Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 322

After checking his surroundings to ensure no one was around, Han Li immediately released a three-colored beetle from his spirit beast pouch. He barely managed to issue a command using the last of his spiritual sense, and the beetle flapped its wings and disappeared into the building.

Just as he turned the corner and moved completely away from the building, a terrible scream from the Bong family residence suddenly echoed out.

Since he had already made an enemy of the Bong family, it was best to deal with them cleanly while his magic power and spiritual sense were recovering.

Before he could even return to his dwelling, the trace amount of magic power he had used completely dissipated, and at the same time, his spiritual sense became uncontrollable.

“……”

With a sigh of regret, he shook his head and entered his room, where he saw Mei Ying still asleep.

The memory of their kiss made his body feel a little warm, but seeing her curled up as if she were cold, he simply took the beast hide and covered her with it.

Mei Ying rolled over, pulling the beast hide around her in her sleep, indicating that she was in a deep slumber. Han Li smiled at the sight.

Even for a cultivator, whose body was different from that of an ordinary person, it must have been a tiring day for a woman who had lost her magic power. She had probably fallen asleep before Han Li returned because she couldn’t overcome her exhaustion.

* * *

How much time had passed? As Mei Ying began to show signs of waking up, she heard the young man’s calm voice even before she opened her eyes.

“There are things we need to prepare, so if you’re awake, please get up.”

At his words, Mei Ying rose with an embarrassed expression, and the beast hide automatically slipped off her.

Han Li, who was sitting on a chair, was tidying up the rather large beast hide. He smiled at her as he did so.

“I don’t know if Miss Mei has a talent for sewing, but this is the hide of a high-level beast with fire attributes, so if you can make it into clothes, it will help you withstand the Yin winds [cold, ghostly winds].”

“If I have a needle and thread, I’ll give it a try.”

Since Han Li didn’t mention the kiss from yesterday at all, her awkward expression eased, but she also felt a subtle sense of disappointment.

He handed her a long, navy blue needle.

“The hide is thick, so you’ll need to use a magic tool to pierce it. If you use the beast’s tendons as thread to connect it firmly, it should be enough to block the wind.”

The needle was one of the highest-grade magic tools and was incredibly sharp. Of course, it was something he had obtained from another cultivator he had defeated, but he had completely forgotten about it until he thought it might be useful.

“I’ll do my best.”

Just as he was about to nod, an old man’s voice was heard from outside the door.

“Is Fellow Daoist Han here?”

“Who is it?”

After asking, he realized that the voice was familiar. It was unexpectedly the old man who had introduced himself as a cultivator from Ohryong Sea.

“Haha, it’s me, the one who spoke with you on the tower yesterday.”

Since the other party had come all this way, he couldn’t very well turn them away. Han Li strode towards the door, wondering what the purpose of their visit was.

Outside the door, the old man was indeed standing with two other old men. One had a red face, and the other was hunched over and exuded a sinister aura.

Han Li didn’t ask how they had found him and immediately invited them inside.

“All three of you, please come in!”

The three old men looked at Mei Ying, showing a slight surprise before calmly bowing.

“So you are Fellow Daoist Mei!”

Mei Ying also returned the bow and stood next to Han Li, remaining silent, making it clear that she was following his lead.

Once the three old men were seated, Han Li finally looked at the two unfamiliar faces and asked,

“And you two are…?”

“These two are fellow cultivators who came with me from the Great Jin Kingdom. One is Fellow Daoist Woon from the Heavenly Talisman Sect, and the other is Fellow Daoist Geum from the Four Seas True Academy.”

The two old men smiled and examined Han Li.

“The three of you coming together, is there something important?”

At his words, the white-haired old man with a long beard cleared his throat and spoke meaningfully.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but Elder Bong, who was in charge of martial arts instruction in this village, was suddenly eaten alive by a strange insect yesterday. I heard that he was deeply asleep when he was attacked and died a very gruesome death.”

“Oh, is that so? What kind of strange insect was it? That’s terrible.”

Since Han Li didn’t show any emotion, the old men couldn’t tell if he was involved or not.

“We don’t know what kind of insect it was. Elder Bong has already passed away, and some villagers who witnessed the incident said that a flying insect flew out of the wounds and disappeared. Because it was covered in blood, they couldn’t see it clearly. Several people attacked it with weapons, but it was too tough and they missed it.”

Even as the white-haired old man explained, the other two old men kept their eyes fixed on Han Li.

Han Li leaned back in his chair with a calm expression and asked leisurely,

“Surely, the three of you don’t think that I am related to this and came to see me?”

“Of course not! We would never think that Fellow Daoist Han would do such a thing. Besides, even if you did, we would be happy about it. That Bong fellow was arrogant and looked down on cultivators, so we think he deserved to die!”

Han Li simply listened, watching the smiling old man, without replying immediately. Then, the white-haired old man rolled his eyes, trying to test him.

“But I heard that Elder Bong visited your residence yesterday and returned very dejected. When they examined the body, one of his arms was already cut off. It seems that even after losing your magic power, you possess other powerful tools.”

At the other party’s words, Han Li’s eyebrows shot up.

The old men must have some influence in the village, as they were aware of all of the Bong family’s actions.

“Please tell me the purpose of your visit. I don’t like beating around the bush.”

“That is…”

When he spoke so directly, the old men exchanged glances. However, Han Li had no intention of wasting time with them.

“If you have nothing to say, please leave.”

At those words, the hunched, sinister old man suddenly spoke up.

“We want to know if Fellow Daoist Han has any intention of ruling this village with us.”

“What do you mean?”

Although he asked, the other party’s intention was obvious. Soon, the white-haired old man began to elaborate without hesitation.

“Since we are all cultivators, I will speak frankly. As you can see, except for the Great Elder, who has seized power with our support, the status of other cultivators here is no different from that of ordinary people.

We receive the same food rations and are even selected for the task of killing Yin spirits [ghostly beings]. Moreover, the Yin spirit crystals needed to cast spells are in the hands of ordinary people.

They are wary of us as if we are bandits. Rather than suffering such humiliation, wouldn’t it be better to gather our strength and take control of the village?”

“You want to seize power.”

“That’s right. Is it reasonable for cultivators to be ruled by ordinary people? Here, the position of Elder is everything, and we must take it for ourselves.

It’s infuriating that I, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, have to follow the orders of ordinary people. Previously, there were too few cultivators, so we couldn’t act rashly, but now that the two of you have joined us, I believe it is the right time to carry out our plan.”

Han Li’s gaze swept over the three old men.

“I have no interest in such things, so please leave. I will pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

The old man with the long beard forced a smile and tried to persuade him.

“Is it okay for you to live a life taking orders from others? Once you become an elder of the village, you can live comfortably even in the harshest environments.”

“I think you’re mistaken. We never said we would stay here. We will be leaving in two days, so no matter how good the conditions you offer, we cannot join you.”

“Are you thinking of looking at other villages because you don’t like this one? You may not know, but this is one of the largest human villages, so the situation in other places is even worse.”

Han Li smiled calmly and simply shook his head. Then, the hunched old man understood his intention.

“You don’t mean to climb Storm Mountain…”

“Why are you so surprised? Is it strange that we don’t want to stay here for long?”

Han Li asked, his smile fading. This time, the red-faced old man showed a troubled expression.

“It’s not strange, but I’m worried if you know what kind of place Storm Mountain is.”

“Although I don’t know the details, I believe I have obtained enough information from the Great Elder.”

The hunched old man clicked his tongue.

“The Great Elder only knows about Storm Mountain from what he has heard from others and has no idea how dangerous it is. Would he know as much as Fellow Daoist Woon and I, who have actually experienced Storm Mountain?

It is a gate that a person who has lost their magic power can never pass. Even if we put aside everything else, the Yin spirits that roam Storm Mountain are the most powerful here, so once you are discovered, you are as good as dead. Even if you are lucky enough not to encounter the Yin spirits, the Yin winds and the mists that cause illusions are also deadly.

Moreover, the story that you can escape when a gap in space opens at the summit is just a rumor passed down, and no one has ever proven it.”

Now, Han Li was finally interested in the conversation.

“You two have actually climbed Storm Mountain? Can you tell me about what happened then?”

“I was going to tell you even if you didn’t ask. When Fellow Daoist Geum and I first arrived here, we had no intention of growing old and dying here. So, after preparing for almost half a year, we formed a group with three other cultivators from the village and headed for Storm Mountain.

As a result, one person was caught by a Yin spirit before even reaching the mountain and was buried there. Of the group that managed to reach Storm Mountain, the other two froze to death in the Yin winds before even climbing a quarter of the way.

Fellow Daoist Geum and I had fire stones on our bodies, so we were barely able to move forward, but as the altitude increased, the wind became stronger, and we eventually couldn’t withstand the gusts and had to turn back.

We were lucky not to lose our lives, but even after returning to the village, we suffered from the Yin wind’s energy seeping into our bones for several months. After that, we gave up on the idea of climbing Storm Mountain.”

“It sounds like a terrifying place.”

When he showed a reaction, the white-haired old man subtly returned to the original topic.

“It’s not just a place that can be described as terrifying. It’s best for you two to forget about Storm Mountain. No matter how good the outside world is, you need to be alive to do anything. Moreover, you two have a long life ahead of you, so when old men like us step down, you will take control of the entire village.”

Although he was not swayed by such temptations, he also didn’t want to make enemies of them, so Han Li’s tone became much gentler.

“Please don’t try to persuade me any further. I have no intention of giving up without trying it myself. If I really fail to climb Storm Mountain, I will naturally consider your proposal positively.”

The three old men tried to say something more, but they couldn’t change Han Li’s mind.

Having no other choice, they turned their attention to Mei Ying, but when she firmly declared that she would be with Fellow Daoist Han, they had nothing more to say.

Since Han Li had not completely rejected their proposal and there would be another opportunity if his attempt to climb Storm Mountain failed, they had no choice but to retreat.

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