Chapter 170: Xinsu

Chapter 170: The Pure Heart

When Danyang Zi finally came to his senses, he found that his left arm, which should have been severed, had miraculously grown back.

Just as he was about to move, he was shocked to find himself trapped on an iron bed, his limbs firmly bound by tough, wide cloth straps, rendering him utterly immobile.

Danyang Zi continuously formed hand seals and chanted incantations, or perhaps employed some other divine power, only to discover that nothing worked.

Now, he had actually been reduced to a pig on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.

This feeling brought upon him an unprecedented humiliation; ever since he had snatched a broken blade and taken a life at the age of ten, he had never been reduced to such a plight.

"Who! Who exactly is casting this illusion upon this immortal!" The sheer unfamiliarity of his surroundings caused Danyang Zi's expression to contort as he roared at the woman before him.

"I don't care who you are! Just you wait! Once my true body returns, you will all die!" Danyang Zi gnashed his teeth and bellowed at the woman in front of him.

Immediately after, Danyang Zi saw that the young woman before him was terrified, and she scurried out of the room with rapid, pattering footsteps.

"Doctor! Doctor, come quickly! Something terrible has happened to my son!"

Seizing this opportunity, Danyang Zi violently yanked at his hands once more, only to find them still immovable; his mood fluctuating, he cast a wary glance around the chaotic surroundings.

"The Path of Sitting and Forgetting! Perhaps it is them! Who knows if those frauds number only six, or if a few more are hiding in the shadows, waiting to ambush this Daoist master!"

Before long, Danyang Zi saw the young woman return, accompanied by two men wearing white coats.

"Three people? These three have subdued me, yet they refrain from striking; what on earth could be their purpose?"

Just as Danyang Zi was speculating on the thoughts of the three before him, one of the doctors spoke.

"Xiao Li, take a look, who is she to you?"

A doctor wearing round plastic glasses pointed his pen at Sun Xiaoqin beside him and asked.

At this moment, Danyang Zi had also calmed down. "Speak, who exactly sent you? To hinder this Daoist master from achieving immortality, since when have you been following me?"

Hearing such absurd words, the doctor seemed not the least bit surprised; he calmly nodded and began writing something on his clipboard with his pen.

"Then do you still remember your own name?"

Danyang Zi understood the implication of these words and began to change his tactics, saying in a grave voice, "I am Danyang Zi, Master of the Clear Wind Temple. You dare to make a move without even knowing who I am? Fellow Daoist, which sect do you belong to?"

"This Daoist master has lived for over half a century, traveled north and south, and been everywhere, knowing quite a few people; perhaps your elders are even friends of mine. Let me go, and as long as this Daoist master ultimately achieves immortality, your rewards will be plentiful."

Hearing this, Sun Xiaoqin grew anxious and quickly spoke up, "Son, what nonsense are you talking? You are no Danyang Zi, you are Li Huowang!"

"Li Huowang?" A trace of confusion flickered in Danyang Zi's eyes, followed immediately by a vigorous shake of his head.

"No! There is no Li Huowang at all! There has only ever been Danyang Zi! Those are all fake! From beginning to end, they are merely the inner demons of this Daoist master, the Three Corpses of this Daoist master!"

Sun Xiaoqin anxiously wanted to say more, but was stopped by the doctor's hand. "Madam Sun, please control your emotions a little, could you wait until we finish our inquiry?"

Hearing this, Sun Xiaoqin, who was clutching her handbag tightly with both hands, nodded, suppressing her deep anxiety as she retreated to a corner against the wall.

The two doctors looked at the young man before them, exchanged a few words, and then finalized their strategy, one asking and the other taking notes.

A stool was pulled over, and he sat down by Li Huowang's bed, crossing his legs.

"Alright then, Danyang Zi, may I ask you another question? What is one plus one?"

Hearing the words from the white coat, Danyang Zi felt a surge of confusion; why was the other party starting to talk nonsense?

However, Danyang Zi was quite pleased to see the other party ramble on, as long as he could stall until his true body returned, he would have won.

After probing each other for a while, neither obtained the information they desired.

The doctor, his brows furrowed, tapped his pen against the notes on his clipboard, a hint of puzzlement in his eyes.

"Strange, the condition has been stable for so long, yet suddenly new symptoms are emerging. Madam Sun, has your son been subjected to any other external stimuli recently?"

"No! Not at all! My son has been very well-behaved, he even talked to me on his birthday recently!" Sun Xiaoqin answered eagerly.

After much deliberation, the doctor spoke, "If it really doesn't work, let's transfer him first. Your son's internal fistula has been removed, and he can have normal bowel movements now, so he can be transferred to a proper psychiatric hospital."

"The doctors there are more specialized than those in a tertiary hospital, and it would be better for his treatment. Rest assured, I will record today's events in his medical file, and it won't delay his treatment."

"But my son is in this state, how can we even transfer him?"

"Madam Sun, don't worry, it's perfectly normal for the condition to fluctuate. You need to give your son some time. I'll prescribe some risperidone and olanzapine later, and there won't be any trouble on the way."

Before long, Danyang Zi quickly saw two burly men approach his bed, dragging the bed board and walking out.

"Where are you taking me!! Put this Daoist master down! Once I achieve immortality, this Daoist master will kill you all!"

Hearing this, the orderly let out a snort of laughter, which instead made Sun Xiaoqin displeased.

"My son is a patient! What are you laughing at! Is it that funny to mock a patient?"

Having said this, Sun Xiaoqin, her face filled with heartache, gently stroked her son's face with her hand.

"Don't be afraid, son, Mom is here. With Mom here, no one dares to bully you."

The raging Danyang Zi suddenly froze; the soft touch on his face, along with the other's sincere gaze, unearthed a very distant memory sealed deep within his heart.

Gradually, the face of the woman before him began to overlap with a blurry face from his memory.

Staring straight at the worried, round face before him, Danyang Zi's chin trembled. "Mother?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Danyang Zi saw his surroundings revert; the pristine whiteness rapidly faded, and the blood-scented cave once again appeared before him.

"This... this... what on earth... is going on?"

Danyang Zi's expression fluctuated as he scanned his surroundings; he had seen many bizarre things, but he had never witnessed anything as bizarre as today.

Danyang Zi swiftly raised his sword and stepped to the side, watching everything around him with extreme vigilance.

"Where on earth has my true body gone! Why hasn't it come yet!"

Feeling a sense of unease, Danyang Zi began to grow anxious.

Although nothing seemed abnormal on the surface, he knew that the illusion he had just experienced was absolutely not something an ordinary person could achieve.

The one who had done this to him was definitely no ordinary person!

"Master..." Suddenly, a chillingly familiar voice exploded behind Danyang Zi's ear, causing the hair on his entire body to stand on end in an instant.

(End of Chapter)