Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 19

Clang! Sparks flew as Han Li’s dagger clashed against Master Wen’s silver palm. The dagger, unable to even scratch Master Wen’s hand, was sent flying high into the air.

Master Wen didn’t miss this opportunity, flipping his palm to lightly deflect the blade of the dagger that Han Li had yet to fully retract.

Then, as if bitten by a tiger, Han Li felt a sharp pain and lost his grip on the dagger. With a ‘whoosh,’ the dagger flew up and embedded itself deep into one of the walls.

Immediately, his other hand, like a silver-white hook, flew towards Han Li’s shoulder blade.

The intention was to paralyze Han Li’s movements and capture him. However, Han Li’s shoulder blurred, and his entire body transformed into smoke, attempting to escape.

Master Wen was dumbfounded by Han Li’s ghostly footwork, but he immediately pressed his advantage, using both hands to create a thick silver barrier, surrounding Han Li. He had no intention of letting Han Li go.

However, this smoke was truly bizarre, slipping through his silver barrier. The mist, as if seeping downwards, disappeared, only to slowly clear and reveal its original form on the left wall of the room.

* * *

The arrogance had vanished from Master Wen’s face as he looked at Han Li. Han Li wasn’t in good condition either. He was breathing heavily, his face pale. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, but his cheeks were flushed.

Han Li tried to take deep breaths and relax his body. He needed to recover his strength to survive the next fight.

However, his left hand was completely numb, with no sensation returning. Now, he had to rely solely on his right hand to defend himself.

It was difficult to use the ‘Luo Yan Step’ [a movement technique] again with his depleted stamina, but the time had come to unleash his hidden move. His gaze went to the dagger stuck in the wall, but he couldn’t retrieve it. Eventually, he sighed and pulled out another weapon from his chest.

This weapon was more accurately described as a stiletto rather than a dagger.

Its blade was thicker than ordinary stilettos, but the clear, shining edge was exceptionally sharp.

Han Li threw away the sheath and held the blade in his right hand. He seemed ready to charge at his opponent.

Master Wen looked at Han Li and put his hands behind his back. Then, he spoke in a gentle voice.

“Han Li, it’s unexpected that you’ve managed to evade my grasp so far. But are you sure you’ll be so lucky next time? The footwork you showed just now is impressive, but it must have its limits. Besides, you’re probably exhausted. Why don’t you just surrender? Haven’t you seen how careful I’ve been not to seriously injure you? Just give up now.”

Master Wen’s expression changed rapidly, sending shivers down Han Li’s spine. One moment he was a benevolent master, the next a cold-blooded killer, and now he was coaxing him to surrender with a sincere tone.

However, Master Wen’s attitude only boosted Han Li’s confidence. If the opponent didn’t fear him even a little, why would he try to appease him with such childish tricks?

Han Li saw through Master Wen’s intentions in an instant and snorted lightly. A vein bulged on Master Wen’s forehead. He couldn’t contain the fire rising in his chest at such a blatant rejection of his advice.

“You’re a fool who can’t tell right from wrong!”

He suddenly stepped forward.

“The Horizon is Near!” [a martial arts technique]

Master Wen’s body moved gracefully, appearing right in front of Han Li. It was an astonishing movement, like teleportation.

Han Li was also taken aback, quickly retreating and barely managing to block Master Wen’s advance. Master Wen couldn’t help but sneer.

Han Li was repeating the same mistake he made when his first weapon was taken. But there was no need to remind his opponent.

Master Wen used both hands to attack Han Li from different sides. He ignored the aura emanating from Han Li’s stiletto.

Just as Master Wen’s silver hand was about to snatch Han Li’s stiletto, a clear laugh suddenly rang out.

The owner of the laughter was laughing so heartily, as if he were watching an animal caught in his trap.

Master Wen felt a chill and unconsciously slowed his momentum.

“You’ve fallen for my trick. Look at this dagger!”

As Master Wen’s gaze turned to the dagger, Han Li took an odd stance. His upper body was leaning back, and the dagger in his hand was spinning horizontally at his waist.

His lower body was in a bow stance, making Han Li look like a tightly drawn bow. Except for the shining dagger in his hand, there was nothing unusual about his posture.

Master Wen felt foolish for being startled for a moment.

‘Could he really think he can defeat me with a strange pose and a bluff? Is he trying to take advantage of the confusion to do something?’

Suddenly, Han Li shot out like an arrow. His entire body was as sharp and fast as a real arrow.

Master Wen’s face changed, and he quickly brought his hands together to seize the dagger, but the dagger shimmered lightly, creating a dozen afterimages. However, Master Wen immediately recognized the real dagger.

‘Hmph! Such a flashy but useless technique? You’re courting death.’

He widened his eyes and, confirming the real dagger, extended his hands together at an incredible speed. If he could just break that sword with this move, capturing Han Li would be a piece of cake.

Just as the two were about to collide, Han Li twisted his wrist, slightly changing the angle of the blade. It was a subtle change, but to Master Wen, it was like a bolt from the blue.

The moment he felt his eyes were blinded, an enormous light poured in. The rays of light were so intense that they seemed to pierce his eyes.

‘No!’

Whatever Master Wen shouted internally, it was already too late. The white light entered his eyes, shutting down all his reactions.

In an instant, Master Wen’s eyes burned, and his entire eyeballs throbbed. When he tried to force his eyes open, tears flowed endlessly.

‘Ugh, I can’t see. What kind of trick did this guy use? Ugh!’

It was as if he had been covered in white powder. Not only could he not distinguish objects, but even the outlines of things were blurred, making it impossible to see properly. He was angry at himself for being careless and falling into his opponent’s trap.

He retreated, extending both hands forward to perform the ‘Splitting Void Palm’ [a defensive martial arts technique]. This would at least protect his vital points in the upper body and buy him some time.

He steeled his resolve. He wouldn’t move until his vision had recovered to some extent. ‘I can’t be reckless and fall for that cunning brat’s tricks. Just wait a little longer.’

At this point, his contempt for Han Li had completely vanished.

Although he couldn’t see his opponent’s movements, he still had his two good ears. He could faintly hear the sharp sound of air being cut.

Judging by the chill he felt right in front of him, an attack was coming from the front. There was no need to panic at this attack. In fact, he was even pleased.

If he had been ambushed silently, it would have been troublesome. But if he attacked so openly just because he couldn’t see, how could he not know? He had long been skilled at reading his opponent’s presence just by sound. He could recognize the sound of a dagger flying, and even if a needle was shot, he could detect it.

Master Wen heard Han Li approaching, but he deliberately slowed down his ‘Splitting Void Palm’. This created a small gap, and he aimed to exploit this gap.

As the sword flew into the small gap that Master Wen had created, he firmly grasped the blade. Han Li realized that something was wrong and tried to take back the dagger, but the sword was unyielding. No matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t move.

Master Wen used all his strength to pull the dagger. He intended to pull Han Li along with the dagger. But suddenly, the dagger became too light.

‘Ugh, what’s going on?’

Before he could figure out what was happening, the air exploded, and a sharp, thin object was approaching at high speed. It felt like it was already causing pain even before it touched his neck. Master Wen reflexively dodged. It was a reaction built up from years of training. He only felt a cold sensation on his neck, but the sharp object had already grazed his neck, leaving a wound. He felt a burning pain in his neck.

He touched it and found a wet, sticky liquid flowing out. Master Wen quickly applied pressure to the bleeding area. Gradually, the bleeding stopped, and he felt a dizzy sensation.

He raised his head and looked at Han Li. His vision was slowly returning.

Han Li looked dissatisfied that his opponent had dodged his attack again. He was holding another small sword, so small that it looked like an awl.

Judging by the bloodstains still on the blade, it was clear that this was the weapon that had threatened Master Wen.

Master Wen’s face was dark and cold, but his eyes were burning with anger.

‘You’re determined to end my life?’

He couldn’t bear it.

He lowered his head and examined the sword he had taken from Han Li. It turned out that this sword was hollow inside. It was meant to hide another sword in the empty space.

* * *

Han Li had insisted on keeping the door open from the moment he entered this room. From that moment, he had already begun preparing to use the reflection of the sunlight.

‘How could such a young boy… trap me, a veteran of the martial world, so easily? He’s truly meticulous.’

‘Could it be that Han Li is a prodigy?’

He carefully considered the sequence of events that had just occurred. Cold sweat seemed to be forming all over his body. The more he thought about it, the more chilling it became.

He cautiously observed Han Li, abandoning the idea of making the first move as he had before. Han Li, for some reason, was just staring intently at Master Wen.

He didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking again. They just stared at each other in silence.

After an awkward silence, Han Li opened his mouth.

“Elder, what will you do if I surrender?”

Master Wen’s eyes widened at the sudden proposal. After speaking, Han Li threw the weapon he was holding to the ground.

“Surrender?”

Master Wen doubted his ears. He was confused about whether he had correctly understood Han Li’s intentions.

“What other trick are you planning? If you were going to surrender, you should have done it from the beginning! Why are you doing it now?”

Despite the venomous question, Han Li only smiled slightly and didn’t answer. It was as if he was tacitly acknowledging the accusation.

After a moment, Master Wen suddenly bent over and began to laugh. He seemed genuinely amused, and tears were even forming in his eyes.

“Haha! Ha! Haha! This is truly ridiculous. I forgot such an important thing. I really thought I was in a duel with you.”

Master Wen continued to laugh, uttering incoherent words. Han Li frowned slightly but returned to an indifferent expression. Then, he looked out the window and smiled as well.

“Elder, don’t you think you’re wasting too much time? It’s time to come to a conclusion.”

The laughter stopped. Master Wen stood up straight, his face devoid of any emotion.

“Yes. It’s time to come to a conclusion.”

# 21