Huang Zao was desperately thirsty.
It felt as though a sun had been stuffed into his throat. His entire pharynx and the root of his tongue had been half-roasted, and he could not speak at all.
Huang Zao was desperately hungry.
His belly clung to his spine. His entire body was weak, his steps staggered, his head spun, and he even began to hallucinate.
In his hallucination, he felt as though he were walking among the clouds. Yet a great mountain weighed upon his back.
The mountain was too heavy, enough to crush him flat as paper.
Soon, the mountain changed shape again, becoming a devil with ram's horns.
The devil opened its blood-filled maw and shouted into his ear—Eat him! Eat him! Eat him!
Huang Zao was terrified. He wanted to throw off the mountain or devil on his back. But his arms and hands would not obey him; they were completely numb, leaving him to carry the mountain or devil.
Then, very quickly, the devil on his back changed again.
The devil actually became a suckling pig.
The suckling pig gave off a powerful stench of sweat, along with the smell of rotting wounds.
Huang Zao lowered his head and saw that a flame had long since ignited inside his belly.
It was a raging blaze.
It burned fiercely and quickly spread. In almost an instant, enormous flames nearly engulfed Huang Zao's entire body.
Then, the flames were about to spread to the suckling pig on his back and roast it.
The scent of food seemed to rush into his nostrils at that instant.
"No, never." As if he had smelled that scent, Huang Zao shuddered all over as though struck by Electric Shock, and miraculously broke free from the hallucination.
He returned to reality.
Before him lay