Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 507

Two days later, the Second Miss sent a maid to summon Han Li.

Han Li naturally didn’t refuse, and he finally met the person known as the Second Miss in a large room on the ship.

She waved her hand to dismiss the other servants, then smiled at him.

“Brother Han, you must also be a member of a Daoist sect? I am called Jo Mongyong, and I am a disciple of the Hyeonok Dao. Which sect do you belong to, Brother Han?”

The woman asked with an extremely polite attitude.

In her view, Han Li showed no signs of demonic or Buddhist energy within his body, nor did he display the righteous aura of Confucianism, so she deduced that he was a Daoist.

“Hyeonok Dao?”

Han Li frowned and searched his memory, but he had never heard of such a name. However, apart from the ten major sects and the ten major demonic sects, he knew little about the other sects of the Great Jin, so it was only natural.

“Our sect is a small sect in Ryo Province, so it’s understandable that you don’t know of it, Cultivator Han.”

“No, I am just a wandering cultivator, so I am not yet familiar with the Great Jin cultivation world. Please don’t mind it too much.”

Han Li clasped his hands in apology, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“Ah, is that so? I also haven’t been away from my sect for long. It’s truly commendable that you have such deep cultivation at such a young age.”

“I was lucky. If I hadn’t encountered a fortuitous opportunity, it would have been difficult to reach my current level.”

Han Li glossed over the matter. The woman changed the subject after hearing Han Li’s answer.

“But how did you end up being sealed in ice? Did you encounter a powerful enemy?”

“That’s right. I am truly grateful for your kindness in saving me.”

Han Li smiled wryly, indicating that he didn’t want to explain in detail.

“It’s nothing. Even if I hadn’t saved you, you would have come out when the ice melted eventually. It’s just that if you were floating around in the ice like that, ordinary people would have been greatly surprised, so I interfered unnecessarily.

Besides, aren’t cultivators from small sects and wandering cultivators supposed to help each other out?”

Looking at the woman’s earnest face, Han Li was a little puzzled but simply nodded.

“Brother Han, is your recovery going well? If you are alright, would you be willing to stay on our ship for a few more days? I would like to seek guidance from a cultivator for my cultivation.”

“I don’t have anything else to do for a while, so I will stay for a few more days. Guidance is too grand a term; if it’s about exchanging experiences and insights, I am always willing.”

Han Li thought for a moment and readily accepted her offer.

Jo Mongyong was overjoyed. She had left her sect early due to a lack of talent and had not received in-depth guidance, so she was naturally delighted that Han Li, who had higher cultivation than her, would guide her.

After setting a time to meet, Han Li chatted with the woman for a while before getting up to leave.

“Kid, why did you say you would stay for a few more days? You should be finding a place with spiritual veins to recover your cultivation.”

Daeyun Shingun couldn’t help but question him as soon as he returned to his room.

“Of course, I need to find a place with spiritual veins. But aren’t such places already occupied by the large and small sects of the Great Jin?

It seems there are far more cultivators in the Great Jin than I expected, so it’s very dangerous to wander around with this level of cultivation. I can’t just die on the street before I have a way to protect myself.”

Han Li replied calmly.

“So, you mean…”

“With the pills and a few spiritual treasures I have, I should be able to raise my cultivation back to the Foundation Establishment stage within a year. It won’t be too late to find a way to resolve the killing intent then.

Although that woman seems to have other intentions, her cultivation is shallow, and she doesn’t seem to have any malice, so I plan to take this time to understand the Great Jin cultivation world before making a move. Since I’ve already arrived in the Great Jin, it won’t make much difference if I delay for a year or two.”

“Do as you wish. But I don’t have much time left, so I’m worried. After all, it will take quite a bit of time to gather the materials.”

Daeyun Shingun seemed worried.

“Don’t worry. As soon as I resolve the killing intent, I will do my best to find the materials you want. But the best way would be to borrow the power of a sect to gather them.”

“How can you borrow the power of a sect? This isn’t the Heavenly South, and you can’t act as an elder here. The large sects won’t even look at you, and the small sects won’t be of much help in finding precious materials.”

“Let’s think about the specifics as we go. It’s possible that they might come to me on their own without me having to look for them.”

He finished his conversation with Daeyun Shingun and took out the formation flags from his storage pouch, setting up a simple restriction. Then, he sat cross-legged on the bed and took a pill.

* * *

On a small mountain west of Shinan City in Ryo Province, two women wearing blue Daoist robes were walking side by side.

Each time their white-light-emitting toes brushed the ground, they moved forward several feet. Because their robes were long and their movements were small, they looked like they were flying at low altitude from a distance.

“Senior Sister Ro, do you really think Master will help us? Even if we help Junior Sister Jo, I’m worried we can’t deal with that guy from the Seoryeong Sect. I heard he’s at the eighth level of Qi Condensation and is highly trusted by the sect leader of the Seoryeong Sect.

We’re only at the sixth and seventh levels, so if he brings someone of the same level, we won’t be a match. If we lose, Junior Sister Jo won’t be able to stop him from interfering… If he rescues that person, it’s a crime against the government, and won’t that bring trouble to Junior Sister Jo’s father?”

The woman, who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, spoke to the older woman. “Our Daoist sect is not supposed to interfere with government affairs! Junior Sister Jo is just a nominal disciple of our Hyeonok Dao, and Master only taught her a few basic spells, so it’s natural that he wouldn’t get involved.

Anyway, the government also employs some low-level cultivators to handle matters related to cultivators. This time, that guy from the Seoryeong Sect came to our Hyeonok Dao himself, knowing about Junior Sister Jo’s relationship with our sect, so we couldn’t just sit idly by.

Master refused his request to punish Junior Sister Jo, saying she was just a nominal disciple, and called us two to tell us that he would corner Junior Sister Jo. He knows we’re close to Junior Sister Jo and wants us to help her. Otherwise, he could have just used a spirit bird to send a message, but he specifically had us two go. Senior Sister Seo and the others have higher cultivation but aren’t close to Junior Sister Jo, so they wouldn’t help. So, Master did his best. The Seoryeong Sect and our Hyeonok Dao also have some connections, so it would be difficult for an elder to openly side with Junior Sister Jo.”

The gentle-looking woman sighed.

“When Jo Hyeonwi worked near our Daoist temple, he seemed like a very nice person. He was always respectful to Master, so I think it’s too much to let him suffer because of this.”

The younger one grumbled as if she couldn’t stand it.

“It’s all her fate. Even if she lets a criminal escape, Hyeonwi isn’t directly responsible, so at most, she’ll just lose her position. It’s not a crime punishable by death. By the way, Junior Sister Jo is quite something. Even after hearing the news, she asked us to meet her here. Could it be that she already has a plan?”

“We’ll reach the top of the mountain soon, so we can just ask her directly.”

“You’re right.”

With that, the two women quickened their pace and arrived at the top of the mountain shortly after. There was a newly built thatched house in the clearing at the top, and a man and a woman were sitting at a table in a stone pavilion, talking.

When the two women arrived, the man stopped talking first and turned his head.

“Cultivator Jo, it seems the people you were waiting for have arrived.”

The man smiled and stood up. The girl turned her head to confirm the women and, with a happy expression, quickly got up.

“Senior Sisters, you’ve come! I’m so glad.”

“Junior Sister, you seem to be doing well? Oh, your cultivation has increased by one level? Congratulations!”

The older woman smiled brightly as she walked over, then looked a little surprised after confirming Junior Sister Jo’s cultivation.

“I barely managed to do it a few days ago. I’m still far behind you, Senior Sisters.”

“Junior Sister Jo, which sect is this cultivator from, and why is his cultivation so high? It seems like he’s almost at the tenth level?”

The younger senior sister looked at the man with curiosity and exclaimed in surprise. At her words, the older senior sister also turned her head and quickly looked at him.

“I am called Han Li. I am a wandering cultivator and a guest of the Jo family.”

“Is that so! No wonder Junior Sister was so calm; it was because Brother Han was here. With this, even Oh Hyowoo won’t be able to do anything.”

The older senior sister looked relieved.

“Senior Sisters, let’s sit down and talk. Although Brother Han is a wandering cultivator, he is very experienced and has been a great help to my cultivation.”

Jo Mongyong led the two women to the pavilion and said with a smile.

“Ah, in that case, we would also like to ask for your guidance…”

The women were about to continue the conversation after sitting down when suddenly a sound came from the bottom of the mountain.

“It seems that’s him.”

“How did he know about this place? He’s so fast!”

The two women were surprised and stood up at the same time.

“Senior Sisters, don’t be alarmed. A few days ago, Cultivator Oh came looking for me, so with Brother Han’s consent, we agreed to meet here today.”

“We hurried as much as we could. It seems we were a step late.”

The older senior sister was surprised but also relieved after seeing Han Li. With a cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Condensation, what was there to fear from a challenge from an eighth-level cultivator?

At that moment, a white light flew towards the top of the mountain, and they could faintly feel two people flying side by side.

“A flying magic tool? To have such a magic tool… Who is the other one?”

The younger senior sister muttered in surprise. Jo Mongyong and the other woman also exchanged glances, showing signs of worry.

Compared to other magic tools of similar grade, flying magic tools were rare. The price of a low-level flying magic tool was higher than that of a typical mid-level magic tool, so low-level cultivators would not have that many spirit stones.

If someone possessed a flying magic tool, it was likely something given to them by their sect.

The two men appeared with a menacing aura, but Han Li glanced at them once without any change in his expression.

It had already been eight or nine months since he had escaped the ice with Jo Mongyong’s help.

His injuries were not as severe as he had thought, and after taking pills and recuperating, he had regained his Foundation Establishment cultivation in just half a year. Although his vitality was severely damaged and he had not fully recovered, he had recovered enough to survive in the cultivation world.

Of course, Jo Mongyong’s cultivation was not enough to notice his changes.

During his stay, she often came to him to ask about difficulties or problems she had in her cultivation.

For Han Li, who had mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, guiding a Qi Condensation cultivator’s insights was too simple. Just a few words from him were a great help to her.

Jo Mongyong was delighted and became even more respectful towards him. Surprisingly, in that short time, she had advanced from the third to the fourth level of Qi Condensation and almost treated him as her teacher.