Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 448

“Greetings, Senior Uncle Han,” Song said, bowing respectfully as she stepped forward.

“Brother Han, you’ve finally arrived. I was worried you wouldn’t make it in time,” Ziling said, her jade-like face flushed as she rose to greet him. She was still embarrassed by her earlier joke about getting married if they couldn’t find a partner.

“I made a promise, so there’s no reason not to keep it,” Han Li replied, glancing meaningfully at Ziling before entering the room. Mei Ying also bowed to him.

Han Li walked to the table and sat down. Ziling regained her composure and sat in her chair, and Song also took her seat.

“How did your trip to the extreme west go?” Ziling asked with a smile, not immediately bringing up the topic of the Chuma Valley. She scanned Han Li with a curious gaze.

“There was a bit of trouble, so I was delayed, but it’s resolved now. From what I’ve just heard, it seems only Miss Ziling intends to enter the Chuma Valley. Have Senior Sister Song and Miss Mei Ying made up their minds?” Han Li asked calmly.

“Since you already know, I’ll be frank. After discussing it, Mei Ying and I decided that this matter is too dangerous, so we’ve decided not to go. I don’t think it’s right to risk my life just to shorten my cultivation by two or three hundred years. Also, Mei Ying recently obtained an elixir that will greatly aid her in her breakthrough,” Song explained cautiously, to which Han Li responded carefully.

“It’s not a bad choice for Senior Sister Song and Miss Mei not to go. The situation in the Myriad Spirit Mountain Range has become complicated, reducing the chances of returning alive from the Chuma Valley. But Miss Ziling, you haven’t changed your mind?”

“If Brother Han is going, I’ll give it a try. I have great faith in you, Senior Han,” Ziling replied playfully with a calm smile.

“In that case, I won’t stop you, but there’s something I want to confirm before entering the Chuma Valley.”

“Yes, ask me anything.”

“First, is the information about the Spirit Nectar Fruit reliable? I don’t want to make a wasted trip to the Chuma Valley.”

Han Li’s expression turned serious.

“Yes, it’s what a Ghost Spirit Sect elder who escaped from the Chuma Valley as a Nascent Soul cultivator [a high-level cultivator] said, so it must be true. Otherwise, the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn’t have tried to enter the Chuma Valley for so long. Here is the jade slip containing the exact location.”

As if she had anticipated this question, Ziling immediately took out a cyan jade slip from her storage pouch and handed it to Han Li. Han Li took the jade slip and infused it with his consciousness.

After a moment, he returned the jade slip to Ziling.

“The location of the Spirit Nectar Fruit is deep within the Chuma Valley and a bit vague.”

“The Ghost Spirit Sect elder also said that he accidentally discovered the Spirit Nectar Fruit while escaping as a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, there are several distinctive features along the way, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find the Spirit Nectar Fruit,” Ziling explained hastily, worried that Han Li might change his mind.

“If we find the Spirit Nectar Fruit, we’ll have to refine and consume the Harmony Pill within the Chuma Valley. Are the other auxiliary ingredients prepared?” Han Li asked, lifting his head after a moment of thought.

“Many of the auxiliary ingredients were difficult to find, but I’ve managed to gather a sufficient quantity over the past few years. With the Spirit Nectar Fruit, I should be able to refine the Harmony Pill.”

“In that case, I will enter the Chuma Valley. But before that, I must say this: I will protect you as much as I can, but if an insurmountable crisis arises, you must be responsible for your own safety.”

“Of course. If something really happens, it’s just my fate, and I wouldn’t blame Brother Han. Besides, I’m confident in my ability to preserve my life to some extent,” Ziling replied without hesitation. Han Li paused slightly at her passionate tone, but his expression soon softened.

“Have you looked into the method of entering the Chuma Valley in detail? I heard on the way that they’re selling Chuma Tokens, but the limited quantity is strange. If that’s the case, it wouldn’t make much difference whether a few hundred or a few thousand people enter. If they sold the tokens in large quantities for tens of thousands of spirit stones [currency], the more they sold, the more profit they would make…”

“Brother Han’s insight is indeed extraordinary. I heard from some Ghost Spirit Sect disciples that one must spend a large amount of spirit stones and receive help from Ghost Spirit Sect disciples at a specific time to enter. So, naturally, there’s a limit to the number of people.”

“Our Falling Cloud Sect also received three Chuma Tokens. I have one of them, so entering the Chuma Valley shouldn’t be a problem. Most cultivators will only wander around the outskirts of the Chuma Valley, but Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators might venture deeper. The danger isn’t great on the outskirts of the valley, so if Miss Ziling waits alone and then enters…”

Han Li suddenly moved his lips without making a sound. Unexpectedly, he sent a voice transmission that only Ziling could hear.

Song and Mei Ying watched without showing any dissatisfaction. After all, the Chuma Valley expedition was extremely dangerous, so it was natural to be cautious.

“I’ll follow Brother Han’s instructions,” Ziling said, listening carefully to his words before nodding after a moment of hesitation.

“Then, I’ll see you again in the Chuma Valley,” Han Li said, finishing his conversation with Ziling and looking at Song.

“Senior Sister Song, I heard that Senior Brother Jeong left first. Do you know where he is?”

“I don’t know either. He left with some friends, so he should have arrived nearby, but I haven’t received any separate contact from him.”

“It seems Senior Brother Jeong is also trying to challenge it since he doesn’t have much time left. There are also rumors that the Moran Tribe’s mages are participating in the Chuma Valley expedition. Do you know any details?” He asked Ziling again, narrowing his brows after a moment of silence.

“We’ve heard about it, but we haven’t obtained any detailed information,” Ziling replied immediately, as if she had been pondering the issue. Then, Han Li stroked his chin and suddenly stood up, saying he had something to do and left the room.

The three women left in the room looked at each other and blinked.

“Where is he going in such a hurry?”

“I don’t know. It seems he has another urgent matter,” Ziling said with a puzzled expression, while Mei Ying frowned, clearly disappointed. Song looked towards the door, lost in thought.

* * *

‘What are you doing, old man? Do you really want to die?’ Han Li thought to himself as he walked down a quiet alley with a calm expression.

“This old man was just moved by the beauty of that girl Ziling. What’s the problem?” a frail voice replied in Han Li’s mind, chuckling.

“Have you already forgotten that you used the Seven Emotions Knot to connect your joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures to my second Nascent Soul? I don’t care if you’re attracted to women, but don’t do anything that will harm me. The second Nascent Soul isn’t emotionally connected to me. Besides, Ziling’s current appearance isn’t particularly outstanding. What nonsense are you spouting! Was the story about you having countless beauties as concubines in your prime just a boast? Do you just get moved by any woman you see?” Han Li retorted coldly, still not over his anger.

“This old man used the Seven Emotions Knot to try to reside in your main consciousness, but who knew that a mere early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would have refined a second Nascent Soul? The Seven Emotions Knot is a powerful technique that controls emotions, even if it can’t control a cultivator’s consciousness. How could this happen? Besides, even if that girl is hiding her true appearance, how could she escape my consciousness?” the old man grumbled.

“No matter how great your Seven Emotions Knot is, the problem is that you chose the wrong target. I share some emotions with my second Nascent Soul, but that’s just a minor obstacle since it’s not my main consciousness. It’s unbelievable that you’re the founder of the Heavenly Bamboo Sect and the Great Yan Divine Lord who created the Great Yan Knot. For such a person to be living as a puppet all this time… If it weren’t for your incredibly powerful consciousness and information about the Great Yan Knot, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. And yet, such a person is swayed by any woman and impulsively affects me! If you do this again, I won’t let it slide,” Han Li warned ominously.

“Boy, I’m going to turn to ashes and disappear within a few decades with the help of the bead made from your Yang Soul Wood anyway. If it weren’t for the puppet I was researching being on the verge of completion, I would have wanted to die and reincarnate. I’ve been living as a puppet with no senses for over ten thousand years, so I’m completely fed up with it. If you haven’t seen a woman for over ten thousand years and then come out into the world, you’ll be even worse than me,” the old man said, snorting irritably. Han Li rubbed his nose, feeling a headache coming on.

The old monster hidden in the bamboo tube on his back was not easy to deal with. If the old man hadn’t promised to pass on the last secrets of the Great Yan Knot and the puppet refinement method unknown to the world, he would have already destroyed him. What was even more infuriating was that the old man’s consciousness was so bizarrely strong that his soul-chasing techniques were completely ineffective, despite the fact that he was a consciousness with nowhere to go.

Conversely, the old man had tried to use that opportunity to control his consciousness, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. So, he had no choice but to carry around the old monster who had lived for over ten thousand years, the Great Yan Divine Lord.

“Didn’t you think about what you would do after possessing a puppet?”

“Do you think the Spirit Possession Technique I used was that simple? Back then, I believed in my talent and tried to do too many things, like founding the Heavenly Bamboo Sect and researching the Great Yan Knot and puppetry. I wasted half of my lifespan on things other than cultivation, which is why I only reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. But I still lived as I pleased and had a comfortable life without any rivals.”

“No rivals…” Han Li’s expression became strange.

“Why do you think I’m boasting? I’ve always been active quietly and only challenged a few famous cultivators, so my name isn’t well-known. Back then, the only ones who knew about my existence were those at the very top. In Tiannan alone, the number one cultivators of both the righteous and demonic paths were defeated by me. They were so utterly defeated that they handed over the extreme west region to me and withdrew all their forces. Otherwise, there’s no way they could have stopped the Tiannan cultivators from invading the extreme west region with just the desert terrain. No matter how barren the extreme west region is, it’s still a place with two countries. It wouldn’t be strange if several large sects were established there.”

The Great Yan Divine Lord’s tone was extremely arrogant.

“You obtained the extreme west region through a duel?”

“Not only that, but the two old men even swore an oath. They swore that neither they nor their descendants would ever set foot in the extreme west region for ten thousand years.”

The old man was very triumphant.

“That can’t be…”

“If they hadn’t, I would have killed all their descendants. So, what could they do? Also, at that time, I had over a thousand puppets, so I was confident that I could win even if multiple forces attacked me together. But it’s really unexpected that the cultivators of the righteous and demonic paths have left the extreme west region alone until now. Could it be that they’re keeping their ancestors’ words so well?”

The Great Yan Divine Lord seemed a bit puzzled as well. Han Li thought that if the old man wasn’t boasting, he must have been a truly powerful figure. Even if the puppets he mentioned were only at the Qi Refining stage [the first stage of cultivation], it would be shocking.

# 450