The Doctor

Yi Donglai looked at him helplessly. “Li Huowang, I’m following your logic right now. You’re trying to cultivate the truth, right? So as far as you’re concerned, this world is already real. If it’s real, then why are you afraid?”

“I’m not afraid!” Hearing his own voice suddenly rise, Li Huowang paused to steady his breathing before speaking again. “I’m not afraid. I just don’t have the time right now to deal with trivial matters here. I need to put this place on hold for a while. There’s too much going on over there. Once I succeed in cultivating the truth, all the problems will resolve themselves!”

“But what if the Dice was telling the truth? What if cultivating the truth without cultivating the false really does lead to Qi Deviation?” Yi Donglai spread his hands, his expression one of helpless inquiry.

“I’ll say it again! Stop discussing what happens over there with me. You have no idea what I’ve been through in that world! You don’t have the right to interfere!”

“Why can’t I interfere? Is it because you assumed everything over there was a secret only you knew, but now it turns out everyone here knows about it? Because you’re realizing the two worlds aren’t as separate as you thought?”

“Or is it that the reason you’re reacting so violently is because, if I keep going, it will shake your perception of that completely illogical world as real? Li Huowang, ask yourself honestly—is that chaotic world really that true to you?”

“Bam!” Li Huowang’s thin hands tightened around his phone and he slammed it against the floor with all his strength. The phone shattered instantly.

He grabbed one of the shards—a sharp piece of metal—and lunged with every ounce of strength he had. By the time Yi Donglai could react, the corner of the jagged metal was pressed against the pulse point on his neck.

“Shut your mouth, you hear me?!” Li Huowang hissed. “Even if my muscles are all atrophied, taking your life would still be easy for me!”

Only when he felt Yi Donglai’s body tremble and saw the fear in his eyes did Li Huowang slowly release him.

“I’ll decide what’s real and what isn’t on my own! For the next year or two, I need to focus everything on handling things over there, so don’t bother me. Once everything settles down, my illness will naturally take care of itself!” Staggering backward, Li Huowang’s voice dropped low as he tossed the metal shard aside.

But Yi Donglai still refused to give up. “Li Huowang, you need to understand that, with your current mental state—even if we follow your logic and both worlds are real—you still have a mental illness! No matter which world you’re in, a sick person needs treatment!”

“I am not sick!”

“Bang!” The door was shoved open, and a group of nurses, each holding various restraints, rushed in with tense expressions.

Yi Donglai covered his neck with his hand, his expression grim. “And besides, if you believe both worlds are real, then why are you so afraid of them touching? What exactly are you afraid of?”

Surrounded by the nurses, Li Huowang slumped onto a stool, tilting his head back and staring coldly at him.

The orderlies swarmed forward, encircling Li Huowang. The double-layer restraint suit, which hadn’t been worn in a long time, was once again strapped onto his gaunt, skeletal body.

Eight of them carried him like a slaughtered pig, hauling him toward his ward.

Who has my counterpart in this world been captured by, over there? Li Huowang muttered to himself. Those Great Qi people don’t seem to want me dead yet… Is Sui’er okay?

“Li Huowang!! Li Huowang!! I finally found you! I knew you’d be here!” A voice, brimming with ecstatic joy, made Li Huowang tilt his head toward the ward on his left.

The source of the voice was a disheveled male patient clinging to the iron bars of his cell door. His hands, trembling with delight, gripped the bars as he jumped up and down.

“Who is this? Do you know him? Why does he know your name?” Yi Donglai, who was following alongside, asked.

Li Huowang tilted his head back, studying the man’s face. After a few seconds of recognition, he said, “That’s Wang Wei. His title… I think he used to be my attending physician. He tried the same trick you just did on me. How did he end up crazy too?”

“What? What did you say?!” Yi Donglai, who had remained composed until now, showed shock for the first time.

“Li Huowang! Come here! I need to talk to you! I need to talk to you!” Wang Wei jumped and bounced urgently inside his ward, watching helplessly as Li Huowang was carried past him down the corridor.

“Hah—!” Li Huowang’s eyes snapped open, and he gasped for air.

When he saw the dusty roof beam above him, he let out a long breath. I’m finally back.

Before I succeed in cultivating the truth, I’d better stay here for now. At least over there, in the hospital, there’s no real danger.

“Sss—” A sharp pain in his abdomen made him look down.

He saw Li Sui yanking half of his stomach open, her tentacles wrapped around several steamed buns as she stuffed them inside.

Li Huowang had no idea how long he’d been unconscious, but judging by how much his stomach had grown, it had been a while.

After looking around the dilapidated room, he asked Li Sui, “Sui’er, where are we? Great Liang? Great Qi?”

“Dad, you’re awake. What’s ‘Great Liang’ and ‘Great Qi’?”

Li Huowang didn’t ask her again and instead turned to look at Zhuge Yuan, who had already spoken first. “Brother Li, you are in Great Qi.”

Li Huowang nodded. Struggling to his feet, he immediately felt dizzy, the world spinning around him. If Li Sui hadn’t been supporting him, he would have fallen flat on his face.

I’ve rested this long, and I’m still this bad… It seems the road to turning Zhuge Yuan into reality is a long one.

He shook his head forcefully, trying to feel a little better, then looked up at Zhuge Yuan and asked urgently, “Brother Zhuge, was there anyone close to me just now? Someone who was feeding me?”

“Dad, it was me! I tried to feed you some steamed buns, but you wouldn’t eat them and even knocked them away. So I just put the buns inside your stomach.”

Hearing Li Sui’s aggrieved tone, Li Huowang’s heart softened. He reached out and gently hugged her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. But over there, I don’t know if the person touching me here is a good person or a bad one.”

Li Sui’s tentacles coiled around him affectionately.

After comforting Li Sui, Li Huowang looked at Zhuge Yuan again. “Brother Zhuge, are you done with your business? Do I need to go again?”

Seeing Li Huowang’s strong reaction, there was no way Zhuge Yuan would let him try again.

“No need. One does one’s best and leaves the rest to fate. I am already dead, and I have done everything I could. The rest is up to the other people of Great Qi.”

“Alright, then. Let’s head back to Great Liang first.” Li Huowang reached behind him and pulled out the spinal-blade sword.

Just as he was about to swing it, he suddenly remembered something Yi Donglai had said. “Speaking of which, that dragon vein of Great Qi being severed… will it affect Great Liang?”

“It won’t. On the contrary, it’s a good thing for Great Liang.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang breathed a small sigh of relief. He opened his mouth and said to Li Sui beside him, “Come on, get in.”