(This is the first update of the day. The second update will be out at noon. The book is making a chart push today, so I hope everyone can help by voting. As long as the book makes it onto the charts, Wang Yu will maintain three updates a day.)
Han Li had read the contents of the letter several times over. It wasn't very complicated. It simply stated that the messenger, Han Li, was Doctor Mo's closed-door disciple and could be trusted completely. If the Mo Manor was facing any trouble at this time, they could let Han Li handle it. As long as Han Li could ensure the safety of the entire Mo family, Fourth Madam Yan was to select one of her three daughters to be betrothed to Han Li as his wife, and the dowry was specified to be that "Warm Sun Jade". As for Doctor Mo himself, he claimed to be occupied with important matters and could not return yet to reunite with his wife and daughters, asking Madam Yan and the others not to worry about him.
Han Li didn't find anything detrimental to himself in the letter, but he knew Doctor Mo must have tampered with it, and it wasn't as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Since he couldn't figure out the letter's trick, and he hoped to gain the trust of the people in the Mo Manor as soon as possible, he had no choice but to brazen it out and hand the letter to Madam Yan. He paid extra attention to her every move, afraid that this Fourth Madam might suddenly notice something suspicious in the letter, immediately turn hostile, and have him captured to avenge Doctor Mo.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario Han Li had feared did not occur. After the beautiful Madam Yan finished reading the letter, she simply furrowed her brows, her expression turning worried, as if she had some difficult decision to make.
"Huan'er, go call your Second Madam, Third Madam, and Fifth Madam. Tell them there's news of your father!" Madam Yan turned and ordered Mo Caihuan in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Yes, Mother! I'll go right away." Mo Caihuan also understood the gravity of the situation. She obediently went out, but before leaving the room, she gave Han Li a smile that curled her lips, seeming quite interested in him.
"Your name is Han Li?" Madam Yan raised her head, her expression returning to one of elegant dignity.
"Yes, Master's Wife!" Han Li answered honestly.
"Can you tell me how my husband took you as his disciple?" Madam Yan asked with a smile.
"As you command!" Han Li hesitated for a moment, but then felt there was nothing particularly secret about the process of Doctor Mo taking him as his disciple. He picked and chose what to say, slowly recounting it to Madam Yan.
"Eight years ago, because his old injuries hadn't healed, Master Mo went into seclusion on Cai Xia Mountain of the Seven Mysteries Sect in Yue Prefecture. That was exactly when he met me on my first trip into the mountains..." Han Li naturally narrated the story of Doctor Mo taking him as his disciple, mixing seventy percent truth with thirty percent falsehood. Any information he absolutely couldn't reveal to Madam Yan was either completely altered or glossed over. Even so, Madam Yan listened intently, quite engrossed.
"...That's how it was. Three months ago, Master Mo was tied up with important matters and couldn't get away. But he was worried that having been away from the Mo Manor for so long, your rivals might cause trouble for you, Master's Wives. So he sent me down the mountain first, to come to the Mo Manor and place myself at your service."
"What important matter could my husband have that he couldn't even come home first?" After hearing Han Li's semi-true, semi-false account of becoming a disciple, Madam Yan sighed and suddenly asked softly, a hint of grievance in her voice.
"What homecoming! Doctor Mo has been dead for almost two years. The corpse buried under the tree is nothing but bones!" Han Li laughed bitterly to himself, but his face showed reverent fear as he replied: "What matter? Master didn't tell me, but it must be something extremely important!" Han Li's tone was somewhat evasive.
"Hmph! Is it that your master told you to keep it a secret from us?" Madam Yan said with a smile that wasn't a smile, a hint of dissatisfaction in her words.
"Absolutely not!" Han Li said with his mouth, but bitterly sighed inwardly. This Madam Yan really was quite suspicious!
Madam Yan seemed unwilling to let it go. She opened her mouth as if to ask something else.
Just then, the sound of chaotic footsteps came from outside the room. Before anyone even entered, an extremely charming, coquettish voice was heard. "Fourth Sister, I heard there's news of our husband. Is it true? That deadbeat, gone for over ten years, leaving us sisters to live like widows!"
Han Li was startled by the delicate voice at first, but then was greatly shocked by the content of her words. "This lady is way too fiery!" Han Li thought in astonishment.
"Third Sister, watch your mouth! There are others in the room!" another slightly hoarse female voice said with mild anger.
"I know! I heard the one who brought the news is our husband's good disciple again! It couldn't be another fake, could it? What do you think, Fifth Sister?" the charming voice giggled.
"It shouldn't be. Since Fourth Sister called us here, it means he is at least seventy to eighty percent trustworthy," a cold voice stated.
"That's true. I deeply admire Fourth Sister's judgment!" the charming voice giggled again, making it hard to tell if she was being sarcastic or genuinely praising Madam Yan.
Upon hearing this, Han Li stole a glance at Madam Yan. He saw her pressing her hand to her forehead, a look of helplessness on her face. It seemed she also found the owner of that charming voice a major headache.
The door was finally pushed open. Several beautiful women filed in from outside. Mo Caihuan followed at the very back, pouting her rosy lips, looking rather displeased.
The woman in front was around thirty-one or thirty-two years old, graceful and dignified, with delicate features and an air of scholarly elegance about her. She must have been quite a talented beauty in her youth.
Han Li nodded to himself, then shifted his gaze to the young woman in the middle, who seemed to be twenty-three or twenty-four.
As soon as Han Li saw this woman's face clearly, he felt his head buzz. For a moment, he was completely dazed, his entire being sinking into a sea of enchanting beauty. This woman was so incredibly beautiful she made Mo Yuzhu, whom he had seen earlier that day, seem three parts less attractive. Moreover, her seductive, mature charm was something Mo Yuzhu could never possess. If there really were fox spirits in this world, Han Li was absolutely certain that this woman was one of them incarnated.
While Han Li was in a daze, unable to think straight, a stream of cool air suddenly surged from his dantian, circulated through his meridians into his mind, and snapped him back to his senses.
Greatly alarmed by regaining his senses, Han Li didn't dare look at the woman again and immediately lowered his head to avoid her gaze. "This young woman is a disaster to the country and the people! She can make anyone who sees her lose their mind! I wonder if it's the pure magic of her peerless beauty, or if she has also cultivated some soul-charming technique." Han Li thought in shock.
The young woman saw Han Li's reaction. He was initially captivated, then became clear-headed and took the initiative to avoid her eyes. A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
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(End of Chapter)