Mutated Tao

“Huowang, you don’t need to feed me anymore. I’m not paralyzed,” Yang Na said, taking the spoon from Li Huowang’s hand. She scooped up some porridge and brought it to her mouth.

After a couple of bites, she looked up at Li Huowang, who was sitting across from her. “Why are you just staring at me? You should eat too.”

Li Huowang had been standing there in a daze. He smiled and nodded, then sat down to have breakfast as well.

“Hey, you’re not bad at all. You’re quite skilled at looking after people. I had my doubts initially, but it seems like I underestimated you a bit. Have you studied this before?” Wu Qi asked as she walked over.

Li Huowang shook his head and continued to eat. “No, I haven’t. I just picked up a few things during my time in the hospital.”

Yang Na looked noticeably healthier compared to before. She hadn’t been blaming herself so much, and her emotions seemed a lot more stable. She appeared much better, at least to others.

Only Li Huowang knew the truth. She wasn’t actually better—her condition was getting even worse. It was just that her logic had become more consistent with her beliefs, which made her appear normal.

Footsteps echoed as Qing Wanglai approached with a cup of coffee in one hand. “Doesn’t she share the same worldview as you? If her condition is considered an illness, what would you call your condition?”

Li Huowang glared at him angrily. “Get lost!”

Li Huowang noticed the sorrow etched on Yang Na’s face and the tears brimming in her eyes. Ignoring Qing Wanglai, he embraced Yang Na and gently carried her into the house.

After comforting Yang Na, Li Huowang walked back outside, where Qing Wanglai awaited. “I’m just trying to help you. You can’t keep deceiving yourself like this.

“If you believe your worldview is real, then you should also believe she is the Heavenly Mater. You can’t claim it’s a battle of Simings when it involves you but dismiss it as mental illness when it involves your girlfriend. Isn’t that a double standard?”

Li Huowang replied,” None of this matters. Like I said before, don’t expect her to get involved. Besides, If she really wanted to, she’d probably join Zhao Shuangdian’s side!”

Regardless of whether Yang Na was the Heavenly Mater, Li Huowang didn’t want her to get hurt any further. She had already suffered enough.

“Whatever,” Qing Wanglai said, abruptly changing his tone. “Tomorrow is the day we take action. If she decides to join Zhao Shuangdian’s faction, it would still increase our chances of winning.”

It seemed he had realized that Li Huowang was trying to provoke him. This time, he didn’t fall for it.

“She’s depressed! How could she possibly help?”

“You never know. From what you said before, isn’t the Heavenly Mater supposed to govern Benevolence and Death? If she’s the goddess of death, she could be helpful.”

Li Huowang recalled Chen Hongyu’s tragic situation and knew all too well what Qing Wanglai meant by “helpful.”

“So you know we’re taking action tomorrow? Do you think antagonizing me right now is a good idea?” Li Huowang asked coldly as he stepped closer.

“Li Huowang, we’re on the same side. I’m just trying to help you.”

“Thanks, but there’s no need! You’ve ‘helped’ me enough times already! I’m sick of having this conversation over and over again! If you’re so bored, why don’t you pay your respects at Qian Fu’s grave!” Ṛ

Li Huowang left the villa and headed to the underground garage. He got on his motorcycle and revved the engine a few times. However, it was out of gas.

He looked around and then set his sights on Qing Wanglai’s luxury car.

Soon enough, he inserted a hose into the car’s gas tank. He sucked hard with his mouth from the other end, and premium gasoline started flowing into his motorcycle’s tank.

Li Huowang put on a full-face helmet and sped away from the villa.

He rode down the road, returning to the city from the outskirts. He stayed on high alert, knowing full well that people were tracking him.

Though the motorcycle was the same, he had changed the license plate and repainted the black bike with a red-and-white pattern, making it less conspicuous[1].

Li Huowang wasn’t taking such a risk for a casual ride. He was out to get some medicine to treat his hallucinations.

The plan was set for tomorrow, and he had no way of knowing the kind of projection the Siming would throw at him. He had to find a way to deal with his hallucinations before the battle started, or they would be a huge problem during the fight.

Zhao Shuangdian had forgotten about the deal they had made before time was reversed, but she didn’t go back on her word when Li Huowang reminded her. She said she’d figure something out.

In the pedestrian street, Li Huowang looked up at the Bloody Bonfire Tattoo Parlor run by the Ba siblings.

He pushed open the door and saw Ba Nanxu lounging on the sofa with her legs crossed. She was tattooing her own neck with a tattoo gun. The shop was dead quiet, and there was no business today.

“We’re closed. No tattooing today.”

“Where is the medicine?” Li Huowang asked, his lips pressed tightly together as he walked over.

“It’s in that bag on the table. The label will tell you the dosage and how often to take it.”

Li Huowang picked up the bag and opened it to check the bottles and jars inside.

Most of the medications were familiar since he had taken them before. His rough assessment suggested that Zhao Shuangdian hadn’t tricked him.

“You’re free, so why don’t you just deliver it to me? Don’t you know it’s inconvenient for me to be out right now?”

Ba Nanxu scoffed. “You’ve got some nerve. Why would I deliver it to you? Have we slept together?”

Li Huowang paid no attention to her. He swiftly unscrewed the medicine bottles and peeled off the foil seals before taking the daily prescribed dose.

He couldn’t stand the feeling that everything he saw could be a hallucination.

After taking the medication, Li Huowang was unsure if the hallucinations had stopped, but he did feel worse physically. He couldn’t concentrate well, his reactions were sluggish, and sweat broke out across his skin.

“You alright? If you’re gonna die, do it outside. Don’t die in my shop.”

Li Huowang shook his head forcefully, grabbed the bag, and then headed for the door. “I’m fine. Medications for mental illness always have side effects. I’ll adapt.”

Whether it was an overreaction or not, Li Huowang could clearly see figures walking past him, only to vanish just as quickly.

He took a seat on the steps outside and took a long rest. After some time, he started to feel more at ease and the after-images faded away. With that, he hopped back on his motorcycle and set off for home.

He kept his speed down since he didn’t want to risk an accident. He made his way cautiously from the city to the outskirts.

Now that he had handled one of his problems, he felt a bit better. Life would be much simpler if all problems could be solved as easily as this one.

As he was nearing home, a car suddenly swerved into his path, sending cold sweat down his spine.

1. The raws describe it as less conspicuous, but we think it makes more sense as more conspicuous. ☜