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Chapter 7: The Dream of the Red Chamber (Part One)
When I found Li Luwen, she was surrounded by several nurses and doctors, arguing with each other. I couldn't tell how it had escalated; they pushed and shoved, and suddenly Li Luwen crouched on the ground and burst into tears. Someone sneered and muttered cruel words, "Cry, just cry yourself to death! Scum, bitch."
"Country bumpkin."
"What have I done to obstruct you? Are farmers not human? Your ancestors were all farmers."
"You stubborn little girl, let me tear your mouth apart." A few nurses rushed forward, pinning Li Luwen to the ground, delivering a fierce barrage of punches and kicks. I couldn't stand it any longer; I flicked my fingers to summon a talisman and chanted a spell to grant Li Luwen mental strength.
Li Luwen screamed, startling everyone. Then she bit down on the nurse who had hit her the hardest. "Ouch! The bitch is biting!" I was stunned; I had granted her mental strength but hadn't asked her to bite anyone.
Just as I was in shock, a shadow flashed behind Li Luwen, followed by a series of strange sounds. The nurses who had been hitting her were suddenly struck in the face, their ears ringing as they staggered back in confusion.
But at that moment, Li Luwen collapsed to the ground.
The assailants fell? I realized that Li Luwen wasn't the one attacking; that shadow felt strangely familiar. Then someone shouted, others ran away, and some wondered if they had killed Li Luwen.
Seeing her lying on the ground, I couldn't bear to ignore her. I quickly scooped her up and carried her to the nearest hospital room. While checking on her, I found her home phone number and immediately dialed the number labeled as 'Mom.'
The call connected, and I lowered my voice. "Auntie, your daughter is critically ill; please come to City Hospital as soon as possible."
Then a nurse entered. I drew a talisman in the air, summoning a White Shadow that startled the nurse into covering her mouth and screaming. I cast a spell to silence her and said, "I am the deity Lu Dongbin. I've come here to witness how you all bully her. Those who commit evil must face retribution. If you treat her well and provide proper care, your sins will be balanced out. Otherwise, all of you who have bullied her will meet a terrible end." The nurse nodded obediently.
She would surely inform everyone about this incident; thus, Li Luwen should be safe from harm moving forward.
Feeling triumphant, I exited the room only to suddenly realize an issue.
Li Luwen had just been in that hospital room; how could I return?
No way—I needed to delve into her memories.
I turned and walked toward the ward, noticing that the nurse had already started administering fluids to Li Luwen. I caught a glimpse of the nurse stealing a guilty glance at the unconscious Li Luwen and said to the other nurse who had followed her, "That man in white is really handsome, even more so than Lu Dongbin from the dramas. I'm serious."
"Well, I didn't bully her. After all, she's a doctor, and once her internship is over, she'll be going back to work at a rural hospital. There's no need for me to pick on someone who's completely unrelated. But you, on the other hand, are with them..."
"Come on, I admit I was wrong! This time Director Sha and the others are going on a trip; I hear they're going somewhere fun. I'm so envious of them."
"They have a flight tomorrow morning. With Li Luwen in this state, how can they still think about traveling? It's truly disheartening."
"Alright, alright, it has nothing to do with us. Let's just focus on our own work and not let it affect our bonuses." The two nurses left, and I gazed at the sleeping Li Luwen. I released the soul from the Soul Absorbing Talisman, allowing her to enter her body autonomously. Then I leaped and followed that strand of soul into Li Luwen's memories.
Memories are complex things; I could see everything from Li Luwen's childhood to adulthood. Her fate was fraught with difficulties, and she carried a heavy sense of inferiority. She loved reading Dream of the Red Chamber and particularly sympathized with the character Lin Daiyu, often crying as she read.
The happiest period for Li Luwen was her sixteenth birthday.
At sixteen, like all young girls, Li Luwen was full of hope and dreams for her future. Due to her introverted nature and lack of social skills, she devoted herself entirely to her studies. Her grades were among the best, which allowed her to successfully pass the entrance exam for medical school.
These honors were hard-earned through her efforts but were trampled upon during her internship.
I watched as Li Luwen sat on a stool, holding a copy of Dream of the Red Chamber, tears streaming down her face.
Just as I was about to approach her to strike up a conversation, a shout rang out: "Ma Qi! Wake up! Ma Qi! Wake up!" Suddenly, an intense pain shot through my chest; it felt like a huge branding iron was burning me. I screamed out loud, startling Li Luwen into gasping in surprise. Then I lost track of her situation as an overwhelming force pulled me out of her memory world.
Beep beep—beep beep—
"Ma Qi, you bastard! You wake up together with everyone else but leave me all alone!"
"Shut up," I cursed as I pushed aside whatever was covering me and sat up abruptly, startling everyone around me.
"My goodness! You're not dead?" Qin Jian laughed heartily and turned to the bewildered doctors and nurses. "See? This is my brother—impossible to kill."
As I sat up, I realized I wasn't in a bathtub but in an emergency room. My chest felt burnt. Frowning, I sniffed; if I'm not mistaken, my chest hair had been singed. Just kidding—it was actually them using electric shocks on me; that thing had a smell.
"Did you all want to electrocute me as revenge?" My words startled them; they exchanged glances, all knowing about my relationship with Chi Xinrong and could only shake their heads in denial. Even if there wasn't that connection with Chi Xinrong, who would dare act recklessly with Qin Jian around? One careless word could lead to disaster.
Qin Jian suddenly resumed a serious demeanor. "Stop joking around, let's get down to business." He then addressed the others, "You all have nothing to do here; I will take care of him from now on." The doctors and nurses in the emergency room left.
I knew he had sent them away for a reason, and sure enough, as soon as they were gone, Qin Jian eagerly asked, "Hey, have you found Li Luwen's soul yet?"
"You were just about to communicate with her when you started yelling."
"Go to hell! If I hadn't yelled at you, you probably would have gone off to report to your master."
It was better not to mention the master. Just bringing it up made a pang of longing stir deep within me, like a cat's tail scratching at my heart, leaving me feeling anxious. I avoided the topic of the master and got straight to the point: "You have a point, but I really saw Li Luwen crying over a book. That book is very important to her; she sees herself as Lin Daiyu..."
As Qin Jian and I walked out of the emergency room, I was still pondering my earlier words. Lin Daiyu—Li Luwen. If we couldn't find her soul, would she be trapped in that version of Dream of the Red Chamber she was reading? Lost in thought and walking a bit slower, Qin Jian shot me an annoyed glance. "If you don't hurry up and get out, someone is going to go crazy."
"Who?"
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