Chapter 416: Reality

Chapter 416: Reality

“What if this world is real?” Li Huowang pondered these questions in his mind, his gaze fixed and unblinking as he surveyed the entire ward around him.

He was Xin Su—the one who could make Dan Yang Zi attain immortality! If he truly and unintentionally unleashed the primordial Qi within his body, producing gold would be as easy as breathing for him!

“But...” A flicker of pain and hesitation crossed Li Huowang’s face. “Why now? I was about to grasp Beifeng, I was about to escape from this illusion—why now...”

The torment on Li Huowang’s face deepened. At this moment, he once again found himself caught in an impossible dilemma. If this illusion were real, what had all his painstaking efforts and sacrifices over these past months been for?

“What if this world really is real?” This thought burrowed into Li Huowang’s mind like a venomous worm, stirring up chaos in his calm thoughts.

Li Huowang gritted his teeth and raised his head forcefully, slamming it against the wall in an attempt to drive away the discomfort with pain.

“No, no! No!!!”

“Son! What’s wrong with you? Don’t scare me like that!”

Sun Xiaoqin was terrified by Li Huowang’s actions. She quickly set down her food basket, rushed forward, and clutched his head tightly, stroking his short hair over and over.

Affected by her touch, Li Huowang stopped moving and closed his eyes in agony.

He wasn’t afraid of wasting effort, nor did he fear suffering or death. But he feared returning to that unbearable limbo between reality and illusion.

If he could be absolutely certain that this world was real, then it would be fine. But right now, he only had a guess—and no matter how true that guess might be, there was still a sliver of possibility that it was false.

“Is that even possible? How could it be? I haven’t even learned that cultivation technique, how could I so easily access the primordial Qi?”

“And that doesn’t make sense either—if both worlds are real, why can I produce gold here but not there? Does Xin Su’s power depend on location?”

Li Huowang pondered for a moment, then stared wide-eyed at the bedside table beside him, trying to manifest a large chunk of gold through sheer willpower. Nothing happened. He tried to move the table with his mind, but still nothing changed.

Regardless of what Li Huowang thought, at this moment, veins bulged from his neck, his bloodshot eyes glared wildly, making him look utterly terrifying.

“Son, don’t scare me like that. I really can’t take anymore! What’s wrong with you?”

Sun Xiaoqin’s sobbing made Li Huowang lift his head to look at her. He noticed the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes—how long had it been since he last saw her? He suddenly realized how much his mother had aged.

Even if she were fake, this version of her stirred deep sorrow in Li Huowang’s heart.

“Mom, I’m fine. Really.” With a softened expression, Li Huowang whispered reassurance. He couldn’t act rashly, couldn’t speculate without reason. Doing so would plunge him back into the tangled confusion he had just escaped.

His mind grew increasingly chaotic. Li Huowang shook his head hard, took a deep breath, and steadied his spirit.

If there was a chance this world could be real, he should seek solid evidence to refute it—not just indulge in wild speculation. Based on current circumstances, the likelihood of this world being real seemed low.

“Then how else do you explain it? I can bring things from that world, but I can’t take anything from here to there. It’s not possible that the other world is the fake one, is it?”

Li Huowang leaned slightly toward Sun Xiaoqin’s embrace, savoring the rare peace. This feeling had been something he dreamed of for so long in his dreams back in that other world.

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

“Nana? Nana’s fine,” Sun Xiaoqin’s voice wavered slightly. She didn’t hesitate, pulling out a tissue to wipe his forehead.

Having tangled with people like those from the Zuo Wang Dao for so long, Li Huowang could easily tell whether Sun Xiaoqin was lying or not.

“Mom, what’s wrong with Nana?” As if sensing something ominous, Li Huowang’s mood darkened.

Sun Xiaoqin tried to hide something, but Li Huowang easily saw through her attempts. Under persistent questioning, she finally sighed helplessly.

“Don’t blame her. She hasn’t been able to come lately. Nana is a good girl.”

“I’m not blaming her. I just want to know where she is.”

“Nana has taken a leave of absence. Her parents took her to see a doctor.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Li Huowang couldn’t help but grow anxious.

“She’s fine. Just a bit depressed, not eating or drinking much,” Sun Xiaoqin said, picking up the food box again to feed him once more.

Chewing mechanically, unable to taste anything, Li Huowang thought of the girl who had always followed him since childhood, now reduced to such a state. His heart bled.

She had given him so much, yet he could offer her nothing in return.

“It’s okay, son. I heard it’s a minor illness, treatable with medicine. Don’t feel guilty.”

“Mom, can you let me go for a bit?” Li Huowang suddenly asked.

Sun Xiaoqin, holding the food box, hesitated for a moment, but nodded firmly. “Fine! Being tied up all day must be suffocating. Better to stretch a little.”

With that, she began to untie the restraints binding Li Huowang.

Just a few movements in, a tense male voice came from a surveillance camera in the corner of the room. “Hey! Aunt Sun, what are you doing?! Stop right now!”

“My son’s limbs are bound, he’s getting cramped! Don’t worry, I’m here. He’s very well-behaved!” Sun Xiaoqin’s pace quickened.

“I’ll be there in a second! I’ll be there in a second!!” The monitor went silent.

As soon as Li Huowang regained freedom, the door burst open with a bang. Two burly guards wielding batons rushed in.

But seeing Li Huowang, whose muscles had atrophied from lack of exercise, they stood at the door, gulped hard, and called for backup on their pager, shouting for Bed 1.

This man was notorious throughout the prison as the “Fighting Madness,” someone extremely difficult to provoke.

Li Huowang ignored them and swayed his sore limbs toward the window surrounded by iron bars.

Looking out at the sky beyond, he gripped the railing and reached out his hand.

A warm ray of sunlight fell upon the pale fingertips of Li Huowang.

Feeling that warmth, a longing and yearning arose in his heart. “If everything here is real… how wonderful that would be…”

(End of Chapter)