Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 123

“It seems this is why we had to wait. Senior Brother Woo, could you explain it in detail to Hwon-ah?” This time, without Han Li needing to intervene, Dong Sa-mei, already brimming with curiosity, coaxed Yeon Woo. After a moment’s hesitation, he adopted a more magnanimous demeanor. “They arrived at Yeonryeong Fortress this morning, but lacking invitations, they clashed with two brothers who were greeting guests. When other disciples intervened, they produced letters and tokens. Upon verification, the elders’ expressions changed, and they were allowed entry. However, not content with just entering, they immediately requested to compete in martial arts with the Yeon family cultivators. The elders, perhaps eager to showcase the Yeon family’s skills, readily agreed. I’ve participated in many of these ten-round competitions, but…” He shook his head, making it clear that the Yeon family was at a disadvantage. “Injuries are common in martial arts competitions, but their techniques include sinister arts and poisons from the Demonic Path. The brothers who lost have fallen unconscious or been poisoned, and they haven’t woken up. Fortunately, they remember being inside Yeonryeong Fortress, so there haven’t been any serious injuries or deaths. Haa, I’m ashamed to show you this.” Yeon Woo seemed troubled. “But before we came out, the elders said they wouldn’t tolerate it any longer and would call the brothers from the Martial Arts Hall. They are elites trained in the Yeon family’s secret techniques, so they’ll surely show those guys what’s what!” With a somber expression, he looked back at the martial arts arena. A Yeon family disciple was facing off against a strange man, using their techniques. “That means Senior Brother Yeon is also an elite disciple highly valued in the Yeon family.” Dong Hwon-ah’s eyes sparkled as she smiled elegantly, making her already beautiful face even more radiant. “W-well… yes, that’s right.” Already captivated by her charm, Yeon Woo was flustered. He thought Miss Dong was the woman of his dreams. “Hehe. Then…” “Senior Brother Yeon, may I also observe the martial arts competition? I’d like to see what kind of strange techniques these people causing trouble in the Yeon family are using.” Just as Dong Sa-mei was about to speak, smiling at his expression, Han Li suddenly interrupted. “Ah… observe? Of course, you can. The one fighting now is my cousin, and he’s one of the top ten in the Martial Arts Hall for his pure Dao techniques [Taoist magical arts]. He’ll probably show them what’s what.” As they walked closer, Han Li noticed something surprising. There were over a hundred cultivators gathered, and most of them weren’t from Wol Country, judging by their attire. It was unexpected to see so many people from other countries. He was curious, but as a guest, it wasn’t proper to question everything, so he pretended not to notice. Dong Hwon-ah seemed engrossed in conversation with Yeon Woo, but Han Li noticed a strange glint in her eyes as she surveyed her surroundings. It was clear that the ornaments she wore on her head weren’t just for show. “Hwon-ah, you’re here! I’m so glad. I didn’t think Senior Uncle Hongbul would let you come!” Just as the three of them took a step, a man saw Dong Hwon-ah and approached, his face full of joy. As he approached, Dong Hwon-ah’s smile faltered for a moment, and Yeon Woo’s eyes flickered with displeasure. However, Han Li maintained a neutral expression. It was a scene he had fully expected, so he wasn’t surprised. It was obvious that he was one of the many men she had spread rumors with, and after hearing his name, it was highly likely that he was the ‘Bong family child’ that his wife had mentioned. “Senior Brother Bong! I didn’t expect the two Senior Uncles to send you to such a competition!” Dong Hwon-ah quickly composed herself and greeted him, treating him like a normal friend. Yeon Woo’s mood improved considerably, but Senior Brother Bong looked flustered and shifted his gaze to the men next to Dong Sa-mei. Meanwhile, the fight in the Martial Arts Hall was fierce. Yeon Woo hadn’t exaggerated. His cousin was indeed extraordinary, wielding earth-attribute Dao techniques like a ghost, throwing boulders the size of millstones, and the number seemed endless. Also, a triangular yellow flag was set up in front of his body, and when summoned, it would fly and wrap around him, making his defense solid. One person attacked like crazy, while the other defended, and for a while, they seemed evenly matched. It was clear that both were just testing each other’s skills and hadn’t launched a proper attack. Even as stones flew through the air and ink-like rain poured down, their expressions remained calm. “Senior Brother Han, isn’t that right?” Han Li, who had been engrossed in the fight, was suddenly asked something by Dong Hwon-ah. Without even turning his head, he vaguely replied, “Yeah.” “Did you hear that? Senior Brother Han said that I can’t leave his side for even a moment during this trip, as per my master’s orders.” The two guys, already completely smitten with her pitiful expression, glared fiercely at Han Li, who had nothing to say. He had used Senior Uncle Hongbul to suppress her all the way here, so they were probably holding a grudge and seeking revenge. Finally, the stagnant standoff ended, and the Yeon family man stopped throwing rocks. He was holding a fan with blue and yellow colors, and he was constantly fanning it. It seemed to consume a lot of spiritual power, as beads of sweat were forming on his face. Each time he fanned, a dense purple mist flowed out, surging towards the green-robed strange man. After about seven times, the purple mist became so thick that it completely enveloped the opponent, forming a giant sphere. The strange man was covered in black energy, resisting it. The black energy and the purple mist writhed and bit at each other as if they were alive. It seemed that the mist, under the control of the Yeon family, was suppressing the black energy. “My cousin’s Bone-Melting Treasure Fan is a top-grade artifact famous even within the Yeon family, and it controls a poisonous mist. Even a slight touch of that mist can melt skin and flesh, so it’s a powerful item. However, my cousin has always thought that the fan’s power was too cruel and hasn’t used it. But now that he’s taken out the Bone-Melting Treasure Fan, it seems he’s determined to defeat his opponent.” “Ah, so that fan is famous. Then, how does it compare to the Wind Thunder Fan?” Dong Hwon-ah smiled, curling up the corners of her lips, creating a seductive atmosphere again. “In terms of power, it might not match the Wind Thunder Fan, but this artifact can be controlled by any cultivator with a wood-attribute spiritual root [a person’s innate affinity for a specific element]. So, it’s more valuable than the Wind Thunder Fan, which can only be controlled by those with wind and thunder spiritual roots.” Yeon Woo, trying to ignore his pounding heart, barely managed to explain. “What nonsense are you spouting? How can you dare compare such an ordinary top-grade artifact to the Wind Thunder Fan? In my opinion, that artifact is not even comparable to my Violet Light Cymbals.” Senior Brother Bong, jealous of Dong Hwon-ah and Yeon Woo laughing and talking in front of him, deliberately spoke sarcastically. “How dare you look down on an artifact made by our Yeon family! Very well, then let’s see the power of your Violet Light Cymbals.” “I’d also like to see the Yeon family’s techniques.” Senior Brother Bong immediately accepted the challenge with a sneer. It was as if he had completely forgotten about Han Li, who was their common enemy. “Oh my, please don’t do that. I was just asking out of curiosity, but how can you fight like this? Both of you should give in a little.” Anyway, there was no need to pay much attention to those two. Who cares who lives or dies! What was a little strange was that even though Dong Hwon-ah was playing with those men, he couldn’t see even a speck of her charm. In fact, this point frustrated Dong Hwon-ah more than Han Li. The effects of her great techniques were useless in front of that man. If that wasn’t the case, she could have easily tamed him and had a comfortable journey. While Han Li and Dong Hwon-ah were each harboring doubts, the situation in the arena changed again. The black energy covered by the purple mist suddenly contracted, and in the blink of an eye, the man in the green robe was revealed. Next to him, skeletons were munching and eating the black energy, which was the cause of this phenomenon. As the Yeon family man’s defense disappeared, he immediately swung his fan, attacking with purple mist. “Trying to play with me with mere poison mist? You must have a death wish. Did you not realize that we are all people who play with poison?” The green-robed man grinned. Then, he reached out and struck the skulls of the skeletons, causing them to explosively increase in size, emitting a faint black energy around their white bones. Just by looking at them, one could feel a more ominous aura than before. The giant mouths of the skeletons opened again, this time towards the purple mist. Each time their mouths opened and closed, it seemed to be reinforcing the purple mist. The Yeon family man, not expecting this outcome, was greatly flustered and immediately withdrew the purple mist. However, most of it had been swallowed by the skeletons, and only about a third of the original mist returned. Seeing the light of the blue and yellow fan dim, his heart ached. The Bone-Melting Treasure Fan would clearly not be able to reach its original power. Before he could accept that his artifact was damaged, the viciously enlarged skeletons, under the control of the green-robed man, rushed at him with a buzzing sound. The skeletons were quickly upon him, and the Yeon family man hurriedly reached for his weapon. However, at the same time, the mouths of the skeletons opened, and a beam of dark light shot out, piercing through the Yeon family man’s defense flag. The Yeon family man screamed, lost consciousness, and fell to the ground. The Yeon family disciples, who had been eagerly anticipating victory and hadn’t taken their eyes off the fight for a moment, wouldn’t let him die from hitting the ground. One of them rushed out like lightning and caught Yeon Woo’s cousin. “The dark techniques of the Ghost Spirit Gate are indeed formidable. Our Yeon family has unexpectedly lost four out of five matches, so we should start the sixth match now, right?” An older-looking Yeon family elder walked out and said. “That’s enough. We’ll resume the remaining five matches when the disciples of the Yeon family’s Life and Death Hall arrive. We’ve heard of the high reputation of the Yeon family’s Blood Cultivators.” The leader of the Ghost Spirit Gate group also came out. He was a person wearing a silver mask, but his voice was refined and powerful, indicating that he was a very young cultivator. “Let’s do that. If Young Master Sect Leader wishes, our Yeon family will naturally have to face you. Then, let’s stop the martial arts competition here today.” The old man was surprised by his words, but he accepted the proposal to avoid showing weakness to the opponent. Then, he immediately disappeared with a flick of his sleeve. The Young Master Sect Leader also didn’t care and lightly smiled as he led his group away with dignity. The spectators, having broadened their horizons, also left the martial arts arena silently. Han Li shook his head and was about to turn around when he heard Yeon Woo muttering. “How could this happen… my cousin lost, and he’s a master of the Martial Arts Hall!” “Master? He was helplessly defeated by the opponent’s attack, wasn’t he?” Senior Brother Bong mocked his words, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to tease his rival. “You!”