Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 140

After a long while, Shin Yeo-eum sighed and withdrew her consciousness from the jade book.

“Such a massive ancient teleportation array would normally be impossible for me to fix with my current skills. However, the damaged area is extremely small, and it happens to be one of the few ancient formations I’ve studied, so I think I might be able to restore it.”

Han Li felt a surge of joy at her words.

“However, I am not deeply versed in such ancient teleportation arrays, so it will only be possible if you give me enough time.”

“That’s understandable. But could you give me an approximate timeframe?”

“I think I can complete it in about half a year. After all, it’s a type I’ve examined before.”

“Then I’ll return for the design in half a year. Please don’t disappoint me.”

After making the promise and chatting for a while, Han Li got up from his seat. Before leaving, he advised Shin Yeo-eum and Zheyun Xiao not to let their guard down and suggested they move their residence.

Since so many cultivators had died, it was clear that someone would be investigating the matter.

When the two exchanged troubled glances at this advice, Han Li didn’t press them further. He immediately boarded his flying artifact and set off on his journey towards Yue Country.

* * *

Yue Country’s Capital, Yuejing

Yuejing was the largest city and the center of the country, where all the wealth and goods of Yue Country converged. It was the heart of the nation’s economy and culture.

Every piece of land within the capital was incredibly valuable, with housing prices several times higher than in other cities. Many plots were simply unavailable for purchase, regardless of the price.

The city was divided into four districts: the North District, which was the imperial space where only the royal family could reside; the South District, facing it, where officials of all ranks who served the country lived.

Even if one was an official, once they lost their position, their entire family had to leave.

The West District of Yuejing City was in stark contrast to the South District.

While the South was filled with large mansions with gardens, the West was made up of single-story buildings of varying sizes, where lower-class laborers and small merchants struggled to make a living.

Of course, it also included idlers who did nothing and people who had been pushed out from other areas. And the East District, facing the West, was mainly inhabited by the wealthy.

These people could not hold official positions and thus could not live in the South District, but their mansions were all very luxurious.

Among them, the famous and long-established families were even more special than other ordinary wealthy families.

The Qin family, which owned a large mansion in one corner of the East District, was one such family.

The size of their mansion alone was tens of acres, and anyone who knew the land prices would be astonished.

The Qin family’s wealth rivaled that of a small nation, and they monopolized a quarter of all copper mines in Yue Country.

Moreover, the head of the Qin family had an enormous network of connections, and many high-ranking officials in the court would support him.

The servants who served such dignitaries were also very powerful, and they could act superior to the servants of other houses. Qin Gui, the guard who guarded the main gate of the Qin family mansion, was one such person.

Those who came to make requests to the head of the family, regardless of their status or background, could not treat even the Qin family’s servants carelessly. As this continued, Qin Gui also began to think of himself as someone important.

With his shrewd behavior, Qin Gui had gained the trust of his master, and there were even rumors that he would be promoted to an office that handled external affairs and would oversee commerce in a certain area. Knowing this, Qin Gui was even more elated and had been feeling on top of the world for the past few days.

Such a Qin Gui was sitting on a stool, avoiding the sunlight in the shade of the gate.

The head of the family had gone out early in the morning to discuss family business, and some young masters and misses, along with the young masters of neighboring families, had gone on an excursion to Jongsan Temple, so only the wives and the widowed Miss Pyo were at the Qin family mansion.

On days like this, there was no one to scold him even if he relaxed and lazed around.

Just as his mind was becoming hazy in the cool breeze, he suddenly heard the hesitant voice of a young man.

“Excuse me, is this the Qin family mansion?”

Annoyed at being awakened by a strange voice just as he was about to fall asleep, Qin Gui raised his voice.

“Why are you being so loud! Can’t you see that the elder has just laid down!”

Qin Gui opened his eyes with a truly annoyed expression and got angry. As soon as he heard the voice, he realized that the other person was not someone important, and he acted so arrogantly.

What he saw was a young man of about twenty-four or five, with ordinary features and wearing simple clothes, looking like a country bumpkin who had come from the countryside.

He straightened his posture and began to scold the young man who had disturbed his rest.

Even though he was severely reprimanding him for a long time, the young man just listened with an expression that seemed to say he didn’t know what he had done wrong.

After venting his anger for a while, Qin Gui finally shut his mouth and looked at the young man.

“So, why did you come to the Qin family mansion? We have enough people to work, so go somewhere else! This mansion doesn’t just take in any servant, so you need a guarantor to prove your identity.”

“I’m not here to look for work… I’ve come with a letter to deliver to Elder Qin Eon, who is my uncle!”

The young man, as if finally coming to his senses from the shouting, hurriedly took out a letter from his chest.

“What did you say? The elder is your uncle!”

Qin Gui, who was about to drink from his teacup to quench his thirst after shouting for a long time, spat out the tea in his mouth.

“Well, I don’t know either, but they told me at home to call him Uncle Qin…”

The young man shook his head and answered awkwardly. However, even such a clumsy appearance could no longer be ridiculed.

What if the other person’s family really had some connection with the head of the family? He hesitated for a moment and then opened his mouth again politely.

“May I check that letter? Not the contents, but just the envelope.”

“I was going to ask you to deliver the letter to Uncle Qin anyway.”

The young man nodded at Qin Gui’s words and immediately handed him the letter. Qin Gui, with the letter in his hand, quickly checked the writing on the envelope.

Most servants were illiterate, but he had had a chance to learn a little when he was young, so he could read simple characters.

That was one of the reasons why he often performed tasks that other servants could not.

‘Qin Eon’s nephew, please check this personally.’

The black letters written on the envelope caught Qin Gui’s eye, and no matter how closely he looked at the phrase, it was written in a tone used by an elder of the family who was higher than the head of the family.

Qin Gui’s expression changed drastically upon seeing the envelope, and he looked at the young man again with a smile on his face.

“Young master, Elder Qin Gui is absent, but the wives are here, so may I deliver it to them instead?”

“That won’t do. I was specifically told to deliver it to Uncle Qin himself.”

“Then, I’ll go report to the wives that you’ve arrived.”

Qin Gui, who had finally caught his breath, called another servant to look after Han Li for a while and then ran into the mansion.

The other servants were all surprised by his hurried appearance. He ran straight to the back garden, told a maid something, and then returned to the gate.

Qin Gui was chatting with the young man with a smile when the maid came running.

She glanced at the young man with a rather curious face and then said that the wives had asked the young man to rest for now and that they would talk again when the elder returned. After all, there were many members of the Qin family, so it was possible that he was indeed someone sent by a family member. With the matter settled for now, Qin Gui could relax and guard the gate again.

Thus, the maid and the young man walked towards the room where he would stay for a while. As they walked, the young man looked around with a very rustic air, and then, as if intimidated, he soon lowered his head and followed behind the maid.

The maid, looking at such a young man, couldn’t help but smile. After guiding him to his room, the maid told him not to wander around the mansion carelessly and then turned back with a smile.

As soon as she left the room, the foolish smile on the man’s face disappeared, and his fidgety attitude vanished without a trace.

“With such a famous family, there’s no way the demonic cultivators would miss it.”

The young man frowned as he looked out the door. The young man was Han Li, who had flown non-stop for several days and nights on his flying artifact. And this was the family that Yi Hwa-won had ordered him to protect. Thinking about the fake identity that Yi Hwa-won had given him, he became quite gloomy.

Yi Hwa-won had specified in the letter to the head of the Qin family that Han Li should be disguised as the descendant of a benefactor living in a distant region.

By acting like a naive bumpkin who had just come up from the countryside, he would have a reason to stay in the Qin family for a long time, and it would also prevent others from being suspicious.

Of course, he wasn’t satisfied with the disguise of a clumsy country youth, but Han Li carried out the task without any difficulty.

After all, he had lived in a remote mountain village when he was young, so he didn’t need to make anything up or worry about anything; he just had to recall his old self and act accordingly.

After closing the door properly, he immediately entered a state of Qi circulation [a practice to cultivate internal energy]. It was because he hoped to achieve even a little progress while protecting the Qin family mansion. After a long time passed and the day turned to night, someone knocked on the door.

Opening his eyes, he was once again a country youth who was watching his surroundings. When he opened the door, a servant was waiting.

“The elder has returned. The Madam is calling for you, so please come.”

The servant finished speaking and immediately turned around and walked away. It seemed that he wasn’t paying much attention to Han Li. That was because the servant who had come now was different from those who guarded the gate.

He was a confidant of one of the wives and had seen countless insignificant people who visited under the pretext of paying their respects to the Qin family.

Han Li faithfully answered the servant and followed him out of the room. At this time, in the guest room, a refined and noble lady was telling the head of the Qin family about Han Li’s matter.

“Since he said he would deliver the letter himself, it doesn’t seem like he’s lying. What kind of request could he be making?”

“We’ll know when we see him. As long as it’s not an excessive request, it’s good to grant it. There’s no reason to lose face by having rumors spread that we don’t take care of our family members.”

He took a sip of tea made from a swallow’s nest [a delicacy] and waited for him.

“You’re right. Even if we lose a little silver, it’s fine, but we can’t carelessly ruin our reputation.”

The wife, facing Qin Eon, agreed with his words. Qin Eon nodded as if satisfied. She, his third wife, had always been kind and intelligent, satisfying him over the long years they had been together.

“Elder, I’ve sent someone to bring him in. You can just see his face, and I can handle the rest.”

Qin Eon was about to respond with a smile when he closed his mouth at the servant’s words that the guest had arrived.

“Elder, Qin Pyeong has brought the guest. Shall I have him come in right away?”

“Do so.”

“Yes, I understand!”

Outside the guest room, Qin Pyeong brought in the clumsy young man. Even as he walked, he was looking around the guest room, seemingly amazed by everything.

Qin Pyeong, who had entered the guest room, reported to the elder and then naturally went out of the guest room, leaving only the young man alone, looking at Qin Eon and his wife with an uneasy gaze.

Qin Eon and his wife laughed inwardly at the sight and put on a welcoming expression.

“I heard that a young friend came with a letter from an elder of the Qin family. Is that true? Show it to me.”

Han Li looked at the head of the Qin family and hesitated as if asking a question.

“Are you Uncle Qin? My grandfather told me to deliver it only to Uncle Qin.”

The third wife burst out laughing at Han Li’s words. Who would dare to impersonate the head of the Qin family in the guest room of the Qin family mansion? Qin Eon was momentarily taken aback and then gave a wry smile.

“Of course, I am the head of the Qin family, but I’ll need to check the letter to see if I’m your uncle.”

# 142