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

by Translator: Johnchen

  He turned around towards the interior of his room and looked at the two rabbits, which had escaped the rain. They had a healthy and lively appearance, making Han Li even more depressed. Ever since the rabbits ate their medicine-infused food, not only were there no problems, they were even more vigorous than before. In these past ten days, Han Li had carefully watched them every day to confirm the rabbits had no symptoms of poisoning. Instead, because they ate the bone and muscle strengthening medicines, they became even more healthy.

  Not only did this good result fail to make Han Li happy, it also made his mind somewhat worried about his losses and gains. He hadn’t the slightest means to make himself calm. Whether or not the bottle could produce more green liquid had already become the key to all of his problems. In addition, the lingering, lousy weather made it so that he was unable to test his theory. How could this not make Han Li utterly depressed?

  Chapter 26: Medicinal Student

  Just as Han Li became convinced that the rain would be endless, the sun finally rose into the sky and cleared away the clouds.

  Han Li had already discovered the secret of the bottle half a month ago, and thus he was naturally impatient. On that clear night sky, Han Li saw once more the miracle from 4 years ago. Little by little, small orbs of light encircled the bottle before merging into one big sphere.

  Upon seeing this miracle once more, Han Li raised his head excitedly. It seemed the bottle was usable more than just one time. It could repeatedly regenerate the droplet of mysterious liquid as long as there was moonlight!

  After another seven days of waiting, the mysterious droplet of liquid finally formed. When Han Li saw the contents of the bottle, he was tremendously happy and excited. Now that he knew that he had a steady stream of precious herbs, he would no longer have to worry about insufficient resources.

  The value of an medicinal herb was determined by its age. The older the medicinal herb was, the more precious it would be as its medicinal effects would grow more potent with age. At the same time, an ingredient that was more precious would naturally be harder to find. Some ingredients could only be found in the depths of the forest or hanging from sheer cliffs. For those who didn’t risk their lives, there was no way that they would be able to find these precious ingredients.

  Although there were several pharmacies that specialized in cultivating these rare herbs, these herbs were generally harvested so quickly in order to satisfy the large demand that they never got a chance to grow very large. For that reason, most weren’t stupid enough to try and cultivate herbs for a long period of time and instead chose to harvest them as soon as possible.

  Only the wealthy families could afford to grow and cultivate rare herbs for stockpiling in the case of a crisis. Since the herbs were not only rare strains but were also planted for a long time, their effectiveness was many times greater than that of common herbs. There wasn’t a need for a specialist to cultivate the plants either! Not only did these families pass on their money from generation to generation, the herbs they had spent so much time on would be passed down as well. As a result, time was not an issue for these families. For centuries, these herbs would be cultivated in this way. In the case of both money and rare herbs, common people had no access to such a stockpile.

  Occasionally, rare ingredients would appear briefly on the market, only to be purchased by the richer families. This slowly increased the prices of herbs and ingredients to the point that some of the herbs had been labeled as priceless.

  Han Li hadn’t been too optimistic about Elder Mo’s ability to procure the precious herbs needed for his cultivation. But now, there was no need for him to worry. With this mysterious bottle, he would be able to create many ingredients in a short amount of time.

  With a strange feeling in his heart, Han Li had been experimenting with the mysterious droplet of liquid on herbal ingredients for the past 10 days.

  One time, he diluted the green liquid and sprayed it on some herbs. The result after two days was that the plant effectively grew two years’ worth. This was much better than the original product, and with this experiment, Han Li had learned an important rule.

  On the next experiment, Han Li did not bother to dilute the jade green droplet, letting a drop of the green liquid fall onto a stalk of ginseng. On the second day, Han Li had unexpectedly seen that the ginseng became virtually indistinguishable from wild hundred year-old ginseng. This experiment made Han Li happier than ever, not because he now owned a rare ingredient, but because he had confirmed the usage of the mysterious droplet of liquid.

  Afterward, Han Li decided to set aside some of the green liquid for experimentation, while the rest would be placed in other containers like porcelain, jade bottles, and even silver bottles. However, he soon discovered that none of the bottles were able to contain the liquid for longer than a minute. After the liquid was taken out from the bottle, it needed to be used within a minute. Otherwise, it would slowly disappear without a trace. Even the diluted form of the liquid had the same result, albeit it could last for a longer amount of time. Even if other liquids were mixed together, they would disappear without a trace soon afterward.

  After many attempts, Han Li gave up on storing the liquid in any other container. It appeared that he wouldn’t be able to stockpile this mysterious liquid. Thus, Han Li could only proceed to test the herbal aging properties of the green liquid.

  Han Li brought out a bundle of Three Crow Grass and used the liquid on it. Almost immediately, it had turned into a hundred year-old yellow colored Three Crow Grass. Just from a single drop of the liquid, its age would increase by 100 years!

  After seeing such an effect, Han Li made extensive use of the liquid for the next two months. Every time he was able to acquire more liquid within this bottle, he would drip it onto this strand of Three Crow Grass. It gradually turned from a yellow color to a yellowy black color. In the end, it turned jet black which was the result of it successfully aging to become a thousand year-old Three Crow Grass.

  After the success of this particular experiment, it would appear that with patience, the Three Crow Grass would be able to be constantly aged and thus improved. However, there wasn’t much point to this. He was already satisfied to know that he was able to deliberately harness the liquid’s effect. Besides, he didn’t need such ancient ingredients; just about a hundred years old would be enough for him.

  After this long series of experimentation, Han Li finally decided to take a break. It came to his attention that Elder Mo had been away from the mountain for quite a long time now.

  Right now, Han Li was holding the thousand year-old Three Crow Grass in his hand while he sat back on his bed with a lackadaisical expression.

  His eyes were looking at the Three Crow Grass as if he was studying it. But in reality, if one were to look at the disorderly eyes of Han Li, they would know that he wasn’t paying attention to the Three Crow Grass at all. Instead, he was staring off into the sky, thinking of everything else.

  He no longer had the feeling of joy from when he first created this 1000-year old Three Crow Grass. Instead, he was now thinking about the dangers this little bottle could bring to him, and what precautions he should take.

  Han Li had seen time and time again in the books of Elder Mo’s library about people who suffered terrible fates as a result of acquiring a precious treasure. This bottle in his hand was definitely a precious treasure. If someone else were to discover the existence of this bottle, then he doubted that he would live to see the next day. For example, if a hall leader was to find out, then there was no way they would let this go. They would stop at nothing to seize the treasure and kill the owner, before letting anyone else find out.

  “I cannot tell anyone of this bottle, and I must be careful of how I use it. The way this bottle collected light was far too noticeable and could easily be discovered by anyone watching,” Han Li thought to himself. He had to keep his mouth shut about this in order to ensure no one would be able to find out his secret.

>   “However, I am in a position where I need to use herbs to cultivate. If I don’t use this bottle, it would be a terrible waste. I must find a way to get the best of both worlds.” He thought about his cultivation needs for a moment with some sadness. It went without saying that his cultivation was the top priority. Even Doctor Mo was aware that Han Li had barely made any progress in the past few years.

  Chapter 27: Creating Legendary Elixirs

  While Doctor Mo was away, Han Li knew that the bottle would temporarily be safe within God Hand Valley because he was the only one there. Normally, no outsider would rashly enter the valley. This guaranteed a small time period where it was unlikely for anything unexpected to occur.

  Han Li had already estimated when Doctor Mo would return. If Doctor Mo could not find any good medicinal ingredients in the nearby regions, he would probably want to go look in more remote locations. It was very likely that he would have to go to one of the ancient forests deep in the mountains where men rarely ventured. Only in those kinds of desolate regions would there be any chances of obtaining a few rare medicinal ingredients. However, Doctor Mo would need at least a year in order to travel into the mountains, gather medicinal ingredients, and return to the valley.

  Doctor Mo had already been absent for almost half a year. Han Li estimated that he had another six to seven months before Doctor Mo returned to the Seven Mysteries Sect. With the time he had left, Han Li would do his utmost to hasten the growth of as many useful medicinal herbs as possible. He knew that he could not blindly squander the green liquid, so he planned to acquire only the medicinal ingredients that he would use in a few precious formulas.

  Han Li quickly proceeded to make the medicines that would augment his strength and help him break through bottlenecks. They were exactly the medicinal formulas that Doctor Mo had left the valley to concoct. However, Doctor Mo was forced to venture outside of the valley due to a lack of necessary medicinal ingredients. Any one of these ingredients would be virtually impossible for an ordinary household to obtain on the market because of their sheer rarity. The cultivators of Jiang Hu would even fight over these rare treasures with all their might.

  (TL: Jiang Hu, martial world)

  With Doctor Mo’s extremely brilliant medical expertise, he could concoct medicines that only he knew how to concoct, including never before seen formulas. Even so, although Doctor Mo knew the method of producing these medicines, he was unable to do anything if he lacked the ingredients. Doctor Mo could only sigh.

  When Han Li had previously studied the art of healing under Doctor Mo’s tutelage, he had been greatly interested in these rare recipes. Although he never previously expected that he would be able to concoct these precious elixirs, he remembered many of these recipes. Doctor Mo had met Han Li’s enthusiasm to learn these formulas with an indifferent attitude. Whenever Han Li asked, Doctor Mo would teach Han Li with great detail; nothing was concealed from his disciple. Doctor Mo probably believed that his formulas and knowledge would be lost forever if he didn’t pass them down.

  Concocting these formulas had now become Han Li’s pastime. He eagerly went to the fields every day to accelerate the growth of the medicinal herbs in accordance with the formulas’ requirements. When doing so, he didn’t dare to relax in the slightest since he knew that his time was limited. He had to hurry and finish mixing these medicines before Doctor Mo returned. Once the doctor arrived, Han Li would conceal and put the bottle away, no longer able to easily use the bottle once more.

  Han Li did not have even the slightest degree of confidence that he would be able to use the small bottle in Doctor Mo’s presence without revealing its power. He knew in his heart that Doctor Mo was an extremely shrewd and careful person. So Han Li did not intend to tell Doctor Mo about the bottle’s secret.

  Han Li thought the relation he had with Doctor Mo was quite peculiar. It was definitely not as simple as an ordinary master-disciple relationship.

  Doctor Mo often looked at him with a peculiar look. This always made Han Li think that Doctor Mo was concealing a deadly secret from him. Especially in the past two years, Han Li felt that this feeling had grown even stronger. This made Doctor Mo and Han Li incapable of having the intimate relationship between a common master and disciple. If there were nothing to say, there would be silence.

  Doctor Mo had actually treated him exceptionally well in his daily life, never physically or verbally abusing Han Li. In addition, Doctor Mo spared no pain or effort to help create the best conditions for Han Li to cultivate the chant. However, there seemed to be a barrier of separation that existed between the master and disciple, an awkward atmosphere that drifted between them.

  Doctor Mo clearly realized that this gap existed. However, he did not feel the slightest need to remedy the mutual indifference between master and disciple, leaving it to be. The only time when he directly involved himself in Han Li’s life was whenever he urged Han Li to increase the pace of Han Li’s cultivation. Every time Doctor Mo visited Han Li, the grotesque aspect of his gaze gradually lessened, so much so that after a long period of time, it was no longer displayed.

  However, Han Li’s keen sixth sense faintly informed him that Doctor Mo hadn’t truly abandoned his plans, but rather ingeniously concealed his intentions. Thus, Han Li’s vigilance against Doctor Mo had deepened further. Under these circumstances, how could he possibly dare let Doctor Mo know of the bottle’s secret?!

  Han Li had learned an unshakable lesson from reading numerous history books: “refrain from hurting others but guard against those trying to hurt you.”

  Regardless of whether Doctor Mo truly wanted to harm him, strengthening Han Li’s vigilance wouldn’t be a bad decision, even if his feelings were mistaken. If Doctor Mo had truly intended to harm him, Han Li’s strengthened vigilance could possibly prevent him from suffering a severe injury. If his sixth sense was mistaken, then a strengthened vigilance wouldn’t harm him. Either way, Han Li wouldn’t take the initiative to harm his master. Han Li was still Doctor Mo’s apprentice and would do his utmost to be a filial apprentice.

  Han Li wasn’t too comfortable with his feelings regarding Doctor Mo. After all, this kind of strange master-disciple relationship was completely unheard of in the Seven Mysteries Sect. Thinking of this, Han Li could not help but sigh.

  The mysterious green bottle absolutely couldn’t be used once Doctor Mo returned. However, Han Li knew that even if he managed to somehow hide it from Doctor Mo, another person from the Seven Mysteries Sect might uncover the secret by accident. His best choice was to hide the bottle away forever and act as if it had never existed.

  Unwilling to forever separate himself from the bottle, Han Li made up his mind to use the bottle cautiously and secretly once Doctor Mo returned. Once he came upon this decision, Han Li relaxed his mind and fell asleep on his bed.

  In the following months, Han Li secretly used the bottle’s green liquid to accelerate the growth of large quantities of precious medicinal ingredients. He then used these medicinal ingredients in accordance with the formula, concocting many rare medicines. But in the process of concocting the elixirs, many failures had occurred. Each failure had left Han Li a lasting soreness since the ingredients used to make the medicines were rare and of the highest quality. Each failure represented a waste of an innumerable amount of silver. However, he could not be blamed. These were the first time he compounded these formulas, so failing several times was inevitable. Even if Doctor Mo had personally compounded these medicines, he would have made one or two mistakes. Only in this way could Han Li console himself.

  “ Yellow Dragon Pellet,” “Pure Spirit Powder,” “Gold Essence Pill,” and “Vitality Raising Pellet.” These rare medicines, rarely seen on the market, were placed in tens of small bottles. One by one, they were neatly arranged in front of Han Li. As Han Li looked at these small bottles, his face lit up with delight. With these miraculous medicines, he could reach the fifth and sixth layer without expending too much effort, not to mention the fo
urth layer.

  Among these medicines, “Yellow Dragon Pellet” and “Gold Essence Pill” would assist him in increasing his strength, thereby raising his power, and had the wonderful effect of rebuilding his body and bones. “Pure Spirit Powder” was a world-famous detoxifying panacea, capable of dissolving thousands of deadly poisons. Lastly, “Vitality Raising Pellet” was a legendary medicine that had a surprising effect on internal injuries. Regardless of how many grave internal and external injuries one suffered from, so long as the person eating the pill remained alive, any injury would be immediately healed, allowing one’s life to be preserved.

  Chapter 28: Doctor Mo Returns

  Originally, Han Li hadn’t planned on concocting medicinal pills for other purposes than aiding him in his cultivation. But after thinking about it, he decided that, no matter what, he was still a martial artist! Who knew if one day he would be struck by a natural disaster or get embroiled in the rampage of one of the various martial factions in Jiang Hu and be killed? It would be for the best to prepare some medicines for wounds and poisons in advance, because if he were to be injured or poisoned without having any medicine nearby, that would be too unfortunate.

  With this mindset, Han Li had decided to make more of two types of medicines, Pure Spirit Powder and Vitality Raising Pellet, to prepare himself for any accidents. One person could only live one life after all, and Han Li didn’t want to die an untimely death.

  Because he was constantly making medicines, his cultivation with the chant had slowed down considerably. But this was unavoidable, since there were many things in the world to be perfected, and there would surely always be something that one had to give up on.

  (TL: AKA cost-benefit analysis)