"Is she alright, Master?" Weeping Soul asked.
"She's fine, it's just that her cultivation foundation was compromised from excessive demonic power expenditure, but I've already smoothed out those problems for her. It seems like you're very fond of this girl. I've never seen you be so friendly to anyone else," Han Li remarked with an inquisitive expression.
"Her soul aura is very clean and pure, like a spring in the mountains. It's very comforting to me, and perhaps that's why I'm drawn to her," Weeping Soul explained in a slightly embarrassed manner.
"You can detect soul auras now?" Han Li asked with a surprised expression.
"After I awakened from my unconscious state, I discovered that I had made some strides in my law power cultivation base, allowing me to detect the soul auras of others, using which I can determine their personalities. With this ability up my sleeve, no one can hide their true nature from me," Weeping Soul replied with a smug expression, and Han Li was quite intrigued to hear this.
If this ability really were as Weeping Soul described, then it was quite extraordinary. No matter how powerful one's spiritual sense was, it was still impossible for one to look directly into the heart of someone else, so this was certainly a very remarkable ability to possess.
"What's my soul aura like?" Han Li asked in a curious manner.
"Your soul aura is too vast for me to assess clearly, but overall, you have a very just and righteous aura," Weeping Soul replied.
"I certainly wouldn't dare to say that I'm a just and righteous man. All I can say is that I have a relatively clear conscience," Han Li said with a shake of his head.
"Given how perilous the path of cultivation is, those who are too kind of heart or too weak of will cannot hope to progress far down this path. Sometimes, one has to be a little cold-hearted. Otherwise, they risk hurting themselves and even those precious to them.
“While it can appear to others that you're a little cold and detached, you have a moral code that you abide by in everything that you do, and that's certainly far from common for cultivators of your caliber," Weeping Soul said in an earnest manner.
"It seems like not only are you now able to see into the hearts of others, you're also seeing the world much more clearly," Han Li remarked with a faint smile.
He then swept a sleeve through the air, releasing a burst of azure light that carried the storage tools of the five Golden Horse Sect cultivators to him.
He was naturally not interested in the treasures in their possession, but they did have some scriptures that contained information about the Golden Origin Mountain Range, which were quite useful to Han Li in his current situation.
Han Li pulled out those scriptures before carefully reading through them, while Weeping Soul remained by his side in silence.
Over two hours flew by in a flash, and as Ye Susu rose to her feet, she was looking in much better spirits. Not only had she made a full recovery, her aura had been significantly elevated as well.
"Words cannot express my gratitude, Senior. Not only have you saved my life, you've also expended your own power to help advance my cultivation base. Is there anything I can do for you in return?" Ye Susu asked.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it," Han Li replied with a dismissive wave.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to invite the two of you to stay in our tribe's Azure Fox City for a while. Please give me the opportunity to show my gratitude and display some hospitality," Ye Susu said with a hopeful look in her eyes.
Weeping Soul turned to Han Li upon hearing this, and Ye Susu also turned her gaze to Han Li.
"Sure. We're currently traveling the Golden Origin Mountain Range and don't have a specific destination in mind anyway," Han Li replied with a nod.
Han Li paid no heed to the Azure Fox beings as he took a casual glance at the city down below.
There was quite a large wood-attribute spirit vein underground beneath the col, filling the entire area with abundant wood-attribute spiritual qi that gave rise to masses of lush vegetation.
The Azure Fox Tribe had found quite a good place to settle in, one that was abundant with both metal and wood-attribute spiritual qi.
Even though the city down below was constructed from a golden material, it was very different from the golden rocks all over the Golden Origin Mountain Range. Whatever this material was, it was etched with black patterns that resembled the rings of a tree, and it was giving off a glacial aura.
Upon noticing Han Li's intrigued expression, Ye Susu explained, "This is Dark Gold Rock. It's found deep within the Golden Origin Mountain Range and can keep out metal beasts. Almost all of the cities in the Golden Origin Mountain Range are constructed from this material. Otherwise, it would be impossible to live in this mountain range with metal beasts capable of lurking within the walls."
Han Li had seen descriptions of Dark Gold Rock in the scriptures carried by the Golden Horse Sect cultivators, and he gave a slight nod in response.
Meanwhile, the tall and thin man briefly examined Han Li and Weeping Soul's cultivation bases, upon which his expression instantly changed slightly, and he hurriedly extended another apology before leading the trio down toward the city below.
"How is my mother right now, Ye Ping?" Ye Susu asked through voice transmission.
"Our chief's condition hasn't worsened thanks to the effects of the Green Wave Pond and the treatment administered by Elder Qiu," Ye Ping replied.
"Good. I've gathered enough materials for the Bloodform Origin Restoration Array during this outing, and I'm definitely going to cure mother once and for all!" Ye Susu declared with a determined expression.
However, it seemed that Ye Ping was far from elated to hear this.
Even though the two of them were conversing through voice transmission, they were naturally unable to keep their conversation secret from Han Li, and he turned to Ye Susu with a contemplative expression.
The four of them quickly landed in front of the city gate, above which was a plaque that read "Azure Fox City".
There were guards stationed at the city gate, but Han Li's group was granted free passage thanks to Ye Susu's presence.
Beyond the city gates was a wide stone road that was lined with buildings, most of which appeared to be shops.
These buildings were constructed from wood, and the construction style adopted was also very different from what was commonly seen in normal cities. Some of the buildings were even constructed from primitive logs that hadn't been treated at all, presenting a rather refreshing sight to behold.
Furthermore, there were also many tall trees planted in the city, and Ye Susu smiled as she said, "Our Azure Fox City isn't very large, but it has some decent sights to offer."
"This is indeed a very nice place," Han Li replied with a nod as he took a glance at Weeping Soul, who was clearly also quite fond of this place, looking around in an intrigued manner.
Han Li was naturally very pleased to see her so happy, but at the same time, a hint of melancholy welled up in his heart.
Ever since Weeping Soul's awakening, she had become a lot more optimistic and outgoing, much like an average human girl, and that made him think of Jin Tong.
It had already been many years since they parted ways, and he had no idea where she and Xiao Bai were. Were they safe? Had she already found what she was searching for?