The words had barely left Han Li's mouth before he regretted them.
He had long since made up his mind to stop entangling himself with this woman, yet here he was, agreeing to her request for no discernible reason. It seemed his willpower still left something to be desired.
Thinking this, Han Li quietly shook his head to himself, but out loud he said: "Fine. Then you can ride my Divine Wind Boat, Senior Sister. That way you can get there and back quickly."
With that, he released the pristine white Divine Wind Boat and gestured for Chen Qiaoqian to board.
She smiled radiantly at the sight and stepped onto the boat without standing on ceremony.
And so Han Li piloted the flying vessel with Chen Qiaoqian aboard. Before long, they arrived at White Chrysanthemum Mountain — a place of considerable renown in the capital of the Yue Kingdom.
The entire mountain was blanketed in all manner of chrysanthemums, predominantly white, and the scenery was every bit as enchanting as its reputation suggested.
What truly surprised Han Li, however, was that once they arrived, Chen Qiaoqian barely spoke a word to him. She simply followed the path up the mountain at her own pace, pausing now and then whenever she came across a view that particularly caught her eye.
Han Li trailed behind her in silence as well, but as he watched her delicate figure move ahead, he stood there like a blockhead, completely oblivious to the mood of the moment.
After about an hour, Chen Qiaoqian reached the summit and stepped into a small pavilion, gazing out at the panorama. Han Li took up a position to one side.
At that moment, apart from the two of them, not a single other visitor remained on the mountaintop. Neither was willing to break the silence first, which only deepened the stillness.
No one could say how long that delicate tension lasted before Chen Qiaoqian finally spoke, her voice faint and distant: "Junior Brother Han, after the great battle is over, I'm afraid I'll be getting married."
The words caught Han Li off guard. He turned his head toward her, visibly startled.
"He's a direct-line disciple of the Qin family — another great cultivator clan. He trained under the Heavenly Gate Fortress and only recently established his Foundation. I've met him a few times; he seems decent enough. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll marry into our Chen family and become my Dual Cultivation partner." Chen Qiaoqian spoke in a flat, unhurried tone, apparently oblivious to Han Li's stunned expression.
By now the shock had faded from Han Li's face. He hesitated a moment, then said politely: "Then congratulations, Senior Sister Chen, on this happy union! When the time comes, your junior brother will certainly prepare a congratulatory—"
He had only gotten as far as the opening, but it was clearly not what she wanted to hear. She trembled slightly, and before he could finish, she flung out a disc-shaped artifact with a cold expression and flew away on it of her own accord, as though there were nothing left worth lingering for.
Han Li stood rooted to the spot, his expression cold, staring in the direction Chen Qiaoqian had disappeared. A long while passed before he let out a long, deflated sigh and flew off listlessly.
He had long since made up his mind, but watching a woman who clearly had feelings for him prepare to become another man's wife still left him with a pang of loss.
Perhaps this was a universal failing of men. Though they called themselves cultivators, in matters of the heart they were no different from mortals.
Han Li mocked himself inwardly as he flew back to the Qin residence.
But the moment he returned, he learned from the others that Chen Qiaoqian had already departed — she had left ahead of everyone else.
Han Li smiled bitterly to himself. It seemed Chen Qiaoqian had truly given up on him and was resolved to marry another in peace.
Though he felt a certain melancholy, Han Li was not an ordinary man after all. He merely nodded as usual, then spent the rest of the day chatting and laughing with the others as if nothing were amiss.
And so, early the following morning, the others departed the Qin residence one after another. Han Li was the last to leave.
Before setting off, however, he made a point of quietly checking on Mo Fengwu. After all, they had crossed paths, and he intended to say a proper farewell.
But when he hovered in the air outside her pavilion and caught sight of her through the window, he changed his mind about going in for a final visit.
Dressed as a young married woman, Mo Fengwu was inside reciting scriptures alongside an elderly woman of around fifty. Her face was filled with a calm, serene tranquility.
Han Li watched in silence for a while, and ultimately he did not disturb her. Instead, he turned and departed quietly.
For this woman, perhaps it was better if they didn't meet. That way, she wouldn't be reminded of those painful memories. Perhaps this peaceful, strife-free life was exactly what she had always yearned for, Han Li thought with a touch of wistfulness.
Han Li left the capital of the Yue Kingdom and made a small detour, heading first for Jiayuan City. He had promised to help settle the scores for the Mo household, and regardless of the circumstances, he ought to at least take a look.
The demonic cultivators were no longer causing trouble there, but with the great battle imminent, it was unlikely any high-level cultivator would be stationed in the city. All he had to do was quietly eliminate the master of the Five Colored Gate, and even if the people from the Spirit Beast Mountain were furious, they would have no way of tracing it back to him.