"How did you learn about the earthquake?" Han asked, eyeing them closely.

"We heard someone mention it by chance," the white-haired man replied casually.

The news had spread remarkably fast. Han didn’t believe it was all coincidence.

He then picked up a bronze lamp and asked, "What is this? What does it do?"

The white-haired man glanced at it before answering directly, "It was found in a wealthy family's home in Cangyuan County, Tianyang Prefecture. They thought it was special and took it, but it doesn't seem to have any use."

"I feel the same," Yun Duo added quietly. "But I can't put my finger on it."

Han nodded thoughtfully and studied the lamp more closely. Through his Yin-Yang Eyes, he spotted something unusual within the lamp.

"I’ve answered your questions. Now, can you grant me a quick end?" the white-haired man suddenly spoke up, his tone pleading. "I don’t want to die in the decaying hands of the Great Qi’s government."

Han raised an eyebrow. No wonder the man had been so cooperative—he had his own agenda. "No," Han replied coldly.

The man didn’t say another word, and Han quickly gagged him, silencing him. He wasn’t going to let someone like him dictate terms. The man's words—Han only believed about one-tenth of them.

After a moment, Yun Duo spoke again, her voice soft, "When a soul is damaged by sunlight, it suffers intensely. It's like being burned by fire."

"It requires various treasures and quiet cultivation to heal," she added.

Instead of sending the four evil cultivators to the authorities, Han tied them up outside the peach grove and had Yun Duo speak with Lu Qingmo about what to do with them.

It wasn’t long before Yun Duo returned, holding two wooden plaques and two yellow talismans.

"These are Soul Binding Plaques and Soul Suppression Talismans, used to imprison and subdue souls," she explained, collecting the souls of the white-haired man and his companion into the Soul Binding Plaques.

Taking the ropes from Han, Yun Duo said, "Teacher wants you to go in. I’ll take them for confinement."

After watching Yun Duo drag the captives away, Han entered the peach grove.

"Mo Yi," Han called out as he approached Lu Qingmo, handing her the yellow talisman Lu Qingmo had given him earlier.

Lu Qingmo took it and explained, "This talisman contains a bit of my power, but it can only last for one day."

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to give it to Han, but after today, the talisman would lose its effectiveness.

Han also took out the spoils from the evil cultivators, laying them on a nearby table. He and Yun Duo had split them, and the items Yun Duo had taken were already laid out in front of Lu Qingmo.

Lu Qingmo watched as Han sorted through his things, not once diverting her gaze. Han felt uneasy under her steady stare.

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Since that day when he had nearly corrupted Lu Qingmo, their interactions had felt off. Finally, Lu Qingmo spoke.

"These are two cursed items; they're not suitable for you," she remarked, examining the Soul-binding Banner and the Blood Wheel.

Han nodded in agreement. The Soul-binding Banner, with its ominous energy, and the Blood Wheel, reeking of blood—definitely not something he could use.

"I’ll take these two items," Lu Qingmo continued, "and in exchange, I’ll give you two proper magical tools. Everything else you’ve earned here is yours."

Han immediately added, "And what about Yun Duo’s share?"

"Yun Duo said she did nothing and won’t be taking any of it," Lu Qingmo replied.

Han hesitated. "But..."

"Don’t argue," Lu Qingmo cut him off. "Yun Duo has made up her mind. This is how it will be."

Reluctantly, Han accepted all the spoils.

Lu Qingmo spoke again, "This is your reward for the things you’ve done. Even the gods and ghosts will give you a prize."

"However, you don’t need to go to the Ghosts’ Court to claim it."

"If you have a request, I can fulfill it directly."

Han could tell it wasn’t quite as official as she made it sound. A reward from the Ghosts’ Court? He could already tell Lu Qingmo’s reward would be far more appealing.

And indeed, he did have something in mind—he wanted a method to help with his cultivation.

With the Thousand Immortal Tree, Han wouldn’t lack for anything in the long run. But for now, he still needed more time to gather the necessary resources. Though his progress had been good, his foundation wasn’t deep enough yet.

If he could get what he needed early, why wait?

"Mo Yi, do you have any auxiliary cultivation techniques that could be shared?" Han asked.

Lu Qingmo nodded. "I’ve noticed your speed in refining Yuan Qi is decent. Since you want it, I’ll give it to you."

She handed him three manuals.

"Three?" Han was surprised.

The three manuals were titled:

* "Unified Yuan Qi Technique"

* "Lunar Spirit Refining"

* "Solar Spirit Refining"

“These techniques are for cultivating with the essence of the heavens, the Yin energy of the moon, and the Yang energy of the sun," Lu Qingmo explained. "They are all high-level methods. Take them."

Was capturing two Spirit Realm cultivators and two Meridian Realm martial artists enough to earn these techniques? Clearly, it wasn’t. Even exchanging for just one of them wouldn’t be enough.

This was clearly Lu Qingmo’s generosity.

"When you come tomorrow, I’ll have two magical tools ready for you."

Han was about to leave when he glanced at the bronze lamp in his hands. "Mo Yi, this lamp seems to have something wrong with it."

"This lamp carries divine intent," Lu Qingmo said, studying it closely.

"Divine intent?" Han asked.

"Objects that have been kept near statues of gods or Buddhas for years, soaked in the lingering scent of incense, acquire a certain ‘spiritual essence’—this is often referred to as divine intent."

Han understood now. It was a “spiritual lamp,” a version of the kind found in temples.

"Ordinary people who take such objects home are protected—evil spirits and wandering souls can’t easily enter, and those near it will feel at peace."

"For cultivators, divine intent isn’t much, but without a proper lineage, you might not even know it exists."

"So it’s essentially a spiritual artifact blessed for the mortal world," Han mused.

"Mo Yi, I think there’s something inside this lamp," Han said suddenly. "Under the thick divine intent, I think I saw a human-shaped presence."

Lu Qingmo’s eyes widened. "A human-shaped presence?"

She took the bronze lamp and began using some technique to probe it, her face soon filled with astonishment.

"This lamp... it’s carved from Yin-Yang Stone. After the carving was completed, it was coated with a layer of death-bronze, tempered by incense smoke, to hide its nature."

"Yin-Yang Stone? Death-bronze?"

"Yin-Yang Stone is a rare material, said to only exist where the realms of the living and the dead overlap. It carries the essence of both Yin and Yang, yet doesn’t fully belong to either."

"When the spiritual essence in the Soul-Bronze is extinguished, it becomes ‘Death-Bronze,’ a strange and rare material. This lamp likely houses a ghostly presence, the human-shaped figure you saw."

"The fact that a ghost can survive inside Yin-Yang Stone is truly astonishing."

Han was taken aback. "How did you figure it out?"

Lu Qingmo was clearly intrigued. "I didn’t notice it at first. How did you?"

Han, ever the honest one, replied without hesitation, "I saw it with my own eyes."