Chapter 53

The moment Li Jun appeared, Han Luo's heart skipped a beat.

To be honest, aside from briefly seeing him during the entrance trials over five years ago, they’d had no interaction whatsoever. Now, suddenly, he not only shows up unannounced but also calls Han Luo by name without hesitation? That immediately raised red flags in Han Luo’s mind.

At first, he suspected it might have been Lin Xiaolou who told Li Jun about him—but one look at her furiously puffed-up cheeks and the burning glare she shot Li Jun, as if she wanted to skin him alive for ruining something good, made him dismiss that idea.

That left only one possibility: Elder Yunding.

Perhaps after seeing that Elder Hongniang had taken Shen Xian’er as her goddaughter, Yunding couldn’t sit still any longer. It made sense that he’d send his most prized disciple, Li Jun, to get close to Han Luo.

Li Jun’s personality was similar to his master’s—opportunistic and pragmatic—but overall, he wasn’t a bad person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so well-regarded in the sect or widely accepted as the number one among the current younger generation.

“What’s so good about it? You just ruined everything,” Lin Xiaolou snapped, her expression turning cold in an instant.

She was not only Li Jun’s senior sister, but also now one of Elder Tie’s favorites in the sect. A little temper was entirely justified.

Li Jun smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. He was good at reading the room and knew when to lower himself.

“Please don’t be angry, Senior Sister. It’s my fault for interrupting.”

It was a textbook case of “don’t hit a smiling man.” Though Lin Xiaolou was still annoyed, Li Jun’s humble attitude made it difficult to stay angry.

“Fine. Then tell me—what are you here for?” she asked, still sounding disgruntled.

If this guy hadn’t popped up out of nowhere, she might already have been halfway to securing a bright future filled with sweet moments and little babies with Han Luo.

“Nothing much,” Li Jun said with a courteous smile. “Just here to collect some alchemy materials to refine a few batches of Spirit-Cleansing Pills.”

“You’re making pills too?” Lin Xiaolou looked surprised. There sure were a lot of prodigies in this generation. Most cultivators at the Qi Refining level just bought Spirit-Cleansing Pills—only a few brave geniuses actually tried to refine them themselves. This was the fourth one she’d encountered lately.

Li Jun smoothly turned the conversation. “From what I gather, Junior Brother Han Luo is also refining pills?”

Han Luo, watching Li Jun’s overly-friendly performance, silently scoffed. You already know the answer, don’t you? Why else would you suddenly show up here?

But outwardly, his face remained unreadable.

“Just dabbling, nothing major,” he replied coolly—repeating the phrase twice as a subtle hint that he didn’t feel like chatting.

Li Jun could tell that Han Luo wasn’t exactly welcoming. So, Master was right—this guy really is hard to approach.

But he still chuckled and kept the smile plastered on. “Junior Brother, it’s fate that we ran into each other today. Truth is, I’ve been looking for you these past five years.”

That sentence raised Lin Xiaolou’s eyebrows far more than it did Han Luo’s.

“Wait… you’ve been looking for him for five years?” she asked with a suspicious look. “Li Jun, you’re not… into him, are you?”

Clearly her mind had conjured up some colorful and unspeakable scenarios.

No way. The top golden boy of the sect is actually… ugh...

She shuddered at her own thoughts.

Li Jun didn’t miss a beat. He was calm as ever, and patiently explained the misunderstanding away. Lin Xiaolou listened, though she still looked like she half-doubted the whole thing.

“So Junior Brother Han Luo really did save you all during the trials?” she asked, looking to Han Luo for confirmation.

“It’s been five years. No need to bring it up again,” Han Luo said calmly, admitting it without fanfare. There was no point hiding it now—Elder Yunding clearly must’ve told Li Jun.

“Back then, Junior Brother saved us all with just a minor move. If you don’t mind, I’d like to host a small gathering at Xianding Peak tomorrow. Just a few respected disciples—nothing formal—just some food and old stories.”

Li Jun’s tone was modest. According to his master, Han Luo might actually surpass him in talent—perhaps even be on the same level as that little monster Shen Xian’er. The fact that such a prodigy had been hidden away in the sect for five years without anyone noticing? That was a major oversight on his part.

“Appreciate the thought, but I prefer peace and quiet. I’m not one for crowds,” Han Luo declined politely but firmly. The guy had been respectful—no need to be rude. He’d just keep nine layers of caution in his heart, as always.

“I understand completely,” Li Jun said with a nod. “You have my word I won’t speak of it.”

Han Luo narrowed his eyes. “Swear it.”

“Sorry?”

“You heard me,” Han Luo said, tone flat. “Swear that if you ever speak of this to anyone, you’ll go bald tomorrow and no hat, wig, or spell will ever cover it.”

Li Jun blinked, stunned. He turned to Lin Xiaolou for help, only to find her shoulders shaking with barely suppressed laughter. She was clearly enjoying this far too much.

So this is the infamous Han Luo treatment, she thought with glee.

It was a bit much, but seeing how serious Han Luo was, Li Jun had no choice but to raise his hand and make the vow.

Han Luo nodded, finally satisfied. After all, if word of this reached Chixiao, her fanatics might surround Luoxian Peak the next day. He didn’t want that mess—he had Spirit-Cleansing to focus on.

“I’ve made the vow, Junior Brother. So please, accept this.”

From his sleeve, Li Jun pulled out a green wooden box and offered it respectfully. The box was carved from the rare Cuimu wood of Xianding Peak, known for its extraordinary preservation qualities—it could keep medicinal pills fresh for up to 300 years.

Han Luo opened it.

Inside were ten thumb-sized Spirit-Cleansing Pills, gleaming with luster. Each one had faint pill patterns—top-quality within the mid-grade tier, bordering on high-grade.

“Wow, not bad,” Lin Xiaolou said, clearly impressed. With her experience, she could tell these ten pills were worth at least 3,000 spirit stones—a huge amount for anyone at the Qi Refining stage.

Han Luo examined the pills, expression neutral. He’d already refined high-grade versions himself, but there was no arrogance in his gaze.

Because he remembered what his elusive master, Wu Dao, had once told him:

“A true master always maintains the heart of an apprentice.”

There is always a higher sky. And the day you think you’ve mastered everything… may just be the day everything consumes you instead.