Chapter 19: Painkillers

Elder Brother Li's eyelids were trembling slightly, revealing an intense internal struggle.

After a short while, his tightly shut eyes opened. He stared intently at the pill in Han Li's hand, his eyes filled with a fervent gaze.

Han Li said nothing further. He put the pill into Elder Brother Li's mouth, watching him swallow it dryly with saliva. Only then did he gently pull out the silver needles one by one from Elder Brother Li's body.

After all the silver needles were removed, the pill's effects began to manifest. An abnormal flush of red appeared on Elder Brother Li's pale face, which gradually turned blood-red. At this point, his body began to convulse again, his hands and feet started trembling, and low moans escaped his lips.

It was evident he didn't want to lose composure in front of Han Li and tried to suppress his voice as much as possible, but the inhuman pain still forced a roar from him.

Elder Brother Li's roars grew louder, and his body convulsed more violently. After a long time, his roars slowly subsided until they completely faded away.

His face began to regain its normal color, and his body stopped convulsing. It seemed he had endured the most painful stage.

Elder Brother Li slowly sat up straight, crossed his legs, closed his eyes again, and began to meditate to regulate his breath. Han Li found a clean rock and casually sat down nearby, watching him circulate his energy to recover.

After about the time it takes to eat a meal, Elder Brother Li, who was still meditating, suddenly opened his eyes, snatched the long saber lying beside him, and leaped up. With a forceful swing of his arm, the blade flashed, and the gleaming edge was already pressed against Han Li's throat.

"Give me a reason not to kill you!" Elder Brother Li's eyes gleamed with a cold, murderous intent.

"I just saved your life. Is that not a reason?" Han Li's expression remained unchanged; only the corner of his eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly, so subtly that one wouldn't notice it without close observation.

Elder Brother Li's expression softened slightly, but he still glared fiercely at Han Li.

"I knew before I saved you," Han Li said, finally managing a wry smile, a hint of self-mockery on his face, "that you might kill me to keep your secret. I just didn't expect you to act so quickly."

"Sigh!" Han Li sighed. "Even though I knew saving you would only bring trouble upon myself, since I've studied medicine, I couldn't just stand by and watch you die."

Upon hearing this, Elder Brother Li's face showed a hint of awkwardness. The blade moved slightly away from Han Li's throat, but he didn't fully remove the saber from his neck.

Han Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and his tone became even more composed.

"You don't need to worry that I'll reveal your secret to others," Han Li calmly offered. "You can tell at a glance that I'm not a talkative person. If you're truly uneasy, I can swear a solemn oath. You should be able to tell that I possess no martial arts skill. If you find that I've violated my oath, you can easily kill me."

"Swear it then," Elder Brother Li replied curtly.

Only then did Han Li fully relax. Although he had observed Elder Brother Li's demeanor before treating him and believed he wasn't someone ungrateful, malicious, or cruel, this wasn't a foolproof guarantee. What if he turned out to be an ungrateful villain? He would have no choice but to use his only means of self-preservation.

As Han Li thought this, he quietly moved his finger away from a small iron tube concealed within his sleeve.

After Han Li solemnly swore the oath, Elder Brother Li finally retrieved his long saber and slid it back into its sheath.

Han Li touched his neck. The sharp edge had left a shallow scratch that was slightly sticky to the touch. He also felt a chill down his spine, apparently from breaking out in a cold sweat.

"That was truly dangerous!" Han Li thought, feeling a lingering fear. "I still didn't think things through enough. I must learn from this lesson. No matter what, I won't do such thankless and blundering things again. Whether others live or die is their own business; it's none of my concern."

"Without sufficient benefit and absolute certainty, I will never save anyone again," he grimly resolved in his heart.

The negative consequences of Han Li's first attempt to save someone directly led to his later habit of only acting when there was personal gain. His previously somewhat naive nature was completely abandoned. While he didn't become an evil person, he was far from being honest and kind.

"You saved my life, and you've agreed to keep my secret," Elder Brother Li said sincerely, having fully regained the composure he had before the incident at the cliff. He collected the miscellaneous items Han Li had searched for and placed on the ground, putting them back on his person. "I, Li Feiyu, owe you a great favor. As long as I'm alive, if you ever need my help with anything, just come find me. As long as I can do it, I will definitely help you."

"I doubt I'll have anything to trouble you with," Han Li said with a faint smile, countering with a question. "However, you seem to have a lot of trouble yourself, don't you?"

"How did you know?" Li Feiyu asked, startled and a little surprised.

"Anyone could guess it," Han Li pointed out pointedly. "You're just a normal guardian disciple, yet you outrank a large number of hall masters, elders, and even the sect leader's favorite disciples. How could they let you have an easy time?"

Li Feiyu's face clouded over, and he remained silent for a long time.

"I don't want to meddle in your affairs, nor can I," Han Li continued. "However, regarding the pain you suffer from taking the Bone Marrow Extracting Pill, I can help alleviate it somewhat."

"Really?" Li Feiyu was instantly invigorated. The gloom on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by pure delight. It seemed the torment from the Bone Marrow Extracting Pill had been severe.

"Why would I lie to you for no reason?" Han Li said, giving Li Feiyu a sideways glance. Of course, he had such a prescription to alleviate pain; he had specifically developed it for Zhang Tie in his spare time, and it was highly effective at significantly reducing a person's perception of pain.

"This is truly wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" Li Feiyu exclaimed, rubbing his hands together excitedly and looking eagerly at Han Li.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Han Li asked. "I don't have this medicine with me right now. I need to go back to Divine Hand Valley to prepare it before it's ready."

Upon hearing this, Li Feiyu felt a little embarrassed. He had just threatened the other person with a saber, and now he was asking him to prepare medicine.

"Tomorrow at noon, wait for me at the entrance of Divine Hand Valley," Han Li said slowly. "I'll deliver the medicine to you once it's prepared. Doctor Mo isn't home right now, so it's not proper for me to let outsiders enter the valley casually."

"Alright, I'll be there on time. Thank you, brother," Li Feiyu quickly agreed, afraid Han Li might change his mind.

"My name is Han Li, and I'm Doctor Mo's personal disciple," Han Li said. "Given your high martial arts skill, you can just call me Junior Brother Han."

Hearing him use such an affectionate term as "brother," Han Li quickly told him his name to prevent him from using even more overly familiar addresses.