Some time ago, in Han Li's house.
Han Li straightened.
He smiled, and a normal red cherry appeared in his hand.
"This..." His voice dragged.
She wanted benefits that could make her move?
Okay, I'll give it to you.
"Try eating this." He gave it to Hua Yu.
She curiously scanned it with her soul sense. "A normal fruit?" she questioned.
"It is the tastiest thing I have eaten. Ever." Han Li added.
Even in his past life, he hadn't tasted something better. This fruit didn't have a particular taste of its own. It was more like it suited each person's taste buds differently. To some, it might be the spiciest thing ever, but to others, it might be the sweet kind.
She looked at it a bit more closely but then popped it into her mouth. She wasn't too worried about poison since it wasn't even a Magical Resource, and she kind of had a good deal of understanding of poison herself.
The fruit slowly sank into her mouth, and her head spun in clouds as if she had eaten something spicy and sour at the same time. As if a ball of fire had gone into her stomach.
A second later, she opened her eyes. "Are there more of this?"
Han Li nodded. "I have many more."
"Give some of them to me."
"Will you work against Li Xinnguand for them?"
"No, but still give it to me. It's just a normal fruit. I can kill an Evolved for you if you want, as long as they don't have any background or dangerous undertones to their stories."
Fighting a Power Born or even scheming against one was far too deadly for some tasty things. She wasn't tired of living.
Han Li would have liked her help in handling any of his current two main enemies: Yang Wei or Li Shuanwei. Yet both of them were out of the choice.
Yang Wei and Han Li had a Heart Qi binding, which made sure that one of them would end up being the victor in one final battle, which no outsider could partake in, and Li Shuanwei did have a backing.
Suddenly, Han Li chuckled, unlike his submissive self till now. He was about to take a little calculated risk.
"You want benefits. Tell me one thing: are you a Transformation type Cultivator or an Ethereal Type?"
The question made Hua Yu furrow her brows. She didn't like it when someone pried into her own details. Yet, she was curious. Many in the world knew it anyway.
"I am an Ethereal Type cultivator, and my Spark was the Moss Spark, which had now transformed into an Intermediate Dao Soul of Moss."
She had [Average Talent] and was only a lot of distance away from being a [High Talent], but she knew her own worth. The amount of Moss Dao Magic Powers she knew was not many, barely around thirty, and her own chant speed and strength in itself was very average.
Not everyone was like Han Li, who knew each of the three hundred Magic Powers and their chants under the Lust Dao from the get-go—that was only because he had the Sutra left behind by the Sacred Demon.
"Have this." Han Li threw her another cherry-like fruit.
She had already eaten one. Her caution was low against a weaker person, too. With a quick soul sense scan, she popped it into her mouth, and she was briefly lost in its taste.
When she opened her eyes, a man's hand was firmly wrapped around her waist. His face was dangerously close.
Her instincts kicked in like crazy, and she would have immediately crushed him using her soul sense, which would have easily killed him.
Unlike Han Li, her soul sense had weight; it was psychokinesis. She could easily crush Evolved Level physiques with it as long as there were no equal levels of Soul Sense protecting it.
Yet, before she did it, strong hands tightened around her. A sensation of deadly crisis washed over her as a feeling of fear came from the depths of her bones. From her soul.
Heart Qi—Aura of Fear.
"Calm down, Miss Hua. My hands are too strong for that tender waist. One powerful hug before you get to crush me, and you will be crushed alongside."
Hua Yu was frightened a bit more, but she immediately calmed down and squirmed in his hand before looking at him coldly. "Do you have what it takes to die with me? I'd kill you too."
Han Li had a body at the level of Evolved Sacred Talent Transformation Type Cultivators. Her own body was just as strong; she might have been able to resist if Han Li hadn't transformed his bones long enough to crush him with her soul sense, but now, if Han Li moved fast enough, he could kill her before dying himself.
Both of them knew there was no reason to die together. Cold rationality took each of them hold; age had given them a wisdom that surpassed most circumstances that life throws.
"If I left you now, would you kill me?" Han Li asked with a smile, his breath against her face. She could feel her body tightly pushed against a chest stronger than hers.
She couldn't cast Magical Powers either since that required chanting.
With a smile on her face, she wrapped her hand around his face, tousled the hair on his back, and brought his face close to her face. They were practically an inch away from each other.
"I might kill you just out of the frustration of being outwitted by a junior. I usually refrain from killing, but I am not against it. In fact, I even enjoy it a bit."
Han Li clicked his tongue. "So I can't let you leave my embrace, Miss Hua. You must understand."
He wouldn't have had to do this, but it was the most efficient way. She was more of an ally rather than an enemy; he had no reason to sow seeds of enmity. But for his current dilemma, a Power Born helping out with all her powers would do wonders, especially in convincing Starlight Head to hear him out.
If there was no equal power to hold the man at bay, he might as well just tie Han Li up and squeeze him dry of his secrets before squeezing him dead with his Soul Sense. That was not too far-fetched. Especially since the man had a Below Average Power Born Physique, even this little idea was of no use.
His body wouldn't even be scratched by Han Li.
Hua Yu chuckled. Rather curious now.
What did this youth want?
Now, for the first time, she was genuinely interested.
Her hands drew his head closer to hers, pressing his forehead tightly against hers.
"Won't let me leave your embrace? What are you about to do?" her breath tingled him.
She tried pressing harder, but even among Evolved, Han Li's skin was far too thick, his bones far too rigid. He hadn't done this out of audacity. She couldn't burst his head so easily.
"Why don't you become mine?" he calmly asked.