DAO OF THE BIZARRE IMMORTAL

Chapter 1 - The Master.

Li Huowang held the pestle, using it to rhythmically pound the mortar, slowly breaking down a mud-covered green rock into powder.

Despite the cave being cold and humid, the only thing covering him was an overall woven from rough fabric. Still, he did not seem to be bothered by it.

He was not the only one in the cave. Around him were people roughly the same age, with their hair tied up and wearing the same apparel.

The only difference between them and him was that everyone else was either visibly disabled or had some sort of medical condition, such as albinism or polio.

Everyone here was different—it was as if this cave was a twisted museum displaying the various ailments that could affect a human.

All of them were engaged in the same task as Li Huowang: using the mortar to pound raw ingredients into powder. Some were pounding golden rocks, while others were grinding herbs. Although it looked like everyone was diligently doing their assigned task, a few seemed less focused.

“Ack!”

Suddenly, a girl’s scream was heard, causing everyone to turn toward her.

In a corner of the cave, a harelipped young man was grinning maliciously while attempting to hug a girl with albinism.

“It’s ok, let me play with you for a bit. Just a little bit. Heheheh...”

Li Huowang ignored the commotion and kept his eyes closed, focused on his own task.

The girl’s cries grew louder and louder.

The commotion started to annoy Li Huowang. He tightened his grip on the mortar.

Then, a dull sound of rock hitting bone reverberated through the cave.

The young man stumbled backward, startled and stunned by the impact. He immediately clutched the wounded area on his head, grimacing in pain.

The girl who had escaped her predicament held down her shirt and hid behind Li Huowang.

“You are so dead! Don’t you know what the Master is like?! He’ll kill you once he finds out!” the young man shouted furiously, threatening Li Huowang.

“And what does that Master think he is?! He is insignificant!” Li Huowang’s statement caused everyone to stop working. The entire cave fell into complete silence. No one had expected him to utter such words.

Seeing everyone’s stunned expressions, Li Huowang took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

What’s happening to me? Why am I so angry with them? This isn’t how I usually act. I can’t let them affect my emotions. That wasn’t the real me. I need to calm down.

Just as Li Huowang was trying to regain his composure, a voice called out for him from the entrance.

“Disciple Li, Disciple Wang, our Master has summoned both of you,” shouted a young man.

The young man who shouted the order held a higher rank than Li Huowang, evident from the green Taoist robe he wore.

The robe, though ancient and faded, was still in a better condition than what Li Huowang wore.

The man brandished a horsetail whisk and observed the other disciples, his eyes filled with arrogance.

Seeing the young Taoist, the man with the bleeding head laughed loudly. “Hahaha! You are dead! Today’s the day to meet our Master!”

Li Huowang completely ignored him and, alongside the other disciple, Disciple Wang, walked toward the entrance. Disciple Wang had a deformed mouth, skewed sideways with drool leaking from the corner of her lips. Her face was pale and she appeared quite unhealthy.

Li Huowang had just taken two steps when someone tugged at his shirt. When he turned around, he saw it was the girl with albinism.

Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head, her eyes filled with fear.

Li Huowang ignored her, shook her off and continued walking.

The cave they were in was the Preparation Room. Exiting the Preparation Room, they entered a larger cave. This cave was riddled with entrances to other smaller caves similar to the Preparation Room. Based on the unevenness of the cave, it was evident that the one who made this place wasn’t particularly skillful.

The entire cave system was quite vast, with tunnels leading in all directions, almost like an ant colony.

Above the entrances to the smaller caves, rotten wooden planks were nailed, each excellently carved with different names: the Spiritual Palace, the Judgement Hall, the Memorial Palace, and the Four Heavenly Palace.

The entire cave system was designed to resemble a proper martial dojo.

As they ventured deeper into the cave, the girl beside Li Huowang took out a black item and handed it to him.

“Want some candy?” she asked blankly.

Li Huowang frowned. He knew that she was mentally challenged. So, despite being irritated, he took the candy and tucked it into his clothing.

Seeing that Li Huowang accepted the candy, she took out another piece and put it in her own mouth, chucking and saying, “Master is great. Master gives us candy.”

Li Huowang remained silent as they continued walking. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at their destination. A giant black furnace appeared before their eyes.

Green smoke billowed from the furnace, rising toward a hole in the cave ceiling. The furnace almost resembled a small metallic hill.

As they approached it, the furnace grew larger and larger until Li Huowang was engulfed in its shadow. It gave off a very oppressive feeling.

But the oppressive feeling wasn’t only due to the furnace; it was also because of the hunchbacked figure that stood in front of it.

Wearing a blue Taoist robe, the figure had his white hair tied up and was adorned with a crown, giving him a sage-like appearance.

He, too, was pounding something with a pestle, similar to what Li Huowang had been doing earlier. However, the difference was that the pestle he wielded was enormous, almost resembling a giant pillar.

The pestle rose and fell, the echoing sound of rock being pounded reverberating through the chamber.

“Mas... Master!” the girl stammered, holding her left thumb with her right hand and covering it with her remaining fingers. She brought both her hands close to her chest and bowed, her eyes filled with respect.

The sound of the pounding abruptly ceased as she spoke.

Even though Li Huowang had mentally prepared himself, he couldn’t help being startled when he saw the figure turn around.

When viewed from the front, the Taoist presented a strikingly different impression. While his posture appeared noble and sage-like from behind, he was an ugly man. Cracked and distorted lips revealed his few remaining teeth.

“You are here? Good girl! You’ve kept me waiting,” he exclaimed, leaping into the air, his dirty robes fluttering in the wind. He then gripped her by her neck with a single hand and jumped back to the mortar.

Before she could even utter a sound, he tossed her into the stone urn, seized the pestle, and slammed it down into the stone urn with a twisted expression.

The girl let out a scream, which abruptly halted.

Meanwhile, he kept pounding. Blood and flesh splattered across his face and body, yet he paid it no mind as he started chanting fervently.

“Fire Ox extends my life, Fire Pig shields my soul, Wood Rat protects my body, Wood Dog maintains my form, Wood Monkey anchors my life, Wood Horse protects my soul, Wood Dragon anchors my spirit!” 

Once the girl had been completely ground into a paste, he held up the stone urn which weighed hundreds of kilograms, and poured its contents into the furnace. Excitement filled his eyes as he raised both hands into the air.

“Start the furnace and refine the pill!”

Upon hearing this command, two young female assistants, their faces covered in an excessive amount of makeup, emerged from the shadows. One began fanning the flames, while the other added secondary ingredients into the furnace—various types of stone powders and wriggling lifeforms.

A peculiar scent soon filled the air; however, it was strangely pleasant for the nose.

The Master closed his eyes, took a deep breath and stroked the last few strands of hair that made up his beard. A satisfied expression soon appeared on his ugly face.

Finally, he slowly opened his eyes and placed his hands behind his back before turning toward Li Huowang. “So, I heard you called me insignificant? Is that true?”

The atmosphere around them froze instantly.

Staring at the Master who wouldn’t hesitate in the slightest when taking a life, Li Huowang remained motionless. He closed his eyes and focused on calming his breath.

You can’t deceive me; all of this is a fabrication. It’s all fake!

“Are you mute?! Speak!” The Master’s voice grew louder, accompanied by the sound of his approaching footsteps.

As he drew nearer, the pungent stench of rotting flesh assaulted Li Huowang’s nostrils.

Li Huowang shuddered and clenched his teeth, summoning all his strength to open his eyes. And when he did—

The dark cave around him vanished. He found himself in a brightly lit room filled with fresh air. It was a hospital ward!

At that moment, Li Huowang glanced down and realized that he was tightly bound to a bed with leather belts.

Chapter 2 - Li Huowang.

“Phew, I’ve finally returned,” Li Huowang sighed in relief before calling out into the microphone installed at the headboard.

A few moments passed before his attending physician came into the room, holding a white tablet. The physician was accompanied by a nurse.

“How are you feeling, Little Li? Are there any changes in the hallucinations?” The doctor sat on a stool and asked in a kind voice.

“In the hallucination, I was stuck in the same place and doing the same thing as last time. However, this time, that bald master cruelly killed a person right in front of me and attempted to use her body parts to refine a pill,” Li Huowang described his hallucinations in detail. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.

“Mm-hmm.” The attending physician nodded, taking notes on the tablet.

Li Huowang thought about something and hesitated before asking, “Doctor, what do you mean when you say a different hallucination? How does it reflect my psychological and subconscious status? Does all of it mean something?”

“No, you do not need to care about such things. It is much more important to take note of how long your hallucinations last as well as your mental stability,” the doctor shook his head and avoided the question.

“Since this is a hallucination, you must always remember that it is not real. You have already recovered from your psychosensory disorder, so you must not regress.Everytime you enter a hallucination, you must always follow the logic of that world. With the help of our treatment, you should be able to recover soon.”

Li Huowang’s heart pounded upon hearing this. This was the key to being discharged from the hospital, so he could not afford to be careless.

Meanwhile, the doctor did not forget to cheer his patient up.

“Actually, you’ve already recovered quite a lot. When you were admitted, you couldn’t even differentiate between the real world and your hallucinations. You are on track to recovery, so keep it up. Keep fighting!”

While the two of them were conversing, the soft sound of footsteps echoed from the direction of the door.

Both of them turned at the same time and saw a girl peeking into the room. She was wearing a black turtleneck.

She looked to be sixteen or seventeen, an age where she was like a flower ready to blossom.

Her skin was white as jade, her straight black hair covering her shoulders like a dark waterfall. She looked as pretty as a flower in bloom.

Both teenagers wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Meanwhile, the doctor chuckled; he knew what was going on and so he just adjusted his glasses and promptly left the room.

“I still have something to do, so I will leave the two of you alone. Oh right, don’t forget to take your medicine on time, Little Li.”

As soon as the doctor left, the young girl walked into the room. Both of them smiled at each other as Li Huowang felt a warm feeling in his heart. All his concerns about his illness were quickly forgotten.

“Stop smiling. You look ugly when you smile like that. I brought you a little something... It’s the homework assigned to us by our dear teacher!” The girl smiled slyly, revealing a sling bag made from cloth behind her.

Seeing this, Li Huowang’s smile disappeared immediately. “Nana, we are childhood friends! Is this how you are going to repay me?”

Yang Na turned around and closed the door before taking out a portable game console and waving it in front of him cheekily. “Of course there’s also this! Call me big sister, and I will give it to you! Hehe~”

“Big Sis! My dear sister! You are my one and only big sister.” Li Huowang excitedly ran up to her and took the gaming console from her hand.

He was bored out of his mind staying within this psychiatric hospital. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he might end up going crazy from boredom.

“Don’t play too much and make sure to do your homework.” Yang Na sat beside the bed and reminded Li Huowang.

“Yeah, yeah.” said Li Huowang, while fully concentrating on the flashing screen.

Her white, slender fingers tugged at his blue and white hospital gown as she said, “Hey, don’t forget about our promise.”

Li Huowang momentarily paused his game and looked up at her. His face was filled with determination as he said, “Yeah, we promised each other that we will enter the same university.”

Seeing him staring at her with such determination, Yang Na lowered her head shyly, and her voice became as soft as a mosquito as she said, “Ok. Please recover soon. I will be waiting for you.”

Li Huowang suddenly pulled her into his embrace.

Her face was red, but she did not stop him. She just closed her eyes and whispered ‘pervert’ under her breath.

Both of them did not move. They were already content even if all they got to do was just hug like this.

After they had spent some time together, Yang Na had to leave. She was now in her third year of high school, a very important year of her life. It was a luxury to free up half a day from her schedule.

While her visits were short, Li Huowang always appreciated them. To him, she was a ray of sunlight in his miserable life.

“Let me send you out.” Li Huowang stood up from his bed, still in his blue and white hospital gown and wore the white sandals that were prepared for him by the hospital.

Just as he walked her to the door, he felt that something was wrong. He noticed a mortar on the table beside his bed.

Li Huowang took two steps back in surprise. When he checked again, he saw that the mortar had transformed into his meal box.

“Are you ok?” Looking at how startled he was, Yang Na started getting concerned.

Seeing her worried face, Li Huowang grinned mischievously. “Haha! Fooled you! Were you scared?”

Yang Na puffed out her cheeks in anger and pinched his waist. “You are already so old yet still like to act like a child. To think you would pull a childish prank like this.”

“Wait, don’t be mad. I was just trying to cheer you up.” He tried to grab her hands, but she easily shook him off.

After multiple attempts, he finally succeeded in grabbing her hands.

When the other patients who were sunbathing in the courtyard saw both of them, they grinned. Ah, how good must it be to be young and in love~

They walked quite slowly but still arrived at the entrance soon enough.

Standing at the entrance, Yang Na turned and looked at him reluctantly. “I will come back again next week, so please be well.”

“No, you don’t need to come. I know that you must be under immense stress due to all the studying you have to do right now. You only have half a day off every week. Don’t waste it on me.”

Yang Na raised her feet and gently stepped on Li Huowang’s sandals, her lashes fluttering gently as she blinked.

“You dummy. Don’t try to make it sound like I can’t handle it. I have never dropped from the top three spots in our class, so I have never had any stress.”

“Aaa~” Li Huowang held his chest, showing a pained expression, “such harsh words, my lady.”

Yang Na chuckled and lightly punched him before leaving the hospital. She then walked toward the bus station just across the hospital.

Li Huowang stood at the entrance of the hospital until she got on the bus and disappeared from his view. Slowly, the smile on his face disappeared.

He was concerned about what he had just seen, and so he quickly went to the doctor’s office.

An hour later, Li Huowang was turning and tossing in his bed. He was concerned about his future with Yang Na.

A new set of medications had been prescribed to him and was now placed on his table.

The mortar that he had seen, as well as Yang Na’s smile, were constantly on his mind.

What if my illness worsens? What if I am not discharged before the National Higher Education Entrance Examination? Then I would not be able to enter the same university as Yang Na.

Even though he was stuck within the hospital, he still knew about the rumors. In the eyes of the people outside, he was nothing but a crazy man.

To think that his childhood friend, Yang Na, would confess to him a day before he was admitted to the hospital, despite knowing that something was wrong with him.

Yang Na is an amazing girl, so as a man, I must not let her down.

This can’t be right. I’ve been following the doctor’s orders, so why have my hallucinations been getting worse? Should I transfer to another hospital? But this is already my third one.

There should be nothing wrong with Doctor Li’s treatment. Dad had told me that he was the best.

All these thoughts continued to plague his mind before he finally gave up on thinking and sat up.

He took out the textbooks and exercise books that Yang Na had delivered to him and started studying. He wanted to use complex theorems to drown out his ever-growing thoughts.

Late into the night, he started completing his homework.

After completing a mock exam sheet for English, he stretched his back and rubbed his temples.

“Yawn~ What time is it? It should be pretty late.” Li Huowang wore his slippers before heading to the toilet. He needed to sleep soon.

Just as he walked toward the toilet while yawning and scratching his chest, his right hand felt something weird and paused.

He looked down at his gown and saw something black and sticky stuck to his chest.

That color looked quite familiar.

Suddenly, a thought flashed across his mind.

He touched the object and licked his finger. A bitter taste that was accompanied by a hint of sweetness caused his pupils to shrink in surprise.

This was the piece of candy that the mentally challenged disciple had given to him!

An object that should have only existed in his hallucination had appeared in reality!

Chapter 3 - Jade Pendant