The Unruly Immortals

"Is it possible that this world is real?" Li Huowang thought about these questions, staring blankly around the hospital room.

I am Xinsu, the very Xinsu whose power could help Master Danyang achieve immortality! If I unwittingly used the Innate Qi within me, producing some gold would be a breeze!

"But…" Pain and hesitation were etched on Li Huowang's face. "Why now of all times? I was just about to catch Bei Feng, just about to free myself from Huan Jue, why now…"

The turmoil on Li Huowang's face deepened as he once again found himself in an indistinguishable predicament. If there was any possibility that this illusion was real, then what was the purpose of all his hard-fought efforts up to now?

"What if this world is real?" The thought burrowed into Li Huowang's mind like a persistent worm, churning his previously calm thoughts into chaos.

Clenching his teeth, Li Huowang forcefully raised his head and smashed it against the wall, attempting to drive away the uncomfortable sensation with pain.

"No, that's not right! Not right!!"

"Son! What's wrong with you? Don't scare me!"

Sun Xiaoqin was frightened by Li Huowang's behavior. She quickly put down the lunchbox in her hand and wrapped her arms tightly around his head, stroking his short hair over and over again.

Comforted, Li Huowang stopped moving and closed his eyes in agony.

He wasn't afraid of wasting his energy in vain, nor of torment and death, but he feared returning to that fissure between reality and illusion, an experience too unbearable.

If he could be one hundred percent sure that this world was real, that would be one thing, but now, despite how true his guess might seem, there was still a chance it could be false.

"Is it possible? How could it be? I haven't even learned the Cultivation Technique, how could I so easily harness the Innate Qi?"

"Moreover, that doesn't make sense. If both worlds are real, then why can I produce gold in this one but not in the other? Does Xinsu's power depend on location?"

Li Huowang pondered and stared wide-eyed and furiously at the nightstand beside the bed, trying to conjure a large chunk of gold with his mind, but nothing changed. He then tried to move the nightstand with his thoughts, to no avail.

No matter what Li Huowang thought, at that moment, his neck veins bulging and eyes bloodshot with anger, he looked utterly frightening.

"Son, don't scare me; I really can't take it if you do. What's wrong with you?"

Sun Xiaoqin's sob brought Li Huowang's gaze back to her, including the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, which he hadn't seen in a long time. He suddenly realized how much older his mother had become.

Even if she was fictional, the sight of her stirred deep distress within Li Huowang.

"Mom, I'm alright. I really am," Li Huowang reassured her in a softer tone. He knew he couldn't let his emotions get the better of him; baseless speculations would only drag him back into his previous quagmire of conflict.

Li Huowang's thoughts grew more chaotic as he vigorously shook his head and took a deep breath to steady his mind.

If there was a possibility that this world could be real, he should search for solid evidence to refute it rather than wallow in his wild imaginings; at least, the chances of this world being real seemed slim at the moment.

"Otherwise, how do you explain that I can take anything from that world to this one, but I can't take anything from here to there? It can't be that that other world is the false one, right?"

Li Huowang tilted his head and nestled into Sun Xiaoqin's embrace, savoring the peace he had longed for in the dreams of that other world.

"Mom, how is Nana doing?" Li Huowang suddenly asked.

"Nana? Nana is quite all right..." Sun Xiaoqin's voice wavered slightly, too rushed to be flustered, she took out a tissue from her bag and began to wipe the sweat from the other's forehead.

Having tangled with the people from the Oblivion Path for so long, Li Huowang could easily tell whether Sun Xiaoqin was telling the truth.

"Mom, what's actually wrong with Nana?" As though he had a premonition, Li Huowang's mood became heavy.

Sun Xiaoqin still tried to hide something, but Li Huowang easily saw through it several times. Faced with her son's persistent questioning, she finally sighed helplessly.

"Don't blame her, she can't come lately, Nana is a good girl."

"I'm not blaming her, I just want to know where she is now?"

"Nana took a leave of absence from school, her parents took her to see a doctor."

"What's wrong with her?" Li Huowang couldn't help but become anxious.

"Nothing serious, just a bit depressed, somewhat disinterested in food and drink." Sun Xiaoqin picked up the lunchbox again and started to feed Li Huowang once more.

Chewing without savoring the food in his mouth, the thought of the girl who used to follow him around as a child now in such a situation made Li Huowang feel as if his heart were bleeding.

The other person had given so much for him, but he was unable to repay her in any way.

"It's okay, my son, I've heard it's a minor illness, curable with medication; don't blame yourself."

"Mom, can you let go of me for a moment?" Li Huowang suddenly asked Sun Xiaoqin.

Sun Xiaoqin hesitated with the lunchbox in her hands, but then she nodded firmly, "Okay! Being bound every day must be suffocating, right? It will be good for you to move a bit."

After speaking, Sun Xiaoqin began to undo the Binding Clothes on Li Huowang.

Before she had made much progress, a very anxious male voice came from the surveillance camera in the upper left corner of the room. "Hey! Auntie Sun, what are you doing? Stop right now!"

"My son's limbs are tied up, he's suffocating in panic! Don't worry, I'm here! He's very well-behaved!" Sun Xiaoqin's movements suddenly sped up.

"I'm coming right now! I'm coming right away!!" Then the voice from the monitor went silent.

Just as Li Huowang was regaining his freedom, there was a "bang" as the door of the ward was violently pushed open, and two burly guards wielding batons rushed in instantly.

Yet facing Li Huowang, whose muscles had somewhat atrophied from the lack of exercise over a long period, they stood at the door, swallowing hard before using the pager to nervously call for backup at bed number one.

In everyone's mind in the entire prison block, the guy before them had the reputation of being a mad fighter, notoriously difficult to provoke.

Li Huowang, however, ignored those at the door, swaying his sore limbs as he made his way to the window enclosed by iron bars.

Li Huowang gazed out at the patch of sky from the window, grabbed the iron bars, and stretched his hand toward it.

A touch of warm sunlight hit the tips of Li Huowang's overly pale fingers.

Feeling that bit of warmth, a desire and yearning arose in Li Huowang's heart. "If everything here were real, how wonderful that would be..."