Han Li and Gu Qianxun followed the short, stout youth all the way to the top floor of the Flame Yang Tower and stopped outside a room.

"My Lord, the two guests have arrived..." The short, stout youth stood with his hands clasped, calling out respectfully.

"Since they're here, invite them in! What's with all the lingering at the door?" A slightly hoarse voice sounded, laced with impatience.

Han Li and Gu Qianxun exchanged a glance, both frowning.

The short, stout youth didn't dare delay, and quickly reached out to feel around a certain spot outside the door.

A scraping sound was heard, and the stone door of the room slowly receded to both sides, revealing a wide doorway. A meaty fragrance wafted out from within.

Han Li wrinkled his nose, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. He and Gu Qianxun entered one after the other, and the stone door slowly closed behind them.

As soon as they entered the room, the meaty fragrance became even stronger. Han Li's gaze swept around, and he saw a strangely shaped, wide stone table placed near the window.

The center of the stone table was hollowed out, with a large pot placed on top. There seemed to be charcoal burning and heating underneath. The milky white, thick soup inside the pot was bubbling and boiling, with huge bubbles rising.

Large animal bones and muscles of unknown beasts were being cooked in the pot, filling the air with a rich aroma.

Behind the stone table, a short, stout old man in black, stripped to the waist, was rolling up his sleeves. In one hand, he held a beast bone as thick as an arm, gnawing on the muscles with oil all over his mouth. The other hand held a white bone token, gently rubbing it.

The old man's appearance was no different from that of a human. Perhaps it was because he was too close to the charcoal fire, but his face was flushed red. The front half of his head was bald, but the beard under his chin was very thick, divided into three strands and braided into a thick plait, also covered in oil.

Even though he already knew that "Madam" was just a special title for refining masters, Han Li still found it hard to control the feeling of incongruity when he saw the appearance of Madam Liu Hua.

"Which of you is this bone token..." Madam Liu Hua asked, turning her head to look over here.

But when he saw Gu Qianxun's appearance, he froze.

"So similar, so similar, it's too similar... What is your relationship with the owner of this bone token?"

The beast bone in Madam Liu Hua's hand fell onto the stone table with a "plop." He slowly stood up from the edge of the table, came to Gu Qianxun's side, and looked up to examine her face carefully.

"The owner of the bone token is my mother," Gu Qianxun said, slightly turning her head away, feeling a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

"You are Hong Yu's daughter... What's your name?" Madam Liu Hua frowned and asked.

"This junior is Gu Qianxun," Gu Qianxun replied.

"Gu Qianxun... Your surname is Gu? Who is your father?" Madam Liu Hua asked, a trace of sadness flashing in her eyes.

"This junior... this junior doesn't know. I have never met my father, and my mother never mentioned him. She only said that my father was the original owner of this bone token, and my surname... comes from this bone token," Gu Qianxun said slowly.

With that, she shifted her gaze slightly and looked at Madam Liu Hua's face, examining him with some curiosity. She already had some vague guesses about the relationship between her mother and Madam Liu Hua.

Han Li stood aside, seemingly understanding something. His heart settled slightly, and he somewhat blamed Gu Qianxun. Since there was this relationship, why didn't she tell him earlier, making him worry for so long?

"Your mother... is she well?" Madam Liu Hua's gaze softened, and she said with some excitement.

"My mother... she has already passed away..." A touch of sadness flashed in Gu Qianxun's eyes as she spoke.

"What? Hong Yu, she... how could she?" Madam Liu Hua's expression changed drastically, her eyes widened, and she asked hurriedly.

"The True Spirit bloodline of my mother was coveted by others, and many years ago it was already..." Gu Qianxun couldn't finish her sentence.

Madam Liu Hua only heard half of it, and put her hands behind her back, pacing back and forth in place with a livid face. Her fists were clenched, making cracking sounds, and a faint aura constantly radiated from her body, as if she was trying to suppress the anger in her heart.

Finally, a hint of regret flashed in his eyes, and he stopped.

"I'll talk to you about this in detail later, come sit down first." Madam Liu Hua slowly walked back to his seat and sat down.

Han Li and the others followed and sat opposite him.

"Who is this kid? Is he your Dao companion?" Madam Liu Hua's attention was previously focused on Gu Qianxun, and only now did he notice Han Li. He couldn't help but frown and ask.

Seeing that he was completely scrutinizing Han Li like a potential son-in-law, with a hint of disgust in his eyes, Han Li quickly waved his hand and said, "Senior, you misunderstand. My name is Li Feiyu, and I am Gu Daoyou's... friend."

"Speak, are you here to buy weapons, or to customize weapons? Let me say this first, if you are customizing weapons, you can only tell me your requirements for the weapons. Don't bring me any of that bullshit design drawings. I only recognize the weapons I designed myself. Other people's... are all dog shit." Madam Liu Hua glanced at Han Li and frowned, clearly saying it specifically for him to hear.

"Senior, you misunderstand. We are here neither to buy weapons, nor to customize weapons," Gu Qianxun said.

"If it's not for weapons, then what is it for?" Madam Liu Hua frowned slightly and asked.

"To be honest, this junior has come here to seek a secret method from Senior to remove the Black Tribulation Worm," Han Li said.

Hearing this, a complex expression flashed in Madam Liu Hua's eyes, and she asked, "Are you from Qingyang City?"

"Why does Senior say that?" Han Li's heart stirred and he asked.

"I only passed on the method of taming the Black Tribulation Worm to Du Qingyang. Unless he's a complete idiot, he wouldn't spread it to others. And I believe that within the entire Xuan City, no one else knows about it at all. You must have come from Qingyang City," Madam Liu Hua said with a sigh.

"Senior is right, we did come from Qingyang City. We were previously coerced by Du Qingyang with the Black Tribulation Worm. We are here now to seek a solution from Senior," Han Li said.

"So, Du Qingyang's death is likely related to you as well?" Madam Liu Hua asked, glancing sideways at Han Li and Gu Qianxun.

"You passed on the method of taming the Black Tribulation Worm to Du Qingyang?" Gu Qianxun's expression changed instantly upon hearing this.

Madam Liu Hua noticed that Gu Qianxun's address to him was not "Senior," but "you." For some reason, she felt a vague sense of unease in her heart.

"Not daring to deceive Senior, Du Qingyang wanted to use a secret method to absorb our blood essence, and we had no choice but to join forces with the current city lord to overthrow him," Han Li interjected upon seeing this.

"Back then, I owed him a considerable favor, so I passed on the method of taming the Black Tribulation Worm to him. As for what he used it for, I really didn't know," Madam Liu Hua said with a sigh, looking at Gu Qianxun with some guilt.

"He used it on Li Daoyou, he used it on me... Back then, he also used it on my mother," Gu Qianxun said, staring intently at Madam Liu Hua, gritting her teeth with each word.

"You're saying... your mother was harmed by Du Qingyang?" Madam Liu Hua's expression became extremely grave upon hearing this.

"Although I can't be sure, the fact that my mother could be kidnapped from Xuanzhi City by Du Qingyang, I'm afraid Qin Yuan, the city lord, can't escape responsibility either," Gu Qianxun said through gritted teeth.

"We'll talk about this later. You should already have the Black Tribulation Stone with you, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to live peacefully until now. But even with this thing, it's not a long-term solution," Madam Liu Hua said, her expression slightly restrained, as if lost in thought.

"Senior means..." Han Li asked with a frown.

"The Black Tribulation Stone can indeed prevent the further development of the Black Tribulation Worm, but its effect is gradually weakening. When the day it completely fails, it will be the moment when the Black Tribulation Worm completely backlashes. At that time, it will only be more violent, and you will surely die," Madam Liu Hua said calmly.

"Now that we have found Senior, we implore Senior to definitely help us remove this worm," Han Li said with cupped hands.

"If you want me to save you, you must first agree to one thing," Madam Liu Hua said after thinking for a moment.

"Senior, please speak," Han Li said.

"Become my disciple and study under my tutelage," Madam Liu Hua said, shaking his head and wagging his head.

"Become your disciple?" Han Li was stunned upon hearing this, and said with some disbelief.

Gu Qianxun's eyes also changed slightly, appearing very surprised.

"What? You're unwilling?" Madam Liu Hua raised his eyebrows and asked in a cold voice.

"It's not that I'm unwilling, but I don't understand. Please tell me the reason, Senior," Han Li took a deep breath and said.

Because the imprint that Mo Daifu left on Han Li back then was too deep, he had never taken the master-disciple relationship very seriously. But if he could follow Madam Liu Hua to learn the art of refining weapons, he wouldn't mind.

"There's no reason. We're both humans, and I like the look of you. Is that reason enough?" Madam Liu Hua snorted coldly.

"It's enough, it's my good fortune to be favored by Senior. But I don't know if there are any restrictions to becoming a disciple under Senior?" Han Li asked.

"There are naturally restrictions. You must stay by my side and serve me, and you must not leave for at least ten thousand years," Madam Liu Hua nodded and said.

"Must not leave for ten thousand years?" Han Li frowned repeatedly upon hearing this.

"Ten thousand years is but a fleeting moment for cultivators. What... you don't even have that much patience? To tell you the truth, how many people have begged me on their knees to take them as nominal disciples, but I'm too lazy to even look at them. You little brat, don't be ungrateful," Madam Liu Hua said with a haughty expression.

"This junior naturally understands this point, but this time I entered the Scale Accumulation Void to find a very important person. I cannot stay in this Xuan City until I find her, so I can only disregard Senior's kind intentions," Han Li shook his head and said frankly.