Chapter 990 - Nuo

“Lifespan Pills?”

Yi Donglai studied the pills carefully. They looked oddly familiar, as if he’d seen them somewhere before.

“Li Huowang, are you serious? Are you out of your mind?”

Li Huowang’s breathing quickened, his pupils shifting erratically. “You don’t believe me? Fine, I’ll show you. I’ll prove that the other world is real and not just a hallucination!”

Without another word, he bolted out of the warehouse and dragged Chen Hongyu inside. She was still munching on potato chips.

“Look closely!”

Li Huowang gave Chen Hongyu a lifespan pill. She swallowed it without any hesitation.

Chen Hongyu casually cleaned her teeth with her fingernails. “What did you just feed me?”

“A lifespan pill. It can restore your youth!”

The moment he said it, something miraculous happened. Chen Hongyu began to transform. She lost weight at an incredible speed, and her features reverted to her younger self.

In mere moments, the aunt-like Chen Hongyu became a young lady, still snacking on potato chips.

Chen Hongyu was visibly shocked by her body’s transformation. “Hey! What is this? Li Huowang, I thought your ability was to conjure gold. Since when did your ability change?”

Her astonishment, however, was nothing compared to Yi Donglai’s. His eyes were wide with shock.

His unshakable heart began to crumble as he witnessed the impossible unfolding before him.

Li Huowang approached him eagerly. “Doctor Yi, do you see it now? Do you finally believe me? Can you empathize with the torment I’ve been enduring all these years? Can you finally understand what I’ve been going through?”

“Impossible. Impossible! How could this be? This is illogical! Yes, this must be magic!”

Desperate for answers, he grabbed Chen Hongyu and started inspecting her closely, even pulling at her clothes in disbelief.

Yi Donglai stood his ground, refusing to back down even after Chen Hongyu slapped him. He looked down and began inspecting the ground for any signs of a hidden trapdoor.

No matter how thoroughly he searched, reality gave him no escape—there were no tricks.

“Stay calm! I have to stay calm!” Yi Donglai said, trying to stabilize his mind with psychological reasoning. “This world... is the only world...”

Li Huowang held up the remaining seven pills in his hand. “Doctor Yi, I know you still don’t believe me. You think it’s a trick, right? Then try them yourself.”

Fear and excitement warred on Yi Donglai’s face. Eventually, he took all seven pills and swallowed them.

Moments later, a miraculous sensation surged through his body. His skin tightened, and his body rejuvenated. He was young again.

He ran out of the warehouse and started lifting heavy objects found around the house.

“Impossible! This cannot be!”

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Seeing how frantic Yi Donglai was, Li Huowang retrieved a make-up mirror from Yang Na’s bag, handing it over to Yi Donglai.

Yi Donglai saw a familiar-looking youth in the mirror and finally broke down.

“No! Impossible! This cannot be!”

Li Huowang took the mirror and returned it to Yang Na. “Doctor Yi, do you understand me now? Everything I’ve gone through is real. The things you documented in your thesis are real. These aren’t illusions—they’re living, human beings.”

Li Huowang pointed at the others behind him. “They are not liars either. They are the Simings of the Baiyu Capital.”

Yi Donglai froze, staring around him. His psyche broke down completely.

Li Huowang helped him stand up slowly. He turned to Yi Donglai and said, “I didn’t want to involve you, but I had no choice. You must realize the severity of the situation.

“This impacts the lives of everyone across three different historical timelines. I don’t know their exact population, but every single one is doing their best to survive. They just want to live.

“I know you’re a good person, and I’m certain that you don’t want to see them die. You wouldn’t want to see so many families torn apart, would you?

“Help me. Treat me. We need you for the battle ahead.”

Yi Donglai shook off Li Huowang and grabbed the mirror in Yang Na’s hands before stumbling into the warehouse.

Ba Shengqing, who had been loading his gun, chuckled and elbowed his sister. “Heh. We have one more lunatic on board.”

Ba Nanxu turned to Zhao Shuangdian. “Hey, it looks like we have one more ally. Let’s eat something nicer today.”

“Stop talking nonsense. I don’t think it’s that simple. Go bring my computer for me.”

Zhao Shuangdian followed Li Huowang into the warehouse. They pushed the door open and were greeted by the sight of Yi Donglai, holding onto a pocket watch and swinging it in front of his own reflection in the mirror.

“Look at the watch and follow it. Concentrate. While doing so, feel your body as it relaxes. Anytime you feel sleepy, you can close your eyes...”

Li Huowang was confused. “What are they doing?”

A rhythmic drumbeat accompanied the lighting of several bonfires in front of him. Several people wearing wooden masks danced and twirled on the bamboo stage with a Lion Dance.

The performers spoke in an unknown language.

“ㄇㄧㄥˋㄧㄡˇㄙㄉㄚˋㄋㄨㄛˊ，ㄓㄨˊㄐㄧㄣˋㄧㄣㄑㄧㄨㄟˊㄧㄤˊㄉㄠˇ”

Gao Zhijian explained, “The Chief of Hou Shu’s Surveillance Bureau is asking them to dance for Da Nuo. They are trying to summon Da Nuo by performing the Round Nuo Dance.”

Li Huowang scoffed. “Summon him? Don’t they know Da Nuo has gone insane? He can’t even protect himself. If he could help us, he would’ve done so during the Dharma Sect’s invasion.”

Gao Zhijian replied, “According to Zhang Tan, the Chief of Hou Shu’s Surveillance Bureau, performing the Nuo Opera is a way to heal Da Nuo’s wounds. They are slowly but surely healing Da Nuo. And one day, Da Nuo will return.”