Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 20

They each held their own trump cards, ready to subdue the other. Han Li spoke first, confident in his advantage. He believed he could force Master Wen to retreat this time.

“Elder, your life is already in my hands.”

“My life is in your hands?”

“Don’t you find the wound strange?”

“Nonsense! I clearly examined the dagger, and there was nothing unusual…”

Master Wen trailed off. He had indeed checked Han Li’s dagger beforehand. However, the weapon that had wounded him was not that, but a needle-like weapon.

“Judging by your expression, I don’t need to explain further.”

Han Li smiled as he looked at his opponent.

“So what if it is? Don’t forget, I’m the one who taught you how to make medicine. I can create an antidote for any poison.”

Master Wen remained calm.

“Haha! Oh, I forgot to mention. What I applied to the weapon was ‘Entangling Fragrant Silk’!”

“Entangling Fragrant Silk?”

Master Wen’s surprise was evident. It was far beyond his expectations.

“That’s right. Master Wen, you know what this is, don’t you?”

Han Li’s relaxed tone was laced with mockery.

“Nonsense, how could you know the recipe for such a poison? I never taught you!”

Master Wen was still adamant, as if he couldn’t believe Han Li. However, the pain from the wound made him realize that Han Li’s words were likely true.

Han Li sighed, seeing that Master Wen still wouldn’t yield, and began to explain.

“Elder, have you forgotten? Who was it that allowed me to freely browse the books in the first place? I found the recipe for making this Entangling Fragrant Silk in a book tucked away in the corner of the bookshelf. I would have missed it if I hadn’t looked closely.”

Only then did Master Wen vaguely recall. When he first discovered the recipe for Entangling Fragrant Silk, he had meticulously recorded it because the required ingredients were numerous and the method of preparation was complex.

He had then tucked it into a book about medicinal herbs and forgotten about it. So many things had happened since then that he hadn’t had time to think about it. And now, Han Li had found it and caused this trouble.

“So, shall we sit down and have a chat?”

Han Li declared confidently. However, Master Wen snorted and ignored Han Li. He was mentally reviewing the recipe and effects of the Entangling Fragrant Silk.

‘The name Entangling Fragrant Silk sounds harmless, but its effects are deadly to the bone.’

Entangling Fragrant Silk is not very harmful to ordinary people, but it is a deadly poison for martial artists. Once poisoned, it spreads rapidly throughout the body, making it very difficult to deal with. If a martial artist uses their inner energy [qi] while poisoned, the poison will penetrate deep into the body, causing the blood to flow in reverse, and the bones will contract and deform. Eventually, they will become like mud, unable to do anything but lie on the ground.

What’s even more terrifying is that once the poison reaches the bone marrow, there is no way to remove it. One can only suppress the poison’s effects. The antidote is also difficult to obtain, and even with the same ingredients, there are subtle differences. Only the person who made the Entangling Fragrant Silk can create the antidote. In the end, a person poisoned by Entangling Fragrant Silk is essentially in the hands of the person who made the poison.

Master Wen realized why Han Li was acting so brazenly and sneered inwardly.

“So, this is your final move.”

Master Wen’s face showed no emotion.

“Is that all you have? Then, it’s time for you to be caught by me.”

Master Wen spoke to Han Li without any sign of panic. He didn’t seem to care at all that the poison had spread throughout his body.

Han Li’s face darkened, while Master Wen became cheerful, his eyes overflowing with sly delight.

“Tie Nu [Iron Slave], capture that brat!”

Han Li remembered his existence, whom he had completely forgotten, and turned his head. But no sooner had Master Wen’s words fallen than a black shadow rushed out from the corner of the room, creating a fierce wind.

*Whoosh!*

The figure before him was so large and powerful that he seemed like a monster. Han Li tried to stab the black shadow’s lower abdomen with a hidden weapon, but he was too late. The wrist he had thrust out was snapped against his neck, and the impact sent him staggering back several steps.

“Ugh!”

Moreover, the hidden weapon aimed at the abdomen bounced off as if it had hit a rock and disappeared. Before he could recover from the shock, everything went black. A huge shadow approached and grabbed his shoulder blade. The force was so immense that it felt like he was about to be crushed. He desperately resisted, but he was as helpless as if he were pinned under a huge mountain.

Han Li had no time to think. He barely managed to lift his knee and kick the giant’s groin.

“Agh!”

The scream came from Han Li, not the giant. The monster’s vital point was incredibly hard, and Han Li felt an intense pain as if his kneecap had been broken. Han Li’s attack had no effect on him, but it seemed to have offended him, as the monstrous force on his shoulder doubled. Han Li was on the verge of fainting and slumped down.

“Tie Nu, be gentle. This one still has some use.”

As soon as he heard those words, Han Li’s shoulder felt a little lighter, and the pain subsided. For the first time, Master Wen’s voice sounded welcome. However, the situation was still not reassuring, and the doubts that had been bothering him grew even stronger.

From the beginning, Master Wen had always stopped his attacks at critical moments and had not done anything that would harm Han Li. There must be some hidden reason that Han Li didn’t know about.

It was thanks to that that Han Li had been able to survive until now with his meager skills. Now, there was truly no other way to escape his clutches.

A mocking expression flashed across Master Wen’s face, as if he had read Han Li’s thoughts. He found the heart-protecting mirror near Han Li’s sternum and fell silent.

‘So, this is what blocked the pressure point strikes.’

He quietly shook his head. Then, he took out a rectangular yellow box from his pocket, with a dragon and phoenix painted on the top.

Inside the box was a silver knife, but the shape of the knives was strange.

The blades were curved, like crescent moons, and short, like daggers. The handles were engraved with the heads of closed-eyed demons, which were extremely hideous.

The knives were very thin, like pieces of paper, but they had a chilling gleam, making them look incredibly sharp. With such knives, dismembering internal organs would be a matter of moments. Master Wen, having taken out the knives from the box, glanced at Han Li with a meaningful look.

That look sent a chill down Han Li’s spine.

‘Could he be planning to use those knives on me…?’

Master Wen raised the knife high, as if to show it to Han Li.

The blade, reflecting the sunlight, shone even more sharply. The blade did not stop and moved straight towards his neck. Feeling the chill of the blade, Han Li slowly closed his eyes.

‘He went to so much trouble to capture me alive, there’s no way he’d kill me now.’

Han Li reassured himself that Master Wen just wanted to see him terrified. Although he appeared calm on the outside, he was trembling with fear on the inside.

‘Is Master Wen really going to use that knife? Should I beg for my life? To die so young… my parents would be devastated if they knew. They would regret sending me to the Seven Mysteries Sect…’

Facing death, all sorts of emotions flooded his mind. The hardships he had endured flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

*Thud!*

Finally, the blade made a sound. But he felt no pain at all.

‘Huh? I don’t feel anything.’

When Han Li opened his eyes, he was stunned by the scene before him. Surprisingly, the knife was embedded in Master Wen’s shoulder. It was so deeply embedded that only the handle was left shaking, and not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound.

Unlike the dumbfounded Han Li, Master Wen, who had been stabbed, was rather calm.

“Heh heh, this brat is really bold. Even with the blade at his neck, he didn’t beg for mercy!”

“When I roamed the martial world, countless heroes would shout that they were not afraid of death. But when they fought me, even if I only showed a little threat, they would immediately roll on the ground and beg for their lives. They were truly cowardly bastards.”

Han Li didn’t know how to respond.

To go from fighting to the death to suddenly abandoning all pride and begging for mercy was not an easy thing for the proud Han Li.

Han Li’s mind was in turmoil. Should he be happy about his praise or feel miserable?

He was quickly inserting the remaining knives into his own body. Each one was deeply embedded in his flesh, leaving only the handles visible.

In total, seven sharp knives were embedded in Master Wen’s shoulders, legs, abdomen, and chest. From afar, it looked like a corpse that had been stabbed to death.

‘What is he trying to do, even harming himself?’

After inserting all the knives, Master Wen lowered his body without saying a word. Then, facing Han Li, he sat in a lotus position and began to concentrate, entering a state of cultivation.

Han Li felt that this was his last chance. As he tried to move, he felt a terrifying force on his shoulder, making it even more difficult to move than before.

Han Li, who had tried to escape, was restrained by the giant next to him and could not move.

The monster called Tie Nu was impervious to swords and spears, just like Master Wen’s Demonic Silver Hands.

It was right to assume that Han Li could no longer escape their grasp. As Han Li was observing him, changes began to occur in Master Wen’s body before his eyes.

The muscles in his face began to twitch and change, and his whole body trembled. The seven knives embedded in his body exuded an eerie atmosphere. A tremendous amount of yin energy [negative energy] began to fill the room, and Master Wen seemed to be in great pain.

His body was constantly convulsing, and a low growling sound began to emanate from his mouth.

The sound was like the roar of a beast, making him seem more like a wild animal that had just jumped out of the bushes than a human.

What was even more terrifying was that a ghostly mist had descended upon Master Wen’s face. Unlike the energy he had shown before, it was thick and dark, completely covering Master Wen’s face as if a black crow had landed on it.

From within the ghostly mist, tentacle-like things extended, moving smoothly and emitting a dark light. They danced eerily across Master Wen’s face as if they were alive.

Then, Master Wen twisted his fingers into a strange shape, like a flower, and began to mutter something. It sounded like he was chanting a Buddhist prayer, but the sound was too soft to understand.

However, the ghostly mist seemed to understand his words and began to surge. It moved violently, like water poured into boiling oil, and soon more tentacles sprouted and rampaged. It seemed as if they were trying to prevent Master Wen’s next move.

Only after the black mist had become so thick that it seemed to swallow everything did Master Wen open his eyes. Even through the thick ghostly mist, Han Li could see a strange glow emanating from his eyes.

“Seven Ghosts Soul Devouring!”

It was the moment Master Wen revealed the name of the secret technique he was performing.

# 22