The Unruly Immortals

Li Huowang gently held his own wound, moving slowly, until he reached Jingxin's room. He laboriously sat down against the wall.

"Even you can't deal with Master Danyang?" Li Huowang asked.

"Of course, we can, as long as we kill you, that will do."

Jingxin's words drew a laugh from Li Huowang, "I didn't expect the nun to be quite the comedian."

"I'm not joking with you. Master Danyang's essence has now fully rooted in you; you are one of his three unfinished corpses."

"You want to live and yet detach from your master, this is indeed a delicate task; after all, you are too deeply connected. One could say that you now are almost half a Master Danyang, which is also why I didn't directly peel that Black Taishui from your stomach, because at this point it is not only Master Danyang but also you."

Li Huowang's request for the nuns of An Ci Nunnery to rid him of Master Danyang was unsuccessful, though they cooperated with Li Huowang, seriously wounded Master Danyang, and temporarily expelled him.

But this was merely a temporary measure, the trouble was still there, with no resolution in sight.

Li Huowang, hiding in the darkness, leaned against the cold wall, numbly gazing at the moss-covered, layered tiles on top of the temple buildings outside.

"This is not our fault; I had no idea that half of your master was still not dead. We at An Ci Nunnery are more adept with matters of the Kongwo Realm, but when it comes to flesh and blood, those undisciplined baldies at Zhengde Temple are more skilled."

"Master Jingxin, I don't blame you, I just want to know how long it will be until I am completely transformed into Master Danyang?"

Failure did not make Li Huowang feel any sense of defeat.

"According to current calculations, you have two months left," Master Jingxin said as she walked into the darkness towards a bamboo cradle and gently rocked it, looking at the old man inside with a kindly smile on her face.

"Oh...."

"So what do you plan to do?"

"I need to wait for an answer first, Master Jingxin, may I borrow something from you?"

For a while, the dim room fell silent, silent for a long time.

Li Huowang took a deep breath, his expression showing a slight struggle before he suddenly opened his eyes. The darkness that surrounded him was replaced by white light, and he found himself in the hospital again.

After a careful look, Li Huowang realized this was not a mental hospital but a regular hospital. In the illusion, his injury still seemed unhealed.

Looking down, he saw his mother, Sun Xiaoqin, sleeping soundly, her head resting on the bed while perched on a small stool.

In Li Huowang's memory, his mother had always been very clean, but now her hair was oily, and it seemed she hadn't washed it for a long time.

Li Huowang tried to reach out, only to find his limbs were firmly tied. He could only call out softly towards her. "Mom, it's me, Huowang."

When Sun Xiaoqin opened her eyes and saw her son staring at her, calling her name with a very normal expression, she rushed over, hugging him tightly. "My son, you've finally come to."

After a long silence, waiting for his mother's emotions to calm down a bit, Li Huowang once again asked, "Mom, where's Dad?"

"Your dad has gone to make money. We are very short on money now, and we also owe quite a bit of debt."

As soon as she finished, Sun Xiaoqin's heart skipped a beat, and she hastily cradled Li Huowang's face, explaining with heartache.

"Huowang, your mom doesn't blame you, I know you didn't want this to happen, it's that illness, that damnable madness! Why did it have to fall on my son out of so many people?"

"Mom, can you untie one of my hands? I need to loosen my hand."

Seeing her son speak so normally, Sun Xiaoqin hesitated for a moment before a smile crept back onto her face.

"Good, it's also good to loosen up. Being tied up all the time could really hurt the body."

Having recovered the freedom of his right hand, Li Huowang smiled at Sun Xiaoqin, "Thanks, Mom."

After speaking, he reached into his hospital gown and pulled out a heavy strand of golden Buddha beads.

In Sun Xiaoqin's shock, Li Huowang placed the Buddha beads into her hands.

"Mom, take this and exchange it for some money. Pay off our family's debts, and if there's any left, buy back our house. I really like this neighborhood."

Clutching the heavy golden Buddha beads, Sun Xiaoqin appeared utterly bewildered, "This... what is going on? Son, where did this gold come from? Did you take it when I was asleep?"

Li Huowang shook his head gently and took off the jade pendant around his neck and placed it in Sun Xiaoqin's hands as well.

"Mom, take this too. It should be worth some money. Even if I know you're an illusion, I don't want to see you suffer before my eyes."

Hearing this, Sun Xiaoqin no longer cared about the gold and jade pendant in her hands. She grabbed Li Huowang's shoulders and shook him, tears streaming down incessantly.

"Son, look carefully! I'm your mom, I'm not an illusion. I'm really not an illusion!"

Li Huowang reached out and gently wiped the tears from her face, smiling faintly.

"Yes, that's right, Mom, you're real, you're not an illusion. I was just teasing you."

Comforted by Li Huowang's words, Sun Xiaoqin jumped around excitedly, her hands pressed together in prayer, mumbling blessings from the Bodhisattva.

Just as she excitedly took out her phone, ready to have Li Huowang video call his father at work, Li Huowang stretched out his right hand, plucked a bright red button from her clothing, and tucked it into his pocket.

Perhaps because Li Huowang willingly initiated the transition, his return to reality was incredibly swift.

The father with white-flecked hair had not even uttered half a sentence in the video when everything around switched again. He was back in the dim room.

When he came to his senses, he saw Master Jingxin holding the golden Buddha beads, standing there quietly watching him.

Li Huowang lifted his right hand, his breathing becoming more and more frantic, his mind a chaotic mess.

He gritted his teeth and fiercely reached toward his chest, only to freeze, having touched nothing there.

Facing this anticipated outcome, Li Huowang laughed.

"Heh, I should have known. How could the other side be real? I actually believed the words of people in an illusion. I must have really gone mad."

As he laughed, Li Huowang suddenly stopped, realizing this was not good news at all. Now, he had lost even the last sliver of possibility in his fantasy.

Li Huowang took a deep breath and gently said to the air, "Mom, I didn't scare you, did I? Sorry, tie my hands up again, so I won't touch you."

Master Jingxin, who had been silently observing everything, suddenly spoke, "If that side is false, then who are you shouting to?"

Li Huowang looked up to the nun in the darkness, "Can't I shout to myself?"

"What do you plan to do next?"

Li Huowang took a slow deep breath, his eyes instantly filling with murderous intent, "I want Master Danyang dead!"