Chapter 1313 Ignite, Sun Mo!
The one-day Jinling tour left Little Wei yearning for more! Late at night, Sun Mo carried Little Wei back to the laboratory through the teleportation gate. Xiaowei wrapped her arms around Sun Mo’s neck and kept looking back, filled with reluctance.
“Uncle, will I still be able to go to Jinling to play?” The little girl’s voice was filled with horror and anxiety, like a helpless young beast. “Of course!” Sun Mo smiled. “But you’ll need to eat well, sleep well, and get better!”
“En!”
Little Wei nodded heavily.
However, Little Wei’s symptoms aggravated the next day. The spirit pressure between the Nine Provinces and the Darkness Continent was different, so it was harmful to a little girl who was frail to begin with to suddenly enter the Nine Provinces.
“Uncle, I really want to go to the Mountain Water Temple to offer incense. Do you think that Goddess Guanyin will realize my wish?”
Little Wei was very scared. The tribute she had offered was just a stick of tanghulu. It was too shabby. Goddess Guanyin would probably not fulfill her wish.
“She will. One just needs to be sincere!”
Sun Mo consoled her.
“I…”
Before Little Wei could finish her words, she spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face was as pale as a ghost, and she was only breathing out and not in.
“Teacher Bai!”
Sun Mo shouted loudly as he started performing a rescue operation that lasted over half a day.
“If it wasn’t for your God Hands, she’d probably not have made it past today!”
Bai Qiusheng said emotionally, “But she’s too young. We can’t just keep on stimulating her life potential!”
Sun Mo’s ancient massaging technique had an effect similar to a heart-strengthening injection. It could be used for emergency rescue, but there was no hope in relying on this to heal someone.
“Well, don’t think too much! All humans will die one day.”
Bai Qiusheng patted Sun Mo’s shoulder. “The only thing we can do is to research the treatment medicine as soon as possible!”
“En!”
Sun Mo got his act together and entered work mode.
Five days later, the 102,200th medicine experiment led by Bai Qiusheng officially started. As Little Wei was on the verge of death, she was selected as an experimental subject in order to squeeze out her remaining value as well as extend her life as much as possible.
The entire experiment process was both heavy and suppressing. As the number of failures was too high, everyone subconsciously had a negative perspective.
As expected, the lucky goddess didn’t appear and the experiment failed again.
Everyone’s mood was very heavy to see the unconscious Little Wei. She might never be able to wake up again.
“Sigh!”
Bai Qiusheng shook his head, took off his great teacher uniform, and left. He didn’t even do the post-experiment summary.
After that, Sun Mo returned to the office, wanting to flee from this place that gave no hope at all. However, when he looked at the teleportation gate that was right before him, he slowly sat down on the ground and wrapped his arms around his knees, looking at the teleportation gate and being in a daze.
If he were to leave, there’d be even less hope.
After an unknown period, a sound rang out.
“You’re a kind man!”
Headmaster Sun exclaimed.
“Kindness can’t cure illnesses!”
Sun Mo’s lips twitched.
“But kindness will fill the world with love!”
Headmaster Sun consoled.
“Heh heh!” Sun Mo sneered, “Love can’t cure illnesses either!”
Headmaster Sun fell silent and sat down too. He looked at the teleportation gate alongside Sun Mo.
“What dreams do you have?”
Headmaster Sun was curious. “Become a saint?”
“They say that one’s courage determines the land’s productivity. But the truth is that most people dream of having a big house, a good job, and a beautiful wife. They want a life where, after their work ends for the day, they have money in their pockets and can go to restaurants to have a good meal with their wife. They will then go home and sleep together.”
Sun Mo chuckled. “But many people don’t have these three things, including me from the
past!”
Buying a house would empty six wallets. It was obvious how difficult this was.
As for a wife?
How could one get a wife without any money? They wouldn’t even have the right to curry up to a lady.
Headmaster Sun gestured for Sun Mo to continue.
“My rationale for enrolling in a normal school[1] is very simple. The job isn’t bad and has a stable income. Moreover, it can let students learn about themselves and work hard to become someone who won’t frequently regret after they are old.”
Sun Mo said self-deprecatingly, “To be honest, why would people experience regrets? It’s because they aren’t leading a good life! If they had a chance to redo things, everyone would choose to do so.”
“This doesn’t seem like something the number one great teacher in the Nine Provinces should
say.”
Headmaster Sun teased.
“Dreams are just dreams. To put it bluntly, they are just daydreams that won’t be realized. They are proportional to one’s strength. Everyone knows this, that’s why so many people opted out from the rat race.” Sun Mo’s lips twitched. “Regardless of who it is, people who have reached my stage, being just two steps away from becoming a saint, would try to go for it. However, it would be out of unwillingness to accept things and not because it’s their dream.” “Then what is your dream?”
e
1
Headmaster Sun asked again.
“Probably to fulfill everything I want?”
Sun Mo thought about it very seriously. “For me to have the capability of doing everything I wish to do!”
This was no longer restricted to being a great teacher.
Headmaster Sun stopped asking and the room became quiet.
After a while, Sun Mo managed to rein in his emotions and he stood up. “Headmaster, is there anything else? If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading to the laboratory.”
“There is, but I’m not sure if I should say it.”
Headmaster Sun seemed hesitant.
“I’m all ears!”
Sun Mo knew that Headmaster Sun wouldn’t come to have a heart-to-heart talk with him for no reason. “The experiments that we’re conducting now are more conservative out of consideration for the experimental subjects. We had done more radical experiments in the past and the effects were very good. However, the burden on the experimental subjects was too big and thus the experiments were stopped.” Headmaster Sun looked toward Sun Mo. “I’ve deployed some means and understood your situation from Bai Wenzhang. Your body should be able to withstand these radical experiments.”
Sun Mo immediately frowned. “You want me to become an experimental subject?”
“You’re a flagbearer of the great teacher world and your achievements are extraordinary. In the future, you’ll definitely become even more amazing. If you were to die, it’d be a tremendous loss to the Nine Provinces. But the lives of over one million Darkness Continent’s aboriginals are also very precious.”
Headmaster Sun found it hard to say this. Such words were too selfish.
IIII
Sun Mo’s heart felt a little chaotic.
“Forget it. Take it as if I didn’t say anything!” Headmaster Sun turned to leave.
“Hold on!” Sun Mo called out to Headmaster Sun. “Can you guarantee that it will be successful?”
“I don’t dare to guarantee anything, but the chances of success are very high. After all, your body has engulfed a god skeleton before.”
This was also why Headmaster Sun was confident to let Sun Mo become an experimental subject.
IL11
Sun Mo stopped talking. As Headmaster Sun understood his feelings, he left Sun Mo alone.
Such a decision was a torment to kindhearted people. If Sun Mo was a selfish person, he wouldn’t feel conflicted.
Right now, Little Wei hadn’t woken up yet and Li Luoran’s condition was also deteriorating by the day.
“Teacher, why are you so worried?”
Li Luoran reached out her hand to touch Sun Mo’s forehead, wanting to smooth out his frown.
Sun Mo tried hard to squeeze out a smile. “Are you worrying for me?”
Li Luoran started to console Sun Mo instead. “There’s no need to. Life and death is decided by fate. Moreover, I’m already very satisfied to be able to stay by Teacher’s side at the last stretch of my life.”
After saying that, Li Luoran lowered her head. Her face flushed up from shyness. But because the Darkness Continent’s aboriginals had always been more open-minded and she was also dying soon, she didn’t care about such things.
“En, I’ll stay with you!”
Sun Mo didn’t love Li Luoran. However, he’d stay with her to the end given her status as his friend and student.
On the other hand, Headmaster Sun didn’t urge Sun Mo. It was as if their conversation hadn’t existed. However, Sun Mo became increasingly anxious and worried by the day. It was because he knew that Little Wei and Li Luoran didn’t have much time left. He also often saw experimental subjects dying and being carried out.
The bright moonlight scattered on the grass like mercury.
Sun Mo couldn’t stand the atmosphere in the laboratory and came out for a breather. Sitting by the man-made lake, he was looking at the students going around the school grounds. As he looked at the many young faces, he recalled his youth too. “I’m still scared.”
One would only be able to experience the tremendous pressure brought by death when they were facing it themselves.
Sun Mo wasn’t someone unafraid of death. Moreover, his life was very wonderful. He had confidantes, a beautiful fiancée, as well as adorable and intelligent students… Who could bear to give up on those?
After sitting by the man-made lake for one day and one night, Sun Mo went to look for Headmaster Sun.
He didn’t say anything, but Headmaster Sun already knew his decision. It was because his gaze said everything.
“Sun Mo, I must say this again. Taking the divine awakening medicine comes with the risk of death.”
Headmaster Sun’s expression was extremely serious.
“I already know that!” Sun Mo’s attitude was very calm. “What do you need me to do?” “I need you to record the changes to your body in detail after you’ve taken the medicine.”
Headmaster Sun didn’t waste any time and brought Sun Mo to the next sealed-off experimental area that was another floor lower. After that, he handed all the experiment data and samples to Sun Mo.
“The medicinal efficacy of the divine awakening medicine is too domineering. Many experimental subjects died from the medicine itself.”
Over the next two days, Headmaster Sun personally led the experiments. He checked Sun Mo’s body and recorded everything in detail. In the end, he placed a bottle of dark red medicine in front of Sun Mo.
“You still have a chance to regret it now!”
Headmaster Sun’s expression looked conflicted and he let out a bitter laugh. “I feel that I’m killing the future of the great teacher world!”
“We’re already at this stage. Is there any reason to back off?”
Sun Mo laughed, picked up the bottle, and chugged down the dark red medicine.
There wasn’t any bloody taste. Instead, there was an indescribable fragrance.
“Are there any reactions?”
Headmaster Sun was very nervous. “I feel a little hot!”
Sun Mo sensed the changes to his body. Suddenly, a series of intense convulsing came from his stomach. Even with his strong will, he was unable to withstand the pain. His legs turned soft and he dropped to his knees. In just an instant, he broke out in profuse sweat.
“Sun Mo!”
Headmaster Sun was very anxious and wanted to help him to the bed.
“It’s fine!”
Sun Mo gritted his teeth and persisted. “I can bear with it. Bring me a brush and paper. I must take note of my senses while my consciousness is still clear.” Who knew if this medicine had any side effects such as making one lose their memories or jumbling them up. Therefore, Sun Mo must record the experiment data as soon as possible
The pain came very quickly but left very slowly. To Sun Mo, it was a great torment. Moreover, the horrifying thing was that the pain, symptoms, and position were different each time.
He’d have a stomach ache and have the runs for a very long time!
He’d have headaches, feeling as if his head had been run over by the wheels of a war chariot, or a giant had used a boulder to smash against it.
He’d feel that his entire body was numb, as if he was in a vegetative state. Other than having consciousness, he lost all other senses.
In merely seven days, Sun Mo had experienced over 100 different types of pain. He hadn’t had a peaceful sleep either. Other than it being so painful that he couldn’t sleep, it was also because he needed to record a large amount of data.
“Teacher, what’s the matter with you?”
When Li Luoran saw Sun Mo once again, she teared up right away. Sun Mo had become a lot skinnier. To a major character in the Longevity Realm, this was definitely not normal. “I’m fine. I just didn’t have a good appetite and didn’t eat much!”
Sun Mo lied. After chatting with Li Luoran for a while, he lied to her that he still had work to do and had her leave.
There was no helping it. If the pain came when Li Luoran was still around, Sun Mo wouldn’t be able to explain things to her. He didn’t wish to let this girl worry.
Sometimes, late at night, Sun Mo would also feel a hint of regret. It’d be good if he hadn’t agreed to Headmaster Sun’s request. But at the next instant, he’d go back to his work. This was the kind of person he was. If he started something, he wouldn’t regret it. It was because that’d be the most meaningless thing to do.
15 days later, Headmaster Sun’s countenance was very grim after he had given Sun Mo a checkup. “I’m going off to work.”
Sun Mo put on his clothes and wanted to leave.
“Aren’t you going to ask me about the progress?”
Headmaster Sun sighed.
“Regardless of how the progress is, the only thing I can do now is to go all out!” Sun Mo’s mentality was sorted out. He didn’t give up. “Time is very tight for me right now. If you don’t have anything to say, I’ll be leaving.”
“Sun Mo, your hard work now is to save people and also yourself.”
The hidden meaning behind Headmaster Sun’s words was very clear. The experiment data didn’t seem good. Sun Mo nodded and left. “Teacher, will he die?”
Lu Feng appeared behind Headmaster Sun.
“Yes!”
Headmaster Sun looked at Sun Mo’s back view. His steps looked a lot stronger than they were a few days back. “What do you think of him?” “A man, a great teacher. It won’t be considered an insult even if he is given the saint identity.” Lu Feng had heartfelt admiration. “Teacher Sun’s magnanimity is like the vast heavens. His spine can prop up the sky for the Dark Dawn!”
Lu Feng changed to address Sun Mo as Teacher Sun.
These days, Sun Mo’s condition had gotten increasingly worse. He started to cough up blood frequently. With Headmaster Sun’s approval, Xuanyuan Po came down to see Sun Mo.
Upon seeing his teacher’s skinny figure, the combat addict’s eyes instantly turned red. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t shout so loud.”
Sun Mo stopped him.
“What did they do to you?” Xuanyuan Po was enraged. “I’ll go kill them!”
“This is my own choice.”
Sun Mo smiled. When he saw Xuanyuan Po, he suddenly realized that Headmaster Sun probably didn’t think that the experiment results would turn out well, so he was letting Sun Mo say his last words.
(It’s true that I have many things to say, but my time is too tight.)
“Xuanyuan, you can leave. I’m very busy.”
Sun Mo chased Xuanyuan Po away and in the following days, he used a voice-recording stone to record his last words while he worked.
“Xiuxun, I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to take responsibility. If I was given another chance, I’d be in a relationship with you and take you as my wife. I hope that you can give me the chance.”
“Ziyu, I’m sorry for holding back on your youth. I really don’t know what I should do. You’re a good woman but I’m not a good man. If there’s a next life, I hope that I can make up for what I owe you!”
“Xinhui, the current me hasn’t loved you before, so you don’t need to feel any mental burden. The marriage agreement is called off. You can go and lead a life that you like!” After Sun Mo was done recording these last words that weren’t too important, his words for his students were next. These people were the most precious to him in his life.
This was especially so for Ziqi and Lu Zhiruo.
Sun Mo recalled the night with the little sunny egg at the Yunting Lake as well as the papaya girl who had been hiding under the leaking roof on that rainy day. “Ziqi…” Plop!
Sun Mo fell to the ground. He felt that his face was wet. However, it wasn’t tears but blood. Fresh blood was gushing out from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
[1] A normal school is an institution created to train high school graduates to be teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum.