The Mask Falls

Doctor Mo’s expression was blank. His eyes were half-lidded, barely open, and one hand rested firmly on Han Li’s wrist.

All of his concentration was focused on the strength of the true qi within Han Li’s body. For a long while, he said nothing.

After the time it takes a cup of tea to cool, he let out a deep breath, as if exhaling all the frustration in his heart. His eyes snapped open, and a sharp gleam shot forth from his murky gaze—one that made it difficult for anyone to meet his eyes.

His expression was gloomy. Clearly, he was dissatisfied with Han Li. Yet still, no words of reproach came.

He waved his hand indifferently, signaling for Han Li to follow him.

Han Li obediently trailed behind. Though he was intensely curious about the mysterious man at the side, he knew this was not the time to ask questions carelessly.

Once inside the room, Doctor Mo sat wearily into a taishi armchair, leaning back heavily against the chair’s backrest, half-sitting and half-reclining. The sharp light in his eyes had faded, and he had resumed the appearance of a man long afflicted by illness.

The mysterious man had followed closely at his heels, never straying a step. When Doctor Mo sat down, he took his place behind the chair, standing there rigid and motionless.

Han Li knew that Doctor Mo was in a foul mood. Not wanting to be the one to provoke him, he followed the mysterious man’s example and walked to the center of the room, facing Doctor Mo with his head lowered. He wisely refrained from moving, waiting for the other man to speak.

After a long pause, no one had yet spoken. Han Li found it strange. Losing his patience, he quietly tried to lift his head and steal a glance at Doctor Mo.

“If you want to look, just look. Why sneak around?” No sooner had Han Li raised his neck halfway than Doctor Mo’s cold, sharp voice cut through the air.

Han Li’s body stiffened. Then, obediently, he raised his head. His eyes swept across Doctor Mo’s face a few times before quickly withdrawing.

His expression had not changed, but inside, his heart was churning like a violent storm.

How could Doctor Mo’s face be so eerie all of a sudden? His somewhat ashen features were faintly shrouded in a thin layer of black qi. The black qi seemed almost alive, extending countless fine tendrils that writhed and danced wildly across his face like claws. What unsettled Han Li even more was that Doctor Mo had shed his usual stony demeanor entirely, now wearing an expression of ruthless resolve. He was watching Han Li with a malevolent gaze, a hint of mocking sneer curling at the corner of his lips.

Han Li felt that something was very wrong. A sense of unease coiled around his heart. A thread of danger began to seep through the room.

He alertly, cautiously, took half a step back, slipping his hand into his sleeve to grip the iron cylinder hidden there. Only then did his taut nerves relax slightly. At that moment, a low, mocking murmur reached his ears from Doctor Mo.

“A bit of petty cleverness, and you think you can show off?”

Doctor Mo moved. In an uncanny motion, he went from half-reclining to standing. With a dark smile, he shifted his form, and like a specter, he was suddenly beside Han Li, staring at him with a cold, “heh heh” laugh.

Han Li’s face changed drastically. He knew something was wrong. He hurriedly tried to raise his arm, but his body went numb. He could not move.

Only then did he see that the other man’s finger had already withdrawn from the acupoint on his chest.

Too fast. He had not even sensed the attack coming.

“Esteemed Mo, what is this about? If your disciple has done something wrong, you need only say the word. Why must you seal my acupoint?” Han Li could no longer maintain his usual composure. He forced a smile as he addressed Doctor Mo.

Doctor Mo did not respond. He simply hammered his own back a few times with one hand and gave a light cough, putting on the appearance of an old, frail man barely able to stand.

But Han Li had just witnessed how swiftly the man had subdued him. He would never again mistake him for an ordinary, gravely ill elder. That affected frailty only made him more wary.

“Esteemed Mo, you are a man of status. Why stoop to contending with a mere disciple? Release my acupoint. Whatever punishment you have in mind, your disciple will bear it without complaint.”

…

Han Li rattled off a few more flattering, deferential words.

But Doctor Mo paid them no heed. He reached into Han Li’s sleeve, fished out the iron cylinder, and held it in his hand. Then he watched Han Li’s performance with a look of mockery and contempt.

Seeing this, Han Li’s heart sank to the very depths. The hope he had harbored of moving the man with words had been completely shattered.

The man opposite him, it seemed, would not grant him even the slightest opening.

Han Li slowly closed his mouth. His face grew calm. He returned Doctor Mo’s gaze with eyes utterly devoid of emotion.

For a moment, everything in the room seemed to come to a standstill. The silence was absolute—a stillness like the calm before a storm.

“Good! Good! Good!” Three cries of “good” suddenly burst from Doctor Mo’s mouth.

“Truly, you are the one Mo Juren set his sights on. Even now, your face does not change. Calm in the face of danger—you have not wasted the great investment I have made in you.” He suddenly began to praise Han Li.

“What do you intend to do with me?” Han Li did not take the bait of Doctor Mo’s words. Instead, he asked a direct question.

“Heh heh. What do I intend to do with you?” Doctor Mo repeated Han Li’s question noncommittally.

“What I do with you depends entirely on how you conduct yourself.”

“What do you mean?” Han Li frowned, vaguely guessing at some of the man’s intentions.

“I need not say it. With your intelligence, you should understand at least a part of it, no?”

“Only a small part. I still do not grasp the whole picture or the cause and effect behind all this.” Han Li did not deny it. He admitted it quite frankly.

“Very good. That is the right way. If you have questions, ask me directly. Do not keep them bottled up inside.” Doctor Mo smiled darkly. The black qi on his face seemed to thicken another layer, making his features even more ferocious.

“I know you have been on guard against me all along. You have never truly seen me as your master. But that does not matter. I have never truly seen you as a disciple either.” Doctor Mo gave a light snort.