The Unruly Immortals

The young Yang, seeing Brother Li leave, finally relaxed and his sitting posture became somewhat more casual.

While eating, everyone chatted casually about this and that, and eventually, the conversation turned to the beggars peeking in from outside.

"I remember there weren't so many beggars on our way here, where did all these people come from?"

Hearing Brother Baolu say this, the young Yang quickly soaked a piece of flatbread in the thin porridge, picked up his bowl, and headed outside. "I'll go and ask them for you."

Watching his retreating figure, Gouwa said to the others, "This kid is really sensible. If he wasn't going back home, I would have liked to take him in as my son."

"That's not taking in a son, you just want to get a servant to attend to you!"

Exposed by the others, Gouwa didn't mind and just laughed it off.

Seeing the young Yang come out, the beggars at the door looked eagerly, holding out their broken bowls, and some even started to sing "Lian Hua Luo."

The young Yang ignored them and instead approached the young beggar who had fallen earlier.

He was hunched in the corner, looking very pitiable, just like Yang himself had been once.

"I want to ask you something. If you can answer, this piece of flatbread is yours."

Looking at the flatbread in young Yang's hand, the dirty-faced young beggar nodded excitedly.

"Where did you beggars come from?"

"From the east, we all came from the east! I'm actually not a beggar; I came here fleeing disaster with my dad and mom."

"I was kidnapped by human traffickers on the way, and I escaped halfway before I became a beggar."

Young Yang took out the softened flatbread from his sleeve and handed it over.

The young beggar didn't care that it was hot; he grabbed it with both hands and stuffed it desperately into his mouth.

"Why are you fleeing? Was there a disaster in your hometown?"

After slurping up some porridge that had stuck to the flatbread and swallowing the morsel in his mouth, the young beggar nodded and continued, "Yeah, there was a disaster. If it were a drought or flood, my dad definitely wouldn't have abandoned the fields to flee, but this time it was a war disaster."

"You see, all these people came here because of the war disaster. It was really severe this time. The soldiers stormed into the villages and looted everything. I heard that several villages were wiped out."

Just as the young Yang continued to ask, a shadow fell over him from behind. It was Gao Zhijian, stuttering as he spoke, "This... this... this isn't war... war... war disaster, this is... this is... deserter troops!"

"Brother Gao, you mean to say, there was a war?" young Yang looked up at the broad chin above him.

Seeing that young Yang didn't look down on his stuttering like others did, a hint of joy appeared in Gao Zhijian's eyes.

His rough, calloused hands, larger than young Yang's head, gently caressed the top of Yang's head. "That's... that's... that's... that's right."

Young Yang turned back to the young beggar, who was a bit frightened by Gao Zhijian's towering figure, and continued asking, "Is it true? There was a war? How come I haven't heard about it? You said your home is to the east? Do you know where the war took place?"

"I don't know, I only remember that my home is in the east."

Seeing that the young beggar clearly had no knowledge on the subject, young Yang turned his attention to the older beggars.

"What are you two chatting so earnestly with the beggars outside for? Come back and eat, we're still waiting to have your bowls washed."

Hearing this, the young Yang immediately became alert, "I'll wash the dishes! I will clean the dishes!" Saying this, he turned and walked back inside.

Looking at the clean cloth shoes on the feet of the departing Yang child, and then looking down at his own feet frozen purple, the little beggar's eyes were filled with intense envy. "I really wish they would buy me away..."

"Brother Cao Cao, those beggars came here because there's a war in the east."

"Let them fight. What does it have to do with us? Baolu just asked casually. Don't act like you're some Saint, he's not the Emperor after all."

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Li Huowang lay on the white hospital bed, his expression one of hesitation and struggle.

Looking around at the surroundings, it seemed the illusions had progressed from the intensive care unit to a general ward.

In his hand, he held a round Jade Pendant, something he owned, strung on a cord around his neck.

Li Huowang remembered giving this item to Yang Na, but now it had mysteriously appeared around his own neck.

He was no longer fixated on how the Jade Pendant came back; he was now pondering something else, something Dr. Li had said before.

"Right, Li, didn't you just say that because you can send things from that world to this one, you thought this world was fake? Have you ever tried sending things from this world to that one? Maybe you'll get a different outcome."

Holding the round Jade Pendant and looking at it again, Li Huowang finally made up his mind and with one hand clenched, he tucked it into the pocket of his hospital gown.

"Let's give it a try, there's no harm in trying. What if it succeeds?" Li Huowang mused privately.

But the next question that came to Li Huowang's mind made him freeze.

"What if it actually works? What would that mean? Does it imply that Bai Lingmiao's world is fake? Or that both worlds are real?"

Li Huowang didn't know, but he decided to go ahead and try, then figure out what to do based on the result.

Time ticked by, second by second, as Li Huowang quietly awaited the outcome, an unbearably long wait.

After the nurse changed his medicine, Li Huowang finally felt the illusions around him start to collapse.

When he returned to the quaint, ancient-styled room, his first move was to feel for his chest. As he took out the Jade Pendant, his face suddenly stiffened.

Without bothering to dress, Li Huowang got out of bed and rummaged around quickly. Looking at the two identical round Jade Pendants in his hands, his expression was stunned.

"Two pieces? How can there be two? Why are there two?"

At that moment, Li Huowang's mind was in turmoil. He had considered the possibility of bringing something from that world here, but he had never expected such an outcome.

"Huowang." A gentle woman's voice suddenly sounded from outside the door—that was Yang Na's voice.

Li Huowang looked toward the door, his face full of shock. How could Yang Na possibly come here? Wasn't she a person from the illusion's side?

"Brother Li." This time it was Bai Lingmiao's voice; the door creaked as someone pushed it open from outside.

Seeing the "thing" pieced together and walking in from outside, Li Huowang's face showed extreme horror.

"No, no! Don't!" Li Huowang, covered in cold sweat, suddenly sat up from the bed.

Looking around at the ancient furniture, he soon realized. Daytime thoughts lead to nighttime dreams; everything he just experienced was just a dream.

Just as he was about to lie back down, an idea popped into his mind from nowhere. "Was it really just a dream?"