The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 356 Deep Within the Blood Pool 1
The sun, which had just peeked out above Crescent Moon Mountain, was once again obscured by dark clouds.

In the cold wind, Zhong Kui's posture and Zhong Xiaoyu's voice, all seemed like a witchcraft of possession, carrying out a bloody confession.

"When he took out the marbles and waved them in front of me, my body began to go numb, and my hands and feet stopped obeying my commands. This was a method I had taught him to induce hypnotic paralysis in the other person. My mind was clear, but my body was completely immobile. Behind him, my family sat at the dining table, as if separated by an invisible wall, completely oblivious to what was happening to me. I wanted to shout to warn them, but screams only tore at my heart inside; no sound came out of my throat."

Xi He pulled me into his arms. I knew his body temperature so well, but at that moment it felt like I was falling into an icy abyss. I felt as if all the blood in my body had frozen. I wished I had been dead by then.

But I was so clear-headed, I clearly remember him leading me step by step toward my family.

I soon discovered that my family members were unresponsive because they were asleep. Xi He had drugged them.

Now, they are helpless lambs.

I awaited the slaughter of the Xi River, but there was nothing I could do.

He said…

Zhong Xiaoyu imitated Xi He's tone, making it even more eerie and sinister than Xi He's own, "They gave you a false image of your personality, so let me help you become the real you. From today onwards, our blood and flesh will be forever intertwined, and even death cannot separate us."

He laughed, a laugh like an angel's, a laugh of arrogant ruthlessness, devoid of pity but filled with joy, a bloody joy.

Ah, that's a place I never dared to think about again, please help me...

Zhong Xiaoyu suddenly experienced a great emotional fluctuation. Her hands, which were holding the glass bead, began to tremble, and the bead was about to fall to the ground.

There was another force within her trying to stabilize her emotions, as if Zhong Kui and Zhong Xiaoyu were fighting each other within the same body.

She suddenly opened her eyes, and the others watched cautiously, unsure whether the person standing in front of them was Zhong Kui or Zhong Xiaoyu.

Soon, her mischievous expression told Qi Fei that the person who had just woken up was Zhong Kui.

"Damn it!" she muttered resentfully, "She got away."

"Zhong Xiaoyu has hidden again." Qi Fei immediately understood.

“But I saw it.” Zhong Kui grabbed the glass bead in her hand and suddenly stopped.

"What did you see?" Jiang Tianyi stepped forward and couldn't help but ask.

Zhong Kui said solemnly, "I saw the entrance that Zhong Xiaoyu hid deep in her heart, a deep pool filled with blood."

"What kind of place is this?" Wu Shanqiu asked, puzzled.

Zhong Kui shook her head: "This is just a manifestation of her subconscious, not a real place. But I know that if I dive into this blood pool, I can see her hidden secret. I was just a little short. She's really too stubborn." She said with frustration.

“Yes, we were just one step away from finding out who the real killer of the Zhong family of four was,” Jiang Tianyi said. Although Zhong Kui appeared strong, the beads of sweat on her forehead reminded Qi Fei that she was exhausted from the hypnosis session just now.

Qi Fei couldn't help but put his arm around her shoulder with heartache: "You've done your best. At least we've narrowed it down to Xi He and Zhong Xiaoyu. That means Xi He was indeed there."

Zhong Kui handed the glass marble back to Wu Shanqiu: "The black in the crack is most likely old blood. Xi He is a cautious person, so it's unlikely that he dropped it accidentally. The fact that we found it ten years later is not fate, but a clue left by someone."

"Kui, do you mean to say that someone deliberately put this marble in the water pipe?" Qi Fei asked.

Zhong Kui glanced at the location of the water pipe: "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the restaurant area, right?"

"I remember there was a sink next to the dining table in the photo, and the marbles probably fell from that sink," Qi Fei said.

"I have to find a way to get Zhong Xiaoyu out." Zhong Kui's competitive spirit was ignited, and her gaze fell on Lü Dandan. She remained silent for a while.

Qi Fei, seeing the cunning in her eyes, asked uneasily, "Kui, what do you want to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhong Kui suddenly broke free from Qi Fei's grasp and grabbed Lü Dandan's neck with one hand. The force was so great that her nails dug into Lü Dandan's skin.

Qi Fei tried to step forward to stop them, but was deterred by a fierce glare from Zhong Kui.

"You know I'm capable of such violence, so you'd better not come any closer," Zhong Kui said grimly.

Caught completely off guard, Lü Dandan was gripped by Zhong Kui's throat and utterly powerless to resist. Her originally thin face quickly swelled up due to lack of oxygen, and the veins on her forehead bulged out like earthworms under her skin. She was on the verge of fainting.

"Zhong Kui, calm down," Wu Shanqiu said helplessly from the side.

"I'm very calm. Lü Dandan, right? If you were able to discover that Zhong Xiaoyu had fallen in love with Xi He, it's clear that your relationship is indeed extraordinary. Zhong Xiaoyu's biggest weakness is her self-righteous, saintly complex. Let me see if she'll step in to save her friend, who's in imminent danger." As she spoke, she took out a small copper knife she always carried and held it against Lü Dandan's throat. With just a little force, the tip of the knife would pierce her throat.

With a clang, the bronze knife fell to the ground. Jiang Tianyi, quick as a flash, rescued Lü Dandan from Zhong Kui's grasp.

Amidst Lü Dandan's violent coughing, Zhong Kui's posture changed. Her head drooped, and her hair fluttered in the wind in the darkening sky, making her look like a female ghost. When she looked up again, she looked at Lü Dandan, who was being supported by Jiang Tianyi, and softly called out, "Sister Dan."

When she called out "Sister Dan," Lü Dandan stumbled forward and hugged her, crying and saying, "Xiaoyu, it really is you this time. You're finally back."

However, Zhong Xiaoyu was not as moved as Lü Dandan. Her sorrowful face remained deathly calm as she turned her gaze to Qi Fei.

Qi Fei walked up to her: "So many people have died, stop running away and tell us the truth."

“I didn’t kill them,” Zhong Xiaoyu said, “but the truth is far more cruel.”

Qi Fei frowned slightly: "Is there anything more cruel than killing your own family?"

Zhong Xiaoyu remained unmoved and said, "Yes, Xi He's creativity in evil is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. From that day on, Zhong Xiaoyu was dead. What you see of me is just a remnant of Zhong Xiaoyu."