Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 217

The girl gracefully asked Han Li to sit, then quietly explained.

“Please, have a seat. The two Senior Sisters have gone to the market to buy some things and, while they’re at it, to arrange a cave dwelling for long-term residence in Heavenly Star City.”

“Are the three of you not planning to return to the Myriad Sound Sect?”

Zi Ling sighed and gave a wry smile.

“How can we return to the Myriad Sound Sect? We have a huge grudge against the Extreme Yin Sect, and two elders and a considerable number of disciples have betrayed us. Returning would be like walking into a demon’s lair. Or, other small and medium-sized forces would try to swallow us up, taking advantage of this opportunity. We’ve already decided to move the Myriad Sound Sect to Heavenly Star City.”

“Hmm.”

Han Li nodded silently, not adding anything. Zi Ling didn’t mind Han Li’s lukewarm reaction and poured him tea.

“When our sisters were trying to escape and were blocked by the Jiang Shi [a type of zombie], we saw Senior Han in the same situation from afar, so we knew you would be safe.

Later, after hearing from Junior Sister Fan that Senior had taken action because of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, I asked her to send a sound transmission talisman to invite you here.”

Han Li, who had no interest in beating around the bush, asked directly.

“It seems Zi Ling mentioned having the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. Is that true?”

At Han Li’s straightforward question, a smile appeared in Zi Ling’s eyes, and she replied in a pleasant voice.

“Since you ask so directly, I won’t say anything else. When we obtained the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, which had been passed down in a small branch of our Myriad Sound Sect, it was not just one piece but two.

However, to get a higher price at auction, my mother divided it into two. She kept half, and left the part with the roots to me. If Senior wants it, I will give it to you.”

Although he was overjoyed at the news of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, Han Li looked at her with a meaningful gaze.

“You’re just giving me the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo? Then don’t waste time and tell me your conditions. I’ll consider them.”

Zi Ling was momentarily flustered, but her smile gradually disappeared, and she spoke seriously.

“Actually, the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo is useless to the current Myriad Sound Sect, so considering the favor you did for us before, we could just give it to you.

However, since our sect has suffered a great upheaval and lost the power to lead a large sect, I would like to ask you to become a guest elder in our sect in exchange for the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo and 300 spirit stones annually. Please don’t refuse.”

“Me, a guest elder?”

It was an unexpected request. Zi Ling added boldly.

“In addition to the conditions I’ve already mentioned, if Senior needs a partner to cultivate with, we will send you a particularly outstanding girl from our sect.”

This condition meant nothing to Han Li.

With the help of various elixirs, he was making tremendous progress, and cultivating with a woman to accumulate spiritual power a little faster was a truly insignificant difference.

However, the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo was different. There was no other way to obtain it.

“That condition won’t work. I’m not suited for organizational life, and I dislike the constraints of a sect. Zi Ling, either propose other conditions, or I will buy it at a higher price than the market price.”

“Senior is joking. How can there be a market price for top-grade materials like the Three Divine Woods? It’s worthless to unnecessary cultivators, but it’s a priceless treasure to cultivators who have mastered wood-attribute techniques.”

Zi Ling was not surprised by Han Li’s refusal, but she politely rejected the offer to trade with spirit stones.

Han Li’s brow furrowed slightly. It seemed that the other party had noticed that he was quite interested in this item and was not going to give it up easily. He didn’t like the feeling of being manipulated by the other party’s tactics.

However, he had no intention of becoming a member of the Myriad Sound Sect and being ordered around just for the sake of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo.

Han Li was considering giving up on the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo and making a magical treasure with other materials when the girl made another proposal.

“If you dislike being bound, then how about becoming an honorary elder of our sect? You would receive the same treatment as an elder, but you wouldn’t have to follow the sect’s orders. From our perspective, it would be good to borrow the name of a Core Formation cultivator to protect ourselves. What do you think?”

‘Honorary elder?’

This time, he was truly bewildered. He asked with suspicion.

“Are you saying that I don’t have to step in if a crisis arises in the Myriad Sound Sect?”

“If a crisis befalls the sect and help is needed, you can decide for yourself whether to step in, and our sisters will compensate you separately for that.”

“If I understand correctly, the honorary elder is just a means to protect the declining Myriad Sound Sect by borrowing the name of a Core Formation cultivator. You’ll spread rumors that there’s a Core Formation elder to deter unscrupulous forces from trying to attack your sect, and I just have to not deny it?”

“That’s right. We’re nominally welcoming a new Core Formation elder to fill the void left by the betraying Elder Jo and Elder Bu.”

After thinking for a moment, Han Li didn’t find any harmful points in this deal, and since he wanted the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, he eventually agreed.

“If those are the conditions, then I agree. However, I won’t go around telling others that I’m an elder of your sect. So, I’ll see how capable your sect is in making others believe it.”

The girl’s face lit up with joy, as if it was glowing.

“Yes! As long as you don’t deny it, our sisters will take care of the other issues.”

Now that the deal was done, Zi Ling didn’t waste any time. She immediately took out a strange box from her bosom and placed it on the table.

The box was made of a material that was neither wood nor metal. It was not jade either, but it was translucent and emitted a faint blue light.

At Han Li’s puzzled look, Zi Ling explained.

“It’s a box made of ‘Goyu,’ which is not jade, despite the name. It’s a material used to preserve the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo.”

He simply nodded. Although he had never heard of Goyu, it was clearly a precious item just by looking at it.

Then, Zi Ling extended her finger, and a small cluster of green light appeared at her fingertip.

‘Pah!’

She touched the box with her finger without hesitation, and the green light met the blue light of the box, making a subtle sound, and the lid opened by itself.

Han Li checked the contents with a burning gaze.

Han Li’s expression was not very good.

“Is this what you call the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo?”

Inside the Goyu box was a very ordinary-looking piece of dried bamboo, only about two inches long, with withered roots like whiskers.

No matter how ordinary the bamboo looked, Han Li couldn’t help but look at Zi Ling.

The girl seemed to notice this and smiled quietly. Then, she took out the yellowish bamboo piece with her white fingers and held up a transparent dagger.

‘Ting!’

With a clear sound, Zi Ling’s dagger pierced the bamboo piece, and a delicate spark flew out, pushing the dagger back.

Seeing this, Han Li no longer had any doubts. He carefully put the box containing the bamboo away.

After that, Zi Ling handed him a token proving that he was an elder of the Myriad Sound Sect, and the two chatted for a while before parting ways.

Not long after Han Li left, Madam Fan and Zhuo Yuzhen, who had returned to the inn, heard about the deal Han Li had made from Zi Ling and were speechless.

Madam Fan couldn’t help but speak, a little resentfully.

“Junior Sister, isn’t this too different from what we discussed beforehand? We’re losing too much. With the reputation of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, we could invite other Core Formation cultivators. Is there a reason to insist on that person?”

Zhuo Yuzhen didn’t say anything, but her expression showed that she didn’t understand either.

“The two Senior Sisters don’t know how bad his expression was when I proposed the position of elder of our sect. He’s a person with a firm mind, so no matter how much he desired the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, he would never have agreed to the original proposal. Besides, as Senior Sister Fan said, he’s not someone who can be swayed by seduction or charm.

It seems you have too high expectations for inviting other Core Formation cultivators with the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. Only those who want to refine a top-grade wood-attribute magical treasure need it, and such cultivators are very limited.

Moreover, considering those who have the secret techniques to refine magical treasures with special materials and can utilize what we possess, there are almost none.

Also, there are many grades of Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, and ours is only a thousand years old, so even if we refine a magical treasure, its power won’t be great. If we can build a good relationship with that person through such a seemingly useless material, there’s no reason to refuse.

Furthermore, he has already agreed to be a nominal elder of our sect, and if our sisters show sincerity every year, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t help us when a real crisis comes, right?”

Zi Ling continued to speak calmly, conveying her opinion.

“The most important thing is, even if he’s really tempted by the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo and takes on the position of elder of our sect, can he handle our current situation? It could be like inviting a tiger in from the outside and a wolf from the inside.

From the beginning, my mother was a Core Formation cultivator, so she brought in external cultivators and used them. Trying to control high-level cultivators with mere beauty and charm can lead to terrible consequences.”

Madam Fan and Zhuo Yuzhen seemed to agree after hearing the explanation.

Since many traitors had emerged from within the sect, they had lost much confidence in their charm techniques, and they thought that their young junior sister’s words made sense.

The girl declared resolutely.

“For now, the three of us will handle the sect’s affairs together, and we’ll postpone the matter of appointing a sect leader. If one of us or another female disciple succeeds in Core Formation, it won’t be too late to talk about it again.”

This time, the two senior sisters had no intention of objecting.

Zhuo Yuzhen asked coldly.

“Elder Han won’t interfere with the sect’s affairs, trusting in his own cultivation, right? Should we take precautions?”

Zi Ling shook her head and denied it with a slightly envious tone.

“That won’t be the case. Although we haven’t talked much, he’s likely someone who only focuses on cultivation. He probably won’t care about anything other than cultivation-related matters.

If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have been unmoved when I offered him female disciples as concubines. Isn’t that how he reached the Core Formation stage?”

“Ha, I don’t know if we’ll ever succeed in Core Formation.”

Madam Fan sighed, and Zhuo Yuzhen was also silent. It was clear that the three beauties also had a strong desire for Core Formation.

* * *

Han Li had already returned to his cave dwelling. He put aside all other matters and headed to the herb garden only after finding a method for cultivating the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo in a book.

Han Li’s eyes, as he looked at the withered Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, showed that he was excited. Did he not know that the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo was divided into several grades? But it was not a problem for him.

That grade was only determined by how old it was.

Heavenly Thunder Bamboo less than a thousand years old usually emits white lightning, but when it is over five thousand years old, the lightning turns dark blue, and its power becomes enormous.

If the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo grows for more than ten thousand years, the lightning turns into a faint golden color, and it not only displays unimaginable power but is also the nemesis of evil techniques and demonic arts, so it is called divine lightning.

This was the oldest Heavenly Thunder Bamboo ever discovered in the cultivation world, and it was called the Golden Thunder Bamboo (金雷竹) because of the color of its lightning.

This Golden Thunder Bamboo appeared only once in the Chaotic Star Sea, and no one knew where it came from. It was only half a section long.

As a result, a bloody storm raged in the Chaotic Star Sea for decades, and it passed through the hands of various forces and cultivators who were constantly looking for opportunities.

However, in the end, no one was able to make a magical treasure with it. The Golden Thunder Bamboo disappeared for an unknown reason, just like when it first appeared. Various forces had been tracking it for a long time, but in the end, they could not find its trace.

Just looking at this history, one can see the value of a ten-thousand-year-old Heavenly Thunder Bamboo.

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