded, with arrays covering it, and mortals who attempted to leave the castle privately were immediately killed if discovered. So far, there had been no reports of any mortals successfully escaping from this place.
Han Li didn't speculate on these pieces of information; they were gleaned from the small bits of information attached to the map jade slip. Therefore, Han Li had a rough idea of what Yanling Castle was like.
And now he was headed to a teahouse within the castle. According to Han Li's understanding, most cultivators were very fond of good tea, so teahouses were almost a must-visit place for all cultivators. Han Li thought that he might meet some other cultivators there and join some small groups, which would be a rare opportunity for interaction. After all, it's not good to always keep to oneself!
At the end of this cobblestone street, at a three-way intersection, he should be able to see the sign of the teahouse. With this in mind, Han Li quickened his pace.
But suddenly, there were a few intense arguments coming from a shop on one side, followed by a man's angry roar. A woman dressed as a young lady stormed out of the house, walked straight onto the street, and bumped into Han Li, who was slightly surprised.
This woman seemed to be very beautiful, so Han Li, like any man, casually glanced at her. But when he saw the woman's face clearly, his body suddenly froze, and he stood there dumbfounded.
