The Unruly Immortals

Hearing Li Huowang asking him to just stand in the yard and speak, Gao Zhijian hesitated and looked around the empty space. "I... I... I might be... Gold..."

Gao Zhijian's voice got lower and lower until it was almost as quiet as a mosquito's buzz.

"What? You're what gold? Speak up."

Embarrassed, Gao Zhijian's face turned red, and he hung his head as he walked into the house.

"Why has he stopped talking again? What's this guy playing at, what gold? Gold metal, gold sky? Gold dust?"

The puzzled Li Huowang was about to go downstairs to ask but, after pondering for a moment, he closed the window and walked towards the already made bed.

He had a whole heap of his own issues to sort out; where would he find the time to meddle in others' private affairs?

Besides, his own abilities in this regard were quite unreliable; he wasn't really suited to counsel others, lest he lead them astray.

As for Gao Zhijian's apparent secret sorrows, Li Huowang had not the slightest interest in probing.

Moreover, Gao Zhijian was just slow-witted, not a complete fool; he surely had his own considerations, and would naturally tell him when he was ready.

After waiting for a while and seeing that Gao Zhijian really wasn't coming up, the candle was blown out, and Li Huowang, lying in bed, gazed at the dim beams of the ceiling.

"Right, do you still remember the place the fool said he was going to?"

Bai Lingmiao, with her eyes closed, snuggled into Li Huowang's embrace.

"I asked him a few days ago, and he didn't have a clear answer. Last time, it seemed like he said Liang State, but this time it's Qingqiu State. Guess he's as confused as anyone."

"Qingqiu State, huh..."

The map surfaced in Li Huowang's mind: past Huo Shu was Qingqiu, and beyond Qingqiu was their final destination, Liang State.

Once they reach Bai Lingmiao's hometown, Niuxin Mountain, this long and arduous journey would finally be over, and he would be able to settle down.

"Once we get there, what should I do? Should I organize a wedding banquet like we had today and marry Miaomiao? No, wait, I'm going to her place, so I guess it would be me marrying into the family."

Li Huowang lifted his head and rubbed his chin on her soft hair.

Their relationship had no bitter-sweet memories, nor was it love at first sight.

He wasn't very good at sweet-talking girls, and Bai Lingmiao wasn't one to act coquettishly.

The two of them seemed to just go with the flow, and before they knew it, this stream had poured into a great lake.

Li Huowang didn't feel anything particular; he just felt very comfortable being with her and wanted it to last forever.

Yet Li Huowang still couldn't settle for this, as he continued to worry about the only trouble he bore on his back.

"Is there really no way to resolve Xinsu?"

This wasn't just a matter of responsibility but more importantly, a potential future threat.

Li Huowang had no certainty in his heart; he was truly afraid that one day he might take that other side for reality and completely abandon Bai Lingmiao.

There was a time when Li Huowang was firmly convinced that since he recognized the other side was fake, he would never fall into confusion again.

But reality had taught him a lesson: anything is possible, and he no longer had that same conviction as before.

Musing over this, Li Huowang involuntarily recalled the words spoken by the dying Nun of the Oblivion Path.

"That old nun Chen Hongxiu knows crap! Let me tell you the truth! Bei Feng from the Oblivion Path, one of the Sixi, is Xinsu! He's lived for a hundred and ninety years, and he's still perfectly fine! He hasn't been plagued by any confusion!"

This statement had been mulled over for a long time, and the more it was contemplated, the more irritating it became.

Li Huowang suddenly realized that he had fallen into the other party's trap again, and cursed silently. "Shit! These lunatics, even in death they still want to deceive me!"

"Senior Brother Li... what's wrong...?"

Looking at Bai Lingmiao, who was bleary-eyed, Li Huowang was about to speak when he suddenly sensed something and immediately changed his expression. "Quick! Get the chains!!"

Without asking questions, Bai Lingmiao hurriedly climbed over Li Huowang's body, got out of bed, picked up the chain wrapped in torn cloth, and began to bind Li Huowang.

"Tighten it! Use some strength! Tie it tightly! Don't let me break free!!"

Seeing Bai Lingmiao busying about on his body and giving him a reassuring look, Li Huowang breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back heavily.

The next moment, the rustling husk pillow behind his head turned into a soft cotton pillow.

Li Huowang slowly lifted his head and looked around at the pristine environment; this hospital room was unfamiliar, not the one he had stayed in before.

Having stayed many times, Li Huowang also had an understanding of the hospital's layout – this was clearly the arrangement of a psychiatric ward's restraint room, something a regular hospital wouldn't have.

After pondering for a while, Li Huowang connected everything to the illusion he had experienced. "Have I been... transferred?"

Saying this, Li Huowang gave a wry smile and shook his head; why worry so much, if it's all an illusion, then nothing is surprising.

Looking at the white ceiling, Li Huowang didn't know what to do for a moment.

Looking left and right at the wide cloth straps binding his hands, Li Huowang lifted his head and spoke to the microphone near the bed: "Is there a nurse on duty? I'm in room thirteen, could you please bring my phone over? I need to make a call."

After a brief burst of noise, a man's voice came through. "Li Huowang, right? Hello, I have already understood your situation."

"My surname is Wang, and you can call me Nurse Wang; whom do you want to call? I can connect them directly to the speaker by your bed."

"A male nurse?" Li Huowang pursed his lips, "Alright, Nurse Wang, please dial Yang Na—"

As soon as these two words left his mouth, Bai Lingmiao's familiar face popped into Li Huowang's mind. "What am I doing? Why am I interacting with an illusion voluntarily? Bai Lingmiao is the one who's real, Yang Na is fake."

"Ah, so annoying! Making a call this early in the morning!" A familiar voice sounded from the speaker by the bed.

When he heard the familiar grumpiness of someone who had just woken up, all of Li Huowang's inner conflicts disappeared. "Nana."

"Huowang!" Yang Na exclaimed with surprise.

"What time is it? You're still not up? Where did you go to have such wild fun yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Na immediately began to complain to Li Huowang.

"Who has time to have fun? Being a freshman is just like being a senior in high school; it's killing me with busyness every day."

"And you don't even have night classes anymore, and no full schedule of classes either, and yet you're tired?"

"Who said that? You haven't been to university; once you get there you'll know. The talk about being able to play freely in university is all lies!"

Just as she said this, Yang Na suddenly fell silent. After a while, with a cautious tone, she said, "Huowang, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to provoke you."

Li Huowang looked at the dark microphone by his bed and smiled knowingly, "That little bit of provocation is supposed to affect me? It didn't even break my defense. By the way, that day, I celebrated your birthday for you, did you hear?"

"Mhm, I heard it, thank you for celebrating my birthday. I'm still waiting for your birthday gift though."