Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 746

The combined attack of four types of demon beasts had reduced Anwon Fortress to ruins. Some commoners, under the protection of a few body cultivators, managed to break through the demon beast horde and escape, but most of the remaining residents of the fortress perished at the hands of the demon beasts.

The demon beast horde ravaged Anwon Fortress for three to four days before retreating. Thus, the demon beast uprising came to an end.

It was rare for a small fortress to suffer such a devastating attack, so Cheonwon City dispatched high-level cultivators to investigate the full details, but this, of course, happened much later.

Two days after the demon beasts retreated, several cultivators appeared in the sky and flew towards the collapsed walls of Anwon Fortress. The light faded, and three figures appeared—the three cultivators from the Golden Jade Sect.

Led by the Jin-surname cultivator in golden robes, they diligently searched the area below, looking for something.

“He’s probably dead already. How powerful was the combined attack of the Feathered Gold Beasts? Senior Brother, do you really think he’s still alive?” the young man couldn’t help but ask the golden-robed man.

“That’s because you don’t understand, Junior Brother. The Vajra Body Art [a powerful body cultivation technique] is different from ordinary body cultivation techniques. At the third level, one has already undergone marrow cleansing, and at the tenth level, one can block most low-level spiritual attacks! Although the Feathered Gold Beasts’ strike was immense, if he had used the technique beforehand, he would still be alive, even if severely injured. Besides, don’t you know that we need the help of a commoner with a sturdy body for this mission? If we weren’t so far away and unable to help, I would have rescued him already,” the golden-robed man explained with a shake of his head and a dark expression. When the young man fell silent at his senior brother’s words, the woman next to him spoke up.

“Even if he survived then, the demon beasts roamed around for days, slaughtering everyone. He’s probably already in some beast’s belly.”

“That’s highly likely. That’s why I’m searching with a glimmer of hope, isn’t it? It’s hard to find suitable help. Everyone, stop with the useless thoughts and focus on the search,” the golden-robed man said with a wry smile at the woman’s words.

“Oh ho, I wonder why Fellow Daoist Jin is searching for me so diligently?” a nonchalant voice came from the pile of rubble below, and then, with a bang, rocks flew up as two figures, one tall and one small, emerged from the dust.

“Han Li!” the three cultivators in the air looked down in surprise, and the golden-robed man showed his delight. The taller one was Han Li, who had gone missing a few days ago, and the smaller one was a girl who looked to be about four or five years old.

The child’s clothes were tattered, but they seemed to have been beautiful garments originally. The child’s fair skin and large eyes were filled with fear, and she clung to Han Li’s clothes, not letting go for even a step.

“It’s fortunate that Fellow Daoist Han is safe. We came to rescue you, worried about your safety, but who is that child?” the Jin-surname man said with a smile, slowly descending with the other two cultivators.

“I don’t know who she is. On the day the fortress fell, she was running this way with some body cultivators, and they were surrounded by wolf demon beasts. The rest were all killed. The child was too young, and I couldn’t bear to leave her to die, so I saved her,” Han Li said, glancing down at the girl beside him and shaking his head. Thanks to having made a hole under the fortress wall before the giant Feathered Gold Beast’s attack, he only had to withstand a portion of the attack’s power.

Moreover, with the Vajra Body Art at the fourth level protecting his body, he had unexpectedly escaped the crisis with only minor injuries.

‘Of course, it was also thanks to experiencing a crisis after a long time that the Vajra Body Art, which had been stuck at the fourth level, broke through a cultivation bottleneck.’

If he trained diligently for another half a year, he would be able to advance to the fifth level.

Since things had turned out this way, he had planned to hide under the rubble and quietly cultivate until the surroundings calmed down, but he had suddenly encountered the girl and her group, and he had been forced to save her.

The situation afterward was even simpler. To prevent his hiding place from being exposed, he had killed all the hundred or so demon beasts around and hid under the rubble with the child.

In fact, if it weren’t for the child, he would have already found a chance to leave Anwon Fortress, but it was obvious that taking a little one with him would be troublesome if he got caught.

The energy emanating from the girl’s body was like a light in the darkness, impossible to hide.

It was better to stay in Anwon Fortress, where the scent and energy of people were strong, and hide for a few more days before leaving.

And today, when he thought the surroundings would be quiet, he had been about to leave the rubble when he had overheard the words of the Golden Jade Sect cultivators searching for him.

Intrigued, Han Li had emerged from the rubble, surprising them instead. On the surface, Han Li looked too well, and it seemed he hadn’t been injured at all, let alone killed.

The Jin-surname man, while outwardly pleased, was inwardly a little surprised and treated him with respect.

“I didn’t know you were such a compassionate person. However, if body cultivators were escorting her, she probably isn’t of ordinary status. Did you ask the child about the details?” the golden-robed cultivator said, scanning the girl with interest.

“She didn’t say anything other than that she was called Dae-ah.”

“Her family must have told her not to reveal her family name to strangers. If we find the high-ranking people who escaped from Anwon Fortress, someone will recognize her. By the way, Fellow Daoist Han, it’s truly amazing that you survived the demon beast uprising unscathed,” the Jin-surname man said, his eyes shining with praise.

“It was just luck. By the way, Fellow Daoist Jin, what dangerous task do you need someone with a sturdy body like me for?” Han Li didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

“I was planning to tell you, but this isn’t a suitable place for a conversation. Let’s go back and talk slowly. The person in charge of Cheondong Merchant Guild and the rest are already out of Anwon Fortress and in a safe place. You should go there too, right? The other commoners from Anwon Fortress are gathered there as well.”

“Alright. Her family might be there too.”

“Good. Then let’s move quickly! I’ll take Fellow Daoist Han on my magical artifact, and my junior sister will take the child.”

The Jin-surname man said happily and quickly gave the order. The young woman stepped forward with a friendly face and reached out her hand.

However, the child was terrified by her actions and hid behind Han Li’s legs. The young woman’s expression stiffened awkwardly, and Han Li also frowned.

“It’s alright. I’ll take her. The child seems to be very attached to Fellow Daoist Han, as she’s very scared,” the Jin-surname man said with a smile, smoothing over the situation. Han Li didn’t refuse and nodded, then bent down and lifted the child onto his shoulder. The golden-robed man released a small sword, which grew to several times its size and floated up.

He was about to call out to Han Li when he heard his voice from right behind him.

“If your magical artifact has a defensive function, please activate it. The child is young and can’t withstand strong winds.”

Turning his head, he saw that Han Li was already standing behind the golden-robed man. He had no idea when he had boarded the flying sword.

“…I didn’t know you were also skilled in stealth techniques.”

“It’s just a minor skill, not worth showing off in front of Fellow Daoist Jin.”

The golden-robed man, who had quietly made eye contact with him, turned his head again, formed a hand seal, and the flying sword emitted a golden light, enveloping the three of them in a protective barrier before rising into the air.

The other young man and woman also rode their magical artifacts and followed behind, and soon they disappeared into the distance.

Half a day later, three beams of light appeared over the rolling hills and descended.

Below, there were temporary wooden buildings and tents stretching for several miles.

“Senior Brother Jin, you’ve arrived! You really found Fellow Daoist Han,” a young man in a navy blue robe standing in front of the wooden building hurried out and called out happily as they landed in front of the building.

“It wasn’t a wasted effort. So, is Madam inside?”

“Mother is talking with Commander Jang. Senior Brother Jin, please come inside!” Ban Cheong replied, then greeted Han Li behind him.

Han Li didn’t have a bad impression of the young master of the Cheondong Merchant Guild, so he nodded in return and lifted the girl off his shoulder, placing her on the ground.

However, as soon as her feet touched the ground, the child turned and clung to Han Li, grabbing his clothes and refusing to let go.

Although he had expected it, Han Li couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. He had no choice but to enter the wooden building with the child in tow.

The building was not very large, as it was temporary, but the interior was clean and even had well-made sandalwood furniture.

Madam Bang was sitting and talking to Jang Gyu, and six people stood with their hands clasped beside her.

The two giants in gray robes were the guards who had lost to Han Li before, and the other four girls were Ryu-ah and the other maids of Madam Bang.

When Han Li’s group entered, Madam Bang stopped talking and immediately stood up to greet them.

“Fellow Daoist Jin has finally returned. I was just about to ask Commander Jang to step in… Oh, isn’t that Vice Commander Han? This is great. I was doing something unnecessary. That, that child, isn’t she the granddaughter of Lord Jo?” Madam Bang said, looking at Han Li and then at the girl next to him with a surprised expression. The others were also surprised to see Han Li and the child, and Ryu-ah and the other maids couldn’t hide their joy.

“Lord Jo? Is the person you’re talking about the lord of Anwon Fortress?” the golden-robed man asked, bewildered.

“Who else would it be other than that Lord Jo?”

“Lord Jo’s body cultivation is comparable to a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator [a high level of cultivation], so even if the fortress fell, he should have been able to escape and survive. If he knows his granddaughter is safe, he will be very happy. Are his family members here?” the Jin-surname man asked thoughtfully.

“His steward and a few servants seem to be nearby. I’ll send people to find them right away,” Madam Bang said with a smile and immediately gave an order to one of the giants.

“I was a little surprised that Vice Commander has returned safely. However, it’s a bit strange that four groups of demon beasts attacked a place like Anwon Fortress,” Madam Bang muttered, frowning as the golden-robed man and the others took their seats.

“It’s definitely strange. It’s one thing if such a demon beast uprising happened in a mid-level fortress, but Anwon Fortress is just too suspicious. It’s also strange that the Sand Insects of the Cheongra Desert, which is far from Anwon Fortress, appeared. The area occupied by the Red Mang Demon is not far from the Sand Insects’ area, so they could have attacked the rear, but instead, they joined forces to attack Anwon Fortress.”

The Jin-surname man was equally suspicious.

“Does Senior Brother mean that a high-level demon beast might be involved in the Anwon Fortress incident?”

“It could be a coincidence, so we can’t be sure. But whatever the truth is, is it something we should be involved in? It’s something for the seniors from Cheonwon City to investigate,” the golden-robed man said, shaking his head at Ban Cheong’s words.

“Fellow Daoist Jin is right. There’s no reason to worry about unnecessary things. In fact, if Anwon Fortress had more than 100 Foundation Establishment stage cultivators helping, would they have been afraid of the demon beasts?” Madam Bang said, her eyes shining, and then suddenly said this.

“That’s practically impossible. Although there are many cultivators in the Three Realms [a vast world or universe], when a demon beast uprising occurs, there are few who remain in human fortresses to help! The fortresses where commoners are concentrated have weak spiritual energy, which is very different from the areas around spiritual mountains or spiritual veins. Especially those who don’t want to be involved in worldly affairs don’t even appear in commoner fortresses. Even the cultivators’ shops are only opened in a few large fortresses under the control of cultivators, and they are not opened in small and medium-sized fortresses. That’s why demon beast uprisings don’t even happen in some large fortresses. The number of low-level cultivators who visit those places every day is so enormous that it has to be counted in the tens of thousands. So, what demon beasts would dare to attack a large fortress?” the Jin-surname man replied calmly.