Chapter 554: Return

Chapter 554: Return

"Mom, I'm really doing fine. It's just that lately I've been tied up with things, so I haven't had much time to be awake. But things will only get better from here on."

Li Huowang, bound to his hospital bed, spoke soothingly to Sun Xiaoqin beside him.

Sun Xiaoqin smiled and shook her head. "Mom isn't worried at all—really, I’m not. Come, have an apple."

"Mom, I can’t eat anything right now." Seeing the smile fade from Sun Xiaoqin’s face, Li Huowang quickly added.

"Mom, when I want to eat next time, I’ll shout in my coma that I want food, and then you can feed me an apple, okay?"

Hearing this, Sun Xiaoqin nodded with a smile. "Alright, I'll do as my son says."

Just as Li Huowang relaxed his tense heart and began chatting with Sun Xiaoqin, he suddenly noticed Yi Donglai standing at the doorway of the ward, staring at him through the window.

When Li Huowang realized he had been seen, Yi Donglai pushed his rimless glasses up his nose and turned the doorknob to enter.

First, he asked Sun Xiaoqin to leave. Then, in a casual tone, he asked, "How are things going? Have you found Bai Lingmiao yet?"

Li Huowang remained silent in response.

"The sun is so bright outside. Why don't we go out for some fresh air?" Yi Donglai undid the restraints on Li Huowang's limbs, but Li Huowang didn’t move an inch.

Yi Donglai, who had rolled in a wheelchair, raised an eyebrow. "Why aren’t you moving?"

Looking up at Yi Donglai, Li Huowang said coldly, "I’m riding a horse right now. If I move around too much, I might fall off."

Yi Donglai nodded understandingly and pushed the wheelchair away again. "You know what? I talked to your former doctor, Wang Wei."

This caught Li Huowang’s attention. "What illness did he have that brought him here?"

"What kind of illness could bring someone here? But his paperwork was incomplete—he got transferred here through connections. So the head of the hospital sent him back out."

"No need to talk about him anymore. His condition is much lighter than yours. But during our conversation, we came up with a new treatment plan."

"This method hasn’t been tried before. But all conventional treatments have failed on you. Maybe it’s worth trying."

Li Huowang looked at him and smiled. "Then let’s try it. What if it works?"

Two worlds were real. He was stuck between them. Did Yi Donglai really believe ordinary medical methods could pull him out?

If everything could be resolved as easily as a fairy tale, that would be wonderful.

"There’s no way it’s that fast—it requires procedures. But I think the people upstairs will sign off. They’re really troubled by you—they’d rather see you cured and transferred to another branch unit."

"If you're fine, I should be going. It's hard to find time on the road."

Hearing this, Yi Donglai’s expression became serious. His firm gaze, behind the green-tinted lenses, fixed on Li Huowang.

"I know you don’t trust me, but I want you to know—I’m stubborn. That stubbornness has made sure every patient who passed through my hands recovered and left the hospital. Even those with incurable diseases—my patients had the best outcomes in the entire hospital!"

"Since you're my patient, I’ll spare no effort to cure you! No matter how many methods I try."

"Thank you. You’re a good doctor. But you truly cannot help with this matter. Don’t waste your energy anymore." With these words, Li Huowang slowly closed his eyes.

In the darkness, he heard Yi Donglai’s voice growing fainter. "Is that so? I won’t believe it. In fact, you do have weaknesses. I’ve already found some patterns and figured out how to intervene."

Drowsily, Li Huowang was startled awake by thunder. He found himself sitting on a horse, his red robe having sprouted tendrils that firmly gripped the reins.

At that moment, rain began to pour. Under the downpour, Li Huowang took up his hat and placed it on his head.

"How long have we been riding?" Li Huowang asked Li Sui.

"Dad, I don’t know. You never taught me that," Li Sui replied.

Looking at the muddy path beneath their feet, Li Huowang bit his finger and drew a talisman on the horse’s back.

The exhausted horse’s veins bulged as it surged forward at twice its previous speed.

"We should be close to Shangjing now," Li Huowang thought, noting the familiar surroundings.

The sound of hooves continued until nightfall. When a bolt of lightning struck, Li Huowang finally saw the towering walls of Shangjing City.

He raised his official badge from Jian Tian Si high and rode straight through the gate.

Another lightning strike followed. At that moment, Li Huowang sensed something was wrong—the lightning kept striking in one direction toward the city.

Looking at the desolate streets, he suddenly realized something. He yanked the reins and charged toward where the lightning had struck.

The sky grew darker, but in the city, a fire lit the sky—this was the residence of Princess Anping!

When Li Huowang jumped off the dying horse and rushed into the palace, he saw a human skull pile erected before the burning building.

"Ahh～ so you’re Ejiu, right?" A careless Taoist emerged from the shadows.

His robe was tattered and patched, his feet bare, and a dirty green silk ball was tied to his head with red string.

Li Huowang paid no attention to his odd appearance. His entire focus was on the man’s left hand, which held a woman’s severed head.

"Ejiu~ why are you so late? Hmm? The Emperor is deeply disappointed in you. A mere woman, yet you took so long. This old Taoist wouldn’t even need one hand to finish her."

The patched Taoist held Princess Anping’s head and placed it atop the skull pile.

Princess Anping’s beautiful face was filled with despair. Her mouth was wide open, and rain poured down like tears. This wasn’t a substitute—it was her true body.

Princess Anping was dead. The last contender for succession was gone. This meant Ji Lin was about to ascend the throne! The dice had achieved its goal.

The ragged Taoist strolled over to Li Huowang, speaking regretfully, "Ah～ some people just lack sense. The Emperor is about to become the True Emperor. They give gifts in snow, but they can’t add flowers to brocade."

In the rain, Li Huowang clenched his fists. "No! No way he can ascend the throne! Not until the dice dies!"

Just as the ragged Taoist prepared to leave, Li Huowang gripped the hilt of his spine sword and slashed toward him.

As the blade approached the Taoist’s head, he ducked like a turtle and avoided the blow.

Then, the Taoist’s head reappeared from within his robe, his face full of fury. "You dare sneak attack me!"

"You killed her. Only you know Princess Anping is dead. If I kill you, she’ll still appear alive to others! Ji Lin won’t be able to ascend the throne!!"

With that, Li Huowang lunged forward, surrounded by tendrils.

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(End of Chapter)