As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
He had already made up his mind not to get entangled with this woman anymore, yet he had inexplicably agreed to her request. It seemed his willpower still wasn't strong enough!
Thinking this, Han Li secretly shook his head, but still answered aloud:
"Fine, then Senior Sister can take my Divine Wind Boat. That way we can go and return quickly!"
After speaking, Han Li released the pristine white Divine Wind Boat and invited Chen Qiaoqian to board.
Chen Qiaoqian smiled gracefully upon seeing this and boarded without hesitation.
Thus, Han Li took Chen Qiaoqian and flew off on the magical artifact. Before long, they arrived at White Chrysanthemum Mountain, which was quite famous in the capital of Yue.
The mountain was covered with all kinds of chrysanthemums in full bloom, mostly white, creating a truly enchanting scenery.
To Han Li's surprise, once they arrived at the mountain, Chen Qiaoqian didn't say anything to him. She simply walked up the path on her own, occasionally stopping to admire particularly beautiful scenery.
Following behind her, Han Li also remained silent. However, gazing at her delicate and moving figure, he looked rather clueless, appearing completely unaware of the romantic atmosphere.
After an hour, Chen Qiaoqian reached the mountaintop and stood in a small pavilion, gazing into the distance. Han Li stood to one side.
At this moment, apart from the two of them, there wasn't a single tourist on the mountaintop. Since neither was willing to speak first, the silence felt especially profound.
This delicate atmosphere persisted for an unknown length of time before Chen Qiaoqian finally spoke in a faint, distant voice:
"Junior Brother Han, after the great battle ends, I'm afraid I will have to marry someone!"
Hearing this, Han Li was startled and couldn't help turning his face toward her, showing a look of surprise.
"The other party is a direct disciple of the Qin family, another great immortal cultivation clan. He's taken under the Heavenly Fortress Sect and is also a cultivator who recently established his foundation. I've met him a few times, and he seems decent. If nothing unexpected happens, he will join the Chen family as a live-in son-in-law and become my dual cultivation companion." Chen Qiaoqian seemed oblivious to Han Li's astonished expression, speaking in a calm, unhurried tone.
By now, Han Li's surprise had gradually faded. After a moment's hesitation, he politely said:
"Then I congratulate Senior Sister Chen on this happy union! Later, your junior brother will surely prepare a gift..."
Han Li had only begun speaking, but this clearly wasn't what the other party wanted to hear. She trembled slightly, and before Han Li could finish, she coldly raised her hand. A circular disk artifact flew out, and she departed on it of her own accord, as if there was nothing left worth staying for.
Watching the direction where Chen Qiaoqian disappeared, Han Li stood coldly in place without moving. After a long while, he let out a deep breath and flew off listlessly.
Although he had long since made up his mind, seeing a woman who harbored feelings for him truly going to become another's wife still left Han Li with a sense of loss.
Perhaps this was a common ailment among all men. Though they were called immortal cultivators, in matters of the heart they were the same as mortals.
Han Li mused self-deprecatingly as he flew back to the Qin residence.
But as soon as he returned, he learned from others that Chen Qiaoqian had already left and departed ahead of everyone.
Hearing this, Han Li smiled bitterly to himself. It seemed Chen Qiaoqian was truly disappointed in him and had resolved to marry another in peace.
Although somewhat melancholic, Han Li was ultimately not an ordinary person. He simply nodded as usual and continued chatting and laughing with others for the rest of the day.
Thus, the next morning, the others departed from the Qin residence one after another, with Han Li being the last to leave.
Before departing, he specifically sneaked a glance at Mo Fengwu. After all, they had crossed paths, and he had planned to say goodbye.
But when he saw Mo Fengwu through the window while hovering in the air outside the pavilion, Han Li changed his mind about meeting her.
Because Mo Fengwu, dressed in plain clothes, was inside the pavilion reciting scriptures with an elderly woman of about fifty. Her face was full of peaceful serenity.
After watching silently for a while, Han Li ultimately didn't disturb her and quietly turned to leave.
For this woman, perhaps not meeting would be better!
It would save her from recalling those painful memories. Perhaps this peaceful, contention-free life was what she truly yearned for, Han Li thought with some melancholy.
Han Li left the capital of Yue and made a slight detour, heading first for Jiayuan City. Regardless, since he had promised to help the Mo family seek revenge, he might as well take a look while passing through.
Although demonic cultivators no longer caused trouble, with the great battle imminent, there probably wouldn't be any high-level cultivators stationed in the city. If he could silently eliminate the master of the Five Color Sect, even if the Spirit Beast Mountain people were furious, they wouldn't be able to trace it back to him.
However, besides dealing with the Five Color Sect, he also wanted to see how Sun Er'gou had managed the Four Plains Gang. Presumably, with Qu Hun's assistance over the years, there should have been some progress.
And this escape route he had set up back then still seemed rather useless.
With these thoughts in mind, Han Li sat on the Divine Wind Boat and headed straight for Jiayuan City.
Speaking of which, his last visit to Jiayuan City had been over ten years ago, yet many things remained vivid in his memory, deeply impressed upon his mind.
...
Five days later, a young man in green robes arrived before the old-established restaurant "Xiang Family Restaurant" in Jiayuan City.
Standing on the street in front of the restaurant, the young man squinted up at the signboard with a rather peculiar expression. It was none other than Han Li, who had recently entered the city.
After standing there and reminiscing for a moment, Han Li calmly walked inside.
As luck would have it, as soon as he went up to the second floor, he spotted the same window seat he had occupied that day, completely empty.
Delighted, Han Li walked over without hesitation.
Just as he sat down, a waiter came over eagerly to wipe down the table and asked Han Li what food and drinks he would like to order.
Han Li smiled faintly, casually ordering a few tasty dishes, and sent the waiter on his way. He hadn't come here merely to satisfy his appetite.
With this thought, Han Li's gaze turned toward the window.
The Mo family mansion from back then still stood, with several burly guards stationed at the gate as before. However, the huge signboard above the main gate no longer read "Mo Residence," but had been changed to "Li Residence" in large golden characters.
Gazing at the "Li Residence" signboard gleaming in the sunlight, Han Li's brow furrowed involuntarily.
As far as he knew, the master of the Five Color Sect was surnamed "Li." It seemed they had simply taken over the place by force.
For some reason, looking at the "Li Residence" characters on the signboard, Han Li found them particularly offensive to the eye. The old Mo family signboard seemed much more pleasing by comparison.
Han Li was lost in thought when the waiter efficiently served the food and drinks. Just then, sounds of laughter and chatter rose from below, and several young men came up the stairs. They were all dressed in brocade and fine silk, looking like wealthy young masters, with several muscular servants trailing behind them.
These young masters glanced casually around the floor. One of them, thin as a reed who looked like a gust of wind could blow him away, imperiously waved at the waiter.
The waiter immediately scurried over and said with an obsequious grin:
"Young Master Xia, what are your orders, sir?"
"Call your manager over. Today we're treating an honored guest to drinks. Have the unimportant people on the third floor leave quickly. We'll cover any losses." This young man might be thin and small, but his tone was certainly grand.
Yet the waiter showed no hint of dissatisfaction, nodding repeatedly in agreement before hurrying off to notify the manager.
Moments later, a middle-aged man in his forties came upstairs.
Upon seeing these young men, he immediately smiled obsequiously and agreed to their demands, then took the waiter upstairs to make his apologies.
Whether it was the manager's shrewdness or the young masters' reputations were truly formidable, within a short while, the diners on the third floor had all paid their bills and left, with not a single person daring to show any resentment.
Seeing this, Han Li merely gave them a lazy glance before turning his attention back to the street outside the window.
They were merely wealthy young masters among mortals. In the secular world, arrogant people who relied on their family's influence could be found everywhere. Han Li had no interest in paying attention to them.
At this moment, the young men led by Young Master Xia nodded in satisfaction, then went downstairs together to receive their guest.
After a while, footsteps sounded from below once more. This time, Han Li was slightly startled and couldn't help turning his head to look back.
Because among those heavy footsteps, one person was clearly light and airy, as if barely touching the ground. This was the distinctive appearance of someone in the martial arts world whose lightness skill had reached a certain level of mastery.
This piqued Han Li's curiosity.