Chapter 106: Night Entry into the Mo Residence

The backyard of the Mo Manor was a sizable garden, filled with many rare flowers and plants. Although the dim light made it hard to see them clearly, their strong fragrance permeated the air, causing Han Li to inhale deeply.

"Oh!" Han Li suddenly exclaimed softly. Despite the overwhelming floral scents, he still recognized the familiar aroma of medicinal herbs.

"Someone is cultivating herbs here," Han Li chuckled. This extremely familiar scent made him very curious about the cultivator. It seemed someone in the Mo Manor had inherited Doctor Mo’s medical skills.

Han Li dared not delay any longer. He followed a small path in the garden, cautiously making his way towards the illuminated sections.

Along the way, Han Li discovered several well-hidden sentry posts. If not for his extraordinary perception, he would have found them difficult to spot. It appeared the Mo Manor's security was very tight.

However, since he had detected them, bypassing these sentries was an easy task for him.

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

He chose this particular building because he noticed its security was much stricter than other areas, with twenty to thirty guards stationed nearby.

Han Li observed that the second floor of the building was still brightly lit, indicating that important figures from the Mo Manor were likely still awake. This presented a perfect opportunity for him to investigate.

He quickly moved like lightning under the cover of night, reaching the building's base in a flash. Then, with a powerful leap, he gracefully scaled to the second floor. The entire process was instantaneous, and the visible and hidden sentries around were completely unaware of Han Li’s intrusion.

Han Li pressed himself against the wall of the second-floor room, ensuring his body was completely concealed within the shadows. Then, he pricked up his ears, carefully listening to the situation inside the room.

Using his superhuman hearing, Han Li detected female voices inside, indicating that more than one person was present.

"Changping Town Secret Branch, remitted seven thousand three hundred taels of silver."

"Luogu Town Secret Branch, remitted five thousand eight hundred taels of silver."

"Lanyue Town Secret Branch, remitted ten thousand five hundred taels of silver."

"Wuling Town..."

"These are the silver remittances from the secret branches last month. They are basically more than a quarter less than at this time last year."

A pleasant female voice reached Han Li's ears. The voice was clear and vibrant, sounding like a young woman. However, her last sentence conveyed a strong sense of dissatisfaction.

"Mother, the managers of these secret branches are getting bolder and bolder! The amount of silver remitted is less each month," the girl said angrily.

"I know, I have it in mind!" another deep, magnetic female voice responded.

"Could it be one of the Three Mo Maidens?" Han Li’s spirits lifted. He felt lucky. The other person in the room seemed to be one of Doctor Mo's wives.

"You always say you have it in mind, can't you think of a way to rectify it? If this continues, those secret branches will sooner or later stop respecting our main branch!" the young girl complained.

"I don't have a good solution right now! You know, the power of the secret branches has always been solely managed by your Fifth Mother! No one else in the Mo Manor can interfere!" the woman replied helplessly.

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent for a moment.

After a long while, the young girl’s unwilling voice was heard again: "Mother, are we really going to let Fifth Mother monopolize the power of those secret branches forever? You know, ever since Uncle Ma and the others tried to split off a few years ago, plus the suppression from other forces, the power of the secret branches has become the greatest pillar of our Startled Flood Dragon Association. Since you are the acting head of the Startled Flood Dragon Association, this greatest power should naturally be under your control!"

"That's true. But when your father left, he entrusted the secret branches to your Fifth Mother. I really have no excuse to interfere. Besides, your Fifth Mother now hands over most of the secret branches' profits to the main branch every month, so I find it even more difficult to question her!" the woman said indifferently.

"But our Startled Flood Dragon Association is already very weak. If we don't integrate our forces, how can we hope to rise again? Father is truly... Since he handed the affairs of the Startled Flood Dragon Association over to you, why did he specifically entrust the secret branches to Fifth Mother!" The young girl's voice was full of resentment, clearly dissatisfied with her father.

"Don't talk nonsense! Your father has his own profound reasons for doing so. It's not for you, his child, to criticize!" the woman sternly reprimanded the girl.

"Alright, alright, I admit I was wrong, is that enough? It seems Mother truly remains devoted to Father!" The girl seemed used to this and, appearing unconcerned, instead started teasing her mother.

"You child..." The woman doted on the girl immensely and could only smile wryly, remaining silent.

Han Li was now certain that the woman inside the room was Yan Shi, whom he was looking for, and the girl must be Mo Caihuan, her daughter with Doctor Mo. It seemed he was truly fortunate to have found the right place immediately.

Han Li reached for the personal letter from Doctor Mo and the keepsake hidden close to his body, preparing to reveal himself and meet the two.

"Mother, that imposter is so annoying! Today, I met him in the backyard, and he actually tried to curry favor with me, showing off his literary talents, acting like he was capable in both literature and martial arts. He's truly detestable!" The girl suddenly spoke in a pouting tone, a remark that startled Han Li greatly, causing the foot he had already stepped forward to involuntarily retract.

"Be polite to that person named Wu. After all, he is nominally your future brother-in-law. Don't let him see through us!" Yan Shi said gravely and somewhat sternly upon hearing this.

"Sigh! Eldest Sister is entangled with this person all day, and she has to pretend to be enamored and lovestruck. It's really hard on her! If it were me, I would have just cut him down with a sword." The girl sighed.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Although we know that person named Wu is a fake, and we've already investigated his background, to buy more time, we can only sacrifice your Eldest Sister's reputation and delay him with falsehoods. After all, the enemy's influence is too great. If they realize they can't cleverly take us down, they'll probably launch a strong attack immediately, and we definitely wouldn't stand a chance!" Yan Shi's voice was filled with weariness, revealing a sense of mental exhaustion.