Chapter 8: Elder Lyu

Anyone with a modicum of discernment would immediately realize that he was about to lose. Upon seeing this, Han Li had a question arise in his mind.

"There's one thing I'm curious about. Why haven't the older senior brothers come? Even if they can't participate in the duel, with all the commotion, there should be many who would want to watch, yet it seems that only young disciples of our age are gathered here."

He asked without hesitation. Upon hearing this, Bapae's expression suddenly changed, and he looked at him with a strange gaze.

'Could I have said something I shouldn't have?'

Bapae looked at Han Li with a suspicious expression and said, "Senior Brother Han, you really don't know how the sect operates. Even if you're in seclusion, your master never mentioned it?"

Han Li, upon hearing this, calmly searched his robes and took out a waist tag to show Bapae.

"Oh, Senior Brother Han, why do you do this? Do you think I don't trust you? Haha!"

He quickly examined the waist tag, recognized it as genuine, and smiled again.

"Can you tell me what's going on now?"

Han Li urged for an answer, asking again. He really wanted to know what had happened.

"Of course, of course."

It turned out that over the past few years, the rivalry between the Seven Virtues Sect and the Arlang Gang had intensified, leading to over a dozen conflicts over wealthy cities and towns. Many disciples were lost in these conflicts. The Arlang Gang members were all violent, like enraged bandits, each one fighting to the death and going berserk.

While the Seven Virtues Sect disciples were skilled in martial arts, they lacked the ruthlessness of their opponents. Seeing the Arlang Gang charge like mad horses, the disciples were frightened and retreated, leading to more casualties for the Seven Virtues Sect.

As this pattern repeated, several high-ranking leaders of the Seven Virtues Sect decided to send most of the inner disciples to participate in the bloody battles. This was to protect the sect's territories and to give the disciples a taste of the cruelty of the martial world, allowing them to gain practical combat experience.

As a result, the Seven Virtues Sect gained the upper hand in subsequent battles, but many inner disciples never returned to the sect. The leaders then changed their strategy, assigning less important tasks to the inner disciples or sending them to other regions to gain experience before allowing them to engage in battles with the Arlang Gang.

This significantly reduced casualties, and it became an official rule of the sect two years ago. Any Seven Virtues Sect disciple, after receiving their master's teachings, had to go out into the martial world to gain experience before taking on substantial responsibilities within the sect.

This is why older disciples were either dispatched outside the sect, fighting the Arlang Gang, or practicing in the martial world. On the main mountain, apart from the essential personnel, only young disciples who had not yet completed their master's teachings remained.

Through Bapae's story, Han Li realized that the situation on Sunset Mountain had changed significantly from before.

Clang!

A loud sound echoed as the sword flew into the sky. Zhao Ziling, holding his right hand, took a few steps back.

He panted heavily, his face pale, having been unable to dodge Elder Lyu's swift and fierce sword technique and having been forced to let go of his sword due to the immense force.

"Senior Brother Lyu, you are truly remarkable. I, the junior, admit defeat."

Zhao Ziling forced a smile and bowed. Enormous cheers erupted from all around.

"Senior Brother Lyu, your skills are indeed outstanding!"

"Senior Brother Lyu, your sword technique is amazing!"

"Senior Brother Lyu, please teach me a move!"

The cheers and praises were directed at their idol.

Elder Lyu sheathed his sword. His face flushed, he suddenly frowned as if a thought had struck him and spoke calmly.

"Since I still have matters to attend to, I'll take my leave first."

He turned and left, displaying excellent lightness skills as he disappeared into the pine forest beside the cliff.

"Wow! Senior Brother Lyu is not only skilled in sword techniques but also in lightness skills."

"Indeed, that's true."

Praises for him echoed again.

"By the way, Junior Brother, I realize I still don't know your name."

Han Li turned to Bapae, who was standing beside him, and asked.

"My name is Kim Dongbo. But you can just call me Bapae, Senior Brother Han."

Bapae answered excitedly, seemingly pleased that a towering figure had recognized his worth.

"If you ever fall ill or get injured, come find me. I'll treat you for free."

Han Li waved his hand, glanced at the noisy crowd, and disappeared into the pine forest. Kim Dongbo stood there, feeling a strange and inexplicable emotion.

He couldn't understand the meaning of what he had just heard, no matter how long he thought about it.

* * *

Even after walking a long distance from the cliff, the sound of their chatter could still be heard. He wasn't particularly interested in how they would resolve the dispute between Antong and Zhang Zhenggui.

Thinking of Kim Dongbo standing there blankly, Han Li couldn't help but want to burst out laughing.

After laughing for a while, he felt much lighter, as if the gloom from Shenxiu Valley had lifted.

He walked through the pine forest, following his footsteps to a more secluded area where a shallow stream appeared.

Lifting his head to look at the scorching sun, he thought it would be a good idea to cool off a bit.

Bending down, he dipped his hands into the cool stream when he heard groaning from upstream. Han Li was taken aback.

Following the groaning, he found an inner disciple lying by the stream.

The person was lying face down, his body twitching, and his limbs trembling uncontrollably.

Han Li immediately realized that the person was in a critical condition and would die if not helped soon.

He walked over and took out a sandalwood box from his robes. From it, he extracted a shiny silver needle and deftly inserted it into the acupoints on the person's back.

After quickly finishing the acupuncture on the back, he turned the person over to prepare to insert needles into the acupoints on the chest.

When he turned the person over, Han Li was startled. The person lying there was none other than Elder Lyu, who had just demonstrated his divine prowess on the cliff and engaged in the duel.

Han Li examined the face he had just seen. It was not the brave and dignified face he had seen earlier.

The originally cold face was now contorted in pain, and white foam was continuously coming from his mouth. He seemed to have lost consciousness due to the intense pain.

Han Li regained his composure and quickly inserted the silver needles into his body.

After placing dozens of needles and finishing the last one, he finally exhaled. Using only acupuncture to save a critically ill patient was a very demanding task for him.

When the person's body was covered with the shining silver needles, Elder Lyu finally regained consciousness.

"You are...?"

He tried to say something with all his strength but couldn't finish due to his lack of energy.

"I am from Shenxiu Valley. Don't try to speak. You need to regain your strength. I'm just helping you regain consciousness. Your condition is strange, and it seems only Master An can treat you. Unfortunately, he's not on the main mountain right now."

Han Li felt his pulse and frowned.

"Medicine... medicine..."

Elder Lyu's face showed anxiety. His lips trembled, and he tried to say something but couldn't.

"Do you have medicine to treat your condition?"

Han Li immediately understood his intention and asked if his guess was correct.

"Um..."

Elder Lyu, realizing Han Li understood him, nodded weakly. Han Li, without hesitation, began searching his body.

Among the various items, he found a small white bottle. The high-quality bottle, tightly sealed, seemed to be what Elder Lyu was looking for. Han Li held the bottle and examined Elder Lyu's expression. Indeed, his face was full of relief, and he was blinking as much as he could.

Han Li opened the bottle, and to his surprise, instead of a medicinal scent, a strong, pungent smell wafted out.

He carefully took out a pink pill. The pill, though beautiful in color, emitted an unbearable foul odor.

"Is this the pill?"

Han Li regained his composure. Elder Lyu, too anxious to speak, blinked his eyes.

"Autumn Harvest Pill. Made from twenty-three rare ingredients, including magnolia, scorpion-tail flower, and century-old blue ant eggs, it has a red hue and a peculiar, pungent smell. When taken, it forcefully enhances the body's latent abilities, increasing current power at the cost of future lifespan. Is that correct?"

Han Li looked at Elder Lyu coldly, speaking each word clearly. Elder Lyu's face turned pale, devoid of any color, revealing his despair.

"Since you've already started taking this pill, you must take it at regular intervals, suffering from intense pain as if your muscles are being torn and your bones sucked dry. If you don't take it, you might become paralyzed or even die. Even if you take it on time, you will die within ten years due to the excessive use of your life force."

Han Li continued without pause.

Han Li paused. Elder Lyu, upon hearing Han Li's words, showed the despair of his deepest secrets being revealed and a look of great surprise.

"You must be very surprised. Such a pill is extremely rare, so how did I recognize it?"

Han Li, reading his thoughts, turned the conversation back to himself.

"It's actually very simple. I've taken this kind of pill before."

Han Li's statement, containing a shocking fact, surprised Elder Lyu, but he also showed disbelief.

"However, the way I took it is different from yours. I only took one pill, dividing it into ten pieces and using it to enhance the effects of other herbs. This way, I avoided any side effects that could harm my body. The stark contrast between the pill's appearance and its smell left a deep impression on me. I always thought no one else in the world would take such a strange pill, but it turns out there is one."

Han Li finished speaking and looked at Elder Lyu with a mix of admiration and pity.

Elder Lyu closed his eyes, as if he didn't want to meet Han Li's gaze. His chest, rising and falling uneasily, revealed his inner turmoil.

"You've been taking this pill for several years now. If you decide not to take it anymore, I can ask Master An to make an antidote for you. While you won't regain your full lifespan, you can live for another 20 to 30 years. However, you will lose your martial arts achievements. If you continue taking the pill, your martial arts will improve rapidly, but you will only live for 5 to 6 years at most. It's your body, so you must make the choice. Will you continue taking the pill or give it up?"

Elder Lyu's eyelids trembled violently, clearly struggling with a fierce internal conflict.

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