Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 147

Han Li arrived near the back gate of the Prince’s residence around the time it takes to finish a meal. The massive gate was firmly shut, and there was no sign of anyone around.

In this situation, there was no need for stealth. He confidently walked to the front of the back gate, gazing up at the sky, lost in thought.

He was spacing out for a moment when he sensed people approaching from afar, clearly on edge. Old Man So and his disguised granddaughter turned the corner and, upon seeing Han Li, displayed different expressions.

The old man was full of suspicion, while the young girl seemed full of curiosity. The old man, having made up his mind, straightened his face and strode towards Han Li.

“Junior, my name is So Jin. I thank you for your forgiveness despite our transgression at the Prince’s residence.”

“You should be seeking places with abundant spiritual energy to cultivate, so why are you in the capital of Wol Country? Could it be that you haven’t forgotten the allure of the mortal world and have given up on cultivation?”

Han Li didn’t bother with pleasantries and instead scolded the junior as a senior. He needed to overwhelm the opponent with his aura first to make it easier to proceed with the conversation.

“Senior, you misunderstand. I am too old and lack the aptitude for Qi Condensation [the first stage of cultivation], so my family sent me to the mortal world to handle affairs. I am not here for personal reasons.”

The old man in the blue robe seemed to relax a little at Han Li’s question and explained his situation.

“Which family sent you?”

It seemed like a casual question, but it was important. If the two were from a great family, he had no reason to create trouble.

However, he had never heard of a prestigious family with the surname So. After hesitating for a moment, the old man glanced at his granddaughter before finally answering.

“We are disciples of the So family from Bonghagan in Yunzhou.”

“The So family of Bonghagan?”

He frowned and pondered, but nothing came to mind.

“There’s no need to think too hard. It’s only a small family, so it’s natural you haven’t heard of us.”

The old man’s face hardened slightly as he muttered. Han Li, surprised by his words, looked at the old man again.

“Are you not afraid that I might kill you both without hesitation if you say that?”

The old man’s expression didn’t change, but the girl tensed up and reached for her waist. However, seeing that neither her grandfather nor Han Li reacted, her face flushed, and she quickly withdrew her hand. It was a very cute gesture typical of a young girl. The old man smiled wryly at the sight.

“Although I cannot be certain, I believe you are a Qi Condensation cultivator, Senior. Whether you believe it or not, I possess no magical artifacts or elixirs that you would covet. Moreover, if you truly had such intentions, how could my meager magical power possibly resist? It would be better to humbly accept your judgment than to anger a Qi Condensation cultivator and bring disaster upon my clan. I only ask that you spare my granddaughter, my only kin.”

At the old man’s words, the girl jumped up.

“Grandfather! Don’t be afraid. If that person tries to harm us, we can fight together! I’m not scared at all.”

Han Li was momentarily stunned by the conversation between the old man and his granddaughter. They were truly an interesting pair.

The old man’s words suggested he had no intention of fighting, but his eyes were not those of someone about to die.

Moreover, the fluctuations of his magical power were unusual, indicating he was storing spiritual energy in preparation for any eventuality.

If Han Li tried to kill them, he was ready to fight for his life. The girl was also intriguing.

She seemed to have burst out in anger without thinking, but her black eyes, shining like jade, were cleverly assessing the situation.

‘The So family of Bonghagan they speak of might also be a lie.’

As his thoughts reached this point, a strange expression appeared on Han Li’s face. Han Li’s silence made it seem like he might let them go or kill them immediately, causing the old man and the girl to adopt solemn expressions.

However, as time passed and the situation remained unchanged, the old man and his granddaughter exchanged glances.

“So, what are you going to do?”

Finally, despite the old man’s restraining gaze, the granddaughter couldn’t contain her temper and shouted at Han Li, pointing her finger at him.

Han Li’s expression remained unchanged, and he showed no anger, but the old man clearly sensed a chill emanating from him.

Startled, he immediately hid his granddaughter behind him, and an immense aura spread from Han Li.

The pressure of the intense spiritual energy forced the girl to stagger back seven or eight steps against her will, and she realized the enormous difference in spiritual power without any room for resistance.

Fortunately, the old man, with his keen eye and quick hands, reached behind her and grabbed her shoulder; otherwise, she might have been pushed back indefinitely. The girl’s face turned pale as she realized how terrifying Han Li was, and she endured the pressure by borrowing her grandfather’s spiritual power.

The old man’s face was also not bright. He had expected that he and his granddaughter could somehow escape if they combined their strength, but seeing the opponent’s power, all such thoughts vanished.

The terror of a Qi Condensation cultivator exceeded his imagination. Recalling the act he and his granddaughter had put on in front of the opponent, he could only feel cold sweat forming on his back. This person was not like the cultivators he had met before, who had only trained in the mountains.

‘Could it be that he’s an old monster who’s lived for hundreds of years, disguised as a young man!’

As another possibility arose, the old man’s face grew even worse. As the pressure of spiritual energy intensified, the old man swallowed hard and repeatedly pleaded.

“Senior, please forgive us just this once. My granddaughter is young and doesn’t know the ways of the world, so she has been rude.”

Han Li looked at the old man with cold eyes, and it seemed like he was speaking sincerely. Then, suddenly, the immense pressure of spiritual energy disappeared, and everything changed as if nothing had happened. The old man cautiously removed his hand from his granddaughter’s shoulder, and the girl quickly became docile, glancing at Han Li and then lowering her head again.

Her current demeanor was markedly different from her previous arrogance. Now, the girl’s attitude was as pitiful as a bird caught in the rain.

If the girl grew up well, she would most likely become a peerless beauty. As Han Li’s gaze lingered on her, the old man watching him felt his heart sink.

‘Could it be that he’s captivated by my granddaughter’s beauty and is holding us here? What should I do! With such strong magical power, there’s no way to escape…’

As the old man worried and thought of various possibilities, Han Li suddenly spoke.

“I won’t force you to reveal your identities since you don’t want to expose your family or perhaps you are hermits. I called you here because I want to make a deal, and if the deal is successful, I will let you go anytime.”

“You want to make a deal?”

The bewildered old man began to ponder.

“Yes, if you give me what I want, I will pay the price.”

‘Could it be that what he wants is my granddaughter?’

The old man couldn’t help but look back at his granddaughter. However, that seemed a bit strange.

Han Li had looked at his granddaughter closely and then hadn’t glanced at her again. The old man’s attitude became even more respectful.

“If you tell us what you want, Senior, we will naturally give it to you. However, I have no idea what you are referring to.”

“What was the technique you two used in the main hall? I’m curious about the skill that conceals spiritual power to the point of deceiving even cultivators of the same level.”

Han Li didn’t answer the old man immediately but asked in a gentle tone. He had used the whip earlier, so now it was time to use a softer approach to persuade them.

The old man exchanged a look with his granddaughter, hesitated for a moment, and then opened his mouth.

“Actually, even I don’t know what technique it is.”

Despite this clumsy answer, Han Li waited without showing any sign of anger. He believed that once they started talking, an explanation would naturally follow. The old man also carefully offered an explanation.

“I learned a technique to conceal spiritual energy from a damaged copy of an unnamed book, so I don’t know its name. My granddaughter and I only learned that part.”

“An unnamed book? Surely you’re not going to say it’s been passed down in your family.”

Han Li looked quite intrigued. If such a unique technique were passed down in a family, the Seven Great Sects would surely know about it. However, he had never heard of such a technique.

“You are indeed perceptive. The book containing this technique was found by my granddaughter in a cave when she went sightseeing in Huangshan. However, we couldn’t understand anything other than the method to conceal spiritual power, so if you want it, Senior, we will just give it to you.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not one to take other people’s things without permission. For now, go back and wait for me to find you again. And while you wait, think about what you want to trade for the book.”

Han Li calmly finished speaking and then, in an instant, shot two bean-sized green lights from his fingertips towards the two of them. The green lights disappeared silently as soon as they touched the old man and the girl.

“This is… !”

The old man was both flustered and angry. He was willing to give what was asked, but to use such a move when the conversation was going well was too much! The girl’s expression was no different.

“It’s just to track your whereabouts, so don’t worry. I’ll naturally retrieve it after the deal is done.”

Han Li’s nonchalant attitude made the old man sigh with relief but also with a wry smile. The opponent was so meticulous that there was no way to escape. With such a device in place, even if the two of them ran away immediately, they wouldn’t get far.

In fact, he knew that if there were no such thorough precautions, he would have run away with his granddaughter. It was unbelievable that he was making a deal with someone who could easily kill them.

However, now he had no choice but to make the deal, whether he liked it or not.

His only hope now was that the opponent would take the book and not kill them. It was impossible to grasp Han Li’s nature from such a brief encounter. He had only confirmed that he was a powerful and difficult person to deal with, making it difficult to act recklessly.

“Yes, then we will wait for you to visit our residence tonight, Senior.”

“Alright, I’ll go to get the item in the evening, so think about what you need.”

Han Li’s body blurred, and he disappeared the moment he finished speaking. It was as if he had scattered into the air.

Seeing such a miraculous movement technique, the old man’s face became even more contorted. He called out to his granddaughter weakly and began to retrace his steps.

However, the girl showed admiration as she watched Han Li disappear like a ghost, and she followed her grandfather as if waking from a dream. Even as she hurried along, she kept looking back at the spot where Han Li had disappeared, her expression full of regret.

“She’s a really spirited little girl.”

Han Li, who had been watching them from a nearby tree, quietly shook his head as he watched the two figures disappear into the distance.

The young girl’s expression just now was very familiar to Han Li. It was the same expression he had when he first saw Master Li Huayuan summon the Flood Dragon.

This thought made the pretty little girl seem even more interesting. He smiled and then silently leaped up onto the wall of the Prince’s residence.

Shortly after, Han Li infiltrated the Prince’s residence and surveyed his surroundings from behind a pillar.

He used the Invisibility Technique to avoid the eyes of ordinary people and concealed his spiritual power using the Qi Concealment Technique, which he had started using after reaching Qi Condensation.

No matter how much he moved among the servants and maids of the Prince’s residence, no one could sense his presence.
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