Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 51

After a long while, Seok Cheol-woo finally spoke.

“Ah!”

He suddenly exclaimed, his face lighting up with joy.

“I remember what the female immortal said! Before the Immortal Gathering, she mentioned going to a place called Taenam Valley. It seemed like she was meeting another immortal there!”

“Taenam Valley?”

Han-lip muttered the name a few times, but he didn’t recognize it. He then turned to look at Son I-gu. If it was a place in this region, the local would surely know about it.

“There’s no such place in Gawon Fortress. If there were a mountain valley with that name, I would definitely remember it,” Son I-gu said, shaking his head with a troubled expression.

“Are you sure you didn’t misremember?”

“Absolutely not! I clearly remember the female immortal saying that if they traveled for another half-day, they could meet her friend in Taenam Valley!”

Seok Cheol-woo quickly affirmed, as if making an oath, when Han-lip’s tone became sharp.

‘Half a day! For ordinary people, that would be near Gawon Fortress, but for two people traveling on winged mounts, the distance would be much greater. Still, it shouldn’t be far enough to leave the Namju region.’

“Do you know of any place in the entire Namju region that uses the name Taenam or Taenam Valley?”

“Taenam Temple!”

“Taenam Mountain!”

As soon as Han-lip, who had returned to his gentle demeanor, finished speaking, the two men shouted almost simultaneously.

“There are two places called Taenam?” Han-lip muttered, as if his head was aching.

“Master! No, they’re all in the same area.”

“The Taenam Temple is on top of Taenam Mountain,” Son I-gu quickly corrected Han-lip, and Seok Cheol-woo added, not wanting to be left out.

“Ah! That’s right. That must be the place.”

“But Master, I’ve never heard of a place called Taenam Valley in that area. Could it be that he misheard?” Son I-gu questioned, but Han-lip simply smiled.

“No, this is definitely the place.”

‘You wouldn’t know since you’re not cultivators. It’s probably the residence of some cultivator.’

Han-lip calmed his excited heart.

“So, where is this Taenam Mountain?”

“Master, Taenam Mountain is located at the southernmost tip of Namju, about forty li [approximately 20 kilometers] west of Gwangwi Fortress.”

“Son I-gu! Go back and give Seok Cheol-woo the position of deputy head. I know you’re not comfortable with it, but since I made a promise, I must keep it.”

Han-lip instructed Son I-gu, who was politely answering his questions.

“That can’t be! I will follow your orders, Master. I have no other intentions!” Son I-gu exclaimed, startled and pale, at Han-lip’s words.

“There’s no need to be surprised. I’ve been watching everything you’ve done. This bottle contains an antidote that will completely remove the poison from your body. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. This is also something I promised. Know that I do not discriminate against people or deceive others.”

He took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and handed it to Son I-gu. Son I-gu, who received the antidote, couldn’t hide his joy. In fact, just thinking about the Corrupting Heart Pill he had been carrying had been making him lose his appetite and have sleepless nights.

“Thank you, Master! Thank you! I will dedicate my entire being to serving you!” Son I-gu said, his words of gratitude flowing out as he received the medicine bottle.

Now that he had to leave Gawon Fortress for a while, if Son I-gu showed any signs of betraying him later, he could just eliminate him and find someone else. Besides, although it wasn’t very useful now, Han-lip considered the Sapyung Gang as his last resort. A rabbit digs three burrows to prepare for any possible disaster, as they say.

Han-lip knew that blind loyalty didn’t exist. Conversely, betraying without any reason was also strange. To gain someone’s loyalty, it was most useful to use both carrots and sticks.

Therefore, by giving Son I-gu the antidote this time, Han-lip could make Son I-gu maintain his loyal appearance for longer, and on the other hand, he could set an example for Seok Cheol-woo, leaving the impression that rewards and punishments were certain. After thinking all of this, Han-lip delivered another piece of news that would make Son I-gu jump for joy.

“For a while, I will keep Gok-hon by your side to protect you. But you must never take this as an opportunity to act rashly. Although Gok-hon is strong, you must remember that there are countless extraordinary people in the world. If you are greedy, you might bring disaster upon yourself!”

“Yes! I will keep that in mind. I will never use Gok-hon as I please, so please don’t worry, Master,” Son I-gu said, nodding repeatedly like a bird pecking at grain, as Han-lip gave him a serious warning.

“Now, all of you leave. I will be gone for a while, so there’s no need to look for me for some time.”

Han-lip waved his hand, dismissing the two men. As Son I-gu and Seok Cheol-woo respectfully left the room as ordered, Han-lip was left alone in the room, lost in thought.

‘What kind of person is the cultivator in Taenam Valley? What if I go there and end up in a dangerous situation?’

The sun and moon rose and set without stopping, and two months passed like a flash. And within Gawon Fortress, Han-lip disappeared without a trace, and didn’t reveal his whereabouts for a long time.

* * *

Gwangwi Fortress was located at the southernmost tip of Namju and was not a large fortress, only one-fifth the size of Gawon Fortress. However, it was surrounded by mountains on three sides and had a lake, making the scenery beautiful. In addition, many rare fruits that couldn’t be found elsewhere grew there, so people with some money came to enjoy the scenery, making it quite well-known.

Taenam Mountain was located west of Gwangwi Fortress and was the fourth highest mountain in Namju. And at the top of that mountain, a temple was built, which was Taenam Temple. This place was famous for its accurate fortune-telling, so even high-ranking officials didn’t hesitate to visit every year to burn incense and make wishes.

At this time, a figure was sitting cross-legged at the foot of Taenam Mountain, under a large tree. He was holding something that emitted a red light in both hands, bringing it close to his dantian [energy center below the navel] and then moving it away repeatedly.

“Hah.”

Suddenly, his body trembled and he groaned softly, and the object he was holding in his hand lost its red glow. It was surprisingly a blue jade. The jade was clear and transparent, and it even emitted a faint light, so anyone could tell that it was an extraordinary object.

As he slowly lifted the blue jade that he had placed near his abdomen and looked up at the sky, the face of a young man was revealed. It was Han-lip, who had disappeared from Gawon Fortress. He lowered his head again, looked at the object in his hand, and let out a silly laugh.

After obtaining the Warm Yang Jade, Han-lip had been working tirelessly to remove the poison that had seeped into his body. The process of removing the poison was not easy, and he had to suffer from pain that felt like his bones were freezing. Just thinking about it made him shudder. But today, he had finally eradicated the root of the poison.

Still, the Warm Yang Jade was indeed a great treasure, and surprisingly, it was very effective in removing the poison by absorbing his spiritual energy. Han-lip carefully placed the Warm Yang Jade into the empty wooden box he had been carrying and packed it away.

After getting up, he moved his stiff limbs and recalled what had happened two months ago. That day, after completing all his plans, he went straight to the Moon Bureau and collected information about the Poison Tyrant Manor and Gu Yang Bi-cheon. And without resting day or night, he rode the fine horse they had provided and arrived at the Poison Tyrant Manor.

Thanks to several days of reconnaissance and infiltration, Han-lip was able to seize the opportunity when Gu Yang Bi-cheon came out alone to stroll and admire the moon. Without even taking out other magical treasures, he used a sword talisman [a paper charm imbued with magical power] to cut off his head.

The whole process flowed like water. He even examined the corpse to make sure that the person he had killed was indeed Gu Yang Bi-cheon. Han-lip was relieved when he saw that all the scars and moles on his body matched, and then he took Gu Yang Bi-cheon’s head back to Gawon Fortress.

It was only when he returned to the Moon Bureau and handed Gu Yang Bi-cheon’s head to Madam Eom that he heard that Gu Yang Manor Lord had mastered the famous external martial art, the Overlord Armor, which made his whole body impervious to swords and blades. Madam Eom was also very surprised that he had cut off the head of Gu Yang Bi-cheon, who was difficult to even injure severely.

Only after hearing Madam Eom’s story did Han-lip understand everything. The opponent had thought that the sword talisman he had sent was a kind of hidden weapon, and believing in his external martial arts, he hadn’t even thought of dodging it. Therefore, he hadn’t been able to retaliate even once and had lost his life at Han-lip’s hands.

The rest was even simpler. Madam Eom confirmed that it was Gu Yang Bi-cheon’s head and exchanged it for the jade and the antidote. After obtaining the jade, Han-lip left the Moon Bureau and came to Taenam Mountain, despite Madam Eom’s earnest pleas for him to stay. Han-lip had been focusing on detoxification while also pondering how he could interact with the cultivator of Taenam Valley.

He was hesitant to go there without a plan, as he didn’t know whether the other party was evil or righteous. If the cultivators residing there were evil people pursuing demonic ways, it would be like going there to beg them to kill him. So, after arriving at Taenam Mountain, Han-lip first inquired about strange rumors or ghost stories related to Taenam Mountain from the villagers nearby.

According to the villagers, there was indeed a mysterious mountainside on the north side of Taenam Mountain that was shrouded in rumors. It was said that the area was always covered in a thick fog that coiled like a dragon, and if you stepped into it, you couldn’t see an inch ahead.

In fact, it was common for fog to hang over high mountains like Taenam Mountain, but it was a mysterious phenomenon that such dense fog was always present only in that particular area.

Strange things would happen there. Those who entered the fog would immediately lose their way and wander around, only to find themselves back at the same place they had entered. When many villagers tried to uncover the secret of the place, those who entered the fog began to wander for two or three days before emerging from the fog, emaciated. After that, the villagers never went there again, and the strange mountainside disappeared from people’s interest.

After hearing all the stories, Han-lip was convinced.

The strange mountainside was the place he was looking for. Even if it wasn’t Taenam Valley, it was clearly the residence of a cultivator. What made him feel even more relieved was that, according to the villagers’ descriptions, the owner of the place wasn’t malicious or cruel. If they didn’t try to kill Han-lip on sight, there was definitely room for him to interact with them.

Nevertheless, Han-lip didn’t go there immediately and instead cleanly resolved the remaining issues with his body. He needed to be in the best possible condition to face the cultivator, so that he could escape even if something unpleasant happened.

* * *

He immediately left the forest and walked towards a nearby village. As Han-lip arrived at the entrance of the village, a boy who looked to be about sixteen years old was talking to the villagers with a happy expression.

Han-lip used his Heavenly Eye Technique [a technique to see spiritual energy] to observe the boy, preparing for the possibility that an outsider might be wary.

The boy, dressed in white, was surrounded by a faint spiritual light, and judging by its brightness, he was clearly a cultivator slightly weaker than himself.

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