Chapter 9: Bottles Hard to Open

On his way back, Han Li didn't encounter many people. Only a few passing senior disciples noticed him limping and looked surprised, but they didn't say anything to him. It seemed not many people paid much attention to their junior disciple.

Upon returning to his residence, the pain in his foot intensified. Han Li quickly sat on the edge of his bed and gently removed his shoe and sock to examine the injury.

It was badly swollen! His right big toe was highly raised, and the skin around the injury was red and shiny, like a large, bright red chili pepper.

Han Li quickly reached for the wooden pillow on his bed and pulled out a small medicine bottle from underneath. This was an external medicine meticulously prepared by Doctor Mo, highly effective for bruises, swelling, and even bleeding. He had managed to obtain it from Doctor Mo with great difficulty, originally intending it for Zhang Tie in case he sustained external injuries while practicing the "Elephant Armor Art." He never expected to use it himself first.

As soon as he opened the cap, a rich herbal fragrance filled the entire room. Gently, he sprinkled the powder onto his swollen toe, and a cool sensation immediately spread through it. It was truly worthy of being Doctor Mo's secret injury medicine; it took effect instantly. Doctor Mo's medical skills were truly exceptional!

Han Li then found a clean piece of cloth and wrapped his injured toe into a large bandage before putting his shoe and sock back on.

Yes! It was better; the pain had significantly lessened.

He walked a few slow steps back and forth, quite satisfied with his quick method of treating the injury.

Now was the time to deal with that mysterious bottle, the culprit that caused his severe injury.

Han Li pulled the bottle from his pocket, then found a rag and wiped it clean. Only then did the bottle's true appearance reveal itself before his eyes.

The bottle was not large; it could be entirely held in one palm, even slightly smaller than his own medicine bottle. The entire bottle was a faint, light green, with several dark green patterns imprinted on its surface. These patterns were leaf-shaped, lifelike, and felt raised to the touch, as if real leaves had been directly embedded into it.

He weighed it in his hand; it was quite heavy. However, this object was clearly not made of any metal Han Li knew, nor was it any type of ceramic he was familiar with. When touched, it lacked the cold feeling of ordinary metal and the smooth texture of typical ceramics.

Han Li observed it carefully for a while before concluding that the bottle was made of a material he did not recognize. The light green color also appeared to be natural, inherent to the material itself, not like a dye added later.

Upon seeing the tightly sealed cap, Han Li decided to satisfy his curiosity and immediately tried to open the bottle to see if there was anything inside.

He placed his hand on the cap again and twisted with all his might.

Once, twice, thrice... The cap and body seemed to be cast as one, unmoving. The cap showed no sign of opening.

Han Li was surprised. When he first found the bottle, he hadn't been able to twist it open. But at the time, he was preoccupied with his injury and didn't exert much force or pay it much mind. He had thought that now, with all his strength, opening it would be easy. Unexpectedly, it still wouldn't budge.

Han Li twisted it over a dozen more times, feeling his arm ache, but still without success, so he stopped.

He shook his arm and stretched his wrist. He had strained it slightly from exerting too much force.

He brought the bottle close to his eyes and meticulously examined it again. Unfortunately, he found no hidden small mechanisms on it.

Now Han Li was troubled. Without opening the cap, how could he know if there was anything inside? If there was, such a unique and tightly sealed bottle surely contained something extremely valuable.

Han Li gripped the bottle tightly in his hand, staring at it blankly for a moment. Finally, he decided to ask Zhang Tie, who was much stronger than him, to try and open it. He knew that Zhang Tie could now carry dozens of jin of water buckets in each hand and ascend and descend the mountain quickly. The large water vats in the valley were all filled by him punctually every day.

Having made up his mind, Han Li went to Zhang Tie's room to wait for him, hoping Zhang Tie would return soon.

Waiting was truly unpleasant. Han Li felt time passing incredibly slowly. After a long while, he heard the creak of the door as Zhang Tie pushed it open and entered.

Looking up, Han Li saw Zhang Tie, dressed in a thin blue cloth shirt, subtly steaming all over and sweating profusely. Han Li knew this was a normal phenomenon after Zhang Tie finished his practice, so he wasn't surprised.

Zhang Tie was startled to see Han Li in his room. Before he could speak, Han Li, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately held the bottle out to him.

"Brother Zhang, could you do me a favor and help me open this bottle?"

"Where did you find this? It looks very pretty!" Zhang Tie paused for a moment before taking the bottle.

"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"

"Huh! This thing is really sturdy, so hard to twist open! What's it made of?" Zhang Tie didn't waste words; he took it and used both hands to exert force, but he still couldn't open the cap.

"No, I can't twist it open. Why don't you go ask other senior disciples to try?" Zhang Tie shook his head apologetically to Han Li, tossed the bottle back to him, and offered another suggestion.

"Even you can't do it?" Han Li felt a bit anxious and began pacing around the room.

"Hey! What's wrong with your foot?" Only then did Zhang Tie notice that Han Li was walking a bit strangely.

"It's nothing, I just kicked a rock while walking." Han Li didn't know why, but he didn't want to tell him the truth about the bottle. Perhaps it was just a subconscious decision to keep the bottle a small secret.

Han Li was now very disappointed and didn't have the energy to chat with Zhang Tie. After asking a few questions about his training progress, he left Zhang Tie's room, intending to go back and figure out how to solve the bottle problem himself.

Back in his small room, Han Li placed the bottle on the table. He then leaned over the table, staring intently at the bottle with his eyes fixed on it, while his mind raced, trying to come up with a good solution to the problem.