Mutated Tao

“Hurry up! We’re going to miss the bus!” Dressed in a blue school uniform, Yang Na shouted impatiently at Li Huowang, who had just opened the door.

Yang Na smiled brightly at Sun Xiaoqin, who was in the back wearing an apron.

“Good morning, Auntie.”

“Nana, here to pick up Huowang for school again? You’ll be starting middle school next year, right? Will you still be going to the same school as our Huowang?”

“Yes, Auntie.”

“If you’re late, why aren’t you running?” Li Huowang shoved her aside and bolted down the stairs. “Hurry up, Yang Erlang!”

“How dare you shove me!” Yang Na grabbed the railing and raced down the steps after him.

She crashed heavily onto Li Huowang’s backpack, causing him to stagger forward. She wrapped her arm tightly around his neck.

They wrestled and laughed, racing to the bus stop just in time to catch their ride.

Both of them sighed in relief as they finally sat down. Without exchanging a single word, they silently retrieved something from their bags—one took out a handheld game console, while the other pulled out a romance novel.

They immersed themselves in their worlds, side by side, as the bus rumbled along.

Good times were short-lived. They reluctantly put their things away at the seventh stop and prepared to get off the bus.

“Wait, you’re crying? You actually teared up from reading a book? Hahaha!” Li Huowang said, noticing Yang Na’s reddened eyes.

Yang Na hooked her right arm around his neck and gave him a swift knee to the stomach.

“You don’t understand. The novel is touching and well-written. It’s about two people who have a crush on each other but ultimately miss their chance. It’s easily one of the top five stories in my heart.”

Clutching his stomach, Li Huowang stood up. “What? If they liked each other, why didn’t they just say so? That’s just stupid!”

“I’m never going to be like that when I grow up!” he quickly added.

At that moment, their eyes met. Yang Na blinked and pointed a finger at his nose. “Oh? Did you just say a bad word? I’m telling the teacher!”

She turned and ran, with Li Huowang chasing after her. While watching her run, he couldn't help but notice her smile, the dimples on her cheeks, and the radiance of her grin.

It dawned on Li Huowang that Yang Na, who had played with him since childhood, was actually very beautiful.

As the years passed, Li Huowang noticed how Yang Na became increasingly beautiful. Little did he know that the most beautiful moment would come after her death.

Yang Na's lifeless body was completely severed in two. Her long hair spread out in the icy seawater, its beauty so stunning that it shattered his heart.

Yang Na was dead. The girl he had grown up with was dead, just like that.

“Na... na...” Li Huowang’s mouth opened in despair as seawater flooded into his throat, making him cough violently.

Clutching the oxygen tube between his teeth, he rushed forward, his tears streaming down his face. He grabbed Yang Na’s half-body, hugging her tightly to his chest.

His mind buzzed as he felt the coldness of her skin against his own. His heart throbbed with pain, but it felt as if the rest of his body had ceased to exist.

No! I refuse to accept this reality! I won’t accept it! I am Ji Zai, and I control Bewilderment, Truth, and Lies! I am a Siming! I am a deity! If I want someone to live, they must live!

Li Huowang desperately grabbed onto the mermaid’s tail and tried to shove it back into Yang Na’s body.

She would come back to life if he could stuff it back! He could fix her!

However, the tail was very slippery. It slipped away with the current every time he grabbed it.

He reached out and wrapped a strand of intestines around his arm, but a huge force knocked him several meters away.

A porcelain toilet came crashing down right where he had been standing, narrowly missing his head.

Wu Qi had saved him. Then, she gave him a hard slap to snap him out of it.

Qing Wanglai floated over and glanced at Yang Na’s corpse. He grabbed her by the neck and tossed her aside.

Li Huowang yanked on the intestines and pulled her corpse back toward him, holding it tightly in his arms.

His eyes filled with fury, and he raised his knife toward Qing Wanglai. “It’s all your fault! You caused all of this!”

A voice rang in his ear, causing Li Huowang to freeze. “Is this really the time for infighting? Don’t forget you can still rewind!”

His congested mind cleared, and reason returned. He trembled as he gently stroked Yang Na’s snow-white cheek.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

It’s okay! It’s okay! I’ll bring you back! I’ll bring you back! As long as I kill this Siming, I can bring you back!

He looked up at the sea above him. The surface was in chaos. Waves crashed at an alarming speed, churning the waters into a violent frenzy.

From underwater, it looked like a view from the sky—a boiling tsunami consuming the water’s surface.

Li Huowang kicked his flippers and swam toward the surface. When his head emerged, a massive wave hit him and disoriented him.

He broke through the surface once again and finally caught sight of the Siming's projection. Beneath the pitch-black sky, his view was filled with towering waves and a swirling waterspout.

It felt as though he was about to confront the entire world, not just a Siming. This was nothing like the last Siming’s projection.

At that moment, Qing Wanglai appeared beside him and pulled off his oxygen mask. “There’s nothing we can do in this situation! Whatever that projection is, it’s far more powerful than us!”

He continued, “The most sensible choice now is to retreat! Leave this sea!”

Li Huowang lowered his head and kissed Yang Na’s forehead. His eyes were filled with obsession and determination. “It’s okay! No matter what this projection is, I will kill this Siming! I will kill him!”

Li Huowang raised his knife, pointing it at the dark clouds above. “Did you hear me? I’m going to kill you! I will give up everything, even my own life, to kill you!”

Crack! Lightning split the sky, and a bolt of silver struck the knife in his hand.