Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 9

It was as if luck was on his side; a flash of brilliance struck Han Li’s mind. He went back to where the leather pouch was, picked it up, and took out the peace talisman his mother had given him.

The moment the peace talisman touched his palm, he felt a sense of comfort, and that feeling spread throughout his body. His anxious heart immediately calmed down, and the unease in his mind completely disappeared.

The various anomalies within his body also vanished without a trace. Everything seemed to have returned to normal.

Han Li was completely unaware that what had almost killed him just now was not a ‘Qi Deviation’ [a disruption in the flow of internal energy], but rather a ‘Demonic Incursion’ that cultivators often experienced.

It was fortunate that he had expelled this demonic influence through an external object. Otherwise, the demon would have invaded his primordial spirit [the core of one’s consciousness], causing him to fall into hallucinations, dance wildly, and die.

He would only come to know all of this after embarking on the path of cultivation.

Han Li circulated his Qi [internal energy] and examined his entire body. There seemed to be nothing unusual. What surprised him was that his inner strength had increased considerably.

Although he was still at the 3rd level and had not yet reached the 4th, he knew that the day he would reach the 4th level was not far off.

He smiled at this unexpected joy but soon calmed his excitement. He was worried that if his mind became unstable, he might fall into a state of Qi Deviation again.

He wasn’t sure if he could escape from such a predicament again.

He carefully placed the peace talisman, which had done him a great service, back into the leather pouch.

“That’s right!”

Han Li unexpectedly discovered something he had long forgotten inside the pouch. It was the mysterious small bottle he had found several years ago.

This bottle had already been completely forgotten by Han Li, and if he hadn’t found it now, he still wouldn’t have remembered it.

Compared to four years ago, Han Li’s knowledge and insight had greatly improved.

Through the various books he had read in Master Wen’s study and his experiences, he had accumulated a lot of knowledge, and his brain had become even sharper as he cultivated the incantations.

He could tell from the strange phenomenon that had occurred with this bottle before that it was an unusual object with extraordinary abilities.

He picked up the bottle, slowly opened the stopper, and examined it. There might be something he had missed before. But unfortunately, even after looking at it several times, he couldn’t find any new clues.

The single drop of jade-green liquid inside the bottle remained the same.

Nothing had changed compared to four years ago.

Han Li was certain that all the bottle’s mysterious effects were for this single drop.

Therefore, there must be something he hadn’t discovered about the green liquid drop. To unlock the secret of this liquid, he decided to feed it to an animal.

However, it was now dusk, and it wasn’t a good time to catch an animal.

Moreover, Han Li was very tired from the painful experiences he had just gone through.

Considering various factors, Han Li decided to rest well today.

It wouldn’t be too late to examine it after he had recovered his body and mind. He fell into a deep sleep, thinking that a huge surprise might be waiting for him after tonight.

* * *

The next morning, Han Li finished washing up and went outside the Spirit Medicine Valley to have breakfast.

When Master Wen was still around, the workers would come to the Spirit Medicine Valley to prepare food, so there was no need to go out. But now that Master Wen was gone, the workers naturally didn’t come anymore. He couldn’t help but be surprised that even such trivial matters were influenced by power.

After finishing breakfast, Han Li went to the kitchen manager, gave him a few coins, and returned to the Spirit Medicine Valley with two gray rabbits.

He tied the rabbits in the relatively spacious herb garden and left them in the sun.

After waiting until they were thirsty under the scorching sun, he found a large bowl and carefully dropped the green liquid from the bottle into it.

Then, he poured in clear water.

The bean-sized liquid easily dissolved into the water, turning the water in the bowl into a light jade color.

Looking at this jade-colored water, he felt a chill deep within his heart.

Han Li immediately picked up the bowl and carefully placed it in front of the thirsty rabbits. The rabbits, parched from the hot sun, gathered around the bowl and gulped down the water inside.

When the rabbits had drunk about half of the water, Han Li took the bowl away. Then, he stood to one side and patiently observed the rabbits’ reactions.

He wondered what changes would occur in them. Soon, the rabbits began to jump around anxiously. And their movements became more and more violent.

Then, astonishing things began to happen to the rabbits’ bodies. Egg-sized lumps began to appear on their skin one by one, and as time passed, they grew larger and gradually covered their entire bodies.

After that, these lumps all stuck together, turning the rabbits’ bodies into one giant ball. The rabbits’ bloated bodies slowly began to swell. And as time passed, the swelling speed became even faster.

The rabbits’ bodies grew larger and larger, as if they were constantly absorbing some kind of energy.

Finally, the two rabbits became like large watermelons, as if someone had blown air into them.

Han Li was shocked to see the rabbits’ bodies changing in such an unimaginable and bizarre way before his eyes.

This was beyond his expectations. This unknown liquid could be some kind of poison created to take human lives, or it could be a miraculous medicine that greatly increased one’s power.

Or it could be neither. He had not expected such a hair-raising and chilling phenomenon to occur.

* * *

The rabbits in front of him were still growing incessantly. Han Li, terrified, threw the bowl he was holding into a corner of the herb garden as if it were a disgusting object.

Then, he turned and ran far away from the rabbits. After running for a while, just as he was about to look back, two explosions rang out in quick succession.

Han Li involuntarily turned his head to look. There, the two rabbits had burst because their swollen bodies could not withstand it.

The rabbits’ bodies were torn and scattered beyond recognition, and blood splattered everywhere.

Two large pits had been dug where the rabbits had been tied, and the area around the pits was littered with the rabbits’ remains, creating a gruesome scene that was hard to bear.

Han Li took a long breath and sat down on the ground with a thud.

If he had stayed there any longer, he would have been seriously injured. Even if he hadn’t been injured, being covered in animal blood and flesh would not have been a pleasant experience.

After regaining his composure, Han Li got up and approached the pits.

He had hoped to discover some miraculous elixir through this green liquid, but it turned out to be so terrifying. Han Li looked at the broken bowl on the herb garden again, speechless.

He didn’t want to touch any of this now, no matter what. It wasn’t that Han Li hadn’t encountered poison before.

He had studied under Master Wen for several years and had seen and learned about hundreds of poisons. But this was the first time he had encountered such a terrifying poison.

Han Li was excellent at enduring mental shocks through cultivation, but even he needed time to calm down in this situation.

It was almost noon. He had to deliver the elixir he had made to Senior Brother Ryeo.

It seemed that he would have to deal with the aftermath after delivering the medicine. Han Li put all the troublesome matters aside and set off.

* * *

Han Li arrived at the entrance of the Spirit Medicine Valley just in time, as it was exactly noon. At the entrance, a young man wearing a white silk robe and carrying a long saber on his back was waiting for him.

Judging by his hurried expression, it was clear that he had been waiting for a while.

“Junior Brother Han, you really keep your promises. You said around noon, and you arrived exactly at noon! It feels like I’ve been waiting for half an hour.”

Ryeo Bi-woo said, half jokingly and half resentfully.

“I’m sorry. I was mixing the medicine yesterday, and it took a long time, so I fell asleep late and overslept. Besides, I had something I had to do this morning, so I ended up being late.”

Han Li replied, mixing truth with lies.

“Junior Brother Han, the medicine, that medicine… is it well made?”

Senior Brother Ryeo said anxiously. Han Li looked at Senior Brother Ryeo and smiled, then slowly took out a palm-sized bundle from his chest. He flicked his wrist and tossed it to Senior Brother Ryeo.

“Before taking the Marrow Extraction Pill, just dissolve a spoonful of the powder in the medicine bundle in boiled and cooled water, and it should significantly reduce the pain in your body.”

“Thank you, Junior Brother Han. Thank you!”

Senior Brother Ryeo was overjoyed. If he could reduce the pain even a little, there would be nothing better for him.

The pain caused by the Marrow Extraction Pill was enough to make him tremble. Ryeo Bi-woo had tried many painkillers before, but none of them had worked.

But the medicine made by this Han Li seemed like it would really work. He not only knew about the Marrow Extraction Pill in detail but had also taken it himself.

“There’s no need to thank me in advance. It’s not too late to thank me after you’ve taken the medicine and seen if it really works. Also, this is only enough for a year. I’ve used up all the medicinal ingredients I have on hand, so if you wait until I gather enough ingredients, I can make more for you.”

Han Li said without hesitation.

“It’s okay. This is enough for a year, so it’ll be enough for a while. Whether this medicine works or not, I, Ryeo Bi-woo, will deeply engrave Junior Brother Han’s sincerity in my heart.”

Senior Brother Ryeo’s complexion returned to normal after receiving the desired item. And he sincerely told Han Li that he was deeply grateful.

Han Li smiled and told Senior Brother Ryeo that he had something to do and had to leave first.

Ryeo Bi-woo had received the elixir, so he wanted to go back quickly and test its effectiveness. So, the two said goodbye and parted ways.

* * *

After returning to the Spirit Medicine Valley, Han Li went into the herb garden and cleaned up. He swept all the rabbit remains, blood-soaked mud, and broken bowl pieces into the pits.

Then, he filled the two pits and made them flat. It was as if nothing had happened. Han Li dusted off his hands with satisfaction and looked around.

His gaze landed on the ground where the bowl had broken. As he remembered, after throwing the bowl, all the medicine inside had spilled onto the area where the herbs were growing. It must have soaked the herbs growing there.

He sighed deeply and hesitated. He wondered if the herbs had absorbed the water and become poisonous.

‘What if someone eats the poisonous herbs and turns into a rabbit? Shouldn’t I pull out all the poisonous herbs now?’

These questions swirled in Han Li’s mind. Han Li looked at the herbs for a while and thought that if the herbs became poisonous in a few days, it wouldn’t be too late to get rid of them then.

After finishing his thoughts, Han Li thought about whether there was anything else to do and then went straight into the stone chamber to cultivate.
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