The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 348 The Third Personality
A huge bronze furnace was burning with flames. Zhong Xiaoyu lay on a thick layer of wool. She couldn't remember how she got there. Looking around, there was no other light source except for the firelight from the fireplace, and there were no windows.

Under the flickering firelight, one can see the white marble pillars standing silently.

She sat up and was startled to see an ancient man standing respectfully beside her.

Her exclamation echoed, indicating that this was a very large place. The ancient figure remained motionless, and Zhong Xiaoyu quickly realized that this was not a living person.

Sure enough, upon closer inspection, it was also carved from white marble, wearing a hat and crown, with hands clasped in front of her, as if serving her. There was more than one such stone statue, each with a different shape, scattered around, as if ready to serve her tea and water at any time.

Zhong Xiaoyu soon realized that she was sitting on a throne, next to which was a small stone table with several glass beads on it, which glittered in the firelight.

Here, in a windowless palace, there was only deathly silence, and she was the only living person.

She carefully descended from the throne and, by the light of the fire, searched for the exit, only to find a huge coffin standing to one side.

Zhong Xiaoyu realized that this was not an ordinary palace, but an underground palace, the tomb of the deceased royal family.

Her exploration didn't last long. From where the firelight couldn't reach, came a dull thud as a heavy stone door was opened.

Footsteps approached; she recognized them all too well—it was him.

Sure enough, a moment later, Xi He appeared before her. His hair and shoulders were covered in snow, and his features were as handsome and melancholic as she remembered.

"You're awake," Xi He said, as if it were just an ordinary day, a routine greeting.

“This is the underground palace of Nanling.” Zhong Xiaoyu reacted quickly.

Xi He smiled slightly: "As expected of the woman I like, you guessed it so quickly. This is my home now, do you like it? Ah, it's been so long since we've been alone together. How would you like me to call you, Xiaoyu or Dr. Zhong?" He seemed flustered, like a young man experiencing his first love.

"When we first met, you pretended to be just as inexperienced and fooled me," Zhong Xiaoyu said coldly. "To you, this was all just a game, and I was your ultimate reward. Now I'm here. Shouldn't this murderous game be over?"

Xi He's eyes sparkled in the firelight; if one didn't know his background, one would think he was an innocent and naive person.

“This isn’t a game; this is my way of expressing my love for you. You’ll understand, you just don’t want to admit it.” He said, reaching out to touch her shoulder, but Zhong Xiaoyu dodged him.

The underground palace was actually quite warm, and the snowflakes on Xi He's body had melted without him noticing. However, Zhong Xiaoyu couldn't stop trembling. She turned her back to Xi He, not wanting him to see her expression.

Xi He's voice came from behind her: "You've never hated me. You know what you're really like. From the moment we met, we knew we were the same kind of people. Your pain is all Zhong Huaiting's doing. These bullshit doctrines only work on fools. We are an evolved species, beings that are superior to them, almost like gods. We don't need to care about these things!" He became more and more agitated, grabbing Zhong Xiaoyu and pulling her in front of him. "Xiaoyu, in this world, we have nothing but each other. We are one!"

However, Zhong Xiaoyu lowered her head and did not react no matter how he shook her, as if she had lost her soul.

Xi He realized something and slowly loosened his grip.

Zhong Xiaoyu remained standing in the same spot, her head still bowed, as eerily quiet as the stone statues in the underground palace. Xi He's breathing quickened with excitement, and as if afraid of waking her, he whispered, "You've finally appeared."

Zhong Xiaoyu, who was standing opposite him, slowly raised her head. But when she raised her head again, her expression was different from before. As if in a hallucination, her pupils became exceptionally black and large, almost covering all the whites of her eyes.

Her lips turned a deep purple from lack of blood, as if all her blood had turned cold. She looked at Xi He with a sinister expression that Zhong Xiaoyu had never shown before, and suddenly rushed in front of him with astonishing speed, grabbing his throat.

Xi He offered no resistance, letting her push and shove him until he fell onto the throne.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Her voice was low and hoarse, unlike Zhong Xiaoyu's, and completely different from Zhong Kui's clear voice.

Xi He squeezed out a few words with difficulty: "You can't bear to..." He turned his hand on the throne while the woman wasn't paying attention, and the stone statue behind her suddenly moved quickly and bumped directly into her back.

Stumbling, Xi He seized the opportunity and counterattacked the woman.

The defeated woman screamed wildly, her shrill voice echoing like a female ghost in the underground palace...
-
Qi Fei felt better after leaving Jiang Tianyi; after all, people need an outlet and an explanation. Although Jiang Tianyi couldn't give him an answer, he ultimately felt the contents of the case file were too bizarre, and he still needed to find Zhong Xiaoyu herself before making any decisions.

However, Zhong Xiaoyu has disappeared; she is not at Guiyue Apartment.

Jiang Tianyi was the last person to see her. After leaving Jiang Tianyi's counseling room, she did not go home, but headed towards Nanling and eventually disappeared into the dense forest.

Everyone knows how difficult it is to find someone in Nanling, let alone in such heavy snow.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Zhong Xiaoyu unexpectedly appeared at the Nancheng Police Station early the next morning.

Qi Fei was the first to rush into the courtyard. Just as he was about to ask Zhong Xiaoyu where she had gone, she suddenly went limp and fainted in his arms the moment she saw him.

At Nancheng Hospital, Qi Fei sat beside Zhong Xiaoyu's bedside, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

"The doctor said she's fine," Wu Shanqiu said as she walked over. "Brother Fei, you've been watching over her all night, let me take over."

"No need, I have many questions to ask her, I have to wait until she wakes up," Qi Fei said stubbornly.

As they were talking, Zhong Xiaoyu slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the unfamiliar environment of the ward, she didn't seem surprised.

Upon seeing Qi Fei, she smiled and said, "It seems I'm back."

The tone of his voice clearly identifies him as Zhong Kui.

Qi Fei was filled with mixed emotions. His beloved Zhong Kui had returned, but this also meant that Zhong Xiaoyu had gone into hiding again, and he didn't know when she would reappear...