Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 542

After a short while, the barrier behind the disciples trembled, revealing a mountain gate spanning over a dozen feet. Several cultivators appeared, scanned Han Li, and then, with a drastic change in expression, quickly approached him.

An old man in a yellow silk robe quickly bowed to Han Li.

“I am Ak Jin, the sect leader of the Heavenly Talisman Sect. It is an honor to have a senior visit such a humble place.”

He had seen a few Nascent Soul stage cultivators before, and when he sensed a similar powerful aura from Han Li, he was terrified. A Nascent Soul cultivator could kill them all in an instant.

“There’s no need to be alarmed. I came because I was asked to.”

Han Li smiled, noticing their unease.

“Asked to? I am ignorant and do not understand what you mean, but please come inside and we can talk. I will guide you.”

Ak Jin relaxed a little and invited Han Li inside.

“Alright, let’s do that. This matter can’t be explained in just a few words.”

“Yes, this way please.”

Ak Jin happily led the way, and Han Li began to ascend the mountain through the gate.

Mount Baekjuk wasn’t very high, and there weren’t many buildings within the sect. Aside from a main hall and a few pavilions, the rest were living quarters for the disciples. Ak Jin led Han Li to the main hall building.

Inside, two middle-aged cultivators, not wearing the Heavenly Talisman Sect’s robes, were waiting for him. Upon seeing Han Li, their expressions changed drastically, and they quickly rose from their chairs and bowed.

Han Li calmly waved his hand and quietly sat down in a chair.

The other cultivators didn’t dare to sit with him and remained standing. Ak Jin spoke to the two cultivators.

“We have a distinguished guest visiting our sect, so I think we should discuss matters another time.”

“Of course, a senior has come to visit.”

“Yes. Elder Noh and I will take our leave first.”

The two cultivators quickly replied, bowed to Han Li, and then left the main hall. Almost simultaneously, a white light entered the hall from outside, revealing an old man in a white robe.

Ak Jin and the other cultivators bowed with delighted expressions, greeting him with titles such as ‘Uncle On’ or ‘Senior Uncle On.’

The old man saw Han Li and immediately changed his expression, quickly clasping his hands in greeting.

“I heard from my disciples that someone had come to visit our sect, but I didn’t realize it was a Nascent Soul senior. I have committed a great discourtesy by not going out to greet you personally.”

The only elder of the Heavenly Talisman Sect was extremely polite.

Ak Jin and the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, upon hearing the old man’s words, looked at Han Li with awe-filled eyes. A Nascent Soul cultivator was a rare sight in the Heavenly Talisman Sect.

“I came because I was asked to deliver something, so there’s no need to be so serious. I’ve had this item for quite some time, and since I had business in Hwayun Province, I decided to return it. I was asked to give this item to your sect leader.”

Han Li reached to his waist and took out a square bone box. The old man was puzzled but glanced at Ak Jin with a knowing look.

“Junior Ak, you heard what the senior said. Quickly check what it is. If we recover something that our sect has lost, we should naturally express our gratitude to the senior.”

“Yes, Senior Uncle.”

Ak Jin respectfully replied and stepped forward to open the bone box. Inside, there were bone fragments densely covered with tiny writing.

“This is….”

Ak Jin was surprised and picked one up to examine it closely.

“The Soul Binding Talisman, this is the Soul Binding Talisman refinement method. The handwriting matches Senior Uncle Woon’s.”

“Woon’s handwriting? Are you sure?”

The old man was stunned, and his expression became serious.

“I’m certain. The sect leader’s study is full of books and letters left by Senior Uncle Woon, so how could I not recognize it?”

The other disciples were also dumbfounded.

“That’s right. This was entrusted to me by someone named Woon. I heard that the Soul Binding Talisman is one of your sect’s three secret talismans.”

“That’s correct. May I ask where you met Senior Woon? Before I reached the Core Formation stage, he went on a mission outside the sea and has been missing for decades. I hope nothing happened to him?”

The old man asked worriedly.

“Actually, my meeting with Woon was a coincidence. Decades ago, I experienced the same thing as Woon. At that time, I….”

Han Li briefly told them about the land of ghosts and shadows. Of course, he glossed over his identity and the matter of the Yin Shadow Crystal.

“So, such a place exists. No wonder cultivators often went missing without reason along the coast. It was all because of the land of ghosts and shadows.”

“I barely escaped that place, and that’s when your sect’s elder entrusted this to me. I was interested in talisman refinement, so I studied the Soul Binding Talisman refinement method. I hope you don’t mind.”

“You have personally come to return the Soul Binding Talisman refinement method to our sect. How can we ever repay your kindness? The Soul Binding Talisman was originally only to be learned by the sect leader, but if you hadn’t returned it, it would have been lost forever.”

The old man replied politely, and Ak Jin nodded in agreement.

“I’m glad you understand. Now that I’ve done what I came to do, I’ll be on my way.”

“You’ve come a long way to deliver this item. Please stay for a couple more days. We will treat you with the utmost respect.”

The old man was delighted by the sudden return of the Soul Binding Talisman refinement method, but he also thought it was important to establish a relationship with a Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Stay a little longer?”

“Didn’t you say you were interested in talismans? We may not be good at other things, but we have studied that field for a long time and have collected many related scriptures. If you don’t mind, please take a look and give us some guidance.”

Han Li was also intrigued.

“Alright, I’ll stay here for a few days.”

“It would be our honor. Then, please rest for a while, and starting tomorrow….”

The old man said carefully, his face full of joy.

“I’m rested. Let’s go to the library right away.”

Han Li shook his head. With his cultivation, he could recover some of his magic power just by sitting and reading books.

“Ah, I see. Junior Yang will take Senior Han to the library. Please let us know if you need anything, and we will do our best.”

The old man called for a middle-aged cultivator.

“Yes, Senior Uncle On! Senior Han, I will guide you.”

Han Li followed the middle-aged man out of the main hall, impressed by his polite demeanor.

“I never imagined that Senior Woon would be trapped in such a strange place. Still, it’s fortunate that we recovered the secret art of the Soul Binding Talisman.”

The old man sighed as Han Li left the main hall.

“If we spread the word that Senior Han is here, it will greatly benefit our sect. The market-related issues might also be resolved easily.”

One of the cultivators, who had been silent all along, spoke.

“If we are associated with a sect that has a Nascent Soul cultivator, the Spirit Wind Sect won’t dare to act recklessly. The Slaughtering Yang Sect won’t offend a Nascent Soul cultivator just to take over a small market. However, judging from Senior Han’s tone, it doesn’t seem like he was very close to Senior Woon. How can we expect him to help us? Even if we wanted to offer him treasures, our sect doesn’t have anything like that.”

“It won’t be easy.”

Ak Jin smiled wryly, and the old man also frowned. At that moment, Han Li was heading towards a small pavilion with the middle-aged man.

The pavilion had three floors, and a blue restriction was spread out on the first floor. As Han Li followed the middle-aged man onto the first floor, he saw an old man sitting cross-legged, holding a jade slip.

“Junior Lee, come here and greet Senior Han. Junior Lee is in charge of the library and knows the scriptures here very well.”

The middle-aged man instructed the old man and then explained to Han Li. The old man quickly came out of his meditation and rushed over.

“So, it was Senior Yang. I was so engrossed that I didn’t go out to greet you. This is Senior Han… Senior Han.”

The old man, with a face full of wrinkles and small eyes, was chatting with the middle-aged cultivator with a gentle smile, but his expression stiffened when he saw Han Li’s face.

“Junior Lee?”

Han Li was also taken aback when he saw the old man.

“Do you know him, senior?”

“No. He just looks similar to someone I knew before. But upon closer inspection, it’s not him.”

“I see. Then, please look for what you need here. Junior Lee, there’s no need to tidy up here for now, so come out with me.”

The middle-aged man didn’t completely believe him but didn’t ask further and spoke to Junior Lee.

“Yes, right away….”

“No. Since you manage this place, you must know the books well. I’ll keep you by my side for assistance.”

“Ah, is that so? Then, Junior Lee, you must follow Senior Han’s instructions carefully.”

The middle-aged man was suspicious of what had just happened, but he was envious of Junior Lee, who would be spending a few days with a Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Should I call you Senior Hyang, or Senior Lee?”

Han Li asked meaningfully, carefully examining the old man.

“I don’t know what you mean. Perhaps you have mistaken me for someone else.”

The old man replied with a very natural smile.

“Senior Hyang, why are you doing this? You know how extraordinary cultivators’ memories are. How could I forget how many disciples survived the Blood Forbidden Trial [a deadly competition among disciples] and returned from the Yellow Maple Valley?”

The old man was Hyang Ji Rye, whom Han Li had met during the Blood Forbidden Trial. At that time, he was a tenth-level Qi Refining cultivator who had survived the Blood Forbidden Trial, surprising everyone. Of course, after Han Li appeared, everyone’s attention was focused on him.

Although Han Li hadn’t interacted with Hyang Ji Rye often, he had become wary of him because of the Blood Forbidden Trial.

Later, Han Li succeeded in Foundation Establishment and joined the Ewha Sect. He had no further contact with the old man, and after that, the invasion of the Six Demonic Sects made the fate of most disciples uncertain.

It was astonishing to see the same face in a small sect of the Great Jin after so many years.

The old man already looked quite old when they met in the Yellow Maple Valley. Even if he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator instead of a Qi Refining cultivator, he should have already died of old age. Yet, Hyang Ji Rye’s appearance was the same even after more than two hundred years.

“It is said that there are occasionally people who look alike in the world, and it seems that the person you know and I are such a case. But my surname is Lee, not Hyang. If I knew you, why would I lie?”

The old man stubbornly denied that he was Hyang Ji Rye.

“I must have been mistaken. Then, please find me the scriptures related to talismans.”

“Haha, our Heavenly Talisman Sect has quite a few books related to talismans. The ones you might find useful are on the second floor and above. I’ll go get them right away.”

The old man maintained his smiling face and acted as polite as a low-level cultivator.

Han Li followed him to the second floor and watched him.

Despite his age, he was quite agile, moving back and forth, and piled a stack of jade slips in front of Han Li.

“Senior, there are also books worth seeing on the third floor, so I’ll go get them right away.”

“There’s no need. It will take a day or two just to look through these. I’ll find the books on the third floor myself. Since there’s nothing else to help with, you can go back to your work.”

“Then, please call me if you need anything.”