Chapter 990: Nuo

Chapter 990: Nuo

"Longevity Pills?" Yi Donglai stared at the object in Li Huowang's hand, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him, as if he had heard of such things in a past life.

"Little Li, are you alright?" Yi Donglai leaned back slightly, sensing that Li Huowang was behaving in a deeply abnormal manner.

Li Huowang’s breathing was ragged, his pupils dilating and contracting rhythmically. "You didn't believe me, did you? I will let you see with your own eyes what is real! Whether I am truly suffering from hallucinations!"

Li Huowang rushed out of the warehouse, and when he returned, he was dragging Chen Hongyu, who was clutching a bag of potato chips, along with him.

"Watch closely!" As Li Huowang offered the item in his hand to Chen Hongyu, she popped it into her mouth without a second thought, chewing with a loud, rhythmic crunch.

"What did you feed me?" Chen Hongyu asked, picking her teeth with a finger.

"A Longevity Pill. It can restore your youth."

No sooner had Li Huowang spoken than a miraculous sight unfolded: Chen Hongyu began to wither away at an impossible speed, her features rapidly shedding the weight of years.

In a heartbeat, the middle-aged woman was gone, replaced by a young girl still munching on her chips.

Chen Hongyu seemed utterly bewildered by the transformation. "Holy cow! That’s incredible! Li Huowang, wasn't your ability supposed to be turning things into gold? When did your superpower mutate?"

Yet, her shock paled in comparison to Yi Donglai’s. Faced with this impossible spectacle, his jaw hung slack, his eyes wide as dinner plates.

The worldview he had meticulously maintained for so long was shattered into dust by this single, supernatural event.

Supported by Yang Na, Li Huowang stepped forward, trembling with intensity. "Doctor Yi, do you see clearly now? Can you finally understand what I have endured all these years? Do you finally grasp what I have been through?"

"How is this possible? How could this be? It defies all logic! Yes, it must be a magic trick!" Refusing to surrender to the impossible, Yi Donglai rushed toward Chen Hongyu, scrutinizing every detail and tugging at her clothes.

Even after Chen Hongyu slapped him across the face, the neurotic doctor did not falter, dropping to his knees to claw at the floor tiles.

But no matter how he inspected the scene, reality insisted there were no tricks to be found.

"Calm down! I must remain calm; this world is materialistic!" Losing his grip, Yi Donglai held his breath, desperately employing psychological techniques to restore his composure.

At that moment, Li Huowang held out the final seven Longevity Pills. "Doctor Yi, I know you refuse to believe me, thinking I’ve deceived you with some sleight of hand. If that’s the case, why not try them yourself?"

With a mixture of terror and frantic curiosity, Yi Donglai took the seven pills and shoved them into his mouth with trembling hands.

Soon, he felt the miraculous transformation take hold; as his skin tightened, he felt his own body shedding the decay of age.

Driven by a final, desperate shred of denial, Yi Donglai bolted from the warehouse, tearing through other rooms, overturning boxes and cabinets. "This is impossible! It is absolutely impossible."

Watching the man’s hysterical retreat, Li Huowang took Yang Na’s bag, retrieved a compact mirror, and held it up before the desperate doctor.

When he saw the face of the young man reflected in the glass, his reconstructed sanity finally collapsed entirely. "No! This cannot be! It is absolutely impossible!"

With a complex expression, Li Huowang slowly withdrew the mirror and placed it back into Yang Na’s hands. "Doctor Yi, can you finally understand my perspective now?"

"Everything I have experienced is real. Everything recorded in your papers is also undeniably true. They are not hallucinations; they are living, breathing people."

Li Huowang gestured toward the others watching the spectacle. "They are not frauds, either. They are the Siming of Baiyujing."

Yi Donglai stood frozen, clutching his head, his worldview obliterated as he looked around at the world anew.

Li Huowang walked over, helped him to his feet, and spoke with profound gravity: "Doctor Yi, I never wanted to drag you into this, but there was no choice. If you do not grasp the gravity of the situation, you cannot understand how perilous our circumstances have become."

"This concerns all the common people across the three histories. I do not know how many there are, but they have truly exhausted themselves just to survive. They only wish to live."

"I know you are a good man. As the saying goes, a physician has a benevolent heart. Surely you do not wish to see so many lives torn apart by death and separation?"

"So, I beg you, help me heal. It is vital for the battles to come."

Yi Donglai shoved Li Huowang’s hands away in a breakdown, snatched the mirror from Yang Na, and stumbled back toward the warehouse.

Ba Shengqing, who was loading his pistol, sneered at the sight and remarked to his sister, who stood with her arms crossed nearby, "Heh, another one gone mad."

Ba Nanxu turned to Zhao Shuandian and said, "Ah Zhao, it looks like we’re adding to our ranks. Shall we have something nice for lunch?"

"Stop fooling around all the time. I don't think this is so simple. Go get my computer." Zhao Shuandian said, following Li Huowang toward the warehouse.

As they entered, they saw Yi Donglai holding a pocket watch high, swinging it rhythmically before his own reflection in the mirror.

"Now, fix your gaze upon the watch, focus on that single point. As you stare, feel your body growing more and more relaxed. Whenever you feel yourself entering a hypnotic state, you may close your eyes..."

"What is he doing?" a confused Li Huowang asked.

Before him, amidst the beating of drums and the flickering of bonfires, figures wearing grotesque wooden masks danced on bamboo scaffolds, leaping and tumbling alongside the White Spike lion dance.

From behind those masks, strange, distorted voices echoed.

"Ming you si da Nuo, zhu jin yin qi wei yang dao."

"The Hou Shu Sitianjian has ordered them to perform the Great Nuo. They are dancing the circular Nuo to summon the Great Nuo," Gao Zhijian explained from the side.

Hearing this, Li Huowang could not help but sneer. "Is it useful? Do they not know that the Great Nuo has already gone mad? He can barely save himself; how could he have time for us? If it were truly useful, he should have intervened back when the Dharma Sect attacked."

"According to the head of the Hou Shu Sitianjian, performing the Great Nuo is also a way to heal him. Accumulating small efforts, one day, the Great Nuo of the past may return."