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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Turning the Page
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Just as Li Huowang turned to head back, he saw the albino girl shyly slip off one shoe and remove a gold anklet wrapped with red string from her fair, almost translucent ankle.
He widened his eyes as he took it, then weighed the gold anklet in his palm. It was a bit thin, but gold was gold—probably worth a decent amount.
After stuffing these items satisfactorily into the wide sleeve of his Daoist robe, he pointed at the white-haired girl and said,
"Listen up. From now on, the Material Room is hers to manage. You'll all follow her orders on everything."
Seeing everyone nod hesitantly, Li Huowang grabbed the prepared pill ingredients and hurried toward the Pill Refinery Room.
As he walked, he stealthily glanced at the others' waists, hoping to spot another jade pendant. Unfortunately, he was disappointed—no such luck.
When Li Huowang returned to the Pill Refinery Room, he saw the oppressively heavy pill furnace slowly opening.
Several dark blue pills flew out with a sweep of Danyangzi's large sleeve, lining up neatly before entering the earthy yellow gourd at his waist.
The sight made Li Huowang's eyes burn with envy. This must be the divine ability Xuanyin had mentioned. He wondered if there was any way he could learn it.
"Making money was too small-minded of me. If I could bring this ability back to reality..."
Li Huowang set down the pill ingredients in his hands and prepared to stand quietly to the side, keeping his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart. He still didn't understand anything yet—better to listen and observe more.
"Xuanyang~"
"More work already? This fast? Am I really just an errand boy now? Can't keep running errands forever. Gotta figure out a way to get this scabby-head to teach me that divine ability."
Li Huowang clasped his hands together and bowed toward the calling Danyangzi.
"Master, what are your orders?"
"Go fetch a drug primer named Bai Lingmiao from the Material Room."
Li Huowang's heart skipped a beat. As he bowed, his right hand slipped into his sleeve to touch the red-stringed anklet. Bai Lingmiao—that must be the albino girl's name.
"Hm~?"
Danyangzi turned to look at his new disciple, who hadn't moved a muscle.
Li Huowang suddenly felt a toothache coming on. Truth be told, he'd just said he'd protect her, and now he had to go back and tell her to come die? That didn't sit right at all.
"Did you not hear me?"
Sensing Danyangzi's tone turning hostile, Li Huowang sighed helplessly and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was back in the pristine white hospital room.
"What do I do now?"
In the past, he would've done it without a second thought, but that world might actually be real now. If he really brought her there, he'd be committing actual murder. He just couldn't get past that mental hurdle.
Once the nurses had unbound him, Li Huowang gnawed on his thumbnail and paced the room.
"What to do? What to do?"
Before he could come up with a plan, the ward door was pushed open from outside. He saw his attending physician walk in.
He gave a wry smile. Great, now he was stuck on both sides—no escape.
The doctor pointed at him with a look of utter disappointment.
"You... Once the visitors leave, we're having a one-on-one."
"Visitors?"
Before Li Huowang could react, his weary-faced mother rushed in, leading little Tangtang by the hand.
"I heard you got into a fight in the hospital? What happened to your head? Why's it wrapped up like that? Does it hurt?"
The woman rushed over, anxiously scanning him.
"Mom, it doesn't hurt. I'm fine, really fine. They're the ones in trouble."
Li Huowang quickly reassured her.
After a while of soothing, he finally kept his mother's tears at bay.
In front of his closest family, troubles from either side could wait.
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm doing great. My condition's improved a lot, and I haven't fallen behind on my studies. I'll be ready for the college entrance exam once I'm out."
Li Huowang tried to share only the good news.
"No hiding it—the doctor told me everything. So spill it. What happened that day? Who started it?"
Li Huowang recounted it to his mother in the gentlest tone he could muster, though it didn't seem to help much.
"We're in the right! Why pay them a dime?! They were wrong! Even if someone's sick, that's the hospital's duty to watch them! We Li family never bully others, but we won't let anyone bully us either! Sue us if they dare! Court would rule in our favor!!"
The agitated Sun Xiaoqin slammed the table repeatedly.
Looking at the awkward, nose-rubbing doctor nearby, Li Huowang kept soothing her.
"Mom, Mom, calm down. You rarely visit—stay and keep me company."
Sun Xiaoqin tamped down her fury, bent over, and pulled fruit from her bag.
"Leave this to me, son. Come on, your favorite milk grapes. Eat up—you're skin and bones now. Hospital food must be awful, huh?"
"No, no, the hospital food's pretty good."
Li Huowang sat beside his mother and started eating.
Listening to her complaints and savoring the sweet grapes, Li Huowang felt his heart settle.
He loved this feeling. It had been so long since he'd felt family warmth after entering the hospital.
Looking at his mother, Li Huowang nearly spilled everything that had happened to him. But the words died on his lips.
No, she wasn't like Yang Na. If he told her, she'd just think his illness had worsened. He couldn't worry her more. He'd tell her once everything stabilized.
As mother and son chatted happily, the attending physician's phone rang.
"Ms. Sun, the family of Patient Liu has arrived too. Shall I..."
"Son, stay put and eat up. I'll buy more when you finish."
Sun Xiaoqin smiled warmly at Li Huowang, then puffed out her chest and strode out like a rooster ready for a fight.
For some reason, seeing her retreating figure filled Li Huowang with utter peace.
His mother was overbearing, sure, but being near her always made him feel safe. She was like a massive umbrella shielding him from wind and rain. All the anxiety from his troubles vanished in that moment.
"Heh, the lobby's gonna be a circus soon."
Li Huowang plucked another yellowish-green grape and bit into it, sweet juice bursting in his mouth.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than his body jolted. Everything around him shifted colors again.
"Oh no, Mom's visit made me forget how to fool that scabby-head. What now?"
Once everything stabilized, Li Huowang found himself standing in the Material Room. Danyangzi stood nearby with a sour expression. The other drug primers huddled in a circle, heads bowed low.
Danyangzi flipped his filthy right hand, and a wriggling, viscous black mass appeared in his palm, each twist emitting a sound like a toad licking its eyeball.
"Hm? Wasn't it Bai Lingmiao for the pill? Did we turn the page?"
After a second's hesitation, Li Huowang spoke up.
"Master, what's that?"
"Hmph. Good stuff. Tai Sui. Black Tai Sui."
(End of chapter)