Corpse Worm Pill
Han Li's thoughts were tangled like a skein of hemp. He felt a little fear, a little regret, and bewilderment besides. Although he had stalled until now, he still could not think of a way to escape, and he was beginning to panic.
He was still very young, after all, and could not compare with an old hand like Doctor Mo. Though he forced himself to stay calm and keep his expression unchanged, Doctor Mo still spotted a flaw. The fine beads of sweat on his forehead exposed him as a paper tiger.
Doctor Mo missed none of the changes on Han Li's face and was satisfied with the immense pressure he had placed on him. He had always believed that only when a person lost control of his thoughts could he be made to speak the truth.
"You think I've been deliberately slacking off and delaying my cultivation?" Han Li was stunned by this inexplicable blow.
"Of course. You still haven't reached the fourth layer after two years. Did you really think I couldn't see through your little tricks? You completed the first three layers in only three years. Even if the fourth layer is too difficult to cultivate, and you have no medicine to help you, you couldn't possibly have made not the slightest progress in two years." Doctor Mo spoke ominously, his eyebrows standing on end and his face full of menace. It seemed he had long been dissatisfied with Han Li and was only now venting it.
"It seems that no matter how I explain it, Elder Mo won't believe me." Han Li smiled bitterly to himself. He had not expected that the progress he had just concealed would be the very culprit behind his current predicament. He really had lifted a stone only to drop it on his own foot. He did not know whether bringing about Doctor Mo's outburst early and uncovering the answers to all these mysteries was right or wrong.
"No need to say anything else. I don't want to know whether what you did before was real or a sham. Listen carefully. Now I have only one question for you: if I give you another year, can you cultivate the Eternal Spring Art to the fourth layer?" Doctor Mo gave a cold laugh and slowly asked the most important question of the day. Then, without so much as blinking, he fixed his eyes on Han Li and waited solemnly for his answer.
Han Li was clearheaded enough to know that his answer concerned not only the other man's life a year from now, but also whether he himself could survive this moment.
"You should know perfectly well that I can't give you any other answer. Come on, release my acupoints first." Han Li relaxed all at once, and his tone grew light.
Hearing his words, Doctor Mo's expression softened, and a trace of approval appeared in his eyes. But he did not step forward to release Han Li's acupoints. Instead, he cautiously took an exquisitely carved, four-cornered sandalwood box from inside his robes.
"Your word alone isn't enough to set my mind at ease. What if you insist on hanging up a sheep's head while selling dog meat and refuse to devote yourself to cultivation? How would that be any different from before? For the sake of both our lives, it's better to have an extra safeguard." His voice was sinister.
He carefully opened the lid. A white pill lay quietly in the center of the box.
Doctor Mo reached out and jabbed Han Li, releasing his acupoints. Before Han Li could move, Doctor Mo held the box out in front of him.
"You're a smart man. I don't need to waste any more words. You know what to do." Doctor Mo narrowed his eyes, a malicious look in them.
Han Li moved his somewhat numb hands and feet a little. Without another word, he took the sandalwood box and gently lifted the pill out with two fingers. In front of Doctor Mo, he put it straight into his mouth without even looking at it and swallowed.
"Clap, clap! Very good. A wise man knows when to submit to circumstances. As long as you help me return to normal, I'll be sure to reward you generously. I won't mislead you with empty promises. A rift has formed between us, so it's impossible for me to truly take you as my disciple, but I can still guarantee you a lifetime of glory and wealth." Doctor Mo clapped his hands a few times and made Han Li a solemn promise with great sincerity.
"Now you should tell me what the pill does, so I don't unknowingly break some taboo and lose my life." Han Li's face was expressionless, showing no sign of being moved.
"Heh, heh. This pill is called the Corpse Worm Pill. It isn't really a medicine, but an insect egg prepared using a certain Secret Method. Once you swallow it, it will lie dormant inside you for a year. Don't worry, you'll be absolutely safe during that year, and it won't stop you from doing anything else. After a year, you need only take a specially prepared antidote, and it will dissolve on its own without leaving any hidden danger. But if you don't take the antidote after a year, heh, heh! The egg will have absorbed enough nourishment to hatch, and the worm will devour every last one of the organs in your body, large and small, while you're still alive. You'll wail in pain worse than death for three days and nights before you slowly die." Doctor Mo spoke casually of the pill's terrible effects, covertly warning Han Li.
When Han Li heard how vicious the pill was, his body trembled slightly and his face turned exceedingly ugly. He could barely control the anger in his heart. But Doctor Mo had yet to play his trump card.
"Oh, right. I hear you have quite a few parents and relatives back home. I wonder if the silver you send home each month is enough for them? If it isn't, just ask me for more. I think of your family often." Doctor Mo slowly spoke those earnest words. Only now did he truly bare his fangs, sinking them viciously into Han Li's fatal weakness.
Han Li's face had turned ashen. He was utterly unable to reach the state described in books, with his mind composed and his heart as still as water.
With the last of his willpower, he bit his lip, afraid that curses or desperate pleas would burst from his mouth. He understood perfectly well that no matter how he begged or threatened, Doctor Mo would never let go of this greatest piece of leverage.
"You can rest assured. Within one year, I'll definitely cultivate to the fourth layer." Han Li clenched his teeth and spoke the words one by one, no longer hiding his hatred for Doctor Mo.
Under that naked threat, he could only submit for the time being. He had not reached the point where he could disown all his kin and disregard whether his parents lived or died.
Now that Han Li's vital point was in Doctor Mo's grasp, he had to abandon even the thought of fighting to the death and bringing them both down with him. In this first clash with Doctor Mo, he had suffered a complete defeat.
After hearing Han Li's words of submission, Doctor Mo let out a long breath, releasing the pent-up tension in his chest. He had been no less nervous than Han Li, but had completely concealed it beneath his strange and shifting expressions.
This Eternal Spring Art really is uncanny. The little bastard is so young, yet he's already so hard to deal with. Doctor Mo cursed viciously to himself, unsure whether he felt envy or jealousy.
In truth, although the Eternal Spring Art had some effect on those who cultivated it, cleansing their marrow and awakening their minds, its specific effects depended on the person. Han Li was naturally much more mature and clever than others his age, and after cultivating the Eternal Spring Art, his intelligence and cunning far surpassed those of ordinary youths.