Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 49

“Why do you ask?” Cheon-jin retorted, looking puzzled, but he stopped his actions unconsciously, trusting Chim-san deeply.

“That’s not the one who usually brings the food. Where did the original one go?” Chim-san ignored the fat man’s question and asked the servant who brought the wine directly. His hand naturally moved towards his waist.

“There are too many guests, so he’s in another room. That’s why I came instead, Elder,” the young man dressed as a servant replied, his face pale and flustered at Chim-san’s gaze. Chim-san’s expression softened slightly at the young man’s reaction, but he still seemed wary, turning his gaze to So-geumji in Shim Jung-san’s arms.

“Miss Geum, do you know him? Is he really from the Sosang Merchant Group?”

“Ah…” A bewildered expression appeared on the face of the most popular courtesan.

“Elder Chim, it’s true that this person is unfamiliar to me, but there are hundreds of servants in our Sosang Merchant Group. It’s not strange that I don’t recognize him.”

“Haha! Sam, are you trying to embarrass Miss Geum? How could a mere servant catch the eye of such a great beauty? Are you worried that he might be an assassin?” Shim Jung-san, who had been nuzzling So-geumji, laughed heartily and asked.

“Brother, those of us who live by the sword must always be careful!”

“Hehe! Look at his clumsy walk and those lifeless eyes. He doesn’t know any martial arts. If you’re still not at ease, there’s a way to check,” Chim-sam remained wary of the young man who brought the food, but Doksujae Beom-jeo suddenly spoke with a meaningful smile.

Beom-jeo, who had been dissatisfied with Chim-sam for gaining Shim Jung-san’s trust despite returning to the Saping Faction later than him, deliberately spoke like this to take this opportunity to put him in his place.

“Oh, what way is that? Beom, show us your skills.”

Shim Jung-san acted as if it was nothing serious on the surface, but in reality, he valued his life above all else. He responded to Beom-jeo’s words, as there was a way.

“Since this guy doesn’t know martial arts, if he intended to harm us, he would have no choice but to poison the food and wine. If we make him eat everything, it’ll be easy to confirm, wouldn’t it?”

“Brother Beom! That’s a great idea! You, quickly put everything, starting with the wine you served to the elders, into your mouth. If there’s even a hint of suspicion, I’ll twist your neck off,” the fat Cheon-jin, who had applauded Beom-jeo for coming up with a solution, ordered the young man loudly. Chim-sam, who had initially raised the question, also seemed to think Beom-jeo’s suggestion wasn’t bad, and he watched the situation coldly without further argument.

Thus, the servant who had brought the food and wine had no choice but to swallow all the food and wine, one bite at a time, under their intense gazes, with a tearful expression. Since everyone seemed fine after tasting it, a triumphant smile appeared on Beom-jeo’s face.

“It seems Chim was overthinking things. This guy is just a servant, so let’s not ruin the mood again.”

Beom-jeo finished speaking, staring at Chim-san, then picked up some food and swallowed it in front of him.

“Tsk!” Chim-san clicked his tongue at Beom-jeo’s deliberate provocation, ignoring him and returning to his seat.

“Haha! It was nothing after all.”

Shim Jung-san, knowing about the discord between his subordinates and not caring much about it, laughed heartily and wrapped up the situation.

“Well, it was just a misunderstanding between us. You can go now. Consider this silver as a reward for you.”

“Thank you, Elder! Then, I’ll be on my way!” When Shim Jung-san took out about two *nyang* [a unit of currency] of silver, the servant was overjoyed, took the silver, and left the room.

“Oh my! Elder Chim is so generous with money. You should be like that with Geumji in the future.”

“Of course! Aren’t you this elder’s treasure? If you serve me well, I’ll never treat you unfairly. Now, brothers! Let’s have a drink! Let’s get drunk to our hearts’ content today!” Shim Jung-san’s loud voice made everyone completely forget about the servant who had just entered. The young man who had left the room suddenly wore a cold smile and secretly hid under a nearby eave, concealing himself like a ghost. It was as if he was waiting for something.

About an hour later, screams erupted from inside the room.

“It’s poison! There’s poison in the wine and food! I’ve been poisoned!” He let out a strange laugh before his breath stopped. It was the voice of the pitch-black fat Cheon-jin.

“How dare you try to harm me! I won’t let you live!” Shim Jung-san’s angry voice followed, but it was already too late. He let out an unknown laugh and then stopped breathing. Doksujae Beom-jeo and Chim-san stared at each other with fear in their eyes.

“That servant! He’s the one who poisoned us!”

“He must have the antidote!” They both pushed away the women they were holding and tried to rush out of the door. But unfortunately, they only managed to reach the door before collapsing to the floor.

‘That fat guy ate and drank the most, so he was the first to succumb to the poison. The black-clad man and the scholar-like guy didn’t eat much, but even a drop of the Soul-Dissolving Powder I made is enough to kill,’ the young man opened the door leisurely and re-entered the room. There was no one alive in the room. So-geumji and the other women had already died.

‘Since Shim Jung-san was poisoned, people will think it’s just a feud in the martial world. It won’t cause me any trouble.’ Han Li coldly curled up the corners of his lips and touched the Clear Spirit Powder in his pocket. Han Li, who had returned to the inn unnoticed, fell into a deep sleep as soon as he lay down on the bed. This had become a habit of his; after handling a big task, he would fall into a deep sleep to relieve his mental fatigue, even if only in his dreams.

* * *

Not long after Han Li fell asleep, the deaths of Shim Jung-san and his three great protectors were discovered by the people of the Sosang Merchant Group and quickly spread to the Saping Faction. This caused ambitious individuals to stir.

No one tried to investigate Shim Jung-san’s death deeply, as such deaths were common in the law of the jungle in Gawonseong.

Since Shim Jung-san had also killed the previous faction leader to take his place, the high-ranking members of the Saping Faction were only focused on who would take over the vacant faction leader position.

Now, all that remained was a life-or-death battle for the faction leader position.

* * *

The very next morning, the Saping Faction had been taken over by the insignificant sub-faction leader, Son I-gu. Son I-gu had killed all the high-ranking members who opposed him in just one day, so no one dared to stop him. Son I-gu smoothly took over the position of the Saping Faction leader and announced to the other factions in Seoseong that he had succeeded to the position as soon as the morning dawned.

Han Li, the mastermind behind all of this, woke up after a good sleep and appeared at the Moon Estate. When he went back to the pavilion, the Eom family and others were waiting for him with their beautiful figures. However, this time, the three daughters of the Moon Estate, who were famous in Gawonseong, were also present behind them.

Moon Ok-ju and Moon Chae-hwan had already been seen, so Han Li’s gaze naturally turned to Moon Bong-mu, the adopted daughter of Master Moon. Moon Bong-mu was wearing a bright yellow dress with a fair face. She was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a pure face and a delicate yet intelligent impression.

Moon Bong-mu, feeling embarrassed by Han Li’s gaze that was staring intently at her, slightly turned her head, revealing her smooth neckline, which made Han Li swallow unconsciously.

“Young Master Han, how can you stare at our Bong-mu with such a sticky gaze? Bong-mu is very shy. Shall we continue the conversation we had yesterday?” The Third Madam diverted Han Li’s attention with her unique seductive smile.

“Conversation? What more is there to say? I’ve only come today to hear the decision of the madams,” Han Li’s expression turned cold in an instant. However, since they would have to cooperate with each other if they made a decision today, he used honorifics again to show respect to his counterpart. Eom’s eyebrows twitched at his words.

“Young Master Han, what’s the rush? After much deliberation yesterday, we have decided to go with the second option. However, it seems we need to discuss the details a bit more.”

“I think I already said that I have no intention of bargaining with the madams. The madams just need to choose one of the conditions I mentioned.”

“What do you think of the looks of these girls here?” When Han Li cut her off with a serious expression, Eom suddenly changed the subject and mentioned the three daughters of the Moon family.

“They are peerless beauties with natural beauty, so any praise would not be enough,” Han Li, who was briefly bewildered by her words, answered with a light smile. It was because he roughly understood what the other party was trying to say.

“Our request is not that difficult. If you kill all the evil bastards of the Osaek Gate and Dokpae Mountain Manor, we will not only give you the Nanyang Jade to help you detoxify, but we can also give all these girls to you as your wives. You couldn’t take your eyes off Bong-mu just now. If you agree to this condition, she will become your person.” Eom finished speaking seriously, pointing at her daughters.

“Fourth Mother!”

“Mother!” As soon as she finished speaking, the surprised voices of Moon Ok-ju and Moon Chae-hwan were heard. It was clear that the two had not heard of this proposal beforehand. Only Moon Bong-mu’s face was slightly pale, but she still maintained a calm demeanor.

It was not strange that they were so flustered. The image of the husband they had in their hearts was worlds apart from Han Li’s.

“Shut your mouths! This is something to follow your parents’ orders, so how dare you interfere? If you can’t be quiet, you’ll only be kicked out of the Moon Estate.” Eom’s face hardened as she sternly scolded the Moon sisters. The three sisters were all shocked into silence by her words.

Moon Ok-ju bit her lip, her face pale, and Moon Chae-hwan looked at the Second and Fifth Madams, who usually cared for her, with a blank expression and pleading eyes. Moon Bong-mu’s expression was the best of the three, but she was also leaning against the wall behind her, motionless, as if her body was trembling.

“There’s no need to intimidate the young ladies. I won’t accept that condition. No matter what conditions you bring, I have no intention of taking any risks.” Han Li, who had been quietly watching their actions, rejected Eom’s proposal with a single stroke. It would be a lie if he wasn’t moved by the sight of the flower-like Moon sisters in front of him. But no matter how much he thought about it, if the two major powers of the Southern Province were to die suddenly, it was obvious that it would cause a great disaster.

Moreover, if the leaders of the huge factions of the Osaek Gate and Dokpae Mountain Manor disappeared, Eom’s Gyeonggyo Association would rise to become the absolute power in the Southern Province.

In the midst of all that, if a guy they had never heard of appeared at the Moon Estate and took all three of their daughters, it would be like telling people that he was the one who killed the leaders of the opposing factions. If he was discovered by cultivators and something unpleasant happened, a half-baked cultivator like himself would have no way to avoid losing his life.

# 51