A Record of A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Chapter 21: Painkiller

Senior Brother Li’s eyelids twitched lightly, showing that he was engaged in an intense internal struggle.

After a moment, his tightly shut eyes opened and fixed intensely on the pill in Han Li’s hand, a frenzied look shining in his eyes.

Han Li said no more and shoved the pill into his mouth, watching him swallow it dry with some saliva. Only then did he gently pull out the silver needles embedded in his body, one by one.

Once all the silver needles were removed, the medicine in the pill began to take effect. Senior Brother Li’s pale face flushed with an unnatural red haze, his entire cheek gradually turning blood red. His body began to convulse again, his limbs trembling, and low groans escaped from his mouth.

It was clear he was trying not to lose face in front of Han Li, suppressing his voice as much as possible, but this inhuman pain still caused him to roar out loud.

Senior Brother Li’s roars grew louder, his body shaking more violently. After a long time, his roars slowly began to subside, fading until they disappeared completely.

His complexion returned to its normal glow, and his body stopped convulsing. It seemed he had endured the most painful phase.

Senior Brother Li slowly straightened up, crossed his legs, closed his eyes once more, and began meditating in place to regulate his breath. Han Li found a clean mountain rock and sat casually beside him, watching as he cultivated to restore his vitality.

After finishing a meal, Senior Brother Li suddenly opened his eyes, snatched the long knife nearby, and jumped up. With a powerful swing of his arm, the blade flashed brightly, the shining edge pressed against Han Li’s neck.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you!” Senior Brother Li’s eyes gleamed coldly, full of murderous intent.

“I just saved your life. Doesn’t that count as a reason?” Han Li’s expression didn’t change, only a slight twitch of his brow, barely noticeable.

Senior Brother Li’s expression softened a little but he still glared fiercely at Han Li.

“I knew before saving you that you might kill me to keep your secret, but I didn’t expect you to act so quickly.” Han Li finally gave a bitter smile, a hint of self-mockery appearing on his face.

“Cough! Even though I knew saving you would only bring trouble to myself, since I have learned medicine, I cannot stand by and watch someone die.” Han Li sighed.

Hearing this, Senior Brother Li looked a bit embarrassed. He moved the blade slightly away from Han Li’s neck but didn’t completely remove it.

Han Li secretly exhaled in relief, his tone becoming calmer.

“You don’t need to worry that I will reveal your secrets. You can tell at a glance that I’m not a talkative person. If you’re really worried, I can swear a poisonous oath. You must be able to see I know no martial arts; if I break my oath, you can easily kill me.” Han Li calmly proposed.

“Swear the oath then,” Senior Brother Li said decisively.

Only then did Han Li fully relax. Although he had observed Senior Brother Li’s appearance before treating him and believed he was not ungrateful or cruel, this was not a guarantee. If he turned out to be an ungrateful villain, Han Li’s only defense would be his last resort.

Thinking of this, Han Li quietly slid his finger away from an iron cylinder hidden inside his sleeve.

After Han Li solemnly swore the poisonous oath, Senior Brother Li finally sheathed his long knife.

Han Li touched his neck, where the sharp blade had left a shallow cut. It felt a bit sticky, and he also felt a chill down his spine—he must have broken out in a cold sweat.

“That was really close! I wasn’t careful enough. I must learn from this lesson and never do such troublesome, thankless things again. Whether others live or die is their own business, not mine,” Han Li thought with some lingering fear.

“Without sufficient benefits and absolute certainty, I won’t save anyone again next time,” he vowed fiercely in his heart.