Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 211

The Myriad Sound Sect was unheard of, but Elder Jo alone seemed like a force to be reckoned with. Being at odds with such a power was a bit unsettling.

Moreover, he had so many demon beast parts that no matter how slowly he released them, someone would eventually find out. It was faster than he had anticipated, but using this opportunity to dispose of the goods wasn’t a bad idea.

Within Heavenly Star City, fighting among cultivators was strictly prohibited, so he wasn’t too worried about the other party playing tricks during the trade. After considering various aspects, Han Li quietly opened his mouth.

“Since Madam speaks so frankly, there’s no need for me to hide it any longer. I do have the items your sect needs, but I’m not sure if the quantity will be sufficient.”

Upon hearing his admission that he had the desired goods, the woman and the girl’s faces lit up, and even the old man, who had been enjoying his tea, seemed relieved.

Madam Fan, a bit impatient, looked at him with anticipation.

“How much do you have? I’ll buy it all, no matter the amount!”

Han Li smiled and mentioned a surprising quantity, which made the woman’s face light up with satisfaction. She hadn’t expected Han Li to have secured such a large amount.

Her mission was now a success. Madam Fan wanted to wrap things up without delay. It seemed she was worried Han Li might change his mind about the deal.

“I’ll buy it all! When would be a good time? How about today?”

Her eagerness was a bit unexpected for Han Li. Still, dragging things out would only increase the chances of problems arising, so he cleared his thoughts and replied casually.

“Very well. I’ll go get the goods right away, so can you prepare the spirit stones?”

Seeing that the other party was cooperating, Madam Fan nodded repeatedly, clearly pleased. Han Li politely bowed and strode out of the room.

As he left the pavilion and his figure gradually disappeared, the excitement on Madam Fan’s face faded. She was silent for a moment before asking the old man,

“Elder Jo, what was that man’s cultivation level? I heard he just reached the Core Formation stage, so he shouldn’t have any magic treasures yet. If we attacked him, could we secure a victory? If we could, we could save a fortune.”

Her elegant demeanor was completely gone, replaced by a sinister aura.

“No, it won’t work. Although he hasn’t been in the Core Formation stage for long, his cultivation method is unique, and his magic power is pure. Moreover, I can sense the aura of a magic treasure within him. He must have already refined a magic treasure while hiding it from others, or he inherited one from someone else. He’s not someone to be underestimated.”

The old man shook his head.

“If that’s the case, then it means he’s not weak. We should bring him into our plan in half a month. If things go well, great, and if not, we’ll just have one more pawn to discard.”

“That’s a good idea, but even from a brief look, he doesn’t seem like someone who would be easily manipulated. Are you sure we can bring him in? You’re not planning to use a beauty trap yourself, are you?”

The old man trailed off, showing a hint of displeasure. Madam Fan chuckled and flirted with the old man.

“Elder, are you jealous? Don’t worry. In the Myriad Sound Sect, no one but you can touch me.”

A white veil was removed, revealing a bewitching face that could captivate any man. The old man, who had looked sickly before, seemed to have his eyes light up at the sight of her face.

Madam Fan was quite pleased with his reaction.

“You were even injured protecting me, Elder. How could I ever forget your kindness!”

Madam Fan leaned her voluptuous body into the old man’s arms and tapped his chest with her beautiful hand.

The tears welling up in her eyes and her wistful expression made her look like a fox seducing a man.

The old man’s breathing became erratic the moment her hand touched him. The girl behind Madam Fan, who had been watching everything, simply blushed and lowered her head.

Madam Fan quietly instructed,

“Yuna, go out and tell me when that man returns.”

“Yes!”

The girl quickly bowed and backed away. Just before she closed the door, she faintly heard the conversation.

“That girl is getting prettier by the day. How about sending her to me for a few days?”

“Oh, come on, Yuna needs to stay by my side to serve me. Surely, I’m not enough for you…”

Listening to the two lovers bickering, the girl slowly left the place.

* * *

Han Li, having left the teahouse, didn’t fly away immediately. Instead, he circled back and stopped in the shopping district. He closed his eyes for a moment in an alley, and then, after a while, his eyebrow twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.

He had tried to use his spiritual sense to eavesdrop on their conversation, but he was blocked by an external restriction. The restriction wasn’t that strong, and he could have broken it by force, but that would have led to unnecessary trouble.

“The Myriad Sound Sect is not to be trifled with.”

Han Li immediately spat out a one-inch-long green sword and flew away on the Green Rainbow Sword. Returning to his cave, he took the storage pouch containing the demon beast parts from the secret room and left with Qu Hun.

The time spent going back and forth was considerable. When he arrived at the teahouse, Madam Fan’s subordinate was already waiting for him.

The middle-aged man, upon seeing Han Li, rushed inside with a delighted expression. Knowing that the man had gone to inform Madam Fan, Han Li didn’t mind and followed slowly.

When he returned to the room where they had been talking, the girl and the middle-aged man were standing respectfully, waiting for Han Li. The girl glanced at Qu Hun with a strange look before bowing.

“Madam and Elder are waiting for you.”

Han Li nodded and entered the room. Inside, Madam Fan, who had put her veil back on, greeted Han Li and Qu Hun with a glint in her eyes.

“You came back so quickly. I could have waited longer…”

She was speaking with a smile on her face when she paused upon seeing Qu Hun. Han Li smiled at her expression and explained the situation.

“This is my friend, Qu Hun. He heard about the trade and wanted to come along. I hope it’s not inconvenient?”

“What inconvenience could there be? Please, have a seat.”

Madam Fan’s beautiful eyes smiled at Qu Hun’s icy face. She was secretly relieved.

‘It’s a good thing I didn’t act rashly. Two Core Formation stage cultivators? I almost brought trouble upon myself.’

However, her desire to entice Han Li to join their plan only grew stronger. As soon as Han Li sat down, he placed two storage pouches on the table.

“They’re inside, so take a look.”

Madam Fan, unable to hide her delight, quickly took the storage pouches and examined them before handing them to Elder Jo. The old man silently received the pouches and began to examine each material in detail.

Because there were so many items, it took a long time. Madam Fan used this time to talk to Han Li, trying to find out the source of the materials, but Han Li was not one to be played by her word games.

Time passed, and Elder Jo, having checked all the materials, conveyed something to the woman through a sound transmission. The woman seemed to think for a moment before calling out a lower price.

At that, Han Li’s expression darkened, and he stopped talking altogether, which made Madam Fan a little uneasy. This deal had to succeed, so after some hesitation, she raised the price to a higher one than she had initially offered.

Only then did Han Li nod. It was still a bit below the market price, but since it was a large quantity being traded at once, Han Li was satisfied.

Madam Fan was relieved by Han Li’s agreement and immediately took out a storage pouch from her person and handed it to Han Li.

Han Li, having received the storage pouch, was about to get up and leave when Madam Fan casually brought up a new topic.

“I heard that Senior is looking for a special type of bamboo. Perhaps the information I have might be helpful?”

At the woman’s words, Han Li turned his gaze back.

At that moment, Madam Fan smiled, her beautiful eyes crinkling, and a strange light flashed in her eyes. She was a master of charm techniques in the Myriad Sound Sect, and she wanted to exploit Han Li’s surprise to plant a small seed in his mind. Her intention was to slowly tame Han Li later.

When their eyes met, Han Li felt a strong seductive aura from her eyes, and at the same time, he was overcome by a strange feeling as if he was being sucked in.

‘Charm technique!’

A familiar technique flashed through Han Li’s mind.

His face, startled, turned incredibly cold, and at that change, Madam Fan, who had been exuding a seductive aura, quickly tried to withdraw her technique.

However, her entire face, starting from her neck, seemed to have frozen. She couldn’t even turn her head, let alone blink.

‘Spell Reflection!’

Madam Fan’s face turned pale as she struggled to break free from the other party’s control. At this moment, Elder Jo noticed that Madam Fan was acting strangely and approached her.

“What are you doing?”

However, Qu Hun disappeared and reappeared right next to the old man, startling him. He couldn’t decide whether to attack them immediately.

Meanwhile, Madam Fan was pleading with Han Li with a begging look in her eyes.

“Hmph!”

Finally, Han Li snorted coldly and withdrew the chill from his eyes.

The woman quickly averted her gaze and couldn’t help but cough up blood, staining her white veil red.

“Madam Fan!”

Elder Jo’s eyes widened, and he was about to rush at Han Li, but Madam Fan quickly stopped him and forced a smile.

“Elder Jo, don’t be angry. Senior Han was being merciful. I was just startled, so I’m fine.”

The old man’s expression returned to normal, and the woman, looking fearful, changed the subject.

“I never imagined that Senior would be so proficient in charm techniques. I was just being reckless, but it’s true that I know the whereabouts of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. Please, don’t be too angry.”

‘Heavenly Thunder Bamboo!’

An expression of interest appeared on Han Li’s icy face.

“Are you talking about the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, one of the Three Divine Woods?”

No matter how upset he was, he couldn’t help but be intrigued by the story of the mystical bamboo that was said to be extinct. She quickly took out a medicine bottle, took a pill, and stabilized her body before answering clearly.

“Yes, it’s the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. Moreover, I saw it myself, so it’s definitely genuine.”

“Could it be that you’ve already sold it to someone else?”

Han Li’s face darkened.

He suspected that the cunning woman might be plotting to use his hand to kill someone else.

“No, that’s not it. Actually, it was supposed to be put up for auction in Heavenly Star City, but it was stolen along with our sect’s goods during transport. Our sect has already tracked down the whereabouts of the goods and found the culprits, so I hope Senior will join us in wiping them out.”

“You were robbed?”

Han Li didn’t look convinced at all. Madam Fan forced a bitter smile.

“You might not believe it, but it’s true! Two months ago, our shop received an order that was equivalent to ten years’ worth of trade. So, our sect prepared a large amount of goods and set out for transport with a security detail of experts, including our sect leader.

However, a group of masked people ambushed us. There were about six Core Formation stage cultivators among them, all of whom were proficient in evil techniques, and the rest of their subordinates were skilled in coordinated attacks. Our sect leader died in the battle, and all the goods in the storage pouches were stolen.

Most of our subordinates died, and if the two elders hadn’t used a secret technique at the cost of their own cultivation, we would have all been annihilated, and no one would have known the whole story.”

Her face was filled with grief.

“Was it a trap set by your trading partner?”

“No, one of the Four Great Alliances of the Chaotic Star Sea wouldn’t do that. I don’t think they would ruin their reputation for a moment’s greed. Besides, the goods weren’t that valuable for them to be greedy about.”

Madam Fan shook her head with a pale face. Despite her haggard appearance, Han Li showed no sympathy or consolation.

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