The Ambush and the Fangs

Chapter 45: The Ambush and the Fangs

Han Li lowered his head and pondered for a moment. It seemed that allowing the other party to test his cultivation was truly unavoidable.

The man had unhesitatingly given him the antidote to the Corpse Worm Pill, a gesture of sincerity. If Han Li continued to make excuses, it would only arouse unwarranted suspicion—that he hadn't actually reached the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Art and was merely lying. This would push matters in an unfavorable direction, possibly stirring up unexpected complications.

Besides, he had anticipated this step and made some preparations beforehand. Even if the pulse examination led to an immediate betrayal, he still had a way to escape.

With this in mind, Han Li raised his head and met Doctor Mo’s gaze directly. Slowly, he spoke: “Senior Mo, since you were generous enough to give me the antidote, consider this my last act of trust. I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

With that, he extended his right wrist, carefully observing the other’s reaction. If anything seemed amiss, he would withdraw his hand immediately.

Unfortunately, Doctor Mo maintained his artificial smile, revealing nothing unusual. Only when he heard Han Li’s consent did his eyebrows twitch slightly, but they quickly returned to normal. He had clearly already expected Han Li’s answer.

Without another word, Doctor Mo reached out his withered left hand and gently placed it on Han Li’s wrist. His smile gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression, as if he were engaged in something sacred.

Han Li silently maintained his fourth-layer energy flow. Seeing Doctor Mo’s expression, he grew uneasy and raised his vigilance to its highest level. His left hand quietly moved toward his waist, where a custom-made short sword rested in its sheath.

Gradually, a look of delighted surprise appeared on Doctor Mo’s face. He could detect within Han Li’s meridians a continuous, peculiar energy—a flow far stronger than the minimum he had hoped for.

Even a man as calculating and deep as Doctor Mo could not suppress the blossoming joy on his face at the prospect of his long-planned ambition finally within reach. But unlike his earlier forced smile, this one came from genuine elation.

“Excellent! It truly is the fourth-layer Eternal Spring Art! Ha ha! This is… this is simply wonderful! Ha ha! Ha ha!” Doctor Mo laughed openly before Han Li, his voice booming and causing the entire room to hum. Yet his hand never released Han Li’s wrist, holding it fast.

“Senior Mo, what are you doing? Shouldn’t you let go?” Han Li’s expression darkened. He already knew something was wrong. He tried to yank his right hand back, but the other’s grip was solid and immovable.

“Let go? Fine, I’ll let go!” Doctor Mo’s laughter ceased, replaced by a vicious smirk.

Then he suddenly bellowed: “Ha!”

A deafening boom exploded in Han Li’s ears. His vision went dark; the world spun around him. He lost his balance, collapsed to the ground, and the hand he had placed on his sword hilt fell limply to his side.

“Damn it!” Even as his body failed him, Han Li’s mind remained sharp. He realized he had been caught off guard—the man had struck first, ferociously. For the moment, he could only wait helplessly.

“Boy, you’re still too green. You can’t do anything now, can you!” Doctor Mo, seeing his plan succeed in one move, couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.

“Come here!” He yanked sharply with his left hand, dragging Han Li from the floor to his feet. Then he bent down, extending his right index finger to strike the acupoint on Han Li’s chest.

Thump!

Doctor Mo’s finger struck what felt like an iron plate, producing a dull impact. The front of his finger throbbed with pain from the rebound. His acupoint strike naturally failed.

“What is this?!” Startled by the unexpected result, Doctor Mo’s heart skipped a beat.

Is he wearing some kind of iron armor under his clothes? he wondered in astonishment.

His gaze involuntarily swept over Han Li’s clothing. But the thin fabric made it hard to believe there was hidden armor beneath. This puzzled him.

In that instant of distraction, Han Li regained control of his body. His recovery ability was far stronger than Doctor Mo had anticipated.

His cultivation of the sixth-layer Eternal Spring Art had not been in vain. His ability to resist abnormal states far exceeded ordinary expectations—something even Han Li himself hadn’t fully realized.

Doctor Mo, decisively casting aside his doubts, moved to try another method of subduing Han Li. But suddenly, the wrist he was clutching became incredibly slick and flexible, impossible to hold firmly.

Startled, he increased his grip strength slightly—but with a swift motion, the other’s hand slipped from his fingers like an eel. Now Doctor Mo was genuinely stunned.

Han Li, ignoring the other’s surprise, executed an unexpected roll to escape to a corner of the room. Only after putting considerable distance between himself and Doctor Mo did he slowly rise to his feet.

His face expressionless, Han Li’s eyes turned icy cold as he stared at Doctor Mo.

He said nothing more. He didn’t know why the man wanted to capture him, but it was certainly not for his benefit.

Clearly, everything Doctor Mo had said before—about using his Eternal Spring Art to stimulate secret acupoints—was an elaborate lie, utterly untrustworthy.

For his own sake, and for the safety of his family, Han Li slowly drew the short sword from his waist with his left hand. The blade was about a foot long, gleaming green—clearly sharp and deadly.

“Today, either you die, or I die. Only one of us will leave this room alive.” Han Li’s voice was ice-cold. For the first time, he revealed his fangs before Doctor Mo.