Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 5

Master Moon was very pleased with Han Li’s dedication to training, but he still felt that his progress was slow.

Recently, Master Moon’s health had deteriorated, and he coughed more frequently. The worse his condition became, the more attention he paid to Han Li’s training.

His tone revealed a sense of underlying impatience.

It was clear that Master Moon valued Han Li greatly.

Not only had he promised to give him more silver than the other disciples, but he also treated him as if he were the most precious treasure in the world.

However, Han Li, who had reached the third level of the Art of Everlasting Spring, had become extremely sensitive. Without even thinking about it, he could sometimes discern a hint of greed and longing in Master Moon’s affectionate gaze.

This sent shivers down Han Li’s spine. Master Moon’s expressions made him feel like he was being seen as an object rather than a person.

Over time, this troubled him, and he began to wonder if Master Moon wanted something from him.

But of course, that wasn’t the case. He could answer that clearly himself. He thought he was just too sensitive because he was so focused on his training. He even felt ungrateful.

However, a sense of caution remained hidden in his heart.

This feeling only grew stronger as time passed.

Now, Han Li faced a significant problem. The precious medicinal herbs that Master Moon had been giving him for years were almost gone.

Han Li was not a celestial being, so without these herbs, his training progress would inevitably stagnate. Although Master Moon had poured all his heart and wealth into helping him train, Han Li could not meet his expectations. Every time he saw Master Moon, he felt apologetic and uncomfortable.

What was truly strange was that Master Moon, who was highly skilled in martial arts, did not seem to grasp the details of Han Li’s training. He only checked his pulse to roughly gauge his progress.

Therefore, he was unaware that Han Li was in trouble. Feeling anxious, Han Li honestly told Master Moon about his lack of progress in his cultivation.

Upon hearing that Han Li had made no progress in his Art of Everlasting Spring training for the past year or two, Master Moon’s yellowish complexion turned pale, and his usually expressionless face became even more distorted.

However, Master Moon did not blame him. He simply told him that he would go down the mountain to find medicinal herbs and urged him not to neglect his training.

* * *

Two days later, Master Moon packed his herb-collecting tools and left the Seven Mysteries Sect alone. With Master Moon gone, Han Li was left alone.

His only senior brother and close friend, Jang Seok-Cheol, had suddenly disappeared two years ago when he reached the third level of the Elephant Skin Technique. [A martial arts technique focused on toughening the skin.]

He had only left a letter saying that he was going out into the martial world to gain experience. This incident caused a great stir in the Seven Mysteries Sect.

It was later revealed that only after Master Moon intervened did the person who recommended Jang Seok-Cheol and his family avoid punishment.

This was so sudden for Han Li that he struggled for several days. Han Li could only speculate that Jang Seok-Cheol had disappeared because he was too afraid of training in the fourth level of the Elephant Skin Technique.

* * *

After several days of fruitless training, Han Li left the Divine Hand Valley and began to wander around Sunset Mountain.

As he walked further, he faintly heard the sounds of weapons clashing and people shouting and cheering from the cliff side of the mountain.

Curious, Han Li headed towards the cliff where the sounds were coming from. There, he witnessed an incredible scene.

Below the cliff, hidden by trees, over a hundred people were gathered.

Some were even perched on the tall trees nearby, watching the spectacle. In the center of the crowd, two groups of people faced off, filled with animosity.

On the left, there were about a dozen people, and on the right, there were about six or seven.

Han Li noticed that both the spectators and the combatants were all children of similar age to him. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Among the crowd, he could easily pick out familiar faces.

“Man Geum-Bo, Jang Dae-Ro, Ma Woon, Son Ip-Song… And An Ddong is even fatter than before. It seems the chefs here are feeding him well. Ryu Cheol-Du is here too. Haha, his face used to be as black as coal, but now it’s as white as snow.”

Han Li chose a sturdy tree, climbed up, and muttered to himself as he looked at the familiar faces below.

* * *

On both sides, two boys were fighting with their bare fists, without any weapons. One of them was stocky and stable, with power in his fists and feet.

It was An Ddong, a friend he had recently become acquainted with. Although An Ddong was fat, he was not weak.

Every time he shouted and threw a punch, the wind from his fist whistled fiercely.

The other boy was rather small, with agile movements, like a mouse.

Instead of blocking An Ddong’s punches with his body, he was dodging and weaving. It seemed he was waiting for An Ddong to exhaust himself before seizing a decisive opportunity to counterattack.

Watching the two fight, Han Li’s heart naturally leaned towards his friend, An Ddong.

Seeing him still charging at his opponent with such ferocity, he felt relieved. Only then did he look around, searching for someone to ask what was going on. His eyes fell on a boy not far from him, on a rock, waving his arms and shouting loudly.

“Hit his head! Kick his waist! Ah! Just a little more! Yes! That’s it! Kick his butt! Go!”

Seeing the boy’s joyful face, it was clear that he was on An Ddong’s side. Han Li thought he was an interesting fellow and slowly climbed down the tree and approached him.

“Excuse me, senior brother, why are people gathered here fighting? Do you know them?”

Han Li asked with a gentle expression.

“What kind of question is that? Is there anyone that I, Master Know-It-All, don’t know? Of course, they are… Oh! But who are you? I don’t recognize your face. Are you a new recruit? No, it’s still half a year before new disciples arrive. Who are you?”

He was about to answer without thinking, but after carefully examining Han Li’s face, he spoke cautiously.

“I am Han Li. I am a close friend of An Ddong, who is fighting bravely over there,” Han Li replied politely.

“An Ddong’s friend? I know all of his friends, but I’ve never heard of you!” Master Know-It-All still seemed wary of him.

“Ah, I’ve been in secluded training for the past few years and haven’t been out for a long time. So it’s natural that you don’t know me, senior brother,” Han Li replied, mixing truth with falsehood.

“Really? Then you must be a disciple who came four years ago,” he said, glancing at Han Li’s uniform, seemingly believing him. After a brief chat, he couldn’t resist telling Han Li about the fight.

“It’s all because of a woman. It’s…”

He spoke without any shame of calling himself Master Know-It-All, and told the whole story of the fight. It turned out that the fight was between An Ddong’s cousin, An Yang, and Jang Jeong-Gwi, the son of a pawnshop owner from the same village. They were not close, but both were disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect. An Yang was engaged to a woman, but on her way home, Jang Jeong-Gwi saw her and was immediately captivated. Being wealthy, he showered her with affection and eventually won her over. The woman and her parents broke off the engagement with An Yang. An Yang, devastated that the woman he loved had been swayed by wealth, jumped into a river and took his own life.

An Ddong, who had been close to his cousin since childhood, was furious and challenged Jang Jeong-Gwi to a duel. The loser would have to bow his head and admit his wrongdoings. Although Jang Jeong-Gwi was arrogant, he knew that An Ddong was superior in martial arts. So, after several fights involving their friends, they decided to combine the results to determine the winner. An Ddong readily agreed.

This time, Jang Jeong-Gwi used his wealth to enlist the help of the most skilled and wealthy disciples. An Ddong, though not wealthy, had many connections within the sect. He had many friends from lower backgrounds, and some of them agreed to help him. Many disciples in the sect, hearing about the fight, came to watch, and both sides were gathered here, filled with animosity.

From the boy’s words, Han Li could see how serious the conflict was between the wealthy disciples and those from lower backgrounds. It was surprising that this fight had gathered so many people and supporters.

“You’re here to help An Ddong too, right? If they don’t follow the rules, let’s all attack them together. We’ll beat those young punks until they wet their pants, so they’ll never dare to look down on us again.”

Once his mouth started moving, it never stopped. Han Li suddenly thought that their conflict had nothing to do with him, and it was hard to say who was right and who was wrong. Through years of circulating his energy and meditation, he had shed much of his former hot-bloodedness and impulsiveness. Besides, he had never learned martial arts using fists or weapons, so he had no chance of winning against any of the disciples in the sect. He should just watch the fight and quietly return to the Divine Hand Valley.

“That’s it!” Suddenly, the boy shouted with a joyful face. Han Li also turned his head to look as soon as he heard the shout. In the end, An Ddong’s opponent couldn’t hold on. He failed to dodge An Ddong’s massive fist and was knocked unconscious with a blow to the forehead. One side erupted in cheers, while the other side looked grim. An Ddong, triumphant, waved his fists around and wiggled his butt. The tense atmosphere of the fight completely disappeared, and only laughter echoed.

Soon after, Jang Jeong-Gwi’s people came out and dragged the unconscious boy away. Then, one person from each side stepped forward. One was holding a saber, and the other was holding a sword. Without a word, the two began to fight, wielding their weapons.
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