A muffled thud rang out as the massive fist struck Han Li squarely in the back.
The burly man was elated at first, but his expression changed drastically in the next instant.
A flash of green light erupted, and the burly man was sent hurtling backward as though struck by a giant hammer.
The middle-aged scholar's face drained of color, then shifted to a look of bewilderment.
For the burly man's enormous body, which had been launched toward him, suddenly slowed in midair and landed lightly on both feet, apparently completely unharmed.
"Brother Li, are you all right? Were you hurt?" Though the scholar was merely an untrained intellectual, he had spent enough time around the burly man surnamed Li to know that many martial artists could inflict invisible injuries, so he asked with concern.
"I'm fine, I'm not hurt. That person's skill is unfathomable, but he doesn't seem to harbor any ill will." The burly man took a deep breath and, finding his body completely intact, couldn't help but mutter in an uneasy tone.
The scholar relaxed slightly upon hearing this, nodded, and turned to face Han Li.
"This gentleman, I am Han Tianxiao, master of the Han household. Might I ask whether you came here specifically to see me?" the scholar said calmly, his composure entirely unruffled.
"The master of the Han household!"
Han Li slowly turned around.
"Ah, you…"
"Impossible!"
"Hmph! What is the meaning of this?"
Before Han Li could say a word, the scholar and the burly man both cried out in unison the moment they saw his face clearly. But then the scholar seemed to recall something, and his expression darkened.
The burly man, after his initial shock, similarly realized something and wore an unfriendly look.
"You know me?" Han Li furrowed his brow and asked. His gaze swept over the two men, searching their features for any shadow of someone familiar. But after a private bitter laugh, he found none.
"Are you playing dumb, sir? You used a portrait to disguise yourself as our Han family's Great-Uncle Fourth — why not simply admit it openly?" the scholar said, fixing Han Li with a stare and enunciating each word.
"Great-Uncle Fourth?" Han Li's lips curved into something between a smile and something else entirely. Back in the day, he had been fourth among his siblings, so Great-Uncle Fourth naturally referred to him.
What he didn't understand was this: ever since he had grown up, he had never come face to face with any of his relatives. How had these descendants of the Han family come to know his appearance?
"Oh? When did I ever claim to be your Great-Uncle Fourth? Could it be that I simply happened to be born with this face? Is that not allowed?" Han Li said with a faint smile.
"There are indeed many people in the world who bear similar features, but one who looks exactly like our ancestor and appears in the Han family shrine — there is only you, sir," the scholar said coldly, the anger quickly receding from his face.
"Well put. As expected of a man who served in the court. The Han family's prosperity today is truly thanks to the efforts of your generation," Han Li said, his expression softening as he offered a word of praise.
"So you really do intend to impersonate our ancestor?" the scholar's eyes flashed with a harsh glint, and he grew somewhat agitated again.
"Impersonate? I am myself — why would I need to impersonate anyone? Tell me first, how do you know what I look like? I left home as a child; my family should have had no idea of my appearance. Did the Seven Mysteries Sect provide you with a portrait? Hmm — your surname is Li. What is your relation to Li Feiyu of years past?" Han Li's gaze shifted to the bearded burly man, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He had finally noticed something familiar in the man's brow.
"You… how do you know our ancestor's name? So you even know the Li family's affairs in such detail." The burly man was stunned for a moment, then showed a look of shock and anger.
Hearing this, Han Li merely smiled noncommittally and said nothing more.
"You keep claiming to be our Great-Uncle. You must also know that our Han family's uncle left home as a child and his whereabouts became unknown. But so many years have passed — that would make you over two hundred years old. I hardly see how you could be that advanced in age." The scholar, having been startled to hear Han Li casually mention both the "Seven Mysteries Sect" and "Li Feiyu," asked with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.
It should be noted that he had only recently learned about the old affairs of the Han and Li families from a certain journal. The other party knew about them in such detail — had he perhaps read that very journal?
At that thought, the scholar's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the table that held the ancestral tablets, where there was a hidden compartment where he had placed the journal.
Noticing the odd direction of the scholar's gaze, Han Li extended his spiritual sense along the line of sight and swept it across the spirit table. The journal within the compartment came clearly into view.
Without the slightest hesitation, Han Li raised his hand and beckoned toward the table.