Chapter 451: Hospital

On a cold day, Gao Zhijian, dressed in short, practical clothes, approached Li Huowang with steam rising from his head. He pointed excitedly at the military manual and exclaimed, "Practice!"

Li Huowang understood what he meant—Gao Zhijian intended for him to cultivate this military martial art. He shook his head slightly. "No need. You can practice it yourself; I don't need it now."

If he had just left Qingfeng Temple, he would have treasured such a discovery.

However, compared to the cultivation methods he was currently practicing and the Zuo Wang Dao abilities from Hong Zhong, this rigorous military skill seemed a bit too superfluous.

As for being headless and still alive, he could achieve that now too, as long as he wasn't aware of his head being severed.

"But speaking of which, if you practice this skill, will your personality not change?" Recalling Peng Longteng's personality, Li Huowang couldn't help but worry for Gao Zhijian.

"No." Although Gao Zhijian answered promptly, Li Huowang still sensed a change in him. One had to remember that he once did something foolish like squatting by someone's grave with a monk to eat wild rice.

If the old Gao Zhijian felt foolishly naive, the current Gao Zhijian exuded a newfound vigor.

"Alright, then practice well. This skill is a good thing for you."

At least for now, while the military's fierce energy might make one's personality more outgoing, it wasn't necessarily severe.

After chatting with Gao Zhijian for a while, Li Huowang prepared to return to the Bai family's compound for dinner.

Just as he reached the doorway, he suddenly thought of something. He turned and said to Gao Zhijian, "This military body-refining ability isn't very effective when practiced alone; it's meant for armies of thousands. Aren't there many tenant farmers in the village? You could try teaching them and selecting those with aptitude."

If Baijia Village had such a small squad of military guards, then no matter where he went, he wouldn't have to worry about trouble at home.

Gao Zhijian, who had seemed a bit deflated because Li Huowang hadn't accepted the military art, his eyes instantly lit up. He clutched the military manual and nodded vigorously.

When Li Huowang returned to the Bai family compound for dinner, he mentioned it to Bai Lingmiao. "That's good," she replied. "Even better! They'll have something to do during the off-season."

"You can give them a little more pay. Even though they are our private laborers, we need to win their loyalty."

Bai Lingmiao, holding a ceramic bowl, rolled her eyes at him. "What nonsense are you talking about? They're our adopted sons! How could I mistreat them?"

After saying that, she stood up and took her bowl to get more rice.

"What's wrong with your foot?" The perceptive Li Huowang immediately noticed Bai Lingmiao's unusual gait.

"Nothing, there was a hole on the ground, and I tripped." "Don't run around outside when your eyes are covered with gauze." Li Huowang scooped up half a bowl of soup with a large ceramic ladle, tilted his head back to drink it and moisten his throat, then stood up and walked outside.

"Hey! Li Huowang! Where are you going this late at night? Can't you just settle down for a bit?" Bai Lingmiao chased after him, asking. "Don't wait up for me. Just leave a window open tonight." Li Huowang quickly leaped and scrambled across the rooftops, rushing towards the tall Niuxin Mountain behind the village.

As he passed an empty house, Li Huowang shouted down, "Li Sui, follow!"

"Okay." Li Sui's tentacles quickly dropped the struggling bun and followed him.

The two followed the path, stopping only when they reached halfway up the mountain. Li Huowang looked at the dense array of graves before him with some surprise. "How did so many people die here?"

The hillside was covered with a dense cluster of earthen graves, interspersed with faint, flickering green ghost fires, which looked incredibly eerie in the dim light.

But Li Huowang didn't care. He had been in this eerie place for so long and had seen everything else, but he had yet to see a ghost.

He looked around and walked into a clear, flat area. It seemed this place was also meant for burying the dead, likely empty because enough people had been buried there.

He then said to Li Sui, who was beside him, "I'm going over there; keep an eye out for me. If there's any stranger or danger, just crawl into my belly to wake me up."

Things here were temporarily stable, but the reality he came from was fraught with trouble.

"Okay," Li Sui said, holding up its two double-pupiled eyeballs, and a slit-like mouth appeared on its slick body as it spoke.

Li Huowang took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged in the open space, and gently revealed a sliver of the Xiantian Yi, which was enveloped in his divine light.

As the surroundings twisted and disintegrated, his pupils gradually lost focus, and he calmly observed his surroundings.

As Li Sui diligently performed its task within the bushes, it suddenly sensed approaching footsteps.

However, when it used its eyeballs to see the approaching person's appearance, it immediately lowered its guard.

"Mom, it's so late, aren't you going back to sleep?" Li Huowang softly said to a wooden tablet in front of him.

At this moment, a fair, jade-like hand slowly extended, gently stroking Li Huowang's cheek.

"Li Huowang, Li Huowang, is this what you mean by your addiction being cured?" Bai Lingmiao (Sun Xiaoqin) knelt in front of him, staring at his face, her voice tinged with helplessness.

"Mom, it's clean enough. Stop wiping." Li Huowang's words were cut short as a wet towel was placed over his face again.

"What's wrong with washing a few more times? Will it scrub off your skin? It's better that you're lucid now. Brush your teeth again." A tube of soft plastic toothpaste was squeezed into Li Huowang's mouth. Although this drew another round of complaints from Li Huowang, an unyielding smile spread across both their faces.

Watching Sun Xiaoqin wipe his hands, Li Huowang thought for a moment, then asked, "Mom, what did the doctors here say? When can I leave this place?"

Although it was called a hospital, it was essentially a prison—a special prison for confining the mentally ill. Inside, he not only lacked personal freedom but could barely even move a finger.

Since he had decided to make this place "real" later, he naturally had to treat it as such.

If he wanted to do anything here next, the first step was to get out, even if it meant being transferred back to a private hospital.

"Do you feel suffocated staying here?" Sun Xiaoqin looked up at him.

"Not really. I'm just a little worried about Yang Na. I wonder how her condition is now."

Without a word, Sun Xiaoqin picked up the towel and basin and walked towards the door.

The ward was extremely quiet at night, so much so that he could clearly hear his mother arguing with someone.

"Comrade, are you joking? Do you think..."

"Look, my son's illness is already... he can definitely be transferred to a better environment. It's unlucky to confine a patient here like a prisoner."

As footsteps sounded, their voices drew closer and became more intense.

"If you don't let my son out, then I won't pay! You can just keep feeding him for free!"

"What are you talking about? This prison is public, funded by the authorities. Whether there's more or less funding, it won't affect my pocket. Even if you don't pay, we still won't let him leave!"

The person's tone softened. "You also need to consider others. Your son, I don't know what he's made of; he's like iron, doesn't feel pain. Ordinary people are no match for him at all. If he goes crazy on the street, what then?"

"Since your son can kill seven robbers, he can also kill seven students!"

"My son wouldn't do that!"

A large hand pointed in through the window of the door. "He wouldn't do that? Can you see if he can tell the difference now? Your son is mentally ill!"

As soon as these words were uttered, the ward fell silent.

Li Huowang, lying on the bed, thought for a moment, then asked in the direction of the large hand, "So, what exactly should I do to get out of here legitimately?"

But the large hand didn't acknowledge Li Huowang, considering him a lunatic. It led Sun Xiaoqin out the door, and their now calmer voices faded into the distance.

With a "click," all the ward lights went out.

Li Huowang, his brows slightly furrowed, looked at the flickering night-vision camera in the corner. His mind pondered the question of how to escape this predicament.