Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 652

As Han Li put away the guest elder token, the woman smiled with delight.

‘When Fellow Cultivator returns from the outer sea, my husband and I would like to formally invite you. How about we exchange insights on reaching the Transformation Stage [a major cultivation breakthrough] at our cultivation place?’

‘Insights on reaching the Transformation Stage… I appreciate the offer, but I’ve just reached the late stage and need to focus on solidifying my cultivation. I’ll visit you both when I have more time.’

Han Li, after a moment of contemplation, declined her offer with a hint of apology. It was true that late-stage Core Formation cultivators were rare in the human realm, and opportunities to exchange insights with fellow cultivators of the same level were scarce. However, he couldn’t willingly walk into a dangerous situation.

While it wasn’t impossible for him to fight a few late-stage cultivators, it didn’t mean that no one except a Transformation Stage cultivator could do anything to him.

If he wasn’t careful, he could be trapped in an ancient restriction or a large formation set up by his opponents, and if he were to be attacked by multiple cultivators of the same level, he couldn’t guarantee the outcome.

The woman, whose face was covered, was disappointed by Han Li’s words but inwardly chuckled.

‘Even after reaching the late stage, he’s still incredibly cautious!’

She didn’t show any displeasure at Han Li’s refusal and continued to chat with him warmly. When he said he had to leave, the woman with the covered face didn’t stop him and moved aside near the teleportation array.

It was a sign that she wouldn’t interfere and would let him do as he pleased. Han Li smiled and walked over leisurely. Of course, the stern-looking man and the old man, who were the palace’s stewards, also respectfully moved aside.

His eyes caught the Core Formation couple and their disciples standing still behind them.

The refined man was about to pull his daughter aside to clear the way when he was startled. The woman, who had been his wife for over a hundred years, stepped forward and bowed to Han Li.

‘I am Wen Siyue, and I greet Senior Han. I congratulate you on reaching the Great Perfection of the Core Formation Stage. If it weren’t for your help back then, I wouldn’t be here today.’

She was none other than ‘Wen Siyue,’ who had almost become Han Li’s concubine in the Chaotic Star Sea [a region known for its dangers and opportunities].

‘Siyue… you know this senior?’

The refined man muttered in surprise.

‘You’ve reached the Core Formation Stage in the meantime! Considering your talent back then, it must have been difficult for you to reach the Core Formation Stage, so you must have worked hard.’

‘It’s all thanks to the pills you left behind, Senior. Otherwise, how could I have condensed my Golden Core [the core of a cultivator’s power]!’

‘You could say that your father and I are old friends. The pills were nothing, so don’t worry about it. But it seems you’re in a hurry to go to the outer sea. You can come with me. I have a slight connection with this woman and plan to take her with me. Would that be alright?’

Han Li turned his head and asked the woman with the covered face at the end.

‘If they are acquaintances of Fellow Cultivator Han, then so be it!’

‘Thank you.’

Han Li nodded and, without looking at Wen Siyue any further, moved his feet. And in an instant, he appeared strangely in the teleportation array, using the Shrinking Earth Technique [a movement technique] that only late-stage Core Formation cultivators could use.

‘Now that I think about it, I don’t even know how to address you yet. May I know your name?’

‘I am called Wen Qing.’

The woman, who had paused for a moment, replied with a smile. At that moment, Han Li disappeared into the white light, so it was unknown whether he heard her name.

‘You will send them away and go to the Law Enforcement Hall to receive twenty lashes with the Thunder Whip! If this happens again, it won’t end so lightly.’

Wen Qing gave a cold order.

‘Thank you for the Palace Lord’s grace. We will make sure this never happens again.’

The man and the old man, who had been worried about their lives, were relieved and answered loudly. Of course, they were happy that the punishment was lighter than they had expected, but the thought of being whipped twenty times with a lightning-infused whip made them feel dizzy.

Wen Qing disappeared in a flash of beautiful light, just as she had appeared.

As Wen Qing left the Success Hall, the stern-looking man and the old man calmed their pounding hearts and stood up. The man glared at Wen Siyue’s group, showing his anger.

‘If it weren’t for them, why would I be in this mess!’

He was about to say something unpleasant when the old man beside him suddenly clasped his fist and said to Wen Siyue.

‘You two are truly lucky. Knowing someone like Senior Han is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. With Senior’s guidance, reaching the Nascent Soul Stage [a higher cultivation stage] won’t be difficult.’

The old man, who had been maintaining a cold gaze, was now extremely polite.

‘……!’

The stern-looking man was stunned for a moment, then understood the old man’s words and immediately put on a smile. The other party was related to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, so he, a mere Core Formation cultivator, couldn’t afford to offend them.

‘Ah, Brother Huang is right. We might need your help in the future, so please take back these spirit stones. We’re all helping each other in this world, so we’ll cover the teleportation costs.’

The man took out a storage pouch full of spirit stones from his waist. The refined man hesitated as he looked at the storage pouch, but Wen Siyue smiled gently beside him.

‘We are grateful just for you sending us to the outer sea. Please accept the spirit stones. I need to follow Senior Han quickly, so can you help us right away?’

‘Of course! We’ll exchange the spirit stones in the teleportation array and activate it right away.’

The stern-looking man replied happily as he returned the spirit stones. Then, he quickly moved to replace the spirit stones with new ones, and the old man, Huang, talked with Wen Siyue and her husband, trying to find out more about Senior Han.

However, the refined man didn’t know him, so he couldn’t say anything, and Wen Siyue just smiled and didn’t say anything.

After a while, the spirit stone exchange was complete, and Wen Siyue, eager to follow Han Li, immediately attached the teleportation talisman and walked into the teleportation array. Thus, the seven cultivators disappeared into the white light.

* * *

On the other side of the teleportation array.

In a large stone chamber about thirty feet in size, the teleportation array flashed with white light, and seven cultivators appeared.

They were momentarily affected by the aftereffects of teleportation, but Wen Siyue quickly scanned the stone chamber and felt heavy-hearted. The large stone chamber was completely empty.

‘Please wait here for a moment. I’ll go see if Senior Han is nearby.’

Wen Siyue quickly said to the refined man and immediately left through the stone door. The refined man was about to say something but closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes as he watched her shadow.

Wen Siyue’s eyes widened as she stepped outside and found a plaza. The plaza, built on top of a mountain peak, was surrounded by cliffs, making it impossible for ordinary people to climb up.

She quickly looked around and spotted a young man talking to a man in Star Palace attire across the plaza. It was Han Li.

The fierce-looking mid-stage Core Formation giant was bowing his head in front of him like a docile lamb, answering his questions diligently.

Wen Siyue finally relaxed and stood there quietly, waiting for the conversation to end. After a while, Han Li waved his hand, indicating that he was done talking. The giant bowed respectfully and quickly retreated back to the stone chamber.

Wen Siyue approached Han Li with light steps.

‘Thank you for your help. If it weren’t for you, Senior, we wouldn’t have been able to come to the outer sea, and my husband and I would have been in great trouble.’

‘It’s nothing, you were involved in my affairs anyway. Why did you come to the outer sea in such a hurry?’

‘……I know I’m being too greedy. I haven’t even repaid you for helping me before. But my daughter is sick and I don’t know when or how she might be, so I beg you to help me one more time.’

Wen Siyue’s face flushed red, and tears seemed about to fall. It was clear how much she cared for her daughter.

‘So, your daughter is the one poisoned by a strange toxin.’

‘Yes, Senior, you could tell what was wrong at a glance.’

Wen Siyue was startled when Han Li immediately identified her daughter’s condition.

‘I overheard your conversation. It seems you’ve already found a way to detoxify her, so why are you asking me for help?’

‘You knew that too. Yes, with the help of a certain deceased person, my husband and I found out that taking a pill refined from the inner core of a White Egret Fish can detoxify the poison. However, that pill doesn’t completely eliminate the poison but only temporarily extends her life. If there are problems with her constitution afterward, she won’t be able to live as a cultivator anymore. Senior, you are a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, so you must have a solution. Please have mercy on us.’

‘I see.’

Han Li didn’t answer immediately and fell into thought for a moment. Wen Siyue’s heart was pounding, but she didn’t dare to rush him and just looked at him. Han Li raised his head to look at the sun, then lowered his head again to look at the woman’s face and asked.

‘When did Wen die? Did he die of old age or did something happen to him?’

Wen Siyue paused for a moment at the unexpected question and replied with a dark face.

‘After you returned to the inner sea, Senior, my father disappeared. I’ve been searching for him for decades, but I couldn’t find any trace of him. If he hadn’t condensed his Golden Core, he would probably have passed away by now.’

‘Who knows what will happen in the treacherous world of cultivation. If someone else had asked me for this favor, I wouldn’t have cared. But since you’ve met me repeatedly, it seems we have some kind of connection. And since I have a connection with your father, I’ll take a look at your daughter.’

In the end, Han Li nodded.

‘Thank you, Senior!’

Wen Siyue was overjoyed and was about to kneel and bow in front of him.

‘This is not a place to see a patient, I’ll wait for you at the inn below the mountain.’

After speaking, he flicked his sleeve, and an invisible pressure prevented her from kneeling. A blue light flashed, and Han Li turned into a beam of light and disappeared.

Wen Siyue, who had been standing there blankly, regained her senses and ran back to the stone chamber with a joyful heart. A moment later, the seven cultivators flew in the direction where Han Li had disappeared.

* * *

Inner Sea, inside a cave on Heavenly Star City’s holy mountain.

‘That guy is already a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator?’

The man’s voice echoed loudly, as if he couldn’t believe it. The one speaking was one of the Heavenly Star Twins, the man.

‘I couldn’t believe it either, so I checked with my spiritual sense several times, but it was true.’

Wen Qing, who had walked in leisurely, took off the veil covering her face, revealing a slightly pale face.

‘Then that means his talent is better than ours……’

The man’s voice lowered.

‘I guess so. According to our information, it hasn’t even been two hundred years since he disappeared, and such rapid cultivation speed is unheard of even among the past Star Palace Lords. It took me five hundred years to reach the late-stage Nascent Soul Stage, didn’t it?’

‘Even if he just reached the late stage, he has the Void Sky Cauldron [a powerful artifact], so he’s a match for any of us. So, what was your impression of him?’

‘Impression? He was very cautious yet bold. No, rather than bold……’

Wen Qing frowned, her eyes wavering.

‘A difficult person to understand?’

‘It’s not that, but it’s hard to define him.’

‘In what way?’

‘First of all, he clearly knew that I was one of the Heavenly Star Twins, but he wasn’t intimidated at all. Even if he has the Void Sky Cauldron, his confidence was excessive. Moreover, I even felt a sense of fear unconsciously. It was as if I was facing a formidable opponent.’

Wen Qing was confused as she recalled the memory.

# 654