After pacing in circles for a long while, Han Li finally came to a stop.
"As for whether to accept this deal, I'll wait until there's truly no way to neutralize the poison before making my decision." In the end, this was the only resigned thought he could muster.
Then he glanced at the giant outside the door and recalled the cryptic words at the end of Doctor Mo's last testament. A flicker of curiosity stirred in his heart, and he decided to attempt the method for controlling the giant.
Han Li crouched down and rummaged through the pile of items, retrieving a small bell made of brass. The bell was quite modest in size — just large enough to rest in the palm of one hand — yet it was exquisitely crafted, its proportions perfectly harmonious, clearly the work of a master artisan. The only difference from an ordinary bell was that faint traces of blood seemed to linger just beneath the surface of the bell wall, making it strikingly conspicuous.
Han Li studied the artifact called the "Soul-Calling Bell" at some length but couldn't discern anything particularly formidable about it. According to the letter, this object was capable of subduing a terrifying monster like the giant — truly incredible!
Holding the small bell in his left hand, Han Li casually picked up a dagger in his right and carefully stepped through the stone doorway, cautiously inching closer to the giant.
When he was roughly two zhang away, Han Li halted, unwilling to draw any nearer for fear of the unexpected.
The giant stood with its back to Han Li, perfectly still.
*Dong!* A clear, crisp chime rang out from the small bell — the sound produced when Han Li lightly struck the brass bell with his dagger.
Han Li furrowed his brow. The sound seemed no different from any ordinary bell chime. Could this really subdue the giant?
A trace of doubt wavered through his mind, and he lowered his body slightly, ready to bolt back into the stone chamber at the first sign of trouble.
Upon hearing the bell, the giant's shoulders twitched ever so slightly, as if reacting. Han Li's spirits lifted, and he hurriedly began striking the bell in rapid succession.
*Dong! Dong!* The chimes rang out one after another, and the giant's massive body began to tremble in sync. Its steps grew unsteady, its footing faltered, until finally it toppled face-first onto the ground, unconscious.
The impact of the giant's enormous body against the dry ground kicked up a great cloud of dust, catching the unprepared Han Li square in the face and making him sneeze several times in miserable succession.
But Han Li had no time for such trifles. He rushed to the giant's side and reached out to tear away the hood covering its head, revealing a bloated, swollen face that sent a chill down Han Li's spine the moment he saw it.
Forcing down his discomfort, Han Li didn't dare study the face too closely. He quickly used the dagger to lightly slice open his wrist, letting the blood flow freely onto the giant's face. He continued until the entire broad face was thoroughly smeared, then pressed against the wound, deftly pulling a clean strip of cloth from his person and tying it around the cut to staunch the bleeding. After that, he calmly stood to the side, watching the giant for any reaction.
Something extraordinary happened — all that blood was slowly absorbed into the giant's skin, without so much as a single drop remaining. Han Li stood there watching, dumbfounded, so stunned that he didn't even notice the pressure from his fingers on the wound had become too great, causing blood to seep through the cloth once more.
Once all the blood had been consumed, the giant slowly opened its eyes and rose to its feet. Its expression was dull and vacant, its eyes empty and devoid of any emotion.
But the moment the giant turned its head and its gaze met Han Li's, Han Li felt his mind go *buzz*. A strange sensation — both unfamiliar and deeply recognizable — surged through his heart. It was as though something foreign had suddenly taken root deep within him, curling around his consciousness like a well-trained pet dog, nuzzling and calling to him with unmistakable devotion.
Han Li was startled but quickly composed himself, for he saw that the giant's previously stiff and lifeless face had transformed — it was now filled with utter submissiveness. Han Li felt an almost uncanny sensation, as though he held complete dominion over the giant's every breath and every heartbeat.
Suppressing his inner delight, Han Li spoke in a low voice and issued a test command.
"Go tear down that stone door."
Without a word, the giant took several enormous strides to the stone door, raised both fists clasped together high above its head, and hammered them down like a great iron mallet. Three or five blows was all it took to shatter the door to pieces. Then it swept back to Han Li's side like a gust of gale wind, awaiting its next order.
Han Li, who had always been one to avoid excessive joy or sorrow, couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. With such a powerful bodyguard at his beck and call, what ordinary danger could possibly trouble him in the future?
As he excitedly fantasized about the wonderful life ahead, Han Li couldn't stop sizing up the giant with eager, appraising eyes.
The more he looked at the giant, the more satisfied he felt. The face he had initially considered excessively ugly now appeared rather pleasing to the eye — it was even growing increasingly familiar.
"Familiar?" Han Li was startled by this feeling and looked surprised.
How could he feel a sense of familiarity toward a hideous face he had never seen before?
Harboring this question, Han Li began to carefully examine the giant's nose and eyes, trying to find an explanation.
Gradually, he realized that if the giant's somewhat bloated features were restored to their original proportions — all scaled down a size — and pieced together, the face was actually not ugly at all. In fact, it was a rather honest and straightforward face — one that Han Li knew with absolute certainty.
Han Li's face turned somewhat pale. He stood silent for a long while before finally extending both hands and gently caressing the giant's face.
"Brother Zhang, is it really you?" His voice was very low and remarkably calm.
This reconstructed face bore an uncanny resemblance to his long-missing friend, "Zhang Tie." Combined with the cryptic words Doctor Mo had left at the end of his letter, Han Li was virtually certain that the giant must share some deep connection with Zhang Tie. Could it really be as the letter described — that the giant before him was nothing more than Zhang Tie's physical shell transformed, his soul long since departed? But why had his body become so enormous and terrifying?
(End of Chapter)