...
Hou Lin lay on the bed in the bedroom, pale and emaciated. The doctor said he only had two months to live, and now he couldn't even stand up; the slightest movement caused him excruciating pain.
A small table sat in front of Hou Lin, on which lay a laptop computer displaying the Demon Forum interface. He was waiting for a reply from the Demon, but nothing came.
Hou Lin wasn't sure if the demon could cure his illness. After all, the demon was only skilled at killing; saving lives required profound medical knowledge. Besides, his cancer had already spread throughout his body, and Hou Lin didn't believe the demon had the ability to cure him. But he had no other hope; he could only try. He didn't hold out much hope for this attempt.
"Don't stare at the computer all the time, close your eyes and rest for a bit," a tired voice said. Hou Lin's mother sat on the stool next to him, her eyes overflowing with sadness.
Hou Lin did not answer. He was afraid to sleep now, fearing that he would never be able to get up again.
Hou Lin remained staring blankly at the computer screen in front of him, but suddenly he noticed that the screen had become blurry, as if it had been pixelated. Hou Lin rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was standing in a starry sky. The starry sky was vast, and in the distance, which seemed both extremely far and extremely close, there was a Milky Way, its starlight dazzling, as if adorned with countless sparkling gems.
Where is this? Hou Lin's eyes widened. Could this be heaven? Is he already dead? No, that can't be! He only felt a little dizzy and rubbed his eyes just now.
Suddenly, Hou Lin saw a person in the Milky Way. That person walked slowly over, stepping on one jewel-like planet after another. It seemed extremely slow, yet also extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, that person had already reached Hou Lin.
Hou Lin looked at the person before him. He was dressed in ancient costume, with long, flowing hair and a large, reddish-brown gourd hanging from his body. Looking closer at his face, he had fair skin, a few wisps of flowing beard on his chin, and eyes as deep as the sea, with a calm expression.
"Uh...you, you're a god?" Hou Lin felt like his brain couldn't process what he was seeing.
Ma Xiaoniu smiled slightly. In the illusionary world, he was omnipotent; changing his appearance was naturally a matter of a single thought. "I am a demon. Didn't you ask me for help?"
"Evil, evil, a demon?" Hou Lin was so shocked he almost fell to the ground. Good heavens! This was completely different from the demons he had imagined! And where was this place? Were demons gods?
Having finally calmed himself down, Hou Lin's face lit up with surprise: "You, you are a deity?"
Ma Xiaoniu shook his head and said with a smile, "Didn't you ask me to treat your illness? I'm here to treat you now. Are you ready?"
Hou Lin looked at the smiling person in front of him, his heart pounding. He never expected that the demon would actually come, and in this way at that. Therefore, the demon must not be an ordinary person; he must be a god!
Hou Lin took a deep breath and nodded firmly: "My Lord Demon, I am ready!"
Ma Xiaoniu nodded, reached down and took the large gourd off his body, then poured out a white pill that emitted light, mouth down. The aroma of the pill wafted into Hou Lin's nose, and Hou Lin took a deep breath. Suddenly, he felt his previously heavy body become light and airy, as if he wanted to float into the air.
"Take this pill!" The pill in Ma Xiaoniu's hand suddenly floated up and stopped in front of Hou Lin. Hou Lin reached out and grabbed the pill, swallowing it without hesitation. As soon as the pill entered his stomach, Hou Lin felt a ball of fire ignite in his dantian, growing stronger and stronger until it spread throughout his entire body, turning him into a human torch. However, to Hou Lin's surprise, he didn't feel a burning sensation. Instead, as the flames grew, his body became increasingly comfortable, and slowly his entire body seemed to float away. A sense of comfort emanating from the depths of his soul made Hou Lin involuntarily groan.
"Ah~" This feeling is just wonderful! At this moment, Hou Lin no longer had any doubts that this pill could cure his illness. This is a divine medicine!
After an unknown amount of time, the comfortable feeling gradually dissipated, and Hou Lin slowly opened his eyes. He was still in his bedroom; his mother was asleep beside the bed. Hou Lin felt a wave of disorientation; had he just dreamt? Suddenly, Hou Lin saw something drawn on the small table in front of him—a devil's logo!
Hou Lin's eyes widened instantly. It wasn't a fake! The demon had really been here! So, was he healed now?
Hou Lin quickly mustered his strength and sat up effortlessly, feeling no discomfort whatsoever. Overjoyed, Hou Lin nudged his sleeping mother, "Mom, Mom, I'm alright, I'm alright!"
Hou Lin's mother opened her sleepy eyes. "Huh? He was asleep?" Suddenly she saw Hou Lin looking excited and shouting, "I'm all better! I'm all better!"
"All done?" Hou Lin's mother snapped back to reality. "All done? What's done?"
"Son, what did you say? What's done?" Hou Lin's mother's eyes widened.
"Haha, Mom, I'm cured!" Hou Lin's eyes welled up with tears of excitement.
"Son, I hope you get better too, but this is..." Hou Lin's mother looked at him with some worry. Could her son have suffered a nervous breakdown due to too much pressure? (Note: The last sentence about encoding issues motivates us to update faster. It's a separate, unrelated comment and not part of the main text.)
===Chapter Thirty-Two===
Seeing his mother's disbelief, Hou Lin moved the small table aside, rolled off the bed with a nimble movement, and showed no signs of serious illness. Hou Lin's mother was stunned. Was her son really cured? Oh my god, really cured! Instantly, a huge surge of excitement filled her body, tears streaming down her face. She knelt down with a thud and burst into tears.
Hou Lin, tears streaming down his face, knelt down and embraced his mother, weeping. After a while, the crying stopped, and Hou Lin's mother was filled with great doubt again: "Son, I still can't quite believe it, how did he suddenly get better?"
"Mom, the devil saved me!" Hou Lin got up, moved the small table off the bed, and pointed to the devil's logo on the table. "This is the devil's logo. He leaves his logo after doing something. As long as you have this, it means the devil has been here!"
Hou Lin's mother was even more confused; she couldn't understand a word Hou Lin was saying. Hou Lin had no choice but to explain the whole story to his mother. Hou Lin's mother exclaimed in surprise, "There really is such a person? Isn't he like a god?"
Hou Lin nodded. "Yes! He's a god!"
Hou Lin's mother's eyes sparkled: "Then son, could you contact the devil again and ask him to turn your mother into a great beauty like Chang'e?"
Hou Lin: "..."
...
Back home, Ma Xiaoniu was beaming with excitement, never expecting such a great result! The illusion was actually just a mirage, and mirages are the power that stirs the heart. Ma Xiaoniu hadn't realized that an ordinary person's inner strength could be so powerful! It seems everyone is a treasure trove! It's just that many people never see this treasure in their lifetime.
Utilizing the power of one's inner self can achieve many things! Healing is just one of them. Ma Xiaoniu couldn't help but think of his neighbor, Uncle Ma. Uncle Ma was already in his sixties or seventies, and his health was deteriorating day by day. Why not give Uncle Ma a magical healing treatment too?
As soon as Ma Xiaoniu stepped outside, he saw Uncle Ma sitting under the big tree at the village entrance, smoking. Naturally, Ma Xiaoniu wouldn't go over; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain himself later! Illusionary Realm activated!
The same illusion as Hou Lin, the same handsome man in ancient costume with a flowing beard, the same pills. However, the dialogue is somewhat different.
"Hmph! You're just playing tricks! I absolutely will not take this pill!" Uncle Ma glared angrily at the young man in front of him.
Ma Xiaoniu's lips twitched. He didn't understand why the same illusion had turned out this way. "Uncle Ma, I really came to help you!" However, it was clear that he couldn't reveal his identity now. The key was that even if he said he was Ma Xiaoniu, Uncle Ma would have to believe him!
"Hey Ma, my pill can turn you into an eighteen-year-old. Don't you really want to try it?" Ma Xiaoniu felt like he was selling miracle pills.
"Pah! I've lived for sixty-nine years, what haven't I seen, you liar!" With that, he reached out and grabbed Ma Xiaoniu's collar. "Come on! Let's go to the police station!"
"Hey Ma Daha, let me go right now, or I'll get angry!" Ma Xiaoniu struggled.
"Oh ho? You dare to get angry?! If this were when I was young, I would have given you a good beating first! Liar!" Uncle Ma grabbed Ma Xiaoniu's collar and shouted angrily.
"Uh..." Okay, Ma Xiaoniu's figure instantly turned into specks of light and scattered, then gathered together again two meters away. With a thought, several ropes instantly emerged from the surrounding starry sky, the ropes meandering like venomous snakes, quickly binding Uncle Ma.
"Let me go! You fake medicine swindler!" Uncle Ma remained defiant, shouting angrily.
"Open your mouth!" Ma Xiaoniu pointed, and a silverback gorilla appeared out of thin air next to Uncle Ma. The gorilla stretched out its thick fingers and pinched Uncle Ma's cheek. Uncle Ma's mouth turned into an "O" shape.