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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Elixir Pills
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At this moment, Danyangzi paid no attention to what Li Huowang was thinking. He was lecturing his disciples, who had all been scared out of their wits.
"From now on, if any of you harbor treacherous thoughts, remember what you witnessed today!"
Danyangzi's words made everyone's hearts clench instantly, the fear in their eyes growing even stronger.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he paced slowly in front of his disciples, his hawk-like gaze sweeping across every face.
"I'm telling you, helping someone achieve immortality is great merit. If I become an immortal, I certainly won't forget your contributions. But if anyone dares to sabotage my plans! Hmph!!"
No sooner had he spoken than he suddenly stopped right in front of Li Huowang, scrutinizing this young man whose demeanor set him apart from the other disciples.
"You're just a hallucination—why should I fear you? You're nothing more than a fleeting thought in my mind!" With that in mind, Li Huowang met the eyes of his scabby-headed master with calm resolve.
As Danyangzi raised his right hand—nails crusted with grime—the atmosphere in the cavern grew heavy. Everyone's eyes turned to this audacious senior brother who had offended their master, all waiting to see how he would be dealt with.
To their surprise, Danyangzi's expression suddenly softened. He placed his raised hand on Li Huowang's head and gave it a pat, instantly dispelling the tension.
"Last night, those traitors invited you to flee with them. Why didn't you go?"
The question seemed aimed at Li Huowang, but in truth, it was praise.
Just as Li Huowang opened his mouth to respond, Danyangzi raised his hand again.
"No need for empty flattery. Though you didn't report it to me right away, compared to those wicked disciples with ulterior motives, you've already proven yourself quite capable."
He lowered his hand and continued. "I see you have fine aptitude. You no longer need to toil in the Material Room. From now on, you are my named disciple."
Li Huowang blinked in surprise. Had his status really just risen? But he quickly realized the truth: with so many dead in the cave all at once, the man was surely short on lackeys.
"Right, now that you've become my disciple and joined our sect, you need a dao name. Yours shall be Xuanyang from here on."
Li Huowang glanced toward the round hole in the corner. The gruesome fate of the previous Xuanyang flashed through his mind, and he thought, "Whoa, that's one unlucky name."
Li Huowang himself couldn't have cared less about the privilege, but the others from the Material Room were green with envy, their eyes gleaming. Becoming Danyangzi's named disciple meant they were safe from death.
Yet Danyangzi felt this wasn't enough; after wielding the stick, he needed to dangle more carrots to keep them hooked. "Xuanyang, since you've just joined the sect, allow me to offer a little something."
Hearing his new name called, Li Huowang hurried over. The man's tone suggested a gift was coming.
Danyangzi tipped five pitch-black elixir pills from the gourd at his waist into Li Huowang's palm.
"Hold them tight. These five are immortal elixir pills I refined myself. Swallow one, and it will add ten years to your lifespan while granting you temporary superhuman strength to save your skin."
Li Huowang frowned slightly as he set the pills down in front of himself. "These things weren't refined from people too, were they?"
Even as the thought crossed his mind, Li Huowang suddenly saw one of the pills in his hand twitch and roll. It shifted from perfectly round to oval, as though something inside were trying to claw its way out.
When he peered at it more closely, though, the pill appeared utterly unchanged.
"Damn it, am I cracking up? Why am I even fretting over stuff from the hallucination? It's all fake—I can't let myself get pulled back in."
Annoyed, Li Huowang smacked his own forehead.
Danyangzi ignored Li Huowang's strange behavior and turned to the rest. "You see? Crossing me is a dead end. But help me, and you'll be rewarded—generously rewarded!!"
Everyone's shifty gazes darted between Danyangzi and the elixir pills. Each mind was churning with private schemes, known only to their owners.
His point made, Danyangzi flicked his filthy long sleeve, dismissing the group to return to their labors.
Li Huowang no longer had to report to the Material Room. With the dao name Xuanyang, everything the previous one had owned now belonged to him: the status, the daoist robes, and even that private little cavern.
At the moment, though, he couldn't have cared less about any of it from the hallucination. Far more pressing were his gains.
Arms crossed, he stared at the two items resting on the white hospital bedsheet: the jade pendant and the elixir pills.
"My god, I actually brought them out for real."
But now Li Huowang faced a dilemma. That same old question reared its head again, demanding he confront it.
"If I brought these elixir pills out and they actually work when swallowed, does that mean that place isn't a hallucination after all? What's really going on with me?"
He had faithfully followed the doctor's orders before, steadfastly dismissing everything from that side as delusion. Yet here these items sat before him, solid as could be, and his resolve began to crumble.
If it truly was a hallucination, then how had these things materialized? What damage was it doing to him?
If that side was another world, then...
Images flooded his mind: his mad senior sister refined into pills by their master, Xuanyang devoured by the black cauldron—horrific scenes that left him breathing hard.
"Ah!! This is so frustrating—no one even to talk it over with." Irritated, Li Huowang clawed at his head with both hands.
After venting, Li Huowang still had to face facts. He pondered long and hard before settling on a course of action.
Back in the hallucination—real or not—he'd play along as before, treating it as utterly real.
If by some chance it was real, he'd at least stay alive.
If fake, he'd suffer no loss.
For now, he would test the authenticity and worth of these brought-over items before deciding his next move.
Plan in place, Li Huowang drew a deep breath and pinched an elixir pill between thumb and forefinger, holding it up to his eye.
"No way—too risky to try myself." His gaze drifted to the patients sunning themselves in the garden outside.
A fleeting moment of internal conflict later, he let it drop with a defeated sigh. They were pitiful souls just like him—how could he use them as guinea pigs? Later, he'd find a lab rat somehow.
Next, Li Huowang turned his eyes to the round jade pendant. Dealing with this would be far simpler than the pills.
"So, what's this about? I climbed the wall to sneak in here. If it's a prank, hmph!" Yang Na balled her fair little fist and shook it threateningly at Li Huowang.
"Sis, bro only called you because I had no other choice—you know I can't leave this place."
Li Huowang spoke as he went to the ward door, shutting it tight and drawing the curtains.
(End of chapter)