Chapter 26: An Unexpected Encounter

  Han Jiangxue listened and fell silent for a moment, then shook his head and said: "It's not possible, Grandfather is old, if he knows the real reason why Mother died, I don't know what will happen. Now I also have no real evidence, let's talk about it later."

  Zi Yue listened and also thought it was reasonable, so she nodded and didn't say anything more. But Han Jiang Xue kept thinking, in the vast sea of people, what would be a better way to find someone who had gone missing sixteen years ago?

  Today happens to be the Qixi Festival, and when I returned home, I saw that the maids in my house were busily preparing for tonight's festivities, eagerly discussing the lantern festival in the capital city and all the fun places to go.

  Qixi Festival is indeed one of the most anticipated days for young men and women, Han Jiangxue gave some money to the maids in the house and specially allowed them to go out and have fun after worshiping the moon at night. Everyone was even more overjoyed, thanked for the reward and worked harder than ever before.

  Before dinner, Han Yajing came over and said that she had made an appointment with some friends to go to the lakeside of Qingling Lake in Beijing to worship the moon together, and asked Han Jiangxue if he wanted to go with them.

  Han Jiangxue didn't need to ask to know that the friends Han Yajing was talking about were certain people, and naturally she wasn't interested in going with them, let alone this younger sister herself not having the desire to go together.

  She just said that she had already made an appointment with her elder brother, and would go out after worshiping the moon at home in the evening, so Han Ya Jing didn't have to wait for her, and could go ahead and play with friends. On the side of Han Feng, it was also convenient for someone to pass on a message, calling several children to go out and play today, and not being afraid to return late, as long as they brought more people with them and paid attention to safety.

  Seeing this, Han Yajing didn't insist either. She hadn't planned to have dinner at home and directly took her attendants out the door, looking like she was bursting with excitement, clearly extremely anticipating tonight's outing.

  After the moon rose, Han Jiangxue performed a moon-worshiping ceremony in the courtyard. After finishing, she went out with her brother Han Jing who had come to take her out for a stroll.

  After getting off the horse carriage, the two siblings headed straight to the most bustling night market in the capital city. From a distance, they saw a dazzling scene of prosperity and splendor illuminated by countless lights. Before they even entered the main street, there were already more and more people, and the lively atmosphere hit them in the face.

  Most of them are young people, with a happy smile on each face, either in groups of three or five, or in pairs, with constant laughter and chatter.

  "Sister, where do you want to go first? The lantern festival hasn't started yet tonight. Are we going to pray at Mingxi or stroll around the night market?" Han Jing's face was full of smiles as he asked while looking around, his eyes darting about as if searching for something.

  Han Jiangxue didn't know what was on her brother's mind, but she smiled and tugged at Han Jing's hair: "Cut it out, look at you with a distracted expression, where do you have the heart to accompany your sister in this nonsense? Hurry up and go, you haven't seen Lin sister for a long time, stop pretending with me."

  Han Jing smiled awkwardly and didn't say much after that, only instructing Zi Yue to take good care of Han Jiang Xue's safety before disappearing into the crowd in a short while.

  After the big brother left, Han Jiang Xue didn't have any particular purpose, she just followed the crowd and walked along. It had been a long time since she last strolled through the night market. She looked around and turned herself into the lively yet not annoying sea of people, which was quite refreshing.

  After walking for a while, I felt that not far away, there was a gaze staying on me, unlike the occasional glance of an ordinary stranger, and it had been sizing me up for a good while.

  Han Jiang Xue subconsciously raised her eyes to look, and saw that in the crowded crowd ahead, there was a familiar figure standing there quietly looking at herself. Seeing that she had noticed, the person slightly nodded to indicate, and his calm and composed gaze flashed with a hint of brightness.

  A man in black stands still on the street, amidst the hustle and bustle, rendering a contrasting tranquility, who else could it be but Mo Li.

  This will make the crowd more and more, but Mo is alone by his side, looking a bit deserted. Han Jiangxue walked over and took the initiative to greet him: "Why are you wandering around alone tonight, without accompanying your friends?"

  "Aren't you the same?" Mo Li asked back with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, quietly gazing at Han Jiangxue who had already stood still in front of him.

  "I am different from you, the noble ladies of the capital have never been willing to accompany me." Han Jiangxue's eyes were clear and bright, although she said so, but there was no expression that felt it was a pity.

  "I'm not much different from you, how many young masters are willing to be sincere with me?" Mo Li replied calmly, speaking the truth just like Han Jiangxue, without feeling any regret.

  "So it turns out that we're actually fellow travelers?" Han Jiangxue couldn't help but laugh, as if she had discovered some major secret, and for a rare moment, revealed the true nature of her heart.

  Mo Li's expression softened, and his smile deepened as he invited, "Since we're fellow travelers, why not journey together?"

  Han Jiang Xue nodded in agreement, and the two of them no longer stayed in their original place. They stepped forward slowly with the crowd. Along the way, they didn't say much to each other, just walking and looking around, occasionally saying a few words, but not feeling awkward or uncomfortable.

  Han Jiangxue had Zi Yue buy a few lanterns, preparing to go to the Mingxi shore to release them and make wishes later. She turned her head and looked at Mo Li, asking: "Don't you plan on releasing any lanterns?"

  "I don't believe it." Mo Li shook his head: "So from childhood to adulthood, he never let go."

  Han Jiangxue nodded in agreement: "I don't believe it either, but every year I release a few, just to let my wise and understanding mother underground know that everything is fine."

  "Why don't you also put some out? I'll ask Ziyue to buy a few more?" She knew that Mo Li's biological mother had already passed away, and for some reason, she took the initiative to suggest it.

  Mo's gaze dropped for a moment, and then he looked at Han Jiangxue again and nodded: "Okay."

  The two of them soon headed towards the banks of Mingxi, where many wishing lanterns were already floating downstream. They chose a spot with fewer people, lit their lanterns quietly and released them into the water.

  Han Jiang Xue stared silently at the lanterns she had released, her eyes fixed on them until they disappeared into the distance.

  Mo Li unknowingly stood behind Han Jiang Xue, looking at that slightly solemn profile, and suddenly asked: "Do you have something on your mind?"

  Upon hearing Mo Li's voice, Han Jiang Xue finally withdrew her gaze and turned around with a much more relaxed expression.

  "Did you notice?" She smiled and said casually, "Who doesn't have a few worries? After all, I'm also considered a girl, of course I do."

  Mo Li smiled upon hearing this, but didn't say anything more.

  By the water's edge, the moonlight rippled and shone brightly. Han Jiang Xue seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly withdrew some of the smile from her face, staring at Mo Li in a low voice: "Mo Li, your Huo Mo Pavilion is almost ready now, isn't it?"

  Upon hearing the three words "Mo's Ink Pavilion", Mo Li was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting Han Jiangxue to know about this.

  Huò Mò Gé was started by him when he was thirteen years old, from the tens of people given to him by his father that year to the current organization with tens of thousands of elite forces, from a simple bodyguard to an underground mysterious force that has risen to be all-pervasive, it only took him six short years.

  Logically speaking, except for his grandfather, the late father Wang, and a few close confidants, it was absolutely impossible for anyone else to know that he was the true master of Hu Mo Ge. But Han Jiang Xue had once again left him utterly shocked!

  A single glance at the ink pavilion, and the little girl in front of him knew a secret that ordinary people did not know. This was indeed an unthinkable thing.

  "How did you know?" However, in just a moment, Mo Li regained his composure and didn't deliberately deny anything. The extraordinary calmness and determination that was different from ordinary people were immediately visible.

  "Coincidence, I happened to know. But what I know is only these three words, and there's absolutely no ill intention." Han Jiangxue suddenly had a slight worry, leaned in closer and lowered her voice with a joking tone: "You're someone who does big things, you shouldn't have the heart to kill people and silence them, right?"

  "Hmm, your proposal is not bad." These words unexpectedly made Mo Li laugh, looking at Han Jiangxue's face in front of him, and for a moment, many different thoughts flashed through his mind. He then restrained his laughter and asked: "Do you need help with something?"