Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 95

“You’re talking nonsense. Do you think a brief touch of my Silver Radiance Sword means you’ve won? You have no idea what I’m capable of!” Enraged, the man swung his arm, and the same silver light reappeared. “Hmm, you still don’t understand the difference between us.” Han Li sighed, his figure blurring as he began to fade into the air. “If an enemy is within ten yards and defenseless, I control their life and death.” His voice echoed, and by the time he finished speaking, he was already behind the man. “Just like you!” As Han Li retracted the thin thread, a red line appeared on the man’s neck, and his head fell to the ground. Just as Han Li had said, his life was over. A look of pity crossed Han Li’s face as he looked at the bisected body. The man’s skills were actually superior to Bongak’s, but he had underestimated Han Li, leading to his demise. In a life-or-death battle, allowing an opponent to get so close was a fatal mistake. “Are you planning to kill me to silence me too?” A frail voice suddenly asked. Han Li turned to see a face filled with fear. He could only manage a bitter smile. He had dealt with the Great Sword Sect disciple, but an even more troublesome presence remained. The girl in green was trembling, her delicate body and pale face a stark contrast. She had witnessed him instantly sever the opponent’s neck, so her shock was understandable. Han Li didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he bent down and collected the man’s storage pouch. Then, he created a fire and turned the man into ashes. He retrieved the mirror and stored the sword and blades that had been trapped inside. After finishing everything, he approached the girl with a blank expression. As Han Li approached, the girl’s already pale face lost all color, and she shrank back. “W-what are you going to do? If you come any closer, I won’t stand for it!” The girl in green steeled herself and took out a black short sword from her storage pouch to stop Han Li. However, it was clearly only a mid-grade magic tool, indicating that the broken handkerchief was her best magic tool. “Does the young lady intend to treat her life’s savior like this?” Han Li scratched his nose and smiled gently. “Life’s savior…” The girl was flustered by his sudden change in demeanor and didn’t know how to react. “If I hadn’t stepped in to save you, why would I have had to commit murder?” Han Li put on a distressed expression. “Oh… I’m really, really sorry. I, I was so scared that I lost my mind for a moment.” The girl, realizing what he meant, blushed and explained. Her flustered and bewildered appearance softened the hearts of those who saw her. “Well, it’s okay. Still, I never thought we’d meet again here after meeting at the Taenam Valley Gathering.” Han Li waved his hand and spoke kindly. Seeing the girl’s embarrassed face, he felt a sense of warmth again, and it reminded him of his younger sister. “My name is Han Li. May I know the young lady’s name?” “I… I’m Ham Woon-ji.” The girl hesitated for a moment, her face as red as a beet, before answering. It seemed she was not used to introducing herself to a young man. “Ham Woon-ji, it’s a nice name, and it suits you well.” “Really?” Ham Woon-ji blushed as he repeated her name and smiled. “But how did you end up in Youngsoo Mountain and participating in the Blood Gold Trial, Miss Ham?” “That’s…” Ham Woon-ji hesitated, unable to continue. “Haha! It’s okay if it’s uncomfortable to say. I was just asking.” Han Li changed the subject, sensing her discomfort, which made the girl feel relieved. “Then let’s hurry and get the spirit herbs. If we take too long, others might come.” Han Li, who had been chatting comfortably with the girl, suggested they hurry, and Ham Woon-ji quietly nodded. However, she still looked apologetic and carefully spoke. “Brother Han, could I take a few of the Scorching Sun Flowers? I only want those, and I don’t need anything else.” “Of course. I was going to do that even if you hadn’t asked, Miss Ham.” “Thank you so much!” The girl couldn’t hide her joy at Han Li’s immediate answer. She was deeply touched by him. “Then it would be best if you went in first and got the Scorching Sun Flowers. I might accidentally take them if I’m mistaken, right?” “Yes, I will!” The girl agreed with Han Li’s natural suggestion, thinking it made sense. She bowed to him and walked into the stone chamber. As the girl turned her back, Han Li’s sigh was heard, and she felt a pain in her neck before losing consciousness. As soon as Ham Woon-ji turned her back, Han Li approached and lightly struck her neck, knocking her out. Then, he gently picked her up. Han Li felt a dizzying sensation as the girl’s delicate body touched his hands and a subtle fragrance wafted into his nose. Without realizing it, Han Li was about to kiss the girl’s cheek when he suddenly came to his senses and bit his tongue. His mind cleared, but he was dumbfounded by his own actions and laughed. He first leaned the girl against the outer wall of the stone chamber, and then he quickly went inside to gather the spirit herbs. Then, he picked up the girl again and used his movement technique to disappear into the surrounding rocks. He returned to a natural cave in the Hwanhyung Mountain Range, carefully laid Ham Woon-ji on the ground, and sat beside her, closing his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, they were shining, and his stamina, which had been depleted by using his movement technique, had recovered to some extent. He immediately took out a silver case from his storage pouch. He silently looked at the silver case before opening it, revealing neatly arranged silver needles inside. These were the acupuncture tools he had used when he was in the Seven Mysteries Sect. He slowly stroked the needles of different sizes with his fingertips, and the faces of Master Moon, Lyeo Bi-woo, and others flashed before his eyes. His life in Noeul Mountain and Shinsoo Valley felt like yesterday, and he was filled with emotion. After reminiscing for a while, he regained his focus and, with nimble hands, picked up a thin, long silver needle and looked at the girl. “Miss Ham, if I couldn’t erase your short-term memory with the Worry-Free Needle technique, I don’t know what I would have done. I believe you will do your best to keep the secret, but you never know what might happen! You might unconsciously reveal the secret or be caught by someone else’s magic and reveal everything, so I have no choice but to prepare for it, right?” Han Li muttered to himself. He rummaged through his storage pouch again and took out a red bottle. From it, he took out a red pill with a strange scent that stung his nose and put it into the girl’s mouth. “It’s a good thing I had the Forget-Dust Pill that I made without much thought. The Worry-Free Needle alone would have been too risky. Even with this, there’s still some risk, but it will completely erase her memory of the last half-day, so there shouldn’t be any major problems. Who knew the techniques I learned from the medical book Master Moon left behind would be useful in the cultivation world.” He whispered as he stroked the girl’s hair. A few hours later, Han Li, his face pale, quickly left the cave and hid in a tall tree nearby. He held his breath, watching the cave entrance. After a while, Ham Woon-ji walked out of the cave with Scorching Sun Flowers in her hand, looking bewildered, her face clearly showing confusion. But suddenly, as if she remembered something, the girl quickly put the Scorching Sun Flowers into her storage pouch and hurriedly began to descend the mountain. Not long after she disappeared, Han Li jumped down from the tall tree and looked in the direction she had gone before slowly walking into the nearby bushes. The third day in the forbidden area ended like this. From the fourth day, things did not go so smoothly. He would be chased by powerful demonic beasts while walking along the path, or he would go to a place to find important spirit herbs only to find that the information was wrong. The number of demonic beasts guarding the spirit herbs had also increased significantly. He had killed three mid-level demonic beasts and two high-level demonic beasts in just half a day, so Han Li’s stamina was completely depleted. He was already exhausted. He sat on a large rock and examined his harvest so far. The quantity of the three spirit herbs was less than expected, but he had secured a decent amount. It was not impossible to leave the forbidden area now. Moreover, he had already explored all the areas marked in the Yellow Wind Valley’s data where young spirit herbs were located. Now, all that remained were the locations from the data he had received from Choo Nam Jong-oh, which was vast. He had not tried any of them yet, fearing that the other party had given him strange data to waste his time. But after examining them in detail, it seemed that there was a secluded place with a large number of spirit herbs growing naturally, not far from where he was. In addition to the immature spirit herbs, there were also old spirit herbs, which attracted his attention. If his guess was correct, a natural habitat at this distance would have already been visited by someone, not just Jong-oh. Then the demonic beasts guarding the place would be dead, and the sprouts he wanted would all be left behind! Since it was still early and he had nothing else to do, it seemed like it wouldn’t hurt to try it out. With this thought, he felt a surge of energy, and after replenishing his stamina for a while, he headed there. * * * In a basin-like terrain in the Hwanhyung Mountain Range, surrounded by high, bizarre rocks on all sides, there was a place that seemed like no wind could pass through. In the middle of it, there was a very old and massive limestone stone chamber, with an entrance that was disproportionately narrow for its size. Han Li looked at the door, barely wide enough for two people to enter side by side, and felt that something was off. He jumped down from the rocks and slowly approached the stone chamber, raising his head to scan the area. The more he looked, the more suspicious he became. Whether it was his imagination or not, he could occasionally see a faint blue light flowing on the surface of the stone chamber, but it would disappear in an instant when he tried to examine it closely. As this phenomenon repeated, Han Li’s sensitive nerves began to be bothered again. He suspected that some kind of forbidden magic was in place. He lowered his head to look at the ground, but there were no signs of anyone having been there. ‘Strange. Although the basin is located in a somewhat remote area, there’s no way that no one has visited such a massive stone chamber. Did that guy Jong-oh not come either?’ Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and he had a bad feeling. But he didn’t want to just leave this place either. After taking a few steps back, he took out a golden blade from his storage pouch. He threw it into the air, and it immediately turned golden and attacked one of the limestone pieces that made up the stone chamber. A blue light flashed and protected the stone chamber. The blade was bounced back by the impact. Han Li shook his head and immediately turned to leave the place. ‘I need to avoid danger as much as possible! My goal is to leave the forbidden area alive, so it’s best not to enter such a strange stone chamber.’ He was about to take two steps when his body flashed and faded into the air, and a moment later, he disappeared into the stone chamber. At that moment, disciples of the Eomwol Sect appeared on the bizarre rocks surrounding the basin. The one leading them at the front was a young-looking girl, but in reality, she was their sect’s master. At this time, the girl was scanning the spot where Han Li had just disappeared with a suspicious gaze. She was sure someone was there, but now there was no one.