"You're getting too cocky. That kid is much smarter than you think. Don't be so sure of your success; it might all fall apart because of him." A young man's voice suddenly echoed in Mo Dafu's mind.
Mo Dafu's face shifted, his expression darkening like a storm cloud. He coldly reprimanded, "Yu Zitong, mind your own business. I don't need your advice. If I succeed, there will be plenty of rewards for you. As for the methods you taught me, something feels off about them. Do you want me to have an accident?"
The suspicion in Mo Dafu's tone was clear.
The voice in his head, seemingly intimidated by Mo Dafu's threat, hurriedly responded, "Impossible! Didn't you test the methods on animals? That one that died was just because you hadn't mastered the technique yet, but it shouldn't affect your plans. Everything should be fine."
"Hmph, better be," Mo Dafu muttered. "If I had more time to practice, I'd have more confidence in it." His mind briefly flickered to the last test he'd done, and all his doubts vanished.
With that, the voice fell silent, clearly learning from its previous mistake. The room was filled with an eerie quiet as Mo Dafu muttered to himself, his thoughts turning darker.
Meanwhile, in a secluded ravine, Han Li was deep in his own training. This location was even more remote than the one where he met Li Feiyu. The ravine was narrow and elongated, hemmed in by steep mountains on either side, forming a "一" shape. The two ends were blocked by dense underbrush, leaving no path for anyone to pass. The only access was a secret rope hanging from the shorter mountain peak.
Inside the ravine, thorny bushes grew densely, taking up most of the land, with only a small patch of open space for Han Li. Above him, a thick canopy of vines formed a natural green roof, protecting him from unwanted eyes.
Han Li placed his belongings under a large rock and stood in the center of the small clearing, closing his eyes to collect his thoughts. When he opened his eyes again, a look of determination filled his face as he spoke softly to himself, "I'll start with the hardest technique—Soft Bone Skill."
And so, Han Li began his solitary cultivation.
What he didn't know was that not far from him, a small yellow bird was perched on a branch, watching him day and night. It hadn't reported back yet, as it hadn't seen any signs of Han Li trying to escape.
As time passed, four months slipped away in the blink of an eye. The ravine that once housed Han Li was now completely empty, with no sign of him. Only the yellow bird remained, unhurried and patient, perched in its spot, calmly preening its feathers and paying no attention to its mission. It seemed that the task of watching Han Li had slipped from its mind entirely.
Suddenly, another bird, this one gray, flew into the ravine, circling above before landing on a yellow wooden stake at the edge of the clearing, clearly intending to rest before continuing on its way.
The yellow bird, upon seeing the newcomer, tilted its head and regarded the gray bird with an air of disdain. It seemed to look down on its fellow bird, almost as if it found it beneath its notice.
The gray bird, standing on one leg, glanced around before finally spotting its counterpart. It spread its wings, about to fly over. But before it could move, an unexpected event occurred—a yellowish hand shot down from above and snatched the gray bird from the air.
The bird struggled in panic, but it was powerless against the grip of the hand. It only then noticed that the wooden stake had transformed into a young man in a yellow robe. The young man had dark skin, ordinary looks, and large eyes, though his clear gaze stood out.
The young man smiled as he watched the bird struggle, waiting until it was nearly exhausted before releasing it with a soft voice, "Go, next time, be smarter about where you land."
The bird, now free, quickly flew off, no longer bothering with its fellow yellow bird. Han Li watched it fly away before turning to leave.
He mumbled to himself, "It seems my Breath Concealment and Imitation Technique have reached a decent level. Now, it's time to focus on practicing the Hidden Kill Technique."
As Han Li walked toward a newly constructed wooden hut nearby, he passed by the tree where the yellow bird had been perched. He glanced up at the bird, which hadn't flown away. Han Li had noticed it more than half a month ago, and it had been observing him ever since. He found it oddly fascinating and had tried various methods to lure it—setting traps, using food, and trying to coax it with gentle words—but the bird remained unimpressed, always looking at him with a disdainful expression.
Han Li even became frustrated at one point and tried to grab it by force, but the bird would simply fly away the moment he approached. It would then return as soon as he left, sitting back in the same spot as if nothing had happened. Han Li couldn't help but laugh at himself for not being able to catch the bird.
Deep down, Han Li started to suspect that the bird might have something to do with Mo Dafu—it could very well be one of his eyes and ears, keeping watch on him. But Han Li wasn't too concerned. As long as it wasn't Mo Dafu himself keeping an eye on him, what could a small bird possibly report back? Han Li had grown fond of the little creature's intelligence and wasn't willing to harm it with cruel methods.
At that very moment, Mo Dafu was in a stone chamber, using animal bone powder to draw a strange formation on the ground. As he worked, he continued to discuss something with the voice in his head, unaware that Han Li had already seen through his surveillance methods.