Han Li naturally had no idea about the conversation between the blue-robed man and the yellow-robed man. He was still rejoicing that he had escaped a close call. Although he felt some irritation at being completely ignored by the blue-robed man, he clearly understood the vast gap in their strength, so the overwhelming sense of relief at having gotten away still dominated. His entire body felt much lighter.
After the blue-robed man's interference, Han Li's heart could no longer settle into calm. His original peaceful state of mind was gone, never to return. He sighed, stood up, and prepared to settle the bill and leave the tavern.
Just then, from the street outside, there came a faint sound of horse hooves—growing closer and closer, becoming ever clearer.
Han Li's spirits lifted. He sank back down into his seat and directed his gaze toward the street once more.
According to Sun Ergou's intelligence, this hoofbeat should belong to the eldest miss of the Mo residence, Mo Yuzhu, returning from outside the city.
He had heard that this young lady of the Mo family had never been fond of needlework since childhood—she only loved wielding spears and martial implements. Moreover, she had learned a considerable set of skills from the experts of the Fearful Flood Dragon Association.
Most astonishing of all, this Mo family young lady had a particular passion for hunting, an activity that should have belonged exclusively to men. Every few days she would ride her horse out to the woods beyond the city walls for a grand excursion. As a result, many young nobles who courted her would follow close behind with hawks and hounds every single day, hoping that proximity would give them an edge in winning her favor.
Naturally, once Young Master Wu arrived, he had predictably joined in on this activity as well.
After learning all of this, Han Li had grown quite curious about this Miss Mo Yuzhu. A young woman with such a distinctive personality was quite rare, and he hoped she would not disappoint his expectations.
Now, a group of over a dozen riders on fine steeds of various colors came galloping down the street from one end. Leading the pack were two figures—a man and a woman. The man was a handsome youth with sharp, sword-like brows and clear eyes, his frame tall and lean. The woman wore a fiery red hunting outfit with a purple cloak draped over her head, concealing her delicate features from view.
In the blink of an eye, the riders had swept past the entrance of the Xiang family tavern and rushed right by Han Li's line of sight, finally pulling to a stop before the gates of the Mo residence.
The muscular guards who had been standing on either side immediately stepped forward, and one of them—a pockmarked fellow—hurried over to greet them. He addressed the leading pair with evident respect: "Eldest Miss, Young Master Wu, you've returned! How was the hunt today?"
"Not bad at all! Tang Er, take the horses away and have this game processed." The woman in the hunting outfit spoke in a crisp, clear voice, then reached up and removed the cloak from her head, revealing a face of such dazzling beauty it was almost painful to behold. She then lightly leaped down from her horse.
"Yes, miss!" The man called Tang Er seemed not to dare look too long at her stunning face. He quickly took the reins and headed toward the side gate of the compound.
Though he was at some distance from the Mo residence's main gate, Han Li still managed to make out the woman's features from a side angle, catching roughly seventy or eighty percent of her appearance. He involuntarily took a deep breath. That skin, luminous and white as snow; that straight, delicate little nose; those dark, brilliant eyes; those bright, inviting cherry-red lips—the kind of beauty that could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, that could shame the moon into hiding behind clouds.
"So this is Mo Yuzhu! No wonder she has every young noble in Jiayuan City going crazy for her. 'A beauty to overthrow a kingdom'—that phrase was practically made for her," Han Li thought to himself.
The handsome young man and the men and women behind him dismounted as well, and naturally someone was dispatched to take their horses as well.
The young man walked up to Mo Yuzhu with a smile and whispered a few words to her, causing the young lady's cheeks to flush crimson. She gave his shoulder a few playful taps, then shot him a shy glance before stamping her dainty foot and trotting through the main gate. The young man chuckled and followed her inside with an air of effortless grace.
"So this is Wu Jianming? He really does know how to charm a girl, and he's not bad-looking either," Han Li thought with a hint of sourness. He was perfectly self-aware enough to know that in terms of appearance, he probably couldn't hold a candle to the guy.
"Moreover, it looks like Mo Yuzhu and this Young Master Wu get along quite well. Their relationship seems pretty deep!" He furrowed his brow again, feeling that this matter might not be as easy to handle as he had imagined.
"No matter what, I absolutely have to get my hands on that Warm Sun Jade, and I need to hurry. The Yin poison in my body is no trivial matter—it could flare up ahead of schedule!" Han Li looked rather worried.
After casting one last deep glance at the Mo residence, he called over the waiter, paid his bill, and left the tavern, returning to the inn where he was staying.
After a period of careful deliberation at the inn, Han Li decided to adopt the most direct and effective approach—he would cut straight to the point.
He planned to sneak over at night and meet the Madam Yan who managed the Fearful Flood Dragon Association. Then, using the token that Doctor Mo had left him in advance, he would expose the impostor and earn the trust of the Mo residence. As for how to actually obtain the jade, he would simply have to play it by ear once he was there.
With his decision made, Han Li wasted no more time on hesitation. He sat quietly in his room with his eyes closed, conserving his energy and preparing for the night's operation.
During this time, however, Mo Yuzhu's stunningly beautiful face kept floating unbidden through his mind, and no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not dispel the image entirely.
"Could it be that I've fallen for this woman?" Han Li thought, somewhat unnerved by the notion.
But then he comforted himself: "A woman that beautiful—it's only natural to be attracted to her. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm in love."
As someone who had already placed half a foot on the path of Cultivating Immortality, Han Li had no experience whatsoever in matters of romance. Nevertheless, he instinctively tried to steer clear of entanglements between men and women.
When the deep hours of midnight arrived, Han Li changed into a set of pitch-black clothes and slipped quietly out of the inn.
He drifted lightly across rooftops as he went, avoiding the night watchmen without incident, and arrived outside the walls of the Mo residence.
After circling the compound once, he let out a soft laugh, transformed into a wisp of dark smoke, and slipped into the rear courtyard under the very noses of several guards. Not one of them detected anything unusual.
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(End of Chapter)