Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 149

150. Going as Promised

“Are you saying they might be connected to the Demonic Path?”

Taoist Oh wasn’t surprised that Han Li was from the Yellow Maple Valley. After all, it was rare to find Foundation Establishment cultivators outside of the Seven Great Sects, so he had already suspected as much.

However, the idea that his future disciple and Head Steward Wang might be involved with the Demonic Path made his expression change. The Demonic Path was infamous.

Their cruel and bloody methods were not something a mere Qi Refining cultivator like Taoist Oh could handle.

“Senior, are you sure you’re not mistaken? I’ve examined the young prince’s body, but I haven’t found any traces of spiritual power.”

Taoist Oh had spent a few days in the Prince’s residence and hadn’t found any evidence that they were connected to the Demonic Path. There was no need to explain further to Han Li.

“Whether those two are related to the Demonic Path or not can be determined by investigating them directly. If there’s nothing unusual, then that’s fortunate. I won’t take any action until the truth is confirmed, so just keep a close watch. But if you want to stay alive, never try to test them or do anything reckless.”

Han Li’s words ended with a warning. Taoist Oh, who had been hesitant at first, became fearful when Han Li turned serious. Even while intimidated, Taoist Oh still spoke.

“What if they notice that I’m watching them? I’m worried that my lack of spiritual power will ruin your plans, Senior.”

Han Li frowned. Seeing him tremble like that, he didn’t think he would be able to do the job properly.

It seemed like it was time to offer an incentive. Han Li reached into his storage pouch and took out a useful item.

“Well, just watching those two might be dangerous. I’ll give you this high-grade magic artifact for defense. It’s yours even after the job is done.”

Han Li calmly explained, pointing to a purple bead that was emitting a faint light on the table.

“A high-grade magic artifact!”

Just hearing those words made his mind race. A low-level cultivator like him could hardly afford a mid-grade magic artifact, let alone a high-grade one.

“It’s called the Violet Light Bead. If you inject spiritual power into it, it will immediately form a defensive barrier that most Qi Refining cultivators won’t be able to penetrate.”

“It’s a defensive magic artifact!”

After hearing the detailed explanation about the high-grade magic artifact, Taoist Oh’s enthusiasm was reignited. Defensive magic artifacts were rarer than other types. If he were to buy such an item with spirit stones, it would be impossible even if he spent his entire life trying.

“Yes! I will do my best to carry out the task!”

After much deliberation, he finally gritted his teeth and accepted the offer. Animals die for food, and humans die chasing wealth; it seemed that even in the cultivation world, it was no different.

Han Li sighed inwardly as the other party agreed to take on this dangerous task.

“I’ll leave a spiritual mark on you so I can find you in case of an emergency. This mark might even save your life. Also, once the job is done, I’ll give you another bottle of Yellow Dragon Pills.”

He injected the same spiritual mark he had left on Old So and his granddaughter into Taoist Oh’s body.

Taoist Oh’s body stiffened for a moment at Han Li’s actions, but he had no choice but to agree.

Han Li was satisfied with the other party’s cooperative attitude. He quietly left the Prince’s residence again, seeing off Taoist Oh’s respectful farewell.

Han Li didn’t head straight to the Jin family’s residence but instead went to a teahouse. He wanted some time to think about whether he was handling things well and if he was missing anything. He always had a habit of thinking things through multiple times and organizing his thoughts.

Although it was still far from the time he had promised Old So, he had no intention of visiting them late at night.

Han Li often preferred to arrive earlier than the agreed time rather than being punctual.

It was because the other party might have some hidden agenda. He frowned as he walked.

The spiritual mark that should have been in the East District, where their residence was, was felt in the West District.

He snorted and took advantage of a moment when no one was around to board the Wind Riding Shuttle. Soon, he turned into a streak of white light and arrived in the West District in an instant.

Shortly after, Han Li was looking down at a small, old house with a cold gaze from the sky above the West District. It was a dilapidated house with only three rooms.

Standing on the jade-white boat, Han Li pondered something. Eventually, he moved the Wind Riding Shuttle and descended towards the ground, stopping the magic artifact about five or six yards above the ground.

When he touched the ground, the Wind Riding Shuttle had shrunk and was in his hand.

After a brief look around, he didn’t find anything unusual. Then, standing in front of the middle room, Han Li spread his consciousness to scout the situation inside.

He had already sensed a faint spiritual power within. As his consciousness spread, he could hear the voices from inside the room.

“Grandfather, aren’t we going to make him angry like this? If he really comes all the way here, I don’t know if we can get away with any excuse.”

The girl’s voice was full of worry, indicating that Han Li had left a clear impression on her.

“Tsk! Foolish girl, did you really believe that he would come looking for us? This old man has seen many people who make empty threats. Even if he’s a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he won’t be able to track us at this distance. If we had been waiting in the East District, we would have been caught for sure.”

“Then why don’t we just run away? Why are you waiting in the West District?”

“Don’t you understand yet? What I just said was just my guess. If my guess is correct, he won’t be able to find us, and we can just run away. But since he’s a Foundation Establishment cultivator, we don’t know how he might track us. If we run outside the Yue Kingdom and get caught, we’ll have no excuse. But if we stay in the West District, we’ll have plenty of excuses.”

The old man explained in detail as if he were teaching his granddaughter.

“Hehe! You’re amazing, Grandfather. But he didn’t seem like a bad person to me. Do we really have to hide like this? We might actually get something good if we trade with him! Besides, that book is so strange that it’s useless to keep it.”

“Good and evil aren’t as simple as you think. If it were a fair trade, we wouldn’t have any reason to avoid him. But a fair trade is only possible between equals. If one side is much stronger, how can it be a fair trade?

Besides, even if this book is useless to us, it might be a treasure to someone who knows its value. Do you know how many times people have killed to silence witnesses after obtaining a treasure? If he really wants to get rid of us, we won’t have a chance to resist because of the huge difference in spiritual power.”

The old man finished speaking with a dark expression. It wasn’t a pleasant reality that his life was in the hands of the other party.

“Grandfather, don’t be so discouraged. You said earlier that even though he looks young, he might actually be an old monster who’s hundreds of years old.”

“What? Do I look that old?”

Just as the girl was comforting the old man, a cold voice suddenly came from outside the room. The grandfather and granddaughter’s faces changed, and they couldn’t even breathe. Han Li calmly opened the door and appeared. They didn’t say a word until he sat down without hesitation.

“Look old? Absolutely not.”

The girl forced a smile and lowered her head. Han Li chuckled lightly and then turned his gaze to the old man without saying anything more to the girl. The old man was flustered and didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how much of his conversation with the girl Han Li had heard, which made him feel frustrated.

“I didn’t expect you to come so early, Senior. I thought you would come at least two hours later. Ah! I’ll go get the book.”

Forced to meet Han Li’s cold gaze, the old man suddenly remembered the book and quickly changed the subject.

“Yes, bring it here.”

The sharp, knife-like gaze disappeared, and Han Li’s command was given. The old man quickly replied and was about to leave the room when the girl naturally tried to follow him.

It was only natural that the old man stopped her with a firm look. If they both left the room at the same time in this situation, it would only make the other party angrier.

If the other party misunderstood something because they both left, it would invite trouble even if they didn’t intend to.

The girl, who was left in the room by the old man’s gaze, simply pouted and stayed in her seat, not daring to speak to Han Li. Old So was quick on his feet and returned in an instant with an old wooden box.

“The cultivation technique that hides my and my granddaughter’s aura was learned from this book. Would you like to take a look at it to see if it’s useful?”

The old man respectfully opened the box and handed Han Li a black, stained, yellow leather book. It was clear at a glance that it was very old. Han Li nodded and took the book.

Although the color had faded over the years, it still felt sturdy to the touch. It wasn’t made of ordinary paper but rather a book refined using the leather of some demon beast. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to maintain its original form for so long.

Han Li lightly touched the cover and began to turn the pages. Even just a quick glance made Han Li’s eyebrows rise.

As soon as he turned the page, unfamiliar ancient characters appeared. Although he couldn’t read these characters, he remembered seeing books with similar symbols in the Yellow Maple Valley’s library.

Since he didn’t know the content, there was no reason to dwell on it. Han Li quickly flipped through the pages to the back.

Finally, on the last two pages, he found phrases he recognized. It was an unnamed formula that someone had added, and it was written in characters commonly used in the cultivation world, so it was easy to understand.

Realizing that this was the cultivation technique they were talking about, Han Li repeatedly counted the phrases. As time passed, he slowly closed the book and became lost in thought.

Watching him, the old man’s heart was pounding, and he feared that he was thinking about how to deal with them. Ignoring the old man’s nervous appearance, Han Li carefully placed the book in a jade box inside his storage pouch.

“I’ll take this book. If there’s anything you want, tell me. I’ll give you what you want if it’s possible.”

Han Li’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clearly conveyed to the old man and the girl, who were only looking at his mouth. They were happy at the thought that they had not only survived but might also receive a good reward from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“Senior, may we discuss it for a moment?”

Now that they had overcome the crisis, it was time to think about the most beneficial trade conditions for themselves.

The old man asked for time to discuss with his granddaughter with a smile. Before Han Li arrived, there were too many uncertainties, so they had only thought about survival and hadn’t decided on a reward.

“As long as it doesn’t take too long, do as you please.”

“Thank you. It will only take a moment!”

The old man replied with a grin and took his granddaughter outside to start whispering. Han Li smiled at the sight. In fact, it wouldn’t have been difficult to just get rid of them. But Han Li wasn’t some cruel and ruthless person, and he wouldn’t do such a thing unless it was absolutely necessary.

# 151