Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 46

“You….”

Madam Eom had met many people, but Han Li’s brazen attitude left her speechless for a moment.

“Fine, I’ll ask you. Did our husband lose his life at your hands?!” Madam Lee couldn’t hold back any longer, her beautiful eyes blazing with fury. The elegance of a noble lady was gone, replaced by deep resentment.

“Madam Lee.”

Madam Eom frowned, quietly trying to stop Madam Lee.

“You could say he lost his life at my hands, but you could also say he took his own life!” Han Li responded coldly to Madam Lee’s question.

His words caused all the madams, including Madam Eom, to fall silent in confusion. They had expected Han Li to either deny it outright or arrogantly confess, but they hadn’t anticipated such an ambiguous answer.

“What nonsense are you spouting! You clearly murdered him!” Madam Lee, momentarily stunned, trembled with rage, thinking Han Li was toying with them.

“How can you say I murdered him? Did you see it with your own eyes?” Han Li retorted calmly. The letter was written before Master Moon’s death, so he wouldn’t have known how or by whom he would be killed. Therefore, whatever Master Moon had told the madams was just his speculation, and Han Li had no reason to hold back his counterattack.

“Fine, since you say so, then explain how our husband lost his life. If you truly had nothing to do with it, we won’t punish you.”

Madam Oh, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.

* * *

Upon hearing those words, Han Li yawned as if he was bored.

“Punish me? That’s easy to say. Do you really think I fear the Moon family? If Master Moon hadn’t considered me his disciple, even for a little bit, if he hadn’t taught me a great deal of medical skills? Hah! The Moon family? I could kill them all with one hand, not even leaving a dog alive.”

Han Li’s words hung in the air like a cold draft, and an eerie aura emanated from him. He had already made up his mind. If he couldn’t deceive the Moon family, he would have to use a more direct method to remove the poison in his body. He needed to show his abilities to make Madam Eom and the others hand over the Warm Yang Jade.

The madams, initially surprised by Han Li’s threat, now wore sneers on their faces. Third Madam Ryu even burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. It was clear that the madams didn’t believe him at all, and the warmth gradually disappeared from Han Li’s face.

Soon after, a fireball the size of a teacup suddenly appeared on Han Li’s fingertip, causing the room temperature to rise sharply, and the madams felt the intense heat.

“A cultivator!” As he looked for a target to demonstrate the power of the fireball, Madam Lee unexpectedly uttered the word ‘cultivator,’ and a look of fear appeared on her face.

The others were also shocked, even the icy Madam Oh was shaken. Han Li was equally surprised that they knew about cultivators, and his expression darkened.

“Are you really a cultivator?” Third Madam Ryu asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. In response, Han Li flicked his finger, sending the fireball towards the table next to Madam Ryu.

*Whoosh*

The table instantly turned to ashes upon impact. Madam Ryu’s face turned pale, and she moved away from the table. Han Li was focused on Madam Lee, who had first mentioned the word ‘cultivator’.

“Madam Lee, how do you know about cultivators? Have you perhaps met another cultivator?”

“I….”

Madam Lee was too shocked by the fact that Han Li was a cultivator to speak, fear gripping her.

“There’s no need to ask Madam Lee. I’ll tell you about cultivators!”

“Oh, then please do.”

Madam Eom stepped forward, blocking Madam Lee, and Han Li scratched his nose, speaking leisurely.

“It’s not something to hide. Many people in Gawon City already know about cultivators. Some have even witnessed battles between cultivators outside the city. They say they can summon wind and rain, breathe fire, and call down lightning, each one like a living immortal.”

‘So that’s how it is!’

Han Li began to understand as Madam Eom explained, looking at him with a strange gaze. He had forgotten that Gawon City wasn’t a remote place like Noeul Mountain. Here, cultivators appearing wasn’t that rare. Just yesterday, he had encountered Namui in person!

“Then Master Moon must have known about cultivators too?”

“Yes. Our husband was one of those who had seen a cultivator in person,” Madam Eom replied, as if it was nothing to hide, when Han Li suddenly thought of Master Moon and asked.

‘No wonder Master Moon was so obsessed with cultivators. He had already seen a real cultivator. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the spiritual root [a person’s innate potential for cultivation], so all his efforts only benefited me.’

Han Li sighed without realizing it. Then, he suddenly felt something was off. Madam Eom was answering his questions honestly, but it was hard to believe that she was acting this way just because he was a cultivator.

Han Li calmly observed Madam Eom’s face and noticed a hint of anxiety hidden beneath her calm expression.

‘Could she be stalling for time?’

He quickly focused his senses and scanned the lower floor, but there were no signs of anyone trying to break in. He looked around the room, but nothing seemed out of place, and the items in the room were simple. The table and chairs were all ordinary, and everything was the same as yesterday, except for a single white candle that had been added.

‘A candle?’

Han Li’s gaze fixed on the candle. At first, he thought it was lit to honor Master Moon and didn’t pay much attention to it, but now that he looked at it, it was strange that no incense was lit, as if it was not for honoring the dead. With this thought, Han Li sniffed, and he could faintly smell the scent of sandalwood. It was so faint that it would be impossible to notice without careful attention.

Madam Eom and the others showed unnatural expressions as Han Li’s gaze turned to the candle, and their faces changed completely when Han Li sniffed. Han Li couldn’t help but burst into laughter, which even seemed cheerful.

“Why are you laughing? Even if you noticed something strange about the candle, it’s already too late. The mild poison, Thousand Men Drunk, will only weaken the limbs of ordinary people, but if a martial artist inhales it, their true energy [internal energy used in martial arts] will be scattered, making it impossible to use martial arts for a while. Even if you are a cultivator, you won’t be safe.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just think I’m too lucky!” Han Li’s smile didn’t disappear even though Madam Eom revealed the identity of the scent with anger.

“When I was in the Seven Mysteries Sect, I always heard about the strange martial arts of the Jianghu [the martial arts world]. Among them, poisons and fragrances were particularly impressive. They were impossible to prepare for, and even ordinary people could use them to kill masters by taking advantage of their carelessness. So, after much thought, I found a way to prepare for these things.”

Han Li spoke confidently, and Madam Eom and the others looked at each other in confusion. Their faces were all pale.

“But what that method is… Haha.”

Han Li laughed as he looked at the madams, who were waiting for his next words with their eyes fixed on his lips.

“Do you think I would tell you? I don’t have the bad habit of revealing secrets to my enemies.”

Han Li’s face turned cold as he spoke in a chilling tone.

* * *

Madam Eom was the first to suppress her anger and return to her usual demeanor.

“Even if you are a cultivator and unaffected by this fragrance, you haven’t forgotten about the poison in your body, have you?” Madam Eom finally resorted to her last resort.

‘Master Moon must have given the madams the upper hand.’

“Yes, I am poisoned. But do you know that I can kill all of you before the poison takes effect?” Although his voice was calm, the meaning behind it was clear. Madam Eom fell silent, and no one else spoke. It seemed that even though their lives were at stake, no one in the Moon family except for Fourth Madam Eom could handle such a big matter.

“We both hold each other’s weaknesses, and neither of us wants to suffer mutual destruction, so it’s time for us to talk.”

“You could say that. I don’t want to die a meaningless death at such a young age either!” Han Li agreed with Madam Eom, as his life was on the line. He sat down again, facing Madam Eom.

“Then, before we talk, could you explain to us what happened to our husband? We’ve been married to him for our whole lives, so we should know why he passed away. Even if our husband lost his life at your hands, how could we harm you? We are just widows who have lost our husbands.”

Madam Eom’s expression was clearly an act, but Han Li’s heart softened because he knew that Madam Eom and the other madams truly wanted to know the truth. And explaining how Master Moon died wasn’t a big deal. In fact, what did Master Moon’s death have to do with him? First, there was Lim Ja-dong, and then, wasn’t it all their own fault?

“Alright. I’ll explain in detail why Master Moon died. Let’s see if you still hold a grudge against me after hearing the whole story.”

“Thank you, young master!” Madam Eom expressed her gratitude when Han Li hesitated but eventually agreed.

“This is how it happened. I was deceived by Master Moon and trained in the Evergreen Technique for four years….”

Without any sign of haste, Han Li slowly recounted how he had been deceived, how Master Moon had used poison to force him to train in the Evergreen Technique, and how Master Moon had tried to steal his body by transforming into his primordial spirit [a person’s soul or essence]. He also revealed all of Lim Ja-dong’s schemes. Finally, he concluded his story by explaining that he had come to Namju to find the Warm Yang Jade to detoxify himself after discovering that he had been poisoned. Han Li revealed all of this to make it clear that he was the true victim in the matter of Master Moon’s death and that the Moon family had no reason to treat him this way.

The madams exchanged glances at this unbelievable story. If Han Li’s words were all true, it would be difficult to hold him responsible for their husband’s death. Moreover, all the methods and schemes of Master Moon that Han Li described matched the personality of their husband that they remembered, and there was no discrepancy with the circumstances in the secret letter. It was highly likely that most of what he said was close to the truth.

“If what you say is true, then we can’t blame you for our husband’s death. If it weren’t for that Lim Ja-dong’s wicked schemes, how could our husband have lost his life?” Madam Eom sighed and summarized the story, glancing at Han Li.

‘He’s really biased. He’s blaming all of Master Moon’s dirty deeds on Lim Ja-dong, as if Master Moon was completely innocent.’

Han Li’s gaze towards Madam Eom clearly revealed his thoughts. However, Madam Eom didn’t blush or waver, and she ignored Han Li’s gaze. She then turned her gaze to the other madams.

# 48