As soon as Han Li spoke, he realized he had already made up his mind—not to be entangled any longer with this young lady. Yet now, somehow, he found himself unexpectedly agreeing. Clearly, his resolve still wasn't firm! With that thought, Han Li gave a quiet shake of his head, yet on his lips he said, "Very well. Then Sister will take my Divine Wind Boat—this way, we can go and return swiftly!" Upon finishing, he launched out his pure white Divine Wind Boat and invited Chen Qiaoian to join him. Seeing the boat, Chen Qiaoian smiled gracefully and immediately boarded without hesitation. Thus, Han Li took Chen Qiaoian and flew off together. In a short while, they arrived at Bai Ju Mountain, known throughout Yuejing for its reputation. The mountain was covered in various kinds of chrysanthemums, predominantly white, and the scenery was truly enchanting. To Han Li's surprise, upon reaching the mountain, Chen Qiaoian said nothing to him and simply walked up the path on her own, pausing occasionally to admire particularly beautiful views and lingering a while. Han Li, following behind, also remained silent, yet he stared at the graceful figure before him, looking utterly bewildered and completely unaware of the subtle charm unfolding around him. After one hour, Chen Qiaoqian had reached the summit and stood in a small pavilion, gazing out at the surrounding landscape. Han Li stood beside her. At that moment, aside from the two of them, there was not a single visitor on the summit—further heightened by the fact that neither of them wished to break the silence first, making the atmosphere profoundly still. This delicate quietude persisted for some time until Chen Qiaoqian finally spoke softly. "Master Han, after the great battle, I believe I shall soon have to marry!" Upon hearing this, Han Li was momentarily stunned, turning to look at her with a look of surprise. "The person is a direct descendant of the Qin family, a renowned immortal lineage, who has studied under the Tian Que Fort. He is only just beginning his foundation stage of cultivation. I've met him several times, and he seems quite pleasant to me." If there's no unexpected turn of events, he will join our Chen family as a son-in-law and become my lifelong partner in cultivation." Chen Qiaoqian ignored the astonishment on Han Li's face, speaking calmly and matter-of-factly. At that moment, Han Li's expression of surprise gradually faded. After a brief pause, he politely said, "Then congratulations, Sister Chen, on your marriage! I'll surely prepare a gift for you soon!" However, it was clear that this was not exactly what Chen Qiaoqian had hoped to hear. She trembled slightly, and before Han Li could finish, she raised her hand coldly, throwing a circular artifact into the air, then took off without looking back, as though nothing remained meaningful. Standing motionless in the spot where Chen Qiaoqian had disappeared, Han Li remained silent and cold for a long while, finally exhaling deeply and slowly taking off, looking listless. Though he had already made up his mind, seeing a woman who had shown genuine interest in him now choosing someone else, Han Li could not help but feel a sense of disappointment. This might well be a common ailment among all men! Though called immortals, they emotionally remain no different from ordinary mortals. Han Li chuckled to himself as he flew back to Qin's residence. But just upon arriving, he learned from others that Chen Qiaoqian had already left—she had taken the initiative to depart. Han Li sighed inwardly; it seemed clear that Chen Qiaoqian had grown utterly disillusioned with him and was now determined to marry someone else. Though a little melancholy, Han Li, being no ordinary man, merely nodded politely and carried on chatting and laughing with others throughout the afternoon. Thus, on the following morning, while everyone else departed one after another, Han Li was the last to leave. However, before setting off, he quietly glanced at Mo Fengwu, as he had known her for some time and wished to say goodbye. Yet, when, from outside the pavilion, he truly saw her through the window, he changed his mind and decided instead to meet her once before leaving. The young lady, Mo Fengwu dressed in a bride's attire, was sitting with an elderly woman of about fifty, reciting scriptures together in the hall, her face serene and composed. After silently observing her for a while, Han Li finally decided not to disturb them and quietly turned and departed. For this woman, perhaps it would be better if she never saw him again—so as not to have to recall those painful memories. Maybe this tranquil, uneventful life was exactly what she longed for. Han Li found himself somewhat melancholy as he thought about it. However, besides seeking trouble with the Five-Colored Gate, he also wanted to see how Sun Er-gou was managing the Fourth-Flat Clan. Surely, with Qu Hun's assistance over the years, he must have achieved some notable progress. Yet, it now seemed that the contingency plan he had left behind years ago had proven entirely useless. With this intention in mind, Han Li settled into the Shenfeng Boat and headed straight for Jiayuan City. To be honest, it had been over a decade since his last visit to Jiayuan City, yet many memories remained vivid and deeply etched in his mind. To his surprise, as soon as he reached the second floor, he spotted the window table where he had sat the previous day—now completely empty. Overjoyed, Han Li walked straight over without hesitation. As soon as he settled down, a waiter from the inn came over to wipe the table and asked what wine and dishes he would like. Han Li smiled slightly, ordered a few delicious small dishes at random, and then sent his son downstairs. He had come here not merely to satisfy his appetite. Glancing out the window, he saw the grand mansion of the Mu family still standing, with some tall, broad-shouldered men stationed at the entrance. The large scroll above the main gate, however, now bore the characters "Li Family" instead of "Mu Family." Han Li watched the gleaming "Li Family" scroll in the sunlight, his brow unconsciously furrowing. As far as he knew, the head of the Wuxi Gate family was named Li. It seemed they had simply taken over and displaced the Mu family. For some reason, Han Li found the characters "Li Fu" on the scroll particularly distracting, as though they were still the old "Mo Fu" sign, which seemed more pleasing to his eyes. While he was pondering this, the young waiter promptly served the wine and dishes. At that moment, laughter and conversation drifted up from downstairs, and a group of young men came up the stairs, all dressed in fine silk and brocade, looking like noble gentlemen, followed by several sturdy servants with broad shoulders and strong frames. These young gentlemen glanced casually around the upper floor. Among them, one thin and delicate-looking man, as if he could be blown away by a breeze, gestured imperiously toward the waiter. The waiter immediately hurried over, smiling warmly and eager to please, and said, "Master Xia, what would you like me to do?" "Summon the general manager," the young man said. "Today, we're hosting a distinguished guest for dinner. We'll ask all the guests on the third floor who aren't involved to leave immediately. Any inconvenience we'll cover entirely." "He looked so thin and petite, yet his tone was quite commanding. Yet the young attendant showed no sign of displeasure, merely nodded eagerly and went off to inform the manager. A few moments later, a middle-aged man in his forties came up the stairs. As soon as he saw the group, he immediately smiled and readily agreed to their requests, then took the young attendant up to the third floor to apologize. Whether it was due to the manager's competence or indeed the considerable reputation of these young gentlemen remained unclear. Soon after, the guests dining on the third floor began to settle their accounts and leave one after another, none of them expressing any complaint. Han Li merely glanced at them lazily, then turned his gaze back out the window toward the street. After all, these were just ordinary young men from the mundane world—people who, in the mortal realm, often relied on their family's influence to be arrogant and demanding. Han Li had no particular interest in them at all." At that moment, the younger people, led by the young master Xia, nodded contentedly and then began to descend to receive guests. A while later, footsteps resumed from below, and Han Li paused slightly, turning back to gaze at them several times. For among those heavy footsteps, one person moved with a light, almost ethereal grace—clearly a sign of refined martial prowess, something only achieved when a martial artist has reached a certain level of skill in lightness and agility. This piqued Han Li's curiosity. (To my dear readers, I would like to offer a humble apology here! Well, I've been feeling rather drained lately—my spirits are truly low—and thus, I've only managed one update per day recently. However, I'm making every effort to recover. I've actually experienced this before! It's truly one of the most frustrating aspects of being a writer—please understand!)