Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 187
>Chapter Title: Beauty
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Chapter 187: Beauty
> Hearing Li Huowang tell him to just speak right there in the courtyard, Gao Zhijian hesitated as he glanced around at the empty space to the left and right. “I... I... might... be... yel... low...”
> Gao Zhijian’s voice trailed off from high to low, becoming as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz.
> “What? You’re yel-what? Speak up.”
> Hearing this from Li Huowang, Gao Zhijian’s big face flushed red with embarrassment as he hung his head and walked into the room.
> “Why’d he stop talking again? What’s this guy up to? Yellow what? Gold? Yellow Heaven? Yellow earth?”
> The puzzled Li Huowang was just about to head downstairs to ask, but after mulling it over for a bit, he closed the window and walked toward the already-made bed instead.
> He had a mountain of his own issues to deal with—where did he have time for someone else’s private matters?
> Besides, as a heart element himself, he wasn’t exactly reliable when it came to this sort of thing. He wasn’t suited to counseling others, lest he lead them astray.
> Li Huowang had zero interest in digging into whatever secret Gao Zhijian seemed to be hiding.
> The guy was just slow on the uptake, not a complete idiot. He surely had his own reasons, and when he was ready to talk, he’d tell him naturally.
> After waiting a while and seeing that Gao Zhijian really wasn’t coming up, Li Huowang blew out the candle. Lying on the bed, he stared at the dim beam overhead.
> “Right, do you remember where the Fool said he wanted to go?”
> Eyes closed, Bai Lingmiao snuggled closer into Li Huowang’s embrace.
> “I asked him a few days ago, but even he couldn’t say for sure. Last time it was Liang Kingdom, this time it’s Qingqiu Country. I guess he doesn’t really know himself.”
> “Qingqiu Country, huh.”
> Li Huowang pictured the map in his mind. Past Hou Shu was Qingqiu, and past Qingqiu was their destination, Liang Kingdom.
> Once they reached Bai Lingmiao’s home at Niuxin Village, this long journey would finally be over, and he could put down roots.
> “What am I going to do once we get there? Throw a wedding feast like today’s and marry Miao Miao? No, I’m going to her home, so it’d be more like marrying in.”
> Li Huowang tilted his head up, rubbing his chin against the soft top of her hair.
> There was nothing dramatic about their relationship, no heartfelt pledges or love at first sight.
> He wasn’t good at sweet-talking girls, and Bai Lingmiao didn’t know how to act coy.
> They were like a gentle, steady stream that had slowly widened into this vast lake.
> Li Huowang didn’t feel anything extravagant. He just felt comfortable being by her side and wanted to stay that way forever.
> But deep down, Li Huowang still couldn’t quite let it go. He was still worrying about the one problem on his person.
> “Is there really no way to deal with this heart element thing?”
> It wasn’t just a matter of responsibility—it was a hidden danger for the future.
> Li Huowang had no confidence now. He was truly afraid that one day he’d mistake that side for reality again and completely abandon Bai Lingmiao.
> There had been a time when Li Huowang was absolutely certain that once he recognized that side as fake, he’d never get lost in it again.
> But reality had taught him a harsh lesson: anything was possible. He was no longer as sure as before.
> As his thoughts wandered, Li Huowang couldn’t help recalling the words of that Sitting Oblivion Daoist before he died.
> “That old nun Chen Hongxiu knows shit! I’ll tell you the truth! One of Sitting Oblivion Dao’s Four Joys, North Wind, is a heart element! He lived to one hundred ninety, and he’s still kicking fine! No confusion’s gotten hold of him!”
> He’d mulled over those words many times, and the more he did, the more irritated he got.
> Li Huowang suddenly realized he’d fallen into their trap again. He cursed under his breath, “Fuck! These lunatics— even dead, they’re still trying to trick me!”
> “Senior Brother Li, what’s wrong?”
> Seeing Bai Lingmiao’s sleepy eyes, Li Huowang opened his mouth to speak but suddenly sensed something. His expression changed instantly. “Quick! Get the chains!!”
> Bai Lingmiao didn’t ask questions. She scrambled over Li Huowang’s body off the bed, grabbed the iron chains wrapped in rags, and started binding him.
> “Tighter! Put some muscle into it! Bind me secure! Don’t let me break free!!”
> Seeing Bai Lingmiao bustling over his body and giving him a reassuring look, Li Huowang let out a heavy breath of relief and leaned back hard.
> The next moment, the rustling husks of the pillow behind his head turned into a soft cotton one.
> Li Huowang slowly raised his head and looked around at the pristine white surroundings. This hospital room felt unfamiliar—not the one he’d stayed in before.
> Having been here so many times, Li Huowang had gotten a feel for the hospital’s layout. This was clearly a restraint room in the psych ward—regular hospitals didn’t have these.
> After pondering for a while, Li Huowang pieced together the hallucination’s continuity. “Did I get transferred?”
> Saying this, Li Huowang gave a bitter smile and shook his head. What did it matter? It was all hallucination anyway—nothing that happened would be surprising.
> Staring at the spotless ceiling, Li Huowang suddenly didn’t know what to do with himself.
> Glancing at the wide straps binding his hands, Li Huowang looked up at the microphone by the bed. “Is there a nurse on duty? This is Room 13. Could you bring my phone over? I need to make a call.”
> After a brief burst of noise, a man’s voice came through. “Li Huowang, right? Hello. I’m familiar with your situation.”
> “I’m Wang. You can call me Nurse Wang. Who do you want to call? I can patch it straight to the bedside speaker.”
> “Male nurse?” Li Huowang pursed his lips. “Alright, Nurse Wang. Dial Yang Na for me—”
> The moment those two words left his mouth, Bai Lingmiao’s familiar face popped into Li Huowang’s mind. “What am I doing? Why am I actively engaging with a hallucination? Bai Lingmiao is the real, living person. Yang Na is fake.”
> “Aaah!! So annoying! Calling this early in the morning!” A familiar voice burst from the bedside speaker.
> Hearing that familiar morning grumpiness, all of Li Huowang’s inner turmoil vanished. “Nana.”
> “Huowang!!” Yang Na cried out in delight.
> “What time is it? Still not up? Where’d you go wild last night?”
> Hearing this, Yang Na immediately launched into a rant at Li Huowang.
> “Who has time to play? Freshman year is just high school all over again. I’m swamped every single day.”
> “No evening self-study, and not even full days of classes, and you’re still tired?”
> “Who says? You’ve never been to college. You’ll see when you get there—the idea that you can just mess around in university is a lie!”
> Just as she said this, Yang Na fell quiet for a moment. After a beat, her voice came cautiously. “Huowang, sorry. I didn’t mean to rub it in.”
> Li Huowang smiled warmly at the dark speaker. “That’s all it takes to get to me? You didn’t even scratch my defenses. Oh, right— that day, for your birthday, did you hear me?”
> “Yeah, I heard. Thanks for celebrating my birthday. I’m still waiting for your gift, you know.”
> (End of chapter)