Initially, the speed of Han Xuhan's escape was quite fast. But as he realized that the woman in that mysterious hut didn't seem keen on pulling any sudden and unexpected moves, his heart gradually settled, and his speed slowed down.

By the time he returned to his hut, the sky had become bright again and the air had regained its unpolluted fresh state. A swathe of darkness was visibly clouding a nearby mountain peak. Within a couple of hours, that entire mass of fog would be sucked into a corner of the Frost Pill Mountain peak.

The refreshing atmosphere brought Han Xuhan's mood back to normal. In fact, he even started to feel a little optimistic.

Any mysterious senior cultivator in this world, so long as they weren't intent on killing or refining inexperienced juniors, could be considered a potential golden thigh to hug tightly.

If his theory that the Crimson Snow Sect was actively covering up the hiding spot of this woman was correct, then there was little chance of her harming him, regardless of her character.

"Still, it's better to avoid that part of the mountain for now. Without knowing her background, coming into frequent contact with her would be very foolish."

How to figure out her background, then?

Han Xuhan had a couple of ideas. After he checked in on his minions inside the hut, who were focused on their own cultivation sessions, he headed out towards the Archives pavilion.

"Senior Brother Lin, this junior is in need of your guidance again!"

His loud arrival didn't surprise the older disciples working in the management area of the Archives. Senior Brother Lin and Han Xuhan were on very good terms by now, having cultivated a close connection through their frequent meetings there.

Han Xuhan valued Senior Brother Lin because this guy knew the Archives pavilion like the back of his hand. He valued Han Xuhan because of the reputation for having the strongest internal backing among the new disciples of the outer court.

"Junior Brother Xuhan? I'm afraid this isn't a good time..." he said hesitantly, pointing at the heavy and chaotic stacks of documents, scrolls, and manuscripts around his desk.

Han Xuhan was about to leave in disappointment, but one of the older disciples working there spoke up in a somewhat resigned tone.

"Brother Lin, we can handle this matter. You go over and see what junior brother Xuhan needs. Whatever it is, it's probably more important than what we're doing anyway."

Han Xuhan's brows furrowed for a moment, wondering what that remark meant. But seeing Brother Lin accept the suggestion and walk over, he could only thank them all in a hurry.

"So what's the matter, junior brother?" he asked dispiritedly as Han Xuhan led him towards the History Section of the Archives.

Han Xuhan chose the direct route first.

"Senior Brother, is there anyone in the history of our sect who had high accomplishments in rule-based cultivation techniques? Anyone you can remember from the most recent records? Perhaps a woman?"

".... Rule-based cultivation techniques? You'll have to be more specific than that. Every technique is based on some rules," Brother Lin said dryly.

"For example, a technique that manifests as a game of chess," Han Xuhan said carefully.

"Chess, chess, chess.... No, nothing comes to mind. I've read all the historical records made on our accomplished sect ancestors. I can't recall any man or woman using such a technique," the older disciple replied confidently.

"I see. Then, do you know whether there are any manuals in the archives that contain such a cultivation technique?"

"There are a few." Brother Lin looked thoughtful as he named a couple of obscure sounding techniques.

"But none of them can be called remarkable, if you ask me. Why are you so interested in this kind of Mystic Arts suddenly? I thought you gave up on the Mystic Path."

Han Xuhan shook his head. "I'm not trying to cultivate these techniques. Just interested in studying them a bit."

"Oh, then go in that direction and look for showcase number 23 and 24. And if you search through the miscellaneous manual collections, you might find a few more techniques that use chess games as their foundation."

Thanking him sincerely, Han Xuhan pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket.

"Senior Brother Lin, do you recognize any of these insignias?"

On the sheet of paper, several crudely drawn designs were visible. Han Xuhan had done his best to copy the emblems he had seen on the soldiers during that game of chess. The parts that he couldn't draw, he had labeled with descriptive texts.

The details probably weren't entirely accurate, considering that he had been forced to watch through a pair of eyes outside his control. So he didn't have high hopes.

Senior Brother Lin scanned the designs, and a distant look enveloped his eyes as he fell into deep thought. But eventually, he shook his head, crushing the little bit of hope in Han Xuhan's heart.

Just as Han Xuhan folded the sheet back, the older disciple made a sudden, inadvertent yelp, as if he had recalled something significant.

Han Xuhan looked at his senior brother eagerly, noticing an alert and heavy countenance falling over his face. Clearly, he has struck gold this time!

"What did you remember, Senior Brother?"

Brother Lin's eyes became narrow as he gazed around their surroundings like a hawk. After becoming certain that nobody was within earshot, he whispered the answer to Han Xuhan.

"I have never seen these insignias myself. But a few years ago, one of my senior sisters asked me to look for some ancient clan emblem records. She described six unique emblems that day, and as far as I can remember, some of them seem identical to the insignias on your sheet!"

"One of your senior sisters? Then she must have left the sect almost half a decade ago, right?" Han Xuhan said, his hopes dashed again.

"Yes, but even if you can contact her, it'd be useless. She didn't know anything about these emblems either. She wanted to learn about them and assigned the task to me. My search was in vain."

"Did she explain why?"

Brother Lin's face became solemn. "She did, after I pestered her a few times. She said that she saw these emblems being thrown out of the Sect Master's palace through a window.

"Elder Kong Ye stormed out of the palace moments after, yelling profanities and looking furious! He took those emblems away with him while leaving."

"...Sounds like Sect Master and Elder Ye had a big disagreement over something related to those emblems," Han Xuhan muttered to himself, imagining the scene. He had never expected to hear such a wild answer.

"It does. So, unless you have the guts to ask them about it, better not speculate about anything. If it's not too important, I suggest letting go of your curiosity regarding this matter. Some stories are not worth unearthing."

Senior Brother Lin's caution was not unwarranted. Older cultivators, especially those with a disposition like Elder Kong Ye or the Sect Master, rarely let their anger get to their head.

If these emblems were tied to a story that could make them yell profanities at each other, Han Xuhan wouldn't dare to investigate it casually.

However, Han Xuhan was far from being discouraged. He hadn't expected to come across so much information so quickly. He had leads, he knew the people who had real answers, and he had a good relationship with them as well!

Uncovering the mystery was just a matter of time now.