Han Li felt that telling the other party about the disappearance of Mo Caihuan and her daughter would not help matters in the slightest.
As long as Mo Fengwu knew that she still had relatives alive in this world, that would be enough! He estimated that this woman would not bring up the topic of seeing Mo Caihuan and her daughter again, since everything had already changed beyond recognition.
Han Li then gave her a brief account of his encounter with Mo Caihuan, which nearly moved Mo Fengwu to tears of joy.
Mo Fengwu understood very well that with Han Li's status as a cultivator, there was no need for him to fabricate any lies to deceive a helpless woman like herself. That he was willing to be so courteous to her was likely due to their brief meeting all those years ago.
So Mo Fengwu, her hands clasped together in front of her chest in quiet prayer for a short while, finally regained her composure.
But when she faced Han Li again, she was noticeably no longer so cold.
She understood full well that if Han Li had not intervened at Yanling Fortress, the Yan mother and daughter would still be trapped in their predicament!
"Thank you, Young Master Han, for telling me about Caihuan and Fourth Lady's whereabouts. This is the first good news Fengwu has heard in seven or eight years." After calming down, Mo Fengwu spoke slowly.
But before Han Li could say anything, she continued:
"Although my little sister and her daughter are safe, my eldest sister and the other concubines are still unaccounted for. Most likely they have met with foul play. I cannot rest without avenging them! But Fengwu has not the strength to even bind a chicken. Junior Brother Han will surely help me, won't you?"
As she spoke, Mo Fengwu's expression turned utterly vulnerable. A misty haze instantly clouded her bright eyes, as though she were about to break into tears of sorrow.
Seeing this, Han Li rubbed his nose, his head aching with helplessness!
He had thought that once she learned of Mo Caihuan and her daughter's whereabouts, she would not be so eager to seek revenge. He had not expected that Mo Fengwu, after all these years apart, had become so obsessed with this matter!
To be frank, if he were asked to eliminate a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage, that would be far easier than going after an influential mortal without cause.
Ever since joining Yellow Maple Valley, Han Li had known that the more than ten prefectures of the Kingdom of Yue had long since been carved up by the Seven Great Sects and several major families.
Every powerful secular family that had endured for any length of time in each prefecture would have cultivators watching over them in the shadows — or perhaps they had been propped up by those very cultivation sects from the beginning.
Back then, the Mo family of Lanzhou and the Duba Mountain Stronghold were merely newly risen powers, which was why they had not yet come into contact with cultivators. Otherwise, when Han Li assassinated Ouyang Feitian of the Duba Mountain Stronghold, it would not have been so easy to succeed without anyone pressing the matter afterward.
But the Five Colors Gate was different.
This sect had risen over a hundred years ago and could already be considered long-established. And since Lanzhou was the territory tacitly recognized by the Seven Great Sects as Spirit Beast Mountain's domain, the Five Colors Gate likely already had Spirit Beast Mountain's shadow behind it. That was why the Mo family had suffered such a crushing defeat upon first engaging with them.
As a disciple of Yellow Maple Valley, for Han Li to eliminate the secular leader of another sect's backed faction without cause would be difficult to explain away.
However, the recent infiltration of demonic cultivators into the Kingdom of Yue to wreak havoc among the secular world presented a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters. If he acted during this period, and was careful enough, he should not attract any trouble.
Han Li considered this, but his face betrayed nothing. He stood up and paced back and forth across the room several times.
After weighing the matter once more, he fixed his gaze on Mo Fengwu's lovely face and spoke coolly:
"Miss Fengwu, strictly speaking, I should not agree to this request. It would bring me a great deal of trouble! But given the current situation in the cultivation world is somewhat special, I cannot say there is absolutely no chance. How about this — if the opportunity arises, I can try to eliminate the master of the Five Colors Gate. But if the situation truly makes it impossible, Miss Fengwu, you should give up on thoughts of revenge!"
Hearing Han Li's words, Mo Fengwu was overcome with joyful tears. That radiant beauty, dewy and flushed with emotion, left Han Li momentarily mesmerized.
When he had first met Mo Fengwu all those years ago, he had indeed been moved — just that once — by the gentle and captivating Second Miss of the Mo family. The warm and endearing feeling she had given him remained vivid in his memory to this day, something he often reminisced about with fondness.
That must have been the first time he had ever felt the stirrings of romantic feelings between a man and a woman.
And this modest promise would serve as his answer to those feelings for Mo Fengwu.
As Han Li thought this, his expression remained unchanged on the surface. He intended to bury these feelings deep in his heart, never to speak of them to anyone.
Mo Fengwu, at last, recovered from the joy of Han Li's promise.
Her face filled with gratitude, she said nothing but stepped forward in a few quick strides and pressed her soft, fragrant lips lightly against Han Li's cheek. Then, with a touch of shyness and a hint of bewilderment, she said:
"With Junior Brother Han's promise, even if that man is not killed, Fengwu will be eternally grateful!"
After saying this, **she silently pulled her cloak around herself and hurriedly left Han Li's room.
Han Li touched the spot on his face where she had kissed him, his expression somewhat peculiar. Before long, he rested his chin on one hand and sank into deep thought, remaining so for a very, very long time...
……
The next morning, Han Li awoke from his meditation and contemplation of qi. Thinking back on the events of the previous night, he could not help but sigh inwardly. If Mo Fengwu also possessed spiritual roots, he would have certainly brought her into Yellow Maple Valley and taken her as his dao companion to cultivate the great dao together.
With these thoughts, Han Li finished freshening up and walked out of his room.
He planned to familiarize himself with the layout of the Qin residence first, before considering anything else.
But unexpectedly, the moment he stepped outside, he found Qin Ping standing at the gate of the courtyard with a cheerful grin on his face.
Before Han Li could express his surprise and ask questions, Qin Ping quickly explained:
"I have been instructed by the Master to serve temporarily as the Young Master's personal attendant. In the future, whenever the Young Master needs anything done, just give this servant your orders."
Qin Ping spoke to Han Li with a bearing that combined respect with a touch of excitement.
His thinking was quite straightforward. This Young Master Han might come from a small place and not look particularly shrewd, but he carried considerable weight in the Master's eyes — that alone was enough for him to curry favor.
Moreover, if he could serve this master well, he might even win additional favor from the Master!
As Qin Ping pondered this, he calculated with private satisfaction, secretly scorning all those fools who had eagerly pushed away the opportunity to serve this country-bumpkin Young Master when they heard about it.
He, Qin Ping, had long since heard from the servants beside the Madam that this Young Master was most likely the Master's illegitimate son. As long as the Master was alive, how could this Young Master ever be neglected? And as the Young Master's attendant, his own status would naturally rise along with his master's.
This was far better than being a mere errand-runner for the Third Mistress!
Han Li naturally had no idea of what was really going through the other's mind. He simply felt that Qin Yan was indeed a man who knew how to handle people — knowing that Han Li was unfamiliar with both the Qin residence and the Yue capital, he had promptly sent over a guide. A timely help indeed!
With this thought, a smile appeared on Han Li's face, and he said directly to Qin Ping:
"I've never seen such a large estate before. I was just about to take a walk around and have a look. You can accompany me."
"Of course, Young Master!"
Seeing that his first assignment had arrived, Qin Ping immediately straightened up and responded with enthusiasm.
And so, with Qin Ping leading the way, Han Li began strolling around the vast Qin residence.
Although certain areas were occupied by female members of the household and it would be inappropriate for Han Li to go too close, standing at a distance and pointing things out was fine — no one dared to come and question it. After all, Qin Yan's words from the previous day had already spread throughout the entire Qin estate.
"This is the Fugui Courtyard of the Second Master's household. Besides the Second Master himself, the Second Master's two youngest sons also reside here. And next to it is..."
Qin Ping served as an exceptionally competent guide. Not only did he tell Han Li the name of each courtyard and compound, but he also pointed out the identities of the residents one by one, allowing Han Li to commit them firmly to memory.
But when it came to the residence of "Cousin Miss" Mo Fengwu, Han Li's expression shifted slightly and he lingered his gaze there a moment longer than usual before moving on with his usual composure.
In a short while, the entirety of the Qin residence had been toured by Han Li, yet he still seemed unsatisfied.
In the end, he simply had Qin Ping lead him out of the Qin residence entirely, and the two of them wandered through some of the livelier parts of the Yue capital. Han Li kept Qin Ping talking and explaining without pause.
Following the capital's famous landmarks and bustling districts, the walk consumed the entire morning.
The enthusiastic expression that Qin Ping had worn at the start was long gone. Now he limped along behind Han Li, his face a mask of misery.
Anyone who had walked for several hours without a moment's rest, all the while having to keep talking and explaining nonstop, would likely wear the same expression. This was the first time Qin Ping seriously wondered whether he had chosen the wrong master to serve.