A Truce

Chapter 117: A Truce

After hearing Han Li’s words, the color returned to the women’s cheeks, lending them a renewed vitality.

Madam Yan was the first to recover. She steadied herself by gently adjusting the jade hairpin in her bun, then spoke with regained composure. “Even if you truly are a cultivator and immune to the incense, are you not worried about the poison within you?” She finally played her last card.

The faint smile on Han Li’s face immediately chilled. Doctor Mo had indeed handed his only leverage over him to these women.

“You are correct. I do have a Cold Poison within me,” Han Li said calmly. “But before it kills me, I wouldn’t mind slaughtering everyone in this household.”

The words were spoken flatly, but the ruthlessness behind them was unmistakable. A heavy silence fell.

Seeing that none of the women would break it, Han Li understood. At this moment of life and death, the only one who could truly decide the course for the Mo Estate was still Fourth Lady Yan.

After a long pause, Yan finally spoke. “Since we are both wary of each other and neither wishes for mutual destruction, it seems we must come to an agreement.”

“Naturally,” Han Li replied, showing no false pride. His life was at stake, after all. “I don’t intend to die so early either.”

He walked back to his seat across from Yan and sat down.

“Before we begin negotiations, I would still ask that you tell us the true circumstances of my husband’s death. Our marriage was real, and we can only rest easy if we know the real cause. Do not worry—if you were the one who killed him, we would not seek revenge. We are but widows and orphans, and we would never be foolish enough to dash an egg against a stone.”

There was a deliberate note of sorrow in Yan’s final words, as if Han Li were the brute who had come to bully a helpless household.

Han Li sighed inwardly. He knew she was acting, but seeing her look so pathetic still stirred a sliver of sympathy.

Was there any harm in telling them how Doctor Mo had died? He had nothing to hide. He believed that Doctor Mo’s death was not his fault. The blame lay squarely on Yu Zitong and the doctor’s own schemes.

“Very well,” Han Li said after a moment’s thought. “I can tell you exactly how Master Mo died. If, after hearing the whole story, you still insist on revenge, I will be ready to face it.”

“Thank you, Young Master!” Yan’s expression immediately brightened with joy.

Han Li began his account, deliberately unhurried. “It started with your husband deceiving me—making me practice the Eternal Spring Art for over four years before I discovered the truth…”

He recounted his story plainly: how he had been duped, poisoned by Doctor Mo, and forced to cultivate the Eternal Spring Art. He described Doctor Mo’s plan to seize his body and be reborn, only to be devoured in the soul realm. He told them about Yu Zitong, the man’s schemes, and the failed possession. Finally, he explained how he discovered the Yin Poison within him and had no choice but to come to Lan Province seeking the Warm Yang Jade to neutralize it.

Han Li wanted these women to understand that Doctor Mo’s death was a tragedy of his own making. He had done nothing to owe the Mo family.

After they heard Han Li’s harrowing story, the women exchanged uneasy glances. If his words were true, then Doctor Mo’s death could hardly be blamed on him. Moreover, the way he described Doctor Mo’s methods and schemes matched the man they clearly remembered. It was even consistent with the secret letter they had found.

“If everything you say is true,” Yan finally said with a light sigh, “then my husband’s death cannot be laid at your feet. The true blame lies entirely with Yu Zitong’s villainous plot. It was his scheming alone that killed my husband.”

Han Li stared at her, surprised by her words.

This woman was practically shifting all of Doctor Mo’s blame onto the dead man’s ghost, as if her own husband had been nothing but a victim. Han Li had intended to speak, but the strange look in his eyes was more than enough to convey his thoughts.

Yan, however, met his stare without a trace of shame. Her face remained steady and unflinching.

Han Li gave a wry smile. When women hardened their skin, it seemed they were no worse than men. He turned to glance at the other wives.

Third Lady Liu was still wearing her perpetual smile, as if the world’s problems had never touched her. When she noticed Han Li’s gaze, she even shot him a playful wink.

Second Lady Li, in contrast, looked flustered. When she saw him looking, she lowered her head. Her refined, well-bred demeanor clearly made her feel ashamed of Yan’s words.

As for Fifth Lady Wang, the cold, beautiful woman remained expressionless, but her fingers were twisting together restlessly. What thoughts lay behind that calm facade, Han Li could not guess.

“Since there is no deep blood grudge between us,” Yan said, her voice sweet and soft, “it seems the path to peace talks is even smoother.”

Han Li turned back to face her. “There isn’t much to discuss,” he said indifferently. “Give me the Warm Yang Jade, and I will leave immediately. I will never bother the Mo Estate again.”

“That won’t do,” Yan said with a light smile, rejecting his offer without hesitation.

“Why not?” Han Li was not angry.

“You must have overheard a great deal about the Mo Estate’s desperate situation while you were outside my room last night. You know very well that without outside help, the complete annihilation of my household is only a matter of time. In that case, you might as well finish the job now. Kill us all, and be done with it.” Yan’s eyes reddened as she put on a pitiful expression.

Han Li stared at her for a long time without a word. He held her gaze until her cheeks flushed red, but still, she stubbornly refused to look away.

He let out a long breath. Now he knew exactly where Mo Caihuan’s little tricks came from.

The girl was a perfect copy of Yan—this very demoness sitting before him.