Schizophrenia
After Dany was arrested, Chen Fei was released because the homeowner of the stolen goods had lost interest in pursuing the petty theft charges against him. As a result, the police only gave him a verbal warning.
The entire police station was busy interrogating Dany, digging up old records in an effort to find the remains of Dany’s parents, whom she had allegedly murdered.
Dany’s mental state was also deteriorating. She refused to cooperate with the interrogation and kept demanding to see Lu Congxing.
However, even if the police could bring someone in, the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs would never agree.
Somehow, news spread through the demon community that Bai Ze and the cub had gone to the police station together.
The powerful demons who caught wind of the news began asking what had happened. Just the presence of a Bai Ze alone was enough to make any informed human nervous, let alone the many other demons showing up to inquire.
The police immediately decided not to disturb Lu Congxing and rejected Dany’s request.
As for what happened next, Lu Congxing was uninterested and didn’t want to get involved.
He went to see Huang Xin but unexpectedly ran into Zhou Zijie.
Zhou Zijie, who usually cared a lot about her appearance, now walked out of room 401 with messy hair, her face pale without makeup, looking exhausted as she stared at Lu Congxing.
He almost didn’t recognize her.
Lu Congxing sighed, “My condolences.”
Those words seemed to flip a switch, and without warning, tears began to fall down her face. Zhou Zijie sobbed intermittently, “It was me… it was me who let her in…”
She spoke in fragments, but Lu Congxing understood immediately.
Dany was a minor. She hadn’t gone through the proper legal procedures to rent the place, but instead, she paid Zhou Zijie three hundred yuan a month, without any official paperwork or contract.
When Huang Xin, the landlady, asked about it, Zhou Zijie came up with an excuse, saying Dany was her distant cousin staying with her. Huang Xin wasn’t fooled but chose to turn a blind eye.
What neither of them had expected was that the person they had brought in would turn out to be a murderer.
They hadn’t expected the usually quiet and introverted girl to pick up a knife and kill someone just because they had argued in the middle of the night, disturbing her sleep.
Perhaps some people were simply born bad.
Zhou Zijie trembled with regret.
Lu Congxing comforted her for a while, as his purpose that day was to deal with the last remaining trouble in the building.
That was the person possessed by a ghost.
When Huang Xin heard his voice, she opened the door, her exhaustion visible, but she still tried to summon some energy, “Please come in.”
Since the murder had occurred in the building, and the killer was someone from within, Li Guodong had taken a couple of days off to stay with her, unwilling to leave her alone.
He was sitting on the couch, his expression unreadable.
Lu Congxing casually closed the door behind him. Huang Xin noticed and seemed uneasy, “Master, is Dany the one possessed by the ghost in the building?”
She was wearing loose clothing, gently caressing her uneven belly.
This great mother, after all that had happened, had become even stronger. She wanted to create a better future for the child in her womb, and to do that, she needed to eliminate all the dangers.
Lu Congxing shook his head and, before she could express her disappointment, spoke again, “But I already have a suspect.”
Huang Xin’s eyes widened as she straightened up, “Who is it?”
Lu Congxing didn’t directly answer her. Instead, he looked at Li Guodong, who had remained silent ever since they entered.
Since they had arrived, this timid middle-aged man hadn’t lifted his head, as if there was something on the ground that was irresistibly drawing his attention.
When he heard Lu Congxing’s words, he trembled slightly, pretending not to hear.
Lu Congxing patiently repeated, “Mr. Li, why are you lying to me?”
This time, Li Guodong didn’t pretend not to hear. His lips trembled as he stammered, “I’m not lying.”
Lu Congxing tilted his head, feigning confusion, “But you said you and your wife argued in the middle of the night, but Miss Huang says that never happened.”
He Zhouyan stood quietly behind him, like an unmovable shield.
He didn’t realize that his current stance made him resemble a spoiled kitten, boldly extending its claws toward the humans without fear.
Huang Xin and Li Guodong spoke almost simultaneously.
One said it happened, while the other insisted it couldn’t have.
Huang Xin stared in disbelief at her partner, who she slept beside every night. She hadn’t realized the gravity of the situation and, instinctively, furrowed her brows and raised her voice, “What are you saying? We’ve never argued in the middle of the night!”
She and Li Guodong did argue often, or rather, she often scolded him, but her sleep was always deep, and there was no way she could have been yelling at him.
Li Guodong, however, grew stubborn. For the first time, he didn’t immediately give in to Huang Xin’s anger. Instead, he insisted, “We argued. I yelled at you.”
“You yelled at me?” Huang Xin almost laughed in anger. She pointed at herself, “You dare yell at me?”
“Then try yelling at me now!” She pushed Li Guodong forcefully.
Her facade of calm shattered, and in her fury, Huang Xin demanded an explanation from Li Guodong.
Meanwhile, a little flame had appeared out of nowhere and was perched on Lu Congxing’s shoulder, watching the drama unfold intently.
He Zhouyan, with a bored look on his face, casually extended a finger to tease the little flame, fully aware that the little flame wouldn’t burn him, yet still enjoying the act of provoking it.
After being avoided, he began to use his spiritual energy to poke at it, making the small flame even smaller. The fiery flame, now puffing with anger, transformed into a tiny kitten only four centimeters in size and bit at it.
Upon realizing that Bai Ze’s spiritual energy was unexpectedly delicious, the little flame began to gnaw at it eagerly.
Huang Xin cursed for a long time, but saw no reaction from Li Guodong. She became a bit frightened and her tone softened, no longer as forceful. She asked, “Did you fall asleep and dream this?”
Li Guodong still ignored her, staring at a spot in the air as if a person were standing there. But the room was empty except for the four of them.
Lu Congxing spoke up: “You said you two had a fight. Do you remember what you said to your wife?” He casually reached up and touched the unusually excited source flame on his shoulder.
This time, Li Guodong responded. He lifted his head and grinned, “I called her cowardly, useless…”
Huang Xin looked at Li Guodong with eyes full of unfamiliarity, as though she no longer recognized the man she had been married to for years. The words he spoke were also so familiar that they terrified her.
This was exactly what she usually said to Li Guodong!
Li Guodong seemed lost in some kind of delusion. Suddenly, he stood up and pointed at the air, shouting, “Didn’t I tell you to mop the floor twice?”
“Why didn’t you buy watermelon? Useless!”
“Why are you always so cowardly? Didn’t I tell you to deal with 404 and the beer bottles? Are you even a man?”
His voice became sharp, yet it still carried the heavy nasal sound of a man and his naturally unpleasant voice, making it awkward and out of place.
Huang Xin was terrified. She rushed to Lu Congxing’s side, trying to grab him, while crying, “Please, save him. He must be possessed by a malevolent ghost. My child can’t grow up without a father. Please save him.”
However, her outstretched hand was stopped by He Zhouyan, who blocked her with a dark expression.
Lu Congxing shook his head, realizing that He Zhouyan was blocking her view of his actions. He then spoke, “Don’t worry, Mr. Li is not possessed by a malevolent ghost.”
Huang Xin didn’t believe him. She looked at her husband, who had changed so drastically, and choked, “Then, why has he become like this?”
Lu Congxing took in her despairing look and gently used his spiritual energy to knock Li Guodong unconscious.
“Mr. Li is simply experiencing mental issues. Let’s take him to the hospital for a checkup.”
. . . . .
In the hospital room, no one spoke. The atmosphere was stifling, with only Huang Xin occasionally sobbing.
Li Guodong was lying on the bed, having briefly regained consciousness to speak with the doctor before falling into a frenzy again, cursing at the air in a woman’s tone, until he was sedated.
The doctor turned around, his mouth a bright red, like he had been drinking blood. But to human eyes, it might only seem like he had used some spicy lipstick.
He was a Fei Yi1 who had cultivated into a human form.
Although it was unclear why he had turned to psychiatry, he had surprisingly become quite a renowned doctor in this field.
When Lu Congxing was first recognized by the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, many influential demons in human society had handed him their business cards, hoping to help him one day. This Fei Yi had also given him his card at that time.
He was very excited to know that the cub would come today, although Bai Ze, next to the cub, was a bit of an obstacle.
Fei Yi’s desire to get closer to the cub had grown shakier.
Unexpectedly, that police—dog demon—officer had been right, the cub’s guardian demon was Bai Ze!
This news had nearly set the entire demon race ablaze in the past few days, but no one dared to approach Bai Ze to confirm it.
Lu Congxing didn’t notice Fei Yi’s longing gaze for spiritual energy. His mind and body were focused on the freshly printed report in his hand.
It clearly stated that Li Guodong had schizophrenia.
Humans were fragile, and there were many who suffered from mental illnesses, but this was the first time Lu Congxing had truly encountered it.
He had only suspected, which was why he brought Li Guodong here. Now it was confirmed.
Huang Xin took the report, her eyes dazed. “He seemed perfectly normal…”
Fei Yi pushed up his glasses and said, “Please don’t be too upset. This is very normal. I’ve seen many people who pushed themselves too hard, causing mental issues. Those around them often don’t believe it.”
“Your husband felt at a disadvantage in his relationship with you, and over time, he began to think, ‘If I were you.’ He imagined himself in your role. Eventually, he couldn’t distinguish between who was cursing whom, and thus, a separate existence like you was created in his mind.”
“In his delusion, your harsh words during the day would become his words of cursing you in the middle of the night. He thought he was cursing you, and that he was Huang Xin.”
As the doctor spoke, Huang Xin’s face was covered in tears. She turned to look at Li Guodong on the bed.
Having been sedated, he was now relatively calm, but his mouth still muttered curses as he reached out and occasionally pushed at the air, as though someone was standing there who he despised.
His expression was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar to her.
- 肥遗 (Féi Yí) is a figure from ancient Chinese mythology. According to the “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” there are three types: two snakes and one bird. It is a monstrous serpent that resides at the foot of Mount Hunxi, having one head and two bodies. Wherever it appears, there will be a severe drought. It is also said that Fei Yi is a yellow bird the size of a quail, with a red beak. It is believed that eating Fei Yi can cure diseases and prevent parasites.
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I actually feel sorry for this couple. This woman had no idea what her behaviour could cause…