Chapter 843: Sound

Chapter 843: Voice

Upon hearing Li Sui’s words, Li Huowang immediately asked again, “Then why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Father, Xu Xu didn’t ask me, so what was I supposed to say? Can we really discuss such topics while our family is gathered for the New Year?”

“Father, what do you want to know this for? Are you saying you had no idea about such things in the past?”

“I know. Of course I know,” Li Huowang said, lifting his bitter tea and taking a large gulp.

“What I mean is, we should exchange more information about this world. After all, you’ve lived here for 160 years—obviously you know more than I do, and there are things you know that I don’t.”

Li Sui supported the girl’s head with seven or eight tentacles, gently pressing it against Li Huowang’s chest to rub softly.

“Father, actually, I think it’s better not to tell you. The more you know, the more dangerous it becomes. It might be better to live in confusion and ignorance. Besides, you’re Xin Su, and even more so, a fully accomplished cultivator of Xin Su.”

Li Huowang reached out and gently stroked the head in his arms, sighing deeply. He knew the logic behind it—it had been said by Xuan Hua before—but hearing it from Li Sui’s mouth made him feel uneasy.

Suddenly, an unusually stern voice came from beside his ear. “Li Huowang, do you really find this amusing?”

Li Huowang closed his eyes and reopened them, staring blankly at the white energy-saving lamp above him. He paid no attention to the voices outside the door.

He wore two restraints, trapped, utterly confined.

But this was only temporary. He had already won. Qing Wang would come soon to rescue him.

Though he had lost one eye, paying that price to end this battle was worth it.

Everything was over now. No one would ever watch him again. No longer would he fear those things harming his family. Finally, he had gained true freedom—and could finally take a breath.

“Li Huowang! What the hell are you thinking?! Stop pretending to be insane! I’m the one who treats this kind of thing! Whether you’re crazy or not, I know better than you!”

The voice from outside belonged to Yi Donglai, and his tone was filled with outrage.

He had every reason to be angry. Li Renwang’s madness had turned him into a laughingstock. All his hard work on his thesis had become nothing but vapor.

He refused to believe it. He had treated countless patients with various illnesses—some had recovered, others had improved greatly. Yet, he had failed with Li Huowang, his first setback.

Li Huowang remained motionless, indifferent to Yi Donglai’s voice.

After twenty minutes, Yi Donglai finally left. Li Huowang’s single eye blinked slightly.

He endured the deathly silence inside the room for another half hour before suddenly hearing something. He immediately began writhing in agitation.

Li Huowang didn’t speak. He pressed his lips together and quickly twisted his body toward the left wall.

Wearing the restraints, moving was extremely difficult. Soon, sweat appeared on his forehead, but he did not stop.

Finally, when he reached the left wall, he pressed his ear firmly against the soft leather surface and vaguely heard a woman’s voice.

He remembered that voice—it was Zhao Ting’s, the girl who had been paired with him and suffered from depression.

“Li… Wang… still… okay?” The voice was muffled and unclear, but after days of training, Li Huowang could roughly guess what she meant.

A smile appeared on Li Huowang’s face as he nodded vigorously. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Just a detention. I’ve been locked up before. It’s nothing.”

Soon, another voice came through. This time, it was a thick, clumsy man’s voice. His stammering, combined with the sound barrier of the wall, made it impossible to understand what he was saying.

But that distinctive voice instantly told Li Huowang who it was—the moderately intellectually disabled man sent to the psychiatric ward whom he had once helped. He remembered his name: Gao Jinyun.

Another voice followed. With the previous two, Li Huowang immediately guessed who it was—the woman with obsessive-compulsive disorder, Zhang Shuoe.

These people had all been on his team. Though they were seen as mentally ill by others, they still chose to interact with him. That made Li Huowang deeply grateful.

There were many who praised in prosperity, but few who offered help in adversity.

Seeing how many people he had killed, those outside surely imagined him as a madman without reason, someone who killed indiscriminately.

After exchanging brief pleasantries with them through the wall, Li Huowang then heard Zhao Ting’s voice again. “Let… us… go… save… us…”

Hearing this, Li Huowang’s heart tightened. Zhao Ting’s words today sounded different from before. He cautiously asked, “Did Qing Wang come and contact you?”

“Yes…”

This response made Li Huowang’s heart sink. He said seriously, “Tell Qing Wang to find another way! Don’t drag anyone else into this!”

Li Huowang really wanted to escape, but he didn’t want others to suffer because of his escape—especially those he knew.

They were all mentally ill. Each of them had enough struggles. Their safest path was to live quietly, treat their illness, and pass through life without too much trouble.

If they got involved in the fight between the Fates, who knew what would happen?

Besides, he hadn’t forgotten Qing Wang’s personality. When faced with useless tools, he would always choose the optimal solution.

“No… I… talked… with…” Zhao Ting’s voice grew fainter. No matter how Li Huowang adjusted his position, he still couldn’t hear clearly.

“What did you say?” Suddenly, Li Huowang dropped to the ground and stopped moving.

The very next second, the door to the restraint chamber was pushed open from the outside. It was Yi Donglai, dressed in a white medical coat.

“Who were you talking to just now?” Yi Donglai asked. Li Huowang didn’t answer.

After a while, Li Huowang saw Yi Donglai’s shoes appear before him.

Then he saw Yi Donglai grab the straps of the restraints and drag him out.

“You come here! Look at this! Open your remaining eye and look closely!”

Yi Donglai dragged Li Huowang to the outside of the left wall. There was only a wall there, and no one was visible outside.

“Do you see? There’s no one around the restraint chamber! It was all your hallucination! Li Huowang, you’re sick!”

Li Huowang opened his mouth and finally spoke to Yi Donglai for the first time, his tone calm. “No, I’m not sick. I’ve simply… found the truth of the world.”