Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 500

Han Li’s expression changed, and before the blue aura could be completely tainted, he forced it back into the small bottle and sealed it shut.

“Huu…”

It was fortunate his efforts hadn’t been wasted. He had managed to salvage some residual Gu poison, which was a decent find. Ten Severing Poison [a potent poison] wasn’t something easily obtained.

Knowing that the Gong family possessed such poison suggested they were no ordinary clan.

As he carefully tried to stow the poison in his storage pouch, he sensed something and sent a wisp of his consciousness toward Hongrangbu. Feng Yue was sitting cross-legged inside the carriage, clutching a fist-sized bead.

Dark energy was seeping from his palm into the bead, and countless medicine bottles were scattered before him. Han Li shook his head and withdrew his consciousness.

The bead that had caught his attention was an essence treasure [a magical artifact]. However, it had already absorbed too much poison and was nearing its limit. Feng Yue’s attempt to detoxify the Gu poison in just ten days was a futile effort.

Han Li closed his eyes and calmed his mind.

* * *

The next few days passed peacefully. Two insignificant low-level demonic beasts, Iron Claws, wandered into the village and became spoils for a few Core Formation cultivators.

Han Li, Feng Yue, and another Core Formation cultivator remained in their carriages the entire time.

Feng Yue was poisoned, so it was understandable, but Han Li was briefly curious about the other cultivator. He observed him for a moment, but he was just a late-twenties Foundation Establishment youth with nothing particularly remarkable about him.

Feng Yue’s repeated failures to detoxify the Gu poison caused his anger to turn into anxiety, and then into despair. His once black hair was turning completely white.

Who could understand the pain of facing death helplessly at such a young age?

It was even more surprising that the young man was still holding on without giving up. According to his calculations, the young man, the sole direct descendant of his family, had only two or three days left to live.

During this time, Han Li had completely mastered the incantation for the secret technique that the Great Yan Divine Monarch had taught him, which could temporarily release his seal. Now, even if his identity was exposed and he was attacked by Nascent Soul cultivators, he wouldn’t have to worry about escaping.

As night fell, hundreds of Core Formation villagers settled down by a large river that stretched for hundreds of yards. They were replenishing their water supply and taking a rest.

Han Li heard the sound of flowing water nearby and suddenly felt a need to stretch his legs, so he got out of the carriage.

“Immortal Master, is there anything you require?”

A girl named Youngsan, who was about to eat some dried meat, saw Han Li emerge and hid the meat behind her back. With a flushed face, she quickly bowed.

“No, I was just feeling stuffy from sitting in the carriage for too long and wanted to get some fresh air.”

Han Li replied gently, noticing the girl’s soft cheeks and the meat hidden behind her back.

“Then… shall I fetch you a cup of water?”

“Yes. Although I have long since given up worldly food, a cup of clear water now and then wouldn’t hurt.”

Han Li was gazing at the vast river flowing in the distance. At his words, the girl felt relieved and ran to the river with her water pouch.

Some people were building fires by the river, grilling mutton and beef. Han Li watched the girl’s slender back and smiled without realizing it, wondering what he was thinking.

After a while, the girl returned to Han Li with a water pouch in one hand and a piece of grilled meat in the other. She handed them over with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Immortal Master, the meat tastes good, would you like to try some?”

“Yes. It’s been a while, I suppose.”

Han Li chuckled and accepted the meat without refusing, taking a bite. It really didn’t taste bad. The girl’s smile at that sight was quite charming.

“You must be on your way to participate in the Awakening Ceremony [a ceremony to test spiritual aptitude]. You’ve worked hard guarding the carriage, so give me your hand. I’ll take a look at your aptitude.”

“Thank you.”

Youngsan was surprised by his words, then showed her joy and extended her arm.

Han Li took the girl’s wrist and circulated a bit of spiritual energy. If his cultivation hadn’t fallen to the Foundation Establishment level, he wouldn’t have needed to make contact to assess her spiritual root aptitude.

“Immortal Master Han, what is my aptitude? Can I become an immortal?”

The girl seemed a little impatient, her face full of anticipation.

“It’s not bad. Becoming an immortal shouldn’t be a problem. And since we’ve met, it must be fate, so take this and consume it before the Awakening Ceremony.”

Han Li turned his palm over and handed her a milky white small bottle.

“This is…”

The girl asked, puzzled, as she received the bottle.

“It’s not a precious elixir, but it will slightly improve your aptitude.”

“Thank you so much.”

The girl was truly delighted and bowed deeply.

“Get up. There’s still a long way to go, so take care of yourself. Oh, by the way, is this river a tributary of the Thousand Streams River that flows through the southern region?”

Han Li shifted his gaze from the girl and suddenly asked about the large river.

“Yes, it’s a tributary of the Thousand Streams River. If you go about a hundred miles further, you’ll see the main stream of the true Thousand Streams River.”

The girl carefully tucked the bottle into her bosom and answered happily. Han Li didn’t say anything, but he was recalling memories related to the Thousand Streams River.

According to his memories, the Thousand Streams River was very long, renowned as the longest river in the Tianlan Grasslands, and it was connected to the Sun River within the borders of the Great Jin.

Han Li was lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and looked in a certain direction.

“Go quickly and tell your chieftain that something is approaching. I can’t tell if it’s just passing by or coming here.”

He instructed the girl with a serious expression. Youngsan was startled and nodded repeatedly before running swiftly toward the elder.

Soon after, there was a commotion by the river, and everyone rushed back toward the carriages.

Most of them hadn’t even managed to hide behind the carriages when a green light flashed in the distant sky. Accompanied by a chilling cry, a huge green bat was seen approaching.

Its ferocious and terrifying appearance made the hearts of the common people tremble.

Several Core Formation cultivators from the village emerged from their carriages, their faces serious as they watched the approaching giant bat.

Han Li was not watching the bat, but the cultivators riding on it. Although they were still far away, everything was clear to his eyes, which were shimmering with a dark blue light.

There were eight cultivators, half men and half women. The men wore gold robes and jade belts, while the women wore white robes and gold belts. None of them were from the village.

The good thing was that, except for the two Core Formation cultivators in the front, the rest were all Foundation Establishment cultivators. Soon, the giant bat arrived above the village and stopped, flapping its wings.

The resulting gust of wind overturned several carriages, and the leather and goods-filled boxes were knocked over and broken, causing chaos. Of course, the common people couldn’t withstand the wind and fell to the ground.

“Who is the leader? Step forward.”

The man on the giant bat scanned the crowd and spoke coldly in the village’s language. He was one of the Core Formation cultivators. Next to him stood a woman in white, about twenty years old, with a beautiful face but an icy expression.

Elder Youngro’s heart sank, but he stepped out of the crowd and bowed.

“I’m not talking about a commoner like you, but an immortal.”

The man’s expression darkened. The giant bat suddenly flapped one of its wings, and the old man was pushed back repeatedly, almost falling on his backside.

The Core Formation cultivators who were watching felt a chill in their hearts. At this moment, everyone’s attention was focused on Han Li.

In the cultivation world, the leader was the one with the highest cultivation. Han Li felt uneasy inside. However, he soon noticed something strange.

Feng Yue and another Core Formation cultivator were still in their carriages. Of course, Feng Yue was about to die, so what did he have to fear from high-level cultivators? But it was strange that the other one, with only Foundation Establishment cultivation, was still holding out in the carriage.

‘Could it be that what they’re looking for is…’

“May I ask why the seniors have come all this way? If there’s anything you need, we’ll do our best to help.”

Han Li had no choice but to step forward and ask respectfully. However, the man looked at him coldly and ordered, noticing his bamboo hat.

“If you want to talk to me, take off that hat first.”

Han Li became even more uncomfortable at those words. But since he hadn’t shown his face when he fought the village’s cultivators before, he immediately took off his hat. A plain face was revealed.

The cultivators on the giant bat all stared at his face. They even seemed to be sensing his spiritual power, checking if he was using some secret technique to disguise his face.

“It’s his real face. He doesn’t seem to be the traitor.”

After a while, the middle-aged man said to the woman in white next to him. The woman nodded and scanned the village’s cultivators.

At this moment, the man said to Han Li.

“Tell all the immortals to come out. There’s someone we’re looking for, and it seems he’s hiding among you. Once we find him, we’ll let you go.”

As the man spoke, he sent a low voice transmission, and the six Foundation Establishment men and women on the giant bat jumped down and flew toward the carriages where Feng Yue and the other cultivator were hiding.

The two carriages were silent, and those watching gasped in surprise. In particular, the faces of the Hongrangbu chieftain and another village chieftain turned exceptionally pale.

Han Li merely narrowed his brows and didn’t say anything.

At that moment, the man on the giant bat, seeing no movement from the carriages, sneered and turned his palm over, throwing several fist-sized fireballs at the carriages. Then, a voice finally came from inside the carriage.

“Commander Go! Why do you insist on chasing me down to kill me even after I’ve fled all the way to the Tianlan Grasslands!”

At the same time, the carriage shattered, and a white chill burst out, hitting the fireballs and extinguishing them. A brave-looking young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old appeared, holding a pure white crystal bead in one hand.

The cultivators on the giant bat recognized him and showed expressions of joy.

“Kang Jianying, so the Snow Crystal Bead was indeed in your hands! The Palace Lord ordered you to take it to Old Man Beixuan of the Northern Cold Mountain, yet you ran away with it? If you obediently return with us, we’ll leave your soul intact.”

The man wiped the smile off his face and shouted maliciously. At the same time, the six Foundation Establishment cultivators flashed their figures and blocked the young man on both sides.

“You want me to go to Old Man Beixuan? Isn’t that the same as becoming his sacrifice! You think I don’t know that I was sent because I have an ice-attribute spiritual root, which is useful for the Ice Demon to make beads! Going there willingly would be madness!”

“So what if that’s the case? Your current cultivation is only possible because you consumed various elixirs from the palace. If not for that, you would have already turned into bones and left this world! Besides, you married a wife and had a child in the palace, so you should be grateful.”

The Core Formation woman, who had been silent, spoke coldly.

“Don’t talk nonsense. With my ice-attribute dual spiritual root, any cultivation family would have taken me in as a disciple. Besides, what does marrying a wife and having a child have to do with anything?”

The young man sneered and unhesitatingly injected spiritual energy into the pure white crystal in his hand, forming a protective barrier of cold air with white energy.

“So you harbored such rebellious thoughts, which is why you abandoned your wife and children and ran away. Do you think you can withstand all of us with just the Snow Crystal Bead?”

The woman said expressionlessly and raised one hand. The six Foundation Establishment disciples each took out a red flag and threw them out. The flags ignited with red flames and merged into one.

A small cloud of fire appeared and began to press down.

# 502