Chapter 420

"Li Huowang, thank you for coming to see us. I haven't eaten breakfast yet." Qing Wanglai pulled out a white-and-purple ginseng fruit and smiled. "The doctor said I didn't injure any vital organs—I should be discharged soon."

"Puke—!!!"

Vomiting and coughing echoed from the bathroom, followed by the rush of running water.

"I heard you've returned to campus. Congratulations—that'll help you reconnect with normal life," Yi Donglai said weakly as he opened the bathroom door, stumbling over with dark circles under his eyes.

"Good. Keep it up."

You seem to be drifting further from normal life, Doctor Yi.

Li Huowang even wondered if Qing Wanglai had poisoned Yi Donglai's water cup in the dead of night—or used some method to drain others' life force—otherwise there was no way to explain why the man who jumped off a cliff could be discharged immediately, while the one with mild food poisoning was growing steadily worse.

"Has he been examined?" Li Huowang asked.

This is a hospital—Yi Donglai's condition suggests he hasn't received any effective treatment.

"Gastrointestinal dysfunction, but all indicators are within normal range," Yi Donglai said as he sat down beside the bed, his frown slightly easing.

"Later, we suspected it was caused by excessive mental stress. Two visiting experts happened to stop by last night and checked me over—they prescribed some probiotics to regulate my intestines and anti-anxiety sedatives."

"Could you get me a cup of warm water? Thank you."

Li Huowang took the thermos, and Yang Na took it from his hand.

"I'll do it."

Yang Na left the ward and headed for the water heater.

At 3 a. m. yesterday morning, a major traffic accident occurred on Lingshan Road, resulting in…

The local channel on TV was broadcasting a recent traffic accident.

"Mr. Yi, do you have any recommendations for a better psychiatric hospital?" Qing Wanglai asked, tapping his phone screen with both hands.

"A friend of mine got caught up in a car crash yesterday—he was saved, but his mind is severely damaged…"

Li Huowang found it strange—why was Qing Wanglai staring directly at him when he said that? It left him baffled.

"Hmm… Kangning is out of the question for now. Go to Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital— I know their director."

Yi Donglai pulled a small plastic bag from his drawer, taking out two boxes of medicine. Li Huowang glanced at them—they both bore the label "Dalei Yin Pharmaceutical."

This company's business is surprisingly broad—they make probiotics and psychiatric sedatives alike.

Back when he was in the psychiatric hospital, Li Huowang was a high consumer of medication—he was naturally familiar with these things.

"These probiotics work pretty well," Yi Donglai said, shaking the box, tearing open the small packet, and pouring a pile of golden granules into his mouth.

"After taking them, I've felt much better. If I go through a few more courses, my body should recover."

"Too bad they're still in the experimental phase—you can't buy them at regular pharmacies."

Qing Wanglai shook his head, refocusing on Li Huowang. "How have you been these past two days?"

"Fine. Eat well, sleep well," Li Huowang replied. He didn't understand why Qing Wanglai had summoned him, but judging by the current situation, it wasn't time to break the surface yet.

"I'm being discharged soon too. Let's grab a meal somewhere," Qing Wanglai said. "I'll treat you."

Only then did Li Huowang notice—Qing Wanglai wasn't wearing a hospital gown. He was dressed normally.

"Didn't you say you'd have to wait until next week?" Li Huowang glanced around. The man hadn't even packed his things—though Qing Wanglai was the type who valued efficiency and simplicity.

"I just decided. I have something to attend to—I need to be discharged early," Qing Wanglai smiled.

Bang bang bang—

"Excuse me."

The three in the ward turned toward the door. A doctor with thinning hair—or rather, a shaved head—walked straight in.

"Dr. Meng," Yi Donglai nodded to him.

The man was the same doctor Li Huowang had seen in the hallway—the one who had conducted his psychiatric evaluation. His badge read "Meng Zhending." He wore a string of Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist and held several forms in his hand.

Why does this name sound familiar?

"Hello, Dr. Yi," Meng Zhending greeted, then turned his gaze to Qing Wanglai.

"Mr. Qing, I've scheduled your afternoon physical. At noon, go to Radiology on the first floor for an MRI and CT scan—I've already notified the staff there. They'll stay late for you."

Meng Zhending snatched the fruit from Qing Wanglai's hand and shoved it into the fruit basket beside him. Qing Wanglai's smile froze on his face—still smiling, but his expression had turned grim.

"Don't eat anything. Hold on a little longer," Meng Zhending said. "After your exam, come to my office for something to eat."

Qing Wanglai pushed up his square, frameless glasses, glanced at the form, and asked: "Dr. Meng, when did you transfer to Rehabilitation?"

"Rehabilitation prescriptions can legally be issued by doctors from other departments. Recently, gas explosion accidents have been frequent—your hospital is severely understaffed," Meng Zhending said calmly, his voice gentle.

"As your distant cousin, I have a duty to be responsible for your health."

"Go for your exam at noon. I've already informed the nurses and security—you're not leaving early."

He took an apple from the basket and handed it to Yi Donglai, then picked up the entire fruit basket and walked out. As he exited, Yang Na returned with the water and brushed past him.

Li Huowang: "."

I was just hoping to eat some fruit myself! Yangtao and cherries are expensive! What kind of doctor steals patients' fruit baskets?!

"Your cousin?"

Li Huowang was surprised, but upon reflection, it made sense—every Confused Siming in this world had personal connections. Even Qian Fu had a daughter.

Qing Wanglai's smile vanished completely. He fell silent for a long while, lost in thought.

"Let's not talk about that," Qing Wanglai said, clearly unwilling to dwell on the subject. He turned to Li Huowang, his eyes now layered with deeper emotion:

"If you have time, could you visit a friend for me? His name is Qian Fu—he's at Kangning Psychiatric Hospital."

Bang bang bang—

The knocking came again. All four turned to the door. A doctor with slightly longer hair—Su Tianfu—entered.

"Excuse me, Li Huowang, could you go to Room 519? Qian Fu says if you don't visit him, he'll bite off his tongue," Su Tianfu said, chewing on a ginseng fruit, a string of Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist, his expression languid and detached.

"If you don't go, I'll have to sedate him with full physical anesthesia to calm him down."

"Ugh, assigning liability for medical accidents is just awful."

Are you really a doctor?!

Li Huowang was nearly stunned—what was this guy's situation now?

He remembered that the last time he saw this professor, the man had seemed perfectly normal.

"I'm on my way."

Li Huowang nodded, took Yang Na's hand, and walked off in another direction.

"Has Qian Fu come in too?" Li Huowang was surprised, but quickly regained his composure: "Thank you for your trouble."

As Li Huowang passed Su Tianfu, he glanced at him—around his neck hung a cross, on his wrist was a string of Buddhist prayer beads he'd picked up, and the casing of the phone in his right hand was styled in Daoist fashion.

Doctor, you're completely mixed up.

"If the Buddha won't save them, then I will."

Rhythmic DJ music blared. Su Tianfu pulled out his phone and replied: "Oh, the VIP room at Da Dianyin Temple is still reserved for me—I'll come over tonight if I'm not working overtime."

He hung up and asked Li Huowang: "Are you coming too? It's more fun with more people."

"Where?!"

Li Huowang stopped in the corridor, his eyelid twitching wildly—he wondered if he'd misheard:

"You said Da Lei Yinsi?!"

Li Huowang bowed to Emperor Ji Lin on the dragon throne, performing a Daoist salute.

"I've never heard of it. Where did Your Majesty hear this name?"

On the dragon throne, Ji Lin sat upright, his face handsome, eyes gleaming with wisdom; he smiled confidently:

"It's normal you haven't heard of it—I only just learned this name myself."

Ji Lin handed Li Huowang a memorial scroll.

"Er Jiu, do you think I can gain their aid?"

Li Huowang opened the scroll, which recorded events from the past two days.

The Fogu Temple had been occupied for several days by a group of Fa Sect followers, who only defended and never attacked; but yesterday morning, two Daoist Priests arrived by flight technique, delivered a cart of horse feed, and demanded tenfold payment.

The city's commanding general had suspected the Zuowang Dao was behind it, but after the two Daoists entered the Fogu Temple, stars fell from the sky, the Buddha descended, golden lotuses illuminated the heavens; half an hour later, when the general gathered all his troops and arrived at Fogu Temple, it had been replaced by a Buddhist monastery named Da Lei Yinsi.

Inside were over a thousand monks and novices, including the former abbot of Fogu Temple—all of them refused to speak, no matter how much they were questioned.

Once, soldiers tried to seize the monks for interrogation by force, but were crushed beneath Leifeng Pagoda and had to cultivate inner stillness for three months before being released.

The entire military force was utterly powerless, stripped bare in an instant and thrown out of Da Lei Yinsi.

This passage was written in blood.

Li Huowang skipped over this nonsense and went straight to the later content.

【Within its hall stand only two Buddha statues: one named Zhen Ding Tathagata, the other Tian Fo Zun. I summoned Buddhist monks and searched every sutra, yet never heard these names. I implore Your Majesty and Jian Tian Si to take this matter seriously and dispatch capable individuals to investigate at once.】

Li Huowang returned the memorial scroll, looked at Ji Lin, and felt he understood—yet didn't fully understand.

He already knew what was going on: these two had entered the Buddhist sect and taken on disguises—but what about the two doctors in the modern world?

"Er Jiu, I know you are a man of great ability, so I entrust this matter to you," Ji Lin said solemnly to Li Huowang: "In the palace there is a divine steed—if you ride it, you can reach Langzhong City tonight. If you fail, return quickly."

"Yes," Li Huowang replied, clasping his hands.

The current Ji Lin, after consuming the "Spiritual Evil," had not become extreme; instead, he had grown far wiser, his speech brimming with confidence. Yet even so, his situation remained dire—he still had to rely on violence to intimidate the other Imperial Princes and Princesses.

"Also, I've heard of a miraculous grain called 'hybrid rice' on Lingshan. Bring it back for me."

"Yes."

"Oh come on, Da Su, I was just joking—why did you take it seriously?"

Meng Qi smiled faintly, using spiritual power as ink to write volumes of legendary Buddhist sutras; from his brow, one could tell he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

"If we leave behind legends in this world, we can lay groundwork for future legendary paths, and spreading the true Dharma, correcting chaos—it is a great merit."

"But who should be the pilgrim?"

Su Lin dissolved his Tian Fo Wu Xiang Body, looked in a mirror at his gleaming bald head, and ultimately decided to use a hair-growth technique to adopt a white-haired appearance.

"I just wanted to pick a Buddhist name and become an abbot—you've already moved on to choosing the pilgrim."

Su Lin sighed:

"I suggest starting with a mythological revival from Pangu's creation of heaven and earth, then bringing in a time-traveler who's seen Daoist Weird Immortals as the pilgrim."

Meng Qi's smile froze for an instant—he felt he'd merely wanted to pick a pilgrim, but this man had set the difficulty to maximum.

"Since we're this far, why not add more difficulty? Change the pilgrim's main quest to investigating the truth of Lingshan," Meng Qi set down the sutra and smiled: "For instance—who's beneath the faces of Zhen Ding Tathagata and Tian Fo Zun?"

"Su Ge, Meng Ge, you two became Buddhas in the Buddhist sect?" Li Huowang's message appeared in the chat group: "The Tian Fo Zun and Zhen Ding Tathagata inside Da Lei Yinsi—you're them, right?!"

Well, this was the fastest completion of a main quest ever.

Su Lin: "Don't know, don't recognize, not responsible."

Meng Qi: "Amitabha Buddha, what a sin, what a sin."

Li Huowang: "Perfect—the Great Liang Emperor sent me here to seek the Dharma. I'm on my way."

Okay, the side quest is also completed.

Meng Qi suddenly lost interest, feeling as if fate had shoved a loaf of bread into his mouth.

Lu Mingfei: "The Three Pure Ones and God went to become Buddhas—are you guys planning to merge industries?"

Tony Stark: "."

Zhang Chuanyan: "Big boss, 666."

Miss Kelaien: "Tian Fo Zun—100% name collision across all heavens. Recommend elimination."

Su Lin: "You can't have internet in your own world—you couldn't even find shit!"

Miss Kelaien: "Can't I go to other worlds? If you use my name, I'll take your surname! I'll change my name to Su Ruiming!"

Yi Leina: "Why's the tension so thick? Got any popcorn?"

Su Lin: "Oh, we still don't know the name of the female lead Mr. Fool chose that night."

Kleine: "You'll definitely get double the punishment when you go buy groceries! Heaven's justice cycles round—just wait and see!"

(End of Chapter)