Mutated Tao

Chapter 1024: Epilogue, Qing Wanglai’s POV

Qing Wanglai opened his eyes. He looked at the rising sun and waited for his seven o’clock alarm to ring.

He looked down and admired his mansion. The mansion was small, approximately three hundred square meters. It was simple and minimalistic, with white as its main color.

For someone accustomed to living alone, the house was enough. It felt comfortable, and he had no desire to push beyond his comfort zone.

Ring ring ring~ His alarm rang, marking the start of his day. He took a bath and got dressed.

He departed at exactly seven twenty in the morning. He drove for thirty minutes and bought breakfast along the way, reaching White Tower Prison at eight in the morning sharp.

Though not as chaotic as a typical hospital, working there was far from simple.

As Qing Wanglai prepared to eat breakfast after making tea, someone came into his office. It was a large man with a huge beard. “Doctor Yi, the VIP is here. Come take a look.”

“What?”

Qian Fu explained, “It’s that person who went viral a couple of days ago. We’re lucky he got assigned to us.”

Qing Wanglai remembered the news he read a couple of days ago. His interest was piqued. “Sure, let’s go see him.”

They made their way to the intensive care ward and saw Li Huowang.

“Doctor Qing, this is the medical record of patient number thirteen. Please have a read. He was transferred here from An Ding Hospital.”

Qing Wanglai accepted the file and read through it. “So this is him?”

Although news channels hadn’t disclosed Li Huowang’s real name, he had long since become famous among psychiatrists. They had been monitoring Li Huowang’s movements for a long time.

“Yes, that’s Li Huowang—the guy who went viral. The lunatic who swung a knife around to rescue his girlfriend.”

Qing Wanglai continued reading while occasionally glancing at Li Huowang through the one-way mirror. He saw the youth shouting in despair while being restrained by a straitjacket. Qing Wanglai carefully listened as Li Huowang rambled incoherently.

“No.” Qing Wanglai closed the medical records and said grimly, “He wasn’t there to save her. He was there to kill her. His condition is too severe.”

“What? How could that be? That’s his girlfriend! She’s such a pretty young lady too!” Qian Fu asked in confusion.

“I’m also trying to figure out his motive. How could he want to harm his own girlfriend? Why? What’s his reasoning?”

“We aren’t detectives. Couldn’t insanity be enough to explain it? Isn’t that motive enough?”

Qing Wanglai scoffed at Qian Fu. “Doctor Qian, your words would devalue our professionalism. Even mentally ill patients would need a motive to kill someone. They might believe their reasons are perfectly rational, even when others see them as madness.”

“Sigh,” Qian Fu stroked his beard. “Why do they always send the crazy demons to us?”

“Stop complaining and focus on a treatment plan,” Qing Wanglai sighed. “He’s been given the standard medications in the previous hospital, but they’ve had little effect.” ṟA????öbƐṥ

“And what do you suggest we do? To be honest, this place is technically a prison. As long as he’s locked up and can’t hurt anyone, that should be enough.”

Qing Wanglai side-eyed Qian Fu. “Well, everyone should have aspirations to chase in life. Do you want to stay here forever babysitting the patients?”

“Pssh. What are you planning, then? Treat him and publish your thesis so you can get a promotion?”

Qing Wanglai reached for the metal door at the side. “We should at least try, regardless of the outcome.”

Qian Fu hurried along. “Then you should be careful. I’ve heard that patient thirteen somehow drove his previous doctor insane too.”

Qing Wanglai decided against revealing himself to Li Huowang just yet. Instead, he eavesdropped on the patient while the other doctors entered to begin treatment.

The prison's upper management was very careful because Li Huowang was a famous troublemaker. They immediately checked on Li Huowang and ordered the doctors to devise a treatment plan.

Qing Wanglai quietly listened to the other doctors discussing a treatment plan.

Ultimately, they chose to use a simple yet safe treatment plan. They prioritized safety above all else.

Qing Wanglai could understand their intentions. Li Huowang was a high-risk patient—essentially a hot potato no one wanted to handle.

While Qian Fu munched on his leftover breakfast, he remarked, “He’s highly resistant to treatment. It’s probably because he’s been subjected to so many attempts before. I’m fairly certain that he’s even built up resistance to some medications.”

“Hmm... Indeed. It’s very tricky.”

Qing Wanglai nodded. After some thought, he said, “I think we have a chance. Still, I’ll need to analyze all our footage of him first.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I need to find a fake doctor to masquerade as his main doctor. The fake doctor will try fake methods to treat Li Huowang while we pretend to be the characters from Li Huowang’s hallucinations. We will secretly administer the treatment plan when Li Huowang’s guard is at its lowest. We can’t do this with the other patients, but we might have a shot here. Li Huowang’s hallucinations are not only coherent but also very complete.”

Qian Fu frowned. “Us? Why me again? You want me to act like a patient again?”

Qing Wanglai patted Qian Fu’s blue-and-white striped hospital gown. “What do you mean act? You are a patient! Look at how well you fit in your hospital gown. Don’t worry. I will shoulder all responsibilities if anything happens.”

“Fine, as long as you take the blame. I will also round up other actors for you.”

Qian Fu then took out his phone to make several phone calls.

“But... won’t this make his condition worse?”

Qing Wanglai waved off the concern. “Don’t worry. It won’t.”

“Let’s talk to the chief warden first.”

“Alright.”

The two headed to the chief warden’s office, finding the door already ajar. Inside, the balding chief was in conversation with someone else.

“Chief, I need to discuss something with you.”

Qing Wanglai smiled when he heard Yi Donglai. “Don’t worry. You can continue your work. It’s my turn to step in now.”

Sitting in the canteen, Qing Wanglai positioned himself carefully. Hearing footsteps approach, he turned toward the source of the sound.

Setting his food aside, he approached Li Huowang. “Long time no see. How are you doing?”

Although Qing Wanglai had been observing Li Huowang for months and was his main doctor, to Li Huowang, this was their first meeting.

“Hello, Qing Wanglai. I am Li Huowang.”

The second stage of the treatment plan started.

With Qing Wanglai’s involvement, things returned to normal. Qing Wanglai gradually took control of the situation. The treatment progressed smoothly, and he even managed to sneak medicine into Li Huowang’s food from time to time.

In fact, Qing Wanglai could even persuade Li Huowang to take the medicine on his own by earning his trust. It was much easier than forcing the medicine down Li Huowang’s throat.

This was a vast improvement—previously, it had taken more than four men to restrain Li Huowang and force the medicine down his throat.

Li Huowang’s condition improved, and everything seemed to be going well—until something unexpected happened.

“What’s going on? What is happening?”

Everyone stared at the bloody eyeball before them, their faces pale. As a doctor, Qing Wanglai knew all too well what it meant for a patient to dig out their own eye.

Chen Hongyu muttered, “Whose fault is this? Should we draw lots?”

“There’s no time to assign blame!” Qing Wanglai declared. “This is a necessary cost! We need to focus on treating him. As long as we succeed, everything can be explained. If we fail, I’ll shoulder all the consequences!”

He then looked at Zhao Shuangdian. “Call Li Huowang and figure out what’s going on with him.”

Zhao Shuangdian nodded. She placed the call, but when she hung up, her expression was one of confusion.

Qing Wanglai asked, “What did he say?”

Zhao Shuangdian answered with a confused look. “He said topology. That’s it.”

Qing Wanglai sighed in relief. “Good. The situation is still under control. Everyone, let’s move. We need to keep pushing forward to treat him.”

The treatment continued, with everyone proceeding cautiously toward the final stages of the plan. Qian Fu and the others, who had supposedly died, weren’t slacking off either. They were renting out houses and vehicles while preparing treatment sites as needed.

Finally, with everyone’s help, Li Huowang was once again admitted into the ward of White Tower Hospital.

Li Huowang struggled against his restraints as Qing Wanglai, with sweat dripping from his forehead, whispered repeatedly, “Li Huowang, wake up. Li Huowang, wake up. Everything you’ve experienced is a lie! Everything is fake!”

Li Huowang’s eyes suddenly fluttered open. Bright sunlight shone past the white curtains while a loud buzz deafened him.

“I feel... I feel... Something from both worlds superimposed...”

Li Huowang looked at his own skeletal hands as he muttered.

Yi Donglai sighed in relief when he heard Li Huowang.

“Good. This is normal. That meant my treatment worked. Remember to take your medicine on time. You will be cured in no time.”

The doors burst open as a group of doctors rushed in, clapping to celebrate Li Huowang’s recovery.

Qing Wanglai felt the heavy burden of the past few months lift from his shoulders. He took a deep breath, letting out a long sigh.

As the clapping died down, Qing Wanglai extended his arm and patted Li Huowang.

“Little Li, let’s go. I will prescribe you some medicine. You can finally transfer from the intensive care ward to a regular one. You’ll have more freedom now. Once you’re discharged, work hard and study to get into a good university.”

Li Huowang’s happiness also brought joy to Qing Wanglai. He could write several theses based on Li Huowang’s medical records and treatment plan alone.

“Doctor Qing, can you help me?”

“Is it your girlfriend?” Qing Wanglai had expected that.

“Yes. I want to see her.”

“You should call your mother first to let her know that you are cured. I’ll bring you to see her later.”

Qing Wanglai long knew that Li Huowang’s girlfriend was sick too. He doubted she could remain sane with a partner like Li Huowang.

But this was a minor issue for him. He had managed to cure Li Huowang. The other illnesses were nothing to him.

It took time, but Qing Wanglai managed to stabilize Yang Na’s condition with treatment and medication.

Now he sat in his brand new office. It was larger than his previous office. He sipped his tea as he admired the banner on the wall.

The God of Medicines Reincarnated with a burning compassion that matches a familial bond. Gifted by Li Huowang and Yang Na.

Pride swelled within him as he read the words. He had chosen the right path in life. He was wealthy, but no amount of money could buy the satisfaction he felt now. Indeed, everyone needed a passion to truly feel alive.

His phone suddenly rang. He opened the drawer and fished out his cellphone. “Hello? Auntie Sun? What’s wrong? Did Huowang relapse? No, I’m not from this prefecture. Yes, I was born in 1989 and have a house here... Its size? It’s not big. Aunty Sun, why are you asking me this?

“No, no, that’s alright. Thank you, but I don’t need any introductions, not anytime soon. I’m not interested in arranged marriage meetings... What? I know she’s a good woman. That’s not what I meant.”

After a lengthy conversation, Qing Wanglai finally convinced Sun Xiaoqin to drop the matter. Tossing his phone back into the drawer, he took another sip of tea, a smile tugging at his lips as he glanced at the red wedding invitation inside the drawer.

“Heh, she’s such an interesting auntie. Now that she doesn’t have to worry about her son’s marriage, she’s already trying to play matchmaker for others.”

-Epilogue, Qing Wanglai’s POV, End-