Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 101

The next to step forward was a young man from Yellow Maple Valley, who hesitated before producing a mere three spirit herbs and then lowered his head. This Fourth Ancestor almost cursed him out without realizing it. He had not been expecting anything from the remaining old man or Han Li.

It was Han Li’s turn to present the spirit herbs, but Elder Xiang hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully placed two Purple Monkey Flowers. The Fourth Ancestor’s face softened slightly, as if even that much was unexpected, but that was all.

So far, they were ahead of the Clear Void Sect by one or two herbs, but if the next Clear Void Sect disciple produced an average of four or five, they would lose.

Even if there were many disciples with Han Li’s level of skill, they would be lucky to produce two or three, like Xiang Zhili just did.

As he calculated, the Fourth Ancestor glanced at Bu Yunzi, who was also looking at him with an uneasy expression. Their eyes met, and they both turned their heads to the betting board, seemingly embarrassed. The last Taoist to step forward was an old man with white hair, who leisurely took out the spirit herbs one by one. He was so slow that everyone’s eyes widened at his sluggish movements.

By the time he was rummaging through his pouch for the fifth spirit herb, the Fourth Ancestor’s face had darkened considerably, while Bu Yunzi’s face was beaming. Now, if they could just beat the Emei Sect, he would be the winner of this bet!

When the white-haired Taoist unexpectedly produced seven spirit herbs, everyone looked surprised. Seeing the Fourth Ancestor’s face turn dark blue, the Taoist, feeling pleased, turned his gaze to the Emei Sect disciples. He didn’t even care about the last Yellow Maple Valley disciple.

Even as Han Li walked forward, no one had high expectations. They were all preoccupied with watching the Emei Sect.

The Fourth Ancestor was clearly aware of this. In a losing situation, even if a mere tenth-level disciple produced a meager result, it would only damage his reputation, so he wasn’t looking at him with a pleasant expression.

Han Li didn’t care about these gazes at all. He was planning to present all the fully grown spirit herbs he had.

This was because each year, the two officials leading each sect brought a Spirit-Sniffing Beast. This squirrel-like creature could find spirit herbs over a hundred years old with uncanny accuracy. No matter how well they were hidden in the pouch, the result was the same.

The disciples had to voluntarily present their spirit herbs and pass the Spirit-Sniffing Beast’s search before they could leave this place.

This was because there might be disciples who tried to secretly take these precious herbs for themselves.

He took his place and flipped over a pouch he had prepared beforehand. Soon, a faint light spread, and a pile of spirit herbs, easily numbering over twenty, fell to the ground.

“Look over there!”

“Where?”

“That’s impossible.”

The cultivators, surprised by the sudden appearance of the pile of spirit herbs, began to murmur. Naturally, this commotion drew people’s attention, including Bu Yunzi and the Fourth Ancestor.

However, after confirming the spirit herbs Han Li had presented, their expressions changed drastically. Bu Yunzi’s smile froze, while the Fourth Ancestor’s blank face was filled with joy.

“Haha! Hahaha!”

It felt like a honey cake had fallen from the sky and into his mouth.

After a while, realizing that he had lost his composure, the Fourth Ancestor and Bu Yunzi regained their composure.

The Fourth Ancestor looked at Han Li with new eyes, finding him incredibly pleasing, while Bu Yunzi, who had never expected to lose so absurdly, had a fierce look in his eyes.

“Hmm. Taoist, are you perhaps threatening a young junior over such a matter?”

The Fourth Ancestor, seeing Bu Yunzi’s expression, strode forward and stood in front of Han Li.

How could he allow Bu Yunzi to intimidate Han Li in front of everyone, when he had just made a great contribution to the sect?

If he let it go, his own reputation would be ruined. Only then did the Taoist realize that he was not in a position to openly glare at a mere Qi Refining disciple, and he immediately relaxed his expression.

Wouldn’t others see him as someone who privately retaliated against a junior? He immediately turned his gaze and forced a smile.

“It’s a misunderstanding, Benefactor Li. This humble Taoist was merely curious as to how this young benefactor managed to bring out so many spirit herbs with his cultivation.”

He was trying his best to maintain a nonchalant expression, but his stomach churned at the thought of the Blood Fiend Sect’s inner core.

The Fourth Ancestor also sneered and didn’t say anything more. Anyway, he had the upper hand now, so why provoke his opponent?

He also wondered how Han Li had come up with so many spirit herbs. However, he couldn’t question him in front of so many other sects.

For now, it was best to pretend not to see or hear anything, even if he was curious. Besides, if they could beat the Emei Sect, they would gain a tremendous harvest from this forbidden journey.

His heart was already overflowing with joy, as if a fire was burning inside him, so he didn’t have time to worry about such trivial matters. As long as he won the bet, he didn’t care if Han Li had stolen or cheated.

The Taoist felt like his insides were twisting at the Fourth Ancestor’s triumphant expression, but the bet wasn’t over yet, so he had to wait and see who would win between Old Hag Gong and him.

However, Old Hag Gong’s expression was no different from the Taoist’s. The number of spirit herbs her disciples were presenting was consistently average, so she wasn’t in the mood to smile.

However, the Fourth Ancestor’s happiness didn’t last long. The later disciples from the Emei Sect presented over ten spirit herbs each, which was more than the combined total of the Clear Void Sect and Yellow Maple Valley. In the end, the Emei Sect was the final winner. The Fourth Ancestor was dumbfounded by the sudden reversal of the results, while Old Hag Gong sighed and regained her smile.

“Well, well! Hand it over. Hand over the Blood Fiend Sect’s inner core. I was just thinking of making a good medicine, and the inner core will help enhance its efficacy.”

Old Hag Gong urged Bu Yunzi without any hesitation. Bu Yunzi forced a smile and moved his lips as if he had a lot to say but was holding back. Seeing that, Old Hag Gong couldn’t possibly be happy.

“Why are you like that? Surely, Bu Yunzi of the renowned Clear Void Sect wouldn’t try to welch on a bet?”

‘Welch? How could I possibly do that to you, Old Hag Gong?’

Of course, he couldn’t go back on the bet or refuse to hand over the inner core. However, it was such a precious item that he was reluctant and hesitant to give it up.

But when his opponent acted like that, Bu Yunzi’s face turned pale and then white, and he eventually took out a round object and handed it to her.

He even turned his head away, as if he didn’t want to look at it. That round object was the Blood Fiend Sect’s inner core. Old Hag Gong looked at the inner core in her hand, examined it closely, and then a smile appeared in her eyes.

“It’s not a very good item. The spiritual energy is so lacking. Well, I guess it’s usable.”

At those words, the Taoist felt his blood rush to his head, and he was on the verge of coughing up blood. He quickly left the scene before the old woman’s teasing made his blood and qi even more chaotic.

“You…”

“I will send you two ingots of refined iron within 20 years.”

The Fourth Ancestor, with a complex look in his eyes, gave a quick answer as soon as Old Hag Gong spoke.

“Hehe! You’re indeed straightforward.”

Old Hag Gong nodded in satisfaction, feeling increasingly excited, and shook her head as she disappeared towards the Emei Sect.

The other Core Formation cultivators, who had been watching the eventful bet, secretly chuckled at the plight of the Fourth Ancestor and Bu Yunzi, who had been left behind.

Who told them to bet against that old hag? It was all their own fault.

In any case, this forbidden journey was coming to an end. Each sect collected their disciples’ spirit herbs and, after using the Spirit-Sniffing Beast to check for any hidden items, left the Yellow Mountain one by one.

The Emei Sect people were the first to depart, exchanging greetings with the people from each sect before disappearing into the sky on their Sky Piercing Shuttle.

Han Li watched Nangong Wan leave on the boat, but he felt bitter as she didn’t give him a single glance from beginning to end.

However, Han Li was someone with a stronger will than most, so he quickly returned to his original state and watched the other sects depart.

Han Yunzhi left with the people from Spirit Beast Mountain, giving Han Li a friendly smile that warmed his heart.

Yellow Maple Valley was the last sect to leave, just as they had been the first to arrive. After all the other sects had left, only the people from Yellow Maple Valley remained outside the forbidden area.

However, the Fourth Ancestor didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave, and he just stared up at the sky without saying a word. Everyone knew that he was feeling uncomfortable after losing the bet, so no one dared to speak to him or urge him on.

Only after half a day did the Fourth Ancestor seem to feel better, and he turned around. But the first thing he did was to look at Han Li.

“What is the name of the disciple who presented the most spirit herbs, and when did he join the valley?”

Although no one said it out loud, everyone was envious of Han Li at this moment. What an opportunity to have his name known to the Fourth Ancestor; it would surely be a great help in the future. Han Li was also slightly surprised, but he answered respectfully without delay.

“This disciple is Han Li, and I joined the valley three years ago.”

“Han Li?”

The Fourth Ancestor muttered Han Li’s name, as if he was pondering something. As he hesitated, the others had no idea what he was thinking. However, Han Li became alert at the Fourth Ancestor’s next question.

“Han Li, explain how you obtained these spirit herbs.”

Although he was wary, he had prepared for this, knowing that someone would ask sooner or later. He began to speak in a natural tone.

“Yes, Fourth Ancestor! To be honest, it was just luck. This disciple entered the Huanxing Mountain Range, but I am ashamed to say that I had no significant harvest. However, on the fourth day, near a remote valley, I discovered two disciples from other sects fighting over a Jade Marrow Mushroom. One was a disciple from the Giant Sword Sect with a bare foot and a silver sword, and the other was a person from the Thousand Fiend Fortress with a face full of scars. This disciple secretly hid nearby…”

As he vividly recounted the story of how he had obtained the spirit herbs through the fisherman’s benefit [a Chinese idiom referring to gaining from others’ conflict] from the two disciples’ fight, the other disciples, including the Jin siblings, clearly showed their envy.

The Fourth Ancestor nodded faintly at Han Li’s words. In fact, if it wasn’t as he said, it would have been impossible for a disciple with such poor talent to collect a pile of spirit herbs. It was purely a matter of luck and coincidence.

Now that he had grasped the facts, there was nothing more to question. He was silent for a moment before suddenly looking down at Han Li with a solemn gaze.

“This time, you have made a great contribution to the sect. Also, although I did not win the bet, there is a promise, so I will take you under my wing as a registered disciple. What do you think?”

Han Li was momentarily speechless. Of course, the others from Yellow Maple Valley were the same.

They stared at Han Li in disbelief, wondering if they had heard correctly. It was truly strange.

For someone like the Fourth Ancestor to take in a disciple so easily. Moreover, that person’s cultivation method and talent were so ordinary that he had no outstanding qualities. How could such a person have caught the Fourth Ancestor’s eye!

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