A Record of A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Chapter 31: Corpse Insect Pill

Han Li's mind was in utter turmoil—part fear, part regret, and part confusion. Despite having delayed this long, he still couldn’t figure out a way to escape, and he was starting to panic.

After all, he was still young and inexperienced, no match for an old hand like Doctor Mo. His forced attempts to maintain a calm expression were seen through by Doctor Mo. The fine beads of sweat on his forehead exposed him as nothing more than a paper tiger.

Doctor Mo didn’t miss a single change in Han Li’s facial expression and was quite satisfied with the immense pressure he had put on him. He always believed that only when someone’s mind was off-guard could they be forced to reveal the truth.

“You think I’m deliberately slacking off, slowing down your training progress?” Han Li was stunned by this sudden blow.

“Of course. Two years and you still haven’t reached the fourth layer? Do you really think I wouldn’t see through your little tricks? The first three layers took only three years to complete. Even if the fourth layer is difficult without medicinal aid, you shouldn’t have made no progress whatsoever in two years,” Doctor Mo said grimly, his eyebrows rising sharply in anger. It seemed he had long been dissatisfied with Han Li and was only now unleashing his frustration.

“Looks like no matter how I explain, Old Mo won’t believe me,” Han Li thought bitterly. He didn’t expect that the very progress he had hidden earlier was the root cause of the current predicament. He truly had lifted a rock only to drop it on his own foot. He wasn’t sure whether it was right or wrong to provoke Doctor Mo’s outburst early and reveal all the mysteries.

“Enough talk. I don’t care whether your past deeds are true or false. Listen carefully. I have only one question for you: If I give you one more year, can you train the everlasting spring technique to the fourth layer?” Doctor Mo sneered coldly and slowly uttered the most important sentence of the day. Then, without blinking, he stared intently at Han Li, solemnly waiting for his answer.

Han Li was clear-headed and understood that his response not only affected Doctor Mo’s life a year from now but was also the key to whether he could survive at this moment.

“You should know well I have no other answer. Now, first unlock my acupoints,” Han Li suddenly relaxed and spoke lightly.

Hearing this, Doctor Mo’s expression softened, showing a hint of admiration. But instead of stepping forward to unlock the acupoints, he carefully took out a finely carved, square sandalwood box from his chest pocket.

“I can’t trust your words alone. What if you put on a show, refusing to train diligently? Then there would be no different from before. For both our sakes, I need an extra layer of security,” he said darkly.

He cautiously opened the lid of the box, revealing a white pill resting quietly in the center.

Doctor Mo poked Han Li’s body to unlock the acupoints. Before Han Li could move, he handed the box to him.

“You’re smart, so I won’t waste words. You know what you have to do,” Doctor Mo squinted his eyes, a bit sinister.

Han Li slightly moved his numb limbs, said nothing, reached out, and carefully pinched the pill from the box with two fingers. Without looking, he immediately put it into his mouth and swallowed it.

“Good, good! A wise man knows the time. Once you help me return to normal, I will surely thank you generously. I won’t fool you—I won’t take you as my disciple anymore because of our strained relationship, but I can still guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and honor,” Doctor Mo clapped his hands and sincerely made a solemn promise to Han Li.

“Now you might as well tell me what this pill does, so I don’t accidentally break some taboo and lose my life,” Han Li said expressionlessly, showing no sign of being moved.

“Heh, this pill is called the ‘Corpse Insect Pill.’ It’s not really a medicine but a secret concoction of insect eggs. Once you swallow it, the eggs will lie dormant inside your body for a year. Don’t worry, during that year they are completely safe and won’t interfere with anything else. After one year, you take a special antidote, and the eggs will dissolve automatically without any lingering danger. But if you don’t take the antidote after a year—hehe!—the eggs will have absorbed enough nutrients to hatch, growing shells and literally devouring all your internal organs alive. You’ll suffer unbearable pain, wailing for three whole days and nights before slowly dying,” Doctor Mo said casually, warning Han Li of the pill’s deadly power.