Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 152

“Fourth brother, are you crazy? Why would second brother do that?”

“Second, our third sister is in their hands. We’re doing this in case we leak secrets and she suffers humiliation!”

The black-faced old man’s voice had also turned cold.

“I’m sorry, brother. But don’t we all know how vicious they are! If we leak secrets, they will torture her in every way possible, giving her pain worse than death. I’d rather die than see that!”

“Ha! Even if third sister is your partner, are you saying you’d trade the lives of the three of us for her alone right now?”

The young man, who looked to be in his 30s, was furious and burst out in anger.

“Second, fourth’s words are harsh, but there’s some truth to them. When the five of us became sworn brothers, didn’t we promise to share life and death? You shouldn’t try to harm us all with your selfish thoughts.”

“That’s right. I was trying to harm everyone. But do you think I wanted to? My flesh and blood is growing in the belly of the third. If it weren’t for the fact that the Lee family line would be cut off, would I want to die!”

The skinny man clenched his fists and revealed his true feelings that he had been suppressing. It was the first time they had heard this story, and the old man, the young man in his 30s, and even the young woman were all surprised.

“Now that you’ve finished talking amongst yourselves, I guess it’s my turn?”

Han Li, who had been watching the situation unfold with a cold gaze, opened his mouth. The three people who had been surprised flinched at his words.

Indeed, the person who held their lives in his hands was the Foundation Establishment cultivator [a cultivator who has reached a certain level of power] in front of them. At the same time, their anger and surprise at the skinny man disappeared, and they were busy looking at each other.

“I don’t care if you really want to die or if you’re just putting on an act. What I want to know is information about those behind you. If you really want to die, you can tell me the information and then die, right? Surely you don’t still believe that your life and death are in your own hands?”

At Han Li’s cold words, their faces turned pale.

“Whatever you want to know, we don’t know much. Besides, we have a blood curse on our bodies, so if we leak important information, the restriction will be activated immediately, and our hearts will explode, killing us.”

The black-faced old man gritted his teeth and explained that they couldn’t help it.

“A blood curse? How interesting. I’ll take a look.”

Han Li’s curiosity was piqued, and he stepped forward with interest. The old man was flustered at his words, but still held onto a glimmer of hope and extended his wrist.

He desperately hoped that Han Li could lift the curse, but he knew that the possibility was slim.

This was because the person who had cast the curse at the time had guaranteed that they would die if they leaked any secrets, no matter what.

At this time, Han Li was injecting spiritual power and examining the old man’s body thoroughly, his expression gradually calming down.

The three of the Five Friends of Mount Meng stared intently at Han Li and the old man, praying that Han Li could lift this restriction.

After a while, Han Li took his hand off the old man, pondered for a moment, and then looked up at the old man.

“Did the person who cast the curse on you chant strange incantations or speak a strange language?”

“Yes! They spoke a strange language that we really couldn’t understand, which sounded like an incantation or a dialect. And the person who cast the curse was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

The young man answered excitedly.

“Also, after the curse was completed, they drew a strange symbol on our shoulders with something like animal blood. It was a bizarre pattern that wouldn’t disappear no matter how much we washed it.”

The old man added to the young man’s words and pulled up his sleeve to show the faint pattern on his shoulder. Han Li examined it closely and nodded, then fell into thought again.

Not long after, Han Li suddenly smiled mysteriously and told everyone the results.

“I have a feeling of what the blood curse is.”

“Is that true?”

The old man asked, trembling, and the others also had expressions of disbelief. Since the curse had been placed on them, they had felt like they were living with a knife to their throats every day.

They had been forced to harm others and were in pain, and now Han Li might be able to give them their freedom back, so they couldn’t help but tremble.

“It’s called a blood curse, but it’s just a type of language curse. The restriction is due to the incantation chanted in a strange language at the beginning, so it has nothing to do with the pattern written in blood later. It seems they were trying to hide the true nature of the curse with a smokescreen.”

Han Li began to explain in a tone as if he had already seen through something. But in fact, he had really guessed it by sheer luck.

If he hadn’t accidentally seen it in a book in a remote corner while looking for information about the Great Shifting Decree [a powerful technique] and ancient formations, how could he have recognized the curse so easily!

“Then, senior, can you lift this restriction?”

“Well?”

The woman couldn’t help but ask, but everyone’s hearts sank at the answer.

“Can you explain what you mean?”

“There are two ways to lift a curse cast with language like this. The first is to find out the incantation of the curse and use spiritual power to safely resolve it. The second is to infiltrate the consciousness of the person who has been cursed and forcibly erase the traces of the curse.

The second method requires the consciousness of the person trying to lift the curse to surpass that of the person who cast it. If this condition is not met, it will only stimulate the curse and cause an immediate seizure. You all know what will happen to you after that.”

Han Li frowned and explained seriously.

“An immediate seizure?”

The woman was horrified just imagining it. The people had shown them how the curse would cause a bloodbath by capturing living people and showing them right in front of their eyes. The gruesome scene of the poor victim vomiting their heart out was still vivid, and just hearing about it made her want to throw up.

Everyone’s faces darkened, and they didn’t dare to gamble with their lives. Just as Han Li was about to speak with a sneer, the tall, skinny man raised his head.

“Please try that method on me! Since everyone was cursed with the blood curse by the same person, if you can cure me, the others will be safe too.”

“Second brother! What are you saying? It’s too dangerous.”

The woman hurriedly tried to stop him.

“I’ve already decided, so there’s no need to say more!”

The skinny man said with a resolute attitude, and the woman looked at the young man and the old man for help. The two men met her gaze, but the old man sighed and opened his mouth.

“Just let second be. He must be doing this to repent for his actions earlier.”

“Even so… !”

The woman was about to say something, but she saw that her second brother was already standing in front of Han Li.

“Senior, please begin.”

The man’s expression was extremely determined.

“You’re making a big mistake. When did I ever say I would lift your curse?”

At Han Li’s cold words, the four people looked at each other with blank expressions.

“If you’re not going to lift the curse, then why did you check the condition of our eldest brother? How can you find out the secret without lifting the curse?”

The second asked in a flustered manner. But Han Li remained expressionless. In front of his cold face, they all lost their words and just blinked their eyes.

“What are you asking? He doesn’t think the information we know is valuable enough to save our lives.”

The black-faced old man was more perceptive than the man.

“Please tell us the conditions you want, senior. If you lift the curse, our brothers will definitely keep our promise.”

“That’s right! If you had come out like this earlier, we wouldn’t have wasted time like this.”

Suddenly, Han Li, who was clapping his hands, finally showed a smile on his face. Their fear grew even more at Han Li’s sudden change.

“The conditions are simple. If I lift your curse, you must not only reveal everything you know, but also stop their attacks according to my orders. They won’t let me live, so I need time to deal with them as well.

I am a cultivator from the Yellow Maple Valley [one of the seven great sects] and was dispatched here to take care of the sect’s affairs, so if you hold out for a while, reinforcements will come from the main sect. Then, there will be no reason to fear them.”

Han Li listed the conditions and even mentioned the name of the sect he belonged to. He thought that this would prevent them from running away.

“You’re a cultivator from the Yellow Maple Valley!”

They had expected that Han Li, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would belong to one of the seven great sects, but when he said it himself, a look of joy appeared on the old man’s face.

“Yes, we will follow all of your instructions, senior. Anyway, once the curse is lifted, we will also become their targets, so it would be safer to stay by your side.”

The old man’s answer was quick and cheerful. The young man and the woman also showed their joy at the old man’s answer.

In their hearts, the seven great immortal sects were a much larger and more powerful force than the group that had tried to use them. However, only the skinny man was hesitating. It was as if he had something to say but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

The old man glanced at him and spoke instead.

“If the curse is successfully lifted, there is one request we would like to make of you, senior.”

“I’ll consider it if it’s not an unreasonable request.”

“Our third sister is being held captive in Moonrise City. We don’t know what her current situation is, so we ask that you rescue her if you have the opportunity.”

The old man concluded with a serious face.

“Eldest brother…”

The skinny man was clearly moved by the old man’s request.

“I will. Since you have decided to follow me for a while, I should help you rescue your companion. Let’s deal with the poison in your bodies first and then talk. If we don’t hurry, you’ll die a sudden death.”

Han Li, who had readily accepted their request, casually uttered words that would shock everyone.

“Poison? We were cursed, weren’t we?”

The young man’s face changed, and he asked urgently. Han Li noticed that the young man was doubting him, but he didn’t show any signs of anger.

“While examining the curse just now, I noticed that a potent poison had been planted in your bodies. The poison was strong and very unstable, and it was about to activate at any moment. Fortunately, I have a talent for detoxification, so it won’t be difficult to resolve it. But if you don’t trust me, you can wait a little longer and die.”

“I see. No wonder they suddenly called us in for a drink before sending us on our mission. We were careless, thinking that they had already placed a curse on us and wouldn’t do anything else, but they are truly vicious!”

At his words, the skinny man and the woman seemed to have suddenly remembered that incident.

Since he had already decided to detoxify them, there was no reason to delay until the poison activated. Han Li immediately rummaged through his storage pouch and handed the old man one white bottle and one blue bottle.

“If you each take one pill from the bottles, most of the poison will be resolved. After that, you can slowly circulate your energy to expel the remaining poison.”

At the simple instructions, the old man immediately distributed the pills. They swallowed the pills without suspicion. In fact, if Han Li had wanted to harm them, he could have just killed them without using the excuse of detoxification.

Not long after, the four people felt severe pain in their abdomens.

The young woman’s face turned red, and she suddenly flew away on her magical artifact, heading towards the back of a nearby hill. Because of the restriction that Han Li had placed on her body, her speed was not that fast.

After confirming this, the other three people also found secluded places and went to excrete the poison that was churning in their stomachs.

# 154