Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 65

‘Do I really have to go see Senior Uncle Ye?’

“It’s alright. Just let Disciple Han choose whatever cultivation work he wants,” a familiar voice said from behind Han Li. Han Li turned around to see Old Man Ye smiling at him from right behind.

“Sect Leader, you’ve returned!” The middle-aged law enforcement disciple bowed respectfully upon seeing him.

“Yes, I have.”

“Senior Uncle Ye.”

Despite the sudden situation, Han Li quickly bowed respectfully.

“Haha. Disciple Han, you came quickly. I was just about to tell my subordinates to let you choose your task freely.”

Old Man Ye was in a good mood, constantly smiling.

“I’m sorry for troubling you, Senior Uncle. I was just seeing if I could find a suitable task without bothering you.”

“What’s the bother in a single word? Steward Uh, bring the relevant tasks here so Disciple Han can choose something satisfactory.”

Han Li spoke as if he was a little embarrassed, and the old man generously waved his arm, signaling his subordinate to do as he said.

Surprised, the steward widened his eyes, glanced at Han Li, and then quickly brought a bamboo scroll listing the types of miscellaneous tasks. He was internally speculating about the relationship between Han Li and Sect Leader Ye.

“Here are the tasks related to cultivation, Disciple Han. Please, look at them freely.”

Steward Uh, who had appeared in an instant with a bundle of jade-colored bamboo scrolls, handed them to Han Li. After expressing his thanks, Han Li diligently examined the scrolls.

“Caring for thirteen Owha trees. Two hundred fruits annually.”

“Carefully tend to one three-hundred-year-old Hwaun ginseng. Ensure it does not lose its spiritual essence.”

“Cultivate one mu [unit of area, approx. 667 square meters] of Wolmae grass. One hundred geun [unit of weight, approx. 500-600 grams] of dried grass per quarter.”

“Hwangok bamboo forest…”

The tasks on the scrolls were diverse, but nothing immediately caught Han Li’s eye. It was only when he flipped through the scrolls to the middle that a task that satisfied him finally appeared.

* * *

“Manage the Baegyak Garden in Cheongseok Ridge. A set amount of rare medicinal herbs annually.”

The words written in gold paint on the scroll were very pleasing to him, and he immediately pointed at it, looking at Steward Uh.

“This task is quite appealing. Could Senior Brother Uh tell me more about it?”

Steward Uh, who had been smiling and bowing, gave a bitter smile when he saw the task Han Li had chosen.

“Disciple, how about choosing another task? Managing the Baegyak Garden is too difficult.”

When Han Li still didn’t look convinced, he added an explanation.

“This task was created a few years ago, and many have tried it, but all have failed. Not only did they not receive any rewards, but they also lost a lot of spirit stones as punishment. It’s one of the most difficult of the miscellaneous tasks. I’m afraid Disciple Han will laugh, but I barely manage to distribute this task by persuading other senior brothers.”

“Senior Brother, could you tell me what made this task so difficult for the other senior brothers? It’s just managing the medicinal herbs in the garden. What’s so difficult about it?”

“Could it be that Disciple Han is trying to choose Senior Brother Ma’s herb garden?” Old Man Ye, who had been listening, interjected.

“That’s right. Disciple Han has chosen Senior Brother Ma’s high-difficulty task,” Steward Uh replied, sounding helpless.

“Haha! Disciple Han has a good eye. You picked out the most troublesome task at a glance. But you should know that this task is really a headache. Many disciples who were forced to take this task have come to me crying after failing, but Senior Brother Ma won’t ease the task conditions, so what can I do? If Disciple Han wants to know the details, let’s go inside and look at the related documents together. It’s better to see for yourself than to listen to others.”

Baekgi Hall’s Sect Leader Ye seemed to be trying to accommodate Han Li, thinking he was bold for taking on a difficult task, and led him inside.

Han Li slightly raised his eyebrows, thinking the other party was being a bit too enthusiastic. Although he had given the other party a Foundation Establishment Pill, it was clearly a fair trade on the surface.

Even so, this kindness was strange. Still, he suppressed his doubts and pretended to be overwhelmed by the excessive treatment, following Old Man Ye.

Upon entering the inner room at the back of the main hall, various documents filled the room.

The old man picked up a bamboo scroll and waved it, causing a blue light to emanate from it, and a scroll flew from somewhere in the room. The old man caught it and handed it to Han Li. Han Li accepted it without hesitation and unfolded the scroll.

The scroll didn’t contain much, just the task details and explanations of the reasons for failure from the disciples who had been assigned this task over the years.

Soon, after reading all the text, he naturally understood the task’s content and difficulty.

“What do you think? Wouldn’t it be better to change to something else? This task has a high reward, but it’s not something an ordinary disciple can handle,” Senior Uncle Ye advised, seemingly thinking of Han Li.

However, Han Li resolutely shook his head.

“Thank you, Senior Uncle Ye! But I really like this task. I don’t need any other tasks, I definitely want this one.”

Seeing that he had already made up his mind, Old Man Ye didn’t say anything more. He seemed a little surprised, but he nodded, allowing Han Li to take the task. However, he didn’t immediately leave the room with Han Li, pausing for a moment.

“Disciple Han, about the Foundation Establishment Pill trade from before. I might need a little more time to give you some of the items. I’m currently making Harmonious Qi Pills, so my situation isn’t very good right now. But don’t worry! I’ll compensate you with all the items I promised in a year or half a year.”

Han Li, who had been puzzled at first, immediately recovered his smile.

“Senior Uncle Ye, what are you saying? If you’re having trouble, Senior Uncle, you can just give me what you can. There’s no need to talk about compensating me later. Please, just consider it my respect for you.”

Even though he was burning with anger inside because the other party was breaking their promise, he had a smile on his face! And he even had to say things that the other party wanted to hear, truly making him feel the sorrow of the weak.

“Disciple, what are you talking about! Do you think I’m the kind of person who would break a promise? I will definitely give you the items I promised, so don’t worry.”

Old Man Ye’s leisurely words didn’t make Han Li feel any better. The other party was pretending to be a saint, with an expression that said he didn’t know what was going on.

‘How thick-skinned! He’s clearly reluctant to give up the promised items, yet he’s pretending to be trustworthy. A hypocrite!’

While cursing and hating the other party in his mind, Han Li continued to maintain a smile on his face and continued the conversation with a sincere expression.

“Senior Uncle Ye, you’ve misunderstood my intentions. In fact, such items are luxuries for a junior who has just entered the sect. So, I intend to leave most of the items with you for now. I don’t need them right away anyway.”

“Disciple Han’s words are reasonable. It’s not very helpful for a new disciple to rely too much on such external things for cultivation. I’ll keep them safe according to your words, so take them whenever you need them.”

“Then please take care of them, Senior Uncle Ye.”

Han Li forced a bright smile, trying to comfort himself. There was no point in offending the person in front of him over external things that he couldn’t take back anyway. He would just have to wait for an opportunity to get back what he was owed, with interest.

“Haha. It’s nothing. Let’s go out now.”

Old Man Ye seemed to be in an even better mood than when they first met.

After that, things proceeded smoothly. With Senior Uncle Ye’s cooperation, Han Li completed the procedures and even obtained the jade badge that indicated his task.

And with Steward Uh’s warm attention, he headed to the Baegyak Garden located in Geumbu Ridge.

* * *

Old Man Ye watched Han Li’s figure gradually fly away from the entrance of Baekgi Hall, his expression darkening. He looked as if he had something to ponder.

“Is Senior Brother Ye having second thoughts?” a low voice came from behind Old Man Ye.

“It’s not that I’m having second thoughts, but I’m bothered by using this method on a disciple who just entered the sect. Besides, Disciple Han may act like that in front of us, but who knows what he’s thinking inside. He might even report this to the sect leader,” the old man replied without turning around, his words filled with worry.

“Hehe, report?”

“Why, isn’t Senior Brother Oh worried?” When the other party coldly laughed at his worries, Old Man Ye finally turned around to look at Senior Brother Oh, who had a gloomy face.

“What is there to worry about! He already left the items we were going to give him with his senior uncle. We never said we wouldn’t give them to him, so how can he report us? Still, I like that kid. He knows when to advance and retreat at a young age. He’s definitely not someone to be trifled with. If he didn’t have the Spiritual Root of the Five Elements, I would have wanted to take him under my wing!” A hint of regret appeared on Senior Brother Oh’s face.

“That’s right. It’s a relief that he’s not a blockhead. If he were, we would have had to use other methods, which would have been troublesome.”

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry about that kid. The two of us can easily handle someone like him! It’s fortunate that Senior Brother Ye didn’t lose a fortune, but don’t forget what we talked about.”

“How could I forget? Half of the Harmonious Qi Pills that come out this time are yours, Senior Brother. Actually, if it weren’t for the fact that the Foundation Establishment process requires a large amount of pills, how could I have been so shameless as to covet the things of such a young junior?”

The old man shook his head as if he had lost his integrity that he had maintained for ten thousand years. Senior Brother Oh just laughed at those words and remained silent.

‘Hmph. Senior Brother Ye has done something he shouldn’t have, so now he’s as good as in my hands. Let’s see if he can stand against me when we discuss official matters in the future.’

* * *

Han Li couldn’t hear the conversation between Senior Uncle Ye and Old Man Oh, but he couldn’t hide his gloomy mood. It was because he couldn’t resist even though he knew it wasn’t in his best interest. But through this incident, he clearly realized that the law of the jungle was prevalent in the cultivation world.

‘I must get them back later.’

With this determination, Han Li mocked his own actions. He was determined to show Senior Uncle Ye that he couldn’t just swallow his things.

After the steward took him near the Baegyak Garden and left, he briefly looked at the Baegyak Garden in the distance.

The Baegyak Garden was located in a small basin where tall and rugged mountains curved on both sides, and a small restriction set up by the owner was in place, thoroughly preventing outsiders from entering.

When he arrived at the restriction, a white light blocked his path.

Without panicking, Han Li took out his jade badge, and a green light shot out and disappeared into the restriction. Now, Han Li just had to wait patiently.

“Come in.”

# 67