Start with push-ups to gain experience

As soon as the car door opened, a wave of heat hit you.

It's only mid-June, but the weather in Tokyo is already showing signs of sweltering heat.

Fang Cheng pulled out the car key, slammed the car door shut, and pressed the lock button.

The car beeped twice.

He then stepped up the stairs and pushed open the sparkling clean glass door.

As soon as I stepped into the air-conditioned exhibition hall, I heard the soft clatter of high heels on the gleaming marble floor.

A short-haired female salesperson wearing a black business suit walked towards us, with a name tag hanging around her neck.

"Hello sir, welcome."

The female saleswoman wore a standard professional smile, placed her hands clasped in front of her abdomen, and bowed slightly.

"Are you here to look at the car? If you need maintenance or repairs, please go to the after-sales service area at the back."

Fang Cheng's gaze swept over the several brand-new display cars parked in the showroom, and the air was filled with the distinctive leather smell of new car interiors.

"I'm looking at the car."

He looked away and turned to face the female saleswoman: "But I'd like to ask Ning Yue for advice; she's my friend."

Upon hearing the name, the saleswoman paused for a moment, her smile faltering for half a second.

"Looking for Ning Yue..."

She blinked, her tone becoming somewhat hesitant:

"I'm sorry, sir, Ning Yue has had a family emergency and has taken a long leave of absence for the next couple of days. Would it be alright if I served you instead?"

"Did you take leave?"

Fang Cheng frowned slightly and looked at her, asking, "What happened?"

The female saleswoman didn't want to gossip about her colleagues, but seeing the handsome and refined man in front of her, she found herself talking uncontrollably.

"I don't know the specifics, I just heard people talking about it privately..."

She glanced around, and seeing that the manager and her colleagues weren't nearby, she took a small step forward and lowered her voice:
"It seems that her sister-in-law has contracted some strange illness. She suddenly became mentally unstable and caused a lot of trouble at home. She can't be left alone to take care of her."

"Has he developed a mental illness?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Fang Cheng's eyes, and his tone carried a touch of inquiry.

"I don't think... he doesn't look like a typical mental patient."

The saleswoman shook her head, her expression turning somewhat strange, then she whispered:
“Ningyue had complained to us before, saying that when her sister-in-law was sick, she would not recognize her relatives and would even bite her own mother.”

"Sometimes in the middle of the night, I would get up and sleepwalk, standing straight in the corner of the living room, banging my head against the wall with a loud thud."

"Ningyue said that one night she got up to relieve herself and saw her sister-in-law standing in the hallway with her back to her."

"She walked over and patted him on the shoulder, but when he turned around, his eyes were completely rolled back with the whites of his eyes, and he was smiling eerily. You couldn't even see the black pupils in his eyes. He looked terrifying!"

At this point, the saleswoman shivered, as if the air conditioning was too cold. She hugged her arms and rubbed her goosebump-covered arms.

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly.

The images of the monsters I encountered during my previous training in the illusionary realm flashed through my mind.

"That's not all."

The saleswoman described the story vividly, lowering her voice even further:
"Ning Yue said that her sister-in-law seemed to have gone completely mad that night. She pounced on her and attacked her with tremendous strength. Later, the neighbors came to help, and even several adult men couldn't hold her down."

"She even picked up scissors and stabbed all the sofas in the house, stabbing anyone who came near..."

Fang Cheng frowned slightly and asked:
Didn't Ning Yue's family take her to the hospital for examination and treatment?

"Why didn't you go?"

The saleswoman pursed her lips, her expression revealing a hint of helplessness:

"Ning Yue visited all the major hospitals in Dongdu and booked appointments with every specialist. After several visits, they still couldn't find anything wrong with her. The doctors couldn't find the root cause of her illness and could only prescribe some sedatives to relieve her symptoms."

"Later, some of my colleagues in the store gave her some advice, saying that this kind of thing was probably caused by evil spirits, and advised her to go to Gufeng Temple in Xishan to burn incense and pray for blessings, and to bring back a talisman, as the incense there has always been very effective."

At this point, the saleswoman looked wistful:
"Ning Yue was desperate and tried anything, so she actually went and got a cure."

"At first it was fine. Ningyue said that her sister-in-law put on the amulet and finally calmed down. Everyone thought it really worked and that the matter was over."

"But who would have thought that after less than two months of peace, the condition started to relapse a few days ago, and the relapse was even more severe than before."

"She tore the amulet to shreds with her own hands, and even went so far as to try to cut her wrists with a kitchen knife."

Fang Cheng listened quietly, his gaze darkening slightly.

This pattern of illness does indeed have an unusual feel to it.

The saleswoman paused briefly before continuing:

“Yesterday morning, Ningyue was working diligently at the store. Suddenly, she received a call from her mother-in-law, who said that her sister-in-law’s illness had flared up again and seemed to be quite serious.”

"Ning Yue was so scared that she didn't even grab her bag and immediately took leave to rush home. She hasn't come to work today. We're actually quite worried about her. We've been sending her messages but haven't received a reply. We don't know what's going on now."

She sighed softly and remarked with emotion:
“Ningyue is also a person with a hard life. She was married for only two years when her husband died in a car accident. She raised her two-year-old son alone and still had to go out to work. Her parents-in-law were also in poor health.”

“Now the whole family is relying on her alone, and then her sister-in-law causes this strange thing. No one can handle it.”

After listening, Fang Cheng seemed to be deep in thought, and then asked:
Do you know her home address?

Upon hearing this, the female salesperson hesitated for a moment, then pursed her lips.

"Well... I've never been to her house before, so I don't really know the exact address. Besides, company policy prohibits us from disclosing employees' addresses."

Seeing this, Fang Cheng immediately explained:

"I was Ningyue's classmate at high school, but we haven't been in touch for a while."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the black SUV parked by the roadside outside the showroom's floor-to-ceiling windows:

"That Land Rover outside was bought from you a few months ago, through Ning Yue. I came here today to order another car from her."

The saleswoman looked in the direction he was pointing, and there stood a brand-new Land Rover worth over a million dollars, gleaming and eye-catching in the sunlight.

She considered it for a moment and figured that since he was a big client and an old classmate, it wouldn't hurt to make an exception.

"Please wait."

The saleswoman turned and walked to the front desk, where she typed on the computer for a while, seemingly looking through employee information.

A moment later, she tore off a yellow sticky note, copied down an address with a ballpoint pen, walked back, and handed it to Fang Cheng.

"This is her home address in the system. You can go and see her; it's a way for everyone to do their part."

Fang Cheng took the note and glanced at the handwriting: No. 304, Building 7, Lixin Garden, Baihua Street, Jiangdong District.

Thank you.

He folded the note in half and put it in his pocket, nodded to the saleswoman, turned around, pushed open the glass door, and strode into the heat outside.

....................................

On the kitchen stove, a pale blue flame licked the bottom of the earthenware pot.

The dark brown medicine bubbled and churned in the jar, occasionally pushing the lid open slightly.

White steam seeped out through the cracks, and a strong, pungent medicinal smell filled the kitchen.

Through the open glass door of the kitchen, the view inside the living room is unobstructed.

It looks like this place has just been ransacked.

The fabric sofa was cut in several places, and the yellowed sponge was rolled out and scattered on the stained tile floor.

Two chairs were lying askew in the corner, one of which had a broken leg.

On the coffee table were piles of leftover boxed lunches, crumpled toilet paper, and several torn pieces of yellow talisman paper.

The whole house was filthy and messy, exuding an inexplicable eeriness.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Suddenly, a scream came from the bedroom at the end of the corridor, instantly breaking the oppressive atmosphere in the room.

Immediately afterwards, a series of foul curses rang out.

The voice was rough and hoarse, like the roar of an old man with a mouthful of phlegm stuck in his throat, mixed with the most vicious vulgarities.

The bedroom door was ajar, and several people were crammed inside.

Ning Yue stood by the door, her hands gripping the wooden door frame tightly.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and a few strands of hair were stuck to her cheeks with sweat, but she didn't bother to brush them away.

Look inside.

The small bedroom was dimly lit, with the curtains drawn tightly and only a single incandescent bulb overhead providing illumination.

On a single bed against the wall, a young woman was struggling to move her body.

She was wearing a light pink nightgown, which was now completely ruined.

It was covered in yellow medicine stains, dark red bloodstains, and unidentified dirt.

Her hands and feet were each firmly bound to the iron bed frame with four leather belts.

With each struggle, the belt was stretched taut.

The iron bed frame creaked under the strain, causing the entire bed to shake violently, as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.

The person tied to the bed was Ning Yue's sister-in-law, Li Jiajia.

Who would have thought that the once pretty and well-behaved girl, who didn't even dare to speak loudly, would turn out like this?

Her jet-black hair was tangled into a mess, sticking wetly to her face.

Through the gaps hidden by her hair, one could see her face contorted, her lips cracked and bleeding, and saliva dripping from the corners of her mouth down to her chin, falling onto the sheets.

"Let me go! You bunch of sluts! Let me go!"

A rough, hoarse voice kept escaping from Jiajia's mouth, sounding nothing like what a young girl would say:

"I will kill you all! I will skin you alive and feed you to the dogs, grind your bones to dust, and make sure you all suffer a terrible death!"

As she spoke, she suddenly raised her neck and slammed the back of her head heavily onto the bed with a dull thud.

At the foot of the bed stood a man in his fifties with gray hair; that was Ning Yue's father-in-law, Old Li.

Old Li pressed his hands against the iron railing at the foot of the bed, trying to stabilize it.

His face was covered in wrinkles, his eyes were red, and he remained silent, with only the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

"Jiajia... my Jiajia..."

Ningyue's mother-in-law slumped to the floor beside the bed, covering her face with her hands, crying so hard she couldn't breathe.

She cried and slapped her thigh with her hand.

Ning Yue walked a few steps to her mother-in-law's side, squatted down, put her arms around the old woman's shoulders, and pulled her into her arms.

"Mom, don't look anymore, it's okay."

Ning Yue bit her lower lip, her voice trembling noticeably, but she forced herself to comfort her:
"The priest said this is a normal reaction, and it will get better soon. Jiajia will be fine."

The mother-in-law leaned on Ningyue's shoulder, her hands tightly gripping Ningyue's arms, her sobs filled with sorrow:
"She used to be so well-behaved, she wouldn't even dare to kill a fish, how did she become like this... What sins did our family commit!"

Standing beside the bed was a priest dressed in a black robe.

He was in his early forties, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose and a conspicuous silver cross hanging around his neck.

After Li Jiajia's illness relapsed this time, the hospital conducted all kinds of tests, but still could not find the cause of the disease, and the medication was ineffective.

With nowhere else to turn, the family invited monks and Taoist priests to their home to perform rituals, pray for blessings, and ward off evil.

However, the situation did not improve; instead, it became worse day by day.

In desperation, Ning Yue inquired everywhere for a solution and eventually found a nearby church.

Hearing that this pastor had the ability to resolve such strange occurrences, they went to his house and earnestly begged him to come in.

She has no other choice but to cling to the last glimmer of hope and try anything, even if it seems hopeless.

After all, when people are in dire straits, they're willing to try anything.

Perhaps the scriptures recited by foreign monks really do work?
At this moment, the pastor took out a small glass bottle from his black leather bag and uncorked it.

He took a deep breath, picked up a thick, well-worn Bible in his left hand, and dipped his right thumb into the clear liquid in the glass bottle.

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..."

The pastor began reciting prayers, his voice steady and powerful, trying to drown out Li Jiajia's screams.

Then, with a flick of his right hand, he sprinkled the holy water from his fingertips onto Li Jiajia's forehead.

"what--"

Li Jiajia suddenly let out an unusually sharp scream.

The cry was extremely penetrating, causing a sharp pain in the eardrums of the people in the room.

She suddenly thrust her chest upwards, her entire waist dangling in the air, forming a strange arch.

The belt dug into her flesh, and blood seeped from her wrist.

"It's working! Father, please continue!"

Seeing this, a glimmer of light flashed in Old Li's previously despairing eyes, and he shouted loudly.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on the pastor's forehead. He swallowed hard, turned to a page of the Bible, and raised his voice even higher:

"Evil soul, in the name of the Lord I command you to leave this body! Retreat to your abyss!"

Then, he dipped some holy water in it and splashed it repeatedly on Li Jiajia's face and neck.

Li Jiajia twisted her body more violently, her hair swung wildly on the pillow, and she let out a beast-like growl.

Ning Yue hugged her mother-in-law tightly, looked at her sister-in-law suffering on the bed, and finally couldn't hold back her tears.

She had seen Jiajia when she was normal.

The girl who used to help her take care of her children on weekends and call her "sister-in-law" with a smile is now like a monster.

"Jiajia, just bear with it, it'll be alright soon..."

Ning Yue, her eyes red-rimmed, murmured to herself.

Just as the priest was about to pour the entire bottle of holy water down in the final expulsion,

The noise on the bed suddenly stopped.

Jiajia's tense body instantly went limp, and she slammed heavily back onto the bed.

She stopped screaming, and her chest rose and fell slowly.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

All that remained were the heavy breathing of the crowd and the old woman's intermittent sobs.

"Okay... okay?"

Old Li loosened his grip on the bed rail and cautiously leaned forward.

The pastor was also stunned. His hand holding the cross stopped in mid-air, his brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes showed a hint of hesitation.

He took a few steps forward and looked down to examine the girl on the bed more closely.

Suddenly, Jiajia's shoulder twitched.

Then, a low, muffled laugh came from her chest.

"Hehe...hehehe..." (End of Chapter)