023 Home

"Senior Brother Li!" Bai Lingmiao's tear-streaked cry made Li Huowang, who was holding a lantern in the pitch-black darkness, whirl around. He cast a glance at the others standing in the warm sunlight just outside the door.

He waved vigorously at them. "Go, all of you! Go home!"

"Senior Brother Li, come with us. It'll be much safer traveling together. Did you forget something?" Zhao Wu, lying on the fool's back, called out. His face was etched with nervousness, as if he had a premonition that something was terribly wrong.

"Hehe, come with you where?" Li Huowang spun around again, his face disappearing into the inky darkness.

"Let's go home for the Spring Festival together, Senior Brother Li. Where's your home?"

Li Huowang in the darkness let out a silent smile. Then, clutching the lantern tightly, he started retracing his steps. "Home? Where on earth can I call home now? I can never, ever go back home. Never!"

Li Huowang trudged silently through the darkness. At this moment, Qingfeng Taoist Temple was deathly quiet. The only sound that accompanied him was the rhythmic thud of his footsteps.

Suddenly, Li Huowang started humming a tune, and his steps became light and springy. The oil lamp in his hand swayed from side to side in a lively rhythm.

Accompanied by his own melodious singing, Li Huowang reached his dwelling. He shut the door behind him, placed the oil lamp on the table, and without even bothering to wipe the blood off his face and body, he slowly stretched out on the stone bed and closed his eyes.

"Today is the first day of the lunar new year. I didn't eat that disgusting black Taishui this month. I should be able to see Yang Na again soon, right?" At the thought of this, the corners of Li Huowang's mouth twitched ever so slightly.

He waited patiently, yearning for his childhood sweetheart to take him back to his own world.

Li Huowang, who had stayed awake all night, gradually felt his consciousness slipping away. Just as he was about to sink into a beautiful dream, the door burst open with a bang.

Li Huowang sat up abruptly, rubbing his bleary eyes. He saw Gouwa and Zhao Wu standing at the door.

Bai Lingmiao stood there, looking extremely uneasy. After a moment of averting her eyes, she finally steeled herself.

"Senior Brother Li, if you can't go home, then come to mine. My home is huge, and the east wing room is empty..."

Li Huowang looked at the kind-hearted girl in front of him and shook his head gently. "Thank you. This place is fine. I'm used to it."

A crazy man who talked to himself and flailed his arms about could only stay in this gloomy place, lest he scare others.

Bai Lingmiao's lips quivered. She seemed utterly incredulous at Li Huowang's words.

"I once had a home and family. But..." Li Huowang stared up at the pitch-black roof, his expression a complex mix of emotions as he delved into his memories.

After a short while, Gouwa winked at the others and whispered, "Since Senior Brother Li wants to stay here, how about we leave?"

"Shut up!" Bai Lingmiao's sharp rebuke startled Gouwa. This was not the timid little girl they knew.

Bai Lingmiao rushed forward, her expression stubborn as a mule. "Is this how you treat your family? What would your past family members think if they saw you like this?"

A bitter smile spread across Li Huowang's face. "How would I know what they think? I'm not even sure if they ever really existed!!"

"Maybe I'm just a penniless madman with nothing. Everything is just a figment of my imagination." Li Huowang's face contorted in pain.

Bai Lingmiao stretched out her fair, almost translucent hands and clasped Li Huowang's hands tightly. "Senior Brother Li, you're not penniless. You still have us."

Li Huowang stared blankly at the girl in front of him. Suddenly, the world around him began to shift. The cave and the white walls of the hospital started to blend and alternate.

Bai Lingmiao's features began to melt and then re-form into Yang Na's face. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at him with deep worry.

"Nana!" Li Huowang lunged at her, holding her tightly, his face twisted in agony.

"Huowang, you can't give up on yourself. You have to live. No matter what happens, you must live well, okay?" Yang Na's voice was filled with desperate pleading.

Then that face transformed into his mother's. "Son, you can't die. If you do, how can your father and I go on living?!"

That face changed in a flash, showing all the people Li Huowang knew.

Suddenly, everything around him froze, and the bright ward quickly plunged into darkness.

Li Huowang slowly loosened his embrace and found that he was holding Bai Lingmiao.

The girl in his arms was clearly a bit shy, but her eyes didn't waver. "Senior Brother Li, let's go. This place gives me the creeps."

Then, she took out those notes from the pouch around her waist and stuffed them into his arms. "Senior Brother Li, it's no use giving these to me. None of us can read them."

"Yes, Senior Brother Li. You have to do this. Others can't." The others at the door chorused in agreement.

"I... I... I can..." As soon as the fool opened his mouth, Zhao Wu clapped his hand over it. He leaned over to the fool's ear and hissed, "Even if you can read, you have to pretend you can't right now!"

Li Huowang stared silently at the last words written by those people, lost in thought.

Bai Lingmiao pushed her hands forward, shoving the notes closer to him. "Senior Brother Li, you promised them personally. A real man keeps his word."

Reality and hallucinations swirled in his mind like a whirlwind. Finally, Li Huowang reached out and took the papers. "Let's go."

Li Huowang resolved that no matter where he was, he would strive to live well. This was not just for himself but also for those possible, perhaps non-existent family members.

As soon as he said that, everyone let out a sigh of relief and broke into smiles.

They had no idea what Li Huowang was thinking, but as long as he didn't stay in this accursed place, it was all good.

A group of people crowded around Li Huowang and walked out of the dim room, heading towards the cave entrance. However, just a few steps later, Li Huowang stopped them in their tracks.

"Wait. Since we've decided to leave, we should ransack this place thoroughly. Fool, carry Zhao Wu on your back and take the others to the kitchen to get some food for the journey. We can't hit the road empty-handed."

Then Li Huowang himself led Bai Lingmiao to the alchemy room to get some pills he recognized. Li Huowang had dabbled in alchemy for a while. With these pills, he could pass for half a doctor. They had no idea how far it was to their homes, so it was better to be prepared.

However, he only took the pills he knew. He didn't even dare to touch, let alone take, the other unknown pills refined by Danyangzi.

After the group reunited at the Zhengyi Hall, Li Huowang said, "Wait a moment. I still have one more thing to fetch." Saying this, Li Huowang picked up the lamp oil in his hand and tiptoed carefully towards the cave where the black Taishui was imprisoned.