Li Huowang curled up into a ball, like an unborn baby, secluding himself motionless in a corner of the storeroom. The other Medicinal Guides neither dared nor wished to disturb him, and all went about their work quietly.
Night fell imperceptibly. All the oil lamps on the walls were extinguished, and darkness settled over Li Huowang like a quilt. He lay there like a corpse, unresponsive to the changes in the world around him.
Around the third watch of the night, a faint candlelight flickered in the doorway, illuminating the nearby shelves and dispelling the darkness that cloaked Li Huowang. The timid Bai Lingmiao walked over to him, carrying a bundle of dry grass, and carefully spread it over his body. Then, she took out a coarse grain Mantou from her clothes and placed it by his mouth.
Seeing that Li Huowang remained motionless, she pursed her lips and gently nudged him. "Senior Brother, eat something. You haven't eaten all day."
Li Huowang's eyes were open. For hours, they had not blinked, staring numbly at the cold ground, not shifting an inch toward Bai Lingmiao.
Bai Lingmiao thought to leave, but after a moment's hesitation, she finally took out a Jade Pendant and placed it beside Li Huowang's hand.
"Senior Brother, this is yours. Take it back."
This time, Li Huowang finally reacted. He looked at the object and saw the round Jade Pendant he had stolen from the previous Xuan Yang. Li Huowang remembered giving it to Yang Na to exchange for money. At the thought of Yang Na, his heart, riddled with holes, began to bleed anew. "How... did this end up with you?"
"It was... you who gave it to me, Senior Brother Li. I said I didn't want it, but you insisted."
Li Huowang slowly sat up. In the dim candlelight, he closely examined the cloud-patterned round Jade Pendant. In that moment, he had never felt everything to be so real. But this reality held only real despair and real pain.
If I had a choice, how I would wish to remain forever trapped in that beautiful Huan Jue.
Seeing Li Huowang responding, Bai Lingmiao asked softly, "Senior Brother Li, where did Master capture you from? I'm from Liang State. Where are you from?"
Li Huowang paused, then listlessly shook his head. "I don't know."
He truly didn't know. He had memories of the past, but after the day's events, he could no longer discern how much of those memories was real and how much was a Huan Jue.
Even here, I'm still a madman—a madman who can't tell reality from a Huan Jue.
As he shook his head, he suddenly felt something odd. Touching his head, he found his hair matted with dried blood; he'd been injured before.
Seeing him touch his head, Bai Lingmiao explained, "Senior Brother Wang did that."
Li Huowang knew that Senior Brother Wang was the hare-lipped brute who had tried to assault Bai Lingmiao earlier. "Where is this Wang person?"
"You... you kicked him to death."
Hearing this, an image of Old Liu, whom he had kicked flying in a Huan Jue, flashed through Li Huowang's mind. He lowered his head and chuckled silently. I really am quite mad.
Li Huowang reached into his clothes, pulled out the Red String Golden Ring, and presented it to Bai Lingmiao. "This is yours, isn't it? Take it back."
Bai Lingmiao looked at her ankle ring and pushed it back with both hands. "Senior Brother Li, you were right before. This is useless here. You should keep it."
Li Huowang stared blankly at the golden ring. It was useless to him now, too. Everything he cared about was gone.
"Um, Senior Brother Li, could I use this as payment to ask a favor of you?" Bai Lingmiao's words drew his gaze to her.
"If you manage to get out of here alive, can you take a message to my parents? They live at the foot of Niuxin Mountain in Liang State. Just tell them... their daughter has been unfilial and cannot be there to care for them in their old age and see them off." Her voice choked as she spoke of her sorrow.
"Senior Brother Li, I really don't want to trouble you, but I have no other choice. They'll probably take me to the Pill Room soon, and I..."
At her words, the mask of despair and numbness on Li Huowang's face tensed. A light returned to his dead eyes. He glanced at the dry grass covering him, then at the Mantou beside him. With a decisive movement, he stuffed the Red String Golden Ring back into his clothes.
"I keep my word. Since I took your thing before, I will help you."
Bai Lingmiao's sorrowful eyes brightened for an instant before dimming again. "Senior Brother Li, that's not right. It will only get you into trouble too."
"Heh... You think I'm afraid of that now?" Li Huowang had seen it all. He'd thrown all caution to the wind. Since everything I care about is gone, what else is there to fear?
"Amazing, Brother Li!" A man's voice suddenly rang out from the storeroom entrance, startling them both.
As the candlelight illuminated him, a sycophantic, sharp-chinned, monkey-cheeked face appeared. His skin was mottled with yellow and white patches, as if he had a skin disease like vitiligo. The man produced two coarse grain Mantou and placed them beside Li Huowang, eager to please.
"Hehehe, Brother Li, have some Mantou. I thought of you during dinner and saved two especially for you."
"You might not recognize me, little brother. I was born and raised in the wild and have no proper name. You can just call me Gouwa. Hehehe, just yesterday, I even gave you seventeen Wen Woney as a sign of respect."
Gouwa rubbed his hands together restlessly, his face a mask of shameless sycophancy. He clearly wanted Li Huowang as his backer to avoid being sent as a Medicinal Guide. There are clever people everywhere.
Li Huowang said nothing. He grabbed the three somewhat hard Mantou and devoured them. He had been starving all day. He ate so quickly that he started to choke, and Gouwa, ever so thoughtful, immediately ran out to get him a cup of water.
Li Huowang washed the three coarse-grain Mantou down with cold spring water, finally filling his stomach.
He struggled to his feet, swaying. His legs had gone numb from lying on the ground for so long. Bai Lingmiao reached out to steady him, but Li Huowang pushed her away.
His gaze fixed on the pitch-black exit of the storeroom, he staggered out.
His enemy was no longer his strange affliction but Master Danyang—the despicable, scabby-headed Taoist who used people for Alchemy. As Master Danyang's ugly, disgusting face appeared in his mind, Li Huowang's eyes filled with a thick malevolence, and his teeth began to grind together.
The same man who had just lost all will to live was now surging with motivation. The only thing to do now is find a way to kill him!