An Inner Demon Arises

Han Li watched Li Feiyu's retreating figure gradually disappear into the distance. He stood quietly where he was, saying nothing.

After agreeing to come back for the medicine before noon the next day, Li Feiyu had taken the initiative to bid Han Li farewell, saying he needed to return and recuperate some more.

All this time, Han Li had never pressed Li Feiyu about why he had taken the secret medicine. Han Li knew that even if he asked, it would not change what had already happened.

Since he would rather give up everything in his future in exchange for the glory and honor Senior Brother Li enjoyed in the present, he must have had his own compelling reasons for doing so. No one would willingly kill himself, and even if it was a slow suicide that came at a steep price, no one would undertake it gladly. If Han Li insisted on making him reveal those reasons, he would only be ripping open an almost-healed scar, leaving it bloody once more.

Clearly, Han Li had done the right thing. Before leaving, Li Feiyu had seen that he did not press him for the precise reason he had taken the Marrow Extraction Pill and was deeply grateful for his understanding. Though Li Feiyu had said nothing, Han Li knew that he owed him another favor, neither large nor small.

Han Li intended to keep his agreement with him. Not only would he refrain from telling anyone his secret, but he had also decided to prepare a secret medicine to ease his pain as soon as he returned to the valley.

His reason was simple: since Li Feiyu was not a petty man and had not truly tried to kill him, Han Li would make him owe an even greater favor, making it difficult for him to refuse any requests Han Li made in the future.

Li Feiyu's martial skills would only grow stronger in his final years, and the stronger they became, the more likely he was to be of help to Han Li. Even if Han Li did not need his help in the years to come, that did not matter. Lending a little help to someone who was not a bad person was, for Han Li, a pleasure for both body and mind. Although Li Feiyu was not necessarily a good person, at the very least, after what had happened today, he would do Han Li no harm.

Han Li thought everything through from beginning to end. Only when he felt he had overlooked nothing did he stroll back to Divine Hand Valley.

Not long after returning to the valley at a leisurely pace, Han Li began preparing the secret medicine Li Feiyu needed. The medicine that dulled a person's sensation of pain was not difficult to make, and all the required medicinal ingredients could be found in the valley's herb garden. The preparation process was merely somewhat complicated and required care and attention.

After a busy afternoon, Han Li had prepared enough finished medicine to last Li Feiyu a year. It was not that he could not make more; he simply wanted Li Feiyu to come back for the medicine every year, so that he would not gradually forget the favor he owed him.

That evening, Han Li suddenly departed from his usual routine and sat in a chair outside his room, looking up at the pitch-black, starry sky and the bright moon, lost in thought.

Han Li was missing his family back home again.

He had been away from his parents for more than four years. Ever since coming up the mountain, he had spent almost every day practicing the Mnemonic diligently, with no time to think about matters at home, and had never gone back down the mountain to visit. He had merely sent most of the silver he received each month home with others, and each year he received only one letter from his parents, written on their behalf by Uncle Old Zhang, assuring him that they were safe. The letters contained little; apart from telling him that all was well at home, they mentioned little else. He knew only that life at home was much better than before, that his eldest brother had married and established himself, and that a bride had been arranged for his second brother, whose wedding would probably be held the following year. All these changes had come about because of the silver he sent home. Yet from the greetings in those few letters, Han Li had perceptively noticed that his family's tone toward him was becoming more and more polite, so polite that it felt almost as though they were addressing a stranger. At first, that feeling frightened Han Li, and he did not know how to deal with it. But as time passed, for some reason, his fear naturally faded, and the images of his loved ones at home gradually grew indistinct in his mind.

Only at times like tonight, when the scene stirred his feelings, would he miss his family again and recall the warmth he had once felt at home. That feeling, so hard to experience now, made Han Li feel comfortable and was precious to him, and he would savor it slowly, bit by bit.

Han Li placed a hand on his chest and, through his clothes, stroked the small leather pouch containing his safety talisman.

In the past, a few strokes at such times had been enough to bring him a faint sense of contentment. But tonight, for some reason, stroking it only made his heart more restless, and it would not calm down for a long time.

Han Li now felt an indescribable gloom in his heart and could not control his emotions. Something was wrong throughout his body as well: his Qi and Blood had begun to churn incessantly, and the strange power he had cultivated was stirring restlessly.

The terrifying words "Qi Deviation" suddenly appeared in his mind. Han Li stood up, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down. Doctor Mo was away, so he could only deal with the crisis before him on his own.

Han Li was still somewhat puzzled. How could he have suffered Qi Deviation for no reason? Although this was not the time to get to the bottom of things, starting at the root and finding what had triggered the Qi Deviation was the most feasible way to resolve the trouble completely.

Han Li raised his head and searched his surroundings, but found nothing conspicuous.

He touched his chin with his right hand, and his elbow suddenly bumped against something bulging. He instinctively turned his gaze to it.

"Small leather pouch," "safety talisman"-the names immediately flashed through his mind.

Could it have caused this great trouble? Han Li could not be sure, but he could not hesitate any longer. The situation inside his body had worsened, and he could lose control at any moment.

Han Li decisively reached up, yanked the leather pouch from around his neck, and flung it far away with all his strength.

No, that's not right. I feel even worse, and my Qi and Blood are churning even more violently.

With difficulty, Han Li once again suppressed the disturbance inside his body. His bloodshot eyes fixed on the small leather pouch as he hoped to find the reason things had grown worse.