Chapter 23: The Calm Madman

Xiao Tao said: "Although there is no result in the database, there is something special. I found that in the sample you provided, there is a disorder of monoamine oxidase A and serotonin, and DNA methylation variation. I'm curious whose sample this is?"

"What do you mean? Speak human language!" Qi Fei glanced at the pedantic Xiao Tao and said.

Xiao Tao chuckled: "It means that research shows that the probability of antisocial personality in people with monoamine oxidase A and serotonin disorder in their DNA is very high, and DNA methylation variation is strongly associated with mental illnesses such as split personality. It is already rare to have one of these problems, but to have both situations appear at the same time—I can't imagine what this person would be like. It's highly likely to be a madman."

"Don't believe me..." Qi Fei muttered.

"Fei-ge, what did you say?" Wu Shanqiu looked at Qi Fei's expression, not without worry.

"What Zhong Kui said to me was, don't believe 'me.' She told me not to believe her."

"What does that mean?"

"It's very strange. At that time, she seemed to have changed into another person, completely different from Zhong Kui. There are no ghosts in this world. Xiao Tao's words reminded me: if Zhong Kui's mental state has problems, it seems to explain..."

"Ha! Fei-ge, do you think her confident appearance of calculating everything is like a mental patient? I don't believe it anyway." Wu Shanqiu shook her head, disagreeing.

In the dark room, Zhong Kui sat alone. The mirror on the bedside table faintly reflected the exquisite outline of her face.

Luosha outside the door always watched every move in the room vigilantly, its amber eyes glowing.

"You said you were going to die, so you should have died thoroughly. Why did you suddenly appear to ruin my good deeds?" Zhong Kui's voice came, sharp and arrogant.

"I don't care about you swindling money, but this time, you deliberately lured that monster out. I don't allow you to do this." Suddenly, the tone of her voice changed, calm and gentle.

"These people deserve to die; I'm just doing a small favor for my client."

"You just want to create a myth to continue making money."

One body, two people talking back and forth.

"Then what do you want? To escape forever, never solve the problem? At the beginning, I gave you time to consider; it was you who gave up voluntarily. Now it's Zhong Kui's life. In my life, people who should die must die, and people I love must live well."

"How are you any different from that monster?"

"Hahaha! Don't hypocritically condemn me. Didn't you give up yourself just to release another monster to kill the monster you cultivated? Let me tell you, what you released is not a monster, it's the Grim Reaper. Only the Grim Reaper can take away that monster. This is our last conversation. Whether you go to heaven or hell, stay away from this unhappy world and disappear completely!"

In Zhong Kui's cold warning, everything returned to silence.

Luosha's nervous gaze relaxed in this silence.

Zhong Kui got up, walked to it, squatted down, and stroked Luosha's head: "Little cutie, it's okay, I'm fine!"

Luosha seemed to be completely relieved, "Meow-woo," enjoying Zhong Kui's petting.

Qi Fei hesitated for a moment, then knocked on the door.

"Please come in." The familiar voice came from inside.

Opening the door, a gentle male doctor wearing glasses and a gentle smile had been waiting for Qi Fei for a long time. This was Nancheng's famous psychologist, Jiang Tianyi.

"Qi Fei, long time no see," he said.

"I'm doing well. I'm now a police officer at the Nancheng Police Bureau."

Dr. Jiang nodded slightly after hearing this: "That's good. This is also a way to heal yourself."

"Yes, I haven't had that nightmare for many years. Dr. Jiang, I haven't had a chance to thank you properly."

Dr. Jiang smiled slightly: "This is my job. It seems that you're not here for yourself this time."

"Yes, I recently met someone related to the case I'm investigating. I want to hear your opinion," Qi Fei said, handing the DNA test report of Zhong Kui to Dr. Jiang and explaining forensic expert Xiao Tao's point of view.

Dr. Jiang listened, pushed his glasses, and said: "People think that patients with antisocial personality disorder are born criminals. This is actually a misunderstanding."

"These people usually have high IQ and charm, use any means to achieve their goals, and can also become experts or entrepreneurs," Dr. Jiang said.

However, as Qi Fei detailed Zhong Kui's various performances, Dr. Jiang was obviously more interested than at the beginning.

"You want to seek verification from me whether this person has mental problems. This requires her to come for a systematic diagnosis. However, judging from the phenomena you have described, this person is either a real patient or someone who knows psychology very well. How about this, if you are interested, I can lend you a few books to read; perhaps it will help you solve the case," Dr. Jiang said, stood up, opened the bookcase behind him, selected two books from it, and handed them to Qi Fei.

When Qi Fei left the psychological counseling room with the books, a few snowflakes fell. He looked up, and the first snow of this winter began to fall in the sky.

As if receiving some kind of summons, he really wanted to go to Sanwu Town again.

If he couldn't summon Zhong Kui, at least he would have an open and honest conversation with her.

For the first time since he had been in this line of work for so long, he didn't hope his judgment was correct. He needed Zhong Kui; he needed her to help him prove that he was wrong.

However, when Qi Fei arrived at the foot of Zizai Shan, he was stunned. The heavy snow blocked the mountain, covering all the wild paths, and the road to Zhong Kui's residence disappeared again.

He returned to Sanwu Town and went to the Huang Daxian Temple, hoping to gain something.

As a result, the old woman had also disappeared.

Yes, just like the scene in *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*, they were all gone.

He sat dejectedly under the statue of Huang Daxian, looking at the vast snow outside the vermilion gate, his mood unable to calm down for a long time.

I don't know how long it had been, when an old man carrying a basket walked in from outside.

He was stunned when he saw Qi Fei, then recognized him and came up to greet him.

Qi Fei also saw clearly that the person who came was Chen Youwei, Chen Xiaojing's father.

"Officer Qi, why are you here?" Chen Youwei was obviously very surprised.

Qi Fei looked at the fruit and cakes in the basket and immediately understood: "Are you here to make an offering to Huang Daxian?"

"I'm here to fulfill a vow," Chen Youwei said bluntly, then asked curiously, "Officer Qi, are you also here to fulfill a vow?"

"When did Zhong Kui appear here?" Qi Fei couldn't help asking when he saw Chen Youwei.

"About five years ago. Meng Apo, who originally lived in the Huang Daxian Temple, went crazy. Zhong Kui cured her. The first sentence Meng Apo said when she woke up was that Huang Daxian had manifested. Later, Zhong Kui put this merit box in the temple, and everyone believed it because she was responsive to every request. You saw it yourself; if the Great Immortal hadn't taken action, that Zhu guy would still be alive and well!" ===== CHAPTER 24 =====