Han Li had already read the contents of the letter several times. It was straightforward: the letter identified Han Li as Mo Daofu’s last disciple, someone to be fully trusted. If the Mo Mansion was facing any trouble, Han Li could be relied upon to resolve it. If he could ensure the safety of the Mo family, Lady Yan was to choose one of her three daughters to marry him, with the dowry explicitly being the “Warm Sun Jade.” As for Mo Daofu himself, he claimed to be occupied with urgent matters and unable to return to his wife and daughters, urging them not to worry.
Although Han Li found nothing in the letter that seemed disadvantageous to him, he was certain Mo Daofu had tampered with it in some way, making it more than what met the eye.
Unable to decipher the letter’s hidden meaning and eager to gain the trust of the Mo family, Han Li had no choice but to hand it over to Lady Yan. He watched her every move intently, fearing she might suddenly detect something amiss in the letter and turn against him, seeking revenge for Mo Daofu.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario Han Li imagined did not occur. After reading the letter, the beautiful Lady Yan merely furrowed her brows, her expression growing troubled, as if she were grappling with a difficult decision.
“Huan’er, go fetch the Second Lady, Third Lady, and Fifth Lady. Tell them we have news from the master!” Lady Yan turned and spoke to Mo Caihuan in an authoritative tone.
“Understood, Mother! I’ll go right away.” Sensing the gravity of the situation, Mo Caihuan obediently complied. As she left the room, she shot Han Li a playful smile, seemingly intrigued by him.
“You are Han Li?” Lady Yan lifted her head, her demeanor once again dignified and elegant.
“Yes, Master’s Wife!” Han Li replied earnestly.
“Could you tell me how my husband took you as his disciple?” Lady Yan asked with a smile.
“As you wish!” Han Li hesitated briefly but saw no reason to hide the general process of how Mo Daofu had accepted him as a disciple. He selectively recounted the story to Lady Yan, mixing truth with fabrication.
“Eight years ago, Master Mo, due to unresolved old injuries, was living in seclusion on Caixia Mountain in the Seven Mysteries Sect of Yuezhou. That was when I first entered the mountain…” Han Li naturally wove a tale that was seventy percent truth and thirty percent fiction, carefully omitting or glossing over details he couldn’t disclose. Yet, Lady Yan listened with rapt attention, thoroughly engrossed.
“…And so, three months ago, Master Mo was tied up with urgent matters and unable to leave. Fearing that his long absence might embolden enemies to target the Mo Mansion, he sent me down the mountain to seek out the ladies of the house and await your instructions.”
“What urgent matter could my husband have that he couldn’t even return home first?” Lady Yan sighed after hearing Han Li’s half-true account of his apprenticeship, her voice tinged with melancholy and a hint of resentment.
“Return home? Mo Daofu has been dead for nearly two years, his body buried under a tree, now reduced to bones!” Han Li thought to himself with self-mockery, but outwardly, he replied with feigned reverence, “What matter? Master Mo did not disclose it to me, but it must have been extremely important!” His answer was deliberately vague.
“Hmph! Did your master instruct you to keep secrets from us?” Lady Yan said with a faint smile, though her tone carried a note of dissatisfaction.
“Absolutely not!” Han Li replied verbally, but inwardly, he sighed. Lady Yan was truly suspicious.
Lady Yan seemed unwilling to let the matter rest and opened her mouth to ask another question.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed outside the room, followed by an exceedingly charming, coquettish voice before anyone even entered.
“Fourth Sister, is it true that we have news from our husband? That deadbeat, vanishing for over a decade—does he want us sisters to live as widows?”
Han Li was momentarily stunned by the sugary-sweet voice, but its content startled him even more.
“This lady is quite bold!” he thought, astonished.
“Third Sister, mind your words. There are others in the room,” another woman’s slightly hoarse voice chided gently.
“Understood! But I heard the messenger is another ‘dear disciple’ of our husband! Could he be another impostor? What do you think, Fifth Sister?” the charming voice giggled.
“Unlikely. Since Fourth Sister summoned us, it means he’s at least seventy to eighty percent trustworthy,” a cold voice replied.
“True. Fourth Sister’s judgment is something I deeply admire!” the charming voice laughed playfully, though it was unclear whether she was being sarcastic or sincere.
Hearing this, Han Li stole a glance at Lady Yan, who was mass her temples with one hand, her face full of helplessness. It seemed the owner of the charming voice gave her a headache as well.
The door finally swung open, and several beautiful women filed into the room, with Mo Caihuan trailing behind them, her lips pouted in a sulk.
The woman at the front appeared to be in her early thirties, elegant and dignified with delicate features and an air of scholarly refinement, suggesting she had been a talented beauty in her youth.
Han Li nodded inwardly and shifted his gaze to the young woman in the middle, who looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four.
The moment Han Li saw her face, his mind went blank, and he was momentarily lost in her stunning beauty. She was even more captivating than Mo Yuzhu, whom he had seen earlier in the day, and her allure as a charming young married woman was something Mo Yuzhu simply couldn’t match. If there were such a thing as a fox spirit in this world, Han Li would have sworn she was one.
Just as Han Li was drifting into a daze, a cool energy suddenly surged from his dantian, circulated through his meridians to his brain, and jolted him back to awareness.
Startled, Han Li averted his eyes, not daring to look at her again.
“This woman is dangerously beautiful, capable of captivating anyone who lays eyes on her! Is it her natural charm, or does she practice some enchantment magic?” Han Li wondered in alarm.
The young woman noticed Han Li’s initial fascination and subsequent quick recovery, as well as his deliberate avoidance of her gaze. A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
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