I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

The flying sword traced a purple-gold path through the night sky, heading towards Hua Nongying's cave. The night wind howled, blowing Li Hanshan's robes, but he was completely unaware, his mind filled with Luo Li's face in the portrait.

Clad in pristine white, barefoot and swaying gently, a faint smile playing on her lips—that was unmistakably Luo Li. Though her aura was different, though the woman in the painting was more mature and profound, he wouldn't mistake that face.

"How is this possible..." Li Hanshan muttered to himself.

Luo Li is the founder of the Hehuan Sect? No, that's not right. Luo Li said she was a disciple of the Yaoguang Sect, she hated demonic cultivators, and the Yang Ce cultivation technique she taught him was to counter the practice of sexual exploitation—how could such a person be the founder of the Hehuan Sect?

Or perhaps, Luo Li and the founder of the Hehuan Sect are simply two people who look exactly alike.

But it looks so much like it.

Are there really people in the world who look so alike?

Unless... Luo Li is the reincarnation of the patriarch.

Li Hanshan's heart stirred. Reincarnation wasn't unprecedented in the cultivation world. Some powerful cultivators, when their lifespan was nearing its end, would use secret techniques to reincarnate, retaining their past life's memories and some of their cultivation. If Luo Li was truly the reincarnation of the founder, then why was she in the Yao Guang Sect? Why did she hate the demonic path? Why did she teach him a technique to counter the practice of "draining the body" (a form of cultivation manipulation)?

"No, that's not right." Li Hanshan shook his head, rejecting the guess.

If Luo Li is the reincarnation of the founder, she should remember the Hehuan Sect and the sect she founded. But she has never mentioned the Hehuan Sect, never mentioned the Northern Wilderness, and even her own origins are vague. She only says that she is a disciple of the Yaoguang Sect and that she found those cultivation techniques in the ancient ruins.

Unless... she has lost her memory.

Li Hanshan considered another possibility. Reincarnation is not without its flaws; memory loss is common. Luo Li might have forgotten that she was the founder of the Hehuan Sect, and only remembered her identity in this life—a disciple of the Yaoguang Sect.

But there is an even bigger question.

The Hehuan Sect has been established for thousands of years. If the founder had been reincarnated, he should have appeared long ago. Why has Luo Li only appeared now? Thousands of years is enough time for a person to reincarnate dozens of times.

"Unless... she wasn't a reincarnation at all, but there's another story behind it."

Li Hanshan then considered another possibility—Luo Li was the patriarch's daughter, granddaughter, or descendant. The two resembled each other, suggesting a bloodline connection. However, Luo Li had never mentioned her family, so this speculation could not be confirmed.

Countless questions swirled in his mind, but he couldn't find the answer to any of them.

"We must ask clearly."

Li Hanshan clenched his fist. The next time he entered the dream, he would definitely ask Luo Li who she was and what her relationship was with the founder of the Hehuan Sect.

The flying sword landed in front of the cave. The stone door was already open, and Hua Nongying and Yun Shuyue were standing at the entrance, clearly having been waiting for his return. Hua Nongying was dressed in red, her eyes slightly red, obviously having cried. Yun Shuyue stood beside her, a relieved smile on her usually cool face.

"Han Lang!" Hua Nongying rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his chest, her voice trembling slightly, "You're back...you're finally back..."

Li Hanshan reached out and put his arm around her waist, gently patting her back: "I'm fine."

Hua Nongying raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, but she smiled brightly: "The sect leader has accepted you as his disciple! From now on, you are the sect leader's personal disciple! Let's see who dares to bully you now!"

Yun Shuyue walked over and stood beside Li Hanshan, saying softly, "Congratulations."

Li Hanshan smiled at her, then put his arm around Hua Nongying and walked into the cave. The stone door slammed shut behind them, shutting out the outside world. The candlelight flickered, and a faint fragrance filled the cave.

Hua Nongying pulled him to sit down by the stone bed, her beautiful eyes scanning him up and down, only letting out a sigh of relief after confirming he was unharmed. She took out several jade bottles from her storage bag and handed them to Li Hanshan: "Hanlang, these are healing pills I've collected, use them first."

Looking at the jade bottles in his hand, Li Hanshan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. This enchantress had given him all the pills she had painstakingly saved up.

"Keep it for yourself." He stuffed the jade bottle back into his hand. "The sect leader gave me quite a few pills; that's enough for me."

Hua Nongying pursed her lips, about to speak, when Yun Shuyue came over with a bowl of hot soup. The soup was made with spiritual herbs, emitting a rich medicinal aroma; just one sip was enough to refresh the mind and body.

"Junior Brother Li, have a bowl of soup to warm yourself up first." Yun Shuyue handed him the soup bowl.

Li Hanshan took the soup bowl and drank it all in one gulp. The warm soup entered his stomach, turning into a warm current that flowed slowly along his meridians, gradually soothing his fatigue and injuries.

Hua Nongying leaned closer, resting her head on his shoulder, and whispered, "Han Lang, what did the Sect Master say to you?"

Li Hanshan pondered for a moment, then briefly recounted what the sect leader had told him—the Northern Wilderness, the Central Continent, the main sect, the Endless Sea, and the fact that the main sect would send someone to guide him five years later.

Hua Nongying's eyes widened upon hearing this: "Central Continent? There's such a large place? Hundreds of times bigger than the Northern Wilderness?"

Yun Shuyue also showed surprise. Although they had been in the Hehuan Sect for many years, they had never heard of anything related to the Central Continent. Those below the level of Quasi-Saintess were simply not qualified to know these things.

"So, Hanlang, you're going to Zhongzhou from now on?" Hua Nongying's voice carried a hint of reluctance, but also a hint of anticipation.

Li Hanshan: "Let's talk about the future later."

Hua Nongying was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "No, Hanlang, you must go. Zhongzhou is so vast, there are bound to be more opportunities and more resources there. If you go there, you will definitely go much further."

Yun Shuyue nodded, "Junior Brother Li, don't worry. We'll be waiting for you here."

Looking at the two women, Li Hanshan felt a complex and indescribable emotion welling up inside him. They were no longer just his furnace, but his women, his family. If one day he could go to Zhongzhou, he would definitely take them with him.

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Li Hanshan shook his head, suppressing these thoughts. "You've all had a long day, get some rest."

Hua Nongying and Yun Shuyue exchanged a glance, but said nothing more. The two women lay down beside him, one on each side, like two docile cats. Li Hanshan leaned against the stone couch, closed his eyes, but couldn't fall asleep.

He is waiting.

Waiting for that dream.

He hadn't entered that dream for a long time since he was forcibly pulled out of it. He could feel the pulling force growing stronger, as if it would pull him to that familiar riverbank at any moment.

Sure enough, soon after nightfall, that familiar feeling surged in like a tide. My consciousness was drawn into the depths, passing through layers of darkness, and arriving at that familiar world.

The sound of flowing water reached my ears.

Li Hanshan opened his eyes and found himself standing by the clear river. The blue stone remained the same, and the distant horizon was shrouded in a thin layer of mist. He took a deep breath, circulated his divine sense to stabilize the boundaries of the dream, and then sat on the blue stone, waiting for Luo Li.

A moment later, ripples appeared in the air ahead, and a white figure emerged from them.

Luo Li was still dressed in pristine white, her bare feet touching the grass, a radiant smile on her face. She sat down beside Li Hanshan, tilting her head to examine him for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "Grandpa, your cultivation has improved again!"

Li Hanshan stared at her face, which was exactly the same as the founder of the Hehuan Sect, his mind churning with countless questions. He opened his mouth, about to ask her who she was and what her relationship was with the founder of the Hehuan Sect—

A huge sense of crisis suddenly surged into my heart.

The feeling was indescribable; it wasn't fear, nor was it a threat, but rather the feeling that if he uttered those words, utter annihilation would befall him. His heart pounded wildly, and the spiritual energy within his pure Yang meridians automatically circulated, forming a protective layer around his body. But when his divine sense probed into the dream, everything within a hundred miles was normal; there was nothing there.

There were no powerful enemies, no monsters, nothing at all.

But that sense of crisis was real, as clear as a knife to one's throat.

Li Hanshan's face turned pale.

He remembered the last time—the last time in his dream, he was about to ask Luo Li about the Northern Wilderness Sword Sect when that sense of crisis appeared, and then his consciousness was forcibly pulled out of the dream.

This time, it's the same again.

Li Hanshan forcibly suppressed the questions that were on the tip of his tongue, swallowing them all back down. He took a deep breath, forced a smile, and asked in a voice so calm it surprised even himself, "Girl, how have you been lately?"

Luo Li blinked, seemingly sensing something, but didn't press the matter. She smiled, her tone light: "It's quite good. Recently, the sect has been organizing an exploration of ancient ruins, and I've found several decent cultivation techniques. I'll teach them to you next time we meet."

"Okay." Li Hanshan nodded, but his heart was heavy.

Who exactly is Luo Li? Who is the founder of the Hehuan Sect? What is the relationship between them?

He dared not ask those questions again.

At least, I wouldn't dare now.