Volume One, Chapter Eighty-Eight: Xu Mingyue's Neighbor

Xu Mingyue was from Qinghu Province, and by the reckoning of time, she should have been home only a few days.

There was no signal on Evergreen Night Street, so Xu Mingyue must have sent a message because she could not get through to Chi Xingwan by phone.

Chi Xingwan called her back from the fishing estate.

“Xingwan, thank goodness. I couldn’t reach you before, and I was terribly worried. I was afraid you might be in danger, and I was also afraid you were at work, so calling too abruptly would disturb you.”

“I’m fine. You were so anxious to contact me—did something happen?”

Xu Mingyue was silent for a moment before she said, “It’s not really about me. It’s my neighbor. She fell ill when she was little, and ever since then her mind hasn’t been right. Now her family wants to send her to a psychiatric hospital.”

With just those few sentences, Chi Xingwan understood Xu Mingyue’s purpose.

“You want to know whether her sudden mental illness has anything to do with the mystical arts?”

“Yes, yes, exactly. I wanted to ask whether you know anyone in Qinghu Province who works in that field, and whether you could ask him to take a look at my neighbor.”

Chi Xingwan considered her own condition. She had recovered fairly well, so she said, “No need to find anyone else. I happen to be in Qinghu Province. Send me the address, and I’ll come right over.”

Xu Mingyue was astonished, but did not ask more over the phone. After they hung up, she sent Chi Xingwan the location.

Chi Xingwan opened the map and discovered that Xu Mingyue’s home was actually in Lin City; it would take less than two hours by car.

Once she heard that Chi Xingwan was going out, Jin Feng immediately rented a car and drove Chi Xingwan and Chu Fangfei toward Xu Mingyue’s home.

Qinghu Province had a fairly strong economy. Although Xu Mingyue lived in a village, this was nothing like the villages of impoverished regions.

The self-built homes of each household here were extremely grand, no less impressive than many villas, and each had a large courtyard.

They had not yet arrived at the appointed time, but Xu Mingyue was already waiting at the entrance to the village. Jin Feng had also met Chi Xingwan’s roommate, and when he saw Xu Mingyue, he stopped the car.

Xu Mingyue swiftly got in and said to Jin Feng, “Brother Jin, drive on ahead. I’ll guide you.”

The four of them soon arrived at Xu Mingyue’s home. Her parents, hearing that their daughter’s college classmates had come to visit, were very warm and hospitable. After lunch, Xu Mingyue finally sent her family away and led Chi Xingwan and the others up to the third floor.

The entire third floor belonged to Xu Mingyue alone. They sat down in the living room there, and only then did they begin to talk.

“Xingwan, why have you come to Qinghu Province?” Xu Mingyue asked.

Chi Xingwan only said, “For work. I came a few days ago.”

“Work?” Xu Mingyue blinked. “Is it because of that princely tomb?”

Chu Fangfei looked at her with admiration. “Little Xu, you’re very clever.”

Having been praised so suddenly, Xu Mingyue felt a little embarrassed. “It’s not that I’m clever. It’s just that the matter became such a big uproar that even our local news has been covering it for days.”

“People online keep saying there’s something unclean in the tomb, and that people died there too?” Xu Mingyue asked curiously.

Jin Feng and Chu Fangfei both looked at Chi Xingwan, unsure whether they should answer.

Chi Xingwan said, “There were indeed some accidents, but everything has been resolved now. As for the details, I’m afraid I can’t say more.”

Xu Mingyue did not press further. She was indeed curious, but there was no need to dig too deeply.

“Oh, right, Little Xu, you asked us here because of your neighbor? What exactly happened to her?” Chu Fangfei asked.

At the mention of her neighbor, Xu Mingyue’s expression darkened.

“It’s the daughter of the family next door. Her name is Xing Le. She’s five years older than me. When I was little, she took very good care of me and often played with me. We were very close.”

“But about ten years ago, Sister Le suddenly came down with a serious illness and had a high fever that would not break. After the fever subsided, everyone discovered that her mind had been ruined by it, and her mental state was no longer normal.”

Chi Xingwan asked, “It seems there’s more to it?”

Xu Mingyue hesitated, then nodded and shook her head. “Actually, I’m not entirely sure either. It was only when I came home this time that I heard my parents say Sister Le’s parents had sought out some so-called master to exorcise evil from her.”

“Xingwan, don’t you think that’s strange?” Xu Mingyue asked. “If her brain was damaged by a high fever, why would they still look for someone to drive out evil?”

It was indeed suspicious.

Usually, once a condition had been clearly identified, people would hardly think they or their family had been cursed. Even if they sought help from the mystical world, they would not be looking for exorcism.

Instead, they would look for ways to prolong life, just as the man surnamed Zou Chi Xingwan had once encountered had done: because he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, he used a method that took the vitality of others to extend his own life.

By ordinary logic, if Xing Le’s brain injury was caused by a high fever, then that was an established fact. If her parents wanted to save her, they should not have sought exorcism.

Because they knew full well that her condition was not caused by any haunting, but had a definite medical cause.

Unless...

Chi Xingwan asked, “Mingyue, are you certain that Xing Le’s high fever caused brain damage?”

Xu Mingyue froze. “Everyone says so. Sister Le really was incoherent after that fever.”

“Then that’s strange. If someone has brain damage, modern medicine can detect it. Why would her parents think she was possessed?”

Xu Mingyue suddenly understood. It really was very problematic.

She stood up. “I’ll ask my mother to inquire about it.”

She rushed downstairs to find her mother. Her mother and Xing Le’s mother were quite close.

After waiting an hour or two, Xu Mingyue finally heard the truth from her mother. She hurried back to tell Chi Xingwan.

“Xingwan, you were right. Sister Le’s brain wasn’t damaged at all. Uncle and Auntie took her for examinations, and her brain is healthy.”

As expected. Because Xing Le had undergone a full medical examination, especially of the brain, and no cause for her condition could be found, her parents had assumed she was possessed and needed exorcism.

Xu Mingyue felt terrible.

“Xingwan, just now my mother said Uncle and Auntie plan to send Sister Le to a locked psychiatric hospital in three days.”

Xing Le also had a younger brother, already graduated from university and working. At the end of last year, he brought his girlfriend home to meet his parents, and the two were already at the stage of discussing marriage.

His girlfriend was very satisfied with the Xing family, except for Xing Le.

She told her boyfriend that if his parents kept having to care for Xing Le, then when they had children of their own in the future, his parents would not be able to focus on the child. And if Xing Le had an episode, she might even hurt the child. It was a serious problem.

In order to marry his girlfriend smoothly, or perhaps out of selfishness, Xing Le’s younger brother demanded that his parents give up on Xing Le.

The two elderly parents struggled for a while, but in the end they still yielded to their son.

Exorcism had been their last hope. Once that hope was shattered, they could only obey their son’s demand and prepare to send Xing Le away.