A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248

by Translator: Johnchen

  “No matter what, I must obtain and secure the Precious Warm Yang Jade. After all, there is an extraordinary yin poison in my body that might explode earlier than the predicted date!” Han Li was deeply worried and anxious.

  He contemplated about the Mo Estate again before summoning the waiter, settling his bill, and returning to the inn that he was staying at.

  After he pondered long and hard, Han Li decided to use the most direct and effective method. He planned to infiltrate the estate in the middle of the night and visit Lady Yan, the wife of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association’s former leader. He intended to use the items that Doctor Mo had left for him and expose that imposter in the Mo Estate. As for how he was going to get the precious jade, he could only wait and see, moving step by step.

  Since he had already made up his mind, Han Li no longer concerned himself regarding the consequences of his decision. He shut his eyes and began to prepare himself mentally for his night-time activities.

  However, Mo Yuzhu’s beautiful face kept surfacing in his mind during this span of time. No matter what he did, he wasn’t able to banish his thoughts about her.

  “Did I fall in love with that girl?” Han Li asked himself, somewhat unnaturally.

  He consoled himself, saying, “Such a ravishing beauty, it’s only normal that I would be attracted to her. I may not like her for certain.”

  As someone who already made half a step onto the path of cultivation, although he had never had a relationship before, Han Li still tried his best to avoid matters such as love and courtship between the opposite s*x even though he had never had a relationship before.

  About three in the morning, Han Li changed into a set of black clothes and sneaked out of the inn.

  He lightly sped past the roof and easily evaded the patrol on the streets, arriving outside of the Mo Estate. After he checked out the, he smiled to himself, then transformed into smoke. As he drifted past the eyes of the guards, he entered into the backyard of the Mo Estate without alerting them or causing them to notice anything out of the ordinary.

  Chapter 108: Entering the Mo Estate at Night

  Behind the Mo Estate lay a garden, not small in size, in which many rare flowers and herbs were planted. The flowery fragrance that the garden emanated was still revitalizing even though it was night time. Han Li involuntarily breathed in deeply.

  “Ai!” Han Li suddenly slightly exclaimed. Although the fragrance of the flowers was thick, he could still differentiate between the familiar smells of herbal medicine.

  “Someone planted medicinal herbs in here.” Han Li lightly smiled. This familiar herbal scent caused him to feel extremely curious about the person who had planted the herbs. It appeared that someone within the Mo Estate had inherited Doctor Mo’s medicinal skills.

  Han Li did not dare to hesitate any longer. He continued on the little path and walked towards the areas that were lit up.

  Along the way, Han Li discovered that there were quite a few hidden sentries. He would not have detected the Mo Estate’s tight security if it weren’t for his heightened senses.

  Since he had already discovered the hidden sentries, sneaking past them became an extremely easy task.

  Han Li stopped in front of a small, two-story building.

  He chose this spot because he could sense that security was much tighter in this particular location. There were about twenty to thirty people guarding this area.

  This particular two-story building was well lit; he knew that there was probably someone of extreme importance who had yet to fall asleep, which coincidentally suited his purposes.

  Making use of the dark night, he moved at a lightning-fast pace, his body blinking as he arrived at the bottom of the building. Using the strength in his legs, he easily jumped up onto the second story of the building. The whole process took but an instant. The surrounding sentries did not even notice that Han Li had already infiltrated the building.

  Han Li kept his body close to the walls, causing his shadow to merge into the night, before pricking his ears, trying to use his sense of hearing to discern any movements in the building. Although Han Li could only hear a single female talking, he could discern that there was more than one person in this building.

  “The branch from Chang Ping Town sent over 7,300 taels of silver

  “The branch from Luo Gu Town sent over 5,800 taels of silver.”

  “The branch from Lan Yue Town sent over 10,500 taels of silver.”

  “Wu Ling Town……”

  ………

  “This is all of the profits that we received last month from our association’s various branches. Overall, it’s about twenty-five percent less than the profits we gained in the same month of last year.”

  The sound of a melodious female voice that was filled with vitality drifted into Han Li’s ears. The moment that he had heard it, he speculated that it belonged to a youthful female. She was somewhat unhappy, judging from the last words she had spoken.

  “Mother, these branch managers are getting bolder and bolder; the tribute they offer is increasingly less as the months go by.” The youthful girl angrily stated.

  “I am well aware!” Another low, attractive voice rang out.

  “Could she be one of the three ladies of the Mo Clan?” Han Li was somewhat shocked at his good luck. It seemed that the other woman in the room was Doctor Mo’s wife.

  “Every time you say that you’re aware about this, why don’t you offer some ideas on how to settle this? If this continues, then all of our branches will no longer put us in their eyes one day.” The youthful girl complained.

  “I don’t have any good ideas right now. You must know that the branches are controlled by Fifth Mother. The others in the Mo Clan have no way to interfere!” The woman could only helplessly reply.

  Afterwards, the exchange of words stopped, allowing silence to descend.

  After several moments, the youthful girl’s voice rang out in an unwilling tone: “Mother, could it be that we allowed Fifth Mother to have sole control over the branches? After Uncle Ma and the others got into a dispute, their in-fighting pushed into branches into a position where they became the pillar of support for our Fearsome Flood Dragon Association. Mother, since you are the representative for the Flood Dragon Association, this power should instead be in your control.”

  “What you said is correct. The year when your father left, he had passed the authority of the branches over to Fifth Mother, I don’t really have an excuse to interfere. And because Fifth Mother grants us a large portion of the monthly tribute, I don’t have the face to bring up the topic.” The woman replied.

  “But the strength of our Fearsome Flood Dragon Association is actually extremely weak. If we don’t consolidate our strength, how can we ever rise again? Father is not thinking straight! He handed the reins of the association to you, but why did he also give Fifth Mother the authority over the branches?” The tone of her words was filled with resentment.against her father.

  “Stop your nonsense! Your dad did this; naturally, he had a deeper meaning behind his actions. It’s not your place to criticize!” The woman berated the youthful girl.

  “I understand. I acknowledge my mistake, alright? Seems like Mother is still deeply in love with Father!” The girl acted out of the ordinary and started laughing at her mother.

  “This child……” The woman loved her daughter very much. Speechless, she could only laugh bitterly.

  Han Li had already confirmed that the woman in the room was the Lady Yan he was looking for. In addition, the girl should be Mo Caihuan, the daughter of Lady Yan and Doctor Mo. He was fortunate for having found who he had been looking for in such a quick fashion.

  Han Li extended his hands, touching the letter and the items left behind by Doctor Mo, and prepared to reveal himself to the two of them.

  “Mother, that faker was extremely irritating! Today he found me at the garden and actually tried to shamelessly curry favor with me. He intended to to sell me a few
of his strong points, trying to appear as one who is skilled in both studies and martial arts. How disgusting!” The girl added the last bit coquettishly, startling Han Li and making him withdraw the foot that he had originally extended into the room.

  (TL: use of ‘faker’ is to refer to the person with the fake identity, Wu Jianming)

  “You better be more courteous to the one surnamed Wu. After all, he is your fiancee in name. Don’t let him notice anything that could make him suspicious!” Lady Yan’s tone grew heavy as she reminded the girl.

  “Cough! This beautiful me is always surrounded by admirers, but you want me to act as though I’ve fallen head over heels with that man? That’s too difficult of a task for me! If it were up to me, I would have run him through with a sword long ago,” the girl replied.

  “This matter is also out of our control. Although we know that the one surnamed Wu is a fake and have fully investigated his background, we have no choice but to sacrifice the reputation of your older sister by interacting with him to buy some more time. After all, our enemy is too strong; if they realize that they can’t win against us through wits, they might use force, making us lose any chance of victory!” Lady Yan’s voice was filled with tiredness, revealing traces of physical and mental exhaustion in her voice.

  Chapter 109: A Visit

  “This man surnamed Wu is truly repulsive. Fabricating a letter and actually using Father’s name to marry Eldest Sister… truly infuriating!” Mo Caihuan uttered hatefully. Her despise for Wu Jianming was bone deep.

  “Fortunately, it only mentioned your Eldest Sister. If the person that he had requested to marry was either you or Fengwu, I would truly not know what to do! With both of your temperaments, how could either of you possibly endure and falsely cope with this person?! The only one who has to suffer is Yuzhu. I don’t know when Lord Husband will return, and whether or not he will blame this mother”, Lady Yan softly told her daughter and sighed.

  “Mother, how could Father blame you? Wasn’t it Eldest Sister who took the initiative to socialize with the man surnamed Wu?” Mo Caihuan immediately consoled Lady Yan.

  “Foolish child, Yuzhu has no option but to do this for the sake of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association and the Mo Estate! However, the most Mother could do was have your eldest sister interact with that fake. There is no way I can truly marry your eldest sister to him. If we cannot delay the wedding, then we will be forced to be hostile and capture him!” Lady Yan’s voice grew cold as she spoke this last sentence.

  Once Lady Yan uttered these words, the room’s atmosphere returned to a state of calm. It was clear that this mother-daughter pair knew what hostility would entail.

  “When will Father finally return?” Mo Caihuan faintly asked a moment later.

  “When your father left, he had said that the latest that he could return would be five to six years from then, the earliest being two to three years,” Lady Yan sadly replied.

  “However, it has been almost ten years. I can no longer clearly remember my father’s appearance!” Mo Caihuan slowly said.

  “Be at ease! Your father happens to be an outstanding genius of his generation. With his hidden skills, there are no problems that he can’t overcome! He was definitely delayed over some important matter, and will soon return to the Mo Estate.” Although Lady Yan was speaking to her daughter, she was trying to comfort herself as well.

  “Oh, that’s right, Second Sister Fengwu concocted a rejuvenating cosmetic elixir for me to give to you. Mother, why don’t you try it out? I heard its effects are quite good!” In order to break the room’s heavy atmosphere, the girl suddenly changed the subject and started chatting about another matter.

  “This child…”

  ………

  Following along with the mother-daughter pair’s mundane gossip, Han Li didn’t hear any other useful information.

  Han Li discovered from their dialogue that Lady Yan’s relationship with Doctor Mo was quite intimate. It seemed that Han Li could trust her. After a moment of contemplation, Han Li felt that personally appearing and tolerating this fake Young Master Wu was a better alternative by far than allowing the possibility of something insidious occurring. Nevertheless, Han Li had to first secure the Precious Warm Yang Jade.

  As he thought as such, Han Li fished out a dragon ring, one of Doctor Mo’s keepsakes, from his bosom. He then quietly walked towards the room window and threw the ring into the room through an opening in the paper window covers.

  “Dang” The clear sound of the ring falling to the ground resounded from the room.

  A moment later, Lady Yan’s voice, neither arrogant nor humble, came from inside the room.

  “Who is this expert that honors my humble home with his presence? Lady Yan has not yet welcomed you. I hope you will forgive me!”

  Han Li faintly smiled and refrained from replying. He heard the girl’s frightened voice.

  “How strange! How did this ring come from? This ring seems very familiar… it’s just like the ring you wear, Mother!”

  “Mother! Come look!” It was clear that Mo Caihuan had picked up the ring and handed the ring over to Lady Yan.

  “Dragon ring!” Lady Yan cried out in alarm.

  After Han Li had heard the other party recognize the keepsake, he lightly knocked twice on the door before saying in a clear voice, “Under Teacher Mo’s orders, Disciple Han Li has come to pay his respects to Martial Mother!”

  (TL: “Martial Mother”- literally. ?? Teacher’s Wife. )

  After those inside the room had heard Han Li’s words, there was an immediate and absolute silence! Han Li’s words had clearly left them in shock for a short while.

  “Come in!” After a moment, Lady Yan’s voice invited him into the room.

  It was at this moment that Han Li lightly opened the room door and stepped inside.

  Upon entering the room, Han Li saw a beautiful, thirty year-old lady. Sitting behind her was a dainty girl around fifteen to sixteen years old. The girl and the beautiful woman shared a striking resemblance. With just a single glance, one could tell that they were close blood relatives.

  At the moment, the beautiful, married Lady Yan fiddled with the dragon ring he had just thrown into the room. Han Li’s arrival had not elicited a change to her flat expression.

  Mo Caihuan stood behind Lady Yan and blinked her jet-black eyes, curiously sizing Han Li up. The corner of her mouth rose and revealed a smile that was not a smile. From head to toe, she released a strange, almost supernatural smell.

  After they had assessed Han Li, he walked forward and carried out a courtesy toward Lady Yan.

  “Greetings to Teacher’s Fourth Wife!”

  Lady Yan’s eyes blinked with a look of surprise. Although Han Li’s appearance was not astonishing, his action was quite unexpected.

  However, she didn’t immediately respond to Han Li’s greeting; instead, she raised her left hand, revealing her own dragon ring.

  Lady Yan gently brought together both rings. In front of their eyes, the two rings’ dragon designs fit together, without even the slightest gap.

  “You are right, this keepsake is authentic! However, do you have Lord Husband’s written letter on you?” Lady Yan gently asked, now revealing a few traces of a smile.

  As soon as Han Li heard this, he took out the letter that had been prepared long ago and handed it over to her with both hands without saying anything further.

  Lady Yan, seeing Han Li act respectfully towards her, nodded her head in satisfaction as she accepted the letter. Then, she unfolded it and carefully read its contents.

  Han Li withdrew to the side while calmly observing the expression on the face of his teacher’s wife. He thought about the change in her attitude towards him as a visiting disciple and a future son-in-law.

  Chapter 110: Fox

  Han Li had already read over the the contents of this letter several times. The letter was not at all complex; it merely sent word that Han Li was Doctor Mo’s last disciple and
that Lady Yang could place her complete trust in him. In addition, he could be used to settle any troublesome disputes the Mo Estate may currently have. As long as Han Li could preserve the Mo Estate’s safety, Lady Yan was to choose one of Doctor Mo’s three daughters as Han Li’s bride. The letter also laid clear instructions that the dowry was to include the “Precious Warm Yang Jade”. It even went as far as to say that Doctor Mo was currently occupied with an important matter and could not return and reunite with his wives. This way, Lady Yan and his other wives wouldn’t have to worry about him.

  (TL: “????” means a master’s last disciple, which implies that Han Li is Doctor Mo’s successor.)

  Although Han Li could not find anything unfavorable towards him in the letter, he was certain that that the letter contained a few of Doctor Mo’s tricks. Han Li knew that it was impossible for the outer writing to be so simple.

  However, he could not find the method to reveal the hidden message. In addition, he wished to bring this letter to the Mo Estate as soon as possible. Only after gathering his courage did he deliver this letter to Lady Yan, but he was especially careful to monitor Lady Yan’s each and every move at this moment. He truly wished that this Fourth Wife wouldn’t make something out from the letter and then immediately turn hostile, demanding his arrest in order to avenge her late husband.

  Fortunately, the terrible scenario that Han Li imagined did not occur. After Lady Yan finished reading the letter, she simply tensely wrinkled her brow. Her face then wore an expression of great worry as she seemed to have made some difficult decisions.

  “Huan’er, go call your Second Mother and Third Mother, even your Fifth Mother. Tell them there is news of Lord Husband!” Lady Yan turned her head and instructed Mo Caihuan with a resolute tone.

  “Understood, Mother! I’ll go.” Mo Caihuan knew this matter was serious, so she left obediently. However, just before she left the room, she pursed her lips and smiled towards Han Li. It seemed she was rather interested in this fellow.

  “You are called Han Li?” Lady Yan raised her head, revealing a graceful and elegant expression.