Chapter 11: The Stubborn Bottle

Han Li limped back to his hut, encountering few disciples along the way. None paid much attention to his hobbling figure.

Inside, he inspected his swollen, beet-red toe. Applying Doctor Mo's prized **trauma ointment**, he wrapped it tightly. The cooling relief was instant—Mo's medical prowess never faltered.

With his foot bandaged, Han Li turned to the mysterious bottle. Rubbed clean, it gleamed jade-green with intricate leaf patterns. Its material baffled him—neither metal nor ceramic, cold nor smooth.

He strained to twist the sealed cap. Despite his efforts, it refused to budge. *Is it fused as one piece?*

Frustrated, he decided to seek Zhang Tie's brute strength.

Zhang Tie, drenched in sweat from training, returned to find Han Li waiting.

"Open this for me!" Han Li thrust the bottle forward.

Zhang Tie's muscles bulged, but even his grip failed. "No luck. Maybe ask the seniors?"

Han Li paced anxiously. "What's wrong with your foot?" Zhang Tie asked.

"Kicked a rock," Han Li lied, guarding the bottle's secret.

Defeated, Han Li retreated to his hut, glaring at the bottle as if it might surrender under his gaze.