A Record of A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Chapter 27: Preparing the Spirit Medicines

Before Doctor Mo returned to the mountain, Han Li knew it was temporarily safe to use the bottle in Divine Hand Valley, because he was the only person in the entire valley. Usually, outsiders wouldn’t dare to rush in recklessly, which ensured that during this period, no accidents would happen, allowing him to confidently use the small bottle.

Han Li estimated Doctor Mo’s return time and thought it was unlikely he could find good medicinal herbs nearby. He would probably have to venture to more distant places, likely into those remote, rarely visited deep mountains and forests. Only such secluded areas offered hope of finding rare medicinal ingredients. However, the round trip there and back, plus the time spent searching for herbs, would take at least close to a year before he could get back to the mountain.

Nearly half a year had passed since Doctor Mo left the mountain. Han Li estimated it would still take another six or seven months for him to return to the seven mysteries sect. In the days before his return, Han Li had to try his best to grow as many useful herbs as possible. He had to plan carefully and gather ingredients according to the several rare formulas he knew, avoiding any reckless waste of the green liquid in the bottle.

The medicines Han Li planned to produce were top-notch holy medicines that could help increase cultivation and break through bottlenecks—formulas Doctor Mo had once wanted to concoct but couldn’t because of a lack of ingredients. Each of these medicines, if sold on the market, could bankrupt ordinary families and were fiercely sought after by those in the martial world.

Even with Doctor Mo’s brilliant medical skills, he had never seen any of these finished medicines before, let alone made them himself. Although Doctor Mo knew how to prepare these holy medicines, without the ingredients he could only sigh in frustration.

When Han Li studied medicine under Doctor Mo, he was very interested in these rare formulas. Although he never dared hope to actually create these precious medicines himself, he had memorized many of the formulas. Doctor Mo had a nonchalant attitude toward Han Li’s enthusiasm in learning these formulas; whenever Han Li asked, he would explain in detail without any attempt to hide anything. Perhaps Doctor Mo considered these formulas more of a “chicken rib” — tasteless to consume but a pity to discard.

Now, these formulas had become Han Li’s treasured possession. He diligently cultivated the herbs required by each formula, making sure to use ingredients of the right age, without any slack. He knew the time left was limited. He had to prepare these medicines before Doctor Mo’s return, then store the bottle away, never to use it recklessly on the mountain again.

Han Li had no confidence in using the small bottle in front of Doctor Mo without revealing its secret. He clearly understood what a shrewd and cautious person Doctor Mo was, and he had no intention of telling him about the bottle’s secret.

Han Li felt the relationship between himself and Doctor Mo was peculiar — far from a simple master-disciple relationship.

Doctor Mo often looked at him with a strange gaze that made Han Li feel like he was hiding some secret unfavorable to him. This feeling had grown stronger over the past year or two, making it impossible for them to be as close and open as ordinary master and disciple.

In daily life, Doctor Mo treated him quite well. There was no physical punishment or harsh verbal abuse, and he spared no effort in creating the best conditions for Han Li’s cultivation. But there seemed to be a barrier between them, a strange awkward atmosphere lingering between the two.

Doctor Mo was obviously aware of this rift but showed no intention of mending their relationship. He continued to do what he needed to do, solely urging Han Li to progress in his cultivation techniques. However, the weird expression that used to appear in his eyes gradually lessened and hadn’t shown for a long time.