The Old Haunts

As soon as the words left his mouth, Han Li regretted them.

He had already made up his mind not to get entangled with this woman any further, yet here he was, inexplicably agreeing to her request. His resolve was still lacking after all.

Thinking this, Han Li shook his head inwardly, but his outward words agreed:

“Alright, Senior Sister, you may ride my Divine Wind Boat. That way we can go and return quickly.”

With that, Han Li released the pristine white Divine Wind Boat and invited Chen Qiaoyan to board.

Chen Qiaoyan smiled gracefully and did not stand on ceremony as she stepped onto the boat.

Thus, Han Li and Chen Qiaoyan flew away on the artifact. In a short while, they reached White Chrysanthemum Mountain, a place of considerable fame in the capital of Yue.

The mountain was covered from base to summit with every variety of chrysanthemum, mostly white in color. The scenery was indeed enchanting.

To Han Li’s great surprise, once they reached the mountain, Chen Qiaoyan spoke not a single word to him. She simply walked along the path up the mountain on her own, occasionally pausing a little longer when she encountered a particularly lovely view.

Han Li, following behind, also remained silent. But as he gazed at her graceful, moving figure, his mind went a little blank—a display of utter obliviousness to the romantic atmosphere.

An hour later, Chen Qiaoyan reached the summit. She stood in a small pavilion, gazing out in all directions. Han Li stood to one side.

At this hour, there was not a single other visitor on the summit. Combined with the fact that neither of them wished to speak first, the silence was oppressive.

This delicate atmosphere persisted for who knows how long, until finally Chen Qiaoyan spoke a sentence in a soft, melancholy voice.

“Junior Brother Han, after the great battle is over, I will likely be married off.”

Han Li was taken aback. He turned his head to look at her, surprise evident on his face.

“The other party is a direct descendant of another major immortal clan, the Qin Clan. He is a disciple of Tianque Fortress and has only recently established his foundation. I have met him several times. He seems like a decent person. Unless something unexpected happens, he will marry into our Chen Clan and become my dual cultivation partner.” Chen Qiaoyan spoke in a calm, unhurried tone, completely indifferent to Han Li’s stunned expression.

By now, Han Li’s surprise had faded. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke with politeness:

“Then I congratulate Senior Sister Chen on finding a good match. When the time comes, I will surely prepare a gift…”

He had only gotten through the opening, but clearly this was not what she wanted to hear. She trembled and, before he could finish, coldly raised her hand and tossed out a round plate artifact. Without another word, she flew away on the artifact herself—as if there was nothing left to hold onto.

Watching the direction Chen Qiaoyan had disappeared in, Han Li stood still in place with a cold expression. After a long while, he let out a long sigh, then listlessly flew away.

Though he had made up his mind long ago, seeing a woman who had feelings for him about to marry another still left him feeling a trace of loss.

Perhaps this was an ailment common to all men. Though they called themselves cultivators, their emotions were no different from mortals.

Han Li thought to himself with a hint of self-mockery as he flew back to the Qin Estate.

But just after returning to his lodgings, he learned from others that Chen Qiaoyan had already left this place, departing ahead of him.

Hearing this, Han Li smiled bitterly to himself. It seemed Chen Qiaoyan was indeed thoroughly disappointed in him and was now ready to marry another in peace.

Though somewhat dejected, Han Li was no ordinary man. His face remained calm as he simply nodded, then continued chatting and laughing with the others for half a day.

Thus, early the next morning, the others left the Qin Estate one after another. Han Li was the last to depart.

But just before setting out, he deliberately stole a glance at Mo Fengwu. After all, they had known each other, and he intended to say goodbye.

But when he saw through the window of the pavilion, from the air outside, that Mo Fengwu was accompanied inside by an elderly woman in her fifties reciting scriptures, her face full of peace and serenity, Han Li changed his mind about meeting her.

He watched silently for a while, and in the end, did not disturb her. He turned and left quietly.

For her, perhaps not seeing him would be better.

It would save her from recalling those painful memories. This kind of calm, uncontested life might be what she most longed for. Han Li thought with some remorse.

Han Li left the capital of Yue. Making a slight detour, he headed first for Jiayuan City. Regardless, since he had promised to avenge the Mo Clan, he might as well take a look.

Now that the demonic cultivators were no longer interfering, and the great battle was imminent, it was likely that no high-level cultivators were stationed in the city. If he could kill the Five Colors Sect Leader without leaving a trace, even if the Spirit Beast Mountain people became furious, they would never find him.

However, his purpose on this trip was not only to trouble the Five Colors Sect, but also to see how Sun Er’gou had managed the Four Seas Gang over the years. With Qu Hun’s assistance, there should be some progress.

And this backup path he had left back then now seemed quite useless.

With such intentions, Han Li rode the Divine Wind Boat straight toward Jiayuan City.

It had been over ten years since his last visit to Jiayuan City, but many things were still vivid in his memory, leaving a deep impression.

…

Five days later, in front of Jiayuan City’s long-established restaurant “Xiang’s House,” a young man in a blue shirt appeared.

He stood in the street in front of the building, squinting at the signboard with a somewhat peculiar expression. It was Han Li, who had just entered the city.

After standing there for a moment of reflection, he unhurriedly stepped inside.

As luck would have it, as soon as he reached the second floor, he spotted the same window-side table he had sat at that day, empty.

Delighted, Han Li did not hesitate and walked over.

As he sat down, the restaurant’s waiter hurriedly came to wipe the table and ask what dishes he wanted.

Han Li smiled faintly and ordered a few simple but tasty dishes before sending the waiter away. He wasn’t here merely to satisfy his appetite.

With that thought, Han Li’s gaze turned toward the window.

The grand mansion of the Mo Clan from that day still stood. A few burly men were posted at the gates. Only now, the large plaque above the gate no longer read “Mo Residence,” but had been replaced with two golden characters: “Li Residence.”

Han Li looked at the gleaming plaque in the sunlight and frowned slightly.

As far as he knew, the leader of the Five Colors Sect was surnamed “Li.” So they had simply taken over the nest directly.

For some reason, the characters “Li Residence” on the plaque struck Han Li as particularly jarring. The old “Mo Residence” plaque would have been more pleasing to his eyes.

As Han Li was thinking this, the waiter quickly brought the dishes and wine. Just then, laughter and conversation came from downstairs, followed by the sound of several young men ascending the stairs.

All were dressed in fine silks and brocades, with the bearing of wealthy young masters. Behind them followed several stout household servants.

These young dandies glanced casually around the second floor. One of them, a dry, thin young man who looked like a gust of wind could blow him away, beckoned the waiter without ceremony.

The waiter scurried over immediately, putting on a flattering smile.

“Young Master Xia, what are your orders?”

“Call your boss here. We’re treating an important guest to a meal today. Clear all the irrelevant people off the third floor. If there’s any loss, we’ll cover it all.” This thin young man had a huge mouth for his size.

But the waiter showed no displeasure; he nodded repeatedly and hurried off to inform the manager.

In a moment, a middle-aged man in his forties came upstairs.

As soon as he saw the group, he greeted them with a smile and agreed to their request. Then he took the waiter upstairs to apologize to the other guests.

Whether it was due to the manager’s shrewdness or the young masters’ considerable reputation, within a short while, the patrons eating on the third floor settled their bills one after another and left, with no one daring to show any resentment.

Han Li observed this lazily for a few glances, then turned his attention back to the street outside the window.

Just a few mortal young masters. In the secular world, there were arrogant bullies relying on their family power everywhere. Han Li had no interest in them.

The group, led by Young Master Xia, nodded with satisfaction and then went downstairs to receive their guest.

After a while, footsteps sounded from the stairs again. This time, Han Li was slightly startled and could not help but turn his head for a few more glances.

Among the heavy footsteps, one was clearly light and airy, as if nearly weightless. That was a sign of someone from the martial world who had reached a certain level of lightness technique.

This piqued Han Li’s curiosity.

(At this point, Wangyu apologizes first to all the readers! Sweating, my recent state has not been good; I feel very tired mentally, so I can only do one update per day these days. But I am trying my best to adjust! I believe I will recover soon. This has happened once before. It is a helpless situation for a writer. Please understand!)