Published: August 16, 2025
Chapter 130: Joining the Group
“Brother, why are you standing here alone? Are you waiting for a friend?” A clear voice suddenly came from behind Han Li, causing him to startle.
Han Li slowly turned around and saw six or seven people standing not far behind him. The speaker was an immortal cultivator dressed as a Taoist, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. This man had a pale face, no beard, and well-defined features. Draped over his arm was a duster whisk, and he was smiling kindly at Han Li.
“Do you need something from me, Daoist?” Han Li did not respond directly to the question but instead asked calmly with no expression.
“Hehe! Don’t misunderstand, we mean no harm. We just saw you standing here alone, looking very curious about everything around, so we guessed that you might be a rogue cultivator attending the gathering by yourself. We wanted to come up and make friends since we are all rogue cultivators like you,” the Taoist explained kindly.
“You’re all rogue cultivators?” Han Li was slightly surprised.
“That’s right. If you are indeed a rogue cultivator, it’s best to join us. That way, we can watch out for each other during this gathering,” said a graceful young woman with a scar on her face. Beside her stood a burly man with a thick beard, holding a large blade on his back. They seemed to be a couple.
“Exactly. In previous years, rogue cultivators who attended the trade fair alone were often bullied by the big families because they were isolated,” the Taoist said solemnly.
Hearing this, Han Li began to understand their intentions.
These rogue cultivators attending the gathering feared being bullied by the immortal families, so they naturally banded together to form small groups for mutual protection. That was why they were looking for solitary rogue cultivators like him.
Now that he understood their purpose, Han Li had no reason to refuse such a good opportunity. After all, he did need a small group to shield him from trouble, even if it was just temporary.
However, before joining, he wanted to ask them a few questions to be sure.
“Since you’ve already guessed, I have nothing to hide. I am indeed a rogue cultivator. But before I join your group, could you introduce yourselves and explain what exactly joining entails?” Han Li admitted his status frankly but requested more information just as the others began to show delight.
“It seems you still have some reservations! Haha! That’s nothing; the others said almost the same thing when they first joined!” The Taoist and the others, hearing Han Li’s words, didn’t look displeased. Instead, they glanced at each other and laughed heartily before the Taoist spoke again.
“Let me introduce these friends to you!” The Taoist pointed to the cultivators and smiled at Han Li.
“These two are brothers from Canglang Ridge, Hei Mu and Hei Jin,” the Taoist said, leading Han Li to two similar-looking young men and introducing them openly.
The two men cupped their fists toward Han Li, who calmly returned the greeting.
“These are Red Lotus Rogue Cultivator from Flying Lotus Cave and Master Ku Sang from Puluo Mountain.” This time, he introduced an ordinary-looking young girl and a small monk with a stern face.
“As for this pair…”
“We are from Tianshui Village, Aunt Hu Ping and Xiong Dali,” the young woman who had spoken to Han Li earlier giggled and interrupted before the Taoist could finish.
The Taoist smiled gently at being interrupted but took no offense.
“I am a wandering Taoist from Reclining Ox Mountain’s Green Ox Sect, Taoist Song Wen. Hehe, I am the founder of this little group and have temporarily been chosen as the leader, but I rarely give orders. Only when dealing with external disputes do I speak on behalf of everyone,” the Taoist modestly introduced himself and briefly explained the nature of their small group.
This Taoist seemed quite dignified and appeared to be decent!
Moreover, most of the others had considerable magical power, roughly equivalent to the seventh or eighth level of the everlasting spring technique! Taoist Song Wen was even stronger—though still not as powerful as the Blue-Clothed Man—but much stronger than Han Li himself.