# 480
**Chapter 480 – The Fourth Patient**
Hearing this, everyone froze, then turned in unison to look at Zhou Ping, their expressions turning subtle.
Only after the words left his mouth did Zhou Ping realize what he’d just said. He quietly shut up, turned his head away, and curled his toes inside his sneakers, scraping them against the insoles...
“Never would’ve guessed Sword Saint前辈 could drop such a domineering line...” Baili Pangpang grinned. “And honestly, it sounded way cooler than any of mine.”
“Sword Saint前辈, how did you even come up with that?” Lin Qiye asked curiously.
The corner of Zhou Ping’s mouth twitched. “Read too many novels... You just pick it up.”
Lin Qiye and the others suddenly looked like everything made sense.
“I’m curious,” Baili Pangpang blinked. “Sword Saint前辈, you must’ve said plenty of lines like that before, right? Got any especially epic ones? We’d love to hear.”
Zhou Ping stared intently at the clouds outside the window, pretending not to hear. He subtly shifted his body closer to the cabin wall.
Cao Yuan leaned over and whispered into Baili Pangpang’s ear, “You’d better stop teasing him. If you keep going, I’m afraid he’ll jump out of the plane to escape...”
Baili Pangpang cleared his throat and zipped his lips.
The cabin fell silent once more.
Lin Qiye slowly closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the Asylum of the Gods in his mind.
...
Dressed in a white lab coat, hands in pockets, Lin Qiye strolled through the courtyard.
“Good morning, Director Lin.”
Up on the roof, inside a soundproof barrier, Bragi was practicing poetry. Spotting Lin Qiye, he set down his harp, flashed a brilliant smile, and gave a gentlemanly bow, his long golden hair cascading like silk. “May your day be as fresh as morning dew.”
Lin Qiye smiled and nodded. “Morning, Bragi.”
Ever since Bragi began writing daily letters to Idun, he’d fully returned to his former cheerful self. His complexion had even improved, and his treatment progress had rocketed to 71%, nearly catching up to Merlin.
No sooner had Lin Qiye thought of Merlin than the man himself appeared, clad in a deep-blue mage robe.
Merlin carried a brick-thick book—*Wellness: Are You Really Doing It?*—in his left hand and a thermos cup filled with goji berries in his right. His thinning hair fluttered in the breeze, looking a bit chilly.
“Good morning, Director,” Merlin greeted with a smile.
“Morning, Merlin.”
Merlin studied Lin Qiye, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Then, as if realizing something, he smiled.
“Director, it seems your cultivation has improved again. If I’m not mistaken, we’re about to welcome a new neighbor.”
“You guessed right.”
Lin Qiye nodded.
Upstairs, Bragi’s eyes lit up. Hugging his harp, he leapt lightly from the roof and landed in the courtyard.
“A new neighbor?” Bragi looked thrilled. He carefully smoothed his sun-bright golden hair. “Oh, how exciting! I do hope they’ll appreciate my music and poetry. I’ll compose a grand and beautiful welcome song!”
“...” Lin Qiye hesitated. “I wouldn’t count on it.”
Merlin raised an eyebrow. “Director, you sound like you already know who it is.”
“I have a guess... but honestly, I still find it hard to believe...” Lin Qiye sighed.
“Will he be difficult?” Bragi asked, puzzled.
“If the stories about him are true... then yeah, probably.”
“No matter! I believe my music, full of love and acceptance, will move him! No one can resist the charm of music!” Bragi plucked a melodious chord. “I can’t wait to meet him!”
Lin Qiye gave him a strange look but said nothing, simply heading toward the second-floor ward.
Merlin and Bragi followed, equally curious about the newcomer.
As they reached the second floor, they found Nyx already standing by the stairs, draped in a starry gauze gown, holding a ball of black yarn, smiling gently.
“Mother, you came too?” Lin Qiye asked in surprise.
“I’d also like to see what sort of person our new neighbor is,” Nyx replied with graceful warmth. “Since everyone’s here to welcome him, I couldn’t miss it.”
Lin Qiye nodded and walked down the hall, stopping in front of the fourth ward.
He looked up at the wooden nameplate beside the door, his gaze complicated.
The design was simple: a staff.
Long and slender, deep red in the center, gilded at both ends, with a faint shimmer flowing across its surface...
“A staff?” Merlin mused. “There aren’t many gods who use staves. And judging by its design, this isn’t a Western deity...”
Lin Qiye gripped the doorknob and took a deep breath.
Behind the first door: the Greek goddess of night.
Behind the second: the English god of magic.
Behind the third: the Norse gods of music, poetry, and youth...
And behind the fourth?
A staff. An Eastern god.
His identity was almost obvious.
Lin Qiye slowly turned the handle. A mechanical click echoed as the door swung open.
Sunlight streamed through the widening gap, spilling into the dim room. Four pairs of eyes peered inside.
No bed. No table. No lights. No furniture at all. Just bare walls reflecting the light. In the center sat a figure, cross-legged on the floor.
An ancient ape clad in a kasaya.
Golden patterns shimmered against the bright red robe, a faint halo flowing around it like a phantom Buddha’s light enveloping the ape’s body.
Deep brown fur exposed to the air. His eyelids lowered, hiding his eyes; dust coated his messy lashes. Hands clasped at his chest, he sat like an eternal Buddha.
The door stood fully open now.
Sunlight and fresh air poured in. A gentle breeze stirred the hem of the kasaya.
The ancient ape remained motionless, hands still clasped, like a statue carved from stone.