Now, every movement by Zhu Haomiao requires every bit of strength, the pain making his eyelids twitch uncontrollably!
Forcing himself to endure the pain, the young man continued to flip through the Book of Black, discovering that each of the following pages recorded an original sin.
[Greed]: LV.1 (23/100)
[Jealousy]: LV.1 (5/100)
[Anger]: LV.1 (89/100)
[Gluttony]: LV.2 (11/200)
[Lust]: LV.1 (97/100)
[Sloth]: LV.1 (76/100)
[Pride]: LV.1 (91/100)
Looking at the original sins, at least at LV.1, and the Dao Heart at LV.0, Zhu Haomiao seemed to understand why he was always teetering on the edge of losing control.
It's because his Heart couldn't control his Desire!
Desire was the source of his strength, but also the main culprit of his twisted loss of control!
His hand retracted, and the Book of Black closed instantly, turning into a chaotic black light and sinking into his palm.
There was no need to materialize it at all; the information within the book still projected into his spirit like a clear flame!
After identifying his "disease's root," the dark clouds hovering over Zhu Haomiao's heart instantly dissipated, as if lifting a mountain off his back. He felt much lighter, even the surrounding pain seemed to lessen quite a bit.
Once you know the "treatment method," the following things become simple...
Refine the Dao Heart!
Taking a deep breath, Zhu Haomiao, full of fighting spirit, stood up from the bed, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, a piercing pain shot up from the lower half of his body, making him fall back onto the bed, gasping for breath.
Looking down, he saw the foot he had kicked someone with yesterday had swollen three times its size, and the skin and flesh on his shin had turned a necrotic purple-black.
"Sure enough, every action has its reaction. Did I kick myself crippled?"
Grimacing, Zhu Haomiao lay back on the bed, staring forlornly at the ceiling.
Instinctively wanting to call for help, he realized he didn't even have a phone!
Even sadder, even if he had a phone, he wouldn't find anyone willing to help him.
He didn't have a single friend he could talk to in this world; even in his class, there wasn't anyone whose name he could call out.
In an instant, Zhu Haomiao suddenly realized how much he had failed as a person.
Looking back now, he gradually realized how greatly his character had changed unknowingly under the influence of original sin.
The intense emotional fluctuations made his thoughts chaotic and erratic, with all sorts of strange and sudden ideas often popping into his head.
Some were just nonsensical, while others were incredibly abstract, like the idea of charging at a cat...
Most of these thoughts were triggered by original sin. However, the other sins, while problematic, typically spun harmlessly in his head until he acted on them, except for Pride... which emanated from his very bones!
No matter how he disguised it, the "I'm not targeting anyone; I'm saying everyone here is trash" look in his eyes could not be hidden...
To others, he must appear to be an unreasonably arrogant madman, right?
In a flash, Zhu Haomiao seemed to somewhat understand the pain of a certain "victimized youth."
Yesterday, his attitude was more than just contemptuous; he regarded him as an ant, not even deigning to converse with him!
If only he'd explained patiently at that time, things wouldn't have escalated into a mess.
Yet at that moment, he felt nothing wrong with it, instead feeling it was only right. Why should he lower himself to listen to a lowly ant?
If the heavens ordained him to die under his foot, that was an honor bestowed by God!
This high-and-mighty attitude of Pride, if even one percent of it got conveyed through his gaze and actions, would infuriate any normal person!
Hmm... In retrospect, perhaps, maybe, it seems, I was indeed asking for a beating...
After a serious introspection, Zhu Haomiao sighed dramatically.
"Sigh... From today, I need to reform myself and start anew!"
"Hiss~ so painful, oh well, I'll start tomorrow since I can't move today..."
Not knowing what nerve he hit, Zhu Haomiao winced in pain, his face twitching as he lay helplessly on the bed.
Yet, a few minutes later, the boy shot up in shock from his sickbed, letting out a classic national profanity.
Indulgence of Original Sin
The information coming from the Book of Black shocked Zhu Haomiao to a cold sweat, prompting him to hurriedly prepare to get out of bed.
Indeed, each original sin was rooted in the unconscious instincts of humans, an indispensable part of self-awareness. Because of this, they often release quietly, and he didn't even realize the original sin was affecting him!
Even the seemingly most harmless and gentle [Sloth] is hard to guard against...
Fortunately, now there's the Book of Black to remind him...
Mysteriously, Zhu Haomiao had an epiphany. This reminder mechanism seemed deliberately designed by the presence that left the words "stay true to your heart, do as you wish" on the flyleaf!
To prevent the holder of the Book of Black from being corrupted, degenerated, and distorted like a frog in warm water.
With feet touching the ground, taking another look at the swollen and blackened calf made Zhu Haomiao's heart tremble again.
A normal person's first reaction upon seeing such a severe injury would definitely be to go to the hospital!
Yet he had forgotten about it under the influence of [Sloth], even thinking about putting it off until tomorrow.
If it really got till tomorrow, the leg would probably have necrotized!
Once again, Zhu Haomiao directly and clearly recognized the dangers of original sin.
Immediately, he bit his lip, forcing himself to stand up, and limped towards the door, supporting himself against the wall.
He remembered there was a campus hospital not far from the dormitory, though it often seemed to be dark inside, and he wasn't sure if anyone was working there...
If it didn't work out, he'd have to go to the main campus hospital...
Making up his mind, Zhu Haomiao struggled to the staircase entrance, involuntarily gulping as he looked at the familiar stairs.
Damn school, building single-occupancy dorms and not even installing elevators!
Then, mustering great determination, he took the first step but nearly dropped to his knees instantly.
His hands clutched the handrail tightly, the needle-like tingly pain coursing like an electric current, running back and forth on his legs, turning them into limp noodles, utterly uncontrollable, shaking like a sieve.
After a few minutes of half-dragging, half-shuffling, he finally reached the first floor, propping himself against the wall. When he stepped out the dormitory door, he suddenly paused.
"Control [Sloth], Dao Heart +1"
Encouraged, the young man was invigorated, limping, and full of fighting spirit as he headed towards the nearby campus hospital.
Thank God, his prayers were heard; the campus hospital door wasn't locked.
Pushing the door open, he was met with the sight of a mature and alluring figure, draped in a white coat, lounging lazily and elegantly on an ergonomic chair, plump, long legs wrapped in dark stockings crossed over a leg rest, absently scrolling through a tablet in her lap.