A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248

by Translator: Johnchen

  After a short moment, his tightly closed eyes snapped open as he stared intently at the pill in Han Li’s hand with a feverish gaze.

  Han Li did not say anything more and inserted the pill into Senior Disciple Li’s mouth. The white foam around his mouth did nothing to stop him from swallowing the pill, and after it was fully ingested, Han Li slowly retracted all of the silver needles from Senior Disciple Li’s body.

  After the retrieval of all the silver needles, the Essence Extraction Pill began to take effect. Senior Disciple Li’s pale face started to take on a reddish hue. At this moment, his body started to convulse again and his limbs started to shiver as a low drone issued from his throat.

  Senior Disciple Li did not want to be a laughing stock in front of Han Li, so he tried unsuccessfully to suppress his pain-filled voice.

  The low drone involuntarily got louder and louder as the shivers got more intense. It was only after a long period of time that the droning began to slowly subside.

  Finally, Senior Disciple Li recovered as his face returned to its normal, pale color, and his body stopped convulsing. This signaled that he successfully endured the last of the backlashes from consuming the Essence Extraction Pill.

  Senior Disciple Li straightened his body, crossed his legs, and close his eyes in order to enter meditation, attempting to circulate his Qi to heal his injuries. Han Li found a large and clean rock nearby and sat down on it, watching Senior Disciple Li.

  After the time it took to eat a meal, the Senior Disciple Li, who was in a state of meditation, abruptly wrenched open his eyes and drew his saber in a flash, placing the shining blade on Han Li’s neck.

  “Give me a reason not to kill you!” Senior Disciple Li’s eyes were full of coldness and filled with killing intent.

  “I just saved your life. Is that not a good enough reason?” Han Li stated calmly with no change to his expression except for the twitching of his brows. If one did not study Han Li’s face intently, they would not have seen it.

  Senior Disciple Li’s face slightly softened, but his eyes were still filled with killing intent as he stared at Han Li.

  “Before I made the decision to save you, I already guessed that you might kill me to protect your secret, but I didn’t think that you would act so swiftly.” Han Li bitterly laughed as his face was filled with self-mockery.

  “Ke! Despite knowing that saving you would bring calamity upon myself, I, a student of medical arts, couldn’t simply sit by and watch you die.” Han Li sighed.

  As Senior Disciple Li heard his words, his face took on a somewhat embarrassed expression, and he shifted the saber from Han Li’s neck a little but did not fully remove the blade.

  Han Li secretly let out a breath of relief, and he continued his speech more determinedly.

  “You have no need to worry that I would divulge your secret. One look at my face and you would know that I’m not one to gossip, if you are still worried, I could swear a binding oath. You should be able to tell that I’m not skilled in martial arts, so if you discover that I broke my vow, you could easily kill me,” Han Li calmly suggested.

  “Okay, swear a binding oath then.” Senior Disciple Li said straightforwardly.

  It was only now that Han Li relaxed. Before he saved Senior Disciple Li, he could infer that Senior Disciple Li was not a cruel or viscous person, but he was not completely sure of his assessment. If he was wrong and Senior Disciple Li was a person that returned kindness with viciousness, he would only be able to defend himself with his secret life-saving method.

  Knowing that he would not have to use it, Han Li stealthily retracted his hand from within his robes.

  After Han Li swore a binding oath, Senior Disciple Li finally retracted the saber and returned it to its sheath.

  Han Li slightly felt a slight trace of blood on his throat, caused by the keen edge of the saber. It was sticky to the touch, and as Han Li heartbeat returned to normal, he could feel cold sweat trickling down his back.

  'What a close call! My evaluation prior to saving Senior Disciple Li was not comprehensive enough. I’ll have to learn from this mistake to prevent my life from being in the control of someone else’s hands ever again.' He still had some fear lingering from this event.

  'If there’s no guarantee of my safety, I will definitely not save others in the future.' Han Li decided immediately.

  This was the first time Han Li had saved someone, but the experience left him with a bad taste in his mouth. This event only helped to reinforce that the world was full of unexpected turnouts, and the last vestige of kindness in him was slowly being discarded away. Even though he had not turned evil, he was far from being a saint.

  “You have saved my life and agreed to keep the matter a secret. I, Li Feiyu, owe you a big favor henceforth. As long as I’m still alive, no matter what you need help with, you can look for me. As long as I am able to accomplish the task, I will definitely help you.” As he reclaimed the items that Han Li ransacked through, Senior Disciple Li stated his vow straightforwardly, using his own name as a guarantee after he fully recovered from the pill’s backlash.

  “I fear that I currently have nothing to trouble you with, but you should already have plenty of troubles, no?” Han Li had a slight smile on his face as he faced Senior Disciple Li with another question.

  “How did you know?” Li Feiyu was startled and slightly lost his composure.

  “Anyone would have easily guessed. You are just a normal disciple under a Protector, yet with your skills, you have surpassed disciples of the Vice Sect Leaders, Division Heads, and Elders. How could they possibly let you live peacefully!” Han Li’s response was like a needle drawing blood; with a single prick, he went straight to the heart of the matter.

  Senior Disciple Li’s expression was gloomy and overcast as he agreed in silence.

  “Your troubles are your own, I have no wish to interfere and cannot interfere even if I wanted to, but, regarding the excruciating backlash from consuming the Essence Extraction Pill, I could help you lessen the pain.”

  “Truly?” Li Feiyu suddenly snapped to attention as his previous gloomy expression was replaced with anticipation and excitement. He was giddy since the backlash of the Essence Extraction Pill was extremely torturous.

  “Why would I lie to you when there is nothing beneficial for me to gain by doing so?” Han Li glanced at Senior Disciple Li. He had already concocted a remedy that would greatly lessen the pain felt by others, a medicine that he researched in his spare time for Zhang Tie. It was extremely effective, greatly cutting off the nerves ability to feel pain.

  “This is truly excellent! Excellent!” Li Feiyu clasped his hands as he looked at Han Li with wonder and excitement.

  “Why are you looking at me with such an expression? I don't have the medicine on me right now. I need to return to God Hand Valley before I can concoct it for you.”

  After Li Feiyu heard what Han Li said, he had a slightly embarrassed look on his face. He had just threatened to kill Han Li and now, he was requesting his help.

  “Tomorrow at noon, wait for me at the entrance of the God Hand Valley. I'll deliver the medicine to you there. Since Doctor Mo is currently away, I can’t allow anyone to simply enter God Hand Valley,” Han Li explained.

  “Very well, I shall be there on time. Thank you, my dear brother.” Scared that Han Li would change his mind, Li Feiyu quickly responded with his confirmation.

  “My name is Han Li, I am Doctor Mo's personal disciple. Your cultivation in martial arts is very high, so you can just directly call me Junior Brother Han in the future.”

  After Han Li heard the words “my dear brother” he couldn’t help but shiver and thus, quickly told Senior Disciple Li his name to prevent him from calling Han Li any more embarrassing titles.

  Chapter 22: Qigong Deviation

  Looking at Li Feiyu’s back as he walked away, Han Li quietly stood where he was, lost in contemplation.

  After they had agreed to meet at noon the next d
ay, Senior Disciple Li took the initiative to bid Han Li farewell, saying that he had to meditate to fully heal his injuries.

  Even after speaking for so long, Han Li did not ask Li Feiyu why he had consumed the pill. Han Li knew that even if he had asked, it would be useless because things that already happened could not be changed.

  From his observations, Li Feiyu was willing to forsake his future, just for a short 10 years of fame and glory. This probably meant that he had some underlying reason, which left him with no choice but to do so. No one would willingly commit suicide, so if Han Li really did question Li Feiyu, it would be like rubbing salt on his wounds.

  Obviously, what Han Li did was correct. Before Li Feiyu left, when he saw that Han Li did not question him about why he was taking the Essence Extraction Pill, he was grateful for Han Li's consideration. Han Li knew that although Li Feiyu did not mention anything, he assumed that he owed Han Li a favor.

  Han Li was prepared to fulfill his promise to Senior Disciple Li, so not only would he not spread the secret, he would also concoct the pain-relieving medicine for Senior Disciple Li.

  The reason for him doing so was simple. Since Senior Disciple Li was not a vile person, nor did he really want to kill Han Li, Han Li thought that he might as well use this opportunity to increase the amount of favors that Senior Disciple Li owed him. So, in the future, Senior Disciple Li would find it hard to turn down his requests.

  In the next few years, Li Feiyu’s martial skills would only exponentially increase as the Essence Extraction Pill burnt his life force, so he would be of immeasurable help to Han Li in the future. Even if Han Li would not need this favor, it wouldn't matter much. Being able to help a character like Senior Disciple Li still made Han Li feel happy. Although Senior Disciple Li may not be a good person, Han Li knew that after the events that transpired today, Li Feiyu wouldn’t jeopardize him.

  Han Li ran the whole sequence of events that happened today through his mind again. It was only when he was certain that everything had been accounted for that he returned to God Hand Valley.

  After he strolled back to the valley in a relaxed manner, Han Li began preparations to concoct the pain-relieving medicine for Senior Disciple Li. It was relatively simple for Han Li to concoct this medicine, as he could find all the ingredients he needed in the nearby medicinal herb garden. The only thing that was slightly complex was the concocting process. One must give it their full attention; if not, the chance of failure would be high.

  After a busy afternoon, Han Li concocted a year’s supply of the pain-relieving medicine Senior Disciple Li needed. He did not produce more intentionally as he wanted Senior Disciple Li to seek him out after all of the medicine was consumed so that he could increase his importance in Senior Disciple Li’s eyes. This way, Senior Disciple Li wouldn't be able to easily forget his favor.

  Later at night, Han Li was suddenly struck by a sense of loneliness as he raised his head to gaze at the stars in the pitch black sky and begin reminiscing.

  He was thinking of his family back in his village!

  He had left the village 4 years ago, and ever since he arrived at the mountain, he had been assiduously cultivating the nameless oracular formula every day and had no time to visit his family. The only thing he did to lessen his heartache was to send taels of silver back every month, hoping that his family was living a better life. He deeply treasured the letters that his parents wrote, even though there wasn’t much written in the letters other than telling him that everything was good in his family, his Second Brother had married, and things were getting better because of the silver he sent back. Reading these letters made Han Li feel much better. However, over the years, Han Li felt that the tone of the letters was gradually becoming more and more polite as if they were writing to a stranger! Initially, this caused fear to blossom in his heart, as he didn't know what to do in this situation. However, as time passed, this feeling of fear gradually numbed as the image of his family in his mind gradually became blurred.

  He reminisced about matters of the past, thinking back to that warm feeling of the time when he was still back in the village, when melancholy suddenly hit him. That warm feeling was very valuable to him as he knew that he would never be able to savor it again.

  Han Li placed his hand on his chest, using his fingers to grip the good luck charm that was in the leather pouch hanging around his neck.

  Whenever he was frustrated, he would only need to hold the good luck charm to calm himself down… But tonight, after holding it, his heart only got more and more flustered, and he was unable to truly relax.

  He was unable to control his emotions because of the depression in his heart, which in turn caused bizarre bodily reactions from Han Li. His blood started to surge as the Qi in his body ran rampant.

  “Qigong Deviation!” These two words immediately appeared in his mind. Han Li stood up, and drew in a huge breath, forcibly suppressing his chaotic state as he told himself to calm down. Now that Doctor Mo was away, he could only depend on himself to solve this crisis.

  He didn't know why he was suffering from Qigong Deviation so suddenly, and his mind continued to race. Even though now was not the best time to question the reason, he still tried finding the cause to cut the problem at its root as it was the best way to recover from Qigong Deviation.

  Han Li turned his head left and right as he surveyed his surroundings, but nothing seemed suspicious.

  He touched his chin with his right hand and at the same time, his hand also knocked against something on his chest.

  “Leather pouch, Good Luck Charm”, the names of these 2 items appeared in his mind.

  “Could it be the good luck charm that caused the reaction?” Han Li was not sure, but he had no time to hesitate now as the condition of his body was getting worse and there were signs that he would soon be unable to control the surging Qi.

  Han Li tore the leather pouch off his neck decisively and flung it away from him.

  “No, something is wrong, I feel even worse. The surge in my Qi and blood is getting more violent!”

  Han Li forcefully suppressed the surging Qi as he stared at the leather pouch with his bloodshot eyes, desperately hoping to find out why he was suffering more after he flung the pouch away.

  Chapter 23: Tests

  Maybe lady luck was smiling on him, but a sudden thought flashed past his mind.

  He quickly rushed towards the leather pouch which he had discarded and with deft movement, took out the good luck charm that was hidden inside neatly and quickly.

  The moment his palm brushed against the good luck charm, a refreshing feeling was emitted from it, calming his mind. His previous frustrations and melancholy all disappeared without a trace, and his Qi and blood stopped surging, returning back to their normal state.

  Currently, Han Li had no interest in discovering the root of the problem that occurred earlier. Holding the good luck charm in his palm, he brought it and pressed it against his face. Gently caressing it, Han Li focused all of his attention on it.

  After a long while, Han Li heaved a sigh of relief, diverting his attention away from the good luck charm.

  Han Li didn’t know that the phenomenon that happened to him just now was not because of “Qigong Deviation” but rather because he suffered from an "Inner Demon” that all cultivators would eventually face. Luckily, he discovered it in its early stages and fought it off by focusing on an object that was familiar to him. If he hadn’t, the Inner Demon would have entered his soul and controlled his body from within, causing him to bleed to death from his meridians. Of course, Han Li wouldn’t learn about this until after he truly stepped onto the path of cultivation in the future.

  Han Li circulated his Qi throughout his whole body and found there was nothing abnormal about his condition. What made him gasp in astonishment was that instead of suffering injuries, his cultivation level had unknowingly increased by a great extent! He didn't make a breakthrough to the fourth layer yet, but because of his struggle aga
inst the Inner Demon, he had reached the peak of the third layer earlier than expected and was only a hair length away from breaking through to the fourth!

  Because of this unexpected stroke of luck, Han Li had a smile on his face. However, he forcefully suppressed the excitement in his heart. He was afraid that his unstable emotions would lead to another attack, and he was uncertain whether he would be able to survive if it happened again. With that in mind, he took the leather pouch, preparing to place good luck charm that had saved his life back inside it.

  “Yi!” Han Li realized then that there was an object long forgotten by him inside the leather pouch. An object that had been left lying about in there for a few years – the mysterious bottle!

  Han Li had completely forgotten about the mysterious bottle. The moment he saw it, he remembered what happened back then.

  The current Han Li was an archive of knowledge and wisdom that far surpassed the Han Li from four years ago. In these four years, he had read all the books in Doctor Mo’s residence and gained a great amount of knowledge. He also cultivated the nameless oracular chant, which effectively sharpened his mind. From the phenomena that the bottle had displayed in the past, he could easily deduce that it was an extraordinary item with incredible abilities.

  What Han Li needed to do now was to delve into and unravel the bottle's secrets, and see if it could be of use to him. There was no way he would continue to just leave it lying around in the leather pouch and waste such a mysterious object.

  Han Li took out the bottle and inspected its entire surface as if he were trying to look for something that he had missed out on during his inspection four years ago.

  But no matter how much he inspected it, there were no new discoveries.

  Han Li stopped wasting time and opened the cap of the bottle. Floating inside of the mysterious bottle was the jade green droplet of liquid that had manifested four years ago, appearing no different than from when it first appeared.