Chapter 581: Li Huowang

Chapter 581: Li Huowang

In the second floor ward of the White Pagoda detention area, morning sunlight slanted through the window and poured into the sterile hospital room, lending it a faint warmth.

"Son, take it slow. Be careful not to burn yourself—ouch, that really hurts," said Sun Xiaoqin encouragingly as Li Huowang took hold of the short spoon filled with half a spoonful of porridge. His hands trembled as he brought it to his mouth.

A simple gesture, yet at this moment, it felt impossibly difficult for him.

Having lain in bed for so long, his muscles had wasted away. Though rehabilitation exercises had begun, they did not yield immediate results.

"Son, why don't I feed you instead?"

Li Huowang gave a slight shake of his head in refusal. "No need. At this point, I want to move around. Anything is good for the body."

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao finally withdrew her hand.

Li Huowang slowly ate a few bites before suddenly grimacing in pain, pressing his palm against his head.

But he didn’t touch his scalp or hair; instead, his fingers found something hard and slightly smooth—a shell-like covering.

"What is this?" After the headache subsided somewhat, Li Huowang used his fingernail to scrape at it, dislodging some brittle, dark yellow fragments.

"Senior Brother Li, don’t scratch it—it’s very fragile!" Bai Lingmiao quickly stopped him.

"What is it?" Li Huowang asked again, somewhat slowly.

"The doctors say that the third-stage psychotropic medication has some side effects, but its efficacy is strong. Huowang, just bear with it a little longer. Once your condition stabilizes, we’ll switch to a medicine with fewer side effects."

After the sharp pain passed, Li Huowang tapped lightly on his own head, producing an echoing hollow sound. "Is it lotus root? Is this a power of the White Lotus Sect?"

Bai Lingmiao cautiously touched Li Huowang's delicate, translucent head. Her white hair swayed gently as she shook her head.

"No, this is the technique of the Four Qi Astronomical Bureau. The Fangxian Sect’s powers are strange indeed. They say that everything can be used as medicine to heal people."

When she saw that Li Huowang had no head at all, Bai Lingmiao’s heart nearly stopped. She feared that if someone told him he had no head, he might die from shock.

Fortunately, now they were aligned with the imperial court. When Li Huowang was injured, the Four Qi Astronomical Bureau came to his aid.

"How long will it take to recover? I can’t live like this forever," Li Huowang asked while sipping his porridge.

"The Taoist said your fate is different from ordinary people, but it will take forty-nine days for you to regain your physical form."

Li Huowang nodded slightly. "It’s fine. It’s been such a long time—we can wait."

"Yes, yes. It’s been such a long time. Your illness finally has hope now. You know, public medicine is better than private care. Our doctor Yi is far more dedicated than those old private physicians."

At that moment, Sun Xiaoqin heard footsteps outside the ward door and quickly grabbed her small handbag, rushing toward Doctor Yi Donglai.

"Oh my goodness, Doctor Yi! Thank you so much—you’re truly a divine healer reborn like Hua Tuo!"

As she spoke these polite words, she pulled out a thick red envelope from her bag and shoved it into his coat pocket.

"Sister Sun, what’s this about? Please don’t do that. There are rules at the hospital."

"Heh heh, nothing serious—it’s just a token of appreciation. Please accept it. You’ve worked so hard for my son these past days. Doctor Yi, how old are you? Are you married? If not, let me introduce you to a nice girl!"

Sun Xiaoqin’s barrage of casual remarks left even the usually composed Yi Donglai off guard.

"Mom," Li Huowang said, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"I know, Mom, I’m leaving now."

Once Sun Xiaoqin exited the ward, Yi Donglai turned to Li Huowang with a bitter smile.

He sat down in the chair where Sun Xiaoqin had been, took out the red envelope from his pocket, waved it in front of the wall camera, and placed it inside Li Huowang’s hospital pocket.

"When you're discharged, remember to return it to your mother. I believe in your character—you wouldn’t use this money to buy skins in games, would you?"

Li Huowang opened the envelope and saw a stack of red bills. He counted them roughly—they were worth three or four thousand.

"That’s uncertain. Back in school, I was always sitting in the back row—the worst student. I was definitely a troublemaker."

Yi Donglai pushed up his rimless glasses and studied Li Huowang’s expression carefully. "Actually, if you really spent all this money on game skins, I’d be happy. At least it means you have normal human desires. If that day ever comes, then your illness will truly be cured."

Li Huowang tucked the envelope away, his face turning serious. He looked at Yi Donglai and said, "Your method does work, but can it truly cure everything about me completely?"

"Of course. Have faith in me. Don’t think your case is unique. I’ve already tried this method on others with excellent results."

"There was once a patient who believed he was nothing more than a wooden stake. He refused to take medicine, sleep, or cooperate with treatment. But I told him that even wood needs rest and medicine—and to prove it, I showed him animated videos of trees."

"After watching them, he actually believed that trees also needed medicine and sleep. So he started taking medicine willingly and cooperating with treatment. In just three months, he was discharged."

"During a follow-up visit, I learned that after being discharged, he never relapsed again. Although now he only delivers packages and earns little, he can still make ends meet and has returned to society."

Li Huowang nodded slowly, yet confusion still lingered on his face. He clenched and unclenched his right hand in front of his eyes.

"Although the memories given by Doumu in the Red Chamber have vanished entirely, I’ve returned to being the real Li Huowang."

"But the *Great Thousand Records* in my memory remains, the scars on my body remain, and the superhuman perception abilities bestowed by Bahu also remain."

"Do you understand what I mean? Even though I’ve become my own heart dragon, the true Li Huowang still carries the karma of Bahu."

Hearing this, the Astronomical Bureau official stared silently at Li Huowang before finally speaking in a deep, layered voice: "Confusion itself is a kind of suffering. Some things you should not know too much about now."

Li Huowang’s face showed a trace of bewilderment—he couldn’t quite grasp what the man was trying to say.

"Good. Stay like that." Just then, the door opened, and the Astronomical Bureau official entered. The version of the official standing before Li Huowang dissolved like sand in the wind.

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