Chapter 48 Deception
Doctor Mo gently landed where Han Li had originally stood, without any pause. He turned around like a ghost, facing Han Li once more. The arrogance on his face had completely vanished, replaced by a wooden expression with a hint of imperceptible strangeness in his eyes.
At this moment, Han Li was not in a good situation either. He was panting heavily, his face somewhat pale, cold sweat trickling down his forehead, and an abnormal flush on his cheeks.
All of this indicated that Han Li had exhausted most of his energy with his life-saving technique just now. It was highly likely that he wouldn't be able to use the same trick again in the next encounter.
Taking a deep breath, Han Li relaxed his body as much as possible to alleviate the strain caused by the "Roving Smoke Steps" technique. He could only seize every opportunity to recover some strength, hoping for a chance at victory in the next round of combat.
Han Li glanced down at his left hand, which was still trembling slightly. It was completely numb, unable to wield a sword anymore. It seemed that his painstaking practice with the left-handed sword had been temporarily rendered useless. He could only rely on his remaining right hand for combat.
With this realization, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
With most of his strength depleted and unable to use the mysterious "Roving Smoke Steps" technique anymore, and worse still, only able to fight with one hand, the situation couldn't get any worse.
It seemed that he had to resort to using the last trick in his arsenal.
Glancing at the sun outside, Han Li estimated the time and felt it was about right to use this move.
He glanced at the short sword stuck in the wall, realizing there was no chance to retrieve it. The opponent wouldn't allow him to retrieve it so easily.
After a moment of contemplation, Han Li took out another weapon from his robe. It was also a half-foot-long short sword, but because of its short size, it was more like a dagger. After drawing the sword from its sheath, it appeared broader and sharper than an ordinary dagger.
Han Li discarded the scabbard and held the sword in his right hand, extending his arm with the sword pointing diagonally towards his opponent, assuming an attacking stance.
Doctor Mo observed all this but didn't rush to attack.
He folded his hands behind his back and his expression suddenly became gentle.
With a mild tone, he advised, "Han Li, you managed to evade several times, which indeed surprised me.
But do you think you can be as lucky as last time, to escape from my grasp again?
The footwork you just used was quite remarkable, but it seems to have significant limitations.
Just judging from your stamina, it's unlikely you can smoothly execute it again.
It's better to surrender obediently! You should see that I have no intention of seriously harming you.
Following my words might not be as bad as you imagine. "
Doctor Mo's chameleon-like attitude sent shivers down Han Li's spine.
One moment he acted like a kind teacher, the next he was ruthless.
Now, he was advising surrender. It made Han Li wonder what to say.
Did he really think he could fall for such an obvious trick?
However, instead of disheartening him, these words strangely boosted his confidence.
If the opponent didn't fear him, why resort to such childish tactics?
In an instant, Han Li understood this clearly. He sighed, shook his head lightly without saying a word, and gestured with the short sword in his hand, indicating his intentions.
Doctor Mo's temples throbbed visibly. Seeing Han Li ignoring his persuasion and provoking with his weapon, he couldn't contain his anger.
"Ignorant fool!" He suddenly stepped forward, his mouth spewing disdain, "Ignorant fool!"
Then, in an instant, he floated lightly to a place just a few steps away from Han Li, as if using some kind of teleportation technique, which was astonishing.
Han Li seemed quite shocked as well, with a panicked expression.
He quickly retreated two steps, creating some distance between them.
Then, he held the short sword in his hand horizontally in front of him, creating a small glimmer of cold light, blocking Doctor Mo's path, seemingly forgetting the bitter lesson from their previous encounter.
Doctor Mo inwardly sneered, not intending to kindly remind his opponent. He separated his palms and attacked Han Li from both sides, disregarding the glimmer of light.
Just as the two silver hands were about to pierce through the sword light, a light laughter came from the opposite direction. It was hearty and triumphant, like a hunter seeing its prey fall into a trap.
Doctor Mo's heart skipped a beat, momentarily slowing his movements. But then he heard a cold voice saying, "Now, you've truly fallen into a trap. Look at the short sword in my hand!"
Hearing this, Doctor Mo couldn't help but look at the short sword.
He saw that Han Li had stopped wielding it and assumed a strange posture.
His upper body leaned slightly backward, holding the short sword flat against his waist with one hand, while his lower body was tense, like a drawn bow ready to release an arrow.
He seemed to have turned into an odd figure preparing to shoot an arrow.
As for the mentioned short sword, besides some faint glimmers, there was nothing unusual about it. This puzzled Doctor Mo. Did his opponent assume such a strange posture and deceive him just to disrupt his concentration and gain an advantage?
Thinking of this, Doctor Mo found it somewhat amusing. He couldn't help but want to mock his opponent a few times. But suddenly, he saw Han Li rushing forward like an arrow shot from a strong bow, coming towards him at an incredible speed, causing Doctor Mo's expression to change.
Doctor Mo quickly brought his hands together, intending to clamp down on the sword blade. But he saw the short sword on the opposite side lightly sway, transforming into a dozen or so blades that seemed real and fake, piercing towards him from different directions, making it hard to distinguish.
Doctor Mo snorted, feeling that Han Li's evaluation of him had dropped a few points. In the face of such a master, using such flashy but impractical moves was akin to seeking death. He could easily discern the true blade's location.
So, he widened his eyes, locked onto the true blade's position, and maintained his posture without changing it. Instead, he increased the momentum of his hands, attempting to shatter the blade with one move, leaving his opponent defenseless.