"The topic? What topic? I'm here to ask for your final decision! Will you leave here and live in seclusion? Or do you want me to go after one of your great enemies?" Han Li pulled his gaze back from the beauty in the yellow dress and said bluntly, his face hardening.
Madam Yan furrowed her brow slightly at his words, then said slowly: "Young Master Han, please don't be hasty! After our sisters spent all of yesterday racking our brains, we've decided to take the second path. However, we'd like to make a few adjustments to the conditions."
"I believe I already made it clear that I don't want you ladies haggling with me. There's no room for negotiation. Either you accept my terms in full, or you take the second path." Han Li's expression shifted to displeasure.
"Young Master, what do you think of my daughters' appearances?" Madam Yan ignored his displeasure and abruptly steered the conversation toward the three Mo sisters.
"Heavenly beauty, a natural elegance — those phrases are no exaggeration when describing these three young ladies." Han Li was momentarily taken aback but quickly let out a soft laugh. He was starting to vaguely understand what Madam Yan was getting at.
"Our demands aren't unreasonable. All you need to do is eliminate the heads of both the Five-Colored Gate and the Tyrant Mountain Stronghold, and not only will we give you the jade treasure to detoxify the cold poison, but we'll also marry all three sisters to you as wives and concubines. Weren't you just staring at Fengwu? As long as you agree, she'll belong to your Han family!" Madam Yan pointed at Mo Yuzhu and the others behind her and said earnestly.
"Fourth Mother!"
"Mother!"
Mo Yuzhu and Mo Caihuan's faces changed drastically, and they couldn't help but cry out in shock. Clearly, the two of them had received no prior hint of this. Madam Yan's casual promise left them ashen-faced.
Mo Fengwu, on the other hand, maintained her composure despite her slightly pale complexion.
Their panic was entirely understandable. Han Li was truly unremarkable in appearance — a world apart from the ideal husband they had each imagined, with not a single thing in common. How could they possibly accept marrying him?
"Silence! This matter has already been decided between me and your aunts. There will be no going back, or you will be cast out of the Mo household immediately." Madam Yan's face darkened, and her voice turned cold.
This declaration stunned all three Mo sisters.
Mo Yuzhu bit her delicate lip, her face turning livid. Mo Caihuan stared blankly at her Second Mother and Fifth Mother, who had always been the most doting toward her, her eyes filled with silent pleading. Only Mo Fengwu fared slightly better, though her body trembled faintly as she leaned against the wall behind her, frozen in place.
"There's no need to threaten these young ladies. I can't accept your conditions." Han Li was silent for a moment before responding in a deep voice, flatly rejecting Madam Yan's proposal. "To repeat what I've said before, regardless of what conditions you offer, I won't take pointless risks. I do rather cherish my own life!"
It would be a complete lie to say Han Li felt nothing in the face of the three stunningly beautiful Mo sisters. But he had weighed the matter carefully. If he were to wipe out the other two rulers of Lan Prefecture in one fell swoop, it would certainly not escape the notice of observant parties — and would bring down mortal peril upon himself.
Just think about it. Once the Five-Colored Gate and the Tyrant Mountain Stronghold fell, Madam Yan would undoubtedly lead the Dragon Serpent Society to rise as the greatest beneficiary.
Add to that the fact that he, a total stranger, had suddenly appeared at the Mo household and married all three of the Mo sisters — wouldn't that be practically broadcasting to everyone that he was the mastermind behind it all and the killer?
If that drew out some mysterious power connected to cultivators, then he, a half-baked cultivator, would be in for a world of hurt. He'd be lucky to keep his life. And in that case, what good would it do him that the three Mo sisters were the most captivating women alive?
That was why Han Li had given a bitter inward laugh and pushed three vibrantly beautiful women away.
As for whether the Mo sisters liked him, Han Li didn't much care. Once he had these beauties' bodies, winning their hearts was only a matter of time! But all of that was moot now. The three Mo sisters were a hot potato he absolutely could not touch. All he wanted was to cure the cold poison in his body as quickly as possible and leave this nest of trouble. What became of the Mo household afterward — fortune or disaster — was no longer his concern.
Though Han Li's refusal left Madam Yan and the others looking rather displeased, it won him considerable goodwill from the three sisters. The youngest, Mo Caihuan, even stopped crying and broke into a smile, pulling a funny face at Han Li.
Even Mo Yuzhu and Mo Fengwu gazed at him with noticeably softer eyes, seeing him in an entirely new light.
Madam Yan sighed, exchanged a glance with Madam Li and the others, then turned back and said with a look of resignation: