Martial Arts Secret Realm: Only I Can Know the Plot?

Chapter 149 An Unexpected Person

Sun Fan opened his eyes, stood up, walked out of the study, out of the house, and stood in the courtyard. The winter wind blew in from the alleyway, biting cold. He hunched his shoulders, zipped his coat all the way up, then took out his phone and sent a message to Dong Dahai: "Home."

Dong Dahai replied quickly: "Be careful."

He sent Feng Congyun another message: "Teacher Feng, I'm home."

Feng Congyun replied quickly, with only three words: "Get more rest."

Sun Fan smiled, put his phone away, walked out of the yard, and locked the door.

He suddenly felt like going for a walk.

Standing at the entrance of Ginkgo Lane, he looked at the old street. Ginkgo trees lined both sides of the street, bare and looking particularly desolate in the winter mist. A few old men were playing chess by the roadside, a child was chasing a stray cat, and an old man selling roasted sweet potatoes pushed his cart past the entrance of the lane, his calls drawn out.

He took a deep breath. The air was filled with the sweet smell of roasted sweet potatoes, the musty smell of fallen leaves, and an indescribable, everyday aroma that belonged to the old street.

Then he heard a voice.

It came from the other end of the alley, faint and weak, like a cat's meow or a person crying. He followed the sound and walked to the front of an old building.

The building is small, three stories high, with grayish-white exterior walls, several pieces of plaster peeling off to reveal the red bricks underneath. The main gate is made of iron railings, with a sign hanging above it that reads "Jiangcheng Mental Health Center." Above the sign, on the wall, are four large characters painted in red: "Rehabilitation Hospital."

The sound was coming from inside the gate.

Sun Fan stood at the gate, peering through the iron fence. The courtyard was empty, devoid of people, save for a few bare sycamore trees and a plastic chair blown over by the wind. The sound was coming from inside the building, muffled by a window, but he could make out a person—a woman—crying.

He hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door and went inside.

There was no one in the courtyard, but a middle-aged woman in a white coat was sitting at the entrance of the building, smoking.

When she saw Sun Fan come in, she looked him up and down, her gaze lingering for a moment on the long sword at his waist before looking away.

Who are you looking for?

Sun Fan shook his head and was about to leave.

He just wanted to wander around.

He himself didn't know why he came here.

But then he suddenly heard a voice: "Sweetie, eat this, and you'll feel better."

Sun Fan stopped in his tracks.

He recognized that voice.

The woman in the white coat glanced at Sun Fan, sighed, stubbed out her cigarette at her feet, stood up, and dusted off her coat. "Another one," she muttered, then waved to Sun Fan. "You're here to see Mu Xue'er, right? Third floor, room 308."

Every year, whenever Mu Xue'er returns, strange people always come to the mental hospital.

Sun Fan paused for a moment, then nodded and went into the building.

The hallway was quiet, the lighting was dim, and most of the green paint on the walls had peeled off, revealing the grayish-white cement underneath.

The floor was covered with white ceramic tiles, the grout lines of which were filled with black stains that couldn't be cleaned no matter how hard you wiped. The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant, mixed with the smell of medicine, and an indescribable, stuffy atmosphere unique to enclosed spaces.

He went up to the third floor and found room 308.

The door was ajar, with a dim light shining through the crack. He pushed the door open and saw Xue'er feeding medicine to a child, but several white pills were scattered on the floor, along with a broken glass.

Sun Fan stood at the door, watching her back without saying a word.

The child cried and screamed, "I said I don't want to take medicine! Can't you understand human language?"

But Mu Xue'er patiently persuaded him again and again.

His tone was so gentle it was almost melting.

As if sensing something, Mu Xue'er suddenly turned around.

She saw Sun Fan, and Sun Fan saw her too.

Her face was bare of makeup, much more so than usual, with a red nose and chapped lips. But even so, she was still beautiful, so beautiful that she didn't seem like someone who would appear in a place like this.

"Class monitor?" Her voice became even softer, as if she were cautiously confirming.

It's Mu Xue'er.

Sun Fan walked over, sat down on the chair by the bed, looked at her, and didn't say anything.

Mu Xue'er lowered her head, tucking her stray hair behind her ear, her fingers trembling slightly. She remained silent for a long time, so long that the lights in the hallway automatically went out, leaving only the dim yellow lamp in the ward.

"Class monitor, what brings you here?" she finally spoke, her voice very soft.

"Just passing by," Sun Fan said.

Mu Xue'er looked up at him, then suddenly smiled. The smile was very soft, like a stone rolling down her throat.

"Passing by the mentally ill person's house?" She shook her head. "Class monitor, you wouldn't lie."

Sun Fan did not deny it.

Mu Xue'er lowered her head and looked at her bare feet. Her toes were white from the cold, and her nails were painted with light pink nail polish, which was already chipped and had not been repaired in a long time.

"I'm here because I'm sick." Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself. "Schizophrenia."

She suddenly smiled with relief.

"But, class monitor, you probably already knew, didn't you?"

"After all, people in the dark martial arts school call me a crazy woman in private."

Sun Fan remained silent.

He did know that Mu Xue'er had two personalities.

Mu Xue'er, and Mu Bing.

Seeing that Sun Fan remained silent, Mu Xue'er continued, "My parents noticed. At first, they thought I had just changed my personality, becoming less talkative, less cheerful, and less sociable. They assumed it was due to the pressure of martial arts training and didn't take it seriously. Later, I started saying strange things and doing..."

Some strange things happened. Once, I was chopping vegetables in the kitchen when I suddenly threw the knife away and squatted in a corner crying for half an hour. My mother was terrified and took me to see a doctor. The doctor said it was schizophrenia and I needed to be hospitalized.

She paused, then looked up at Sun Fan.

"I've lived here for six months. I've tried everything—medicine, injections, psychotherapy. Nothing works. I still split off another person—Mu Bing. She's completely different from me. I don't like to talk, she does. I don't like to laugh, she does. I'm timid, she's brave. I'm afraid of everything, she's afraid of nothing."

"She's the kind of person I want to be. That's why she came along."

Sun Fan leaned back in his chair, looking at her and waiting for her to continue.

"My parents were very worried at first, seeking medical help everywhere, spending a lot of money, and consulting many specialists. Later, they gradually stopped coming. At first, they came once a month, then once every three months, and then once every six months. The last time they came was on my birthday last year, and they left after staying for less than half an hour. They said they were busy at home, and my younger brother had exams, so they couldn't leave."

She looked down at her fingers.