Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 40

“You alone won’t be enough; it’d be better to call another person.”

Even after seeing the sturdy man before him, Han Li shook his head, thinking about the large bundle on Qu Hun’s back.

“Young master, I can easily lift that with one hand. There’s no need to call anyone else,” the man said confidently, not wanting to share the money with another person. As soon as he finished speaking, he approached Qu Hun and snatched the bundle from him.

Han Li sighed at the sight. Inside were thousands of silver taels [a unit of currency] and all sorts of miscellaneous items, making it impossible for an ordinary person to carry alone.

However, since the man was so eager, Han Li signaled to Qu Hun to hand over the luggage. There was no reason to argue with a porter over such a trivial matter.

As Han Li had worried, the porter’s face turned bright red after only a few steps with the load. Eventually, with an embarrassed expression, he put the bundle down and quickly ran to call for help.

Only when two people lifted the luggage did Han Li nod in satisfaction. Then, he quickly left the docks and headed towards the city.

Han Li’s minor actions drew the attention of the porters, but due to his lack of experience in the martial world, he didn’t realize that this would lead to trouble.

Sun Yigu watched the young man’s retreating figure, his greedy gaze fading. He barely suppressed his rising joy and involuntarily turned his gaze towards Black Bear.

The other man couldn’t have missed what he had noticed. There was no doubt that the bundle the porter was carrying contained a huge amount of wealth.

Black Bear also looked at Sun Yigu, his eyes filled with surprise and joy. Sun Yigu immediately understood his thoughts.

For wealth and glory, Sun Yigu was the type who could join forces even with an enemy.

People risk their lives for wealth, and beasts risk their lives for food, wouldn’t you say?

“Exactly half and half!” Sun Yigu said in a low voice, getting straight to the point.

“Three to seven, this was originally our deal!” Black Bear flatly rejected Sun Yigu’s proposal.

“Four to six, no more. This is a special case, right?” Sun Yigu retorted with a sly look.

“Well…” After hesitating for a moment, Black Bear couldn’t insist any further.

“Hmph! If we waste any more time, another gang will take it?”

“Ah, fine! Let’s do it that way. Come on, let’s make a promise.” Black Bear finally accepted the deal as Sun Yigu urged him.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Sun Yigu and Black Bear slapped their palms together, forming a temporary alliance.

“Let’s hurry and chase after them! Let’s finish this before they reach a crowded place,” Sun Yigu said, urging Black Bear again.

“Hehe! Don’t worry. I’ve already told my men to take them to Black Water Alley. If we leave now, we can catch up right away,” Black Bear said with a sly grin.

“Good job! Well done.” Although they were outwardly sharing their joy, Sun Yigu’s wariness of Black Bear grew even stronger.

* * *

After leaving the docks, Han Li asked the porters to take them to the nearest inn. He planned to rest a bit before figuring out what to do next.

However, instead of leading Han Li and Qu Hun towards the city, the porters began taking them to an increasingly deserted area. They had been walking for a while, but there was no sign of an inn.

Han Li followed them without saying anything, but the more he walked, the more he felt something was off. Even if he had never stayed at an inn in a large city, there was no way an inn would be located in such a remote place. If it were, no customers would ever find it.

They eventually led Han Li into a dirty, gloomy alley. Han Li thought he should interrogate these guys to find out what they were planning.

At that moment, dozens of sturdy men appeared at the end of the alley. They looked like the porters he had seen at the docks earlier.

They were all armed and glared menacingly at Han Li and Qu Hun.

The porters who had led Han Li quickly joined them, grinning slyly. Only then did Han Li sigh, realizing what they were up to.

“Don’t blame us. Blame yourself! Who told you to carry so much silver?”

A rough, deep voice came from behind Han Li. When Han Li turned around, he saw another seven or eight sturdy men had appeared behind him.

Among those leading them, one was dark-skinned and well-built, and the other was short and ugly. It was Black Bear and Sun Yigu.

This wasn’t the first time they had harmed people like this. As long as they cleaned up the mess, the matter would usually fade away, especially if the victims weren’t locals.

Even if the authorities got involved, who would investigate every single case?

As soon as Black Bear finished speaking, they rushed towards Han Li and Qu Hun, brandishing their weapons.

Their vicious momentum caused a murderous intent to flicker in Han Li’s eyes. He could tell that they were not new to this kind of thing.

“Kill them, don’t show any mercy!” Han Li’s cold voice echoed in Qu Hun’s ears. Qu Hun immediately plunged into the group of attackers.

As Qu Hun swung his fist, one of the sturdy men fell powerlessly. Half of his head was already gone, and blood and fragments were scattered everywhere. Taking advantage of the gap, a thick iron club flew towards Qu Hun’s back.

‘Clang! Clang!’

Without even turning his head, Qu Hun swung his other hand behind him, sending the iron club flying away powerlessly.

The owners of the weapons spurted blood from their hands. Then, Qu Hun stepped on the ground with one foot and swung his other leg like a scythe, breaking another strong man’s waist, sending him flying before he crashed to the ground.

The other porters, who had witnessed this scene, were terrified and didn’t dare to step forward. But Qu Hun had no intention of stopping, even if they did.

He wouldn’t stop for even a moment without Han Li’s order. Sun Yigu and Black Bear’s faces twisted in dismay.

“Kill that big guy! I’ll give twenty silver taels to anyone who does!” Sun Yigu, with a bad feeling, offered a large reward to those standing beside him. The men next to Black Bear looked delighted.

They were just mediocre martial artists who hadn’t fully mastered their skills, so they didn’t properly recognize Qu Hun’s power. They just thought he was a strong man and rushed towards him.

However, Black Bear, who was standing next to Sun Yigu, remained silent, only shifting his gaze to Han Li.

Unlike Sun Yigu, Black Bear had risen to his position through his own courage and skill. That was why he was among the top of the third-rate fighters, and his judgment wasn’t bad either.

He had almost had a heart attack when he saw Qu Hun’s strength. That giant was clearly a formidable expert, and even their gang leader might not have a chance of winning. These small fries were no match for him.

Yet, he didn’t run because it was clear that the giant hadn’t shown his full strength yet. If he was caught trying to escape, it would only hasten his death.

Now, the only way to survive was to take that rustic young man hostage. Since the young man seemed to be of higher status than the giant, if he could do that, he might be able to escape this predicament. He had already given up on the idea of taking the silver.

After organizing his thoughts, Black Bear quietly moved while the others rushed towards Qu Hun, giving Sun Yigu a signal with his eyes.

* * *

Han Li had his back to Black Bear and was watching Qu Hun, but no matter how quietly Black Bear moved, he couldn’t escape Han Li’s eyes and ears.

Just as Black Bear was about to pounce on Han Li, Han Li blocked him with a strange movement and even had the composure to smile at him.

Startled, Black Bear realized something was wrong and quickly turned to run, but then he felt a chill on his neck, and a sharp light appeared and disappeared in an instant.

By the time he grabbed his neck, trying to stop the gushing blood, he had already fallen to the ground.

Sun Yigu’s face turned pale as he watched this. He had clearly seen the young man move like a ghost, go behind Black Bear, and pierce his neck with a sword.

He was now cleaning his sword with a clean cloth. As if sensing Sun Yigu’s gaze, Han Li slightly raised his head and smiled at him again. Sun Yigu quickly averted his eyes.

Even though his mortal enemy, Black Bear, was dead, he felt no joy. Instead, his sudden death felt as sad as if it had happened to him.

Only now did he come to his senses. His only hope now was that his men would defeat the giant and he could negotiate with the other side. But when he looked at his men, he was speechless again.

The twenty strong men were lying on the ground, covered in blood, and the giant, having dealt with all of them, was standing tall, looking at Sun Yigu.

He couldn’t see the giant’s eyes because of the bamboo hat, but he felt the dangerous aura of a hungry beast looking at its prey.

Seeing Sun Yigu, who had already turned pale, Han Li thought that the other man’s fear had reached its peak, and he didn’t need to lift a finger himself.

“Qu Hun, kill him!” Han Li turned his head and calmly ordered.

“Wait! I, I surrender! I’ll give all my wealth to you, young master! I’ll work for you for the rest of my life! I know everything about Jiayuan City like the back of my hand, so I’ll do whatever you ask of me,” Sun Yigu said, collapsing to the ground and begging as Qu Hun took a step forward.

“Hmm. Stop for now.” Han Li’s interest was piqued by the mention of knowing about Jiayuan City. Han Li stopped Qu Hun, who was about to twist Sun Yigu’s neck, and took a few steps forward.

“You know Jiayuan City well?” He asked with a smile, looking very kind. But how could Sun Yigu dare to relax even a little after witnessing his power?

“Yes, I know it very well! I was born in Jiayuan City, and I know every blade of grass and every tree here!” Seeing his interest, Sun Yigu exaggerated, grasping at straws. Han Li listened to his desperate words and fell into thought for a moment. Then, he took out a porcelain bottle and handed a white pill inside to Sun Yigu.

“Eat it, or die!” Han Li’s words were very simple. Sun Yigu’s hand trembled as he received it. He couldn’t bear Han Li’s cold gaze and trembled again as he swallowed the pill.

“Good, that’s how I can trust you.” Han Li nodded with a satisfied expression.

“It’s a Heart-Rotting Pill. If you don’t take the antidote once a month, your internal organs will rot away. I believe that someone as clever as you won’t run away or betray me.” Han Li muttered ominously. Sun Yigu lowered his head after hearing about the pill’s effects.

“Don’t worry. Once the matter in Jiayuan City is over, I’ll give you the full antidote. Then you’ll be free. What use would I have for you anywhere else?”

“Really? Young master!” Sun Yigu perked up at Han Li’s words.

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