The Reunion of Ghosts

When Qin Yan said this, Han Li put on a look of surprise on the surface, but inwardly he was quite indifferent. He felt that this was, nine times out of ten, another poor woman poisoned by things like The Biographies of Chaste Women.

As soon as the young gentlemen in the hall heard that the cousin was coming, they immediately began whispering excitedly, their eyes revealing looks of anticipation. Han Li was slightly startled, but then it dawned on him with a flash of understanding. This cousin was probably as beautiful as jade.

Just as Han Li was thinking this, a young maidservant and a plainly dressed woman, made up like a young matron, walked in from outside the main hall.

This woman had delicate, graceful brows and a very gentle appearance. Yet her entire body radiated an indescribable, fiery charm. Her pitifully alluring demeanor stirred in most of the men present an impulse to hold her close and cherish her.

As for the green youths who still smelled of mother's milk, their eyes were wide open, staring unblinkingly.

It seemed these young masters of the Qin Clan had been infatuated with this cousin for a long time.

But when Han Li saw this woman's face clearly, a flash of alarm shot through his eyes. The dull-wittedness on his face vanished abruptly. Fortunately, he suppressed his composure in an instant, returning to his original expression.

This entire transformation happened in a single moment. All eyes were fixed on the young matron who had just entered, or else he would have nearly given himself away.

But at this moment, Han Li's heart was churning like a stormy sea.

This 'cousin,' although her appearance had changed somewhat and she had gained a bit of a matronly allure, from those spirited eyes and the delicate oval of her face, Han Li recognized her in a single glance. This so-called cousin was none other than the Second Miss of the Mo Estate, the elegant girl fond of studying medicine whom he had only met a few times back then—Mo Fengwu.

As soon as Mo Fengwu entered the room, her face flushed slightly from everyone's stares, and she automatically lowered her head. Naturally, she didn't see Han Li sitting at the lower seat beside Qin Yan.

Seeing the worthless state of these juniors, Qin Yan was extremely annoyed in his heart.

"Cough! Cough!"

His face darkened, and after a few forceful coughs, those young men lost in Mo Fengwu's charm finally withdrew their gazes as if suddenly waking up, putting on the airs of gentlemen once more. They were afraid of angering this head of the family.

"Pinger! Come sit by your aunt here," the Third Mistress, with a keen mind, took the initiative to call out, inviting Mo Fengwu to sit beside her.

"Thank you, Third Aunt."

Mo Fengwu thanked her softly with a gentle voice, then walked over to the Third Mistress with a pitifully charming grace and sat down gracefully.

"Pinger, don't stay cooped up in your room all the time. It will only suffocate you. It's better to come out and walk around more."

It was clear that Qin Yan felt a great deal of pity for Mo Fengwu, as his tone was very gentle.

"Thank you, Uncle. I understand," Mo Fengwu still did not lift her head, looking utterly submissive.

"Cough!"

Seeing this, Qin Yan sighed softly.

This niece of his always agreed obediently, but would still do as she pleased after returning home. Qin Yan felt helpless about it. But then he remembered the main business and pointed to Han Li, introducing him to Mo Fengwu.

"Pinger, let me introduce you. This is young friend Han Li, a descendant of an old benefactor who did your uncle a great kindness. Come and meet him. You may address him as Elder Cousin from now on."

Han Li was watching Mo Fengwu's every move with full attention. Seeing that this woman's body trembled slightly at the sound of the name "Han Li," he immediately had a good idea of the situation.

After a long moment, Mo Fengwu slowly raised her head, revealing her face, beautiful as the moon. At this moment, that exceptionally moving face was perfectly calm. Her delicate lips parted, and a faint voice came out.

"Greetings, Elder Cousin Han."

Mo Fengwu acted as if she truly didn't remember Han Li.

Hearing her greeting, Han Li seemed stunned by the beauty so close to him. After stammering for a long time, he finally managed to force out the words, "Greetings, Younger Cousin."

This caused some of the young men and women nearby to chuckle, unable to suppress their laughter.

Qin Yan swept his cold gaze across the room, and the noise immediately died down. Han Li, still looking foolish, scratched his head, appearing completely at a loss.

What followed was simpler.

In front of the entire family, Qin Yan coldly declared that from that day forward, Han Li would be staying at the Qin Manor for some time. During this period, he was to be treated as one of the manor's young masters. No one was to slight him, or they would face severe punishment.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the Qin Manor began to look at Han Li with strange, searching eyes. By now, it wasn't just the Third Mistress who was speculating about the true relationship between Han Li and Qin Yan.

...

That night, Han Li lay on his bed in his sleeping chamber, unable to sleep. He stared straight up at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought.

"Tap, tap!" Two faint knocks came from outside the door. Han Li, who hadn't been asleep in the first place, curled the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a mysterious smile.

Then, unhurriedly, he got up and opened the door.

Standing outside was a woman wearing a cloak and a hood.

As soon as she saw Han Li open the door, she immediately pushed back the veil, revealing her lovely face. It was Mo Fengwu, who had pretended not to recognize him during the day.

Seeing this, Han Li silently stepped aside. Mo Fengwu entered without any hesitation.

Han Li stood at the doorway and released his spiritual sense. He did not detect anyone else nearby. It seemed Mo Fengwu had been very careful when she came.

He gently closed the door. When he turned around, he saw Mo Fengwu silently unfastening her cloak, revealing her full, alluring figure. Then the woman sat down unceremoniously at the table, staring expressionlessly at Han Li.

Han Li let out a soft sigh.

Aside from her face, he found it very difficult to connect this cold, enchanting young matron before him with the gentle, medicine-loving young girl from his memory. It seemed that Mo Fengwu had experienced many things over the years, or else she wouldn't have changed so much that she felt so alien to him.

"Should I address you as Junior Disciple Han, or as Elder Cousin Han?" Mo Fengwu said, her voice a little hoarse, a flicker of unreadable emotion in her eyes.

"Just call me Han Li, Miss Fengwu," Han Li said slowly, after composing himself.

Hearing this, a trace of barely noticeable disappointment appeared on Mo Fengwu's face. But then her expression softened a little as she spoke.

"I don't know why a cultivator like yourself, Young Master Han, would appear in the Qin residence, and I don't wish to pry into the secrets. I came here simply to beg you, in consideration of the master-disciple bond you once shared with my father, to help me, Fengwu, kill an enemy, will you?"

After saying this, Mo Fengwu could no longer maintain her cold façade, looking at Han Li with a somewhat anxious expression, afraid he would refuse outright.

Han Li's expression remained unchanged. He neither immediately declined nor agreed. Instead, he picked up the pot of freshly brewed fragrant tea on the table, silently poured a cup for Mo Fengwu, and then slowly said something that startled her.

"Is it the Sect Leader of the Five Colors Sect you want me to kill?" Han Li said lazily, sitting down across from Mo Fengwu, gazing unhurriedly at her shocked face.

Mo Fengwu's surprise quickly faded.

She looked at Han Li with a strange expression. After a long time, she spoke with a hint of bitterness.

"It seems Junior Disciple Han already knows what happened to the Mo Estate. As expected, nothing can be hidden from you cultivators."

Although Mo Fengwu said these words very lightly, Han Li could still detect a trace of hidden resentment within them. And this resentment was actually directed at him.

After a moment's thought, Han Li understood why she felt this way.

So he chuckled lightly and began to explain.

"Miss Fengwu, it seems you have misunderstood. Regardless of everything, I still have some vestige of past connection with the Mo Estate. If I had truly known the Mo Estate was facing such a great calamity, I might not have been able to do much else, but I could have at least ensured that the several Madams could retire safely and enjoy their old age. That, I am confident I could have done." When he said this, his expression had become extremely sincere.

It wasn't that he was afraid Mo Fengwu would hold a grudge against him. He simply had no intention of bearing such an unjust and undeserved accusation.

Mo Fengwu only gave a faint "mm" in response to his words, her face resuming its cold expression. It was hard to tell if she truly believed his explanation.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to tell her the truth. Originally, because it involved the cultivation world, he hadn't planned to tell her.

"Actually, it was that girl Caihuan who told me about what happened to the Mo Estate. Fourth Madam is with her as well."

"What? You're saying Caihuan and Fourth Mother are still alive!" Mo Fengwu's face lit up with an excited, unbelieving flush upon hearing this.

"Of course they're alive. They're living in a very secluded place right now, doing quite well," Han Li said softly.

In truth, after he had escaped from the Yanling Fort, he had asked someone to look into what happened to the mortals after the Yan family abandoned the fort.

The result was that the entire fort had been emptied. Those mortals had taken advantage of the chaos to flee the Yanling Fort, and Mo Caihuan and her mother had vanished without a trace.