As soon as Madam Li stepped into the room, she was hit by a foul, fishy stench. She saw Sect Leader Ma and Elder Qian sitting cross-legged on either side of the bed, eyes closed as they regulated their breathing.
Between them on the floor was a basin of pitch-black blood, from which the foul odor was emanating.
Their faces were pale—clearly, just as Han Li had said, they had expended a great deal of effort.
Madam Li felt a surge of gratitude toward them.
Though she had no martial skills herself, she knew enough from her surroundings that it was crucial not to disturb them at this moment. She immediately slowed her steps, moving quietly to the bedside to look at the person lying there.
Elder Li was sleeping soundly, the pained expression that had once been etched between his brows now completely gone. Though his complexion was still somewhat sallow, the dark aura had vanished, and the toxic spots on his body had faded to faint, almost imperceptible marks, like water stains.
It seemed the poison had truly been completely neutralized. Overwhelmed with joy, Madam Li couldn’t hold back her tears.
After a long moment, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and remembered she ought to return to express her gratitude to Han Li. She turned and quietly made her way back to the main hall. But the moment she stepped outside, she was immediately surrounded by a crowd, bombarded with questions from all sides. Yet, among them, Han Li was nowhere to be seen.
Surprised, she quickly asked Ma Rong and the others what had happened.
From their replies, she learned that Han Li had written out a prescription for recuperation before taking his leave, departing gracefully without staying a moment longer.
Madam Li fell silent for a long time, but in her heart, she had already decided: once Elder Li recovered, the two of them would personally visit Han Li with generous gifts to thank him for saving his life.
Unnoticed by Madam Li, aside from the miraculous doctor Han Li, one other person was missing—Li Feiyu, who had always stayed close to Zhang Xiuer.
Beside a remote path, under the shade of a lush tree, Han Li—who had just left Elder Li’s residence—lay on the grass with his hands behind his head, bored out of his mind as he counted the leaves on a branch.
When he reached nearly a thousand, a dark figure descended from above, swooping down on him like an eagle snatching a chick, fierce and imposing as if bearing some deep-seated grudge.
“Hey! Cut it out. Why do you always want to throw hands the moment we meet? I’m not Zhang Xiuer, you know!”
At Han Li’s words, the dark figure nimbly twisted in mid-air and landed gracefully beside him. It was Li Feiyu, who had followed closely behind.
“Han Li, with your dark and plain looks, how dare you compare yourself to Miss Zhang Xiuer? Aren’t you just embarrassing her?” Irritated, Li Feiyu lightly lifted his right foot and gave Han Li a playful kick on the backside as punishment.
Han Li rolled his eyes, then sprang up like a carp leaping out of water. “Looks like our esteemed Senior Brother Li has truly chosen beauty over friendship. I really know how to pick my friends!”
“Enough nonsense. Why did you call me out? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get a chance to get close to Miss Zhang? And you made me waste it! If you don’t give me a good reason, you’re not getting off easy!” Li Feiyu sounded genuinely annoyed, clearly resentful about being pulled away for no apparent reason.
“Did I ask you to come out? I don’t remember saying anything like that.” Han Li feigned surprise, exaggerating his reaction.
“The way you winked and hinted when you left—unless someone was blind, anyone could tell you meant for me to follow. Stop beating around the bush. If there’s nothing important, I’m going back.” Li Feiyu turned to leave, his demeanor making it hard to tell if he was serious or not.
Han Li decided to drop the act. His expression turned serious as he said to Li Feiyu, “Don’t blame me for prying, but as your friend, I have to ask: does Zhang Xiuer know that you’ve taken the Marrow-Extraction Pill and only have a few years left to live?”
Li Feiyu’s face instantly turned deathly pale. He stood in silence for a long time, not uttering a word.
Han Li sighed inwardly. He didn’t need to ask further—Li Feiyu’s expression said it all.
“Why did you have to wake me from this beautiful dream?” Li Feiyu finally said, his voice filled with pain and sorrow.
Han Li didn’t answer the question. Instead, he gently patted Li Feiyu’s shoulder to comfort him.
“You must have heard that when it comes to matters of the heart, the more you invest, the more it will hurt,” Han Li said once Li Feiyu had calmed down a little, his words carrying a philosophical weight that gave Li Feiyu pause.
“I pulled you out before you got in too deep because I didn’t want you to suffer more later,” Han Li added softly.
Li Feiyu stared at Han Li, a strange look in his eyes.
“What? Is something wrong?” Han Li felt uneasy under Li Feiyu’s gaze and quickly checked himself over.
“How old are you, kid? You sound like some love expert who’s seen through the vanity of life. Have you actually experienced romance yourself?” Li Feiyu suddenly asked.
“Of course not. I read all of that in books. It sounded reasonable, so I used it to advise you.”
“Oh! So that’s how it is. I was wondering—how could someone as dashing and charismatic as me lag behind you in matters of the heart? To think you were just pontificating based on theory!” Li Feiyu let out a long breath, patting his chest as if he’d been genuinely frightened.
Han Li was speechless. This guy recovered far too quickly—one moment he was acting like his world was ending, and the next he was back to his playful self. He really was an emotional rollercoaster.
But Han Li pressed on, digging deeper. “So have you really given up on Miss Zhang Xiuer? Would you really stand by and watch someone else hold her?”
Li Feiyu’s playful expression instantly turned icy. With a murderous chill in his voice, he said, “If anyone dares to lay a finger on Miss Zhang, I’ll chop their hands off!”
“What happens after I die is beyond my control. But while I’m alive, Zhang Xiuer belongs to me alone.” His words were so cold they seemed capable of freezing a person solid.
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