Chapter 155 Taking Medication: I'm Actually in a Mental Hospital?
"Time...reversed!"
Zhong Jiuli's tearful voice echoed throughout the world. A dazzling river of time appeared, its waters flowing backward, revealing the figures that had vanished in the cataclysm.
Shi Manman's shattered body gradually reformed, Jiang Zhiming, who had vanished, returned to the mortal realm, and the shattered Bai Shu coalesced into a new form...
Liu Xianyue, Ayu, Dayue, Li Shoumo, Li Chengfeng... one familiar figure after another reappears in the reversed time.
Those who returned from the dead stared blankly at this new world, with its green mountains, clear waters, blue skies, and white clouds, showing no trace of the previous war, as if the cataclysmic disaster that had just occurred not long ago was merely a nightmare.
"I remember being smashed into a pulp by a club, how did I come back to life?" A young cultivator said, touching his arms and legs, still shaken.
Another person chimed in, "I remember being hit by that black light at the very last moment, and now you're actually alright?"
Various noises arose from the crowd. The cultivators loudly discussed their deaths, feeling both surprised and delighted to have come back to life, and also worried that it was all an illusion.
After all, the world before them was completely different from the world they had been in before. The land was vast, the grass was lush and green, and it was full of life.
Many people also turned their gaze to the distance, to the figure holding the river of time and space. In the surging river, people were still stepping out, those were the beings who had perished in the great war.
Many people instantly realized that they had indeed died, but Sect Master Zhong had used his great supernatural powers to bring them back to life.
Bai Shu landed in the crowd, his divine sense sweeping across the entire scene. He saw many members of the Bai family, and even the old lady Bai had been resurrected. However, he did not see his own son.
Perhaps it's a kind of intuition that all mothers have, and a bad premonition welled up in her heart.
After a long while, the River of Time dissipated in Zhong Jiuli's palm. Even with her current cultivation level, she could not reverse time and save too many people at once, and could only proceed slowly.
Bai Shu couldn't wait to fly forward and asked in a trembling voice, "Jiu Li... where is my little brat? Why haven't I seen her yet? Could she have run off to cause trouble again?"
Zhong Jiuli's somewhat vacant gaze fell on Bai Shu, then swept over the familiar faces. Everyone had returned, except for that little tiger who always got angry.
She gave all living beings a complete world, but she herself vanished into the universe.
"Zhong Jiuli, don't make that face. What's wrong with the little tiger? Did something really happen?" Liu Xianyue also came forward and asked with concern.
Zhong Jiuli shook her head slightly and said, "I'm fine, don't worry."
With a flick of her sleeve, Jiao Jiao, Xiao Lü, and Tai Huo appeared one after another.
As soon as the little turtle landed, she looked around anxiously. She searched around and around, looking at all the familiar faces, but she couldn't find that cheeky little tiger.
"Sister Zhong, where's Yezai?"
Little Green asked anxiously, "Yeah, where's that stinky tiger? Didn't she just beat that bronze skeleton so badly?"
Under everyone's expectant gaze, Zhong Jiuli finally raised her eyes and met their eyes. Sunlight fell on her pale face, and her eyes, which were brighter than the stars, were now lifeless.
She opened her mouth and said very softly, "She doesn't want us anymore."
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone held their breath. No one else spoke; it was clear to everyone that no one was more heartbroken than Zhong Jiuli.
Although I don't want to accept it, that's the truth. Bai really did disappear, completely and without leaving a trace.
......
Time flies, and several months have passed in the blink of an eye.
Across the vast land of China, all things are reviving.
After the catastrophe, the surviving cultivators helped mortals rebuild their homes, and new cities sprang up one after another. The people lived in peace and prosperity, as if they had already emerged from the catastrophe.
In the capital of Dali, the World Tree sapling took root on the ruins of the Tower of Babel. Every day, a golden little tortoise would nap under the tree, with a delicately beautiful little cub sitting beside it.
Shi Manman and her clan settled down in the capital and opened a martial arts school. Every day, she led a group of young children to practice boxing, and they lived a happy life.
The Wanxiang Pavilion remained bustling with people.
Boss Liu, dressed in gorgeous clothes and adorned with jewels, still maintained her flamboyant attitude of being the most beautiful woman in the world. However, these days, she was always accompanied by a sycophant who could never be driven away.
"Jiang Zhiming! Can you please stop clinging to me? I haven't forgiven you yet, and you're so annoying!" Liu Xianyue said, her eyebrows raised in a huff, feigning anger.
Jiang Zhiming smiled gently, not angry at all despite being scolded. She waved the feather fan in her hand and said unhurriedly, "I did a divination last night when I had nothing to do. Don't you want to know when Zhong Jiuli will return?"
"Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me."
Jiang Zhiming pointed to the sky, "Now!"
As soon as Liu Xianyue looked up, she saw a familiar figure approaching from afar; it was Zhong Jiuli, who had been gone for a long time.
As soon as Zhong Jiuli landed inside the Wanxiang Pavilion, Liu Xianyue immediately came up to her, grabbed her hand and said with concern, "Why did you take so long? I was so worried that you might have done something rash and committed suicide for love."
Seeing her concerned look, Zhong Jiuli smiled helplessly, "I encountered some minor troubles that delayed my trip."
Some time ago, she went to the Emperor's Tomb, hoping to try and guide the remnant souls of her deceased friends out. Unfortunately, although the seal on that forbidden place had loosened, it was not fully opened, and the time was not yet ripe.
However, she did not rush to leave. Instead, she crossed the river of time and returned to the previous era, hoping to find traces of Bai Ye's mother.
As the saying goes, perseverance pays off. After many twists and turns, she finally managed to collect a few faint fragments of the remnant soul, which was why she was delayed for a while.
"The aunties have been saying they'd invite you to dinner when you get back. There's no time like the present, let's go now." Liu Xianyue waved her hand and led Zhong Jiuli and Jiang Zhiming away from Wanxiang Pavilion.
......
The courtyard remains unchanged, still full of the warmth of everyday life.
It was a rare occasion for Shi Manman, Ming Wushuang, and other friends to gather together, along with Yishu, Yigui, and Yihuo, who were usually aloof, all of whom squeezed into this courtyard.
The charcoal crackled, and the aroma of grilled meat mingled with the sweet scent of fruit wine, filling the air.
The group sat around, chatting and laughing, seemingly lively, but the laughter always seemed somewhat restrained, not genuine, and not unrestrained.
After a few rounds of drinks, Shi Manman's face flushed red, perhaps from the alcohol. She clapped her hands and choked out, "Speaking of which... we agreed to play Cuju last time, how could that guy break his promise!"
Upon hearing this, the noise in the courtyard suddenly froze, leaving only the crackling sound of the charcoal fire, which was exceptionally clear.
A touch of sadness crept into everyone's eyes. Yes, the ball was still there, the people were still there, the food and wine were delicious, and all the old friends were still present.
The only thing missing is that little tiger who always grinned with his white teeth, his smile both cheeky and arrogant, as if he wasn't afraid of anything, even if the sky were to fall.
"Sect Master Zhong, is there really... absolutely no way to deal with Little Tiger? She's so energetic and doesn't seem like she'll die young!" Shi Manman asked unwillingly.
All eyes turned to Zhong Jiuli, their eyes filled with hope and anticipation.
Zhong Jiuli's eyes dimmed, and she said softly, "She used herself as a catalyst to dissolve all the Chaos Lotus Seeds, at the cost of her own complete annihilation. I searched every corner of the river of time and space, tracing countless possible futures, but I could not find any trace of her."
"She left so cleanly, so cleanly... that there wasn't even a chance to pursue her."
"Um, I think I still have some of her things." Little Green shook its branches, revealing a solidified, blackened chocolate ball resting on one of its leaves.
"This is the filthy blood that stinky tiger exuded when she first tempered her body a long time ago. She just casually threw it into my space back then. Take a look, does this have her aura?"
Zhong Jiuli appeared in front of Xiao Lü almost instantly. Her outstretched hand trembled slightly as she took the black blood sphere and carefully held it in her palm.
A faint, almost imperceptible, soul fluctuation emanated from the blood sphere, carrying a familiar aura.
"It...it worked!" Zhong Jiuli's voice trembled with excitement, and her eyes lit up, no longer showing the dejection she had before.
"Everyone, wait for my news."
Before he finished speaking, Zhong Jiuli's figure had already vanished into the void.
......
Qingshan Mental Hospital, Ward 201.
"Bed 23, wake up, it's time for your medicine!"
"23 beds?"
"Are you up yet?"
The calls, one after another, buzzed in my ears like mosquitoes, making me feel irritable and restless.
Bai impatiently opened his heavy eyelids, and what came into view was a snow-white ceiling, with the air filled with the distinctive smell of disinfectant from a hospital.
She tried to sit up, but found herself bound to the hospital bed by strong restraints and unable to move.
My gaze shifted to the window to the side, where the thick stainless steel bars fragmented the sunlight, casting irregular patches of light on the ground.
Restraints bound her, iron bars loomed before her... What strange place had she been transported to this time? Was it tears behind bars or prison intrigue? Could it be that she was going to carve out her own path in prison this time?
Bai felt like his mind was filled with a lump of paste, completely chaotic, with various images like broken puzzle pieces, making it impossible to sort out his thoughts.
The nurse standing by the bed saw that she was awake and asked with a smile, "Sleeping so soundly, were you too tired from saving the world last night?"
Bai looked in the direction of the voice and asked in a hoarse voice, "Who are you? Where is this place?"
The nurse didn't answer directly, but poured herself some warm water and held the cup to her lips: "Ah~~ open your mouth, take today's medicine first."
Bai subconsciously took a sip of water to moisten his throat. He glanced at the pile of colorful pills on the tray out of the corner of his eye and shook his head in refusal: "I don't want to take medicine. Let me go first."
"Why are you being naughty again? If you don't take your medicine, your head will hurt again. Don't you always say that there are people arguing in your head? They'll stop arguing if you take your medicine." The nurse coaxed her gently.
Bai kept his mouth shut, clearly refusing to cooperate.
The nurse tried to coax her a few times, but Bai still wouldn't cooperate. Helpless, she had no choice but to bring the medicine bowl to her lips.
Bai blinked frantically, threatening indistinctly, "If you keep doing this, I might hit you..."
"What, you want to use your sword to cut me down again?" The nurse couldn't help but chuckle.
"You even know I can fly on a sword?" Bai's eyes widened in shock.
"I not only know you can fly on a sword, but I also know you have a good friend named Jiaojiao." The nurse picked up a slightly worn turtle doll from the bedside and waved it in front of her.
"Here, I'll leave your little darling here with you. Take your medicine quickly, or you won't be able to go play in the garden later if the restraints aren't removed."
"You even know about Jiaojiao?" Bai was even more shocked and subconsciously opened his mouth.
The nurse swiftly stuffed a handful of pills into her mouth and then quickly fed her a few sips of water.
Before Bai could even react, he had already swallowed all the medicine in a daze.
The drug took effect quickly, and her already chaotic thoughts became even more blurred, as if she had fallen into a fog of confusion.
After taking her medicine, Bai drifted off to sleep again. When she woke up, she was startled by a loud argument. Squinting, she saw that her bedside table and the cabinet next to it were arguing fiercely.
This discovery left Bai feeling utterly hopeless; she felt she might have been transported to a supernatural world.
"Nurse, come quick! Help me!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. The nurse from before quickly entered the ward, looking at her helplessly: "What's wrong now? You just woke up and you're already crying!"
Bai also frantically rolled his eyes, gesturing for her to look at the two cabinets that were still bickering.
The nurse followed her gaze and nodded knowingly: "They're arguing again?"
After saying that, she walked up to the two cabinets and slapped each one. "How many times have I told you not to argue while bed 23 is resting? You're disturbing her!"
To Bai's surprise, the nurse's slap really quieted down the two cabinets, and they stopped making noise.
"Get up and brush your teeth. You can go downstairs for dinner later." The nurse quickly untied Bai Ye's restraints and patted her on the shoulder.
Bai stiffly climbed out of bed, went into the bathroom, mechanically squeezed out toothpaste, and while brushing her teeth, she called out in her mind, "Xiao Wang, are you still there?"
Unfortunately, she called out for a long time but received no response.
After washing his face with cold water, Bai's muddled mind finally cleared up a bit. He reached out and wiped the water vapor off the mirror, revealing a familiar face reflected in it.
She had seen this face for twenty years and would never mistake it for her own body.
But why... why is her hair a mess? Bai also reached out and tidied her messy hair, and her fingertips could touch several very obvious scars.
Who hit her on the head?
"Bed 23, come out when you're done washing. No playing in the water in the bathroom," the nurse's voice came from outside the door.
Bai stepped out of the bathroom, pointed to his head, and asked, "Where's my hair?"
The nurse sighed helplessly: "How could you forget again? Haven't I explained it to you so many times? You had surgery for a head injury and your hair was shaved off. Look, it's grown back this long now, hasn't it? In two more months, you can tie it up."
"Here, this hair tie is for you. I'll braid it into a pretty little braid for you later." The nurse said, putting a small black hair tie on Bai Ye's wrist.
Bai stared blankly at the small rubber band on her wrist, her mind flashing back to the scene before she died in her previous life. She seemed to be walking on the road when a sharp pain shot through her head, and then she lost consciousness.
Could it be that she traveled back in time? Then I can see my mother again?
Bai tentatively asked, "Is it Imperial Jade Liquor?"
"One hundred and eighty yuan a cup?" The nurse took it quickly, then shook her head and chuckled, pushing Bai Ye out of the ward. "Alright, alright, stop fooling around, or my condition will worsen."
Bai was pushed out of the ward by her and went downstairs to the cafeteria, where they ate a noisy lunch that tasted strange.
During the meal, the table kept nudging her and shouting, "Give me a little bit, give me a little bit," which scared Bai so much that she didn't dare to lift her head and could only stuff rice into her mouth.
After finishing her meal, she fled the cafeteria filled with strange patients and went alone to the small garden, trying to clear her mind.
What is known so far is that she is in a rather strange hospital, and something seems to be wrong with her body. She is not only very dizzy, but also has some strange voices echoing in her mind.
"No, if this is the original world, we still have to try to contact Mom first." Bai made up his mind, got up and quickly returned to the ward.
She searched high and low in the ward but couldn't find her phone. So she went to the nurses' station, found the familiar nurse, and whispered, "Excuse me, could I borrow your phone to make a call?"
The nurse took her phone out of her pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to her, reminding her, "Don't call your mother now. She's at work. She'll come to see you after she gets off work tonight."
Bai paused, his hand still on the dialer. He looked up, staring at the nurse in disbelief. "How...how do you know everything?"
"Every day after you finish eating, you ask to borrow my phone to call your mom, just like a little tadpole. How am I supposed to know?" The nurse smiled helplessly.
"Besides this, what else do I do every day?" Bai also returned the phone, taking the opportunity to gather more information.
"Hmm..." The nurse tilted her head and thought for a moment, "He usually sleeps in the morning, looks for his mother at noon, and practices his magic in the afternoon. Sometimes he goes on adventures with his good friend Jiaojiao. Oh, and he also has a wife named Zhong Jiuli. That's about it!"
Bai's head was buzzing, and he was completely overwhelmed by shock: "You mean, you know those people? My friends, and my wife, you know them all?"
"I don't know your wife. There's no wife for you in this hospital." The nurse laughed, "Isn't that your wife from your cultivation world?"
"No... wait a minute!" Bai shook his head vigorously, feeling his thoughts being led astray by the other person. "Why are you talking about cultivating immortality in such a normal tone? Are you out of your mind?"
"Yes! I'm mentally ill!" The nurse nodded and reminded him, "Alright, you should go back to your cultivation now."
"Explain yourself! How do you know Zhong Jiuli?" Bai refused to leave. She had just transmigrated back, so how did everyone here know about Zhong Jiuli? This was too surreal.
"You keep talking about it in the ward, of course I know! Don't make a fuss, or I'll give you your medicine." The nurse used the most effective threat to deal with the patient.
Bai rubbed her throbbing temples, feeling even more dizzy. Pointing to her head, she asked hesitantly, "Am I sick?"
"A little, but not much." The nurse led her back to the ward. "Eat your fill and then take a nap."
"One last question!" Bai grabbed the nurse's hand, refusing to let her leave. "Where exactly is this place?"
"This is Qingshan Hospital." Nurse Xiao T pressed her onto the bed and turned to leave the room.
"Qingshan Hospital, Qingshan Hospital..." Bai Ye repeatedly chewed on this somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar name, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him, and he sprang up from the bed.
"Wait a minute!? Aoyama Mental Hospital? I'm actually in a mental hospital?"
"Am I mentally ill?"
Bai also found it hard to accept this fact; how could she be mentally ill?
Fireball!
"Water Ball Technique!"
"Big Black!?"
"Sister Green?"
Bai tried time and again to prove everything she had experienced in that world, but she had no magic power, no ability to summon a fireball with a snap of her fingers, and no divine weapon that could be summoned at any time.
She looked around the obviously reinforced ward and at the nurse who could calmly handle her no matter how crazy she was. Everything suggested that she might have been crazy for a long time.
A terrible thought surfaced in my mind: what if...
Was everything in Kyushu just a dream?
If there had been no time travel, no cultivation world, no world-destroying war against the bronze skeletons, then there would be no Zhong Jiuli.
Those dramatic experiences were just a fantasy world that Bai, the patient in bed 23, constructed in his mind when he fell into a state of confusion.
Now that she's awake and no longer insane, has that world simply vanished?
She raised her hand and touched her head. The scars on it were very clear, indicating that she had suffered a severe head injury, perhaps a mental breakdown caused by the trauma, which led to her hallucinations.
"What on earth is going on?" Bai also held his head in anguish, unable to distinguish which world was real anymore.
“Of course we’re the real ones!” the bedside table chimed in. “Bed 23, stop going crazy and go to sleep, or the nurse will be coming to give you your medicine later.”
Bai turned around and glared at the bedside table, "Shut up! Bedside tables don't talk!"
"Hey, I was trying to give you some advice, and you're cursing me—no, cursing the cabinet! I can't be bothered with you, you lunatic." After cursing, the bedside table closed its drawer and ignored Bai Ye.
"You damn cabinet!!! Why are you hurling such nasty insults?" Bai roared angrily.
"Bed 23! Don't argue with the cabinet, go to sleep!" The nurse's voice came through the door.
Bai lay down dejectedly, thinking she shouldn't be able to sleep, but for some reason, she fell asleep as soon as she lay down.
When she woke up again, she felt a warm touch on her cheek. She opened her eyes and saw her mother wiping her face with a hot towel. In just a few days, her mother had become much more haggard, with more gray hair at her temples and deeper wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, making her look more than ten years older.
"mom......!"
Bai Ye's tears instantly burst forth. She sat up and tightly embraced the much older and more haggard woman in front of her.
"Waaaaah, Mom! I miss you so much." She buried her face in her mother's shoulder and cried like a baby weighing a hundred pounds.
Bai Yuzhu gently patted her daughter's slender back and asked softly, "Why do you miss your mother so much? Didn't we see each other last night? Did you eat well today?"
"Mom... it wasn't yesterday, it's been a very, very long time, decades since I last saw you."
Bai cried until her eyes and nose were red. She raised her head and said through her teary eyes, "I transmigrated to a world of cultivation. I cultivated there for many years and even fell in love. We were about to get married."
Regardless of whether her mother could accept it, she rambled on about what happened after she transmigrated.
"Yes, Mom knows. Her name is Zhong Jiuli, right? You said a few days ago that you were going to propose marriage. Is it Mom's turn to step in now?" Bai Yuzhu asked, following her words.
Bai paused for a moment, then said helplessly, "Mom, do you also think I'm crazy?"
The ward was quiet for a moment before Bai Yuzhu's voice, choked with sobs, rang out, "How could that be? Damn it, Aye won't go crazy. Our Aye will get better soon, and then he can go back to school and continue his studies. If he wants to date, he can date!"
Bai snatched the hot towel from his mother's hand, hastily wiped away the tears on his face, and after calming himself down, said calmly, "Mom, listen to me."
"Yes, Mom is listening."
“I’m really not crazy. Although I might have had some problems before, I’m perfectly lucid now. I have no problems at all. Are hospital fees very expensive here? How come you look so much older? Have you been working several jobs?”
"It's not expensive, don't worry about the money." Bai Yuzhu took the towel from her and put it back in the basin. She sat down by her bedside and sighed softly. "Mom can afford to raise you, and Mom knows you'll get better."
"However, I heard that you were arguing with the cabinet this afternoon. If you are discharged from the hospital now, your condition will worsen."
Bai Ye: ......
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