Pa!
A soft sound rang out as the light from the lamp died out. Only then did Han Li come to his senses.
He lifted his head and looked at the oil lamp before glancing at the daylight that shone outside his residence. A bitter smile rose from the bottom of his heart.
To think that he had actually spent a day studying and researching killing techniques. He had truly changed from his former self.
Han Li lost himself in contemplation for a moment before standing up and stretching his body, causing cracking sounds to ring out. After doing so, he left his residence and went to collect a basin of cold water from the nearby well in order to wash himself. Han Li activated the Eternal Spring Arts, regaining his energy and causing all the fatigue from the previous night to melt away.
After a whole night of study and research, Han Li already knew that he had to fully understand the principles behind this set of martial arts techniques. If he did not practice it for at least eight to ten years, there was no way he would be able to master it. Even a genius would at least need two or three years in order to yield some results.
Time waits for no one!
Chapter 41: Leaving a Message on a Night’s Departure
Han Li didn’t have much time left. At most, he had another four to five months before he and Doctor Mo completely revealed their trump cards. Before then, he had no choice but to acquire skills to defend himself.
As a result, he ultimately decided to only cultivate the simpler and easier mysterious techniques that could be used immediately. The more difficult ones would be put to the side temporarily. After he managed to escape the tiger’s den, it would not be too late to resume practicing them.
This would greatly cut down his cultivation time, enabling him to quickly and thoroughly master many of the simpler secret techniques.
Han Li’s mind understood. Even if he could completely master this secret technique, he wouldn’t necessarily be Doctor Mo’s match.
If Doctor Mo hadn’t been lying last time, his strength would be comparable to that of a region’s illustrious overlord. Han Li did not know how many ferocious and vicious moves hadn’t been exposed during their last counter. He feared that the skills that Doctor Mo had revealed was only a fraction of his true strength.
As Han Li thought of Doctor Mo’s monstrous agility, a burst of cold fear entered his mind.
He was well aware that the time he had to learn was short and that any threat he could muster against Doctor Mo would be awfully marginal, almost negligible, but to have his hands tied and allow himself to be manipulated was something Han Li could not allow.
Han Li knew that if he were to raise his hand against Doctor Mo, he would only have one decisive opportunity to seize a victory. Doctor Mo would most likely look down on him. Only by using Doctor Mo’s carelessness and negligence against him would Han Li be able to catch him off guard and possibly obtain the opportunity to live.
In the following days, Han Li finished memorizing all of the Blinking Sword Art manuals. From the manuals, he selected the secret techniques that would were the most useful to him. He began to research them, meditating on the cultivation paths that would yield the quickest results.
He racked his brains for a few days. An entire set of cultivation methods from the manuals were laid out before him. Within this short time period, he was able complete such a complicated task, making him feel pleased that his efficiency was extraordinary.
During the second half of the month, Han Li handled a few trivial affairs, fully preparing himself by making sure that there was nothing left to worry about.
First of all, he returned the secret manuals to Li Feiyu and took the opportunity to tell him about his encounter with the Feral Wolf Gang’s spies as well as the real identity of the kitchen steward.
After Li Feiyu heard this, he was pleasantly surprised. He embraced Han Li’s shoulders and repeatedly said, “Good brother” for presenting him with such a great merit without taking any of the credit. This moved him greatly.
However, he didn’t know that Han Li’s life was currently busy. How could Han Li possibly think about catching a spy? By telling Li Feiyu, Han Li wouldn’t have to trouble himself with the matter and would also be currying favor from the senior disciple at little cost to himself. What would Han Li have against this?
Once he finished his business with Li Feiyu, Han Li paid a visit to the sect’s most skilled blacksmiths.
He then placed orders for several daggers and secretly requested a few minor modifications. In addition, he ordered a few seemingly useless and obscure items, including several small exquisite iron bells. He also requested that all the items be forged with haste. As a result of his large purchase, Han Li had spent a considerable amount of silver, causing him to feel a slight heartache.
Several days later, Han Li received his order from the blacksmiths. Seeing the shining daggers and small exquisite bells, he was very satisfied. He showered the blacksmith with praise, knowing that his silver was not spent in vain.
That night, Han Li left his residence and disappeared without a trace. The only thing he left behind was a slip of paper on his bedside with the following words:
Elder Mo,
You need not worry, I did not run away and hide. I merely felt that being with you in the valley was far too stifling to cultivate the Eternal Spring Arts. For this reason, I decided to find a different secluded location in this mountain and enter closed door cultivation. Please be at ease. After four months, I will punctually return and meet with you.
With respect,
Han Li
Reading this out loud while sitting on his armchair, Doctor Mo grabbed the slip of paper in his left hand and quietly looked at it, his face still covered by dark clouds. On the side of the table, there was another note from the blacksmith, detailing Han Li’s recent order.
(TL: Doctor Mo had a strange dark cloud on his face when he returned to the valley)
At this moment, Doctor Mo lightly tapped the desk with a finger from his right hand.
Pu pu
No other sound echoed.
Suddenly, he coldly snorted. The paper in his hand turned to fine ash and drifted into the air.
He stood up unsteadily and paced around the room. Doctor Mo wrinkled his brow in contemplation. After pacing back and forth a few times, he stopped and said to himself, “Little bastard, although I don’t know what sly plan you have in mind, you will not escape the palm of my hand regardless of what trick you play. I need you too much to allow that to happen.”
After he finished speaking, Doctor Mo suddenly turned around and walked to the window. A low and lengthy whistle left his mouth. Immediately after, a small and obscure yellow feathered bird flew into the window. It flew several circles around the room before landing on his shoulder.
A single small bird stood firm. It affectionately rubbed its beak against his face, letting out a melodious “glulu”.
“Alright, I know you’re hungry. Here, it’s your favorite Yellow Chestnut Pill.”
Upon seeing the bird, Doctor Mo’s gloomy face revealed traces of a doting smile. From his pocket, he took out a yellow ball of bird feed and put it into the little bird’s mouth.
“Go. It will be like before. Follow that person diligently. If he leaves the mountain range, return to me immediately.” Doctor Mo spoke to it as if he were talking to a person.
“Glulu.” After finishing its meal, the little bird let out an excited coo and flew around the room. After hearing his words, it left through the window and its figure faded away into the sky.
“Humph! Under the surveillance of the Cloud-Winged Bird, known to travel even faster than a flying arrow, I wonder what tricks you will pull,” he said to himself sinisterly.
“Four months? I will wait for the day of your arrival. It appears that my plan will be a success! Who would dare obstruct my progress? If they obstruct my plans, I will kill them! If a god hinders me, that god will die! If a Buddha hinders me, then that B
uddha will die!”
“Hahahaha!” Doctor Mo suddenly laughed wildly, his eyes filled with a crazed expression.
Chapter 42: Cloudwing Bird
“You are too full of yourself. That little brat is brilliant and is definitely someone who will spare no expense to achieve his aims. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch and carelessly overlook things, lest you suffer your downfall at the hands of this little brat.” Suddenly, the voice of a youthful man rang inside Doctor’s Mo’s mind.
Doctor Mo’s expression changed in an instant, as though it was covered by frost. He icily replied:
“Yu Zhitong, you better not intrude in my business. Do you think you are qualified to tell me what to do? If I can succeed, I naturally won’t forget about my promises towards you. Instead, the question is whether you are scheming behind my back. Are you withholding some crucial parts of the cultivation art you imparted to me and hoping that some accident will befall me?” Doctor Mo’s voice was filled with suspicion as he replied.
The youthful man’s voice seemed somewhat terrified of Doctor Mo, and he hurriedly assured:
“How could there be any mistakes? Didn’t you already test it on some animals? Other than the one that passed away due to its unfamiliarity with the cultivation art, didn’t the rest survive? The failed experiments shouldn’t hinder your plans, right?”
“Hmph! That better be the case. It’s a pity that I can’t cultivate. If that weren’t the case, my chances of succeeding would be increased by a large degree.” As Doctor Mo heard the explanation from that mysterious voice, the last shred of caution in his heart melted away.
After finishing his sentence, that mysterious voice maintained its silence as though it was taught a lesson, leaving Doctor Mo to mumble crazily to himself. This caused the entire room to be filled with an eerie atmosphere.
At this moment, Han Li was holed up in an unassuming cave. This cave was even more secretive and remote than the meeting place he found with Li Feiyu.
The layout of the area revealed that the only path to this cave was obscured by two mountain peaks that formed the shape of a line. The mountain ravines were swamped with shrubs and plants on both sides of the path, making the path impossible to traverse. The only way to arrive at the cave was through a hidden rope that dangled from the top of one of the mountain peaks. Other than that rope, there were no other entryways.
(TL: the original Chinese says that the mountains formed the shape “?”)
Thorny trees surrounded the area and occupied the majority of the area, only leaving a small piece of land where Han Li could cultivate. At the top of the mountain cave, there were some unknown vines weaved together into a natural canopy, so Han Li had no concerns that he would be accidentally discovered by random prying eyes.
Han Li removed the items that he held on his body, placing them below an enormous mountain rock, and returned back to the center of this area. He closed his eyes, falling deep in thought. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, revealing traces of determination in his eyes as he lightly said, ”Let’s start practicing from the Soft Bones Art.” And just like that, Han Li embarked on his path to cultivation.
What he didn’t realized was that not far from him was a yellow-coloured bird perched onto a tree branch, constantly monitoring his movements. Because Han Li had no intentions of escaping, the yellow bird did not immediately rush to inform its owner.
And within the mountain cave, a single glance could tell that there was no one else inside the cave. The only ones who were there were Han Li and that little yellow bird, which was preening its feathers as if it had forgotten its original mission.
Suddenly, a grey-coloured bird flew inside the canopy. It rested on top of a yellow pile of wood before taking off again.
In that instant when the yellow-colored bird saw a bird of the same species appear before it, its expression turned somewhat human-like as it became filled with disdain.
The little bird that just arrived stood on one leg as it contemplated its surroundings. When it discovered the yellow bird, it flexed its wings, wanting to fly over.
Abruptly, something unexpected occurred. A yellow palm appeared out of nowhere, catching hold of the grey coloured bird in a single attempt.
This sudden change caused it to be terrified. It struggled in vain with its life on the line. No amounts of efforts could allow it to regain its freedom.
At this moment, the little bird understood that what it had mistaken for a pile of yellow wood was actually a yellow-robed youth. This yellow-robed youth had a dark complexion and extremely ordinary looks. Other than his clear eyes, he had no other attractive features.
The youth smiled slightly, looking at the struggling bird in his hands. When it finally grew tired, he opened his palms as he stated gently:
“You can go. Don’t be so foolish next time. Look carefully before you attempt to rest.”
Once the bird regained its freedom, it no longer bothered with the yellow clothed youth. It frantically flapped its wings and flew out of the cave opening.
As his gaze followed the path of the flying bird, the youth stood there mutely. Only after a moment passed did he begin to mutter under his breath:
“Seems like my breath control and concealing techniques are already somewhat proficient. Next, I must practice my assassination techniques.”
After speaking, Han Li walked towards a small wooden house which he had built, and on the way there, he involuntarily glanced at the yellow-colored bird.
This bird’s strange actions had caught his attention about half a month ago. This bird would always perch nearby, observing his actions, as if the bird had gained intelligence.
When he first saw it, he was amazed and captivated by the intelligence of the yellow bird.
He tried to capture it but was unsuccessful no matter what methods he used. This bird seemed to have no inclination to be fooled. It even stared at Han Li as if he were an idiot, causing Han Li to smile bitterly.
Afterwards, in a fit of anger, he tried to use direct force, but before he even got near, the yellow bird would soar to the skies, out of his reach. Whenever Han Li left, it would return back to its original spot. Han Li had no other ideas and thus could only stare at it from his original position.
On the surface of his mind, Han Li no longer concerned himself with the bird. In his heart, however, he had already deduced that the bird was here for a reason. Perhaps the bird was sent here by Doctor Mo to spy on his movements.
Even so, Han Li had no cause for concern. As long as the one doing the monitoring was not Doctor Mo himself, how many details could the little bird reveal? And in addition, he was amazed by the intelligence that this little bird possessed and was thus unwilling to use poison to deal with it.
At this moment, Doctor Mo was in a stone chamber, using the bones of wild beasts to form a strange array formation. As he arranged the formation, he was discussing matters with the mysterious voice from earlier, not knowing that Han Li had already discovered the method he was using to spy on Han Li.
Chapter 43: Fully Prepared
At this time, the Seven Mysteries Sect was undergoing a major event.
It turned out that the idol of the current generation of disciples, “Senior Disciple Li”, possessed a perception far beyond that of his peers. He quickly saw through two of the Feral Wolf Gang’s spies and their plot to steal the names of the disciples that were undergoing adventures away from the mountain. With ten fellow disciples, they captured them in one move. This was quite a meritorious deed.
Several days later, Sect Leader Wang awarded Li Feiyu the position of Protector in the presence of many disciples. This caused him to stride forward to the Seven Mysteries Sect’s mid rankings, leading to a rise of great sensation. Li Feiyu’s reputation had grown even greater.
Han Li didn’t know of this at all. He was currently sealed off in a wooden house in the mountain, undergoing special training. Aside from occasionally going to the kitchen to get some food, he did not
have any contact with others. He naturally did not know that his close friend was currently held in such high regard.
Summer passed, followed by autumn. Time passed quickly until the arranged date had finally arrived.
In the ravine of the overgrown forest, there was a strange, incomparable silhouette midst the overgrowth of the dangerously sharp and thorny branches. None of the sharp branches were able to obstruct the floating, smoke-like figure. In the thorny undergrowth, he weaved between the thick net like a fleeing demon. In a moment, he had appeared nearby; in the next, he was already a distance away. These motions were absolutely quiet, as if there were not a fleshly body but rather an incorporeal form.
Finally, this silhouette stopped on top of a tree trunk. Vertically standing at its peak, he surveyed the surrounding distance. This was Han Li, with some success from his cultivation regime.
Currently, the clothes on his body had turned to little more than worn, tattered rags, revealing the his bare flesh. His hair was like a ruffled crow, while his face was a mixture of black and white. His original appearance couldn’t be made out. What was most astonishing were the small exquisite iron bells, each hanging from his neck, waist, arms, thighs and ankles.
Seeing these iron bells and then thinking about Han Li’s ghost-like movements in the forest, it would be hard to differentiate Han Li’s body technique from the movements of an actual demon.
Motionless, he turned his head toward the direction of God Hand Valley. He muttered to himself, “Just in time. I had just become proficient in the Shifting Smoke Steps on this final day. With this technique, I have a slightly greater assurance of self-preservation.”
Although the expression of his face couldn’t be seen clearly, the joy in his eyes wasn’t concealed at all.
After several months of diligent research and training, Han Li wielded a number of formidable secret techniques. He held quite a bit of confidence in them. Although he wasn’t convinced that they could withstand Doctor Mo’s unfathomable skills, he held some confidence that he could defend himself.
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