The moment Han Li heard this, his heart skipped a beat, but the scene that followed delivered a tremendous shock to his mind, making him realize just how many things in this world remained unknown to him.
As Doctor Mo gave a sharp command, the seven strange blades embedded in his body all began to vibrate, emitting a humming roar from their ghostly heads. The sound grew louder and sharper, as if they were coming alive, struggling to break free from him.
Seeing the blades seemed unresponsive, Doctor Mo grew somewhat flustered. He muttered something under his breath, but because it was too quiet and rapid, Han Li couldn't make out the words, though he suspected they weren't pleasant.
Doctor Mo stood up, paced around the room once, and finally stamped his foot in helpless resignation. He then extended his index finger and thrust it into the gaping maw of one of the ghost heads.
An incredible thing happened. The inanimate ghost head actually clamped its jaws shut on its own, biting down fiercely on the offered delicacy with its thick fangs, and began to suckle gently.
Doctor Mo's body trembled slightly, as if he were enduring immense pain. Because the black fog obscured his face, Han Li couldn't see his expression at that moment, but it must have been quite grim.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the ghost head finally sucked its fill. It released its jaw with satisfaction, and the humming sound ceased.
Next, Doctor Mo repeated the process, feeding each ghost head in turn, before reluctantly withdrawing his finger.
After completing this, Doctor Mo once again formed the same hand seals and murmured another incantation.
This time, the seven blades did not tremble or make any strange noises. Instead, they simultaneously opened their eyes to reveal blood-red pupils. Their mouths also split wider, and they puffed out their cheeks, drawing great gulps of something from the air.
The ghostly fog on Doctor Mo's face seemed to sense imminent disaster. It churned like turbulent waves, and its extending tendrils flailed more wildly than ever, but it was futile.
Seven thin black lines were still peeled away from the fog, tracing several elegant arcs through the air before landing with pinpoint accuracy into the seven waiting ghost mouths. The heads devoured them bit by bit.
Han Li was somewhat stunned. Since Doctor Mo was sitting cross-legged directly across from him, everything happening before him was vividly captured in his eyes—even the individual teeth on the ghost faces were perfectly clear.
Having brushed against another world for the first time, Han Li was utterly awestruck by this mysterious power. The strange silver blades, the eerie ghost heads, and the sinister black fog appearing on Doctor Mo's face—each inexplicable phenomenon overturned his previous understanding. After all, Han Li had always been only half-believing in matters of gods and spirits; to him, anything not witnessed firsthand was impossible to believe.
Now, these supernatural scenes, which existed only in legends, were playing out right before his very eyes. How could this not send a chill down Han Li's spine?
For a moment, Han Li's mind was in complete chaos. Facing such inhuman power, as a captive at his mercy, he truly didn't know how to respond.
Gradually, the black fog on Doctor Mo's face thinned from thick to sparse, from dense to dilute, devoured nearly completely by the ghost heads until only a faint, hazy layer remained, barely veiling his face.
At this point, Doctor Mo's features were faintly visible. But when Han Li saw the true face that was reappearing, his mouth dropped open in pure astonishment, and it stayed that way for quite a while.
Today had brought Han Li far too many shocks, but none were as staggering or mind-bending as what he was now witnessing.
The face emerging from the black fog was that of a vigorous man in his early thirties, in the prime of his life. From those extremely familiar eyebrows and eyes, it was unmistakably still Doctor Mo himself, but decades younger.
That firm, defined jawline, the commanding gaze that naturally demanded respect, the faint, cold smile playing on his lips—by any measure, this was the face of an incredibly attractive, charismatic man. Such a mature male face held lethal appeal for women. Whether a young girl in the bloom of youth or a resentful wife confined to the inner quarters, few could withstand the advances of such a man. With the slightest beckoning, most would willingly fall for him, becoming hopelessly entangled.
After seeing this face, Han Li actually felt an impulse to smash it with his fist. It seemed its handsome appearance was just too envious for other men to bear.
Just as the last trace of black fog on the face was sucked into the ghost mouths, Han Li recalled that Doctor Mo had once mentioned to him that he was originally only in his thirties. It was due to an accident during healing, where an evil entity had siphoned his essence for a long time, that he had become so aged and haggard.
It seemed that, on this point at least, the other hadn't lied to him. This current appearance must be Doctor Mo's true original face, but his method of recovery was far too incredible.
Only now did Han Li notice that it wasn't just Doctor Mo's appearance that had become younger. His body and hair had transformed as well. The jet-black, coarse hair and his upright, sturdy physique all indicated he was now in the golden period of his life, with physical strength and vitality at their absolute peak.
"But if Doctor Mo had a way to restore his original appearance, why go to such lengths against me?" Han Li thought, his confusion returning as he snapped out of his shock. Realizing he was still in crisis, his mind began racing, frantically analyzing everything, trying to find a way out of this situation.
Han Li observed that after becoming young again, Doctor Mo seemed somewhat dazed, standing blankly in place without a word.
After a long while, he finally raised one hand and examined the smooth skin on its back with a look of gazing upon a long-lost treasure. Then he closed his eyes, pressed the palm gently against his cheek, and rubbed it softly, as if savoring the vitality of youth once more.
This narcissistic expression from Doctor Mo was a bit much for Han Li to stomach. He couldn't relate to the myriad of emotions—loss and recovery—swirling within the doctor at this moment.
"Elder Mo, you seem to have returned to normal. You probably don't need this disciple anymore, right? So, could you possibly let me go? In the future, I could still serve you faithfully." Han Li couldn't hold back his words any longer. He still didn't know what the other intended to do with him. Although he knew it was unlikely Doctor Mo would simply release him, he decided to feign foolishness and probe, hoping to learn his fate sooner so he could make other plans.
(End of Chapter)