An Omen Appears

Knowing that Han Li had injured his foot, Zhang Tie personally brought the food to his room, planning to eat with him.

Han Li watched him bustle clumsily around the room, moving a chair one moment and fussing with the table the next. After a good long while, Zhang Tie finally got everything ready for the meal. Han Li couldn't help finding it a little funny, but he was even more touched.

Once the two were seated at the table, they began stuffing food into their mouths as they chatted about sect gossip, exchanging insights on their cultivation from time to time.

The moment the subject of Zhang Tie's Elephant Armor Technique came up, he rolled his eyes in frustration.

By now, the mere mention of the Elephant Armor Technique was enough to make Zhang Tie turn pale, as if someone had spoken of a tiger. Though he had only cultivated the first level, Doctor Mo had already tormented him until his cries of suffering filled the air. Not only did he have to soak in foul-smelling medicinal brews at set times and places, but he also had to endure occasional beatings from Doctor Mo's wooden staff, supposedly to temper his sinews and bones.

For a time, these brutal training methods had kept him from sleeping peacefully every night. His entire body had been red and swollen, and the moment he touched the wooden bed, the pain made him grimace and bare his teeth.

For him, it really had been a nightmare.

As for the nameless mnemonic Han Li practiced, Zhang Tie envied him from the bottom of his heart.

He thought Han Li only had to sit in meditation and chant like a monk every day. Hearing that, Han Li could only face him in silence.

Han Li could understand Zhang Tie's fear of the later levels of the Elephant Armor Technique. Anyone who knew he would have to endure torments several times worse than those he had already suffered would be unable to sit or lie still, eat or sleep in peace.

The fact that Zhang Tie had held on until now without giving up had already filled Han Li with admiration.

If it were him, nothing would make him practice such a self-torturing martial art. Even if it could make him a first-rate expert overnight, he would feel the same way.

By the time the two had finished talking, they had eaten most of their dinner. Zhang Tie hurriedly cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, then rose to take his leave. Before going, he told Han Li to rest early and let his injured foot heal.

Han Li stood at the door and watched him leave, then hurried back inside and shut the doors and windows tight, leaving only a skylight open for ventilation. Only then did he take the bottle out of the pouch and examine it again.

Han Li was, after all, only a boy of around ten. After fussing over it for a while without getting anywhere, he grew somewhat bored. His foot was still injured, and he was also feeling tired, so before he knew it, he had drifted into a drowsy sleep, leaning against the bed with the bottle in his hand.

After an unknown length of time, Han Li, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly felt an icy sensation coming from one of his hands.

Han Li gave a start and shivered. Forcing open eyelids that had grown as heavy as mountains, he blearily looked at the hand causing the trouble.

In a flash, he sat bolt upright, his mouth hanging wide open. He didn't even notice the drool running from one corner of his mouth. All traces of sleep vanished as he stared, utterly stunned by the sight before him.

Wisps of white light visible to the naked eye descended from the sky through the only open skylight in the room. They all gathered on the bottle in his hand, forming white specks of light the size of rice grains and surrounding the entire bottle with a thin layer of white radiance.

The white light was very soft, not dazzling in the least, and the icy sensation came from that faint glow.

Han Li swallowed a mouthful of saliva that had turned cold, then abruptly came to his senses. He flung the bottle in his hand aside as if it were burning hot and scrambled away on hands and knees to the other side.

He watched it warily for a while. When he saw that there seemed to be no danger, he cautiously edged closer again.

Surrounded by white light, the bottle looked especially beautiful and alluring, with a touch of mystery.

Han Li hesitated, then gently poked the bottle a few times with a finger. Seeing no reaction, he carefully picked it up again. He placed it back on the table, then leaned close by, excitedly observing this wondrous sight he had never seen before.

Without blinking, Han Li stared intently at the bottle in the white light for more than a quarter of an hour. At last, he discovered part of its secret.

The bottle was constantly absorbing the white specks of light drifting nearby through its surface. No, it wasn't absorbing them. The specks were squeezing desperately into the bottle, each racing ahead of the others as if they were alive.

A little curious, Han Li gently touched one of them with his fingertip.

It was cool! Apart from that, there was nothing else unusual about it.

Han Li looked up.

Strands of white light continued to fall through the skylight, showing no sign of stopping.

Han Li looked at the doors and windows, all shut tight around him, then glanced up at the open skylight.

An idea struck him. He gently pushed the door open and poked his head out, looking around.

Fortunately, it was already late at night. Apart from a few chirps from autumn insects, it was silent outside, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

Han Li pulled his head back in, turned, and snatched up the little bottle. He tucked it into the leather pouch, then dashed outside.

He ran until he reached a secluded, deserted clearing before stopping.

He swept his eyes around, making sure there really was no one else there. Only then did he carefully take the bottle out again and gently place it on the ground.

The specks of light that had been around the bottle had vanished without a trace after it was placed in the leather pouch.

But Han Li wasn't worried.

Sure enough, after a short while, strands of light far more numerous than those in the room gathered from every direction. Then countless white specks of light appeared, densely packed around the little bottle, forming a huge mass of light the size of a washbasin.