Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 55

Even if Han-lip’s Yellow Dragon Pill or Golden Toad Elixir weren’t top-tier elixirs among cultivators, having such a large quantity changed things.

“Is that so! Isn’t that too much? It looks like you’re going to be cleaned out of everything you had.”

“Well, it’s a high-grade spirit talisman, so it can’t be considered too much. Think about it. If you carry this spirit talisman, you can use the ‘Soaring Flight’ technique even in danger, and you can fly much faster than a bird, which is like having an extra life. And you can use this talisman several more times before its spiritual energy dissipates, so how practical is that?”

When Han-lip indicated that he had as much as he wanted, the young man’s smile deepened, and he emphasized the advantages of his flying talisman to persuade Han-lip not to change his mind.

“It’s worth trading. Then, if you give me this bundle of talismans and that book too.”

Seeing his enthusiastic attitude, Han-lip knew that the other party desperately wanted his elixir, so he pointed to the bundle of blank talismans and the old book on the stall.

At Han-lip’s request, the young man paused for a moment, but knowing that what the other party had asked for was just a low-grade talisman and an old magic book that would never sell, he became excited again and agreed to the request.

Thus, the flying talisman became Han-lip’s, and at the same time, the bundle of talismans and the magic book he had wanted for a long time fell into his hands. When he roughly flipped through the old book, it contained the most basic beginner-level hand seals, about eight lower-realm spells, and the only intermediate-level spell, the Earth Spike Technique.

Such a book was worthless to other cultivators, but Han-lip was very satisfied.

What he lacked now were these basic magic and spells, and although other stalls sold similar books, they were quite expensive.

Han-lip, having obtained what he wanted, no longer felt like looking around. He immediately left the plaza and headed for the pavilion.

As he approached the pavilion, he could see that it was built with precious paulownia wood and huge limestone.

Each floor was engraved with dragons and phoenixes, and the craftsmanship was exquisite and beautiful. The spiritual energy fluctuating on each floor seemed to be the formation that Taoist Song had mentioned.

After circling it once, Han-lip finally found the pavilion he was looking for and tried to enter.

However, suddenly something blocked him, and he was pushed back by an unknown force. He used his Heavenly Eye Technique [a technique to see spiritual energy] to examine the pavilion again.

Near Han-lip, a faint blue light formed a wall, completely enveloping the small pavilion. It looked like a huge bowl turned upside down.

Han-lip stood in front of it again and poked the blue light with his finger, feeling a soft elasticity. And the more force he applied, the more the elasticity returned, indicating that the defense of this blue light was considerable.

He immediately took out the talisman that Taoist Song had given him and placed it against the light barrier. Then, a circular ripple appeared, creating a circular space large enough for one person to pass through. Han-lip did not hesitate, took the talisman, and walked into the pavilion.

And as he disappeared, the light barrier gradually shrank and returned to its original shape. The multi-storied building in front of him was not very large, but the area on the second floor was quite large, and it seemed that dozens of people could fit comfortably.

Han-lip smiled and entered the multi-storied building, where he found a large hall. Inside the hall, there were two large tables and several wooden chairs, giving off a sense of a cultivator’s dignity. And a young monk called Gosang was sitting in a corner of the hall, closing his eyes and meditating.

“Venerable Gosang, has Taoist Song not arrived yet?”

Han-lip approached him and asked in a gentle voice. However, the young monk did not respond to Han-lip and continued to chant something. Just as Han-lip’s patience was about to run out, the monk opened his eyes, looking apologetic, and gave a belated reply.

“Benefactor Han, this humble monk was just reciting the Diamond Sutra [a Buddhist scripture], so I could not answer immediately. Please do not blame this humble monk’s rudeness.”

“Why would I blame you, Venerable? I respect those who give their all more than anyone else.”

Han-lip smiled at the monk’s words. After a while, the young monk leisurely opened his mouth.

“Taoist Song and the others are waiting for Benefactor on the second floor. It seems that there is something important, as they asked me to inform them immediately when I saw you.”

Han-lip felt a little frustrated by his leisurely tone.

‘This young monk should have told me right away if someone was looking for me, why is he so slow? I should stay away from these Buddhist types in the future, they’re so frustrating.’

Han-lip nodded and went up to the second floor. When he went up to the second floor, the Black Brothers, Heukmu and Heukjin, were talking on the stairs, but they stopped talking when they found Han-lip.

“Brother Han, Taoist Song is waiting in the room, let’s go together.”

Han-lip followed them silently, and after going around here and there, they arrived in front of a certain room. It seemed that everyone except the monk he had just seen, as well as two unfamiliar people, were gathered in the room. One was a boy of about sixteen or seventeen, and the other was a plump man in his early twenties with soft, white skin. These two seemed to be the ones Taoist Song had mentioned.

“Brother Han, you’ve arrived. Please, have a seat.”

Taoist Song politely pointed to the seat next to him.

“These are O Guji from Cloud Gate Valley and Hwang Hyocheon from Stone Tablet Valley.”

“Hey! I’m O Guji, and the moment I saw you, I felt familiar, maybe we had a connection in a past life. Come on, let’s have a drink together and become sworn brothers!”

As soon as Taoist Song finished speaking, one of them ran to Han-lip, grabbed his arm, and shouted. Han-lip, who was initially flustered, chuckled.

“Becoming sworn brothers is possible, but how about removing that hand that’s groping my body? I’m a very normal man, so I don’t have any feelings for pretty boys.”

Han-lip shook off the grabbed arm and snatched the other’s wrist like lightning, but the other’s hand was already inside his clothes.

“Cough! Cough! It’s really strange. How did my hand end up in your bosom, Brother? Surely, my hand recognized you and was trying to greet you.”

The boy coughed, his face flushed, and spouted nonsense when Han-lip saw through his actions. Han-lip had no intention of holding him back, so he released his wrist when the boy applied force.

He found the guy named O Guji interesting. Even though he was a cultivator, he was trying to steal his things using a technique that a martial artist would use, so how could it not be funny?

However, the other party’s technique was so outstanding that if he hadn’t learned a similar kind of secret art, he wouldn’t have been able to catch such subtle movements. Perhaps the people in the room had also tasted bitterness because of it.

“O, you picked the wrong opponent. You got caught trying to use your hands on Brother Han. And you call your thieving skills first-class! You’re just a petty thief.”

“Oh my, Madam, shall I try to steal your things one more time? If your things disappear, it will be meaningless to participate in this Southern Sky Gathering.”

O Guji pouted and spoke flippantly.

“What? You little brat, I let it slide when you stole my things last time, didn’t I?”

Hopyeonggo immediately kicked her chair and stood up, her face turning pale with anger.

And the man next to her, without a word, reached for the greatsword hanging on his back and glared at the boy. It was later revealed that this man, Woong Daeryeok, was born mute and always handled all of his wife’s affairs.

“Stop it! We are all fellow cultivators, it would be better to get along well, wouldn’t it? Everyone, step back and refrain from fighting.”

Taoist Song frowned and stepped in to stop the fight. Then, he politely urged O Guji.

“Brother O, I know that stealing things is just a joke to you and that you have no ill intentions. But such a joke can bring trouble. Will the owner of the things always let you off? If such reckless behavior leads to a fight with a cultivator clan and we have to help, it wouldn’t be right!”

The boy also looked apologetic when Taoist Song said this much.

“Actually, I accidentally obtained this thieving technique on the way to the Southern Sky Valley and was just excited to practice it. I tried it on many people, but no one noticed. But I got caught by Brother Han, so it probably won’t work on the great masters at the gathering. Everyone, please calm down. I, your younger brother, will never play such a life-threatening prank again.”

“Brother O’s talent is extraordinary, that’s why you reached the 8th level at such a young age. Among our mountain cultivators, you can be called a prodigy. You need to be a little more serious in the future.”

The Taoist looked relieved after hearing the boy’s words.

“I will act without disappointing the Taoist’s expectations. Everyone, please take care of me in the future!”

O Guji seemed to be quite sensible, and he bowed deeply to everyone gathered in the room. Thus, this incident seemed to be over. Hopyeonggo was still fuming, but her complexion had improved a lot. Perhaps she considered the other party’s attitude an apology and barely accepted it.

“Unexpectedly, Brother Han has done a great service as soon as he arrived. I am grateful.”

The Taoist shook his head and smiled, but a new voice, like a buzzing sound, echoed.

“Taoist, what did you call us for? And where is the monk?”

Han-lip saw that the plump man with fair skin was speaking in a blunt tone. He seemed to have the right to speak to Taoist Song like that, because this plump man had the strongest magic power of anyone in the room. He had a deeper magic power than Taoist Song, so no one said anything even though they didn’t like his voice.

‘It seems that the cultivation world and the martial world are no different. You need to have power to be respected by others!’

He muttered sarcastically, but Taoist Song brushed off his Buddhist robe and spoke without any sign of displeasure.

“Haha! Brother Hwang, you are impatient. Very well. I will tell you why I called you all here. The Southern Sky Gathering is almost halfway over, so it will end in a few dozen days. Shouldn’t we start moving soon? If we open stalls, it would be good to do it together. That’s why I asked you all to gather. However, in the case of Venerable Gosang, he has already exchanged all of his items, so there is no need to discuss it.”

“That’s right. It’s really time to exchange our items for spirit stones or other things.”

After a while, the room began to buzz. After talking, they agreed to open stalls together tomorrow, but Han-lip declined the offer.

“Brother Han, are you not joining us?”

O Guji asked, looking puzzled, and the others had similar expressions.

“I didn’t have many items to begin with, but I happened to find a suitable trading partner this evening and exchanged them all. So, I don’t think I can join you.”

“I see! Then there’s no need to suffer together. Brother Han is lucky. You succeeded in trading as soon as you arrived.”

Hopyeonggo muttered enviously at Han-lip’s explanation. The others were the same.

“Then everyone, rest well today and start working with a clear mind tomorrow. I wish you all a good harvest!”

Taoist Song finished the discussion smoothly and got up from his seat first. Then, the others also began to leave. At that moment, Taoist Song, who had been smiling, seemed to remember something and quickly raised his voice to the people.

“Ah! Everyone, don’t rush to leave after the Southern Sky Gathering is over! I heard that recently, after the Southern Sky Gathering ends, mountain cultivators like us are disappearing for unknown reasons. It would be good for everyone to be careful. Since we are all participating in the Heavenly Mist Platform Ascension Tournament anyway, it would be safer to act together!”

When the word ‘disappearance’ came out of the Taoist’s mouth, the faces of the Black Brothers, Hopyeonggo and her husband, O Guji, and Hongryeonsanin in the room changed, and the plump Hwang Hyocheon snorted coldly, but his eyes seemed to calm down.

“Let’s do that. My brother and I agree with Taoist Song. Let’s act together!”

“We do too.”

The Black Brothers and Hopyeonggo agreed one after another, as if they considered this matter to be unusual.

# 57