“Another pot of tea, and a plate of fennel beans!”

“Sure thing, please wait a moment, coming right up.”

Cloudy’s gaze wandered to the dozen or so donkeys tied up beside the teahouse.

“Han, donkeys,” she muttered.

Han shot her a confused look. “What are you getting at?”

“I’m just saying, I see them,” Cloudy replied, her tone somewhat cryptic.

Han, sitting in the chair, also observed the donkeys. He compared the fur in his hand with the donkeys multiple times, and a few of them seemed to match.

“Hey, buddy, what are all these donkeys doing here?” Han casually asked the man next to him.

“Someone from the nearby villages bought them and tied them up here. Not sure what for, though.”

“Was the person who bought them a Taoist priest?”

“Don’t think so. He’s nowhere to be seen now, but I’m sure he’ll be back. The donkeys are still here. As for the man, he was just an old fellow.”

“Thanks.”

The tea and fennel beans arrived, and Han wasted no time, diving right into the meal.

Cloudy, curious, took a bite but immediately wrinkled her brows at the taste. Still, she swallowed it down.

Han chuckled. “Not used to such simple tea, huh?”

“This tea... I don’t like it,” Cloudy admitted, “The fennel beans are... okay, though.”

Han understood. As the daughter of a powerful family from Black Cloud Town, it made sense that she wasn’t accustomed to such plain tea or food.

He had half-expected her to spit it out.

“If you can’t handle it, don’t force yourself,” Han said, sipping the tea without hesitation. He had no problem with it at all.

“Should we wait for that guy to come back?” Cloudy asked.

“Yeah.”

They waited for about half an hour before an old man appeared, driving three donkeys slowly toward the teahouse.

The donkeys themselves seemed ordinary, and the old man looked like any other regular person. But something in his eyes caught Han’s attention—they were unusually bright and sharp for an elderly man.

Han’s spiritual perception also triggered a slight reaction, almost like a warning.

Han thought for a moment and quietly activated his Qi-sensing talisman.

The world of Qi appeared before his eyes again, and he focused on the old man guiding the donkeys. His aura was unusually intense.

So this old man was a cultivator!

However, Han’s attention was quickly drawn to the three donkeys in front of the man.

Although they were clearly animals, they radiated human-like Qi!

Typically, animals exuded a white Qi, but human Qi was different. Anyone capable of sensing Qi could immediately tell the difference.

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These three donkeys had human Qi!

The dozen or so donkeys tied up earlier also exuded the same aura.

The appearance could be altered, but Qi couldn’t lie.

In other words... these donkeys were actually people?

Were they using a transformation technique?

Han scanned the teahouse and saw no other cultivators around. The area had no unusual energy, so it didn’t appear to be the old man’s base of operations.

“This person is suspicious. Even if he isn’t behind the disappearances, he’s definitely involved,” Han whispered into Cloudy’s ear using his spiritual energy.

Cloudy responded the same way.

“Should we act now?”

“There are too many people here. We don’t want to hurt any innocents. Let’s wait until he leaves, then follow him.”

The old man carefully tied the donkeys again and glanced at Han and Cloudy a couple of times. Their appearance and energy were hard to ignore.

“I’ll step outside for a bit. Stay here and wait for me. Don’t act alone,” Han suddenly said, then stood up and left.

Han used his Qi-sensing ability to carefully scan the area around the teahouse. There were no other cultivators nearby, which made him feel more at ease.

Better safe than sorry.

...

“Let’s follow him.”

The old man left the teahouse again, and Han motioned for Cloudy to follow him.

After they moved a good distance away from the teahouse, the old man stopped and turned around to face them.

“Where do you two little ones think you’re going? You better go home and behave yourself,” he said, his voice sharp.

“You’re in trouble now. Come with us,” Han said, already fully prepared for a confrontation.

“You’re a martial artist, aren’t you?” The old man’s eyes flashed with cold light.

“Why imitate the heroes of the world? Let me show you what it really means to know your place!”

The old man took out a wooden donkey figurine from his robes. He moved his feet and began chanting a spell.

Suddenly, the eyes of the wooden donkey figurine glowed red, and a beam of light shot toward Han.

“Watch out!”

Cloudy threw a bracelet, blocking the red light. The old man’s attack was completely neutralized.

“A magical tool?!” The old man gasped, his expression changing dramatically. “You’re a cultivator?”

Without further hesitation, the old man turned and ran, his speed increasing as the wind seemed to follow his steps.

Against a martial artist, especially one with a magical tool, running was his only option.

But Han had no intention of letting him escape. As soon as Cloudy’s magical tool blocked the attack, Han charged forward.

The old man was fast, but Han was faster!

A cultivator’s body was stronger than an ordinary person’s, but it couldn’t compare to a martial artist, especially not someone like Han, whose physical prowess rivaled that of an expert.

Seeing that Han was catching up quickly, the old man frantically activated the wooden donkey figurine again.

Han’s lips curled slightly as he channeled the power of his Three Lights and Blessed Spirit Mirror, and with one punch, he shattered the red light.

The old man’s face twisted in shock. “What kind of monster is this?!”

Cloudy was equally stunned.

“Is a martial artist in the Flesh Realm really that strong?”

By this time, the old man had been caught by Han, who grabbed him by the arm.

Once a cultivator was captured by a martial artist, there was no way they could escape.

Han yanked the old man back and threw him to the ground behind him.

When the old man hit the ground, his appearance changed dramatically, and he became a middle-aged man wearing a Taoist robe.

So it was him—the wandering Taoist priest!

Han stepped on the man’s hand, causing him to scream in pain. The wooden donkey figurine fell to the ground.

Han tore off a piece of the Taoist’s robe to prevent him from casting any spells.

“Tell me, were you the one who kidnapped the people from Gaojia Village? What kind of sorcery did you use to turn them into donkeys?”

“Not talking, huh? Let’s see if your mouth is tougher than my fists!”

“Still not confessing? Fine, I’ll break you one way or another!”

“Han...” Cloudy called softly, and Han turned to look at her.

“You’ve sealed his mouth, so he can’t talk, right?”

“...”

Han gave the Taoist another kick. “You can’t talk, huh? Then why do you think you’re still silent?”

After removing the cloth from his mouth, the Taoist immediately screamed, “Please spare me! Spare me! I’ll talk!”

“Stop hitting me! I did it all! But I was just following orders!”

The young man was terrifying—he didn’t follow the usual rules of the martial world.

So brutal!

Han wasn’t concerned about rules. The wandering Taoist’s actions were no different from that of a human trafficker.

“Who ordered you?”

“I don’t know! Ah! I swear, I don’t know! I came from Tianyue County. Someone approached me, offered me rewards, and sent me here to use the Beast-creation Technique. I was supposed to gather some human-animal hybrids for them. They’ll come to collect them later!”

“Please, spare me! I was forced into this! Please let me go!”

Han hadn’t expected the Taoist to confess so quickly.

And yet again, it was an outsider involved!

Han’s frown deepened. Every one of these malicious events he had encountered so far had involved outsiders.

And this “Beast-creation Technique”—could it really turn humans into donkeys?

This world truly had some strange and bizarre Taoist arts.