Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 53

“Judging by how you’re asking about the mundane affairs of the cultivation world, Senior, could it be that you’ve just descended the mountain and are embarking on your first journey?”

The boy’s eyes widened as if a sudden realization struck him, and he asked abruptly. In response, Han-lip patted the boy’s shoulder, offering an apology.

“I had no intention of deceiving you, Little Brother, but I haven’t been in the cultivation world for long either, so I was cautious and reserved my words.”

“Aww, it’s alright! But you still have to tell me your name, right? From now on, just call me So-san, and you can speak casually with me.”

“Haha! Alright, I’m Han-lip. Since I haven’t been in the cultivation world for long, I’ll need a lot of help from you, Brother So-san.”

Han-lip also felt a fondness for Man So-san’s easygoing attitude, and his tone became more friendly.

“Of course. Ask me anything, Brother Han! Hehe! I never thought the day would come when I, Man So-san, would be teaching others!”

“If I have anything to ask, I’ll definitely ask So-san. But shouldn’t we hurry and enter the valley?”

Han-lip smiled, pointing towards the sky.

“Oh no! I forgot about the important matter!”

Man So-san followed Han-lip’s gaze to the sky, then began to fidget. After rummaging through his clothes for a while, the boy finally pulled out a talisman from his pocket. He drew a stroke on the talisman with his finger, then muttered something in a low voice and tossed it into the air. The talisman transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the mist.

“Brother Han, please wait a moment. Once the Sound Transmission Talisman [a talisman used for communication] reaches the valley, they’ll release the formation and let us in.”

“I see.”

The boy gave a simple explanation and then spoke again.

“Brother Han, since you’ve come to Tae-nam Valley, you must have brought items to exchange, right? I have a bundle of low-grade blank talismans, low-grade concealment talismans, two Earth Escape Talismans, one low-grade mid-level linked thunder talisman, a bundle of low-grade ice bomb talismans, a lump of iron ore, a bottle of low-grade cinnabar, a bundle of three-tailed cat whiskers, medicinal herbs……”

Man So-san, oblivious to Han-lip’s stunned silence, continued to list a pile of items, counting them off on his fingers.

“That’s all. Now it’s your turn, Brother Han! Huh? Brother Han, why is your face so pale?”

The boy blinked, looking at Han-lip as if he didn’t understand what was going on.

“Do you really need to bring all those things to enter Tae-nam Valley?”

“There’s no such rule, but……”

Man So-san answered clearly, and for a moment, Han-lip’s complexion seemed to improve.

“But since you’ve come to Tae-nam Valley, you should participate in the Tae-nam Gathering. It’s a grand event held only once every five years where the young people of Namju exchange various items. Moreover, this time, the Ascension Tournament is also being held in Namju, so even more people will gather. Surely, Brother Han, you came here after hearing about the fame of the Tae-nam Gathering?”

The boy looked at Han-lip with disbelief, and Han-lip could only force a wry smile.

“Brother So-san, I had no idea there was such a thing as the Tae-nam Gathering here. I only knew that cultivators resided here and came to interact with them. So how could I have prepared anything?”

“Oh, I see! That’s a real shame. Brother Han, you’re missing out on such a good opportunity. It’s really hard to find items or materials that you lack.”

‘Still, it’s not like I have nothing to exchange. At least I have two talismans, right?’

Han-lip thought self-deprecatingly. Just then, the dense fog in front of Han-lip suddenly disappeared, revealing a path.

“Alright! Let’s go now.”

The excited boy took the lead, and Han-lip slowly followed. Although it looked long, they soon reached the end of the path. As the path ended, the scene before them suddenly brightened, revealing a lush green valley.

The valley was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the only exit was the misty slope that Han-lip had just come from. The area was quite large, almost a hundred mu [a Chinese unit of area], and in the center, there was a palace-style pavilion with a huge jade staircase, where people in various attire were coming and going.

In front of the pavilion, there was a wide square paved with bricks, where numerous people had set up stalls like small merchants, selling their wares. People were gathered in front of each stall, looking at the items or asking a few questions, but actual transactions were rarely seen.

Seeing this scene, Han-lip sighed. He was overwhelmed by the sight of so many cultivators at once.

Han-lip lightly shook his head to clear his mind. From now on, a new world that he had never experienced before would unfold. And the people here were all powerful enough to easily eliminate him. He had to be cautious and act prudently.

Han-lip turned his head to look at the entrance that had disappeared, and then started walking again.

* * *

He had only taken a few steps when he heard someone calling him from afar.

“Over here, Brother Han!”

Han-lip turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw Man So-san waving at him from beside an old man wearing a blue robe. Seeing Man So-san, Han-lip quickened his pace and approached.

“This is the Azure-Faced True Person of Tae-nam Valley. He’s a close friend of my father and co-hosts this Tae-nam Gathering with some other elders.”

As Han-lip got closer, Man So-san introduced the old man. He couldn’t help but take a closer look at the True Person in the blue robe. The old man was tall and thin, with broad shoulders and large hands. The blue robe he wore gave off an air of a celestial being. However, his face was mottled with blue, giving him a slightly strange appearance.

“I met Brother Han outside the valley. He’s an independent cultivator, but we get along very well. Please take good care of him, Uncle.”

As the boy spoke to the old man, the Azure-Faced True Person also looked at Han-lip, narrowing his eyes.

“Young friend, you’ve done well in cultivating a wood-attribute technique. To have already reached the eighth level at such a young age is rare even within cultivation families.”

At the True Person’s praise, Han-lip inwardly smiled wryly. If he hadn’t consumed a large amount of spirit pills, he would be struggling between the third and fourth levels, let alone the eighth. However, he outwardly maintained a humble demeanor.

“You flatter me, Elder Qing. I was just lucky.”

The Azure-Faced True Person nodded calmly and then immediately turned his gaze to Man So-san.

“You rascal, your family members have already arrived and are waiting for you.”

“Don’t tell me my seventh sister and ninth brother are here too? Their nagging is the scariest. Can’t I just not go?”

Upon hearing the Azure-Faced True Person’s words, Man So-san looked distressed and asked with a glimmer of hope.

“What do you think?”

“I guess not?”

In the end, Man So-san lowered his head.

“Tsk, tsk. To dare to deceive your family and secretly run away. If you had met a cultivator with a wicked heart along the way, you might have already lost your life!”

While scolding the boy, the Azure-Faced True Person glanced sideways at Han-lip.

‘That old man clearly knows that I’m a cultivator with a wicked heart. He thinks I deliberately approached Man So-san. Ha. I thought I had finally met a likable young master from a cultivation family, but I guess I have to stay away for a while! Otherwise, I might be harmed by this Azure-Faced True Person.’

Han-lip, who was listening to the conversation, couldn’t possibly not understand the old man’s intentions.

“Since Brother Man has to go meet his family, I’ll take a look around here. Let’s talk again when we have the chance.”

Reluctantly, Han-lip clasped his hands and bowed to Man So-san and the Azure-Faced True Person.

“Aww, there’s no need to leave so quickly. There are people I wanted to introduce you to……”

“This friend seems to have other business, so don’t bother him.”

As Man So-san tried to stop Han-lip from leaving, the Azure-Faced True Person quickly grabbed him and cut him off. Seeing this, Han-lip simply gave Man So-san a bright smile and continued walking towards the square. And the boy, like a prisoner being dragged to the execution ground, slowly followed the Azure-Faced True Person towards the pavilion.

In fact, Han-lip wasn’t particularly upset by the Azure-Faced True Person’s treatment. It was only natural for someone to be suspicious if their family member had made a friend whose background was unknown.

Especially if it was a famous clan in the cultivation world like the Man family, there was no need to say more.

Still, Han-lip truly had no ill intentions towards Man So-san. He simply wanted to understand the situation in the cultivation world with his help. Now that the Azure-Faced True Person had intervened and drawn a line, it was time to act cautiously. As he was thinking about this and that, he reached the square.

The stalls run by cultivators surrounded the area, arranged in two lines, forming a shape resembling the character ‘回’ [a Chinese character meaning ‘return’]. Those who were looking at the items were walking around in groups of a few people, similar to a market in the mortal world.

As time passed, more and more people gathered in the square. New stalls were set up, and the number of people looking around increased, making the square even more crowded. Han-lip didn’t enter the square but instead quietly observed the cultivators coming and going.

The people running the stalls and those looking to buy items were all young people, around their teens or twenties. There was no one who looked over thirty.

Then, Man So-san’s words came to mind, and he remembered that this Tae-nam Gathering was an event for the younger generation held once every five years.

That meant that there were no high-level cultivators here. The Azure-Faced True Person he had met earlier was only here because he was one of the organizers.

This thought made Han-lip feel much more at ease. Dealing with older people was really difficult, and they could easily dispose of him. However, it wasn’t like the cultivators in front of him were weak. Han-lip was only about average among them, and he often saw high-level cultivators similar to Nam Ui-in, whom he had seen before.

* * *

“Why are you standing here alone, Senior?”

A clear voice suddenly rang out.

Han-lip slowly turned his body and saw six or seven people standing not far away.

Among them, a cultivator dressed in a Taoist robe, who looked to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven, had spoken.

He had a very fair face with distinct features, and he was holding a horsetail whisk in his arm, smiling at Han-lip.

“What is it, Taoist Master?”

Without immediately answering the other party’s question, Han-lip asked back with an expressionless face.

“Haha! Please don’t misunderstand. We didn’t come looking for you with any ill intentions. We just guessed that you might be an independent cultivator participating in the Tae-nam Gathering alone. We are all independent cultivators as well.”

“You’re all independent cultivators?”

Han-lip was puzzled as the Taoist Master showed goodwill.

“Yes. If you’re also an independent cultivator, why don’t you join us? That way, we can get to know each other at this gathering.”

This time, it was a young woman with a scar who spoke. Next to her stood a man with a full beard, who seemed to be her husband.

“That’s right. In the past, independent cultivators who participated in such gatherings alone had no power and were often humiliated by the clans.”

The Taoist Master’s expression became solemn as he finished speaking. As the two took turns persuading him, Han-lip understood their intentions.

The independent cultivators who had joined the gathering this time had formed a group to avoid being bullied by others.

That was why they had spoken to an independent cultivator like him who was wandering alone.
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