Physician Morus remained expressionless, his eyes half-open, half-closed, one hand firmly resting on Elara's wrist.
His entire focus was concentrated on the strength of the energy within Elara's body; he remained silent for a long while.
After about a quarter of an hour, he finally let out a deep breath, as if expelling all the vexation and disappointment from his heart. His eyes snapped open, a sharp glint shooting from his murky pupils, making it difficult for one to look directly at him.
His face was somber; it was clear he was not satisfied with Elara's performance, yet he still uttered no words of reprimand.
He waved his hand indifferently, signaling Elara to follow him.
Elara obediently followed behind him. Although she was very interested in the mysterious person beside him, she also knew that now was not the time for her to ask questions casually.
After entering Physician Morus's hut, he sat down somewhat wearily in an armchair, his back pressed firmly against the backrest, half-sitting, half-reclining. The sharp glint in his eyes had dissipated, and he had reverted to his chronically ill appearance.
The mysterious person had followed closely behind, not leaving his side for a moment. After Physician Morus sat down, this person stood behind the chair, as motionless as a statue, standing perfectly straight.
Elara knew Physician Morus was currently displeased and didn't want to proactively speak up and risk his ire. Mimicking the mysterious person, she walked to the center of the room, lowered her head towards Physician Morus, and sensibly remained still, waiting for him to speak.
After a long while, still no one in the room spoke. Elara felt somewhat strange and gradually grew impatient, quietly wanting to lift her head to sneak a glance at Physician Morus.
"If you want to look, look openly. Why be so furtive?" Just as she had lifted her neck halfway, Physician Morus's cold, stern voice came through.
Elara's body stiffened slightly, then she followed his words and raised her head. Her gaze swept over Physician Morus's face and then immediately retracted.
Elara's facial expression remained unchanged, but her heart was like a raging sea, churning endlessly.
How had Physician Morus's face suddenly become so bizarre? That already ashen face was faintly veiled by a thin layer of black qi. This black qi seemed to possess life, extending countless tiny tendrils, writhing and gesticulating on his face. What startled Elara even more was that Physician Morus had completely shed his usual sickly, rigid demeanor. His face now bore a look of fierce determination, and he was watching Elara with a malicious gaze, a sneer playing on his lips.
Elara felt something was not quite right; a sense of unease lingered in her heart, and an aura of danger began to permeate the room.
She alertly and cautiously shifted half a step back, tucking her hand into her sleeve, tightly gripping the small metal tube hidden there. Only then did her taut nerves relax slightly. At that moment, Physician Morus's low, mocking voice suddenly came to her ear: "Just a little bit of petty cleverness, and you dare to show it off?"
Physician Morus moved, shifting from his half-reclining posture to a standing one in a bizarre manner. He gave a sinister smile, his figure flickered, and in an instant, he appeared beside Elara like a ghost, looking at her and chuckling coldly, "Heh heh."
Elara's face changed drastically; she knew this was bad and hurriedly tried to raise her arm, but her body suddenly went numb, and she couldn't move. Only then did she see that his fingers were just moving away from a certain energy node on her chest.
So fast! She hadn't even noticed how he had struck.
"Physician Morus, what are you doing? If this disciple has done anything wrong, please speak your mind, esteemed elder. Why must you restrain this disciple's movements?" Elara could no longer maintain her usual composure and forced a smile as she spoke to Physician Morus.
Physician Morus did not speak, merely pounded his own back a few times with one hand and coughed lightly, appearing aged and frail, as if he could be blown over by a gust of wind.
But Elara had just personally witnessed his lightning-fast skill when he restrained her; how could she dare to truly regard him as an ordinary, seriously ill old man? His feigned posture only increased her vigilance.
"Physician Morus, given your esteemed status, why lower yourself to this disciple's level? Please release this disciple's restraints. Whatever punishment there is, this disciple will bear it all."
...
Elara continued to speak several more flattering and complimentary words, but Physician Morus paid her no heed at all. He reached out, retrieved the metal tube from Elara's sleeve, toyed with it in his hand, and then looked at her performance with a mocking, disdainful gaze.
Seeing this, Elara's heart sank to the bottom. The thought of trying to move him with words was completely extinguished.
From the looks of it, he wouldn't give her even the slightest opportunity.
Elara gradually closed her mouth, her expression becoming calm, and she looked back at Physician Morus with emotionless eyes.
In an instant, everything in the room seemed to freeze; it was deathly silent, the atmosphere becoming as still and oppressive as before a storm.
"Good! Good! Good!" Physician Morus said three "good"s in a row, suddenly speaking.
"Worthy of someone I, Morus Valerius, have taken an interest in. To still be able to maintain your composure and remain unruffled in the face of danger, it hasn't been a waste of the great investment I've made in you." He suddenly began to praise Elara again.
"What exactly do you intend to do with me?" Elara ignored Physician Morus's words and instead asked directly.
"Hehe! What to do with you?" Physician Morus repeated Elara's question noncommittally.
"What to do with you? That will depend on how you yourself perform."
"What do you mean?" Elara frowned, vaguely guessing some of his intentions.
"Even if I don't say it, with your intelligence, you should understand some of it, right?"
"I can only guess a small part, but I still don't understand the whole story, the causes and effects." Elara did not deny it, admitting it frankly.
"Very good, that's the way. If you have any questions, just ask me directly. Don't keep them bottled up inside." Physician Morus smiled sinisterly, the black qi on his face seeming to thicken somewhat, making his features appear even more ferocious.
"I know you've always been wary of me, never truly regarding me as your master. But that doesn't matter; I've never truly regarded you as my disciple either," Physician Morus snorted lightly.