Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 148

As a maid was about to pass by him after his wait, he suddenly flicked his finger, sending out a fist-sized yellow light. The yellow light seeped into the maid’s head, causing her to stagger and fall to the floor. Just as her body was about to hit the ground, Han Li leaped out, caught her, and returned behind the pillar. With practiced hands, he sat her upright and expelled a blue spiritual force from his mouth towards her eyes. Her eyelids twitched a few times before she slowly opened her eyes. The moment she opened her eyes, she met his golden pupils and was startled, about to scream, but the strange eyes flashed gold, illuminating her own. At the same time, the maid’s mind went blank, and she fell into a hallucination where the whole world seemed to be dyed in gold. Han Li, having confirmed his magic once more, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his face. Using the Mind Control Technique was instantaneous, but it consumed an enormous amount of mental energy. There was a reason why cultivators considered it one of the ten great techniques, a double-edged sword. If successful, the target would obey the caster like a slave. However, the limitations were so severe that few cultivators actually mastered it. Han Li had used the Mind Control Technique to instantly take control of the maid’s consciousness. He looked around again and then inserted a milky white light into the maid’s forehead with his finger. The light vanished instantly, and the maid regained her senses, sitting upright and silently looking at Han Li. “Where is the head steward from, and when did he come to the Prince’s residence? Where does he often go, and who does he frequently interact with?” Han Li asked a series of prepared questions. The maid he had carefully chosen was the girl who had been sent by Prince Hyung to summon the young prince when the banquet began. Even if she was a servant, her position was likely not low, so she would probably have useful information. “Which head steward are you referring to, Master?” “Are there many head stewards in the Prince’s residence?” Han Li asked, surprised by the young maid’s expressionless question. “Within the Prince’s residence, there is Head Steward Wang, who manages all affairs, Head Steward Lee, who is in charge of purchases, and Head Steward Jeok, who oversees internal management.” “Which head steward was greeting guests at the main gate today?” “That would be Head Steward Wang, who holds the most power.” “The one I asked about is Head Steward Wang!” He answered a bit impatiently. He didn’t know how long he could control the target with this technique. He needed to grasp the core information quickly to avoid wasting more spiritual and mental energy on her. “An old man at Head Steward Wang’s residence said that he was a page who grew up with the Prince since childhood and has spent 50 or 60 years in the Prince’s residence. Except for accompanying the Prince to the palace every month, he rarely leaves the residence. He also doesn’t meet with anyone outside the Prince’s residence, only occasionally mingling with the Prince’s friends. However, his relationship with the young prince is a bit strange. I heard that the young prince’s nanny once said that before the age of 13, he had a bad temper and didn’t get along with Head Steward Wang. He even publicly humiliated Head Steward Wang in front of many people. But after the age of 10, his personality suddenly changed, and he became refined and polite, treating Head Steward Wang with great respect. He even always showed respect as a junior, which is strange. The Prince was greatly pleased with this change and said that heaven had helped him.” The young maid rattled off what she knew. At first, Han Li couldn’t find anything strange about Head Steward Wang, but after hearing about the young prince’s change, he was convinced that there was some connection between them. Moreover, those who were dangerous enough to threaten a Foundation Establishment cultivator could not be ordinary mortals. As long as they weren’t demonic cultivators, it didn’t matter to him whether they were righteous or evil, or what their purpose was. It was his usual habit to avoid trouble if he could. After hearing the young maid’s words, he tentatively concluded that they were not the ones the Demonic Path had infiltrated into the Yue Kingdom. The young prince’s change was not recent, so it wouldn’t make sense unless the demonic cultivators had been preparing for this for over a decade. After finishing his thoughts, he spoke again. “Where is the residence of Taoist Oh? Lead me there.” “Yes, I understand.” She got up and started walking somewhere, and Han Li quietly followed behind her. Guided by the young maid, they passed seven buildings with gardens and arrived at a secluded courtyard. ‘Pat! Pat!’ Han Li placed his hand with a white light on her shoulder twice and immediately leaped behind a large tree nearby. “Huh? This is the Taoist’s residence, but how did I get here?” The maid, the dazed look gone from her eyes, muttered to herself. Her surprised voice reached inside the room, and soon, a sound was heard. “Who is making noise outside? Have you forgotten that I told you not to disturb my cultivation!” Taoist Oh scolded, sounding displeased. The girl’s face turned pale with shock, and she hurriedly left. ‘Click.’ The door quietly opened. An old Taoist with a white beard and white hair, looking like an immortal, walked out. He looked around the courtyard, a puzzled expression on his face, as he couldn’t find any trace of anyone. “I clearly heard someone speaking. They disturbed my cultivation, and where did they go?” He looked around the courtyard, huffed, and went back into his room. Han Li was so surprised that he was speechless. He was sitting at the table inside the room, looking at him with an intrigued expression. “Who are you?” Taoist Oh asked urgently, his face changing. He reflexively created a flame in his hand and floated it in the air. “If I were you, I wouldn’t attack recklessly,” Han Li said with a smile, as if he didn’t even see the flame. He didn’t look intimidated at all, no matter what the Taoist did. “Hmph, daring to intrude into my room, you must be a thief or a robber! I, this Taoist…” Having been pampered by the people of the Prince’s residence for the past few days, Taoist Oh started raising his voice without thinking, as if it had become a habit. However, after scanning Han Li with his Heavenly Eye Technique [a technique to see through spiritual energy], his face turned pale with shock. “Fou… Foundation Establishment Senior?” “You must have confirmed it with your magic,” Han Li replied. “Senior, please forgive me. I have never seen a Foundation Establishment cultivator before. I have only seen a Qi Refining stage eleven cultivator, so I didn’t recognize you!” At those words, the old man seemed to snap out of it, immediately extinguishing the flame in his hand and bowing deeply, begging for forgiveness. However, a hint of joy cautiously appeared on his face. Han Li was slightly taken aback when he saw Taoist Oh smiling. The old man he had just seen was not just afraid of him, like a cowed old man. However, after thinking for a moment, he understood the other’s feelings. Having only reached the sixth level of Qi Refining after all these years, he was likely a mountain hermit with poor talent. He probably hadn’t had the chance to interact with high-level cultivators and had only associated with cultivators of his own level. Today, he had coincidentally met a Foundation Establishment cultivator, which he might see as a rare opportunity. Han Li couldn’t help but smile. If the other party would only move as he wished, it wouldn’t be difficult to give him a suitable reward. The white-haired old man spoke very respectfully. “But Senior, what brings you to me?” He knew well that if he wanted to gain something from Han Li, he had to do something in return. Han Li smiled with satisfaction. “First, explain your background. The way you manipulated flames in the Prince’s residence today was quite impressive.” He started with a small compliment, but it was also sincere. Taoist Oh looked a bit surprised at those words. He hadn’t expected that a Foundation Establishment cultivator would have seen his performance. “Senior, you’ve seen me make a fool of myself. I am good at manipulating flames, but I lack in mastering cultivation techniques. My background is nothing special. I obtained a cultivation technique from a dying cultivator when I was young and entered the cultivation world. However, my talent is too poor, and I have no one to help me, so I have only reached the sixth level.” “Was the flame technique you showed me learned from that cultivation technique?” “No. The flame manipulation technique is a small trick I developed after struggling with my cultivation technique. However, after decades of improvement, I can now say that it is somewhat useful.” “You developed it yourself?” “Yes, Senior! I have compiled this technique into a book. Please take a look and point out any shortcomings.” Taoist Oh, seeing that Han Li was interested in his technique, quickly took out a thin book and offered it to him. This was an unexpected situation for Han Li. He had asked about the flame’s changes because he found them interesting, not because he wanted to take it away. In fact, how much help would such a trick be to him now? However, since Taoist Oh was offering the book himself, Han Li casually flipped through it. At first, he didn’t think much of it, but as time passed, his mind was stirred. The parts about the changes in the flames, at the beginning of the book, didn’t seem to be of much help, as he had expected. However, the last few pages written by Taoist Oh dealt with the vague concepts of magic and contained various feasible training methods, which Han Li found very insightful. After a while, he closed the book. Now was not the time to study cultivation techniques, so he planned to look at it in detail when he had more time. This book would definitely help him take a step forward in using magic and understanding its principles. “I will accept this book. You said to point out any shortcomings, but I know you are giving it to me. As a senior, I cannot accept a junior’s gift for free, so choose one thing you need, whether it be a cultivation manual, a magic tool, or a pill. I’ll give you about an hour to think about it.” “Thank you! Thank you so much!” Taoist Oh’s face lit up, and he trembled with joy. Han Li smiled at the sight and immediately closed his eyes. The Taoist began pacing around the room, deep in thought. “Have you made a decision?” Han Li asked calmly after some time, opening his eyes. “Yes, I have decided. I would like to receive a pill suitable for a Qi Refining cultivator.” Han Li was not surprised at all by Taoist Oh’s decision. After all, magic tools and cultivation techniques would naturally come with higher achievements, so choosing a pill was the obvious choice. Han Li nodded lightly and waved his sleeve, placing two blue porcelain bottles on the table. “These are Yellow Dragon Pills. They will be effective for cultivators below the ninth level of Qi Refining, so take them.” “Ninth level of Qi Refining… Thank you, Senior! Thank you so much!” Taoist Oh grabbed the two porcelain bottles with a fiery gaze. After a moment, he opened one of the bottles and brought it to his nose, a very satisfied expression on his face. “The reason I came to you this time is actually for another matter. If you carry it out well, I will give you a great reward.” Seeing the other party carefully taking the bottles, Han Li revealed the purpose of his visit. “Senior, just tell me what to do.” “It’s nothing much, just keep an eye on your disciple, the young prince, and Head Steward Wang in the Prince’s residence for a few months. If you find anything strange, report it to me immediately.” Although it seemed like a simple task, Taoist Oh couldn’t understand it. Why should he monitor two mortals, one of whom was about to become his disciple? “May I know the reason, Junior?” “I am a cultivator from the Yellow Maple Valley, one of the Seven Great Sects. You must have heard that demonic cultivators from other countries have invaded the Yue Kingdom, right? I suspect that they might have some connection with the demonic cultivators. I want to keep track of their movements in case of an emergency.” Han Li didn’t think that the young prince and Head Steward Wang were related to the Demonic Path, but he sought him out for the sake of caution and because he trusted his dangerous premonition.