Li Huowang had been talking peacefully while basking in the sunlight amidst the beautiful garden when he suddenly looked up.
The cheerful atmosphere vanished in an instant.
Li Sui noticed Li Huowang's strange behavior and asked, "Father[1], what's wrong?"
Bai Lingmiao carefully asked, "Senior Li, is everything okay?"
They were inside one of the palace's gardens. It was winter solstice, but the eunuchs responsible for taking care of the garden used a secret technique to ensure that the flowers would remain blooming.
The eunuchs and consorts trembled and knelt down from afar upon seeing Li Huowang.
Li Huowang's entourage had been enjoying the beautiful scenery, but Li Huowang's abrupt change in demeanor and behavior made everyone feel nervous.
Li Huowang looked down and replied, "Nothing. I just think that the weather is great today."
Everyone sighed in relief, especially Puppy. He really thought that something was about to go wrong. "Senior Li, you scared us. We thought your illness had returned."
"I'm already cured. Wait, I heard that the Lu family followed you to Shangjing. Is that true?" Li Huowang asked, changing the subject.
"Yes. Simpleton even gifted them a theater. Lu Zhuangyuan was so happy that his nose blew bubbles of snot."
At first, Bai Lingmiao thought that the others would become uncomfortable staring at Li Huowang's head made out of lotus roots, but she was mistaken.
Surprisingly, everyone accepted it quickly.
It wasn't really that surprising to them, who had seen Li Huowang suffering severe injuries during their travels. Unfortunately, the eunuchs and consorts were different, and they couldn't quite get used to it.
"Is that so? That's great news. The dream that he had been working so hard for half of his life has finally been fulfilled," Li Huowang said. He extended his hand toward Li Sui and patted her head.
Several tentacles plucked the nearby flowers, placing them on Li Huowang's head.
However, Li Huowang took them away from his head and placed them on Li Sui's head instead.
Since Li Huowang was fine, the innocent Li Sui happily sat on the former's lap without thinking too much about the bizarre situation.
"His theater is so large! I'm sure the Lu family's pink show will become popular with such a large theater. We have e to go and support them!"
"Are they still singing that? What a waste of a great theater."
"Huh? What's wrong with the pink show? Who doesn't like it?"
The group laughed and chatted as they walked around the garden. They discovered many things during their stroll, including the fact that the palace had a special greenhouse that they were using to grow vegetables, even during winter.
Everyone was thrilled, and they plucked some vegetables for themselves. They were planning on using the vegetables to make dumpling fillings for the upcoming New Year's Eve.
Fresh vegetables were rare during winter, and the vegetables belonged to Gao Zhijian, so they were more than happy to pluck them. They all believed that what belonged to Gao Zhijian belonged to them as well.
After spending some more time in the garden, everyone to their quarters with smiles tugging at their lips.
Li Huowang needed more rest, so they didn't want to disturb him. They followed him back to his residence before calling it a day.
Once everyone had walked out of the residence, Bai Lingmiao pushed Li Huowang into his bedroom.
"Senior Li, are you really fine?" Bai Lingmiao was technically blind, but the relic that she had consumed allowed her to see clearly.
Earlier, Li Huowang had looked up not because of the weather but because of something else.
"Don't worry. It's a small issue."
Just as they were about to enter the bedroom, Li Huowang raised his hand and stopped her. "Miaomiao, can you call Chief Xuan Pin for me? I need to discuss something with him."
Bai Lingmiao was surprised, but she still nodded and said, "All right, I will."
When she left, she pulled Li Sui from Li Huowang's body. But she was reluctant because she missed Li Huowang.
"Mother, let me stay with Father. I haven't seen him for so long," Li Sui begged. She looked like a pretty young woman right now, but she was still acting like a child.
"No. Your father's head is very fragile. What are we going to do if you end up breaking it by accident? You have to come with me outside!" Bai Lingmiao replied sternly, frightening Li Sui.
In the end, she relented and followed Bai Lingmiao out while staring at Bai Lingmiao.
The room became incredibly quiet upon Bai Lingmiao and Li Sui's departure.
Li Huowang closed his eyes amidst the silence. Eventually, his right hand started tapping on the fine leather armrest, while his left hand started tapping on his wheelchair made out of bamboo strips.
Amidst the silence and darkness, the smell of disinfectant and flowers seemed to have been amplified.
"Li Huowang? You were looking for me?"
Li Huowang opened his eyes and saw Xuan Pin standing in front of him.
Xuan Pin's large frame and big red robes occupied Li Huowang's entire field of view.
Li Huowang stared deeply at Xuan Pin before asking, "Are there ropes that are still untied?"
"Who told you that?" Xuan Pin asked, taken aback by the revelation that Li Huowang knew about the ropes.
"No one. I sensed it myself," Li Huowang asked. He could remember someone's piercing gaze on him from the hospital's corridor.
Xuan Pin nodded. "Yes, but the Surveillance Bureau is going to deal with it. It's just a small matter, so don't worry about it and focus on recovering."
"What's going on?" Li Huowang asked once again. Anything related to the Dragon Vein was definitely not a small matter.
Xuan Pin remained silent and turned around to leave instead of answering Li Huowang's question.
"You don't trust me?" Li Huowang asked.
Xuan Pin came to a halt.
"I helped you deal with Shai Zi, and you still don't trust me?" Li Huowang added.
"If you were in my shoes, would you trust yourself?"
Li Huowang said nothing. Their common enemy was dead, but their relationship seemed like it would never progress to the point that they could fully trust each other.
"Come find me anytime whenever you need help. I'm staying in the Liang Kingdom, so I definitely don't want it to fall."
Xuan Pin's shadow beneath the robes stared deeply at Li Huowang.
"That's what you think, but what about the thoughts of the entity behind you? You're not yourself these days, too. Clearly, the plans of a Siming will never align with the plans of mortals. We're the Surveillance Bureau, and we intend to observe the Heavens at all cost."
Xuan Pin's large figure disappeared into thin air, and the room became quiet once again.
Li Huowang became immersed in his own thoughts. Xuan Pin trusted him, but he had no trust in Li Huowang's future self.
Since Xuan Pin had no trust in him, there was no reason for him to trust the former.
Unfortunately, Xuan Pin was unwilling to talk about it, so he had no choice but to deal with it himself.
After all, Li Huowang had never been someone who'd merely sit down upon realizing that trouble was knocking on his door.
1. We've decided to use Father and Mother for this world, while Mom and Dad on the other side ☜
Chapter 591 - Appear
Two days later, Li Huowang finally opened his eyes once again. Sun Xiaoqin wanted to wheel him into the bathroom, but he refused and washed himself.
He was extremely weak, but he tried his best and ended up spending half a day just washing himself.
Sun Xiaoqin was waiting for him when he got out of the bathroom.
Li Huowang's hands were quivering as he grabbed the chopsticks to eat the soup dumplings that Sun Xiaoqin had made for him.
"Eat more. You have to eat more if you want to grow stronger. Anyway, what do you think about going for physiotherapy after all this? Does that sound good to you?"
"Mmhm." Li Huowang nodded with his cheeks stuffed with soup dumplings. He was too weak; he needed to recover to the extent that he could walk by himself as soon as possible.
If he were to face off against a Strayed One's version of himself, he'd probably die with just a flick of a finger.
After breakfast, Li Huowang went for physiotherapy. He grabbed the rail firmly and exhausted himself just to move a tiny bit.
It was a feat easily achievable by ordinary people, but it was exceedingly difficult for Li Huowang. Soon, he started sweating bullets, and he felt abnormally sore.
Thankfully, he had long gotten used to such pain, so the thought of giving up never popped up in his mind.
After several sessions, Li Huowang laid down on his bed while breathing in ragged pants.
His limbs were twitching; this was a sign that he was recovering.
Sun Xiaoqin massaged his sore muscles to prevent the buildup of lactic acid. Otherwise, his muscles would become even more sore tomorrow.
Sun Xiaoqin had no issues massaging Li Huowang, as she had been doing so every day to ensure that Li Huowang's muscles wouldn't waste away at a fast rate.
"Don't give up, son! We'll work together for your treatment. Once you can be discharged, we'll transfer you to another hospital. To be honest, this place feels more like a prison than a hospital."
"Why won't we go back home? I still have to go to another hospital?" Li Huowang asked with a frown.
"We can't go home so soon. Don't worry. Once you're completely cured... I mean, once the doctors are sure that you're cured, then you can go home."
"What a hassle."
"Hohoho~" Sun Xiaoqin thought of it otherwise. Her son's treatment was far more important to her than anything.
She was happy, as she could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. She no longer had to grasp at straws, and she was no longer terrified by the idea that her son would remain ill for the rest of his life.
Li Huowang's treatment was the reason Sun Xiaoqin had been extremely frugal all this while. She saved as much money as she could for her son's treatment and for her son himself, afraid that no one would take care of his son once she and her husband were no longer of this world. By then, Li Huowang would surely become homeless and would be forced to scavenge for food among garbage. He could also end up dying from hypothermia during the bitter cold of the winter months. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Fortunately, her son's prognosis was great. She no longer had to be that frugal, but she was still saving quite a bit of money for his wedding.
Girls are pretty materialistic these days. I should save more money just in case. Thankfully, he's still young, so there's still plenty of time.
"Mom, you're massaging my neck," Li Huowang said.
Sun Xiaoqin snapped back to reality and let go of Li Huowang's neck. She then patted his cheeks gently and said, "Be good and rest for now. I'll go and get some water to wipe away your sweat."
And just like that, days passed by as Li Huowang continued with his physiotherapy. He still looked emaciated, but he no longer needed anyone's help to walk. He could finally carry a bowl with one hand as well.
Li Huowang's actions were unremarkable these days, so everyone dropped their guard around him.
At first, Li Huowang had four guards around him, but it dropped to three after a few days until only two guards were stationed around him.
The hospital had many people to handle, and they couldn't afford to waste manpower just to keep tabs on Li Huowang.
One afternoon, Li Huowang was sitting on a bench watching television with two guards standing behind him.
Of course, his hands were still cuffed.
The other patients were still avoiding him, and no one dared to sit near him.
Li Huowang couldn't care less; he had no intentions of becoming friends with them. He once approached one of the patients, but the patient was reduced to tears in fear.
Li Huowang stared at the romance drama, and he felt second-hand embarrassment from the absurd plot. "What kind of show is this? Do they have nothing else to do? Can love even earn them money?"
"I think you should watch some more drama, you brat," Little Liu said. "You can learn techniques from them—techniques on wooing a girl."
Li Huowang was not a criminal, so there was no reason for them to be alert all the time. Sun Xiaoqin also gave them food from time to time, so the guards had a fairly amicable relationship with Li Huowang.
"You need to learn those from dramas? No wonder you haven't been able to find a girlfriend. Anyway, do you have a phone? Let me borrow it. I feel like playing games."
"Yeah, I have a phone—in my dreams! Management doesn't even let us carry a keypad phone," Little Liu said, staring at the TV.
Li Huowang sighed and stood up before walking to the left corridor.
"Where are you going?" asked Little Liu as he stood up immediately, along with the other guard.
"Where else? I'm going to the toilet."
"We'll go with you."
The two guards escorted Li Huowang to the toilet.
This wasn't Li Huowang's first time in the corridor's toilet. The guards stood outside while Li Huowang relieved himself slowly as if he was waiting for something.
"Li Huowang, I think there's something wrong with your kidneys. Why else would you have to use the toilet for so long and every day at that?"
"You should worry about yourself. For your information, I have a girlfriend."
"Fuck off."
Li Huowang washed his hands and saw an old man carrying a trash bag entering the toilet. Li Huowang looked up at the mirror and saw that the old man was wearing a cap and a mask.
Li Huowang turned around and was about to leave when he was struck by that bizarre sensation once again. His figure tensed up as he stared at the reflection of the old man cleaning the toilet.
Sensing his gaze, the old man looked up and saw Li Huowang's eyes through the mirror, but he quickly lowered his head.
It was brief, but Li Huowang recognized the old man through the latter's gaze. The old man was Wang Wei!
"Guys, I need some more time. I've got to dump."
"Hurry up. Do you have any tissues?" Little Liu asked. He didn't seem to have sensed anything wrong, and it was all because Li Huowang's tone of voice didn't sound off at all.
Moreover, Doctor Yi had told them that Li Huowang's episodes would always start with ramblings, so it wasn't that difficult to know that Li Huowang was in the middle of an episode.
Li Huowang stared deeply at the door before walking slowly toward Wang Wei.
"What are you doing here?" Li Huowang asked.
Wang Wei was his previous doctor, and he could still remember the fact that Wang Wei had lost his mind for some reason.
Wang Wei's right hand reached out and grabbed Li Huowang's wrist. His voice was low, but the trembling in his voice spoke volumes of his tumultuous emotions. "I know! That side is real! I know it's real!"
Wang Wei's pupils were quivering violently, and he looked like a patient having a manic episode.
Chapter 592 - Wang Wei
Li Huowang was surprised by Wang Wei's statement, and he was even more surprised by Wang Wei's appearance. I think he really went crazy.
He had no idea what happened to Wang Wei for him to change so much in such a short period of time.
Li Huowang looked at the door and saw that the guards were still outside, so he whispered, "Wang Wei, my illness has been cured. The other side is fake. I merely imagined it. We're done here. Don't come and look for me again, or else!"
Li Huowang shook Wang Wei off and turned around to leave, but he didn't expect Wang Wei to pester him.
"I have video evidence of you producing gold out of nowhere! Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you once I post it on the Internet?!" Wang Wei said.
Li Huowang came to a halt. He turned around and glared at Wang Wei.
He walked up to Wang Wei and whispered into the latter's ears, "You better think before you speak. I'm still a patient here, and if a mentally ill person commits a crime, it is not considered a crime!"
Li Huowang then snarled, revealing his white teeth.
Wang Wei shivered, feeling like he was talking to a beast rather than to a man. Li Huowang was really going to kill him!
However, his excitement was still higher than his fear; he pretended to be calm as he replied, "I don't believe you. You can't kill me because you're not ill! You only have special powers!"
Wang Wei then retreated after saying that, afraid that Li Huowang would bite off his head. "I'm not here to threaten you! I'm here to work with you earnestly!"
"You've lost your mind!" Li Huowang roared. Footsteps echoed from outside just then.
"We have to stop talking! We'll talk again once we get another chance!"
"Little Li?" Little Liu asked as he entered the toilet with the other guard. They saw Li Huowang washing his hands, and an old man was mopping the floor.
"Why are you guys in such a hurry? I'm handcuffed, so I can't move fast." Li Huowang shook the water off of his hand and left without looking at Wang Wei.
The guards looked at the old man in confusion before following Li Huowang out of the toilet. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
In the next few days, Li Huowang never visited that specific toilet and Wang Wei didn't visit him at all. It seemed like nothing had happened between them.
However, Li Huowang knew that it wasn't over yet.
Wang Wei would definitely come and visit him, and he had to be prepared for that.
Several days later, a festive atmosphere enveloped the hospital, and the patients were smiling more often.
Soon, it would be the New Year, and the hospital's food had become better than usual.
Li Huowang even heard the guards talking about how the other hospitals would even set up stages, allowing patients to perform and showcase their talents.
Unfortunately, the White Tower Hospital had no patients capable of performing, so they decided to just make some dumplings to eat during New Year's Eve as well as other traditional activities.
Finally, it was New Year's Eve. Sun Xiaoqin was giggling in joy as she wrapped dumplings with Li Huowang. She laughed at Li Huowang's messy dumplings.
"Wrap them faster, so we can go watch the shows that are only aired during New Year's Eve."
"Do we really need to make so many dumplings?" Li Huowang asked, shaking his handcuffed hands.
"Of course! We can't just make it for ourselves. We need to share them with the other patients. They've been leading a hard life all this time."
Soon, they were done wrapping the dumplings, and Sun Xiaoqin took them to the kitchen. There were knives in the kitchen so someone like Li Huowang was banned from even getting close to it.
Little Liu led him to the common area to watch television. Perhaps it was because of the holiday, but Li Huowang only had one guard around him.
"Do you still need to work overtime despite it being a holiday today? You sure have it rough," Li Huowang said, sitting down on the bench.
Little Liu was unhappy as well. He fished out a piece of candy from his pocket and ate it before replying, "Sigh. What can I say? I'm just a paid prisoner at this point. I don't feel like working here anymore. Why was I so stupid to take up this job?"
"Hey, look at the bright side. Even though you can't go home during the New Year's Eve, you still have overtime pay. Most people don't even get paid despite working overtime."
Soon, it was eight o'clock, and the show that Sun Xiaoqin had been waiting for today finally started.
Sun Xiaoqin also served the dumplings.
A group of patients and guards ate dumplings while complaining about the show. The festive air around the hospital seemed to reach its peak, making everyone feel like they were truly about to welcome another year.
Just then, the bizarre sensation came back. Li Huowang said nothing and stood up. He told Little Liu that the show was boring and that he wanted to go to sleep.
Everyone was in the common area, so the wards were quiet, even the corridors were desolate.
Li Huowang glanced at the red light coming from the surveillance camera. Moments later, it disappeared, and the door to his room swung open.
"You're here?" Li Huowang wasn't surprised to see Wang Wei here.
Li Huowang saw Wang Wei, and he was wearing a blue-and-white striped hospital gown as a disguise.
"You're really good at this. To think that you can infiltrate this place so easily," Li Huowang said. He knew that he had to deal with this matter tonight.
Wang Wei merely threw a stack of paper onto Li Huowang's bed. "It's Yi Donglai's thesis. I know what you've encountered over there."
Li Huowang gave the documents a quick read and saw that the majority of what he had said to Yi Donglai was written on them.
While Li Huowang was busy reading the documents, Wang Wei walked up to him with an agitated look. "Since you can bring some gold from there to this side, you can also do the same for lifespan pills! I need you to bring over a pill for me right now!"
Li Huowang stared deeply at Wang Wei before saying, "While you were still my doctor, I ended up getting abducted by a few men. They thought I could produce gold out of thin air, too. Did you tell them about me?"
Li Huowang could still remember how he was abducted by a strange group of people, which ended up in him becoming a vagrant living underneath a bridge.
Li Huowang realized that those men couldn't have abducted him so easily without an insider's help, and he suspected Wang Wei of being that insider.
Chapter 593 - Self Defense
Wang Wei was silent, but it was an answer in Li Huowang's eyes.
"You used them to test me, right?" Li Huowang asked.
Wang Wei took a deep breath, and his expression became serious as he said, "Little Li, I was your doctor, so I'm familiar with you. I have a method that will allow you to make full use of your power! I can let you live like a king on both sides!"
Li Huowang shook his head and threw the thesis onto the bed. "I'm sorry, but no. I can't do it."
"Are you scared that I might take advantage of you? You're the one who gets to decide what to take from the other side! I can't force you. Bring me a lifespan pill from there, and we'll continue talking"
Li Huowang shook his head once more and explained, "No, I'm saying that I've been cured, so I will never have those illusions again."
"What did you say?" Wang Wei asked blankly when someone tackled him and pinned him to the ground. Wang Wei's hands were cuffed in the blink of an eye, and then he was forced to stand up. It was only then that he saw several scowling guards standing before him, along with a man wearing a white hospital robe. He recognized the latter, as he was none other than Li Huowang's current doctor, Yi Donglai.
"Doctor Wang, you're sick. You need treatment," Li Huowang said calmly.
Li Huowang had told Yi Donglai about his meeting with Wang Wei. Since Wang Wei had made use of him, why couldn't he do the same? There was no reason not to capture Wang Wei, as the latter could kick up a fuss, which would delay Li Huowang's discharge from the hospital.
Wang Wei struggled against the guards holding him down as he glared at Li Huowang. "It's useless even if you lock me up! I'm just a pawn! Your potential is too big, and it cannot be kept a secret!"
The guards dragged Wang Wei outside, leaving Li Huowang and Yi Donglai alone in the room.
"Don't worry; his illness is quite severe, so he's not going to be able to bother you for a while."
"I'm worried about something else."
"Is it your illness? Don't worry; you've stabilized. Someone else has brought it up to you, but you did not relapse."
"Is that so? Do you really think that I'm fine? How would you explain Bei Feng's words, then? Why do I feel that you've instigated it?" Li Huowang asked Xuan Pin while holding his head made out of lotus root.
Xuan Pin was quiet for a while before responding, "It's because something happened, and we need your help."
"Help? How may I help you? Why are you acting as if I were your Twisted One?" LI Huowang asked.
"There's no reason to differentiate between ourselves. I am you, and you are me. We have the same Heavenly Dao."
Li Huowang rubbed his temples; flesh had started growing on his lotus root head.
"The denouement has come. Can't I even live in peace?"
"You chose this, and my choice is your choice, too, so you should not complain."
"Fine," Li Huowang said. He sighed in exasperation before asking, "Tell me what to do."
"The Sitting Oblivion Dao has been annihilated, so this is our golden opportunity. I need your help snatching away Yinyang Doulao's Heavenly Dao of Truth and Lies."
Li Huowang was outraged. He found the suggestion so absurd that he almost laughed. "You need my help doing that? Pfft! I'm just an ordinary person. How can I snatch those away? How can I help you deal with a Siming with two Heavenly Daos? Also, aren't you responsible for the Heavenly Dao of Bewilderment? Are your hands not full just taking care of your own Heavenly Dao? Why do you need more Heavenly Daos to the extent that you've actually considered robbing a Siming for it? I'm tired... I'm really tired. Can't I rest for a few years?"
"Xuan Pin" replied, "I'm not the one seeking trouble here; I am simply trying to protect myself. Don't forget that helping me equals helping yourself. If anything were to happen to me, what had happened would change."
"Protect?" Li Huowang was shocked. He stared at "Xuan Pin," who was actually Ji Zai, and asked nervously, "Did something happen at Baiyu Capital? No, even if something had happened, how could that event be significant enough to harm you—a Siming?"
"You'll know the answer if you think about the reason why the Surveillance Bureau wanted the Sacred Mountain Ghost Eye. You should also think about why Shai Zi even came up with such a complicated plan to obtain the Dragon Vein. Something major is happening, and they can feel it. How about you? Don't tell me that you don't feel anything."
Li Huowang was confused, and he sat down silently, pondering everything that had happened to him. He had the feeling that something major was going down, but he thought that it was none of his business.
He thought that even if the heavens ended up collapsing, someone would be there to hold it up.
However, Li Huowang couldn't have imagined that his future self would be the figure who'd end up protecting everyone.
"Is it God Yu'er?" Li Huowang asked, recalling the ruined Qi Kingdom and Qiu Chibao's illusion, whose head was covered with a white cloth.
It was all God Yu'er's fault, along with the Sun-Devouring Heavenly Dog in the Qi Kingdom, which had devoured half of the sun.
"If it were just God Yu'er, it would be easy to handle," Ji Zai said, and his words made Li Huowang feel afraid of what was to come.
"Who could it be other than God Yu'er? Who are they, where did they come from, and what do they want?"
"I can't tell you that, as they'll immediately learn of your existence the moment you learn of their existence. In addition, even your future self did not tell your present self."
Li Huowang was confused; he had no idea what Ji Zai was talking about.
"You want me to help you snatch Yinyang Doulao's Heavenly Daos, but you haven't told me how to do that. What do I need to do?"
"You can probably do it through Bei Feng. Find Bei Feng and the Doulao's Twisted Dao. Kill them and leave the rest to me," said "Xuan Pin." Moments later, his figure started to crumble like sand.
"What?! You could have told me that earlier! The Surveillance Bureau has just captured Bei Feng! They are never going to let me make contact with Bei Feng!"
Ji Zai ignored Li Huowang and simply disappeared into nothingness.
Frustrated, Li Huowang sprawled out on the bed. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He didn't want to do anything, but he understood that he had to do it.
It was going to affect his future self and the future of the Liang Kingdom.
Regardless of what was to come, becoming even stronger would not hurt him at all.
Li Huowang knew that he could end up failing to save everyone, but he wanted to save his loved ones, at the very least.
"Ji Zai can't be trusted. I need to think of a way myself..." Li Huowang muttered to himself.
Almost no one knew what happened on this fateful night, as everyone was in the common area for New Year's Eve. In other words, they had no idea what had transpired in the ward.
The higher-ups in the hospital were the only ones aware of what had transpired, and they ended up removing Li Huowang's restraints.
Li Huowang could move freely now!
Sun Xiaoqin was happy but for a different reason.
Chapter 594 - Transfer
Li Huowang continued with his physical therapy, and Sun Xiaoqin cooked a variety of meals to fill Li Huowang's emaciated body with nutrients.
Li Huowang built more and more muscles as time ticked by, and his recovery rate could actually be considered pretty fast.
He no longer looked like a skeleton beneath his hospital gown, and his arms were slowly recovering their strength.
While Li Huowang was happily eating his tangyuan[1] on his bed, an unexpected visitor arrived.
The bald head of the visitor reminded Li Huowang of a certain someone—a certain prison warden.
"Madam Sun, your son's condition has stabilized, and he is now eligible for transfer to another hospital. Why don't you send him to a private hospital that is capable of treating him better? He'd be able to live a more comfortable life in a private hospital. Our facilities here are quite old, after all." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
Sun Xiaoqin stared at Li Huowang, who was busy eating his tangyuan. "Let me call my husband and discuss it with him."
Sun Xiaoqin walked to the corner of the room and fished out her phone to call her husband and discuss the matter with him. After a while, Sun Xiaoqin returned to Li Huowang's bedside and said, "All right, we will do as you say."
This was a hospital, but it was more like a government-funded prison for vagrants with mental illnesses.
Li Huowang was already cured, so there was no reason for him to stay in such a depressing place.
The prison warden grinned at Sun Xiaoqin's remark; Li Huowang was finally leaving. He could still remember how he almost died from a heart attack when he saw Li Huowang climbing up an electric fence. If Li Huowang had ended up dying back then, the prison warden's future would have been ruined. Actually, he hadn't been able to sleep or eat well these days; he was so scared that something would go wrong with Li Huowang and that the public would blame him for it.
"Madam Sun, I'm sure you know that we've never mistreated your son, right? Once you have any free time, can you say something nice to the reporters when they come and interview you?"
"Don't worry about that. I'm going to praise this place with my entire life! Your doctors are miracle workers capable of healing any mental disorder!"
"Erm... you don't have to do that. Just tell them the truth. Anyway, I'll leave you alone now, Madam Sun. I'll go ahead and do some paperwork," the prison warden said and left.
Sun Xiaoqin turned to Li Huowang and said, "Eat slowly, my son. You'll be transferred soon, and it's good news! I'll go and have some brocade banners made for Doctor Yi."
"We're leaving?" Li Huowang asked, but he was not surprised at all. He was no longer ill, so it was time for him to leave.
Everything went swimmingly. Li Huowang had just finished his meal when they told him that he could finally leave. In fact, the prison was even more excited to let Li Huowang leave compared to Li Huowang himself.
Li Huowang also didn't expect that his transfer to another hospital would be so grand.
The patients of the hospital gathered to send him away, while those who couldn't attend the event peeked out of their windows to stare at Li Huowang's departing figure. Even the guards at the sentry tower were staring at him.
Prison Guard Liu was right. Li Huowang was indeed famous here. Some of the hospital's higher-ups had gathered to send Li Huowang off as well. They were grinning from ear to ear, and it made Li Huowang think that perhaps they had won the lottery. Just as Li Huowang was about to walk past Yi Donglai, the latter stopped him and said, "I said you're stable, but you're not completely stable yet. I'm sorry. I wanted to let you stay here a bit longer so I could observe you more, but they refused my suggestion.
"They wanted you to leave as soon as possible to ensure that you're not going to cause another issue here, but don't worry, I will be detailed in my report regarding your case. The doctor taking over my job as your doctor is my junior, so don't worry; just focus on recovering. They should give you another assessment in three months. Pass that assessment, and you will be allowed to go back home. Of course, you will still be under observation."
Li Huowang nodded quietly.
"Don't forget to drink your medicine, and do not stop drinking them even after you're discharged," Yi Donglai instructed. He gave a few more instructions to Li Huowang when the latter asked a peculiar question, "Doctor Yi, where is Wang Wei being held? Which mental hospital is it?"
"Why do you ask that?" Yi Donglai asked, massaging his nose bridge with a confused look.
"I'm technically the reason he went crazy, so I feel like I should give him something nice to eat once I'm discharged. I also feel quite guilty."
"He's in the Sixth Public Hospital. You don't have to worry about him. Just focus on studying and get into a good university."
Li Huowang shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that would be too hard, Doctor Yi. Anyway, can you give me your phone number? I want to contact you if something happens."
Yi Donglai nodded. He took out a pen and paper to jot down his phone number. "If there are any changes to your illness, call me."
"I understand. Thank you. You are a good doctor."
Li Huowang put away the slip of paper containing Yi Donglai's number and entered the bus that would take him and Sun Xiaoqin away from the hospital.
The bus started moving, and the prison warden burst out laughing at the sight. He turned around and spread his arms wide, shouting, "Tell the inmates in the kitchen to cook extra meals for everyone tonight!"
The festive mood erupted in the hospital at the prison warden's remark. If they had fireworks, they would have set them off to celebrate Li Huowang's departure.
Li Huowang's hand was cuffed to a chair as he looked out of the scenery outside the bus. After a while, he turned around and stared at his mother, asking, "Mom, where are we going?"
"We're going to a private hospital called Kangning Hospital. I've done my research about it, and I learned that it's a good hospital."
"Oh." Li Huowang nodded. There was nothing he could do about it, as he needed to get rid of his status as a lunatic.
Regardless, Li Huowang was happy. His illness had been cured to the extent that he could be transferred to another hospital.
He could still remember how Yang Na was carried away by her father. He could finally fulfill his promise to her.
He really wanted to see her again and apologize to her. Li Huowang acknowledged that he had wronged her.
The bus traveled for a long time, and Li Huowang ended up falling asleep in the middle of it.
It was already dusk when Sun Xiaoqin woke him up. "Son, wake up. We're here."
Li Huowang yawned and exited the bus. A building covered in green glass appeared in front of him. If it weren't for the red cross in the middle of the building, he would have thought that he was staring at an office building.
The prison guards appeared and escorted Li Huowang into the hospital. They only left once Li Huowang had signed some documents.
"Please follow me," a square-faced doctor said courteously to Li Huowang. There were four nurses standing behind him.
Li Huowang looked around and whistled in awe at the main hall's grand interior. We are indeed in a private hospital.
Sun Xiaoqin was about to follow Li Huowang but was stopped. "I'm sorry, but visitors are not allowed to follow our patients. There is a specific day when visitors are allowed, and you can only talk to him by then."
1. Balls of glutinous rice flour in a sweet broth. Delicious ☜
Chapter 595 - Mental Illness
"Huh? Why can't I follow him? The public hospital even allowed me to do so! Why can't you do the same as them?" Sun Xiaoqin asked, visibly upset at the strange rule.
"Even though we're a private hospital, we still have our rules. I'm just a doctor, so I can't do anything about it. If you're unsatisfied with our rules and policies, then you can transfer to another hospital."
Sun Xiaoqin's brows furrowed, and her breathing became rougher as fury welled up inside of her.
Li Huowang saw that and intervened to stop her from going berserk.
"Mom, mom. It's okay. I'm already cured. You don't have to stay with me every day. You must be tired of taking care of me every day over the past few years, so you can rest now. Go to Dad's side."
"I can't do that yet! You're so skinny! What if you get bullied by the other patients here?"
"Mom, this isn't my first time in a mental hospital. Who'd dare to bully me?" Li Huowang persuaded. He even added a phone call to Li Jiancheng, which was finally enough for Sun Xiaoqin to back down.
"You're such—okay. Listen to the doctor, and don't do anything rash? Okay, I'm going to do that." Sun Xiaoqin put her phone down and looked at Li Huowang, saying, "Son, you must not worry about telling the doctor if you're experiencing any discomfort. Tell the doctor if your room is too hot or too cold!"
"Mom, calm down. I'm already cured, so I'll be discharged soon."
Sun Xiaoqin nodded and left to pay the hospital fees, while Li Huowang was pushed into the hospital by the doctor.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Wu Cheng, and I'm a psychiatrist like Yi Donglai. I was in the cohort two years later than Yi Donglai, so I'm considered his junior. He told me the details of your case through a phone call."
"Really? That's great," Li Huowang said calmly, "Since you know that I'm basically cured, can you uncuff me?"
"Sorry, but I can't do that. I understand what's going on with you, but I'm afraid that the director will not. He has specifically instructed me to ensure that nothing would you. Also, I've heard that someone has pressured him to accept you. If it weren't for them, he wouldn't have accepted you."
Li Huowang looked down at his cuffs and asked, "Are you saying that I have to wear these until I'm discharged?"
"Just endure it for now. I will talk to the director later. Anyway, we're here. Let's go in for your examination. I'm sure you're already familiar with it."
Li Huowang nodded. "I know the procedure. Let's do it."
To ensure that the hospital wouldn't accidentally admit patients with the tendency to harm others, the hospital would screen their patients before admitting them. Once the screening and admission procedures were done, Li Huowang finally managed to enter his own room. The room had nothing but a single bed. It seemed that his infamy had given him an unexpected boon, as the hospital had made sure that he'd be living by himself. The travel and the procedures had taken its toll on Li Huowang, and he sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep.
The next morning, a nurse woke him up. He was given a few minutes to wash up before the nurse gave him a tour of the hospital.
There wasn't anything particularly interesting, as the facilities of the hospital were mostly similar to the facilities in Li Huowang's previous hospital.
After the tour, Li Huowang was called over to sit in a circle with the other patients. It was Li Huowang's first time experiencing something like this, so he couldn't help but find it surprising. It turned out that the hospital wanted the patients to talk to each other about their illnesses to cheer each other up.
Although this was Li Huowang's first time participating in one, he had no qualms about doing it, as Wu Cheng had told him that this was the hospital's project to imitate overseas hospitals with more advanced technology.
Li Huowang could only say that private hospitals had more leeway when it came to activities that their patients could do.
Everyone sat on their stools in a circle, and the patients proceeded to take turns confessing their illnesses.
"I have schizophrenia. It's fairly light, so I can manage it with medication," a middle-aged woman said.
"Manic syndrome. My condition is improving, all thanks to the medicine," a bald man said with his fingers twitching intermittently.
"Depression," a young woman in a ponytail said. Her eyes were glazed over, and there were slash wounds on her wrists. Overall, she looked quite terrible.
An old woman, who looked to be roughly fifty years old, said, "Anxiety, but there was no reason for me to stay here. My daughter only insisted that I stay here until I'm all healed."
Soon, it was Li Huowang's turn. Everyone cast a curious gaze at the new face.
"Me? I don't have one. I'm already cured."
At that, the patients turned and whispered to each other while stealing glances at Li Huowang.
Li Huowang was too lazy to explain his situation, so he stayed silent. Moreover, he wasn't going to stay here for a long time, so he was planning on taking it easy. He looked around and saw a chubby kid playing with his own fingers.
"Hey, what's your illness?"
The chubby kid ignored Li Huowang without looking up from his fingers.
"Don't waste your breath. He's autistic, and he's not going to respond to you," the man with manic syndrome said to Li Huowang.
"He's autistic? How did he get here, then? He's not like us," Li Huowang asked, sounding surprised. Autism required early intervention, and as far as Li Huowang knew, this hospital wasn't the best place when it came to it.
"How else do you think he got here? His family saw him as an eyesore; they didn't want to take care of him, but it's illegal to abandon him on the streets, so they had no choice but to send him here," the man with manic syndrome explained. Then, he pointed at someone else and said, "Do you see that fatty over there? The one with black spots on his face."
Li Huowang followed the man's finger and asked, "What's wrong with him?"
"He's fine. It's just that his mind is incredibly slow. He has the same circumstances as this kid right here. Their parents don't want to take care of them, so they sent them here. Really unbelievable, what kind of parents would do something like that? This is a mental hospital, so only those with mental illnesses should be here, but look at that fatty and this kid. I think their family members are convinced that this place is a prison for crazy people.
"Yeah, and that mindset is the reason why people think that those with mental illnesses are dangerous people."
"Is that even legal?" Li Huowang asked, scratching his chin. Unbeknownst to him, the young woman suffering from depression finally saw that he was handcuffed.
"This is a private hospital. There are no rules here when it comes to earning money. What? Do you really think that they can sue their own family?"
"Actually, I understand them. It takes a ton of money, time, and effort to take care of someone with a disability."
Just then, Wu Cheng walked over with a clipboard and a pen. He chose an empty stool and sat down before asking, "How's the conversation going?"
"Ah!" The young woman suffering from depression abruptly jumped up and pointed at Li Huowang with a fearful look. She then let out a shrill roar, "I know him! He was on TV! He barged into a university and killed many people!"
Chapter 596 - Wu Cheng
Everyone in the circle jumped out of their seats and ran away from Li Huowang. No, it wasn't just them; even the patients in the other circles ran away from Li Huowang upon hearing the young woman's remark.
The atmosphere became tense, and the patients started panicking upon recognizing Li Huowang.
When Li Huowang thought the situation would spiral out of control, Wu Cheng stood up and shouted, "Everyone, calm down! It is true that Li Huowang had made many mistakes, but it was his illness' fault!"
Wu Cheng then walked up to Li Huowang and patted the latter's shoulder. "But his illness is finally under control, and he's also going to be discharged soon! You've seen the news, haven't you? Even a lunatic at his level can be treated, so what are you afraid of? Can your illness even hold a candle to his illness?"
"Everyone, you must keep looking forward. I guarantee that as long as you follow our treatment regime and take your medicine on time, you'll recover just like him! You will be able to rejoin society!"
Wu Cheng's speech was effective, as the patients calmed down and sat back down. Li Huowang had to admit that Wu Cheng had a glib tongue.
"Would you like to say a few encouraging words to them, Li Huowang? You are their model patient, after all."
Li Huowang shook his head without saying anything. He had no intention of doing something that would make him stand out here.
The confession session continued, and nothing happened except for the patients stealing glances at Li Huowang.
Li Huowang scratched his nose, realizing that he had stood out. It seemed that he would have to live like how he lived in the White Prison Tower.
However, Li Huowang didn't really mind living that way as long as he'd get discharged.
"Come here. Since you don't know anyone here just yet, you will be assigned to this group. From now on, the members of the group must help each other out. All right, go ahead and introduce yourselves," Wu Cheng said. He wanted the patients to work together.
"My name is Zhang Shuier; it's nice to meet you," said the woman with anxiety.
Seeing that no one was saying anything, the man with manic syndrome said, "Wei Shili."
Li Huowang finally learned the names of his group members. The young woman suffering from depression was Zhao Ting, while the one with schizophrenia was Wang Wangshu.
Under Wu Cheng's guidance and Li Huowang's astonished gaze, the autistic boy wrote his name on Wu Cheng's phone, who promptly showed it to everyone—Zhang Jinzhong.
"Doctor Wu, can this hospital even treat those with autism?"
Wu Cheng put the phone away and said, "This isn't treatment. I'm simply assisting him in expressing himself. People like Jinzhong suffer from disorganized thoughts and fragmented perception. In their eyes, the previous second could be the present, but the next second could be an hour later. This doesn't mean that they don't want to interact with others at all. They simply needed assistance to do so, and they'd be able to express themselves with the right tools."
"Is that so?" Li Huowang nodded and stared deeply at the autistic boy. He had to admit that they had it worse than him. Li Huowang's illness was curable, but the boy had to live a life with disorganized thoughts and fragmented perception.
Under Wu Cheng's guidance, the patients started talking about their illnesses and opening their hearts up to others. They even played some games to break the ice, and the games made Li Huowang feel embarrassed, as he thought that they were too old to play such games.
It was an old trick, but it was working. Once they were done playing, the others could finally talk casually to Li Huowang, even though they were secretly afraid of him.
An entire morning passed just like that, and soon, it was time for lunch.
Li Huowang's condition was stable, so he could go to the canteen by himself to eat. He no longer needed people to send his meals to him.
Li Huowang had just stood up when Zhao Ting walked up to Li Huowang. She was crying as she said, "I'm really sorry... I shouldn't have shouted at you. Now, everyone knows of your true identity, and it's all my fault. I really am so useless..."
Seeing how Zhao Ting was clenching her fists with so much strength that her nails were digging into her own flesh, Li Huowang knew that Zhao Ting's condition was serious.
People suffering from depression had a tendency to amplify their own guilt, even if the issue was trivial at most. At this rate, Zhao Ting's condition was only going to get worse.
"You're doing fine. No need to say sorry. You did the right thing by letting the others know about me so that they'll know how dangerous I am. Your shouting warned the others, so you did great. And you don't have to feel guilty at all, as you simply did the right thing, and you owe the others nothing!"
"Is that so?" Zhao Ting asked, her face softening a bit.
"Yes, so don't think about it and eat your lunch. Take your medicine once you're done eating, and then take a nap. I think your medicine is wearing off right now."
Li Huowang expended quite a bit of effort before he managed to send Zhao Ting away. When he turned around to leave, he saw Wu Cheng smiling at him, saying, "Not bad. Do you spend a lot of time with patients like her?"
"Sort of. Patients like her are easy pickings for bullies, so I help them from time to time," Li Huowang said, following the other patients to the canteen.
"Bullies? What kind of hospital would allow the existence of bullies? Do they not have surveillance cameras? What hospital is so backward that they don't have surveillance cameras?"
"The bullying isn't that serious. It's something minor like taking a bite of the patient's meal, stealing a bag of snacks from them, and so on. They aren't serious enough to warrant the attention of the doctors. Even though everyone here is suffering from a mental illness, they can still be sorted into good apples and bad apples. I think some of them think that taking a bite of someone else's meal without being punished for it means that they're winning in life. They'll bully those with depression because those with depression often don't fight back. Ask them to bully those with manic syndrome or those suffering from schizophrenia; I guarantee you that they'd run with their tails tucked."
Wu Cheng nodded and jotted down something in his notebook. "Thanks. Even us doctors can't understand every single detail about our patients. I will let my superior know your thoughts."
Wu Cheng and Li Huowang chit-chatted until they reached the canteen.
Li Huowang carried his metal tray with him to a seat. He picked up a tofu fried in scallion oil and was about to eat it when Wu Cheng's voice echoed from behind him.
"Once you're done eating, stay in your room and don't go anywhere. Your treatment is scheduled for this afternoon."
Treatment? I'm already cured, so what is that treatment for? Li Huowang thought, looking confused.
Yi Donglai had told him that he only had to stay here for some time, and he'd eventually be discharged. Why do I need more treatment when I'm already cured?
Chapter 597 - Medicine
The patients were having their meal in the canteen. Li Huowang was there as well, but he had yet to touch his meal.
I thought Yi Donglai had already had a conversation with his junior. Did something go wrong? Staring at his meal, Li Huowang had lost his appetite as he recalled what Wu Cheng told him.
If it weren't for his sharp hearing, he would think that he had misheard Wu Cheng.
"I should just eat first and see what he's up to," Li Huowang said, making quick work of his meal.
Lunch was over, and Li Huowang soon found himself in his bed, waiting for Wu Cheng's arrival.
He wanted to see what Wu Cheng was planning to do. If there was something wrong, then he'd call Yi Donglai for confirmation.
Time passed slowly, and the door to Li Huowang's room only swung open when it already was two thirty in the afternoon.
"Sorry. There was a meeting, so there's a bit of a delay," Wu Cheng said, smoothening his hair with an apologetic face. There was a tablet in his hands.
"Don't worry. Are we starting now? What do I need to do?"
"Don't be nervous. You don't have to do anything. It's just speech therapy," Wu Cheng asked. He sat on a stool and told Li Huowang to lay himself down on the bed.
Li Huowang complied.
"Do you miss the other side?" Wu Cheng asked.
Wu Cheng's words made Li Huowang's scalp go numb, and he unconsciously reached for his spine sword. "No."
Wu Cheng nodded and tapped on the tablet, "Good. Now close your eyes and relax."
"Good, good, good... Now, I want you to recall everything about your hallucination. I want you to remember how real it felt."
"?"
"Now, you've forgotten the reality. You cannot perceive it anymore. You've returned to Shangjing."
Li Huowang clenched his fists and squirmed. He felt like his head was buzzing and was about to explode.
"Open your eyes. You're back in that world, and you're surrounded by your comrades."
Li Huowang opened his eyes and swung his "spine sword" at Wu Cheng. "What are you doing to me?!"
Wu Cheng was visibly surprised by Li Huowang's outrage. He tapped on the tablet and said, "Li Huowang, this won't do. You won't pass the assessment like this."
"Wu Cheng, what is the meaning of this?" Li Huowang stood up and glared at Wu Cheng." Why are you doing the opposite thing?"
"Because I needed to make sure that your illness has truly been cured. The fact that you've relapsed so easily means that you're still ill," Wu Cheng said calmly.
"I'm cured! I don't need any treatment anymore! I've become normal once more!"
Wu Cheng let out a regretful sigh and said, "Li Huowang, you're shouting at me. I had a good discussion about this treatment method with Yi Donglai."
Li Huowang gnashed his teeth, feeling annoyed. "Give me your phone. I need to call Yi Donglai."
"I'm afraid not. You cannot talk to anyone else in the outside world except for your family members, and it can only be done once a week. It's one of the hospital's rules."
As Li Huowang stared at Wu Cheng, he realized that the latter had become very unfamiliar to him.
It felt like Wu Cheng had changed in the span of a single afternoon.
"Yi Donglai! Your senior! My doctor! Can't I call him?"
"I'm sorry, but it is not allowed. Rules are rules. Sit down, and we'll continue. This is for your own good."
"No! I'm not going to do that!" Li Huowang roared, "I'm cured! Your 'treatment' will only make it worse! I want to talk about the specifics of this 'treatment' with Yi Donglai, and I will not let you do this 'treatment' to me until then! I need to hear it from his own mouth, or I will not cooperate!"
Wu Cheng shook his head and said, "If you don't cooperate, your discharge date will be delayed indefinitely."
With that, Wu Cheng left with the tablet, leaving Li Huowang alone in the room. Li Huowang paced back and forth in the room, thinking about what was happening.
All of a sudden, he found Wu Cheng to be quite suspicious.
They had been talking amiably to each other, but things had changed drastically in such a short period of time. There was something wrong here.
"Unless... unless—Monk, you're right! Wu Cheng and Wang Wei are probably in cahoots!" Li Huowang exclaimed, and he was certain of his assumption.
Li Huowang suddenly felt like a beast was glaring at him, and it was due to the realization that Wang Wei wasn't alone!
Someone was controlling Wang Wei from the shadows!
What should I do? Killing intent flashed past Li Huowang's eyes as he brainstormed ideas to resolve this situation. No, I can't! If I kill someone again, I'm going to get myself imprisoned for life in a mental hospital!
Li Huowang stared at the camera in one corner of the room.
Soon, it was dinner time.
Li Huowang had just sat down in the canteen when he realized that something was wrong.
The workers in the canteen were staring warily at him.
The man with manic syndrome saw that Li Huowang was sitting by himself, so he walked up to Li Huowang.
Before he could get close, however, a nurse came and took him elsewhere to discuss something.
Li Huowang guessed that the hospital's higher-ups had become wary of him. Unfortunately, this was bad news for Li Huowang.
After dinner and thirty minutes later, it was time for Li Huowang to take his medicine. However, alarm bells started ringing in his head when he saw an unfamiliar red pill among his pills.
He took the red pill and looked at it in the mirror. For some reason, he felt disgusted even though he was just staring at it.
Li Huowang's back was turned to the camera when he put the pills in his mouth and drank a glass of water.
The unfamiliar red pill was between his fingers. He went to the toilet and flushed it down.
Li Huowang then went back to his bed and closed his eyes. He started thinking about how he was supposed to deal with Wu Cheng.
Li Huowang knew that he had to do something about Wu Cheng. He was the doctor, after all, while Li Huowang was a mere patient. In other words, it would be too easy for Wu Cheng to screw over Li Huowang.
Bam!
The door to Li Huowang's room was shoved open, and six, large-framed nurses charged into the room.
"Get up! Why did you throw your medicine away?! You were supposed to take it!"
Chapter 598 - Trap
Smack!
One of the nurses swung his baton toward Li Huowang's arm. The attack was so powerful that Li Huowang's arm swelled just a few seconds after getting hit, but Li Huowang didn't react much to it.
Li Huowang put his arms together and charged at one of the large-framed nurses. He collided with the nurse's chest, and the latter almost fainted from the pain.
One of the nurses charged at Li Huowang and hugged him from behind. Before the nurse could do anything, his ring finger was twisted and bent by Li Huowang.
"AAAAAAAAH!" the nurse let out a shrill cry in response to the extreme pain.
Li Huowang was handcuffed, but it looked like he had the upper hand against six large-framed nurses.
Taking advantage of the battle's brief pause, Li Huowang appeared behind one of the nurses and wrapped the chain links of his handcuffs around the latter's neck.
Upon suppressing the nurse, Li Huowang decisively tore off a chunk of the nurse's skin on his neck, revealing an artery beneath it.
Li Huowang glared at everyone with a bloody mouth.
The gory scene shocked every single nurse in the room. They had never thought that Li Huowang could still fight so well, despite being in handcuffs.
No one dared to move. They were here to earn some money for themselves, and none of them was willing to lose their life working for the hospital.
"Bring Wu Cheng here, or I will kill this man," Li Huowang said, placing his teeth on the nurse's pulsing artery.
"Stop! Don't be rash! I'll go and look for Doctor Wu! Don't do anything stupid!" one of the nurses exclaimed and ran out of the room to look for Wu Cheng.
Li Huowang didn't want to do this, but he had no choice. Since he couldn't go about it in a diplomatic way, then he could only use force.
During the downtime, Li Huowang pondered carefully over his next course of action. What he had done tonight would spell endless trouble for him, but he had no choice.
He had to do something, or he'd find himself in a trap.
Frantic footsteps echoed from outside the room as Wu Cheng and a group of nurses soon made their way into Li Huowang's room.
When Wu Cheng saw Li Huowang's scary and bloody appearance, he turned to his colleagues and whispered, "I was right. The patient in Room Sixteen isn't cured yet; he was simply in remission. A little prodding is enough for his illness to relapse, so he can't be considered cured."
Li Huowang knew that there was no point in telling everyone that Wu Cheng was harming him rather than treating him.
After all, he was just a patient, so no one would believe him. They would certainly believe Wu Cheng and think that Li Huowang was ill once again.
In other words, Li Huowang needed to find someone to vouch for him.
"Wu Cheng, give me your phone! I need to call Yi Donglai!" Li Huowang shouted.
"All right, I will give you a phone. Don't do anything rash." Wu Cheng took out a phone and unlocked it before walking over to Li Huowang.
Li Huowang raised his guard up, afraid that Wu Cheng would do something to him.
However, Wu Cheng couldn't do anything right now. He placed the phone in Li Huowang's arms before walking away.
Li Huowang sighed and opened up the phone's contact list to look for Yi Donglai's number.
When Li Huowang tapped on Yi Donglai's name on the screen, the phone's display abruptly went out, and a strong electrical current shot out from the metallic case of the phone, electrocuting both Li Huowang and the nurse.
This is all a trap! And Wu Cheng doesn't want Yi Donglai to know the truth!
Li Huowang tried to let go of the phone, but his fingers seemed like they were glued to it. He couldn't let go of it at all.
Presented by an opportunity, the nurses behind Wu Cheng charged at Li Huowang.
They used nets, military forks, and even sedatives to suppress Li Huowang.
Li Huowang's expression went blank, and his consciousness dimmed as the yellow-colored sedatives coursed through him through his veins.
The last thing he saw was Wu Cheng walking up to him with a smile.
***
Jiang~ Jiang~ Jiang~
"Raise~ You must've said something wrong~ Or the mother and son wouldn't have argued~ Now the third aunt is crying alone in the room~"
Lu Zhuangyuan clad in a silk brocade was sitting on his chair and was listening to the performance on the stage with his eyes closed.
His life had gotten significantly better, but he wasn't enjoying it for some reason.
Lu Zhuangyuan abruptly sat up and roared, "Wait! That's wrong! Why is your pitch so high at the end? What? That's how you've been singing that part? I don't care! I've become your boss, so you must follow me!"
The performers performed for four hours on the stage, and Lu Zhuangyuan for half of the time.
When Lu Zhuangyuan left for lunch, the performers sighed in relief.
Lu Zhuangyuan walked out of the theater with his youngest grandson in his arms.
Since he was living a different life now, he no longer needed to be humble. He walked down the streets with his grandson in his arms and with his chest puffed out. He was no longer a despicable performer.
"Ai~ This is the life of the Immortals. Oh my dear Mei~ You've died too young. If you hadn't died two years ago, you would have enjoyed this life with me."
Lu Zhuangyuan entered the house, which was given to him as a gift, and he saw his eldest daughter-in-law sitting on a chair.
The table beside her was filled with snacks and cakes, and there were two maids waiting on her. One of the maids was massaging her legs while the other was massaging her back.
Lu Zhuangyuan frowned and said, "Who told you to hire maids? Don't you know how expensive they are? We're going to have lunch soon, so why are there so many snacks? Can you even finish these snacks by yourself? You're just wasting money here!"
"Dad, the money we are earning is meant to be spent. I've never had a day in peace ever since I married into the Lu Family. I've been traveling with you through the wilderness and prairies for so long, and we've finally gotten our lucky break. We can finally enjoy the money that we're earning, but you still want us to be so frugal?"
After giving birth to a son, Luo Juanhua became bolder and defiant.
"Enjoy? You're wasting money instead of enjoying it! I want you to fire these maids!"
"Father, Juan..." Lu Juren chimed in, "Stop arguing, all right? Come here, and let's eat."
However, Lu Zhuangyuan was still complaining even amidst their lunch. After complaining about how there were too many dishes, he started complaining about how oily the food was.
Once Lu Zhuangyuan had left, Luo Juanhua turned to her husband and grumbled, "What's wrong with Father these days? Why has he been so annoying recently?"
Lu Zhuangyuan stared at his father's back while eating his meal. "He's been working hard throughout his entire life, and he suddenly doesn't have to work so hard anymore. I think he still can't get used to the feeling of doing nothing."
Chapter 599 - Face To Face
Lu Juren knew what the theater meant to his father. His father had been talking about the same thing over and over again to him ever since he was an infant. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
It went so out of hand that rather than saying "Mother" and "Father" for his first word, the infant Lu Juren said "theater" instead.
Lu Zhuangyuan's lifelong goal was suddenly realized, and it was all thanks to someone gifting them a theater. At this point, Lu Zhuangyuan only had one thing he could do—fritter away time until his death.
Listening to his explanation, Luo Juanhua scowled and said, "Hah. I think your father is just being annoying. Who wouldn't enjoy life if given a vast supply of money? How about you tell him to start traveling again? Maybe he'll feel better moving around."
Lu Juren said nothing; he was too engrossed in his own thoughts, thinking about what he could make his father do. Otherwise, Lu Juren was afraid that his father would go crazy one day.
"Xiu'er, come here. Don't eat too much rice; here, eat some meat, too. It's going to fill you up as well," Luo Juanhua said to her daughter.
Just then, someone familiar entered their house, and they were none other than Lu Xiucai.
Upon entering the dining hall, Lu Xiucai didn't even greet his brother and sister-in-law before snatching his own niece's rice bowl.
"Xiucai? Why are you here? Did you not bring your wife with you to follow the Daoist to Cowheart Village for the sake of cultivating?" Lu Juren asked, surprised by Lu Xiucai's return. He could still remember how adamant Lu Xiucai was when it came to learning a few techniques from the Daoist when they were leaving Shangjing. He had tried his best to convince Lu Xiucai against it, but the latter hadn't listened to him at all.
Lu Xiucai drank a huge mouthful of the egg soup to wash down the meat in his mouth. Breathing in ragged pants, he turned to Lu Juren and explained, "Master was abducted by a group of people! I've come here to ask Simpleton to rescue him!"
"Huh? Who's strong enough to abduct the Daoist?" Lu Zhuangyuan asked, looking shocked while holding his smoke pipe. No one had any idea when he had returned, but it didn't matter at this point.
"Ah, you're not going to understand just how strong they were. The six of them formed an array, and one of them was even a half-Immortal! There must've been a mastermind behind it. They had treasures that I'd never seen before, and my Master was abducted just like that. I'm going to leave after this lunch! I have to find Gao Zhijian and ask him to send people to rescue Master!" Lu Xiucai exclaimed. He grabbed a few pieces of steamed chicken drenched in scallion oil and stuffed them directly into his mouth.
"No! You can't go there!" Lu Zhuangyuan exclaimed, and he waved his smoke pipe so fast that afterimages seemed to appear in the air. "Even the Daoist couldn't deal with them, so wouldn't that mean that you'll be seeking your own death?!"
However, his words fell on deaf ears.
Lu Xiucai slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "What do you know?! I'm his disciple! I must help Master now that he's in danger! I'm sure he's going to teach me a technique or two as a gesture of gratitude toward me!
"Moreover, I'm his one and only disciple. Once he becomes an Immortal, he'll entrust everything to me! Anyway, stop belittling me as well! I've gotten way stronger after cultivating with Master!"
Just then, a loud commotion resembling hoofbeats echoed outside. Lu Xiucai smiled and immediately grabbed a braised goose plate before running out of the house. "I didn't expect Simpleton to organize a rescue team this quick!"
"Brat!" Lu Zhungyuan exclaimed anxiously. He jumped up to his feet and shouted, "Step outside that door, and you will no longer be family!"
Lu Xiucai ran out of the door without any hesitation.
"Hmph! Who cares about being a performer at the bottom of society? Once Master becomes an Immortal, you people better not be expecting that I'll bring all of you with me to the heights of success!"
***
"Li Huowang? Li Huowang?" someone asked repeatedly while snapping their fingers before Li Huowang.
Soon, Li Huowang woke up, and he immediately realized that he was being restrained with a straitjacket. However, Li Huowang was not surprised at all. He knew this would happen. To make matters worse, they had even attached a steel nuzzle to Li Huowang's mouth as if they were afraid of Li Huowang biting their necks apart.
"Have you calmed down? Can we finally talk?" Wu Cheng asked, standing in front of Li Huowang with a tablet in hand.
Li Huowang stared at Wu Cheng before saying, "I know you're working with Wang Wei, but who's the person behind you two? Why does he need lifespan pills? Is he going to die soon and has decided to bet on me? Maybe he's testing me to see whether I can bring something even more dangerous from that side to this side."
Wu Cheng didn't react to Li Huowang's words. Instead, he pressed one of his Bluetooth earphones and calmly said, "Director, this is brand-new. It's different from Yi Donglai's thesis. Yes, I understand. I will handle it."
After talking to someone through the tablet in his hand, Wu Cheng finally stared at Li Huowang.
"Li Huowang, did you know that Yi Donglai was actually experimenting on you? At this rate, you'll inevitably become crazy."
Wu Cheng pointed at himself and said, "Trust me. Do as I say, and you'll live a better life."
"Hehe, so you've decided to show your true colors? Why should I trust you? How many times are you going to try and trick me? I shouldn't trust Yi Donglai but trust you guys instead?" Li Huowang asked, chuckling.
"You have no choice but to listen to me. You are in our hands, and Yi Donglai is not here."
The flickering red light coming from the camera abruptly disappeared. Wu Cheng then took out a taser and pressed it against Li Huowang.
Bzzt!
A buzzing noise echoed.
Li Huowang convulsed uncontrollably upon getting tased, but he was still smiling as he said, "Do you really think that you can force me to comply using that little thing? Are you looking down on me?"
The current became even stronger, but Li Huowang laughed even louder in response. He laughed and laughed until the taser ran out of battery.
"Come on, continue. Kill me if you dare, or I will skin you alive when I regain my freedom."
Li Huowang knew that they wouldn't dare kill him, as they needed him to receive lifespan pills.
Wu Cheng looked a bit angry, but he quickly calmed down. He tapped on the tablet, and a video was played in front of Li Huowang.
The video depicted a subway station. A tired-looking young woman was playing with her phone with a sling bag across her chest.
Li Huowang's pupils quivered upon seeing the young woman's jade earring. He could still remember that jade earring, as it was something he had given to her as a gift.
"Her name is Yang Na, am I right? I heard that she's your childhood friend. I know you're a lunatic and that you're immune to pain. However, what if the pain that you're supposed to take was inflicted on her instead?"
Li Huowang was silent.
Wu Cheng smiled and continued, "Cooperate with us. This is going to be better than Yi Donglai's crazed nonsense. You have an unprecedented ability, so it would be a shame to hide it. Also, you're not losing anything at all. In fact, you're going to earn a ton of profit. You won't be locked up here, and you can have money, including women, money, and fame."
Just then, Li Huowang looked up, and he sounded unnaturally calm as he said, "I don't want to talk to a chess pawn. I want to talk to the person behind you."