Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 138

Han Li sat on the Wind Riding Shuttle, pushing it to its maximum speed. His destination wasn’t the capital of Yue Country, where the family he needed to protect resided, but rather the direction of Yuan Wu Country.

Having finally gained his freedom, he intended to use this opportunity to meet with Zheyun Xiao and inquire about the ancient teleportation array.

If they were to lose this war, the ancient teleportation array would be their last resort for escape.

According to his calculations, the journey would take about 20 days, which wouldn’t interfere with his matters at the Pear Blossom Garden.

The place where Zheyun Xiao and Han Li had agreed to meet was a teahouse in Yuan Wu Country. He had said that the teahouse was run by one of Zheyun Xiao’s people.

Han Li flew like lightning, arriving at a small city called Golden Horse City in just seven days.

To avoid drawing attention, he retrieved his magical artifact before reaching the city and leisurely walked through the city gates.

Golden Horse City wasn’t very large, but the number of people coming and going through the gates suggested it was quite a bustling place.

Han Li, with his ordinary appearance and wearing a Taoist robe, blended in with the crowd and entered the city naturally.

Furthermore, the Clear Spring Teahouse, where they were to meet, was quite famous, making it easy to find. He arrived in front of the Clear Spring Teahouse and examined it with interest.

The teahouse was made up of three interconnected rooms, but it wasn’t large, and the rich aroma of tea could be smelled from outside. After his inspection, Han Li entered.

The three rooms were arranged in a row, and already four or five groups of customers occupied all the tables. Even about eight people were standing on one side, waiting for a seat to open up.

Most of the customers had their eyes closed, savoring the aroma of the tea, while only a few were chatting in low voices.

On the outer wall of the middle room, a yellow paper was hung with elegant calligraphy, stating, ‘Each customer is limited to one pot of tea per day.’

After glancing around again, he approached someone who seemed to be the owner. The owner’s expression immediately changed, and he rushed to the counter.

“Senior, if there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know, and I will do my best.”

Unexpectedly, he was also a cultivator, but his achievement was insignificant, appearing to be at the fourth level of Qi Refining. The appearance of a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Han Li in front of him made him extremely uneasy.

Without a word, Han Li placed a transparent blue jade token on the counter. After confirming it, the owner was initially bewildered but soon showed a welcoming expression.

“You must be Senior Han! The young master instructed us to expect your visit soon and told us to wait for you.”

At those words, Han Li casually retrieved the jade token.

“I need to see your master now, so lead the way.”

“Yes, I understand!”

The owner led Han Li out the back door. They left the city and immediately headed west.

To the west of Golden Horse City, there were yellow-green hills, and the teahouse owner skillfully navigated through the hills of varying sizes, leading the way.

They soon arrived at a fairly large basin, in the center of which stood seven white stone buildings, with sparse bamboo scattered everywhere.

Upon reaching the vicinity, the owner bowed respectfully to Han Li.

“The young master is here. Originally, we should report to the master and bring outsiders in, as there are formations set up around the buildings. However, since Senior Han’s visit was prearranged, I will take you in immediately. Please follow closely, as you might trigger the restrictions.”

Han Li looked around at the basin and the unremarkable bamboo, then spoke as if it were nothing.

“I understand, lead the way.”

The owner carefully headed towards the buildings. His steps were very peculiar, taking three steps forward and then two steps back, moving east and west, making it very complicated. As a result, they moved very slowly towards the center of the basin.

“Young master! Senior Han has arrived!”

The teahouse owner took a deep breath and shouted loudly.

“Senior Han has arrived? That’s great! Wait a moment. I’ll be right out!”

Zheyun Xiao’s voice, which had been welcoming, soon changed to a groan with a ‘thud.’

“Oh no! Another failure!”

His face, as he opened the stone door, was filled with deep disappointment, and heat emanated from inside the building. However, upon seeing Han Li, his expression immediately brightened.

“You’ve come at a good time. Please come in. We don’t have much to offer, but we do have some fragrant tea.”

Zheyun Xiao enthusiastically led him to the next building. His demeanor had matured significantly compared to a few years ago.

“Brother Zheyun, I’ll be in your care then.”

Han Li, who had something to ask of him, naturally responded politely. They entered the room and sat at a long rectangular table.

“Senior, then…”

He ordered the teahouse owner to bring tea, but then hesitated, unsure of what to say.

At this, Han Li immediately waved his sleeve, taking out the still-sealed book, which shimmered with a silver light.

As soon as Zheyun Xiao saw the book, he became excited and left the room, asking Han Li to wait for a moment.

Han Li smiled lightly, understanding the other’s intentions. Soon, Zheyun Xiao returned, holding a wooden box in his hands.

“Senior! I’ve improved the Reversal Five Elements Formation artifact to increase its power. It’s not quite as powerful as I mentioned, but it’s more than twice as powerful as the previous artifact and can exert about one-third of the true Reversal Five Elements Formation’s power.”

He explained humbly, but his expression was slightly anxious, as he hadn’t achieved the improvement he had promised.

‘One-third!’

Han Li was very surprised. In fact, he hadn’t really expected the improvement to succeed, and he was already very satisfied with the original Reversal Five Elements Formation artifact. Originally, even a Core Formation cultivator like Lei Manxue had trouble with the formation, but if it was two or three times stronger, it could easily stop a Core Formation cultivator.

As Han Li picked up the wooden box to examine it closely, Zheyun Xiao finally picked up the book. As soon as the lid of the wooden box was opened, formation flags and a disc, vibrating with spiritual energy, came into view.

Upon closer inspection, Han Li saw that not only had the quantity increased significantly, but the patterns and incantations engraved on them were also complex and intricate. As he had said, it seemed capable of exerting more power than the original artifact. At this moment, Zheyun Xiao’s face was filled with joy as he examined the book, as if checking that the seal was well maintained.

“I’m very pleased with the improved artifact! You must have worked hard.”

“Not at all. I should be thanking you for safely keeping the book!”

At Han Li’s words, Zheyun Xiao shook his head, expressing his gratitude. As the two were chatting, the teahouse owner entered, carrying two light green teacups.

The tea he brought had an even more exquisite aroma than the one served at the Clear Spring Teahouse, emitting a rich spiritual energy.

When Zheyun Xiao invited him to try the tea, Han Li took a sip and immediately felt refreshed and clear-headed.

“This is truly excellent tea! To blend tea leaves to emit spiritual energy is an amazing skill. Did Brother Zheyun make this? I’m truly impressed.”

There was not a hint of falsehood in what he said. To extract spiritual energy from ordinary tea leaves was something he had never heard of. Moreover, the subtle aroma of the tea was comparable to any famous tea in the world. However, Zheyun Xiao looked perplexed and waved his hand.

“You misunderstand. I didn’t make this. It was a gift from a friend of mine, who created this tea after many years of research.”

“A friend? Could it be the friend you said you needed to revive with a spirit herb?”

He asked casually, but Han Li was secretly pleased. He had been wondering how to steer the conversation towards the formation.

Zheyun Xiao was flustered by Han Li’s question and hesitated to answer. However, he soon nodded, as if he had thought of something.

“That’s right. He is the one who made this spiritual tea. Now that we’re on the topic, my friend managed to barely survive by using the thousand-year-old spirit herb you gave him to enhance its medicinal properties, but he is still suffering from illness. So… so I have to ask you something very embarrassing.

It’s a shameless request, but do you happen to have any other spirit herbs? Even if it’s not a thousand years old, if you have a spirit herb that’s about seven or eight hundred years old, there might be hope for a full recovery. If you’re willing to trade, I’ll exchange any formation artifact with you!”

He now stared at Han Li’s lips with eyes full of anticipation. Han Li was secretly rejoicing.

He had something to ask of him anyway, and now that the other party had brought it up first, the matter of repairing the teleportation array was progressing smoothly.

However, on the surface, he wore a troubled expression, subtly creating an atmosphere of difficulty. That way, it would feel like he was doing them a greater favor!

With this in mind, Han Li fell into deep thought and remained silent for a long time before finally opening his mouth.

“Spirit herbs… I do have some that I could use, but I obtained them for the purpose of refining pills…”

He didn’t say anything definitively, but he clearly conveyed his difficulty. After all, the other party knew the value of potent pills to cultivators.

Zheyun Xiao was about to jump for joy at the news that Han Li had a suitable spirit herb, but upon hearing that it was for pill refining, his face showed tension and anxiety.

So, before Han Li could finish speaking, he raised his voice almost pleadingly.

“I know that asking you for the spirit herb is putting you in a difficult position, but my close friend has been suffering for years, and I can’t bear to see it! If you could just share a little, you can choose any artifact you want. No, even if you take them all, I won’t resent it!”

However, his purpose was to ask the other party to repair the ancient teleportation array. If he took the artifacts and brought up the teleportation array, wouldn’t he leave too greedy of an impression?

After considering various circumstances, Han Li was about to bring up the teleportation array when a young woman’s urgent voice came from outside.

“Master Zheyun, something terrible has happened! Please save our young lady!”

Zheyun Xiao’s expression changed drastically upon hearing the voice. He rushed outside, not even having time to pay attention to Han Li.

The teahouse owner, who had been standing by, also hurried outside. Han Li, raising one eyebrow, followed them with his hands behind his back, without any change in his expression. He had a hunch about something.

Outside the residence, Zheyun Xiao, the owner, and a pale-faced girl in her late teens were talking urgently.

The girl was explaining something but stopped when she saw Han Li coming out of the room. Even in her anxiety, she clearly showed caution.

Han Li didn’t mind and smiled, not approaching any further. However, Zheyun Xiao turned to Han Li and rushed towards him, as if grasping at straws.

“My friend has been captured by evil people! If you help me, I will never forget this favor and will repay you!”

“Brother Zheyun, please explain in detail. Could it be that the young lady the girl is talking about is the friend who is proficient in formations?”

“That’s right! The Reversal Five Elements Formation artifact you used was also created with her!”

Only then did the girl realize that she, who was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, was facing someone whose power she couldn’t measure, and she looked at Han Li with awe. Han Li turned his head to look at her.

“Miss, could you please explain it again?”

It was clear that now was the best opportunity to do a favor, but he needed to assess the strength and number of the enemies. If he failed to save the woman and was instead defeated, it would be the worst outcome!

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