Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

For Du Wei. Actually, he felt a bit guilty about Ryan. The mental patient had been loyally devoted to him, after all, and some of the information he had acquired came from him. All for nothing more than a casual promise of promotion and a raise. Dusk Bell was full of those damn hunters. To put it bluntly, hunters were hardly considered pure human anymore. And with Ryan's ability to waste hunters, his treatment in Dusk Bell was definitely terrible. Subjected to bullying, abuse. It was even possible that he was imprisoned. Or worse, he might have been taken away for experimentation. That was why Du Wei had wanted to rescue Ryan from Dusk Bell, to free him from that human hell. But now, his own situation was a complete mess. On top of that, he was under the covetous gaze of Rahmer's Bell, related to the Seventy-Two Pillars Demon Gods of Solomon. He simply couldn't spare any energy for other concerns. "I'm sorry, Ryan, I might not be able... to get you out of Dusk Bell for now," he said. After a while of contemplation, Du Wei decided to tell Ryan the truth. He actually didn't have to say anything. He could have pretended nothing had happened, and even Ryan wouldn't mind. But facing someone who believed in him unconditionally, one shouldn't be so arrogant. Yet, Ryan replied with confusion, "Why would you take me out of Dusk Bell? Boss, they owe me thirty billion! Are you suggesting we just forget about that money?" "Thirty billion is enough to open ten psychiatric hospitals!" "Then, boss, you'll be the head of ten psychiatric hospitals; we'll make some dirty money, charge usurious loans to the patients' families, and with compound interest, in less than a decade, we could become the richest men in the world..." Uh... For a moment. Du Wei was speechless... He asked subconsciously, "Ryan, who instilled these ideas in you?" Confused, Ryan said, "Yeah, who instilled these ideas in me? I'm an excellent doctor who has risen above lowbrow tastes; how could I entertain such a crazy notion?" "Damn it! It must be those idiots from Dusk Bell; they're trying to ruin me!" Saying this, Ryan continued to complain to Du Wei, sighing heavily, "Boss, you have no idea, I've worked so diligently at Dusk Bell, but it was all for nothing." "I treat them every day, and they just give me dirty looks." "And James too, he's now classified as a second-level disability, relies on me to feed him, and yet no one, out of goodwill, decides to just pay his medical bills." "That poor bastard Matthew, I've put up with him for so long. If it weren't for the fact that you, my boss, made me back down last time, I'd have killed him already!" Hearing this, Du Wei quickly tried to calm him down, "Cool it, man, Matthew has lived for several hundred years; if you go up against him, you're just signing your death wish." Such insane thoughts, they should never be entertained. Otherwise, Ryan might not last until Du Wei could save him; he could end up dead. Of course... If Du Wei knew about Ryan's Wishful Thinking ability, his thoughts might be different. Who would torment who, and who would meet their demise first, wasn't certain yet. Meanwhile, Ryan continued to gripe, "But they owe me thirty billion, boss, I can't just let it slide. That's our foundation for striking it rich." Du Wei had a headache, he really wanted to tell Ryan that the thirty billion was impossible. Where do you hear of medical bills in the tens of billions? He had to get rid of Ryan's suicidal thoughts. He said earnestly, "Deputy Ryan, now I, as the director, am telling you, money is the root of all evil. You mustn't let it corrupt you. As my deputy, you must be a great and righteous doctor." "Otherwise, how would you ever get a promotion and a raise in the future?" Ryan muttered, "But my whole purpose of striving is for that promotion and raise!" This... A mental patient's logic can be so clear? Du Wei then shifted the topic, continuing, "Then think about it from another angle; those thirty billion to you are merely a process, with your ultimate goal being promotion and raise." "How about this, you'll be the director of Hill Psychiatric Hospital in the future, how does that sound?" Hill Psychiatric Hospital was where Du Wei and Ryan had first met. Ryan said happily, "That sounds great, I like being the director, then I'll be the king of the hospital. So, director, when will you take me back to Hill Psychiatric Hospital?" "I'm quite eager to start my new position." Of course, that was impossible. Because Hill Psychiatric Hospital had long been burnt down to ruins. Du Wei coughed and said, "Once I've dealt with my affairs here, I'll definitely visit Dusk Bell Psychiatric Hospital. If anyone refuses to let me take you away, I will personally have a talk with them." Clap clap clap... Applauding sounds immediately came from the other end of the phone: "That's the director for you, so badass!" Du Wei forced a smile and said, "Alright, I'll go deal with my issues first, we'll talk again next time." Ryan, full of excitement, said, "Then, Director, you must keep in touch with me, I always feel like I learn so much whenever I talk to you, you're truly the guiding light of my life." "Mmm-hmm..." ... Elsewhere. Ryan stretched lazily, waking up from a dream. It was already the early hours of June 22nd. And the room he was in belonged to James. Ryan sat up from the bed, ran to the bathroom with great excitement, planning to comb his hair in a slicked-back style to match the director's demeanor. But then, a faint moaning sound started. James was lying on the ground, curled up, his pale face trembling in his dream. Um... frozen. Seeing this, Ryan scratched his head, "Could it be he's sick again? Never mind, I'll heat up some water for him, let him drink more medicine. I wonder when James will be cured." In his sleep, James inexplicably shivered... Ryan stepped towards the bathroom. Then, as if he remembered something, he leaned out and urinated on the floor outside the bathroom. Hissing... Ryan whistled while he urinated just anywhere. But the more he whistled, the stranger his expression became. "What did the director tell me before? What's my current position? Director?" "What director?" "The director of Hill Psychiatric Hospital? But didn't Hill Psychiatric Hospital burn down? I remember the fire that day!" "Hmm... It's definitely not Hill Psychiatric Hospital." "Then which hospital's director am I?" Ryan was a bit puzzled. After he finished urinating and pulled up his pants, he turned and began to wash up in the bathroom. As he freshened up, he pondered. "I heard from Tiquel that Matthew, that poor guy, isn't home. He went to some exchange meeting at Vanity Psychiatric Hospital." "Matthew is a director, and so am I." "With him away at Dusk Bell Psychiatric Hospital, doesn't that make Dusk Bell Psychiatric Hospital mine?" At that thought. Ryan's eyes lit up: "So that's what the director meant! I get it now!"