Chapter 24: Chapter Twenty-Four: Calming the Shock

Watching the rabbit before him continue to grow larger, swelling further.

Han Li sensed something was amiss and suddenly remembered something—he hurled the porcelain bowl, now regarded as a serpent or scorpion, into the nearby “herb” field, then turned and sprinted away, only stopping when he was more than ten zhang from the rabbit.

Just as he turned to look back, two explosions sounded almost simultaneously; Han Li shuddered with a cold chill and turned to see both rabbits had burst apart, their bodies torn into several pieces, blood and flesh scattered across the ground. Two pits had appeared where the rabbits had been tied, surrounded by scattered remains, blood, and chunks of meat—truly a gruesome sight.

Han Li exhaled deeply and sat down heavily on the ground. If he hadn’t reacted quickly enough, he might have been caught in the explosion. Though he might not have suffered serious injury, being drenched in rabbit blood and flesh would have been anything but pleasant.

Once his heart had calmed, Han Li stood up and walked over to the edge of the pits.

He glanced at the bloody, mangled scene, then at the shattered porcelain bowl lying in the “herb” field—he was speechless.

Han Li had expected to discover some miraculous elixir from the green liquid, but instead found this terrifying thing. If it was poison, fine—but why did it make the rabbits die so horrifically? He would never touch this again. Too terrifying! Han Li had encountered deadly poisons before; under Master Mo’s tutelage for years, he had seen countless toxins that killed on contact, yet none had caused death so horrifying.

Fortunately, Han Li had strong mental resilience and managed to stay calm, lingering a little longer in the scene before deciding to leave.

For noon was approaching, and he needed to deliver the prepared secret herb to Senior Brother Li. He would deal with the aftermath here only after delivering the herb.

With this thought, Han Li didn’t spare another glance at the explosion site, leaving all the trouble for later. He returned to his quarters, rested briefly, then took the herb to the entrance of Divine Hand Valley.

Han Li was punctual—he arrived at the valley entrance precisely at noon. Li Feiyu, however, had already been anxiously waiting there.

He stood alone at the valley exit, dressed in a white brocade robe, yet still carrying the long sword that had left a deep impression on Han Li. When Han Li arrived, he was gazing toward the valley with a look of urgency on his face.

Seeing Han Li’s arrival, he immediately dropped his anxious expression, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as a smile appeared.

“Senior Brother Han, you’re truly punctual! You said noon, and you arrived exactly at noon—I’ve been waiting nearly half an hour!” Li Feiyu said, half-joking, half-complaining.

“My apologies. I spent too long preparing the herb yesterday and didn’t sleep until late, so I rose late this morning. By the time I finished everything, it was exactly noon.” Han Li replied, half-serious, half-teasing.

“Senior Brother Han, the herb—did you prepare it?!” Senior Brother Li, anxious and flustered, even stumbled over his words.

Han Li didn’t answer his question. He smiled calmly, slowly pulled a palm-sized herb packet from his robe, and tossed it to Li Feiyu with a flick of his wrist.

“Before taking the Bone-Draining Pill, dissolve one spoonful of the powder inside this packet in cool boiled water—it will ease your suffering.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother Han! Thank you, Senior Brother Han!” Li Feiyu was overjoyed. Even a slight reduction in pain was a great blessing to him. The agony of the Bone-Draining Pill made him shudder. He had tried many painkillers before, but none worked. Since this Senior Brother Han knew all the characteristics of the Bone-Draining Pill and had taken it himself, perhaps this herb truly worked.

“Don’t thank me yet—wait until the herb actually works before you thank me. Also, this is only a year’s supply. I’ve used up all the herbs I had on hand. When I gather more, I’ll prepare more for you.” Han Li spoke bluntly.

“No problem—I’ve got a year’s supply, which is enough for now. Whether this herb works or not, Senior Brother Han, I deeply appreciate your kindness.” Li Feiyu, now that he had what he wanted, regained his composure and, without pretense, acknowledged he owed Han Li a great debt.

Han Li smiled faintly and said nothing more, politely taking his leave.

Li Feiyu, clutching the secret herb, also wanted to return quickly to test its effects and made no effort to detain Han Li. The two parted ways with mutual farewells.

After returning to the valley, Han Li first tidied up the herb garden. He swept the rabbit remains, blood-soaked soil, and broken bowl into the pits, then filled the two newly formed holes with earth, making the area appear exactly as it had before the experiment.

Satisfied, Han Li brushed the dust from his hands and scanned the surroundings, checking for any overlooked details.

When his gaze fell on the spot where the porcelain bowl had shattered, he fell into thought.

He remembered clearly: when he threw the bowl away, the diluted water inside had spilled entirely onto that small patch of herb ground, soaking several herb plants. He hesitated—would these herbs, having absorbed the water, become poisonous? And if someone ate them afterward, would they suffer the same fate as the rabbits? Should he remove these toxic herbs immediately? A cascade of questions suddenly surged through Han Li’s mind.

After much deliberation, Han Li decided to wait. He would observe them for a while longer, treating it as another small experiment. If the herbs turned poisonous within the next few days, he could remove them then.

Having made his decision, seeing nothing else to do, he returned to the stone chamber to practice. He hoped to achieve another breakthrough on top of his current cultivation progress.

Han Li no longer cared about the specific purpose of this scripture. Cultivating it had become an instinct—he didn’t know what else he would do on the mountain if he didn’t practice it. Pursuing the next level of this scripture had become the sole goal of his life.

After an entire afternoon of focused practice, Han Li was disheartened to realize he was no genius. Though he felt he was just a fingertip’s distance from breaking through to the fourth level, he made not the slightest progress—his entire afternoon’s effort was wasted.

It seemed he couldn’t advance further without external herbal aid; otherwise, he might forever remain stuck at the third level.

Han Li began to hope Master Mo would return soon and, by fortune, find enough herbs to help him break through his current bottleneck.

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