Doctor Mo was very satisfied with Han Li's dedication to practicing, but he still found his progress in the unnamed mantra too slow.
In recent years, Doctor Mo's illness seemed to worsen. The frequency and duration of his coughing increased, indicating his deteriorating condition. As his health declined, Doctor Mo seemed to care more about Han Li's progress in practicing. From his repeated urging, one could sense his inner anxiety.
It seemed that Doctor Mo valued Han Li greatly. Not only did he give him much more money than the average disciple as agreed, but the way he looked at him was also peculiar, as if he was gazing at a rare treasure, with utmost care.
However, Han Li, now sensitive due to his training, occasionally detected a hint of unsettling greed and longing behind Doctor Mo's caring gaze. This made him feel somewhat uneasy, as if Doctor Mo wasn't looking at him like a living person, but rather like an object.
This puzzled him. What could Doctor Mo possibly want from him?
Of course, he had no answer to this question.
Sometimes, Han Li even felt guilty for silently criticizing Doctor Mo behind his back, feeling somewhat ungrateful.
Yet, he couldn't shake off a lingering sense of wariness towards Doctor Mo, which grew stronger as time passed.
Now, a major problem confronted Han Li: he had reached a bottleneck in his practice, and to make matters worse, after years of intense training and medication, Doctor Mo's precious medicines had run out.
Clearly, Han Li was not a natural prodigy. Without the assistance of medicine, his progress in practice came to a complete standstill.
This made Han Li feel ashamed in front of Doctor Mo.
Doctor Mo had invested all his efforts and resources into creating the best conditions for Han Li's practice, but he couldn't meet Doctor Mo's expectations.
Han Li found it difficult to face Doctor Mo and his eager inquiries.
Strangely, Doctor Mo, despite his high martial arts skills, couldn't discern the details of Han Li's practice. He could only infer his progress from pulse readings, so he was unaware of Han Li's current predicament.
Recently, Han Li, feeling uneasy, finally confessed his practice situation to Doctor Mo.
Upon hearing that Han Li hadn't made progress in the mantra for a year, Doctor Mo's already pale face turned even paler, and his expression, usually devoid of emotion, became even more unpleasant.
Doctor Mo didn't blame him but told him that he needed to leave the mountain for a while to gather some medicinal herbs. He instructed Han Li to focus on practicing diligently while he was away and not to neglect his mantra training.
Two days later, Doctor Mo left Seven Mystery Sect alone, carrying luggage and gathering tools.
After he left, the entire Valley of Divine Hands was left with only Han Li.
Another senior brother and good friend, Zhang Tie, had disappeared two years ago after reaching the third level of the "Elephant Armor Technique." He left only a farewell letter, stating his intention to travel the Jianghu world, which caused a stir in the entire Seven Mystery Sect. Later, it was said that Doctor Mo had intervened on his behalf, preventing his recommendation person and relatives from being implicated. This sudden departure saddened Han Li for several days, and upon further reflection, he vaguely felt that something wasn't quite right. However, he kept his thoughts to himself, and no one asked him about it, so the matter was eventually forgotten. Later, Han Li speculated that Zhang Tie might have been afraid of practicing the fourth level of the "Elephant Armor Technique" and slipped away unnoticed.
After practicing in the valley for a few days with no results, and being a teenager at heart, Han Li decided to leave the Valley of Divine Hands and wander around the Caihua Mountain.
Walking on these familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar mountain paths, Han Li couldn't help feeling a bit sentimental.
In these years, he had been imprisoned in the valley like a bird in a cage, never stepping out once.
It was likely that the fellow disciples outside had long forgotten about him.
On the way, he encountered some patrol disciples who became wary upon seeing him dressed in the sect's attire but having a unfamiliar face. He had to explain himself at length to be let go.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Han Li decided to take the winding paths to quieter places, avoiding crowded areas where people tended to ask questions.
Sure enough, along the way, there were no more annoying interrogations, allowing him to roam freely and further away.
Looking at the picturesque scenery and listening to the chirping of various birds, all his worries were forgotten for the moment.
Suddenly, the sounds of weapons clashing, accompanied by shouting and cheering, faintly came from a secluded cliff nearby.
In such a remote place! So many people gathered together! And such a lively commotion!
Han Li's curiosity was piqued, and he no longer feared being questioned as he followed the sounds of the fight to the vicinity of the cliff.
What a big scene! He couldn't help but be stunned and surprised.
Under the completely covered canopy of trees, over a hundred people were gathered beneath the cliff. Despite the small space, it was packed with people, with even several individuals standing on the branches of nearby trees, watching from above.
Within this large crowd, two groups of people faced each other with hostility.
The group on the left was larger, with about eleven or twelve people, while the group on the right was smaller, with only six or seven people.
Han Li noticed that all these people, whether onlookers or participants, appeared to be around his age, in their teens.
A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face. What a coincidence!
Among the many people, he easily recognized several familiar faces.
"Wan Jinbao, Zhang Dalu, Ma Yun, Sun Lishong... Oh! Wang Dapang seems even fatter than before. He really benefits from being the son of a cook, well-fed and well-nourished! And this person is... Liu Tietou! Huh! Huh! He used to be a dark-faced charcoal head, but now he's turned into a pretty boy!" Han Li climbed up a tree and called out the familiar faces below.
