The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 266 The Lonely Anomaly

“That tree was planted by Xi Ziyun at Xi He’s request,” Zhong Kui said. “Xi He told Zhong Xiaoyu about it when he was in Baicheng.”

This answer caught Qi Dongjun off guard. He opened his mouth slightly, thought for a moment, and then smiled bitterly, "Hehe, that's true. I always treated Xi He as an ignorant child and forgot that he was a devil."

“What you perceive as terrifying is merely amusement in Xi He’s eyes. Or, subconsciously, he hopes you misunderstand Xi Ziyun, because he wants to possess Xi Ziyun’s love exclusively. This possessiveness is reciprocal; he wants to be the only person in the world who purely loves Xi Ziyun,” Zhong Kui continued.

"I understand, he's trying to sow discord between me and Ziyun."

"If I'm not mistaken, employee number 0002 was the one you left for Xi Ziyun, right? But because of this, you completely isolated her from the business you built together." Zhong Kui's words were accompanied by Qi Dongjun's guilty sigh.

Qi Fei could not imagine that his mother, who had worked hard to manage the household and had once been a woman who had ventured into the business world alongside his father, could have had her fate completely changed by a shocking misunderstanding—no, a frame-up.

"I was actually fooled by a child..." Qi Dongjun murmured.

These words ignited Qi Fei's anger: "She is your wife. All these years, haven't you ever thought of asking her for the truth?"

These words struck Qi Dongjun's most vulnerable spot, and his voice trembled unusually: "I'm afraid that if I ask about this, I'll lose her. I know it sounds foolish and cowardly to say this, but 'I'm human too, and I can back down.'"

I told you, it was raining heavily that day, and I ran to Xu Tong's place just to numb myself, to deceive myself that none of this had happened.

"Interesting. You suspect Xi Ziyun of murder, but aren't you worried she might harm you?" Zhong Kui's eyes were full of suspicion.

Qi Dongjun shook his head: "Every time she looks at me, I'm sure she loves me. As long as I don't break the ice, she's still the Xi Ziyun who loves me."

"Ha, you can suspect she's a murderer, but you can't doubt her love for you. So-called successful businessmen really do have a lot of bluffing confidence," Zhong Kui said with a sharp tongue.

Qi Fei knew that Zhong Kui was right; Qi Dongjun's so-called love for Xi Ziyun was essentially selfish.

Although he did not actually kill Xi Ziyun with a knife, he erased her from the social consciousness.

Thinking of this, Qi Fei's anger turned into more practical action. In the past ten days, among those old wounds that were reopened, there was still one question that had not been answered—Li Yang'er.

"How did you and Li Yang'er meet?" he asked.

Sure enough, Qi Dongjun showed far more alarm upon hearing the name than Xi Ziyun.

"You even found her?" he asked tentatively, his unease barely concealed.

"No," Qi Fei replied coldly.

"As you probably already know, she was a business partner of mine, but she suddenly went abroad. What? The one who died was named Feng..." In his panic, Qi Dongjun couldn't remember the deceased's name for a moment. "Feng Yongshou," Qi Fei reminded him.

"Oh, right, Feng Yongshou, could it be that Li Yang'er killed this person?"

"No, it was Li Yang'er who was killed."

Qi Dongjun paused for a moment, but wasn't particularly surprised. This expression didn't escape Qi Fei's notice, who ruthlessly exposed him: "It seems you already guessed that Li Yang'er was dead."

“Li Yang’er…” Qi Dongjun murmured the name that hadn’t been mentioned in a long time, and asked, “How did she die?”

“That’s a very good question,” Zhong Kui said, speaking before Qi Fei could. “Li Yang’er’s death was the beginning of everything. Unfortunately, the protagonist of this long story isn’t her, nor Xi Ziyun.” She then looked at Qi Dongjun, “nor is it you. It all goes back to Sanwu Town, to that urn shop behind the Huang Daxian Temple…”

As Zhong Kui's hazy voice rang out, the pale hospital room seemed to be shrouded in a thin veil. Qi Fei was transported back to the wooden cabin on Zizai Mountain, returning to a past he could never return to amidst the swirling smoke.

Zhong Kui continued her narration: "This is a story about how prolonged loneliness can turn a person into a monster. If it weren't for that girl named Xiaoyun, Feng Yongfu might have been trapped in that dark corner of the courtyard forever, just like his father, making urns of ashes day after day. The customers who came to his door, like his works, were all dejected. But he had the opportunity to go to Nancheng and meet a girl from a different world."

Everyone dies eventually; in the end, all that remains is a handful of ashes placed in his jar. This was the view of life and death planted in his young heart. In his eyes, life and death were not so important; what mattered was that bright red that appeared in his life. He wanted to hold onto her, cherish her, and give her the best of the world. These were Feng Yongfu's exact words when he confided in me. Only when he talked about Xiaoyun did his face light up, like the morning light streaming into the Feng family courtyard after the rain.

As I listened to him recount the past without any remorse, when he saw Xiaoyun's alcoholic father brutally attack Yu Hongxia, who was protecting Xiaoyun, his primal attachment twisted into an even more primal desire. This was the only bright spot in his life, and he wanted to protect it at all costs. Moreover, in his eyes, life and death were not important. Even when he planned to trip the drunk Xi Changhe, he only regarded it as a prank.

The long summer vacation ended, and he returned to his life, which was as dull as death.

Day after day, the more lonely I felt, the more I missed them, and in the end, it became the last glimmer of hope for me to survive.

Finally, on another hot summer day, the adult Feng Yongfu went to Nancheng and found Xiaoyun from back then.

Unfortunately, when they met again, Xiaoyun had become someone else's wife and the mother of a child.

If everything had gone well for Xiaoyun, perhaps this summer adventure would have come to an abrupt end. But fate is often like that; from the moment he left Sanwu Town, everything was destined to be irreversible.

Alright, it's time for Li Yang'er to make her appearance.

This shrewd and powerful businesswoman has already calculated your entire price and is waiting to reap your blood and flesh.

Mr. Qi, don't tell me you weren't secretly relieved when Li Yang'er suddenly disappeared.

I suspect that at that time, both you and Xi Ziyun already knew you had fallen into Li Yang'er's trap, and that the reward she promised you came at the cost of being branded as smugglers.

Upon hearing this, Qi Dongjun's face turned deathly pale...