Chapter 9: Black Taishui

"Taishui. Black Taishui." Dan Yangzi's cold, detached voice echoed through the cramped storeroom.

Li Huowang tilted his head slightly, once again examining the revolting black mass in Dan Yangzi's hand.

Looking closer, he realized that it bore a striking resemblance to the thing inside the black cauldron—the very creature that had devoured people alive.

So this thing is called Black Taishui? Is he planning to use it to refine pills? That's disgusting, Li thought to himself, a shiver running down his spine.

With a flick of Dan Yangzi's wrist, the squirming Black Taishui arced through the air and landed squarely on Li's foot.

The slimy, sticky sensation sent a jolt of revulsion through him. His legs trembled as he instinctively stepped back, his face pale.

Staring at the dust-covered mass on the floor, Li looked up at Dan Yangzi in shock, unable to comprehend what the man intended.

"It's a reward," Dan Yangzi said. "Pick it up and swallow it. You're no longer just a medicine extractor—you're my disciple now. This will help suppress your hysteria."

Li froze. He didn't fully understand what Dan Yangzi meant, and he didn't want to. His face turned white as he kept retreating. "I'm not eating that! I'm not sick!"

"Not eating it? Hmph, it's not up to you." Dan Yangzi snapped his fingers. "Changming! Changren!"

At his call, two Daoists with swords strapped to their backs approached Li. Each grabbed one of his arms, locking him in place.

Dan Yangzi stretched out his hand, and the Black Taishui, which had begun slithering toward the corner, floated back into his palm.

Watching Dan Yangzi walk toward him, holding the writhing, nauseating mass, Li began trembling uncontrollably. A bone-deep chill spread through his body.

His instincts screamed at him to run, but the iron grip of the two disciples left him immobile.

In desperation, Li's breath quickened, his chest heaving. Summoning every ounce of willpower, he closed his eyes tightly, retreating inward both mentally and physically.

"Huowang? Huowang! Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Yang Na's soft voice rang out, like a melody from heaven.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself face-to-face with the girl in a white turtleneck sweater. His emotions overwhelmed him, and he lunged forward, hugging her tightly as though she were his lifeline.

A faint blush crept across Yang Na's face as she struggled lightly in his embrace. "Huowang, let go. My aunt and the doctor are watching."

Looking up, Li saw his mother standing beside his attending doctor, both of them watching with amused smiles.

"Ah, my son is so sweet," his mother said with a proud grin.

The bright, clean hospital room, the warm sunlight streaming through the windows, and the presence of his loved ones gradually calmed Li's racing heart.

The attending doctor adjusted his glasses and frowned slightly as he approached. "Li, what did you see in your hallucination? Your emotional response was intense. Have you been following my treatment plan?"

Li's heart clenched as he recalled the terrifying events he had just escaped. With urgency, he asked the doctor, "Do you have medication that can suppress these hallucinations temporarily? I really need a break—I can't take it anymore."

The doctor sighed. "Alright, I'll prescribe some Haloperidol and Perphenazine, but remember, medication is only a temporary aid. To truly rid yourself of these hallucinations, you must follow my methods."

The doctor tapped on his tablet, writing the prescription. Moments later, a nurse arrived with a few blue capsules.

Li rushed forward and grabbed the pills, swallowing them dry without even reaching for water.

To hell with the master, to hell with alchemy, he thought. All he wanted was a moment of peace. The recent events had left him utterly shaken.

The capsules left a gritty, slimy sensation in his mouth, but Li forced himself to swallow them.

"Li, tell me—what was it in your hallucination that scared you so much?"

Feeling the calming effect of the medication, Li managed a weak laugh. "It was nothing. Just some weird speech from the people over there. From the way they talked, it sounded like they were claiming their world is the real one, and this one is just an illusion. Haha."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room shifted.

The vibrant colors of the hospital dulled, losing their warmth and life. Yang Na, his mother, the doctor, and the nurse froze in place, their faces unnaturally still.

Li's breathing quickened as his surroundings darkened. The bright sunlight vanished, replaced by an oppressive, suffocating blackness.

Fear wrapped around him like a vice, squeezing out all sense of safety. Panicked, Li grabbed Yang Na's hand and pulled her toward his mother.

But when he touched her, his mother's body disintegrated into foam, vanishing before his eyes. The strong, dependable figure who had always shielded him was gone.

"Huowang..."

The sound of Yang Na's fading voice made Li whip around. He watched in horror as her body dissolved into nothingness, leaving him utterly alone.

In that moment, all the warmth and love in his life vanished, replaced by suffocating despair and pain.

The white hospital walls and the comforting environment of his room receded like a tide, leaving him once again in the dim, cold cave of Qingfeng Temple.

Li's bloodshot eyes filled with rage as veins bulged on his forehead. He wanted to scream, to cry, to release all the anguish and frustration consuming him.

But he couldn't. His throat was blocked—by the Black Taishui, which now filled his mouth, choking him.

Kneeling on the ground, retching and trembling, Li endured the full weight of his despair.

Dan Yangzi, his hands clasped behind his back, shook his head as he walked out of the storeroom.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. This one's hysteria is severe, yet he claims he's not sick? Do you think I pick my medicine extractors randomly?"

"Alright, your hysteria is gone now. Get back to work. Remember, Qingfeng Temple doesn't support freeloaders. Come see me on the first of every month for your medicine."

With that, Dan Yangzi and his disciples left the storeroom, leaving behind the trembling Li and the other medicine extractors.

The remaining workers, each with their own deformities and afflictions, exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to do.

After half an incense stick's time, the Black Taishui finally slid down Li's throat.

His anguished screams echoed through the cave, raw and piercing.

"Why?! Why can't I escape this damn illness, even in this cursed place?!"