Concurrent fractures are a common symptom in bone cancer patients.
Due to the destruction of bone tissue by cancer cells, the patient's bones become soft and brittle, making fractures highly likely.
This eventually happened to Chen Huaian as well.
The pain had become somewhat numb after a while.
The physical pain was still within his tolerance, and the psychological pain was nothing.
Chen Huaian believed nothing could hurt him more than the day his parents perished in a fire.
So, amidst the concerned gazes and inquiries of the surrounding tourists, Chen Huaian calmly adjusted the camera and said to Zhang Rui, who was supporting him, "Bro, do me a favor. Open my backpack."
"Wait, bro, shouldn't we call an ambulance first? Why are you worried about your backpack?" Zhang Rui had never seen someone like Chen Huaian—it was as if the fractured and deformed leg wasn't his own.
"Call the ambulance, but it won't make it up here. Just open my backpack. I have my own way."
Zhang Rui, half-doubting, took off the backpack, unzipped it, and handed it to Chen Huaian.
Chen Huaan pulled out a bag and then extracted a foldable walking stick.
Zhang Rui: "..."
Other tourists: "???"
Wait, bro, is this your "own way"?
We thought you had some kind of painkiller or something…
"Alright, let's continue!" Chen Huaian skillfully propped himself up with the walking stick.
The probability of fractures in bone cancer patients was high, so even before the fracture, he often walked with a stick, fearing he wouldn't adapt if it happened.
Now that it had happened, it was like a kiss with fate.
The viewers in the livestream silently liked and sent gifts, some urging the streamer to descend the mountain. No one doubted the authenticity of Chen Huaian's illness anymore, or rather, they no longer cared about what illness he had.
They only cared whether this determined man could make the journey worthwhile.
The bent right leg was like the oppression of fate, the mockery of death.
And the walking stick in Chen Huaian's hand—wasn't that a middle finger to death and fate?
Even if they didn't let him reach the summit, even if they crippled his leg, he would still climb to the top.
The tourists watched the figure struggling upward with reverence.
This young man was so persistent; he must have grand ambitions, right?
"Charge! I'm about to get that 90,000 yuan sponsorship! 1,000 pulls to explode the Luck Koi prize pool!!!" Chen Huaian gritted his teeth, his face gradually twisting into a grimace as he looked at the diminishing steps. "Hunyuan Pills! Hehehe! Mere Hunyuan Pills!!!"
The surrounding tourists felt even more admiration.
Look at how much pain this guy is in! His face is all scrunched up!
At the summit of Mount Tai, as Chen Huaian's trembling leg landed on the final step,
a faint, immature light pierced through the layers of clouds, spreading from the dim horizon, gently brushing over his head.
A flock of birds flew through the light.
The sound of bells echoed in the distant mountains.
The next second.
The sun burst forth from the horizon, its flames spreading out, illuminating the entire world.
Chen Huaian's eyes widened, his heart trembling. The surrounding tourists also fell silent.
Everyone watched this scene quietly, watching the hazy mountain outlines being gilded with gold.
Suddenly.
"Bow—!!!"
A proclamation rang out, its origin unknown.
The sunlight rippled strangely, like water being stirred, creating layers of ripples.
Within the ripples, an ancient ceremonial procession appeared amidst the interplay of light and shadow.
The leader was a figure of majestic stature, dressed in a black dragon robe, wearing a crown, and carrying a sword at his waist. Behind him followed civil and military officials—the civil officials holding tablets, the military officials clad in black armor, and attendants carrying ceremonial objects. They walked on clouds, with bricks and tiles appearing beneath their feet, step by step, heading toward the summit of Mount Tai.
"Holy crap, what is this?"
"A mirage?"
"Wait, is someone filming a movie here?"
The tourists stared in stunned silence. At this moment, the procession was still far away, and they had the mind to discuss it. The next second, the procession crossed several miles and suddenly appeared right in front of them. The summit of Mount Tai fell silent, and everyone closed their mouths.
Something pressed down on them, making them unable to move or speak.
Chen Huaian stood frozen, watching the majestic emperor approach.
He couldn't see the emperor's face clearly, only feeling something blurring his vision.
The procession passed through the crowd of tourists, ethereal and elusive, untouchable.
They walked forward without glancing sideways, as if a scene from another time had materialized before them, gazing through the long river of history, yet not affecting each other.
At first, Chen Huaian thought so.
Until the emperor came before him.
Just as he was about to pass through Chen Huaian's body,
the emperor slightly nodded, his eyes lowering, golden vertical pupils meeting Chen Huaian's gaze.
Chen Huaian's scalp tingled. He swore the emperor was looking at him—it wasn't a coincidence!
He could even feel the scrutiny in the emperor's eyes!
But this gaze lasted only a moment.
The emperor passed through Chen Huaian's body, and with his procession, gradually disappeared into the mist at the summit of Mount Tai.
…
The mirage at the summit of Mount Tai sparked heated discussions online, quickly rising to the top of the trending list.
Experts analyzed that it was the ceremonial procession of the First Emperor.
The mirage depicted the scene of the First Emperor's fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai.
As for why a distant historical event was reflected in the present,
the experts hadn't yet come up with a better explanation.
But as Confucius said, "Do not speak of strange forces and chaos," and the final explanation would certainly be very scientific.
Chen Huaian didn't pay attention to the online uproar, nor did he dwell on the mirage's glance at him. As a staunch materialist, if someone told him there was a female ghost in his house, he would immediately go downstairs to the supermarket to buy a box of Okamoto 001.
Not for anything else, just to contribute a little to biodiversity.
The level 57 big spender kept his word, and the 66 "Drumming Dragon Cities" had already arrived. He even said he was grateful to Chen Huaian for letting him witness a super rare mirage that he wouldn't have seen in several lifetimes. This experience alone was worth the gifts.
He also promised to support Chen Huaian's future activities.
Chen Huaian felt great. He loved this kind of true fan.
The livestream mission was complete, and his phone battery was almost dead. After a quick farewell, he ended the stream.
"Bro, how are you planning to get down? Take the cable car or a sedan chair?"
After this incident, Zhang Rui was completely in awe of Chen Huaian.
Before, he didn't believe there could be someone called a dragon among men.
Now he did. In his mind, Chen Huaian was already a superman.
"Of course, the cable car," Chen Huaian replied.
Nowadays, many college students came to Mount Tai to work as climbing companions, and there were also sedan chairs to carry people down the mountain.
He chose the cable car mainly because it was cheap and fast. He wanted to get down quickly, recharge his phone, and check on his electronic girlfriend.
Speaking of which, he had already earned 120,000 yuan. Although this kind of livestreaming was exhausting, it showed him a way to make money. However, his illness was hard to treat. Amputation was inevitable, and even after that, the survival rate was low. The attending physician who issued the critical illness notice didn't explicitly say it, but reading between the lines, it seemed the cancer had already spread. Was it worth spending money to gamble on this disease? Should he work hard to earn money for chemotherapy and take the risk? Or should he just live happily in the present?
While pondering this, Chen Huaian, supported by Zhang Rui and a few other viewers, arrived at the cable car station.
The ticket booth was packed with people, including many foreigners.
"F*CK!"
A curse rang out from the crowd.
It turned out a foreigner who had cut in line was hit on the shoulder by a stray rock.
"Serves you right! Should've queued properly!" Zhang Rui and the others laughed gleefully.
Soon, it was Chen Huaian's turn to board the cable car.
This cable car could accommodate eight people at once.
Zhang Rui was helping Chen Huaian board when he noticed several burly men with dragon and tiger tattoos sitting inside—they didn't look like good people.
"Bro, are we still boarding?" Zhang Rui hesitated, looking at Chen Huaian.
"Of course," Chen Huaian said nonchalantly.
Although these guys didn't look friendly, they might just be enthusiasts of body art.
Don't judge a book by its cover~
But at that moment.
Snap—the string holding the talisman inexplicably broke, and the talisman fell to the ground.
Chen Huaian was stunned for a moment, then bent down to pick it up.
His movements were slow, and the men in the cable car immediately hurled a few insults.
Suddenly.
Boom—!!!
The entire Mount Tai shook violently.
Chen Huaian, holding the talisman, was thrown to the ground and rolled all the way into the ticket hall.
"Holy crap!!!"
"Get out of the way!"
He rolled, grimacing in pain, as something crashed down from the ceiling above.
"Ah—! Falling rocks!"
Amidst the chaos, he heard someone shouting, the screams of the crowd,
a deafening roar,
and the sound of the cable car's glass shattering.
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