Hysteria

1,239 words

Chapter 229 Hysteria

When Li Huowang, nursing a headache, opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in a small tent. Beside him was Bai Lingmiao, wearing only her bellyband, silently combing her hair with a horn comb.

Li Huowang reached out, pulled her over, and held her in his arms.

As she quietly began to untie her bellyband, Li Huowang’s voice was calm as he told her what he had learned the night before.

Her shy gaze gradually gave way to shock and disgust. What Sun Baolu’s mother had endured was far beyond her imagination. How could people—fellow human beings—do such things?

Li Huowang’s hand, missing its fingernails, brushed over Bai Lingmiao’s shoulder. “So it seems Liang isn’t so great after all,” he remarked with a sigh.

“But… but we don’t have things like that where I’m from. My home is a good place,” Bai Lingmiao said, her voice weak.

Li Huowang smiled. Of course, that was how it looked to Bai Lingmiao. The world of most common folk was far too small—small enough that they spent their entire lives within twenty li of where they were born. Ignorant and simple, they had no concept of anything beyond.

He also knew it was perhaps too rash to judge all of Liang based on one woman’s experience. It could be just an isolated case.

But Li Huowang had always planned for the worst. To survive in this world, he had to be prepared.

He pulled Bai Lingmiao a little closer, burying his nose in the smooth curve of her neck and breathing in deeply. “It’s fine. I didn’t say we weren’t going back. Seeing is believing. Once we reach Liang and see the situation for ourselves, we’ll decide.”

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao finally let out a long sigh of relief. She had been afraid Li Huowang wouldn’t go home with her.

“Let’s get up. Now that Sun Baolu’s home, and we’ve had our fill of wine and meat, we need to keep moving.” He patted her.

Though it was nice here, there was no reason to linger in Qingqiu while hidden dangers might still exist. They could rest plenty when they reached their destination.

When the two stepped out of the tent, they found the others already awake. After the night of drinking, the group had clearly grown much closer to the people of Qingqiu. They even went to the river to wash up with their arms slung over each other’s shoulders.

They chattered away, despite not even sharing a language.

The morning air was fresh. Drawing a deep breath in front of the tent, Li Huowang felt his spirits lift. Gazing at the vibrant life all around, even his mood improved.

Li Huowang scanned the area, his gaze finally settling on Sun Baolu. Despite all the wine he’d drunk the night before, the man had gotten up early and was herding some sheep into his flock.

“What are you doing? There’s no need to give us any more sheep. We won’t even be able to finish the ones we have by the time we arrive.” Li Huowang walked over to him.

Sun Baolu, who seemed to have become more cheerful now that he was home, grinned brightly at Li Huowang. “It’s fine. If you can’t eat them, you can sell them. Sheep from Qingqiu are worth a lot when you get them to Liang. Consider it an early wedding gift for you and Junior Sister Bai.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Li Huowang wasn’t paying attention. Instead, his eyes had gone vacant, his body swaying, and his face had turned terribly grim.

“No!” Li Huowang suddenly crouched down, clutching his head, startling Sun Baolu.

“Baolu! Hurry! Go get Gao Zhijian and bring the chains! Tie me up! It’s happening again!” Li Huowang shouted in anguish.

Hearing this, Sun Baolu immediately knew that Senior Brother Li was having another episode. He threw down the whip he was using to herd the goats and dashed toward the distant cowhide tent.

When he returned, panting, with the other senior and junior brothers in tow, they saw Li Huowang standing still, head tilted back, talking to himself. “Wang Wei, I have nothing to say to you. Go.”

“I know my own business. Don’t try that provoking shit on me. Someone already tried it. It didn’t work.”

As the others stood there, unsure what to do, Li Huowang, still muttering to himself, seemed to know they were nearby. He spoke as calmly as he could manage. “Did you bring the chains? If you did, stop standing around and get me tied up. I’ll try to stay still for now.”

“Once I’m tied up, pack the bags. Eat breakfast, and then we move out.”

At his orders, the others snapped out of it and swarmed forward, wrapping Li Huowang tightly in the chains.

Seeing him bound, and remembering what had happened last time, no one dared to let their guard down. They quickly moved further away.

“Hah, who I’m talking to is none of your business. Again? Fine. You want to get rough with me? Go ahead. If you’ve got the guts, kill me today. Otherwise, get the hell out of my sight!”

After saying that, Li Huowang fell silent. Just as the others thought it was over, he suddenly erupted with a furious roar that made them jump. “Are you trying to die?! I’m mentally ill right now! I can’t be charged with murder!”

Bound tightly from head to toe, Li Huowang abruptly stood up straight as a zombie. The sight made the onlookers step back in fear.

Sensing something amiss, the people of Qingqiu gradually gathered around. Sun Baolu explained over and over what was happening to Li Huowang.

Hundreds of people formed a circle, silently watching Li Huowang’s performance in the center. The fury had disappeared from his face, replaced by deep frustration and irritation.

“Mom? What are you doing here? I was just talking tough. I wasn’t really going to kill anyone… Hey, don’t cry. My condition hasn’t gotten worse.”

As if hearing something, the expression on Li Huowang’s face slowly shifted from frustration to pain. He sank to the ground, curling into a tight ball as best he could.

“Mom, I’m begging you. Tell Dr. Wang to go away. I really don’t need treatment. I know my own situation. Don’t waste money on specialists. Keep it for yourself.”

Seeing Li Huowang’s breathing grow rapid and his expression more anguished, Bai Lingmiao bit her lower lip, her heart aching. She couldn’t help but want to go to him, to hold him. Luckily, Luo Juan and Chun Xiaoman grabbed her arms.

“Do you want to die?! Senior Brother Li could kill you with a flick of his finger right now!”

After that, Li Huowang seemed to be listening to something. His face twisted in pain, he rolled on the ground like a maggot, wiping his face against the grass. His tears mingled with the dew on the blades until they were indistinguishable.

“Mom, are you short on money at home? If you need money, tell me. I’ll figure something out.”

“Don’t lie to me. You cut your own hair with scissors. I can tell…”

Suddenly, Li Huowang sprang up from the ground, his face contorted with fury as he shouted at the empty air. “Wang Wei! Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!”

(End of Chapter)

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Reading Guide Decoding

The Public Unraveling: A Village Watches Li Huowang’s Madness

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

This chapter is a deep dive into the novel’s core mechanism: the xinsu (心素) constitution. The term comes from classical Daoist cosmology—the “Grand Beginning” transforms into “form,” which has substance but not yet a body. In the novel, this means Li Huowang’s beliefs and hallucinations can literally manifest into reality. His madness is not a mere mental illness; it is an ontological wound that allows him to interact with beings that are as real as the grass under his feet. The way he talks to Wang Wei and his mother showcases the “dual-track” horror—the voices are real in his perception, but the physical consequences (his screaming, his convulsions) are real to everyone else. The scene where he says “mental illness means I can’t be charged with murder” is a disturbing inversion of real-world legal logic, weaponizing his condition as a threat.

xinsu (心素)

A rare human constitution that allows belief to shape reality; classical Daoist cosmology describes it as “form with substance but not yet a body.”

Chapter Overview

Get ready for a raw, gut-wrenching chapter that puts the “hysteria” front and center. After a brief moment of domestic peace with Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang plunges into a violent psychotic episode that lays bare the terrifying mechanism of his xinsu affliction. This isn’t just a spooky vision—it’s a full-blown, externally visible breakdown where he argues with invisible figures, curses out a hallucinated “Wang Wei,” and begs a version of his mother for forgiveness. The horror is made doubly intense by being filtered through the horrified eyes of his companions and the entire Qingqiu village, who can only watch as their leader unravels into something inhuman. It’s a masterclass in how Dao Gui Yi Xian weaponizes mental illness as its greatest horror.

Key Plot Points

Li Huowang wakes up in a tent with Bai Lingmiao and calmly informs her about Sun Baolu’s mother’s horrific past, making her realize the world is crueler than she imagined.
He decides they must leave Qingqiu soon but remains pragmatic about their journey to Liang.
Shortly after stepping outside, Li Huowang’s xinsu affliction triggers a severe psychotic break—he starts hallucinating conversations with a figure named Wang Wei and his mother.
Recognizing the onset, he orders his companions to quickly chain him up to prevent harm, showing terrifying self-awareness amidst the madness.
His performance disturbs the entire Qingqiu community, who gather in a silent ring to observe the terrifying spectacle of his internal war.
The episode culminates in a heart-wrenching exchange where he begs his hallucinated mother not to spend money on doctors and ends with a furious roar at Wang Wei to stay out of his family matters.

Reading Guide

Fellow Daoists, this chapter is a pure gut-punch. Watch how Li Huowang’s mental state is depicted not as a power-up or a cool ability, but as a painful, cyclical collapse that alienates him from everyone around him. The “quiet beginning” with Bai Lingmiao is a trap—it lures you into a false sense of peace before the storm hits. And the way the entire village watches… that silence is the sound of a protagonist becoming a monster. Pay attention to the names he shouts. Wang Wei is a new, hostile figure, while his mother is a source of overwhelming guilt and love—the same emotional anchors that have defined his journey. The fact that he tries to protect her from financial ruin even while hallucinating shows that his humanity is fighting, even as his mind shatters. This is the cost of being a xinsu.