"My sisters need not take this medicine. Is my own life not enough as collateral?" Yan Shi said, her hand closing around the small porcelain vial.
She had already tipped a single jade-green pill onto her palm and swallowed it dry, without water, without flinching. When Second Madam Li extended a trembling hand to take one for herself, Yan Shi stopped her with a sharp gesture.
Han Li watched this, faint surprise flickering across his otherwise impassive face.
He had expected hesitation, bargaining, perhaps even tears. He had not expected Yan Shi to volunteer so decisively and then shield her sworn sisters in the same breath. For a moment he studied the resolute line of her jaw, the calm with which she met his gaze.
Then, after a brief pause of consideration, he gave a small nod.
"Since Fourth Madam speaks of sisterhood with such feeling, I would not be unreasonable," he said evenly. "Very well. The other ladies need not take it."
Without another word, he stepped forward, retrieved the vial from Yan Shi's fingers, and slipped it back into the folds of his robe. The gesture was casual, but his eyes never left hers, as if committing her composure to memory.
"Then our business is concluded," Han Li continued. "I will take my leave for now. Tomorrow at this same hour I will return to the Mo Residence to collect the portrait and other items. After that, I will ride directly for Dominator's Villa."
"Then we shall trouble you, Young Master," Yan Shi said, rising. The other wives followed suit, inclining their heads as he turned to go.
Han Li offered a faint, detached smile, turned on his heel with an effortless grace, and left the small upstairs chamber. His footsteps descended the wooden stairs, steady and unhurried, as if he had not just placed a poison in the belly of the woman who commanded the Frightened Dragon Society.
He had barely reached the foot of the little building when hurried footsteps pattered behind him.
"Senior Brother Han, wait! My second sister wants to speak with you!"
It was Mo Caihuan, that irrepressible little imp, calling at the top of her lungs. Han Li sighed inwardly but had little choice besides turning around.
The girl came tearing ahead at full speed, skirts flying, cheeks flushed. Behind her, at a far more measured pace, came two other figures — Mo Fengwu and Mo Yuzhu. The three sisters moved as a single tableau: one blazing, one gentle, one cold.
Mo Caihuan skidded to a halt directly in front of Han Li and immediately began to circle him, eyes wide, hands on her hips, making soft clucking sounds of exaggerated inspection, as though he were some curious beast at a fair.
"Well, well! Senior Brother Han, you really had me fooled!" she declared, pointing an accusing finger. "I thought you were some honest, upright gentleman! Turns out you're a counterfeit too — palming off trinkets to coax people around! You tricked us all so thoroughly!"
Han Li gave her a flat, unamused look.
Trinkets? He almost laughed. She had quite literally demanded a gift from him on their first meeting, badgering him until he produced the sachet of Calming Fragrance Pills. Now she spoke as if he had schemed to deceive her.
"Third Sister, do not be rude. Do not pester Young Master Han," came a voice he had not heard before.
It was Mo Fengwu.
Her voice was soft, cotton-soft, with a natural warmth that settled pleasantly on the ear. When Han Li turned his attention to her, he understood at once why even among three beautiful sisters she left the deepest impression. She stood a half-step behind Mo Caihuan, her yellow dress simple and clean, her posture composed, her face touched with a faint, shy pink as their eyes met.
"What do you mean, rude? I'm just venting for Mother and the aunts! Look how arrogant he was in front of them!" Mo Caihuan muttered, but her momentum faltered under her sister's calm rebuke.
Han Li, deciding the imp was not worth further argument, turned fully toward Mo Fengwu and inclined his head politely.
"Second Miss, did you wish to speak with me?"
Mo Fengwu's blush deepened slightly, but she did not look away. She gathered her sleeves before her and spoke with quiet earnestness.
"Young Master, I came only to ask — is the Calming Fragrance Pill that Third Sister carries truly a gift from you? And did you indeed receive the true inheritance of my father's medical arts?"
The question was tentative, almost apologetic, but her eyes were bright with a hope she could not entirely hide.
At the sight, Han Li felt an unexpected softening. From the moment he had first glimpsed the sisters, Mo Fengwu's gentleness had appealed to him far more than Mo Caihuan's mischief or Mo Yuzhu's icy reserve. To be addressed in such a shy, sincere tone only increased his goodwill.
He answered with uncommon patience.
"Second Miss need not worry; I will answer plainly," he said. "The Calming Fragrance Pill on Young Lady Caihuan was indeed given by me. And yes, I did learn a great deal of medicine and many prescriptions from Doctor Mo. That pill is one of them. Does Second Miss share an interest in this path?"
He had suspected for some time that someone in the Mo Residence must have studied Doctor Mo's craft. When he passed through the rear courtyard and saw the neat rows of medicinal herbs flourishing behind the walls — tended with obvious expertise — he had been certain of it. Mo Fengwu's question only confirmed what he had already guessed. The gentle second daughter before him was the inheritor.
A flicker of joy passed through Mo Fengwu's usually tranquil eyes.
"You are not mistaken, Young Master," she said quickly. "Since I was small, I have been fascinated by Father's healing arts. I have studied what medical books and handwritten notes he left behind, and pondered them at length. But when Father left the residence, I was still very young, and what I could obtain was painfully limited."
She hesitated then, fingers tightening slightly on her sleeves, as if wrestling with propriety.
"So I have a request — a presumptuous one — and I hope Young Master might grant it. Would you be willing to copy for me Father's medical insights and prescriptions, so that I might study further and refine my own shallow skills?"
Having spoken, her cheeks glowed pink with embarrassment, and she lowered her gaze, clearly uneasy at asking a near-stranger for something so precious.
Han Li did not need to think.
"Of course," he agreed at once, his tone warm. "When I come to the residence tomorrow, I will bring several of Doctor Mo's manuscripts and formulary scrolls for Second Miss. In truth, they are possessions of the Mo family by right. I had intended to entrust them to Fourth Madam in any case. Since Second Miss desires them, to give them to you is the same."
A grateful light filled Mo Fengwu's face.
"Thank you for your generosity, Young Master! I cannot thank you enough!"
"Second Sister, why thank him?" Mo Caihuan cut in, blinking and immediately seizing the chance to be contrarian. "Did you not hear him say those things already belonged to us? It's only right that he returns them!"
Han Li shot the girl a sidelong glance and thought to himself: If not for your sister — so gentle and deserving — do you think I would so readily return things that have already fallen into my hands? Dream on.
"Third Sister, do not speak nonsense," Mo Fengwu chided softly, tugging at her younger sister's sleeve. "That Young Master Han is willing to return Father's relics without hesitation speaks volumes for his character."
Perhaps sensing the tension brewing between Han Li and the youngest imp, Mo Fengwu quickly took Mo Caihuan's hand, offered Han Li a graceful, dipping curtsy, and bid him farewell. She drew her sister away, back toward the residence.
Throughout the entire exchange, Mo Yuzhu, the eldest daughter, had not uttered a single word. Now, as her sisters departed, she finally moved. She looked at Han Li — a long, deep, unreadable look — and then turned to follow without a word.
Han Li was left standing alone in the courtyard, faintly nonplussed.
"What was that look supposed to mean? Gratitude? Resentment? Both?" he murmured to himself.
He shrugged after a moment and dismissed it. There were more pressing matters than deciphering the moods of young women.
He left the Mo Residence and made his way back to the inn.
When he reached his modest lodgings, two men were already waiting outside his door, standing at respectful attention beside the motionless, towering figure of Qu Hun. One was his newly minted helper, Sun Ergou, whose face now seemed to glow with satisfaction. The other was a stranger.
Han Li gave Sun Ergou a brief nod, pushed open his door, and stepped inside. The two men followed immediately, taking positions at either side of the room, heads bowed.
Only after seating himself did Han Li take a proper look at the newcomer — a thick-set man of about thirty, with a broad frame, heavy jowls, and a fierce, scarred countenance that spoke of many brawls.
"Judging by that ruddy glow, you've already taken the seat as leader of the Four Peace Gang, I presume?" Han Li said lightly to Sun Ergou.
"I have! I have! And it is all thanks to Young Master's singular support. Without you, how could someone of my meager virtue have reached such a height?" Sun Ergou beamed and bobbed his head repeatedly, unable to suppress his elation.
"Remember that," Han Li said coolly. "I will not meddle in the daily affairs of the Four Peace Gang. But the tasks I entrust to you must be accomplished thoroughly with the Gang's strength. If you fail, I will not hesitate to replace you with another leader."
The words, delivered in that flat tone, wiped the smugness from Sun Ergou's face in an instant. A cold shiver ran down his spine and sobered him thoroughly.
"This humble one will throw himself body and soul into Young Master's affairs! Even if it costs my life, I will see them done!" Sun Ergou hastily adopted an air of absolute loyalty.
Han Li gave a noncommittal hum and turned his gaze to the burly stranger.
"So you are the one who overheard the conversation of the immortals?" he asked with open curiosity.
"Yes, Young Master. I am Xi Tieniu. I did hear it," the man answered respectfully.
For all his rough appearance, Xi Tieniu was not dull. He understood perfectly that the unassuming youth before him was the power behind Sun Ergou's sudden ascent, and he dared not show the slightest neglect.
Han Li nodded, pleased. A clever subordinate was always easier to use.
"Tell me again, from beginning to end, what you saw and heard that day of the immortal man and woman. If you satisfy me, I will make you Sun Ergou's second in command — Vice Leader of the Four Peace Gang," Han Li promised. He knew well that only heavy reward could truly motivate men to risk themselves.
Xi Tieniu's eyes lit up with excitement, and he thumped his chest in earnest vow to satisfy him.
Sun Ergou, standing to one side, felt a pang of reluctant jealousy at the offer, but dared not let any of it show on his face.
Once Xi Tieniu had composed himself, he recounted his encounter in careful detail, every word measured, every pause deliberate.
His version matched Sun Ergou's earlier report in its broad strokes — the immortal couple, their flying mounts, their otherworldly talk — but differed in many small particulars, as any honest witness's account would. There were no glaring contradictions, no obvious fabrications.
When he finished, Han Li leaned forward slightly, his expression more serious than before.
"Did those two immortals mention any specific time or place?" Han Li asked. It was the question that mattered most to him.