A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (Chapter 1-Chapter 200)

“I should be very clear that there is no way I will be able to say no. Come, unlock my acupoints.” Han Li relaxed as he accepted the inevitable.

After Doctor Mo heard his words, his face recovered slightly as praise reflected in his eyes. However, he did not unlock Han Li’s acupoint immediately. Instead, he took out an exquisitely carved seal boxed from within his robes.

“I can’t be assured by your words alone. What would happen if you say one thing but do another; if you refuse to invest any effort in your cultivation, there would not be any difference from now. Because my own life is at stake, I have to add another layer of insurance,” stated Doctor Mo in an icy tone.

Before opening Han Li’s acupoints, Doctor Mo had to take extra measures to ensure his success. He cautiously unsealed the box, removed a white pill and placed the pill in the center before unsealing Han Li’s acupoint. Before Han Li could move, Doctor Mo already placed the white pill in front of him.

“You are an intelligent person. There is no need for me to waste time talking too much, you should know what to do.” Doctor Mo looked at him, harboring malicious intents in his heart.

Han Li moved his numbed limbs about, and without saying anything, he took the white pill out from the box. In front of Doctor Mo, Han Li immediately placed the white pill inside his mouth and swallowed it, unwilling to show any signs of weaknesses.

Clap clap! “ Excellent! He who suits his action to the times are great men indeed. As long as you help me return back to normal, I will reward you greatly. There is already a rift between us, so it is impossible for me to accept you as my disciple and pass onto you other techniques, but still, granting you a life of wealth is still possible for me.” Doctor Mo clapped his hands as he sincerely promised Han Li his reward.

“Now, you should be able to tell me the effect of the pill I just consumed in case I accidentally overstep the restrictions and lose my life,” Han Li expressionlessly asked Doctor Mo.

“Keke, the name of this pill is the Insect Corpse Pill. It’s concocted from pure herbal components but in addition, the recipe requires different poisonous worm eggs. After being consumed, it will incubate inside your body for a year. You can rest assured, though. In this one year, I can guarantee that it will not affect you. After one year, once you consume the antidote, the pill will melt away, leaving no traces behind. However, if you do not consume the antidote after a year, the worm will hatch within your body and consume your innards for nourishment, eating you from inside out and leaving you in so much pain that you would rather die than suffer the agony. The pain will last for a total of three days and nights, and you will slowly die an agonizing death.” Doctor Mo slowly explained the effects of the pill as he silently warned Han Li.

After Han Li heard the effects of the pill he just consumed, shudders involuntarily spread throughout his body as his expression changed for the worst. Anger inflamed his heart, but before he could do or say anything, Doctor Mo unleashed his trump card.

“Oh right, I heard that your family is living pretty well thanks to you. Do they have enough silvers to spend? If not, just let me know. Since you’ll be doing me a great favor, I will specially take care of your family members for you.” Doctor Mo smiled as he patted Han Li’s shoulder.

Han Li froze as his face turned green. Doctor Mo’s words made it impossible for his spirit to be calm and still.

Using the last vestige of his determination, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep silent. He was worried that he would say something to Doctor Mo that he might regret. Han Li understood that there was no way Doctor Mo would not use his family against him.

“Don’t worry, Doctor Mo. I promise to reach the fourth layer within a year.” Without a choice, Han Li bit his lips as he assured Doctor Mo.

Under Doctor Mo’s threats, Han Li could only submit. He was still unable to sever the last trace of humanity in his heart and disregard the life and death of his parents.

Now, Han Li's weakness had been grasped by Doctor Mo, and even if he wished to die, he would still have to seek the approval of Doctor Mo. Han Li knew that he had been thoroughly defeated this time.

After Doctor Mo heard Han Li’s words, he released a sigh of relief. His nervousness was not less than Han Li’s, but Doctor Mo’s face was akin to a stone mask as he had managed to keep his emotions under tight control.

“This Eternal Spring Arts in indeed extraordinary. This young brat is still so young but is already difficult to handle.” Doctor Mo did not know whether he felt envy or jealousy in his heart.

Actually, the effects of the Eternal Spring Arts varied for those who cultivate it. As for Han Li, he had already been quite intelligent since he was young, so after cultivating the Eternal Spring Arts, his wisdom grew beyond his peers.





Chapter 32: Heroic Spirit


Han Li turned his body as he prepared to leave. When he reached the entrance, he asked a final question.

“Ever since he arrived, the brother standing behind Doctor Mo has not said a single word. Where did he come from?”

After hearing Han Li’s question, Doctor Mo deigned not to answer and only replied with a cunning laugh.

“You are so intelligent, why don’t you take a guess? I’m sure you will be able to find out.”

Han Li shook his head and proceeded to leave Doctor Mo’s residence. It was unknown whether he was just unwilling to make a guess or unable to get the correct answer.

After he stepped out of the door, Han Li’s expression turned heavy and downcast.

“In this conflict between Doctor Mo and I, I was as helpless as a baby chick, completely under his control. I was really too naive, thinking that my small amount of cleverness would be able to outfox him. In the end, the Five Poisons Water that I concocted was unable to display its full might and was wasted. When I return, I must seriously think about how to best increase my strength.”

Thinking of this, he turned to the direction of his residence and began walking in large strides. He appeared to be extremely unwilling to be controlled by Doctor Mo.

Back at Doctor Mo’s residence, Doctor Mo stared dumbstruck at the floor. There was a bowl-sized hole cut out on the wood panels. Just now, due to his carelessness, he almost died to the poison that had corroded the floor. Because the poison was so potent, Doctor Mo could not help but curse in anger:

“That son of a turtle, when did he learn to concoct such a deadly poison! I have never taught him before. It seems like I have underestimated him; he can be extremely cruel and merciless, even to an extent that he can turn his back on old associates.”

(TL: “son of a turtle” or “turtle egg” is a Chinese pun for “bastard”)

Han Li did not know that he had caused such a great shock to Doctor Mo. After returning to his room, he slumped his head on his bed as sleep overtook him. The battle of strength and wits had exhausted him, and thus, he needed rest to recover.

After a long period of time, Han Li slowly roused himself from his sleep as he sat up and looked to the skies. Dawn was already approaching. It seemed as if he had slept much longer than he expected.

The Han Li who had awakened did not get off from his bed immediately. Sitting on his bed and resting his chin on both of his hands, he started analyzing ways to escape from Doctor Mo’s control.

Obviously, he was safe for this one year period. Because Doctor Mo needed to protect his own life, he would certainly not make any moves against him within this period of time. But after the year passed, it would be hard to guarantee anything.