Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 405

Han Li stroked his chin, lost in thought.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t tempted by such a good opportunity. However, if he accepted the position of Elder of the Hwangpung Valley, he would face a myriad of complex issues, including navigating the relationships with the Six Factions and the Nine Nations Alliance.

Moreover, becoming the sole Elder of the Hwangpung Valley, while it sounded like wielding great power, would ultimately mean he wouldn’t be as free as he was in the Fallen Cloud Sect. Nangong Wan would also face difficulties due to her connection with the Strict Moon Sect.

“I am truly grateful for the offer, but I will pretend I didn’t hear it.”

After much deliberation, Han Li finally shook his head. Linghu’s expression clearly showed his disappointment.

“To refuse such a good offer… It seems that Fellow Daoist Han is truly reluctant to get involved in the affairs of the Six Factions. Then, how about I change the proposal?”

“How so?”

“Let’s do this. It’s not necessary for Fellow Daoist Han to take on the position of Elder of the Hwangpung Valley. I will give three treasures to my fellow daoist, and in return, I ask that you assist the Hwangpung Valley three times in your lifetime. Of course, only to the extent of your abilities.”

Linghu gave a wry smile.

“Within my abilities, and only three times… That’s certainly not an excessive request. In that case, it’s acceptable.”

Han Li responded favorably to this proposal without much hesitation.

Linghu finally regained his smile and, as if prepared, swept his sleeve, placing three items on the table.

Han Li silently examined the items on the table. There was a navy blue shield, a red jade bottle, and a jade pendant-like object.

Han Li unhesitatingly picked up the shield first.

The small shield was soft and warm, and it felt as light as if it were empty. Surprised, Han Li examined it closely, but he couldn’t determine what material it was made of with his knowledge.

“This is an ancient treasure I obtained in my youth, and it has been with me for a long time. It’s called the Azure Light Shield, and it’s especially powerful against fire-attribute attacks. Perhaps the fellow daoist will realize that I have not spoken falsely when the time comes.”

Linghu looked at the shield in Han Li’s hand, a hint of regret in his eyes.

Han Li gently stroked the shield before placing it back on the table. Even to him, it seemed extraordinary, so the other party wouldn’t have offered a useless item.

Next, he picked up the red jade bottle.

“That is the inner core I barely obtained after killing a seventh-grade Iron-Winged Eagle in the Peony Plains. It’s a precious material, so it will be useful whether you use it for alchemy or something else.”

‘A seventh-grade demon core!’

Han Li muttered inwardly, acting as if it were nothing.

A seventh-grade demon core was a precious item in the Tiannan Region, but it was like a tasteless rib to him. So, with a smile, he opened the bottle to check the contents and immediately turned his attention to the next item.

However, this time, Linghu let out a strange laugh and didn’t start explaining first. Han Li’s eyes gleamed as he looked down at the item.

“Could this be a jade talisman crafted by a cultivator from the ancient times?”

When he asked with certainty after examining it, Linghu was surprised instead.

“Has Fellow Daoist Han seen such a jade talisman before? As far as I know, these special talismans from the ancient times are almost lost in the Tiannan Region, and there are hardly any cultivators who can recognize them…”

“I just happened to meet a cultivator who knew about jade talismans and heard some stories.”

Han Li smiled and smoothly evaded the question as the old man showed curiosity.

“This jade talisman is something I truly risked my life to obtain. Although I don’t know how to use it properly, I’ve managed to use it to defeat powerful enemies several times, even with only a tiny bit of its power. It seems to be a work that a cultivator from the ancient times put a lot of effort into.”

As Linghu spoke, he gestured towards the black jade talisman on the table. The jade talisman moved instantly, turning black and emitting a cold aura, summoning a dark red hand.

As the giant hand spread its five fingers wide, eerie black flames flickered, changing the entire atmosphere of the pavilion.

Han Li was startled and recalled something.

“This is one of the uses I barely discovered after studying the jade talisman for hundreds of years. The ghost hand formed from the black energy can grab anything that doesn’t possess extreme yang energy or is an extremely powerful treasure. Once caught by the ghost hand, all magic treasures and ancient treasures lose their effectiveness, and even top-grade treasures have their spiritual power greatly reduced, causing their power to plummet.”

Daoist Linghu spoke as he controlled the ghost hand with his consciousness.

The black hand expanded explosively and brushed against the wooden table, causing black flames to silently ignite and instantly burn the table to ashes.

It was similar to the fire transformation through the demonic technique of spirit division, but since the black hand originated from the jade talisman, there was no worry of damaging his consciousness even if he divided it. Moreover, the flames, which carried an extremely yin aura, seemed extraordinary.

“There must be other ways to use the jade talisman, but I don’t think I’ll be able to figure them out with the little time I have left. Young Fellow Daoist Han, you can try to study it, but most of its power has already been used, so you should use it sparingly.”

Linghu gestured, and the giant hand turned back into black light and returned to the table, reverting to the jade pendant form of the jade talisman.

Han Li became greatly interested in the last jade talisman and smiled.

Even without Linghu’s explanation, it was clear that studying a talisman from the ancient times would be of great help in the long run. It seemed like the conversation was mostly over, so Han Li flicked his sleeve and retrieved the three treasures.

However, three white jade discs appeared on the table instead.

“These formation discs are magical artifacts that I personally crafted, so others cannot imitate them. If the fellow daoist passes away in the future and the Hwangpung Valley faces a crisis, I will help within the scope of my abilities.”

Han Li raised his head and calmly looked at Linghu.

“Very well. That is enough. I suppose I have done my best for the Hwangpung Valley.”

Having done what he needed to do, there was no reason to stay any longer. Han Li didn’t linger and immediately bid farewell, leaving the pavilion.

Linghu didn’t stop him and went down to the first floor to watch him leave. Soon, the old man’s smile disappeared, and he became lost in deep thought.

After leaving the pavilion, Han Li didn’t plan to return to his lodgings right away. He found a secluded corner and took out the jade slip that Elder Luo of the Heavenly Pole Sect had given him.

After fiddling with the jade slip, Han Li seemed to have made a decision and began walking briskly in a certain direction.

And it was only after passing about half of the entire city that he stopped in front of an ordinary general store on the outskirts of the city. On the black wooden sign in front of the store, the words “Jade Harmony Pavilion” were written in large characters.

Han Li slowly moved forward.

It was a small shop, about seven or eight yards in size, selling minor items such as talismans and raw materials. And a small side door connected to the back of the shop.

As he approached, he saw a middle-aged man in gray clothes sitting next to the door, looking at a small booklet.

When Han Li scanned him with his consciousness, he found that he was only at the Qi Condensation stage [the initial stage of cultivation], with an ordinary appearance that wouldn’t attract attention. The middle-aged man saw Han Li entering and greeted him with a broad smile.

“Senior, what items would you like to see? Although our shop is small, we have everything you need.”

His words were what any merchant would say. Han Li smiled and flipped his palm, presenting the jade slip.

The middle-aged man’s expression subtly changed. He hid the jade slip in his bosom and asked more respectfully.

“May I know your name?”

“Han Li!”

“So, you are Senior Han. My grandmaster told me that you would come, but I didn’t expect you to come so early. Please follow me inside.”

The middle-aged man spoke politely and turned to guide Han Li. Han Li nodded and silently followed him.

Contrary to his expectations, when he entered through the side door, he found a warehouse-like space that was blocked on all sides.

The middle-aged man took a few steps forward and touched a wooden crate. The other crates attached to it opened, revealing a gap between the walls.

“I installed a mechanism, a method used by mortals, so that if I installed a restriction, some of the customers might notice it.”

The middle-aged man put his hand into the gap between the walls and touched one of the bricks. With a ‘clunk’ sound, the gap split open, revealing a passage with an eerie feeling.

“I am not qualified to enter this place, so please go straight in, senior.”

The middle-aged man stepped aside and smiled as he guided him. Han Li frowned and scanned the inside with his consciousness. He felt a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy inside, and when he tried to go deeper, he was blocked by a barrier.

However, Han Li quickly realized that this barrier was simply meant to conceal the flow of spiritual energy. He could easily break through it with his powerful consciousness, but if he did, the person waiting inside would notice.

Han Li hesitated for a moment.

Although he didn’t think that the Heavenly Pole Sect Elder would do anything foolish in the entire city, he was reluctant to enter a space with a barrier based on the words of someone he had no connection with.

As if sensing his concern, the barrier that had been blocking his consciousness was instantly removed. Realizing that the other party had deliberately removed the barrier to gain Han Li’s trust, Han Li unhesitatingly spread his consciousness to examine the inside.

‘That person? Interesting.’

Han Li organized his thoughts and entered the pitch-black passage.

The middle-aged man restored the mechanism after Han Li’s figure had completely disappeared and returned to the store as if nothing had happened.

The extremely long passage showed that the place he was heading to was secretly hidden.

After walking for a long time, light flickered, and he reached the exit. After taking a few more steps, he entered a stone chamber made of stone on all sides.

The stone chamber was quite large but empty, with no decorations except for a few cushions.

However, two people were sitting cross-legged inside, smiling. As soon as Han Li entered the stone chamber, he immediately walked to a cushion and took a seat.

“I never thought that Fellow Daoist would be looking for us. It is amazing just to see you again.”

Han Li responded with a smile to one of them. The man wearing a crown and a navy blue robe gave a wry smile at Han Li’s words.

“Indeed. Who would have thought that Ben Hou [a royal title] would return alive from there! After parting with Fellow Daoist Han, I thought I had overcome the crisis, but the opponent used a secret technique to chase me all the way to the Peony Plains.

Heaven must have helped me, as I happened to encounter the Gao Clan Dharma Masters who were searching the area, and I was able to escape during the chaos. I will definitely repay those who did this to me in the future.”

The voice of the Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator became increasingly murderous.

Unexpectedly, he was Nan Longhou, who had almost died due to the betrayal of the cultivators while searching for treasures. His ashen face and dull eyes clearly showed how much his vitality had been damaged.

The person sitting next to him was the white-robed old man who was said to be an elder of the Heavenly Pole Sect.

“I am impressed that you managed to escape in such a situation. But I am curious as to why Brother Nanlong did not return to your residence to rest and instead sought me out. Moreover, you even had another cultivator’s disciple harass my concubine.”

Han Li, who had instantly lost his smile, faintly expressed his dissatisfaction.

“Hahaha! It’s a misunderstanding. How could Ben Hou dare to do such a thing? Aren’t our situations similar, fellow daoist? We are both being pursued by them. I did this to meet you in case you were ambushed and something happened. And this is my friend, Fellow Daoist Xianji of the Heavenly Pole Sect. He was originally going to join me on this journey, but unfortunately, he had a mission within the sect that overlapped.”

Nan Longhou explained with a smile and introduced the white-robed old man next to him. At this, Xianji smiled and clasped his fist towards Han Li.

“My actions were certainly impolite, so I apologize. It was a desperate situation, so please don’t blame me too much.”

“Very well. By the way, is what Brother Nanlong just said related to the jade box I possess?”

Han Li waved his hand and looked at Nan Longhou.

“That’s right. If my guess is correct, the Guiling Sect must have paid a considerable price to bribe so many cultivators this time. That’s how desperately they want to know how the Changkun Merchant entered the Chuma Bone Valley and to get the map!

But Fellow Daoist Han happens to have one of the essential items needed to enter the Chuma Bone Valley. Together with Brother Nanlong’s map, you will be able to avoid most of the dangers when entering the Chuma Bone Valley and obtain the treasures. It is that kind of treasure.”

Xianji explained seriously.

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