Chapter 231: The Inevitable Happened

Liu Hong stared at Yuwen in disbelief, his mouth agape. He turned the knife in his hand, unsure whether to kill the young monk or to take revenge on Yuwen.

Yuwen let out a crazed scream and pushed Liu Hong to the ground, stabbing his body repeatedly.

From Chen Shi’s angle, he could only see Liu Hong’s twitching legs. Yuwen’s white clothes gradually turned red with blood until Liu Hong’s legs stopped moving.

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged a shocked look. Despite Yuwen being brainwashed, she was still a mother, and the instinct to protect her child was ingrained in her genes.

Yuwen stood up, her eyes empty, as if she were already dead. The young monk sat on the ground, splattered with blood. All three pairs of eyes in the room were fixed on her.

Chen Shi said, “Yuwen, put down the knife. You are a victim, and the law will protect you!”

Yuwen ignored him. She smiled gently at the young monk, “Chen Guang, I’m sorry. I wasn’t a good mother.” Then she raised the knife and cut her own throat.

“No!” the young monk screamed.

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue rushed over, trying to stop the bleeding, but Yuwen’s wound was too deep, severing several major blood vessels. There was no way to stop the bleeding.

“It’s too late,” Chen Shi said sadly, shaking his head.

Yuwen’s convulsions grew weaker until she lay still, her pupils dilated, but with a faint smile on her face.

Once the young monk was untied, he immediately crawled to Yuwen’s body, clasping his hands together and chanting the Great Compassion Mantra. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Seeing this, Lin Dongxue was moved to tears as well.

The room, filled with the smell of blood, remained silent except for the young monk’s murmured chanting until the police arrived.

Three days later, Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and other police officers opened the door to Liu Hong’s house. Starving dogs barked frantically at them until they were finally calmed down and fed.

The police began to search every corner. Liu Hong was a cautious man and hadn’t left much evidence, but it no longer mattered.

In fact, Peng Siyue had already found Li Biao’s DNA in one of Liu Hong’s cars, enough to convict him even if he wasn’t dead.

Chen Shi found a hidden door behind a cabinet. He pushed it open to reveal a small compartment, less than five square meters, separated by an extra wall in the bedroom.

The compartment’s walls were unpainted, exposing neat red bricks. A steel nail with a metal dog leash was embedded in the wall. On the ground were some living necessities: eaten meal boxes, used cups, a toilet, and sanitary napkins.

Lin Dongxue was incredulous. “Yuwen was kept here for thirteen years?”

Chen Shi said, “There are other modifications besides this. There’s an extra door next to the bedroom. From this secret room, she could avoid being seen from the windows and leave through the main door. The day Li Biao disappeared, Yuwen slipped away right under my nose like this.”

“Did she willingly become Liu Hong’s slave? Even killing for him?”

“Who knows what happened between them?” Maybe psychologists would find Yuwen’s case fascinating, but Chen Shi didn’t want to think too much about it. In this small compartment, he saw the darkest, most twisted side of human nature.

A person can completely become a beast, a beast hiding under human skin.

That day, the young monk, having recovered and been discharged from the hospital, came to say goodbye. As he left, he wore clean monk robes and carried his mother’s ashes in a pouch on his chest. Chen Shi asked, “What are your plans now? Will you continue being a monk?”

The young monk gave a faint smile. “After that night, I’ve been trying to find inner peace, but it eludes me. I keep wondering why human nature is so terrifying. The Buddhist scriptures don’t have the answer, so I plan to wander and find myself.”

Lin Dongxue said, “Take care of yourself out there!”

The young monk clasped his hands in a gesture of respect. “Alone and fearless, I hope we meet again if fate allows.”

With his pouch on his back, he walked away, his simple monk robes disappearing into the city’s noise. Lin Dongxue asked, “Do you think he’ll become a great master someday?”

“Whether he does or not, I don’t really care. I just hope he stays safe,” Chen Shi said.

Suddenly, they realized they were standing too close. As Lin Dongxue was about to step away, Chen Shi asked, “Do you have time today?”

“What, are you inviting me to dinner?” Lin Dongxue smiled.

Chen Shi reached around her and revealed two movie tickets. “I bought these tickets but didn’t know who to watch with.”

“You’re so obvious!” Lin Dongxue laughed, leaning her head on Chen Shi’s chest.

Holding Lin Dongxue close, Chen Shi felt a sense of sweetness. Maybe it was time for him to take this step. The danger of that night had somewhat changed his perspective.

Danger doesn’t just come from a fugitive. It lurks in many places, so it’s even more important to cherish the present.

The two spent a pleasant afternoon together. In the evening, they returned home. Chen Shi planned to cook a nice meal and discuss living arrangements. He had a rental contract on his computer and intended to ask Lin Dongxue to move in.

But just handing her a piece of paper seemed too dull.

After some thought, he decided to buy a bouquet, a romantic bunch of roses.

Soup simmered in the pot. Chen Shi washed his hands and said, “I’m going out for a bit!”

Lin Dongxue, peeling an apple, said, “I’ll go with you.”

Sitting on the couch with her tablet, Tao Yueyue sensed the subtle change in the atmosphere and wisely went to her room.

Wanting to surprise Lin Dongxue, Chen Shi said, “No need. I’ll be right back. Do you want anything?”

“A bottle of orange juice!”

“Sure!”

Chen Shi went to a nearby flower shop and bought a fresh bouquet of roses. On his way back, a boy in a hoodie bumped into him. Chen Shi turned around suspiciously, feeling something extra in his pocket. He found an envelope.

Opening it, he was stunned. He looked around for the boy, but he had already vanished.

A slight sting brought him back to reality; the roses were clutched too tightly. Silently, he stared at the roses, shook his head, and finally threw them into a trash bin.