"Phew, finally back." Li Huowang sighed in relief, calling into the microphone by his bed.
Soon after, his attending physician walked in, holding a white tablet with a nurse in tow.
"Li, how do you feel? Have there been any new changes in your Huan Jue this time?" the physician asked kindly, sitting on a stool.
"It's the same environment, and I'm doing the same things. Only this time, the scabby-headed Master Lai cruelly killed someone in front of me and used her for alchemy." Li Huowang described in detail everything he had seen in his Huan Jue.
"Mm-hmm." The attending physician nodded, his fingers tapping quickly on the tablet to record the information.
After some thought, Li Huowang asked hesitantly, "Doctor, what do these different Huan Jue mean? For my inner self and my psyche, what meaning do they hold?"
"No, you shouldn't worry about those things. You should focus more on the duration of each Huan Jue and your mental stability," the doctor said, shaking his head to dismiss Li Huowang's question.
"Since they are Huan Jue, you must remember that they're all false. You've already overcome Huan Jue Perception Disorder, so don't fall back into it."
"Whenever you fall into a Huan Jue, just act according to the logic of that place. Coupled with the treatment here, you'll be cured soon."
Hearing this, Li Huowang's heart tightened. This was crucial for his early discharge from the hospital; he couldn't afford to be careless.
The physician then made sure to encourage his patient.
"Actually, you're doing much better now. When you first arrived, you couldn't even distinguish reality from fantasy. Things will keep getting better. Just keep it up and stay strong."
As they were talking, they heard the sound of light footsteps at the ward door.
Both turned their heads at the sound to see a young girl in a high-necked black sweater, sneaking peeks inside.
The girl appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, the beautiful, burgeoning age of a flower bud about to bloom.
Her skin was as fair as jade, and her raven hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall. She was as beautiful as a blossoming flower.
Seeing the two young people hesitate, the attending physician chuckled knowingly. He pushed his glasses up his nose with a finger and turned toward the door.
"I have other things to attend to, so I'll leave you two be. Oh, and Li, remember to take your medicine on time later."
The girl walked in as soon as the doctor left. They exchanged a smile, and Li Huowang's heart instantly filled with sweetness, his worries about his illness quickly forgotten.
"Stop smiling, you look so ugly when you do. Look what I brought you! Review homework assigned by the teachers themselves!" The girl, a mischievous look on her face, pulled a canvas shoulder bag from behind her back.
At these words, Li Huowang's face fell. "Nana, we grew up together! Is this how you get back at me?"
The girl, whose name was Yang Na, turned to close the door. She then took out a small handheld game console and flaunted it proudly. "I've got this, too! Hehe, be a good boy, call me 'older sister,' and I'll give it to you."
"Sister! You're my dear sister," Li Huowang exclaimed, rushing forward to snatch the game console from her hands.
Being cooped up in a psychiatric hospital all day was unbearably boring. If he wasn't already crazy, the boredom was about to drive him mad.
"Don't play too much. Remember to do your homework," Yang Na advised, perching on the side of the bed as Li Huowang turned on the console.
"Mhm, mhm, mhm," Li Huowang replied, his attention completely fixed on the handheld's screen.
Her slender, pale fingers clutched his blue and white hospital gown, pulling at it affectionately. "Hey, don't you forget what you promised me."
Li Huowang's hands paused. He looked up at her, his expression suddenly becoming very serious. "Yeah. We agreed we'd get into the same university."
Gazed at so intently, Yang Na shyly lowered her head, and her voice became as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Mhm, get well soon. I'll be waiting for you…"
Suddenly, Li Huowang reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Yang Na, her cheeks flushed, didn't struggle. She simply closed her eyes and softly called him a big pervert.
They didn't do much. For the young couple in love, just holding each other was enough to make them feel incredibly happy.
After a while of tender closeness, Yang Na had to leave. She was in her final, most critical year of high school, and managing to spare half a day was already a precious luxury.
Although her visits were always brief, for Li Huowang, they were a ray of light in his days of suffering.
"I'll walk you to the hospital gate," Li Huowang said, throwing back the covers of his bed. Dressed in his striped blue-and-white hospital gown, he slipped on the standard-issue white slippers.
As he started to follow Yang Na toward the door, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. Suddenly, he noticed it: the Medicine Mortar he used for grinding medicine in his Huan Jue was sitting on the bedside table.
Li Huowang's body trembled as he abruptly took two steps back. But when he focused his eyes again, the Medicine Mortar had transformed into the lunchbox he used for his meals.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Seeing his startled reaction, Yang Na's face showed a flicker of worry.
Seeing the concern on her face, Li Huowang immediately put on a cheeky grin. "Haha, you were scared, weren't you?"
Yang Na frowned and puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, reaching out to pinch the soft flesh of his waist. "How old are you? Still acting like a child and doing such immature things."
"Don't be mad. I just wanted to make you laugh," Li Huowang said, reaching for her hand, but she swatted it away.
However, after she pushed his hand away a few more times, they were eventually holding hands.
Other patients, sunbathing in the courtyard, saw the scene and smiled peacefully. Such innocent, pure love was a beautiful thing to behold.
Though they walked slowly, their time together came to an end. Yang Na stood at the hospital's main gate, looking at Li Huowang with reluctance. "I'll come see you again next week. You have to take good care of yourself in here, okay?"
"Maybe you shouldn't come next week. I know you're under a lot of pressure with your studies. You only get half a day off each week, and you have to waste it on me."
Yang Na lifted her shapely leg and lightly stepped on Li Huowang's hospital slipper, her delicate eyebrows knitting together.
"You slacker, don't assume everyone is like you, okay? My ranking has never dropped below the top three. What academic pressure?"
"Agh!" Li Huowang clutched his heart, feigning a look of agony. "That hurts, girl."
Amused by his antics, Yang Na giggled. She gave him a light, playful punch on the shoulder before turning and darting off like a little deer toward the bus stop across from the hospital gate.
The smile on Li Huowang's face gradually faded as he watched the bus carrying his girlfriend disappear completely from view.
Recalling what he had just seen, he walked toward the doctor's office with a heavy heart.
「An hour later.」
Li Huowang lay awake in bed, tossing and turning. He was vexed by thoughts of his and Yang Na's future. On the table beside him was the new medication the doctor had prescribed for his new symptoms.
The image of the Medicine Mortar from that afternoon and Yang Na's smile kept alternating in his mind.
What if my condition gets worse and I can't get out of the hospital before the college entrance exams? Then I won't be able to go to the same university as Yang Na.
Even confined here, Li Huowang knew about the gossip outside. In the eyes of his neighbors, he was a complete lunatic.
And yet, faced with a lunatic like him, Yang Na, his childhood sweetheart, had confessed her feelings for him the day before he was admitted. Her love for him needed no words.
She's a good girl. As a man, I don't want to let her down. This shouldn't be happening. I've been following the doctor's orders to the letter, so why is my condition getting worse? Do I need to transfer to another hospital again? This is already the third one. Dr. Li should be reliable, right? He's the best doctor Dad could find.
The more he dwelled on these troubles, the more agitated he became. Finally, he shot up into a sitting position, dumped out Yang Na's books and papers, and began to study.
He wanted to use the complex, dry knowledge to wash away the worries that clung to his mind.
Li Huowang continued to work on his assignments. He wrote and wrote, and before he knew it, it was late at night.
Just as he finished an English test paper, he stretched languidly and rubbed his throbbing temples.
Yawn… What time is it? It must be late, right?
Li Huowang slipped on his slippers, intending to use the restroom before going to sleep.
As he yawned his way toward the door, his right hand, which had been scratching his chest, suddenly stopped. Li Huowang felt something strange on his chest.
He pulled open his gown and saw a soft, dark brown mass stuck to his skin.
The strangely familiar color sparked a thought.
Li Huowang touched it with his finger and put it in his mouth to taste. The flavor, sweet within the bitterness, made his pupils constrict.
This is the sugar cube that the foolish senior sister who died in the Illusion Realm gave me! Something from the Illusion Realm has actually appeared in reality!