Schemes and Fangs

Han Li lowered his head in thought. It seemed there really was no way around letting the other man test his cultivation.

The other man had given him the antidote to the Corpse Worm Pill without hesitation, showing some sincerity. If Han Li kept making excuses, he would only give the man groundless suspicions, making him think Han Li had not actually mastered the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Art and had lied to deceive him. Things would then take a turn for the worse, and perhaps some unexpected complication would arise.

Besides, Han Li had anticipated this and made some preparations in advance. Even if the other man turned hostile immediately after taking his pulse, he had a way to escape.

With that thought, Han Li raised his head and looked Doctor Mo straight in the eyes. "Elder Mo, since you gave me the antidote so readily, this is the last time I'll trust you. I hope you won't disappoint me."

He held out his right wrist and watched the other man's reaction carefully. If anything seemed wrong, he would pull it back at once.

Unfortunately, Doctor Mo kept the same false smile on his face, showing no discernible change. Only when he heard Han Li agree did his eyebrows twitch slightly, but they immediately returned to normal. It seemed he had long been certain of Han Li's answer.

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, grave expression, as though he were performing an exceedingly sacred task.

Han Li quietly kept his cultivation at the fourth layer. Seeing Doctor Mo's expression, he felt uneasy, and his vigilance rose to its highest pitch. His left hand moved quietly to his waist, where he had a custom-made short sword in its sheath.

Slowly, an expression of delighted surprise appeared on Doctor Mo's face. He had detected a continuous flow of strange energy in Han Li's meridians, and its strength far exceeded the minimum he had expected.

However shrewd and calculating he was, now that the great undertaking he had plotted for so long finally showed promise of success, his face could not help blooming into a smile again. Only this time, unlike the forced smile he had worn before, his joy showed from the heart.

"Wonderful! It really is the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Art! Ha! Ha! This is wonderful! Hahaha! Hahaha! ..." Doctor Mo laughed heartily before Han Li without the slightest restraint. His laughter set the whole room buzzing, but his hand never left Han Li's wrist, gripping it without letting go.

"Elder Mo, what are you doing? Shouldn't you let go?" Han Li's face darkened. He already knew things had gone badly and tried to yank his right hand back, but the other man held it so tightly that it would not budge.

"Let go? Fine, I will!" Doctor Mo's laughter stopped, and a savage expression spread across his face.

He suddenly let out a thunderous shout: "Hah!"

Han Li's ears boomed, his vision went black, and the world went dark around him. He lost his balance and could no longer remain standing, collapsing to the ground on the spot. His left hand slipped weakly from the hilt of his sword.

This is bad! Though Han Li had lost control of his body, his mind was clear. He knew he had been careless and let the other man strike first, leaving him helpless to do anything but await death.

"Boy, you're still a little green. Now you can't pull any tricks, can you?" Seeing that he had succeeded in one move, just as he had expected, Doctor Mo could not help feeling somewhat pleased with himself.

"Come here!" Doctor Mo pulled hard with his left hand, dragging Han Li straight from the ground to his feet. Then he bent down and thrust his right index finger straight at the numbing acupoint on Han Li's chest.

With a bang, Doctor Mo's finger seemed to strike an iron plate, producing a dull impact. The force of the rebound sent a dull ache through the front half of his finger, and naturally, his attempt to strike the acupoint failed.

"What's going on?!" The unexpected outcome startled Doctor Mo, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Could he be wearing a layer of iron armor under his clothes? he wondered in surprise.

His eyes involuntarily swept over Han Li's clothing, but it looked far too thin to conceal armor underneath. This left him somewhat confused.

In the instant Doctor Mo was distracted, Han Li regained control of his body. His ability to recover was far stronger than Doctor Mo had expected.

Han Li had not cultivated the Eternal Spring Art to the sixth layer for nothing, after all. His ability to recover and resist abnormal effects far exceeded what most people could imagine, something even Han Li himself had not expected.

Doctor Mo decisively cast aside the question in his mind and sought another way to subdue Han Li. Suddenly, however, he felt the wrist he had been gripping tightly turn extraordinarily slippery and supple, making it impossible to keep a firm hold.

Startled, he tightened his grip a little, but the other man's hand slipped through his fingers like a loach. This time, Doctor Mo was truly taken aback.

Paying no heed to the other man's surprise, Han Li caught him off guard with a donkey roll, nimbly rolling away from his side to a corner of the room. Only when he was far from Doctor Mo did he dare rise slowly to his feet.

Han Li's face was expressionless as he stared coldly at Doctor Mo.

He wasted no more words. Although he did not know why the other man wanted to capture him, one thing was certain: the man harbored absolutely no good intentions toward him.

It seemed that what the man had said before about relying on Han Li's Eternal Spring Art to stimulate a secret acupoint had also been a monstrous lie, utterly unworthy of belief.

For his own sake and the safety of his family, Han Li slowly drew the short sword at his waist with his left hand. The blade was only about a foot long and gleamed with a green light. A single glance told anyone it was incomparably sharp, a fine blade indeed.

"Today, either you die or I do. Only one of us will walk out of this room alive." Han Li's words were icy cold. For the first time, he bared his fangs before Doctor Mo.