Perhaps their impatience had finally borne fruit, because two black specks suddenly appeared in the western sky above the mountaintop. Then two enormous twin-headed eagles gradually flew closer—clearly the Shuangshou Wu that Han Li had seen at the Tainan Assembly. A man and a woman rode atop the strange birds.
The moment she spotted outsiders, Dong Xuan'er, who had been lounging about listlessly, immediately perked up. She straightened her posture and gazed curiously at the rapidly approaching "Shuangshou Wu."
"My sincerest apologies for making the two of you wait! I am Yan Yu, and this is my younger sister Yan Ling. We've come specifically to escort you both to Yanling Fortress." As soon as the twin-headed eagles landed on the mountaintop, the young man and woman hopped off. The moment the young man steadied himself, he spoke with a face full of apology.
"That's quite all right—we only just arrived ourselves!" Before Han Li could even open his mouth, Dong Xuan'er, upon seeing that this Yan Yu was an exceedingly handsome and valiant young man, immediately brightened. She spoke in a soft, delicate voice, sweet and melodious to the ear, which even drew a sidelong glance from Han Li.
If he hadn't already witnessed this woman's sharp-tempered and willful behavior over the past few days, Han Li would have genuinely believed, from Dong Xuan'er's voice alone, that she was some refined young lady from an aristocratic family!
Yan Yu, of course, knew nothing of this. The moment he saw that the Dong Xuan'er before him was a stunningly beautiful young woman—and then heard her gentle words directed at him—his heart immediately stirred. A strange feeling welled up inside him. He straightened his posture and spoke in a clear, resonant voice: "Actually, there were originally Yan family disciples stationed here to receive our distinguished guests. However, the disciples who were supposed to be greeting you ran into an unexpected incident, so for a time no one was here to welcome you. We nearly failed in our duties! On behalf of the Yan family, I offer my apologies to you both. I hope you won't take offense."
Dong Xuan'er heard this and pressed her lips together in a smile, her eyes flashing with coquettish charm. Just as she was about to say something more, a faint voice transmission from Han Li suddenly reached her ears: "Junior Sister, does your behavior not worry you? If Senior Aunt Hong Fu were to find out about this—"
The moment she heard these words, Dong Xuan'er's expression changed drastically. Her lips opened and closed several times, but no words came out. This strange behavior left the Yan siblings somewhat puzzled.
Yan Ling was a girl of fifteen or sixteen. From her appearance, she looked lively and endearing, with a pair of bright, dark eyes that darted back and forth between Han Li and Dong Xuan'er, giving her an air of sharp intelligence.
"Just as Junior Sister Dong says, a small delay is of no consequence. I'm sure the Yan family would never intentionally slight invited guests! However, I am a bit curious—what sort of incident could have befallen the disciples who were supposed to be receiving us? Could they have gotten into some kind of conflict with a guest?" Han Li, having just cut off Dong Xuan'er's indiscriminate use of the Spring Transformation Art's fox-like allure, cleared his throat lightly, offered a polite remark, and then asked about the so-called "incident" in a half-joking tone.
"This—" Upon hearing Han Li's words, Yan Yu's face took on an awkward expression, as though there were some concern holding him back from speaking openly.
"Han Li, since Brother Yu has his reasons for not being able to discuss it, let's not cause trouble. We should head to Yanling Fortress—surely quite a few people have already arrived by now?"
"That's right, let's head to Yanling Fortress! Many of the other guests have indeed arrived already. They're exchanging cultivation insights and conducting various discussions. Once you two join, you'll be able to participate as well."
When Dong Xuan'er noticed Yan Yu's hesitation, she suddenly spoke up on his behalf, which brought visible relief to the young Yan family disciple. He nodded in agreement repeatedly, his good impression of Dong Xuan'er growing considerably. Meanwhile, Yan Ling, standing to the side, seemed to vaguely sense Dong Xuan'er's "ulterior motive" and pouted with a touch of displeasure.
This time, however, Han Li did nothing about Dong Xuan'er's behavior. He merely offered a faint smile and nodded in agreement: "Then please, Brother Yan and Miss Yan, lead the way! Junior Sister Dong and I will simply follow behind you."
Yan Yu was visibly pleased that Han Li chose not to press the question. But then, as if remembering something, he spoke again with an apologetic tone: "Before I lead you there, I must still go through the formalities and check your invitation letters. Please don't mind!"
Though Yan Yu's words were polite, Han Li could clearly sense that most of this tone was directed at Dong Xuan'er. It seemed this young Yan family disciple was well on his way to falling into her seductive web.
Han Li sneered coldly to himself. He couldn't be bothered to concern himself with Dong Xuan'er's absurd antics and simply pretended not to notice as he pulled out Li Huayuan's invitation letter and handed it to Yan Yu with practiced ease. Dong Xuan'er also produced Fairy Hong Fu's invitation, extending it with her slender, jade-like fingers. The enticing fragrance of her body and the lustrous, fair sheen of her skin left Yan Yu momentarily dazed—he actually forgot to reach out and take it.
His sister, standing to the side, could no longer stand watching. She snatched the letter from Dong Xuan'er's hand with an irritable motion and thrust it at Yan Yu. Only then did her brother snap out of his stupor, his face flushing red under Dong Xuan'er's low, soft laughter.