Daniel Thompson's filthy right hand flipped over, and a mass of sticky, writhing black substance appeared in his palm, each twist making a sound like a toad licking its own eyeball.

"Hmm? Weren't you going to use Bai Lingmiao to refine pills? Has the story moved on?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, David Thompson asked, "Master, what is this?"

"Hmph, good stuff. Taisui, black Taisui."

Chapter 9 Black Taisui

"Taisui, black Taisui." Daniel Thompson's cold voice echoed in the small storeroom.

David Thompson tilted his head slightly, taking another look at the disgusting thing in his master's hand.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that this thing seemed somewhat similar to what was inside the black cauldron. No, the thing in his hand was exactly the man-eating thing from the black cauldron.

"This thing is called black Taisui? Don't tell me he's planning to use this to make pills? That's some heavy taste." David Thompson thought to himself.

With a flick of Daniel Thompson's wrist, the wriggling black Taisui drew an arc through the air and landed directly on David Thompson's foot.

The sticky, squishy sensation made David Thompson's scalp tingle, and his legs trembled as he kept retreating.

Staring at the black Taisui now covered in dust on the ground, David Thompson looked up at Daniel Thompson in shock, unable to understand what he meant for a moment.

"A reward for you. Pick it up and swallow it. Before, you were just a medicinal guide, so it didn't matter. Now you're my disciple, so you can't be so casual anymore. It can suppress your hysteria."

David Thompson didn't seem to understand what he was saying, nor did he want to. The boy's face turned pale as he kept backing away. "I'm not eating it! I'm not sick!!"

"Not eating? Hmph, that's not up to you. James Thompson, Henry Thompson."

Daniel Thompson gave a slight nod, and the two Daoists with swords on their backs quickly stepped up to David Thompson, each grabbing one of his arms.

Then Daniel Thompson beckoned with his right hand, and the black Taisui, which had been wriggling toward the corner, flew straight into his hand.

Watching Daniel Thompson approach with that nauseating thing, David Thompson's body began to tremble uncontrollably, a bone-chilling cold spreading from inside out.

Instinctively, he wanted to struggle and escape, but the two senior brothers beside him held his shoulders in an iron grip.

Fortunately, he still had one last method. As David Thompson's breathing grew rapid and his chest heaved violently, he clenched his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut, and with all his strength, shrank his mind and body inward.

"Huowang? Huowang! What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Anna Harris's gentle voice sounded like heavenly music to David Thompson at that moment.

He opened his eyes and saw the girl in front of him had changed into a high-necked white sweater. Overcome with emotion, he lunged forward and hugged her tightly, as if grabbing onto a lifeline.

A blush crept up the young girl's cheeks as she struggled and whispered, "Huowang, Huowang, let me go, Auntie and the others are watching from behind."

David Thompson looked up and finally saw his mother standing next to the attending doctor, watching with a fond smile. "Aiyo~ my son is wonderful."

Looking at the clean, tidy hospital room, the bright sun outside the window, and his beloved family, David Thompson's fear gradually subsided.

The attending doctor pushed up his glasses and walked over with a slight frown. "Xiao Li, what did you see in your hallucination? Your mood swings are pretty intense. What's been going on lately? Have you really been following my instructions?"

Thinking of everything he'd just experienced, David Thompson's heart clenched. Anxiously, he said to his doctor, "Doctor, is there any medicine that can temporarily suppress those hallucinations? I really can't take it anymore. I just want to rest for a while."

"Sigh, alright, I'll prescribe you some haloperidol and perphenazine. But Xiao Li, medication can only help as a supplement. If you want to completely get rid of the hallucinations, you still have to follow my method." The doctor finished and started prescribing on his tablet.

When the nurse brought over a few blue capsules, David Thompson rushed over, didn't even bother with water, and popped them straight into his mouth.

He didn't want to think about masters or pills anymore. He just wanted some peace and quiet. That last scene had really scared him out of his wits.

The capsules felt sticky and gritty, disgusting to swallow, but he forced himself to gulp them down.

"Xiao Li, tell me, what scared you in your hallucination just now?"

After taking the medicine, David Thompson felt much better. He smiled and replied, "Nothing much, just that guy over there was speaking in a weird tone. From the way he talked, it sounded like he was saying that side is reality and our side is the hallucination. Hahaha."

As soon as he said this, the air around him seemed to freeze, the unusually vivid colors faded to dullness, and Anna Harris, his mother, the attending doctor, and the nurse who brought the medicine all froze in place.

The sudden change made David Thompson's body start to tremble again, his breathing growing more rapid. Helplessly, he looked out the window. The once bright and sunny sky had turned pitch black, and the safe, peaceful environment had vanished.