Chapter 186: Red Beauty

Hearing Li Huowang tell him to just stand in the yard and speak, Gao Zhijian hesitantly glanced around at the empty surroundings.

"I... I... I m-m-might be... Huang..."

"What? You're Huang what? Speak louder, I can't hear you clearly."

Hearing Li Huowang say this, Gao Zhijian actually blushed, lowered his head, and walked inside.

"Why aren't you speaking again?" What was this guy up to? "Huang what? Gold? Yellow Heaven? Loess?"

A puzzled Li Huowang was about to go downstairs and ask, but after pondering for a while, he closed the window and walked towards the made bed.

He had a mountain of his own problems; how could he possibly concern himself with others' private matters?

Moreover, his 'Heart Element' wasn't very reliable in this regard; he wasn't really suited to counsel others, lest he lead them astray.

Li Huowang had no interest whatsoever in digging into Gao Zhijian's seemingly unspoken difficulty.

Besides, he was just slow-witted, not entirely foolish. He surely had his own considerations, and when he wanted to speak, he would naturally tell him.

After waiting a while and seeing that Gao Zhijian truly didn't come up, the candle was blown out. Li Huowang lay on the bed, looking at the dim ceiling beam above him.

"Oh, right," he said. "Do you still remember where the fool was going?"

Bai Lingmiao, with her eyes closed, snuggled closer into Li Huowang's arms.

"I asked him a few days ago, but he couldn't explain it clearly himself," she replied. "Last time, he seemed to say it was Liang Country, and this time, he said it was Qingqiu Country. He probably doesn't even know himself."

"Qingqiu Country, huh..."

Li Huowang pictured the map in his mind: past Later Shu was Qingqiu, and past Qingqiu was their destination, Liang Country.

Once they reached Bai Lingmiao's hometown, Niuxin Mountain, this long journey would finally end, and he could finally settle down.

"What should I do once we get there?" he mused. "Should I also hold a wedding banquet like today's and marry Miaomiao? No, I'm going to her home; it should be considered a uxorilocal marriage."

Li Huowang tilted his head up and gently rubbed his chin against the soft crown of her head.

Their relationship wasn't profoundly memorable, nor was it love at first sight.

He wasn't particularly good at coaxing girls, and Bai Lingmiao didn't know how to act coquettish.

Their relationship was like a gently flowing stream that, through its continuous flow, gradually formed a large lake.

Li Huowang had no other feelings; he just felt very comfortable being by her side and wanted to stay there forever.

However, Li Huowang still felt a persistent sense of unease; he was still worried about the only trouble he had.

"Is there really no way to resolve the 'Heart Element'?"

This was not just a matter of responsibility, but more importantly, a hidden danger for the future.

Li Huowang now felt unsure; he was truly afraid that one day he would again mistake 'that side' for reality and completely abandon Bai Lingmiao.

For a while previously, Li Huowang had been absolutely certain that since he knew 'that side' was fake, he would never fall into confusion again.

But reality taught him a lesson: everything was possible. He was no longer as certain as before.

As he thought, Li Huowang couldn't help but recall what the Sitting-Forget Daoist had said before dying.

"That old nun Chen Hongxiu knows nothing!" the voice had said. "I'll tell you the truth! North Wind, one of the Four Joys of the Sitting-Forget Dao, is the 'Heart Element'! He's lived for 190 years, and he's perfectly fine now! No confusion clings to him anymore!"

He pondered these words for a long time, and the more he pondered, the more annoyed he became.

Li Huowang suddenly realized he had fallen into the other party's trap again. He cursed inwardly, "Damn it! These lunatics..."

"Even dead, they still want to deceive me!"

"Senior Brother Li... what's wrong...?"

Looking at the sleepy-eyed Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang was about to speak when he suddenly felt something and his expression immediately changed.

"Quick! Get the chains!!"

Bai Lingmiao didn't ask; she quickly climbed over Li Huowang's body, got off the bed, picked up the iron chains wrapped in rags, and began to bind Li Huowang.

"Harder! Put some strength into it! Tie it securely! Don't let me break free!!"

Li Huowang, seeing Bai Lingmiao busily working on him, sighed in relief as she gave him a comforting look. He leaned heavily back.

The next moment, the rustling husk pillow behind his head transformed into a soft cotton pillow.

Li Huowang slowly raised his head and looked at the white surroundings. This hospital room was somewhat unfamiliar; it wasn't the one he had stayed in before.

Having stayed in hospitals often, Li Huowang had some understanding of hospital layouts. This was clearly the layout of a restraint room in a psychiatric hospital; regular hospitals didn't have such things.

After pondering for a while, Li Huowang finally connected everything to the illusion. "Have I been... transferred?" he wondered.

After saying this, Li Huowang gave a bitter smile and shook his head. What was the point of worrying so much? Since it was all an illusion, nothing that happened was surprising.

Looking at the white ceiling, Li Huowang didn't know what to do for a moment.

He glanced at the wide cloth restraints binding his hands. Li Huowang then looked up and spoke into the microphone at the head of the bed: "Is there a nurse on duty? I'm in room 13. Could you please bring me my phone? I need to make a call."

After a brief static sound, a man's voice came from inside. "Li Huowang, right? Hello, I'm already aware of your situation."

"My surname is Wang," the voice continued. "You can call me Nurse Wang. Who do you want to call? I can connect you directly to the bedside speaker."

"A male nurse?" Li Huowang pursed his lips. "Okay, Nurse Wang, please dial Yang Na—"

The moment these two words left his mouth, Bai Lingmiao's familiar face immediately popped into Li Huowang's mind. "What am I doing?" he thought. "Why am I actively interacting with an illusion? Bai Lingmiao is a real person; Yang Na is fake."

"Ugh!! So annoying! Calling so early in the morning!" a familiar voice rang out from the bedside speaker.

Upon hearing the familiar morning grumpiness, all of Li Huowang's inner turmoil vanished. "Nana," he said.

"Huowang!!" Yang Na exclaimed in surprise.

"What time is it? You're not up yet? Where did you go playing so wildly yesterday?"

As soon as she heard this, Yang Na immediately began complaining to Li Huowang.

"Who has time to play?" she whined. "Freshman year is like senior year of high school! Every day is just so busy, it's killing me."

"You don't have evening self-study anymore," Li Huowang countered, "and you're tired even without a full day of classes?"

"Who said that?" she retorted. "You haven't been to college; you'll know once you've gone. Teachers saying you can play freely in college is all a lie!"

Just as she said this, Yang Na suddenly fell silent. After a long pause, she said cautiously, "Huowang, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Li Huowang looked at the dark bedside speaker and smiled knowingly. "You think that little bit can upset me? It didn't even break my defense," he said. "Oh, right, that day, I celebrated your birthday. Did you hear it?"

"Yes, I heard it," she replied. "Thank you for celebrating my birthday. I'm still waiting for your birthday present, you know."