The Heart-Element

When Danyangzi came back to himself, he found that his left arm, which should have been severed, had somehow grown back.

Before he could move, he realized with horror that he was strapped to an iron bed, his limbs bound by tough, wide fabric bands that held him completely immobile.

He frantically formed hand seals, chanted incantations, tried every divine power he possessed—nothing worked.

He had become a pig on a butcher’s block, waiting to be slaughtered.

The humiliation was unbearable. Not since he was ten years old, when he had grabbed a broken knife and killed a man, had he fallen so low.

“Who?! What trickster dares use illusion magic on this immortal?!” Danyangzi’s face twisted as he roared at the woman before him.

“I don’t care who you are! Just you wait! When my true body returns, all of you will die!” he snarled through clenched teeth.

Then he saw the young woman’s face crumble in terror. She turned and hurried out of the room, her footsteps echoing down the hall.

“Doctor! Doctor, come quick! Something terrible has happened to my son!”

Seizing the moment, Danyangzi strained against the restraints with all his strength. The bands didn’t budge. His eyes darted around the strange, chaotic room.

“Zuowandao. It must be them. Maybe there are more than six of those liars. Maybe they’ve got a few hidden in the shadows, waiting to ambush me.”

Before long, the young woman returned. Two men in white coats followed close behind.

“Three of them. They’ve subdued me, but they haven’t struck. What are they after?”

Just as Danyangzi was trying to guess their intentions, one of the doctors spoke.

“Xiao Li, look at her. Who is she to you?”

A doctor with round plastic glasses pointed a pen toward the woman—Sun Xiaoqin.

Danyangzi forced himself to calm down. “Fine. Tell me. Who sent you? How long have you been following me? Trying to stop me from achieving immortality?”

The doctor showed no surprise at the absurd words. He nodded calmly, jotting something down on his clipboard.

“Do you still remember your own name?”

Danyangzi understood the question now. He shifted his strategy, lowering his voice into something grave and measured. “I am Danyangzi, abbot of Qingfeng Temple. You dare lay hands on me without even knowing who I am? Tell me, which sect are you from, fellow Daoist?”

He continued, his tone that of a seasoned elder. “I’ve lived a long life. I’ve traveled the whole land. I know many people. Perhaps your own master is an old friend of mine. Release me, and when I finally achieve immortality, you will not go unrewarded.”

Hearing this, Sun Xiaoqin couldn’t hold back. “Son! What nonsense are you talking? You’re not Danyangzi! You’re Li Huowang!”

“Li… Huowang?” A flicker of confusion passed through Danyangzi’s eyes. Then he shook his head violently.

“No! There is no Li Huowang! There has only ever been Danyangzi! Everything else is false! It’s all been my inner demons, my Three Corpses!”

Sun Xiaoqin wanted to say more, but the doctor raised a hand. “Ms. Sun, please try to control your emotions. Let us finish the assessment first, all right?”

Gripping her handbag tightly, Sun Xiaoqin nodded and stepped back against the wall, forcing herself to stay calm.

The two doctors exchanged a few words, settled on a plan, and began their work—one asking questions, the other taking notes.

A stool scraped across the floor. The doctor sat down beside Li Huowang’s bed, crossed his legs, and leaned back.

“All right, Danyangzi. Do you mind if I ask another question? What is one plus one?”

Danyangzi was puzzled. Why was this man in a white coat talking nonsense?

Still, he was happy to keep the conversation going. As long as he could stall until his true body returned, he would win.

They probed each other for a while longer without either side getting what it wanted.

Frowning, the doctor tapped his pen against his notes. “Strange. His condition was stable for so long, and now suddenly there are new symptoms. Ms. Sun, has your son been exposed to any external stress recently?”

“No! Everything was fine! My son has been very good. He even talked to me on his birthday!” Sun Xiaoqin replied eagerly.

After a moment’s thought, the doctor said, “If things are this bad, a transfer might be best. Your son’s fistula has been removed, his bodily functions are normal. He can be moved to a proper psychiatric hospital now.”

“The doctors there are more specialized than in a general hospital. He’ll get better treatment. Don’t worry—I’ll document today’s events in his file. It won’t delay his care.”

“But… my son is in this state. How can he be transferred?”

“Ms. Sun, please don’t panic. Relapses are normal. You need to give your son time. I’ll prescribe some Risperidone and Olanzapine. He’ll be fine on the way.”

Soon, Danyangzi saw two burly men walk up to his bed. They grabbed the bed frame and began to wheel him out.

“Where are you taking me?! Let me go! When I achieve immortality, I will kill every one of you!”

One of the orderlies snickered. Sun Xiaoqin’s face darkened.

“My son is sick! What’s so funny? Is mocking a patient amusing to you?”

Without waiting for an answer, she reached out and gently stroked her son’s face.

“Don’t be afraid, son. Mom’s here. With Mom here, no one will dare bully you.”

Danyangzi froze.

The soft touch on his cheek. The sincerity in her eyes. It cracked open a door he had sealed long ago, deep in the oldest part of his memory.

Slowly, the woman’s face began to overlap with a blurry image buried in his past.

He stared at her round, worried face. His chin trembled.

“Mother?”

The moment he spoke, the world around him snapped back. The sterile white faded. The blood-reeking cave was once again in front of him.

“What… what in the… what’s going on?”

Danyangzi’s expression shifted between confusion and fury as he scanned his surroundings. He had seen many strange things in his life, but nothing like this.

He grabbed his sword and pressed himself against the wall, watching everything with sharp vigilance.

“Where is my true body?! Why hasn’t it come?!”

A seed of fear began to sprout in Danyangzi’s chest.

Nothing seemed wrong on the surface. But he knew that vision was no ordinary trick. Whoever had done this was no common foe.

“Master…”

A familiar voice, one that sent chills through his bones, exploded right behind his ear. Every hair on his body stood on end.