Disbelief clouded his features. He tried again, but Han Li’s hand was akin to an earthworm in the soil, easily slipping out of his fingers. Doctor Mo grew increasingly frantic.
Han Li would not believe him again no matter how much Doctor Mo pleaded. After Han Li was free, he began to roll his body on the floor towards the far end of the room. He only dared to stand up once he was at a far distance away from Doctor Mo.
The current Han Li had no expression on his face. Both of his eyes stared coldly at Doctor Mo.
There was no need for Doctor Mo to say any more nonsense. Although Han Li did not know the reason behind Doctor Mo’s actions, he could tell that Doctor Mo most assuredly had bad intentions.
It seemed like what Doctor Mo had said earlier was all a bunch of nonsense, not worth an ounce of belief.
For the sake of his family as well as his own safety, Han Li drew the short sword, which had been hidden near his waist. This short sword was only a foot long, yet incomparably sharp. Its blade gleamed with a green light. This was a first-rate short sword indeed!
“Today, either you or me will perish. Only one of us can walk out of this place alive,” Han Li coldly stated, baring his teeth in anger was he glared at Doctor Mo.
Chapter 46: Cleaving a Body with One Blow
Doctor Mo looked slightly astounded at his left hand, then returned his gaze to Han Li. He said disdainfully, ”Interesting. It seems like you really didn’t idle around for a year, even unexpectedly training in such a strange skill. But you did really think that you could become my opponent by relying on a few jack-of-all-trades skills?”
“It seems I have not fought for a long period of time. Personally taking part to exercise my limbs is not a bad idea. I will let you make the first move!”
Han Li did not pay attention to Doctor Mo’s insult. He had already decided to gain the initiative by striking first. As the saying goes, be the first to act and take any opportunities.
The short sword in Han Li’s left hand was brought towards the front of his body, attracting Doctor Mo’s gaze. But from his inner right cuff, he quietly slipped down a white paper bag, dropping it into the center of his right hand. After that, he lifted his hand to scatter a wide stretch of fine white powder from the white paper bag. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a thick white smoke that enveloped Han Li entirely, making his figure appear unclear and indistinct. Moreover, the white smoke quickly diffused throughout the entire house and made the whole room into a vast expanse of whiteness. Even if one were to hold his or her hand out, he or she wouldn’t be able to see even his or her fingers. Han Li had strangely disappeared amidst the smoke.
Doctor Mo wrinkled his brows. Han Li’s move was beyond his expectations, but in his heart, he disregarded it. Because of his experience against this kind of third-rate trick, he had many ways to counter it. It was only because he was afraid that the smoke would prove to be troublesome that he held his breath. With his deep profound skill, not breathing for forty-five to seventy-five minutes was no problem at all.
“Hmph! What insignificant talent! And you still dare to show off in front of me!” Doctor Mo snorted coldly. Suddenly, his right hand slapped an empty spot within the smoke. The smoke stirred as if it were being hit by a large club, and it immediately surged upwards, revealing a large distinct hole.
Though he could not see Han Li’s silhouette, Doctor Mo did not stop. Striking everywhere from all sides, he released more than ten strikes in a row, making the smoke in the house completely disperse out from the front door. The room returned back to normal, apart from the missing Han Li.
“Strange. This brat truly has some ability. Even when I am in front of him, he can make himself disappear as if he had ceased to exist.” Doctor Mo was astonished, but he did not panic in the slightest. He had kept a constant watch of the door and its vicinity. Even if a flea flew past, it would not escape his detection.
He carefully ran his eyes across the entire house. The surrounding bookshelves, a desk and a chair were untouched; everything appeared to be the same. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Thus, how could such a big fellow like Han Li disappear completely in a small place like this?
Doctor Mo’s expression changed. There were slight misgivings in his heart, but he boldly coughed a few times. He then unsteadily walked to the place where Han Li disappeared from, wanting to take a closer look at what actually happened.
When he was a few feet away from the area where Han Li disappeared, he stopped and squinted both eyes. He faintly felt a discernible killing intent direct at him from nearby, getting ready to make a move.
Doctor Mo’s eyes radiated energy that was used to carefully sweep the room. But even so, he was unable to discover anything abnormal. He began to worry that there was no one nearby; could it be that Han Li decided to go up to heaven or down to hell?
“To go up to heaven or down to hell,” Doctor Mo was completely lost in his thoughts and was thinking as if he had realized something critical. While he was pondering over it, there was a sudden “dang” sound above his head.
“Not good!” Doctor Mo suddenly realized that Han Li had concealed himself in the beam of the roof. He was unable to look up in time. With a shout, Doctor Mo raised his hand upwards and struck his palm severely to stun his opponent in one move.
Following the powerful strike, an explosion rumbled out, but the only sound that that was audible was sharp and clear “dang”.
Doctor Mo was somewhat puzzled and hurriedly lifted his head to inspect the beam. He couldn’t help but to stare foolishly at the empty space above, where not even a ghost of a reflection could be seen. There was only a small black metal bell hanging from the beam of the roof, jingling incessantly in the wake of his strike. This was the source of the “dang” sound. Not even Han Li’s shadow was there!
During the time in which Doctor Mo was looking upwards, a wisp of cold light, with the abruptness of a thunderbolt, pierced violently towards Doctor Mo’s lower abdomen from under his foot. Its speed was incredibly fast, comparable to lightning or raging fire. He was able to detect it only when it was about to touch Doctor Mo’s garments.
Doctor Mo turned pale with fright. In a great rush, he reacted instinctively and twisted his body. His whole body seemed as if it did not have a spine as he bent backwards, his body bending into the shape of an arch. This dangerous short sword blow just barely scratched his belly, making a small cut. It nearly slashed open his chest and eviscerated him.
(TL: the original Chinese says that he formed an iron bridge. Imagine him forming a bridge with his body by bending backward into an inverted U)
After experiencing that attack, Doctor Mo did not dare to relax. As if the sole of his feet had contained springs, he jumped backwards several meters without changing his posture. Only after retreating did he dare to rise and look alarmingly yet furiously at the direction where the short sword’s flashing light had emerged from…
Only to see that the ground where Doctor Mo had stood just moments ago began to slowly swell. Unexpectedly, the swell became bigger and taller until Han Li finally emerged. He had used a combination of Soft Bones Art, Breath Control Art, and False Hiding Technique.
At that moment, Han Li’s clothes were the same color as the yellow ground. His left hand carried the same short sword that had nearly hit Doctor Mo, and his eyes expressed an annoyed look. It seemed Han Li felt that it was a pity that he missed his target just now.
Startled by the previous slash, his heart was beating madly from fear of that short sword. He was not an inexperienced recruit who had never faced danger, but even so, there were only a handful of instances during which he faced a near death experience. What made this experience even more frightening was that it was caused by Han Li, whom Doctor Mo had always looked down upon with disdain.
He took a deep breath, his expression finally becoming serene, and said in a dry and rough voice, “It seems that I have underestimated you, my dear young disciple. Your display of skill was not ba
d. You are truly worthy of me taking you seriously.”
After saying this sentence, Doctor Mo slowly raised both hands to his eye level and gazed tenderly at his hands without saying a single word. His gaze was similar to passionately looking at a lover, forgetting completely about Han Li.
Han Li raised both his eyebrows and sneered. He grasped his short sword tightly in one hand and slowly approached Doctor Mo in small, measured steps.
Chapter 47: Demonic Silver Hand vs Shifting Smoke Steps
“Demonic Silver Hands”
These three words rang out slowly from Doctor Mo’s mouth as if they had drifted over from a far away place. They possessed unfathomable demonic energy, causing Han Li to involuntarily freeze, halting his steps.
Just as Doctor Mo’s voice faded, a surge of immense killing intent seemed to explosively gush forth from Doctor Mo’s body. The intensity of this killing intent was comparable to that of howling winds and torrential rains, increasingly getting stronger from all four directions, covering the entire residence.
As Han Li strode forward, he clashed directly with the sudden surge of killing intent, and was involuntarily forced back a few steps before he could stable his body, standing upright.
The expression on Han Li’s face underwent a huge transformation as his heart rapidly sank. He knew that Doctor Mo had finally stopped underestimating him and thus decided to use an ultimate technique to deal with Han Li. It seemed like his encounter with Han Li’s short sword had truly angered Doctor Mo.
“Hehe! Little brat, to think you could witness my ultimate technique, the Demonic Silver Hands. Your level of good fortune is normally accumulated over three lifetimes.”
(TL: Last sentence is an idiom: the blessing of three lifetimes)
Doctor Mo’s ear-shattering roar still buzzed incessantly into Han Li’s ear. Luckily for Han Li, Doctor Mo did not infuse the technique from earlier with his Qi. Doctor Mo disliked using this method to achieve victory, causing Han Li to be slightly less worried.
However, after hearing Doctor Mo boast about his ultimate technique, The Demonic Silver Hands, Han Li could not help but stare at the hands of his opponent.
After he looked, Han Li’s face froze as he went slack-jawed, dumbstruck by what he was seeing.
Doctor Mo’s hands, originally as thin as tree branches, were swollen to more than twice their original size. What was even more terrifying was that his yellow and pallid skin had actually undergone a physical change and took on a silvery hue. Under the bright rays of the sun, it reflected a cold golden light, appearing to be indestructible and completely constructed from silver.
“This is Doctor Mo’s true strength?”
After looking at Doctor Mo’s hands, Han Li’s heart sank even further. He clutched his short sword’s hilt with a single hand while rivulets of sweat involuntarily appeared on his palms, causing his grip to be wet and slippery. His combat experience was severely limited, so a single new skill displayed by his opponent was sufficient enough to cause Han Li to worry, turning the atmosphere heavy.
On the surface, however, Han Li appeared unaffected. With a calm countenance that did not reveal the slightest bit of worry, he seemed to look down upon the ultimate technique Doctor Mo was displaying.
Doctor Mo was ultimately unsatisfied. He began to see Han Li in a whole new light, but he still felt that displaying his supreme technique in front of a young teenager was truly overestimating his opponent, akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. As such, he initially expected Han Li to be frightened and beg him for mercy. Only then could Doctor Mo soothe his pride.
“Do you know that I extremely hate the expression on your face? A brat who is still stinking of his mother’s milk can act so bold, as if he has everything under his control,” Doctor Mo coldly stated, making no attempt to mask his disdain and hatred towards Han Li.
“Oh, is that so? Letting Old Mo feel disgusted is my honor. I think that in the future, I should further nurture my talent in this area.” Han Li sarcastically replied, hoping that his sarcasm would cause his opponent to slip up and give him an opportunity.
However, Han Li’s obvious intentions were seen through. Doctor Mo stopped speaking and slammed his palms together, causing a “peng” sound to ring out, similar to the sound of grinding metal. His intent was to cause fear in the heart of his opponent.
Doctor Mo’s figure shook as he leapt in the air and maneuvered his inflated silver palms. Like a raging wind and as robust as Mount Tai, he rushed towards Han Li.
Doctor Mo did not intend to waste any more time to capture Han Li. He would unleash his ultimate technique through a single strike.
With a heavy expression, Han Li focused his full attention on Doctor Mo’s attacking stance. After Doctor Mo had lept into the air, Han Li raised his hands and aimed at the weak point of any individual: his neck.
Doctor Mo slightly gawked when he saw how audacious Han Li was. Han Li actually intended to face his “hard” technique head on? Doctor Mo couldn’t help but feel joy in his heart as he laughed manically. “Go to hell!” He directed a silvery hand to catch Han Li’s short sword and aimed his other hand at Han Li’s shoulder blade. Both hands smashed through the air with frightening speed.
However, although the palm strike towards Han Li’s shoulder blade looked tyrannical and terrifying, Doctor Mo only used half of his strength in that strike, which totally contrasted with his shout earlier. He was worried that he would critically injure Han Li and ultimately be unable to use him in his plans.
Han Li naturally did not know of the truth of this matter, and as such, he treated the attack very seriously. There was no way he would use his own body to test the toughness of his opponent’s silvery hands. Instead, he lightly shook his wrist, causing the short sword to slash horizontally instead of drawing circles in the air. He intended to use this move to protect the upper half of his body.
Doctor Mo snorted, but the trajectory of his hands remained unchanged, still relentlessly pursuing the short sword without the intent to evade.
Dang! A crisp sound rang out as Han Li’s short sword slashed into the silvery palm, causing a few sparks to fly. However, the short sword did not manage to leave even a scratch on Doctor Mo’s palm.
Doctor Mo made use of this opportunity. Flipping his palm, he extended a finger and flicked it against Han Li’s short sword without giving Han Li the chance to retract his weapon. As Han Li felt an explosive tremor, part of his short sword’s blade broke and flew far away, burying itself in the wall.
The other silvery hand formed a claw that arched towards Han Li’s shoulder blade, hoping to seal Han Li’s movements and catch him alive.
Although situation was rapidly taking a turn for the worst, Han Li showed no signs of panic. He slightly shifted his shoulders and sprinted forward, his body transforming into a column of smoke in front of Doctor Mo’s eyes.
Seeing such a vanishing body movement technique, Doctor Mo felt shock in his heart. However, he continued his attack, positioning both his hands in front of him like a screen to contain and block the smoke. He had no intention of letting Han Li escape.
The smoke was truly abnormal; it hesitated for a moment before darting slightly in all four directions as if it were contemplating which direction to escape to. It moved in a strange angle and evaded the screen. In the blink of an eye, the smoke sped towards the leftmost corner of Doctor Mo’s residence before stopping and transforming back into Han Li.
Chapter 48: Lies
Doctor Mo landed gently on the spot where Han Li had originally stood. Without pause, he turned around to face Han Li. The proud look on his face was gone; instead, all that remained in Doctor Mo’s eyes was shock.
At this time, Han Li wasn’t doing very well either. He kept inhaling deeply while sweat collected on his forehead. Although his face was pale, his cheeks were flushed with a strange red color.
These were all signs that pointed towards one fact: the evasion technique that Han Li pulled to save his l
ife had consumed most of his energy. It was highly probable that he would not be able to pull off the same trick the next time.
Taking a deep breath, Han Li tried to relax his body in order to relieve his muscles’ strains from using Shifting Smoke Steps. All he could do now was to make the most of any time to recover so that he would have a better chance of winning in the next exchange.
Han Li glanced down again at his left hand, which was still slightly shaking. There was no way he could use his numb left hand to wield his short sword. It seemed that all the hard work he spent training himself to wield the short sword with his left hand was all for naught. He could only count on his right hand for the rest of the fight.
When he thought about it, he smile bitterly to himself. He lost most of his energy and couldn’t use the marvelous Shifting Smoking Steps anymore. Even worse, he could only use one hand to fight. Since the situation couldn’t get any worse, he decided to use his trump card.
Han Li looked at the sun outside the house, estimated its position, and thought that it was a good time to execute his next technique.
He peeked again at the short sword stuck in the wall, and knew that it was impossible for him to get back his weapon. Doctor Mo wouldn’t let him just go and take it back.
Han Li mumbled for a little bit and pulled out another weapon from his bag. This one was also a half-foot short sword with a scabbard, but since it was too short, it was more fitting to call it a dagger instead of a sword. When pulled out of its scabbard, it looked like a normal dagger with an abnormally thick blade that had been polished and sharpened.
Han Li threw the scabbard aside and switched the dagger to his right hand. He extended his right arm, pointing the dagger at Doctor Mo in an offensive stance.
Doctor Mo saw what Han Li was doing, but he didn’t hurry to attack. He put both of his hands on his back and spoke softly with a kind face:
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 25