Han Li pondered for a moment. It seemed unavoidable; if he refused to let the other examine his cultivation level, things would truly hit a dead end.
Doctor Mo had unhesitatingly given him the antidote for the Corpse Worm Pill, a clear show of sincerity. If Han Li kept making excuses now, it would only arouse baseless suspicion—making the other think he hadn’t actually reached the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Technique and was merely lying to deceive him. That would steer matters in a very undesirable direction, perhaps even stirring up unexpected trouble.
Besides, Han Li had anticipated this step. He had made preparations in advance. Even if Doctor Mo turned hostile the instant he finished taking his pulse, Han Li had his own means to escape.
Thinking this through, Han Li looked up, meeting Doctor Mo’s eyes directly, and spoke slowly: "Elder Mo, seeing how straightforward you were with the antidote, this is the last time I’ll trust you. I hope you won’t disappoint me."
Having said that, he extended his right wrist, carefully watching for any reaction. Should anything seem amiss, he would retract it instantly.
Unfortunately, Doctor Mo maintained his false smile throughout, his expression betraying nothing. Upon hearing Han Li’s agreement, only his eyebrows twitched slightly before returning to their original state. It seemed he was fully confident in Han Li’s response.
Without another word, he reached out his withered left hand and gently placed it on Han Li’s wrist. His smile gradually faded, replaced by a solemn and earnest look, as if he were performing a sacred task.
Han Li secretly maintained his cultivation at the fourth layer. Seeing Doctor Mo’s expression, he felt a twinge of unease, and his alertness spiked to its highest. His left hand quietly moved toward his waist, where a custom-made short sword in its scabbard was hidden.
Slowly, a look of delight surfaced on Doctor Mo’s face. He had detected the unending flow of strange energy within Han Li’s meridians. Its intensity far exceeded his minimum expectation.
Even with all his cunning and deep scheming, seeing a long-laid plan finally nearing success, he couldn’t suppress the joy spreading across his face. Just moments before, his smile had been forced; now, it beamed with genuine elation.
"Excellent! It really is the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Technique! Ha! Ha! Truly wonderful! Haha! Haha!..." Doctor Mo no longer bothered to conceal his delight, bursting into hearty laughter that made the entire room hum. Yet, his hand never loosened its grip on Han Li’s wrist.
"Elder Mo, what are you doing? Isn’t it time to let go?" Han Li’s expression darkened. He knew things were turning bad. He tried to pull his right hand back forcefully, but the other’s grip was ironclad, completely immovable.
"Let go? Fine, I will!" Doctor Mo’s laughter stopped, replaced by a fierce snarl.
With a sudden, thunderous shout: "Hah!"
Han Li felt a boom in his ears, his vision went black, the world spun, and he lost his balance. Unable to stand, he collapsed to the ground on the spot. His left hand, which had been resting on the sword hilt, slid away weakly.
"No good!" Though his body refused to obey, Han Li’s mind remained clear. He realized he’d been careless, caught off guard by the other’s preemptive strike. For a moment, all he could do was wait helplessly.
"You’re still too green, boy. Now you can’t do anything, can you?" Seeing his plan succeed as expected, Doctor Mo couldn’t help but feel a measure of smugness.
"Come here!" With a strong pull of his left hand, Doctor Mo dragged Han Li from the floor to his feet. Then he leaned down, extending his right index finger, aiming straight for the paralysis point on Han Li’s chest.
With a muffled "thud," Doctor Mo’s finger seemed to strike an iron plate. The front of his finger throbbed with a rebounding pain, and the acupoint strike naturally failed.
"What’s going on!" Doctor Mo was startled by this turn of events, his heart jolting with surprise.
"Could he be wearing some kind of iron armor beneath his clothes?" he thought in astonishment.
His gaze involuntarily scanned Han Li’s thin garment. It looked far too flimsy to conceal hidden armor, leaving him confused.
In that brief moment of distraction, Han Li had already regained control of his body. His recovery ability was far stronger than Doctor Mo had anticipated.
After all, Han Li had cultivated the Eternal Spring Technique to the sixth layer. His ability to resist abnormal states and recover was far beyond what an ordinary person could imagine—a fact Han Li himself hadn’t fully realized.
Doctor Mo, decisively setting aside the confusion in his mind, was about to try a different method to subdue Han Li when he suddenly felt the wrist he’d been gripping turn incredibly slick and supple, impossible to hold onto firmly.
In his astonishment, he applied a bit more force, but with a swift "slip," the other’s wrist slid out from between his fingers like an eel. This time, Doctor Mo was genuinely stunned.
Ignoring the other’s shock, Han Li executed an unexpected scrambling roll, moving nimbly away from Doctor Mo to a corner of the room. Only after putting considerable distance between them did he dare to slowly stand up.
Han Li’s face was expressionless, his cold eyes fixed on Doctor Mo.
He wasted no more breath. Though he didn’t know the exact reason the other wanted to capture him, one thing was certain: Doctor Mo harbored no good intentions.
It seemed all his previous talk about using Han Li’s Eternal Spring Technique to stimulate secret acupoints had been a colossal lie, utterly unworthy of trust.
For his own sake, and for the safety of his family, Han Li slowly drew the short sword from his waist with his left hand. The blade was only a foot long, shimmering with a greenish light that made it look razor-sharp—an excellent, keen weapon.
"Today, one of us dies. Only one walks out of this room alive." Han Li’s voice was ice-cold as he finally bared his fangs before Doctor Mo for the very first time.
(End of Chapter)