The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 321 Deep in the Forest
The scene before him began to merge with an old photograph, a bloody past that Qi Fei had found in Baicheng, the massacre that had occurred in Zhong Xiaoyu's family—Xi He had replicated the case from back then.

Qi Fei's first thought was of Zhong Kui; he couldn't let her see this scene.

He looked around frantically, and thankfully Zhong Kui didn't appear. Just as his heart was about to settle down, he heard the familiar sound of high heels behind him.

Qi Fei hurriedly turned around to stop her from getting closer, but it was too late. The usually composed Zhong Kui stood there like a statue.

Qi Fei was at a loss for what to do. He cautiously called out Zhong Kui's name, but she seemed to block out all the sounds of the world. She just stared coldly at the blood-stained room without saying a word.

Suddenly, she threw her head back and laughed loudly. The laughter was more mournful than her crying, so much so that everyone present was stunned and unconsciously stopped what they were doing. Even the corpses of Wu Chongyue and Zhu Haitang seemed to come to life. Under their drooping eyelids, their cloudy eyes stared at Zhong Kui, filled with numb sorrow.

Just as Qi Fei was about to pull her away from the scene, Zhong Kui's laughter stopped abruptly, and she said coldly, "Xi He, you really miss Zhong Xiaoyu."

"Kui, what are you saying?" Qi Fei asked, puzzled.

“He killed two people to recreate the scene of the Zhong family tragedy, hoping to awaken Zhong Xiaoyu, whom I had been suppressing.” Zhong Kui revealed a fierce look in her eyes. “Hmph, dream on! I hate being manipulated the most.” With that, she turned and left without looking back.

Only Qi Fei remained in this place filled with the smell of blood.

He looked around, unable to understand.

Is Xi He missing Zhong Xiaoyu? How can anyone kill because of longing?

He didn't have time to think about it and ran after Zhong Kui. In the countryside, Zhong Kui was walking towards Zizai Mountain.

The distant green mountains seem so close, yet I can never reach them.

Halfway there, Zhong Kui suddenly stopped.

Qi Fei didn't dare to get close, and stood at a distance watching her.

She took off her high heels and stood barefoot on the road. Her alluring, head-held-high posture had changed; it was the beginning of her transformation.

The wind swept through the harvested fields, blowing her long hair, and after a while she turned and walked towards Qi Fei.

Looking at the face that had lost its arrogance, Qi Fei knew that the person in front of him was no longer the girl he loved.

"Qi Fei, I'm sorry, but I have to come out and talk to you." The scholarly tone immediately identified him as Zhong Xiaoyu.

"Xi He has achieved his goal," Qi Fei said with concern.

“I think we’ve both run out of patience. My affair with him needs to come to an end,” Zhong Xiaoyu said, her hands clenching into fists silently. Although her hands were still trembling and she looked as fragile as a leaf in the wind, Qi Fei saw an unprecedented determination in her eyes.

"What do you plan to do?" Qi Fei asked. "We don't even know where he is."

Zhong Xiaoyu looked directly into his eyes and said, "We don't need to look for him; he will come to me."

As the words fell, the wind rustled through the distant forest, and from the depths of the dense woods, it seemed as if a pair of eyes were watching them, menacing and smug...
-
The midday sun shone on the man's handsome face. He was wearing a black trench coat and chatting animatedly with the girl opposite him.

At first glance, he seemed like a respectable young man, but unfortunately, his slightly narrowed eyes constantly darted around, betraying his true nature. The girl opposite him was young, with exquisite makeup and a newly bought Chanel suit, seemingly trying to make a good impression.

This was a blind date, and it seems they both had a good impression of each other.

"Hey, you studied in the US for seven years, didn't you find a girlfriend from abroad?" the girl asked tentatively.

The man seemed quite adept at answering this question: "Back then, I was worried about not graduating and not being able to explain it to my parents, so I didn't have the mind to date."

The girl brushed her long hair behind her ear, her head bowed, which stirred a feeling of tenderness in the man. He leaned forward and asked, "I heard you have a bachelor's and master's degree from Nancheng University. Did you spend your seven years there...?"

"No," the girl answered decisively. "By the way, Ziwu, are you related to our General Manager Tian?"

"Oh, no, Mr. Tian and my mother are best friends. She watched me grow up. Although we're not relatives, we're closer than relatives." The man named Zi Wu said, unable to hide his pride.

The girl looked at him with a hint of admiration: "It's rare to find a guy as outstanding as you who is still single."

"Maybe he's waiting for a nice girl like you?" Zi Wu said, observing the other person's expression. Seeing her face turn red, he immediately explained, "I was just joking. Sorry for being so frivolous. Don't mind me."

Seeing that the other party smiled without saying anything, Ziwu began to probe further: "By the way, Shuangshuang, what are your plans for tonight?" Ziwu asked.

"No~" Shuangshuang answered, unable to hide her eagerness.

"Then, would you like to come to my house for a visit?" Zi Wu asked immediately, his questions flowing naturally like a formula.

"Ah, I'm not ready to meet your parents yet." Shuangshuang didn't explicitly refuse.

Zi Wu seemed to have anticipated this answer and said, "Don't worry, I rented a place near my workplace, and I live alone."

"Aren't you a local from Nancheng? Why do you need to rent a place?"

"The commute is too far, renting a place is more convenient."

The word "convenient" was particularly pleasing to the ear, prompting a whisper: "Does it mean convenient for commuting or..."
-
This long road seems endless, and he doesn't know why he woke up in such a strange and desolate place.

All around were tall pine trees, which seemed to flicker like ghostly shadows in the twilight after sunset.

"Help! Is anyone there?!" he shouted, startling several wild birds that were roosting nearby, which then fluttered away.

As night fell, strange noises began to emanate from all around him, as if wild beasts were lurking nearby, ready to bite his throat at any moment.

He couldn't remember why he was there. Everything was normal during the day; he had just attended a social event and had drunk some alcohol, so he was a little tipsy...

However, I can't remember anything after that.

When he woke up again, he was lying on a narrow, winding path. The path only went in one direction. He had walked all day, cold and hungry, but still couldn't see the end. Now it was dark, and he had nowhere to go. He cried out to heaven and earth, but no one answered...

"Whose prank is this...?" he murmured, lost and unsure of what to do, when suddenly...