Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 22

The Body Returns, the Foe Departs

“Humph! What does the fact that the previous things worked have to do with this?” Master Wen’s vulgar tone surprised Han Li.

“What if you deliberately tried to trap me at the last moment?”

Before the young man could answer, Master Wen continued, “There’s no need to say more. How can I trust your words? Have you forgotten that you died by my hand? How could you not harbor any resentment? How do I know you’re not secretly plotting to deceive me?”

Master Wen relentlessly interrogated him, not giving the other a chance to explain. It seemed like he was venting all his anxiety. Following this, only Master Wen’s rough breathing could be heard.

Han Li’s heart grew cold listening to this conversation. The man with the unfamiliar voice was someone who had come back from the dead. Then what else could he be but a ghost? Moreover, it seemed that all the strange techniques Master Wen had used came from this man’s mind.

“Ha… then what do you want me to do? I’ve already sworn on the lives of my ancestors, parents, and my entire family, and even on the honor of my entire clan. Are you still not satisfied?”

The young man finally expressed his anger, mixed with complaint.

Han Li’s heart pounded at his response. Surprisingly, to gain Master Wen’s trust, he had sworn on everything. He was clearly a frivolous person by nature.

“That’s right. I’m not asking you to do anything. You’ve already lost your physical body and only your primordial spirit remains… You can’t see the sunlight all day; it must be worse than death.”

Master Wen’s tone slowed down. It seemed he had no intention of showing his ugly side again.

“Lin Zidong, I’ll say it one last time. If you lie and something happens to me, you’ll end up losing everything too. You know that your current primordial spirit form can’t last long, right? If I don’t find a suitable body for you, you’ll disappear. So, if there’s even the slightest flaw in the great technique, tell me now. I absolutely won’t blame or curse you.”

Master Wen didn’t give up and spoke to the man.

Han Li now understood the situation. Master Wen was afraid that Lin Zidong had played some trick with the great technique he had taught him, and that things would go wrong. That’s why he kept asking him questions, wanting to confirm everything.

“The ‘Gaining and Discarding Method’ I taught you has no flaws! If there’s even one problem, may all the people in my clan be struck by heavenly punishment and die miserably.”

Lin Zidong swore on his own people without hesitation. He had also sensed Master Wen’s anxiety.

“Besides, didn’t the Seven Ghosts Soul Devouring technique allow you to use immense power in a short time? That’s why you were able to use this technique. But everything has a price. Your soul has already been eaten by ghosts, and there’s not much left. What will you use to perform the great technique next time?”

Lin Zidong finished his oath and urged Master Wen so that he could no longer hesitate. After he finished speaking, the stone chamber fell silent again. Only Master Wen paced anxiously inside.

Han Li was praying fervently. Although he didn’t believe in gods, this time he wanted to beg even a passing immortal.

He prayed that the man would be overcome with fear and abandon all these evil plans. He knew it was nonsense, but he had no other choice but to comfort himself.

“Alright. It’s said that once you start using people, you should trust them, and if you’re suspicious, you shouldn’t use them in the first place. Success is right around the corner, so I have to take some risks.”

Master Wen made his decision.

Han Li was deeply disappointed at that sound. If his expression had been visible, it would have been pale and shrunken. Lin Zidong’s tone also revealed his joy.

“Of course, you should. Think about it. Originally, your soul was ordinary, and you couldn’t even set foot on the path of an immortal. But if this method succeeds, you’ll have a body with the energy of a divine being. Then you can rely on a clan or sect that cultivates the immortal path to practice. You’ll be free from the suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death, and you’ll understand the five elements [the five basic elements of nature: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water].”

“Haha, if that happens, I’ll keep my promise to you first. I’m a man of my word. Once the great technique succeeds, I’ll immediately find a body with spiritual abilities for you, and I’ll never treat you poorly.”

Master Wen had already been swayed by Lin Zidong’s words and was acting as if the technique had already succeeded. He became more generous and gentle towards Lin Zidong.

“Then I’ll trust you. Once the technique is complete, I won’t hold anything back, and I’ll tell you all the cultivation secrets, Great Master.”

Lin Zidong was incredibly cunning, exploiting the other’s weaknesses to make him his ally. Han Li found it truly insidious.

They were talking to each other warmly, but their true intentions were clearly different.

It was as if they were treating him like an object, passing him back and forth. But for now, there was nothing Han Li could do.

Master Wen, having shaken off his anxiety and made his decision, didn’t waste any more time. He took several thin golden needles and inserted them into the back of his head.

A red aura began to rise from his eyes, and his vitality surged, gathering enough energy to begin the technique.

Then, Master Wen approached Han Li, helped him into a cross-legged position, and sat opposite him, placing his hands crossed on his shoulders.

As Master Wen waved his hand, red rays of light shot out from his hand, pouring onto the barrier where Han Li was sitting. At the same time, bright light emanated from the jade stones around the barrier.

As Master Wen began to chant an incantation, Han Li’s consciousness grew increasingly hazy and began to sink.

The incantation was clearly filled with evil energy, and it seemed to have the effect of lulling the listener’s consciousness to sleep.

He tried his best to resist the sound. But now, he could only be a victim. ‘This is bad!’

As the incantation reached its climax, Han Li forgot everything and began to lose consciousness. Even in that state, he vaguely saw Master Wen’s face, which was twisted into an extremely malicious expression.

‘You vile bastard!’

Han Li thought as his consciousness faded. In the endless darkness, Han Li had a strange dream. He was a small, green light that could freely roam the heavens and earth. He was incredibly happy. But soon, a yellow light suddenly invaded his territory.

The light was much smaller than Han Li, but it was fierce and seemed to have malicious intent. As soon as it found Han Li, it charged at him, biting him with its huge mouth.

The green light also transformed into a huge mouth and fiercely counterattacked. After several collisions, the yellow light was easily devoured by the larger Han Li.

Han Li celebrated his victory and tasted his spoils. Just then, another intruder entered from the outside.

This time, the light was green like Han Li, and much larger. But the light was dark and dim, not as dazzling as Han Li’s.

When the intruder saw Han Li’s clear green light, it was greatly surprised and paused for a moment, hesitating.

However, Han Li immediately rushed at the light and bit it. It lasted a little longer than the yellow light, but as its defeat became clear, it shed a layer of light and fled.

He kept hoping for another intruder, but unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be any more. As time passed, Han Li stopped caring and began to float around happily on his own. This time seemed to continue forever.

* * *

An icy cold energy slowly flowed out from deep within, circulating through Han Li’s body and beginning to awaken him. As he regained consciousness, his head felt heavy and slightly painful.

He tried his best to open his eyes, but they wouldn’t budge as if they were weighed down by iron. He suddenly remembered what had happened before he fell asleep and was shocked, checking his body.

‘Huh! Could it be that Master Wen’s technique failed?’

His body felt uncomfortable, which meant he had regained his senses. He calmed his excitement and patiently waited for his strength to recover.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw not the young and handsome Master Wen, but an old man with white hair, even older than before. His face was full of fear.

Seeing him, Han Li tensed all his muscles and resolved to attack before the other could. But Master Wen didn’t move at all. Upon closer inspection, he seemed to have stopped breathing. Only after a long time did he realize that he was not alive.

Only then did Han Li feel as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. Now that he thought about it, Master Wen had always been an insurmountable enemy in his mind. He couldn’t understand how the old, cunning, and cruel Master Wen had died so absurdly.

Han Li touched his forehead and found that the paper called the ‘Spirit Binding Talisman’ [a magical paper used to control or bind] that had been suppressing him was gone. He looked around but couldn’t find any trace of it.

Later, after learning about talismans and incantations, he would understand what had happened at this time. The yellow talisman had used up all its magical power and had simply disappeared.

Feeling much relieved, Han Li turned his gaze away from Master Wen and began to look around.

The lamps and candles that had been lit all around were still shining brightly, but the clear jade stones had turned dark and murky.

Looking around the stone chamber, he noticed an object hidden in a corner. It was the green light he had seen in his dream. The light was desperately trying to move away from Han Li’s sight.

Han Li was also bewildered by the green light, but he fell into deep thought. After a while, he got up, approached the light, and cautiously spoke.

“I think you’re probably Lin Zidong, right?”

The green light trembled and flickered, and upon hearing its name from Han Li’s mouth, it seemed to recover and began to shine again.

“You guessed right. You are indeed Master Wen’s disciple.”

The light spoke as if it were a person, and without questioning Han Li’s guess, it immediately admitted that it was Lin Zidong.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Can you explain what happened?”

Even though he knew that the other was one of the main culprits who had tried to harm him, Han Li asked calmly. However, Lin Zidong felt a chill run down his spine at the other’s calm demeanor. It was like a premonition of an impending disaster.

“What do you want to know?”

Lin Zidong said in a slightly trembling voice. He had been devoured alive, losing most of his primordial spirit, resulting in a tremendous loss of magical power.

With the little magical power he had left, he could only perform a few minor illusions, and their destructive power was negligible. So, he couldn’t help but tremble with fear in front of him.

“First, who are you? How did you meet Master Wen, and what was your original plan? I have nothing but time now, so take your time and tell me.”

Han Li replied without any expression, as if he were wearing a mask.

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