Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 153

After a short while, those who had gathered again wore slightly awkward expressions. “Well then, the poison is taken care of, now let’s resolve the curse! Who will step forward first?” “Of course, I…” Just as the lean man was about to step forward, a wrinkled hand grabbed his shoulder. “You still have your third brother! Since you haven’t succeeded in Qi Condensation [a stage in cultivation] even after eating your fill of age, I, who doesn’t have much time left, will go first. A child needs a father, wouldn’t you say?” “Brother! No, how could you…” The lean man shook his head at the old man’s words. And the remaining young man and woman also tried to step forward, saying they would go first. “There’s no need for you all to argue! Your eldest brother will go first. He was the one who examined your bodies earlier, after all.” As Han Li’s command fell, the old man stepped forward with a serious face. The others kept their worried gazes fixed on the old man. ‘Thump! Thump! Thump…’ Seven consecutive thumps echoed. As Han Li waved his hand, puppet soldiers appeared around him, holding weapons. “These are puppets to prevent you from being defenseless while the curse is being lifted, so everyone move far away. Anyone who enters that area will be automatically attacked.” Han Li openly revealed that he didn’t trust them, so the other three retreated. * * * Around evening, Jin Yan was pacing restlessly in the Jin family’s guest room, his face full of anxiety. According to the servant who had gone to deliver Han Li’s meal this morning, he hadn’t returned all night. It wasn’t that he was worried about that person, but if Han Li, who had come with the duty of protection, suddenly disappeared, how would the Jin family stop the demonic cultivators? “Jin Ping, go again and see if Han Li has returned, and if there’s any news, report it immediately.” “Yes, Elder.” Jin Ping answered excitedly and respectfully. “Elder, don’t worry. It’s not that strange for a young man to go sightseeing outside.” The third wife, who was Jin Yan’s favorite, was also in the guest room. Although she seemed to be defending Han Li, her words clearly contained jealousy. Since Han Li had set foot in the Jin family, Jin Yan’s beloved grandchildren had been pushed to the back. Among them was the third wife’s daughter, so it was natural that she was not in a good mood. “This is not a matter for a woman to interfere in!” Jin Yan knew the third wife’s feelings, but he didn’t have the time to indulge her petty jealousy when the very survival of the family was at stake. The third wife was upset at her husband’s reaction, but she knew his temperament well, so she swallowed her resentment. However, her resentment towards Han Li only grew. Not long after, Jin Ping came running and shouted. “Elder, Young Master Han has returned! And he’s with some guests, and he’s asking for a place to stay near the young master’s residence.” Only then did Jin Yan’s uneasy heart calm down. As long as he didn’t disappear somewhere, he would welcome even dozens of guests. “Since Nephew Han said so, give him the Cheong-eum Courtyard next door. And make sure there’s nothing lacking in accommodating the guests.” At Jin Yan’s words, which were given without hesitation, the third wife’s face darkened even more. “Yes! I’ll go and tell them right away.” Jin Ping, who ran out with a dignified air, seemed full of enthusiasm. “Bringing strangers into the Jin family, which is doing great things, is not right. It’s not proper.” The third wife opened her mouth carefully, as if she couldn’t bear it any longer. This time, she was genuinely a little uneasy. Jin Yan also hesitated for a moment, but soon waved his hand. “If they are Nephew Han’s friends, there won’t be any big problems.” No matter how you heard it, it was a remark that showed how much he cherished Han Li, so the third wife had nothing to say. At this time, Han Li was sitting with five people in his residence. The young man started the story, and the others occasionally added explanations, so Han Li had a rough grasp of the situation. In the wilderness outside Wolgyeong City, Han Li had penetrated his consciousness and released the curses of all four people. Then, he infiltrated the place where the woman who was said to be captured among the Mongsan Five was. Surprisingly, the rescue was so smooth that there were no difficulties. He also released the middle-aged woman’s curse and brought everyone back to the Jin family. In fact, he could have arranged accommodations elsewhere, but he couldn’t completely trust them. No matter how much they were grateful for the grace of having their curses lifted, he couldn’t be sure if they would fight against the strong enemy forces even if he wasn’t watching them. There’s a saying that you can know the depth of ten fathoms of water, but not the depth of a man’s heart! They might be shouting today that they would never forget his grace, but if they were threatened with their lives tomorrow, there was no telling what they would do. Moreover, since he didn’t have a deep relationship with them, there was a high possibility that they would prioritize preserving their own lives. Of course, he could use the same methods the enemies used and force them to submit by using poison and restrictions, but then there would be resistance from them someday. In fact, it wasn’t a big deal for him to remain an evil person to them, but Han Li had other plans. If the Seven Great Sects could overcome the invasion of the demonic path and protect the territory of Wol Country, he was thinking of using them to specialize in finding pharmacies or medicinal herbs. That way, he could focus on cultivation without having to wander around so much. The Mongsan Five were not weak in terms of magical power, but they were not extremely strong either, so they were the most suitable choice. For this reason, he was putting aside the idea of forcibly controlling them for now. However, no matter how weak their magical power was, they couldn’t be easily used if they weren’t provided with sufficient benefits. Also, their true nature would only be known after experiencing them for a long time, so all decisions could only be made after this matter was over. “…It was truly terrible. Until now, we haven’t been able to confirm the faces of those who gave orders, except for the cultivators who were threatened like us. We don’t know much either.” The young man, having revealed everything, gave a bitter smile. “That’s enough. We already know that the opponent is a demonic sect called the Black Fiend Sect, which kidnaps cultivators to learn wicked cultivation methods.” “Then, are we just going to hide here and move when reinforcements come?” The middle-aged woman who had been rescued this time tested his plan. The other four also waited for Han Li’s answer, curious. Han Li knew well that they didn’t want to face the Black Fiend Sect again. But what reinforcements from the Seven Great Sects would come? They already didn’t have enough troops to fight against the demonic cultivators. Even if Han Li told them the current situation, reinforcements wouldn’t come. Still, on the way back, he had found the Huangfeng Valley contact in Wolgyeong City and sent a letter to Li Huayuan. Even if the sect didn’t care about this matter, Li Huayuan couldn’t pretend not to know. Han Li was in this danger while working for her, and he couldn’t even run away! If he hadn’t been dispatched under his master’s orders, he would have run away immediately. However, it was not certain who would come. He was probably expecting a few other senior brothers from the sect. “That won’t do. At the very least, before the reinforcements arrive, we need to figure out their base or important figures so that we can wipe them out. If we keep waiting in the Jin family, we’ll only give them a chance to track us down first, which is not good. We can’t keep being played by their plans, can we?” The old man stroked his beard and opened his mouth with a serious expression. “Senior’s words are correct, but I don’t know if we can even catch their tail with the information we’ve given. All the places we know of have probably been abandoned.” The others also nodded silently, agreeing with his words. “Don’t worry. I already know the identities of the Black Fiend Sect members you told me about. If we catch those two, we’ll be able to find out the situation inside the Black Fiend Sect.” His tone was calm, as if he had already expected it. The Mongsan Five were surprised by the unexpected good news and admired Han Li’s abilities. “We will move according to Senior Han’s arrangements.” The old man answered coolly, and Han Li was satisfied. “We’ll move tonight. The faster we act, the more loopholes there will be in the opponent’s defenses.” “Tonight?” “Are you saying tonight?” Han Li’s eyes narrowed, and as he quietly explained his plan, everyone cried out in surprise. Although the Mongsan Five were surprised, Han Li’s words made sense. When the middle-aged woman asked about the Black Fiend Sect members they would be attacking tonight, Han Li just smiled calmly and said that they would soon find out. At this, the middle-aged woman couldn’t help but look helpless and didn’t ask any more questions. After a while, Jin Ping conveyed Jin Yan’s orders, and the Mongsan Five moved to a nearby residence. As Han Li watched them walk away, he muttered that something was strange. The Mongsan Five, having finished dinner, were gathered in the reception room of the Cheong-eum Courtyard. They were preparing for their night raid. “It’s really strange. I can’t remember.” The fourth brother kept shaking his head and pacing around the room. “You still can’t remember?” “You keep saying that Senior Han’s face is familiar, but you can’t remember where you saw him. I can’t trust your words. Are you perhaps deluding yourself, trying to get involved with him somehow?” Her tone was full of intention to tease her fourth brother. “There’s a possibility that it’s a delusion. Senior’s appearance is ordinary, so it’s possible that the fourth brother is confusing him with someone else.” The lean man also added, savoring his tea. His gaze was constantly directed towards the middle-aged woman sitting next to him. Every time he saw her beautiful face and her pregnant belly, he couldn’t help but feel happy. However, the middle-aged woman in the group, who was receiving his gaze, seemed troubled and signaled him to stop with her eyes. “Hmph! Think whatever you want, I’m sure of it. I’ve definitely met him before, but I can’t remember, so it must not be recent, probably a long time ago.” “A long time ago? Fourth brother, we’ve been training in Mongsan for years, so the only time you could have seen Senior Han would have been when you were a snot-nosed kid.” The middle-aged woman smiled and joked. “Third Sister!” The young man’s face turned red when even the middle-aged woman said this. “The fourth brother didn’t just train in Mongsan all the time. Have you forgotten that we all participated in the Ascension Tournament [a competition for cultivators] together before we met the fifth? It was an expedition that took two months, but we all returned defeated, but it was fortunate that we weren’t seriously injured.” The old man calmly corrected the facts. “Really? You all participated in the Ascension Tournament?” Omae blinked her eyes, revealing her curiosity as if she was hearing the story for the first time. At this, the second and middle-aged woman looked at each other and gave a bitter smile. “Yes, it was the first time we felt so deeply that we were frogs in a well [a metaphor for being ignorant].” “Fourth brother, why don’t you tell us about it? Back then… oh?” The young woman was so curious that she turned her head to the young man to ask about the Ascension Tournament, but her eyes widened. “Fourth, what’s wrong?” The others also realized that the fourth brother’s condition was strange and asked him in confusion. “Second brother, when we went to participate in the Ascension Tournament that year, didn’t you, the eldest brother, and the third sister go separately? At that time, I ran away to secretly eat and drink at a tavern in Gawon City.” The young man, who had been spaced out, suddenly brought up the old story, ignoring everyone’s questions, and the lean man was bewildered. “That’s right. I tried to cover up your mistake, but in the end, you were caught by the eldest brother and severely scolded, weren’t you!” “Then, do you remember that at that time, I saw a young cultivator who had come to participate in the Ascension Tournament at the tavern, and I told you that he was only at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Condensation and didn’t know his place?” “It’s been so long that I don’t really remember clearly, but it seems like that happened.” He couldn’t understand why the fourth brother was asking about that. # 155