“There isn’t much to be said after we parted. I returned to the Masked Moon Sect. Once my sect gained footing in the State of Beiliang, I snuck into the State of Yue to find you. However, the information I acquired was rather terrible. I only knew that you had been hunted down by the Ghost Spirit Sect. The concrete details of the matter were unknown. Not long after, I was discovered by the Devil Dao and was forced to return to the Nine Nations Alliance.

“Afterwards, I never acquired information on you. I believed you dead and my inner demons with regards to you had gradually disappeared. Along the way, I managed to condense a Nascent Soul and smoothly became an elder of the Masked Moon Sect. And here we are now.” Nangong Wan spoke with a calm tone.

Han Li’s expression changed several times as he listened to Nangong Wan’s unhurried explanation. In the past, she had done many things he was completely ignorant of, causing him to look upon her with even greater warmth.

A moment later, Han Li couldn’t help but ask, “What’s this about Wei Lichen?”

Nangong Wan coldly smiled. “Wei Lichen! I unintentionally encountered him as he was travelling several years prior. I am not fond of him. He appears to be elegant and noble, but he is a thieving hypocrite and a philanderer.

“I heard that he secretly performs Yin Drawing Techniques on each of his eight female disciples. He most likely harbors ill intentions towards marrying me. That was why I refused his first request to marry me.”

“Refuse? What changed?” Han Li curiously asked.

Nangong Wan didn’t directly answer and suddenly asked, “Do you know of the three great Nascent Soul cultivators in the Heavenly South?”

Han Li’s expression turned grim and faintly felt that something was amiss. “Naturally. There is a late Nascent Soul cultivator in the Righteous Dao, the Devilish Dao, and the Nine Nations Alliance, each only a step away from entering Deity Transformation stage. This is how each of the three superpowers remain on equal footing. As for our Heavenly Dao Alliance, we have two mid Nascent Soul-stage Dao Companions that are proficient in cooperative techniques. Together, they are capable of restraining a late Nascent soul cultivator, albeit with difficulty. What? Does Wei Lichen have anything to do with one of them?”

“Exactly. Wei Lichen’s great uncle is Wei Wuya, one of the three great cultivators. As the highest ranking elder of the Nine Nations Alliance, this Wei Wuya cultivates a rarely seen venomous cultivation art. With a sweep of his hand, he is able to take another life without any contact. His immense abilities are beyond imagination.” Nangong Wan folded her fingers together and bitterly smiled.

Han Li scowled and a malicious light surfaced in his eyes. “Could it be that this Wei Wuya personally made things difficult for you?”

Nangong Wan wore an indignant expression. “No, but Wei Wuya is personally involved. You may not know this, but our sect’s previous great elder passed away and was replaced with an old senior martial sister. Although her cultivation isn’t weak, she is of shrewd mind and is normally at odds with me. Although we get along with our other elder, the relationship between us is awful!”

Han Li’s expression grew sullen as Nangong Wan moved on to the heart of the matter.

After Nangong Wan gritted her teeth, she said, “After refusing Wei Lichen’s marriage request several times, Wei Lichen personally caused Wei Wuya to pay a visit to this senior martial sister of mine. 

“Although I didn’t know what the two spoke about, half a year later during an incarnation period of my Female Essence Incarnation Technique, she suddenly restrained and forced me into wedding Wei Lichen.”

After a moment of shock, Han Li incredulously said, “Is your senior martial sister not sick in the head? Using such a method to deal with a Nascent Soul cultivator of the same sect?”

Nangong Wan smirked and mockingly said, “Isn’t that the truth? I hadn’t expected her to be crazed to this degree. However, it seems Wei Wuya’s conditions were truly difficult to refuse. I later found out that so long as the Masked Moon Sect agreed to this marriage, not only would the Six Sects expand out of the State of Beiliang, but Wei LIchen would be willing to leave the Flowing Mind Sect after marrying me and join the Masked Moon Sect. For these two benefits at the price of one, she acted without any hesitation. Regardless of my intentions, she released information that I was to be wed with Wei Lichen and prepared to hold a celebration, wishing to forcefully conclude the matter before it can be changed. If I wished to later back out, I would have no method of doing so.”

Han Li delightedly said, “So it turned out you hadn’t agreed to this matter. These words of you deliberately wishing to marry came as a shock to me!”

Nangong Wan looked at Han Li and unhappily said, “I still have something I wish to ask you! Even after condensing a Nascent Soul for so many years, why is it that you didn’t seek me out sooner? If you came a year earlier, this troublesome matter could’ve been avoided.

“It isn’t that I didn’t wish to see you, but rather...” Han Li attempted to give an explanation, but after a moment, he found this truly strange as well.

Although Han Li faintly felt that Nangong Wan should’ve been someone that he truly cherished, for some unknown reason, he never thought to touch upon this feeling. If it weren’t for news of Nangong Wan suddenly marrying, he feared that he still would’ve hesitated on this matter rather than directly confront these feelings.

As Han Li’s expression remained calm, Nangong Wan gracefully stood up and took several steps toward Han Li. She directly looked into his eyes and said, “In fruth, my own circumstances are about the same as yours. Although our own experiences and abilities are far beyond that of mortals, we are fearful and unfamiliar towards our first venture of our emotions. Even if we have a deep impression of each other, we aren’t a mortal pair after all. We cannot release all of our passion in an instant and have our emotions blaze like a star. For an optimal attitude for cultivation, cultivators have no option but to weaken our emotions and bury a majority of them. What is left behind is only an ordinary and flat relationship that is enduring. But when I heard that you were still alive, I felt more than happy and spent two days in careful consideration before eventually deciding to accept you in accordance to my feelings.”

After she said this with a soft tone, Nangong Wan extended her slender hand and grabbed Han Li’s palm.

After a moment of silence, Han Li placed his other hand on top. The soft sensation of her hand caused him to feel a trace of comfort.

Nangong Wan blushed and she quickly pulled her hand away, bashfully glaring at Han Li in the process. Han Li didn’t mind this and simply smiled. “Wan’er, although you are trapped here, from how calm you are, you should already have a plan for escape. Why else would you appear so worry free?”

When Nangong Wan heard this, she smiled and sly intent was betrayed from her eyes. “You’re a quick thinker! Yes, although I am under house arrest, only a sparse few in the upper echelons are aware of this matter. Ordinary disciples are completely ignorant. Else, I wouldn’t have been able to directly receive a sound transmission talisman from Martial Nephew Tang. However, many restrictions have been placed on my body in fear that I would flee.

“The other restrictions are of no matter to me as they were placed without knowledge of what amazing abilities I was capable of once I entered Nascent Soul stage. These common restrictions can be removed at any time, restoring my original cultivation. But there is one restriction that isn’t easily dissolved: the Heart Restraint Technique was personally placed on my body by that senior martial sister. This technique was something that she prepared from a record. If I were unwilling to agree to the marriage, she’d be able to use this technique to temporarily control me. She even used her own blood essence to place down the restriction, creating a restriction talisman that serves as the crucial point of the restriction. Through the use of this restriction medallion, I will not be able to escape her control within fifty kilometers of her, unless it is destroyed. Fortunately, there isn’t too great a gap between our cultivation and she is only able to control me to perform a few simple movements. She will have no control over my body’s magic power.”

Han Li curiously asked, “Then your plan was to...”

Nangong Wan softly smiled and chuckled. She said with a worryless tone, “I originally thought to restore my magic power when security was the lightest, several days before the ceremony was about to take place. Afterwards, I would immediately flee far away. So long as I am outside of the restriction talisman’s range, she cannot control me. But since you’re here now, I’ll leave this matter to you. After all, you are the man that wishes to marry me. From what I’ve heard, you were able to easily defeat a cultivator of a similar grade. You should be quite skilled.”

Han Li frowned and muttered, “Heart Restraint Technique? That restriction is truly troublesome. Are there other methods of dissolving it apart from destroying the medallion?”

Nangong Wan’s bright eyes flickered and she carelessly said, “Even if there isn’t, leave it be. We’ll be far away from the Masked Moon Sect anyhow.”

Han Li’s eyes narrowed and a cold glint flickered from his eyes. He imposingly said, “It’s fine! Isn’t it just a restriction talisman? It should be in your Senior Martial Sister’s grasp. I can simply go and fetch it. I’ll be able to vent some anger on your behalf as well!”

Nangong Wan shook her head and pursed her lips in a smile, revealing a trace of mischievousness. “I was merely saying it to test your intentions. I truly had no intention of having you go and seize the restriction talisman. My senior martial sister is a mid Nascent Soul cultivator and possesses abilities beyond that of early Nascent Soul cultivators like us. Let us sneak away stealthily. At worst, I’ll just spend another ten years whittling away at the formation.”

Han Li grew silent. The time for him to be united with this otherworldly woman was soon to come!