Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 1

Turning his head, he saw a few children following behind. He took a deep breath and sped up again. He squeezed out every last bit of strength, but the distance between him and the children in front didn’t close. His body grew heavier, and he saw the sun heading directly overhead and Mu-Yeol already reaching the top of the huge rock wall. From the top of the cliff, a dozen ropes hung down, each with fist-sized knots tied along them. Mu-Yeol was currently choosing one and slowly climbing towards the top. Han Li felt a little dejected watching Mu-Yeol. He knew he couldn’t catch up to the children ahead, and he didn’t have enough time. As he thought this, the wound on his elbow suddenly burned with pain, and all the strength left his body. His hand, which was holding onto the rock, trembled, and he almost fell. Han Li was so surprised that his heart pounded. He tried to move, clinging tightly to the rock, but he couldn’t muster any strength. After a moment, Han Li regained his composure and grabbed a protruding rock. Only then did he feel relieved. Below, a senior brother was half-kneeling with his hands outstretched, ready to catch Han Li if he fell. After a short while, he moved forward again and continued to climb towards the ropes hanging from the cliff. He finally reached an empty rope. But the sun was already directly overhead. Turning his head, he saw several children on the rock wall behind him, breathing heavily. They seemed to have used up their last bit of strength, just like him. Han Li thought he had underestimated this test. He knew he might not make it by noon, but he couldn’t stop here. He stretched out his already stiff hands and slowly climbed up the rope. After a while, Han Li felt his body lighten slightly, and he suddenly felt like his whole body was automatically rising. The senior brother who had been following him was holding him with one arm and using his other hand and feet to nimbly climb the rock wall. Han Li simultaneously saw the sun directly overhead. He was very disappointed that he had failed this test. In the blink of an eye, they reached the top of the mountain. Six children were resting on one side. On the other side, Mu-Yeol was talking to an old man. Beside Mu-Yeol were Head Instructor Ahn and Lee Ho-Sik. Behind them, many people and senior brothers were waiting for the other children to come up. After a while, all the children had come up, and Head Instructor Ahn stepped forward and spoke to the children. “There are seven successful candidates this time. Six of them will enter the White Unit Hall of the main sect and become official disciples of the inner sect.” He continued slowly. “And Mu-Yeol, who arrived first, has shown outstanding potential, so he will go directly to the Seven Colors Hall to learn the secret arts.” Head Instructor Ahn turned his head to look at the old man in the robe, who stroked his beard and nodded with a very satisfied expression. Head Instructor Ahn looked at a few children, then lightly touched his chin with his right hand. After pondering for a moment, he continued. “Jang Seok-Cheol, Han Li. You two come forward. Although you two did not reach the top on time, you have shown very special qualities, and I believe you will be able to endure the pain of martial arts training. You two will first build a foundation with the instructors, and we will test you again in half a year. If you pass, you will become official disciples of the inner sect, and if you fail, you will become disciples of the outer sect.” “Lee Ho-Sik, give the remaining children a few silver coins and send them all home.” Head Instructor Ahn said, looking coldly at the remaining children. “Yes, Head Instructor.” Lee Ho-Sik took a step forward and accepted the order, then led the children who had not passed the test down the mountain. “Jang Gyun, Woo Seong-Myeong. You two take the successful children to the main hall and take them to the respective Deputy Head Instructors and Instructor Lee.” Two people came forward and received the Head Instructor’s order, and the children were divided into two groups and went down. One of them was Jang Gyun, the senior brother who had been following him. While descending the mountain, Han Li couldn’t help but look at Mu-Yeol. He was still talking to the old man and hadn’t moved. “He’s different from you guys. That kid will become a core disciple going to the Seven Colors Hall. When he finishes his training, he will at least get the status of a protector.” Another senior brother answered as if he had read Han Li’s mind. But his words were filled with envy and jealousy. “That’s probably thanks to his cousin! If his cousin hadn’t become the Deputy Sect Leader’s wife, how would he have gotten in? He’s already past the age for admission.” “Jang Gyun, you’re really saying something that could get us in trouble. Is the Deputy Sect Leader someone we can just talk about as we please? If you tell another disciple, you and I will not escape punishment!” The two senior brothers exchanged words and looked around. When they realized that there was no one but the children, they were relieved. Then, as if something was bothering them, they didn’t say anything more. * * * As they passed through the bamboo forest, an old man slowly emerged from within. This old man was tall and very thin, with long white hair that reached his shoulders. Seeing the old man, the two senior brothers quickly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and paid their respects. “Elder Moon. How have you been? What brings you here?” Jang Gyun’s cold expression had changed to one of respect. “Hmm, are these the new disciples who just climbed the mountain?” The old man stopped coughing and slowly asked in a hoarse voice. “Yes. That’s right. Six of these children are official disciples, and the other two are probationary disciples.” Jang Gyun answered in detail. “I’m short-handed right now. I need a child to prepare medicine and another to gather herbs, so I’ll take two of the children.” Elder Moon arbitrarily chose two people, and the people his finger pointed to were Han Li and Jang Seok-Cheol, who had been designated as probationary disciples. He didn’t hesitate at all. “Hurry up and pay your respects to Elder Moon. You should be honored to receive Elder Moon’s teachings.” The two senior brothers echoed the old man’s words, looked at the children, and shouted. * * * The old man immediately took the two of them and slowly entered a small path in the forest, turning once to the east and once to the west. When they came out of the forest, their eyes were suddenly filled with light. In front of them was a small, vibrant green field and a residence. As they entered the old man’s residence, various herbs were planted on one side of the garden, and a dozen or so large and small rooms were connected to each other. Looking around, there was no way out except for the entrance they had come through. “This is the Divine Herb Valley. Except for the inner sect disciples of the mountain valley, no outsiders come here. From now on, you two will live here. You must be tired from the test, so rest first and come find me again in the evening. I will tell you what you need to do.” The old man said, pointing to the room where they would stay. “You can call me Elder Moon. Or you can call me Elder Moon.” After speaking, Elder Moon left the two of them and went into the largest room there, coughing. As Elder Moon entered, Han Li went into the room and fell into a deep sleep as if collapsing. * * * “Wake up, wake up!” A faint voice called from somewhere. He couldn’t tell if the voice was from a dream or if it was actually calling him. Perhaps because of the tension and fatigue, he tried to open his eyes, but they were as heavy as if they had iron weights on them. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he opened them, and a huge face was staring at Han Li and shouting. It was Jang Seok-Cheol, who had come here with him. “The sun has set. It’s time to go to Elder Moon.” When Han Li was still dazed, Jang Seok-Cheol handed him a still-steaming bun. “Where did you find food?” “Someone who works here brought it. It seems they come here twice a day to take care of Elder Moon’s meals.” Jang Seok-Cheol gave Han Li a simple but bright smile. Seeing the bun, Han Li suddenly felt hungry. Perhaps because he was hungry, he ate a bun in just a few bites. Two large buns disappeared in an instant. “We’ll be late. If you’re done eating, let’s go.” As Jang Seok-Cheol urged him, Han Li looked at the sunset outside the window and estimated the time. The sun had set, and darkness was now filling the outside. There was no more time to delay. Jang Seok-Cheol and Han Li arrived in front of the room where Elder Moon was staying. “Elder.” “Elder Moon.” They made a sound a couple more times, but there was no sound from inside. The two decided to be brave and open the door. When they opened the door, they were so surprised that they were speechless. The place was more like a small library than a room. All sides were filled with books, and Elder Moon was among them. He seemed to be lost in his own world, as if he couldn’t hear anything. Han Li and Jang Seok-Cheol couldn’t say anything more at the sight of Elder Moon. They had to stand like statues until Elder Moon acknowledged them. After some time, Han Li became restless. His body was twisting, and his legs were aching, and he wanted to sit down. They had gone through a difficult test, but they were still young children. Only then did Elder Moon close his book and look at the two of them as if nothing had happened. Then, he picked up a teacup next to him, took a few sips, and finally spoke. “From today, you two have become my probationary disciples. From tomorrow, I will teach you how to find herbs and prepare medicine. You will also be able to learn about the art of saving people and treating the sick. However, I will never teach you martial arts.” Elder Moon continued with a cold expression. “I will teach you the incantations for cultivating your body and mind. Although it will not allow you to defeat enemies, your mind and body will become stronger. But if you really want to learn martial arts, I will allow you to learn from other instructors. However, the test in half a year will only be about the training I have taught you. If you do not pass, you will have to leave the sect and become an outer sect disciple. Do you understand what I’m saying?” “Yes. We understand clearly.” Han Li and Jang Seok-Cheol answered in unison. Elder Moon seemed to consider the incantations very important. “That’s good. It’s late today, so come back early tomorrow morning.” After hearing their answer, Elder Moon gestured for them to leave and began to look at his books again. As Han Li left, he glanced at Elder Moon’s book, but he could only make out that there were three large black characters written on the book. For the first time, he felt frustrated and angry that he didn’t know how to read. For the past few days, Han Li couldn’t hide his excitement. He had finally become a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect. Although he was a probationary disciple now, if he passed the test in half a year, he could become an official disciple, and even if he didn’t pass, he could become an outer sect disciple.