Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 31

“Are there still subordinates left at the main sect?” Han Li’s voice was low.

“Yes. There are over twenty of them, all staying near Elder Lee’s residence. Originally, we were planning to descend the mountain together after the negotiations to handle official duties.”

“Good, then let’s go to Elder Lee’s residence and gather them. While we’re at it, we can meet with Jang Sua and Elder Lee. After that, let’s figure out the situation and decide what to do next,” Han Li spoke calmly.

“Alright, let’s do that. With the situation like this, I was worried about Sua too,” Lü Bìyǔ seemed a bit nervous. Han Li glanced at him.

‘He acts like he’s dying of worry for Jang Sua, yet he knows he doesn’t have much time left, and he’s still going to marry her and leave her alone.’ Han Li quietly jumped off the roof, and Lü Bìyǔ followed behind him.

“I have some things to grab, so let’s get them and leave right away.”

“Okay, hurry.” Han Li immediately ran into the room and gathered the necessary items.

* * *

“Is that everything?” As Han Li came out of the room, Lü Bìyǔ urged him as if they couldn’t delay even a moment. He frowned and went straight to a small room, coldly commanding at the door.

“Gok Hon, come out. I’ll need you tonight.” Before Han Li could finish speaking, the door crumpled and shattered like paper. And through the dust, a huge shadow slowly stepped out of the room. Lü Bìyǔ was bewildered when he saw the giant wearing a bamboo hat.

“Let’s go!” This time, Han Li urged the dazed Lü Bìyǔ.

“Uh…” Lü Bìyǔ finally came to his senses and looked back and forth between Han Li and the giant with a strange expression, but eventually closed his mouth. When Han Li quickened his pace, the giant followed closely behind him.

Han Li was very satisfied with Lü Bìyǔ’s sensible behavior. They could become close friends because they both respected each other’s private secrets.

Their speed was so fast that they arrived near the exit of the Divine Beast Valley in the blink of an eye. Just as Lü Bìyǔ was about to step into the bushes, Han Li suddenly reached out his right hand and grabbed his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” His voice was filled with dissatisfaction. Lü Bìyǔ was as anxious as someone with a fire on their feet.

“Someone is approaching. And it’s not just one person,” Han Li replied calmly. Startled, Lü Bìyǔ focused his mind to listen for any sounds, but even after a while, he couldn’t hear anything. He looked at Han Li with a suspicious gaze, but Han Li remained calm.

“You…” Just as Lü Bìyǔ was about to speak, Han Li finally raised a finger to signal him to be quiet. Lü Bìyǔ was not happy with the situation, but he closed his mouth according to Han Li’s wishes.

This time, a look of bewilderment appeared on Lü Bìyǔ’s face. He looked back at Han Li with a dazed expression because he now sensed multiple groups of footsteps coming from the outskirts of the Divine Beast Valley. There were indeed quite a few of them.

“Sir Enforcement Officer! There’s a large bell next to this forest, and there’s a path next to it. This seems to be the Divine Beast Valley that Vice Lord mentioned,” a loud voice echoed from the other side of the forest.

“Yes, judging by the map, the bell, and the path next to it, this is the place. Remember, the Lord ordered everyone to be killed, but only the Divine Doctor within the valley is to be captured alive. No one is to harm him. If anyone disobeys, they will be punished according to the rules. Do you understand?” A man with a high-pitched, sharp voice shouted the order.

“Yes!” The voices acknowledging the order came one after another, and judging by the sound, there were at least several dozen of them. Moreover, each of them seemed to be a skilled practitioner with full vigor.

“Except for the enforcement officers wearing navy blue, they are all elite members of the Arang Clan. The navy-clad enforcement officers are equivalent to the protectors of our sect, and those elites are not the same as our inner disciples,” Lü Bìyǔ quietly explained to Han Li. He must have thought that Han Li was planning something, and he was worried that a lack of information about the enemy would cause a setback.

Han Li seemed to have understood Lü Bìyǔ’s intention, as he only slightly raised the corners of his mouth and said nothing. However, judging by his expression, he didn’t seem to care much about Lü Bìyǔ’s words. Lü Bìyǔ became impatient and continued to speak.

“With my current strength, I can handle the navy-clad enforcement officer there, but if the others join in, I won’t be able to handle it. So, tell me quickly! Otherwise, it might be too late.” Lü Bìyǔ spoke so quietly and quickly. It was because they were already entering the bushes and approaching the direction where Han Li and Lü Bìyǔ were.

“How about hiding and avoiding the enemy’s blades?” It was not a bad suggestion, but unfortunately, Han Li did not accept his proposal.

“Gok Hon, capture only the one wearing navy blue, and kill all the other humans in the forest,” suddenly turning his head, Han Li coldly commanded the giant.

“What?” Lü Bìyǔ was taken aback by these words. But before Lü Bìyǔ could react, the giant behind Han Li flew into the forest like a whirlwind. Then, from within the dark bushes, the surprised voices and screams of the Arang Clan were immediately heard.

“Huh?”

“Who is it!”

“Damn it, it’s an ambush!”

“A mon… monster! Aaaah!”

“Run away! Aaaah!” The voices and desperate screams from the bushes grew louder in an instant and then gradually faded away. And after a short while, a pitch-black silence descended.

The giant walked out of the bushes, carrying the unconscious navy-clad man over his shoulder. His body was covered in bloodstains, and the vivid red spots contrasted with the giant’s green clothes, drawing people’s attention. Lü Bìyǔ gasped when he saw this.

The giant threw the navy-clad man to the ground, and Lü Bìyǔ, who was standing nearby, involuntarily took a step back at the strong smell of blood. However, the giant did not pay any attention to Lü Bìyǔ’s actions and stood behind Han Li as if he had never left his side. Only then did Lü Bìyǔ look at the person lying on the ground and say,

“No wonder you were so calm! Why didn’t you tell me you had such a master? I was nervous for a long time.” He spoke lightly, but Lü Bìyǔ was already speculating about the relationship between the giant and Han Li. Han Li could see right through him, but he had no intention of explaining. He just replied leisurely with a smile that was not quite a smile.

“This navy-clad enforcement officer must know quite a bit. Which of us should interrogate him? I think our Lord Lü has more experience than I do, so I’ll leave it to you! A capable person always has a great responsibility.” Han Li changed the subject, and although Lü Bìyǔ was not pleased, he was also interested in this enforcement officer, so he agreed to his words as if it were natural.

Lü Bìyǔ lightly picked up the unconscious navy-clad man and disappeared into the bushes. He was about to start the task of getting a confession from him. On the other hand, Han Li sat down on the grass and idled.

After a while, Lü Bìyǔ reappeared.

“So fast? Did you get any useful information?” Han Li raised his eyebrows without even getting up and questioned him.

“Hmph! There was no need to use any tricks on a guy who was trembling with fear of death. He spilled everything. There are two pieces of news, one bad and one good. Which one should I tell you first?”

“Start with the good one. At least it’ll be nice to hear.”

“The good news is that you guessed the Arang Clan’s plan correctly. The Arang Clan is surrounding each mountain peak but hasn’t attacked yet. They’ve gathered all their main forces below Sunset Peak, and although the order to advance hasn’t been given, almost all the paths have already been cleared.” Lü Bìyǔ seemed very calm as he delivered this news. He didn’t seem to care much about the safety of the higher-ups either.

“Ah, good news is always like this. Nothing useful. The bad news must be terrible again,” Han Li scratched his nose and muttered.

“The bad news that will satisfy your wicked mouth is that it’s not just the Arang Clan that attacked the sect this time. The Iron Spear Society, the Broken Water Gate, and several other small and medium-sized factions have joined forces. It seems that the Seven Mysteries Sect is really facing a crisis.” Han Li was momentarily stunned. This seemed to be something he hadn’t expected.

“Okay, let’s not worry about how many have invaded for now. It’s urgent that we meet your sweetheart, so let’s move quickly!” Even in the midst of his surprise, Han Li quickly gathered his thoughts and made a quick decision. Lü Bìyǔ nodded in agreement.

“What did you do with that guy?”

“I silenced him forever. Would you rather I carry him around?” Lü Bìyǔ replied in a completely unconcerned voice.

“Let’s go. We should avoid the enemy as much as possible, but we must kill anyone who discovers us. Leaving them alive will only increase the number of people chasing us,” Han Li spoke calmly as if it were nothing, but his words seemed to carry the scent of blood.

* * *

Elder Lee’s residence was now filled with many people. Men and women, young and old, were mixed together, and they all seemed to be people who had not learned any martial arts. They were discussing something in low voices, and everyone’s face was filled with worry. Around the residence, twenty young men dressed in black were guarding the area. They were clearly different from the people inside the residence. In front of the main hall, two people were arguing.

“I’m telling you, we can’t send anyone! We already don’t have enough people to defend this place, and if we send people out, there will definitely be a gap in our defenses. Absolutely not!” A middle-aged man with a bulging belly spat as he rejected the other’s opinion. At the same time, he shook his head so violently from side to side that it was clear he was firmly opposed.

“But we don’t know what’s going on! If we don’t send someone to find out, it’s no different from being blind in this situation. We’ll have no choice but to be swept away by the flow of events!” The person arguing with the middle-aged man was Ma Young, Elder Lee’s favorite disciple.

“Just let things flow. What does it matter to us what’s happening outside? My priority is to protect this place! Are you perhaps trying to rebel!” The fat man blinked his eyes and quickly took out a golden token from his chest and shook it in front of Ma Young’s face. Ma Young was dumbfounded and looked at the token and the middle-aged man once before sighing deeply and bowing.

“How could I dare to do that? I will obey your orders immediately.” The command token was a symbol that Sect Leader Ahn always carried, and if someone had that token, disciples below the rank of elder had to obey the orders. Moreover, this fat man was one of Sect Leader Ahn’s confidants and a close relative of the sect leader. So, whenever Sect Leader Ahn had any orders or news to convey, he would always send it through this person.

Some time ago, he had come to discuss official matters with Elder Lee on Sect Leader Ahn’s orders, but he had not left even after finishing his work. Trusting in the sect leader’s favor, he had said that he would stay here for a while and then return to Sunset Peak. Elder Lee had no choice but to agree, and he had taken Jang Sua and a few disciples and hurried to Sunset Peak.

Not long after, an incident occurred, and the fat man had even less desire to go to Sunset Peak alone. Most of the people in the residence now were the families of the Seven Mysteries Sect disciples, and they were people who knew nothing about martial arts. They were at a loss as to what to do when the chaos suddenly broke out. Fortunately, Ma Young had quickly asked for help from the twenty or so subordinates of Lü Bìyǔ. They had immediately formed ranks and were preparing for unpredictable accidents in the darkness.

This place was located in a relatively remote area. They could hear warning sounds and the sounds of battle, but they did not know exactly what was happening at the main sect. So, Ma Young had tried to quickly handle the situation here and then send some people to gather information. At that time, this fat man had jumped out and stopped Ma Young. He was relying on the token to take away Ma Young’s command over the outer sect disciples and was insisting on hiding here.