Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 143

Jin Pyeong was clearly a servant of the Qin family, but even he used the family’s carriage when traveling to distant places for work. Therefore, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had walked for such a long time. He was in considerable pain now. His once healthy legs were swollen and ached with every step, and he had talked so much that his throat was starting to go hoarse. However, with his new master walking so tirelessly, how could a servant complain about being tired?

“It seems I’m a bit hungry, let’s go somewhere for lunch.”

Finally, the words Jin Pyeong had been longing to hear came from Han Li’s mouth, and Jin Pyeong immediately led him to a nearby tavern. It was a two-story tavern that wasn’t very large.

The first floor was for commoners to eat, while the second floor was for people of slightly higher status. Jin Pyeong naturally led Han Li to the second floor. There weren’t many customers on the second floor, with only three or four tables occupied.

At one of the tables, three men and two women were dining together. As soon as Han Li came up to the second floor, he saw them and recognized that they were cultivators at the tenth level of Qi Condensation or higher.

‘Could they be sent by the Demonic Path Six Sects!’

He immediately used the Qi Concealment Technique [a technique to hide one’s cultivation level], which could only be used by cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage or higher, to hide his spiritual power and make himself look like an ordinary person.

“Young Master, please sit here!”

Jin Pyeong, enduring his leg pain, wiped the seat with his sleeve and offered the seat with a bright smile. Han Li, looking apologetic, asked him to join him at the table.

Initially, Jin Pyeong was being polite, but eventually, he obediently sat down. As soon as the two of them settled, a waiter approached.

“What would you like to order? Our special dishes are very popular.”

“Bring us some good appetizers and the special dishes you mentioned! You must use only the best ingredients, this is the Qin family’s young master!”

Thinking that a country bumpkin who had just arrived in Wolseong wouldn’t know how to order, Jin Pyeong took the initiative. When he mentioned the Qin family, the waiter’s expression changed. As expected of the Qin family’s reputation, the waiter bowed and said he would prepare everything quickly before rushing to the kitchen.

Han Li paid no attention to Jin Pyeong’s actions and was completely focused on the cultivators he had seen earlier.

Strangely, the face of one of the men, who looked to be in his thirties, seemed familiar. However, no matter how closely he looked, he couldn’t remember where he had seen him before.

The men among them all had gloomy faces and were constantly drinking, while the two women only stared at the food without eating.

Judging by the atmosphere, they seemed to be cultivators in trouble, not demonic path people who had infiltrated Wolseong on a mission.

“Young Master, the food is here, please have a taste!”

At that moment, Jin Pyeong’s respectful voice echoed in Han Li’s ears. The waiter had already filled the table with food.

“Haha! Let’s eat together.”

Han Li smiled innocently, revealing his white teeth. He began to eat, moving his mouth busily, but his mind was still monitoring the cultivators’ every move.

Jin Pyeong also started eating, following Han Li’s lead, when the oldest of the cultivators put down his wine cup and created a soundproof barrier.

“Let’s all fill our bellies first. Our lives are already in the hands of those bastards, what can we, the Five Friends of Mount Meng, do? Let’s just be thankful that our souls haven’t been scattered by them, and think about what to do next.”

Although they had created a barrier and were speaking in low voices, Han Li could hear them clearly.

There was no way he could be affected by a technique cast by a mere Qi Condensation cultivator.

The old man, unaware that Han Li was listening, spilled their secrets, and the women finally brought food to their mouths after hearing his words.

“Big Brother, do we really have to be played by them like this! Let’s inform the Seven Great Immortal Sects about this and get rid of them!”

The man, after emptying several wine cups, couldn’t hold back his anger and shouted.

“Tsk, tsk, Fourth Brother. If only it were that simple.”

The old man with a dark face shook his head. At his words, one of the women spoke up.

“Big Brother, let’s do that. If the people of the Seven Great Immortal Sects know, they will surely punish those bastards. Hundreds of Wol country cultivators have already fallen into their hands.”

The older men and women could only smile bitterly at the younger couple’s indignation. They clearly understood the old man’s intentions.

Han Li learned a crucial fact from their words. However, his appearance, with his mouth full of food, made it seem like he was enjoying his meal immensely.

Han Li smiled sheepishly and, realizing that his actions were drawing attention, slowed down his chopsticks. At the same time, the old man sighed and explained the situation to the man and the woman in white.

“It’s no use even if we ask the Seven Great Immortal Sects for help. First of all, even we mountain cultivators know what kind of situation they are in. They are using all their manpower to defend against the demonic path’s invasion. Would they send people just to save cultivators like us? Even if they did, the opponents have Foundation Establishment cultivators. Sending a few ordinary cultivators wouldn’t be enough.”

“And even if the Seven Great Immortal Sects tried to destroy them, the opponents always wear masks and have never revealed their faces or identities. There’s no way to eliminate them all. Besides, have you all forgotten the strange restriction they placed on our bodies? If they don’t cast their spell at the appointed time, we will die immediately. And if it were a restriction that could be easily broken, would they have let us go so easily?”

The old man’s wrinkles deepened as he continued to speak.

“Then, does that mean we have to help them put other cultivators in danger?”

“Fifth Sister, as Big Brother said, there’s nothing we can do for now! We have to buy time and figure out a way to escape.”

The tall, thin man comforted her. However, they knew very well that there was no guarantee that a good solution, which they hadn’t found despite all their efforts, would suddenly appear.

After hearing this, Han Li roughly understood the situation. These people were unexpectedly related to the disappearances that had been causing a stir in the cultivation world for the past few years. Of course, the cultivators gathered there seemed to be threatened and forced to cooperate by the forces behind it. Han Li pondered for a moment but soon concluded that he should not get involved in this matter.

It was an organization that had been kidnapping cultivators for many years without ever being caught. There was clearly a cunning and extraordinary figure behind the scenes.

Moreover, they said that even Foundation Establishment cultivators were involved in this, so there was no guarantee that there wasn’t a Core Formation cultivator behind it all.

Trying to investigate this matter with his current cultivation level would only bring trouble.

Having made his decision, he immediately withdrew his attention and didn’t look at them again. Although their situation was unfortunate, he couldn’t risk his life for people who had nothing to do with him. Whether they lived or died was their fate. Besides, as the old man said, the Seven Great Immortal Sects were already struggling to fight against the demonic path. Why would they chase after kidnappers at such a time!

With these thoughts, Han Li focused even more on eating. And, putting on a very curious expression, he bothered Jin Pyeong with trivial questions while looking out the window. As Jin Pyeong answered Han Li’s questions, he noticed that many of the dishes on the table were already empty.

At that moment, the cultivators who had been gathered there left, and their dejected expressions showed that they still hadn’t found a good solution.

After confirming that they had left, Han Li also finished his meal and told Jin Pyeong to go and pay the bill.

Then, Jin Pyeong smiled and took out the Qin family’s token from his pocket before striding downstairs.

After a while, he returned and explained the purpose of the token to Han Li.

“I’ve put the meal charge on the ledger using the token. The tavern owner comes to the Qin family at the end of each month to collect the money. The young masters of the Qin family can use hundreds of taels of silver like this.”

Han Li was genuinely a little surprised, but he nodded as if he didn’t care and left the tavern with Jin Pyeong.

In the afternoon, following Jin Pyeong’s earnest recommendation, they toured the city in a two-wheeled carriage. There were still many places they hadn’t been to because the area was so vast, but they had almost grasped the important points.

It was evening when Han Li returned to the Qin family. Jin Gwi, who was guarding the gate, rushed out to greet him even before Han Li got out of the carriage.

He bowed even lower, fearing that Han Li might remember his rudeness. However, Han Li, who had a mountain of things to do, had no time to worry about such things. Jin Gwi’s name and face had already disappeared into the back of his mind.

He was focusing all his attention on how to protect the Qin family mansion. If it was truly unavoidable, he had to save at least one person from the Jin family to have something to say to the Yi Hwa Won. Having thought of a plan, he hurried his steps. He went to see his uncle Jin, without anyone knowing.

That night, after the two of them talked in a secret room, Han Li returned to his residence without a sound. After that, those who met Jin Yan noticed that a strange young man was always with him. He looked and acted like a country bumpkin and was definitely not someone they had seen in Wolseong. Jin Yan enthusiastically introduced the grandson of the family elder to them, so they wouldn’t have any doubts.

The people Jin Yan dealt with were often high-ranking officials or wealthy merchants. They found it strange that Han Li never left Jin Yan’s side, but after hearing the news from inside the Qin family, they treated Han Li with utmost kindness.

* * *

In the blink of an eye, about two months had passed.

Han Li was being treated like a young master of the Qin family, receiving the same treatment as Jin Yan’s young grandchildren. Moreover, thanks to Jin Yan taking Han Li with him everywhere, rumors about Han Li spread like wildfire. The news that Jin Yan’s illegitimate son had appeared caused a stir among those connected to the Qin family for a while.

Since Jin Yan, who must have known about these rumors, didn’t take any action, everyone assumed that he was condoning it.

As a result, the energetic young members of the Qin family also tried to test Han Li’s identity. However, they had no choice but to back down due to Han Li’s consistent attitude of pretending to be a fool who knew nothing.

In this way, Han Li’s identity as a young master of the Qin family was solidified, and Jin Yan’s special treatment of Han Li was seen as compensation for what he hadn’t been able to do before.

The young grandchildren who had been favored by the family head before Han Li’s arrival were naturally not happy with this situation, but they didn’t directly show their hostility due to Jin Yan’s firm attitude. However, how could they not curse Han Li, who was acting like a fool, from time to time!

They didn’t know that Han Li was constantly surveying the Qin family mansion while practicing his cultivation. As his consciousness spread and collected all sorts of information, he learned not only the curses directed at him but also many secrets of the family members.

Today, Jin Yan had to attend a banquet hosted by the royal prince. The banquet was to celebrate the recovery of the prince’s wife from a serious illness.

The Qin family was one of the top three families in Wol country, so they had received such an invitation.

This time, Jin Yan, who had been traveling alone recently, was to bring the family’s sons and daughters with him, as specifically requested in the invitation. When this news was announced, the young boys and girls of the Qin family couldn’t hide their excitement.