"You can win."
"I can't win. Years ago, you hid the more capable me within me. I found her through hypnosis. Even that more capable me couldn't defeat Duan Shan. The current me definitely can't win."
Old Mr. Wen De looked at Wang Ren and asked with a smile, "You think I hid the capable you away? You believe there are two people, and that I used psychological methods to put the capable you to sleep so that the current you could live a good life?"
Wang Ren remained silent, implicitly agreeing. The moment she took out her pocket watch, she had felt her past strength.
"There was never such a plot as you imagine. You forgot some things due to the passage of time. I met that cold and ruthless you, we interacted. But that you was the younger you. You changed later, pursuing love and a happy life. I didn't make you do it; you followed your true heart. Girl, don't you understand yet? Hypnosis is merely a technique within Daoist arts. The life you pursue is your Dao. You want to have a happy life, you want to rescue Senior Brother. Only when you truly desire to do so can you find ways to win. A competitor you can defeat with the right method is not a true competitor. Only what you achieve by racking your brains and giving your all is a prize, just like how you obtained love back then."
Wang Ren knelt on the floor, lost in thought, pondering every word Old Mr. Wen De had spoken. She took out the old pocket watch. Old Mr. Wen De reached out, and Wang Ren, perplexed, handed it to him. Old Mr. Wen De found the winding mechanism, wound the watch, and synchronized it with the clock in the study before handing it back to Wang Ren.
"Master..."
"It's not a tool to hypnotize you; it merely represents your past and your beautiful future. I asked you to keep the pocket watch back then, but you insisted on hiding it at the bottom of a chest."
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...
After dinner, Wang Ren, feeling dazed, returned home and saw her eldest son standing at the doorstep, ready to admit his mistake. She simply patted his head.
"Mom, I won't smoke anymore."
"Good boy. Take after your father."
Her younger daughter snuggled up to her. Wang Ren hugged her daughter. "Have you finished your homework, my darling?"
Hearing Wang Ren's question, her daughter pushed her mother away with a hint of annoyance and stomped into the room with a pout. Seeing her daughter's little temper, Wang Ren smiled serenely and told her husband she was tired, heading into the bedroom alone.
Wang Ren sat leaning against the bed, picked up the pocket watch, and let it hang freely. The pull of the chain sprang open the cover of the watch face. Time never stopped, tick-tock, tick-tock...
On the shore of time, the flow of years brought and sent, never ceasing. Those deeply buried memories were not secrets, but her forgotten youth.
Words hold charm...
The Wang Ren of that year was as proud as a phoenix. She had many friends, artists who painted, aesthetes who pursued photography. Wang Ren had looked at those paintings and seen those unique photographic works. She didn't like them, always feeling that words alone could strike a chord within her and resonate with her soul.
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That year, Wang Ren met her current husband. His calligraphy was excellent, possessing an indescribable vitality. Wang Ren was deeply captivated by his handwriting, as if transported to another realm, her mind receiving much unprecedented inspiration.
However, her husband seemed to dislike her, keeping a cold distance.
Thus, Wang Ren sought out her master. She asked him what kind of hypnosis could keep a man's heart. Old Mr. Wen De smiled. The hypnosis that could keep a man's heart was called love.
For love, Wang Ren melted away her cold self. An unmarried woman in her thirties transformed into a gentle and amiable person. She changed for him, abandoning disputes.
However, what she had given up for love in that period of her life had been forgotten. Along with the bittersweet experiences that followed, it seemed only insignificant girlish memories were forgotten.
Yet, all her abilities lay within this memory: scheming, hypnosis...
That night, Wang Ren understood her master's words and slept soundly.
...
The next morning, Wang Ren visited Wen De Yuan again. She was no longer as impatient as the previous two days, and her attitude towards her fellow disciples had become more gentle. After bidding her master good morning, Wang Ren did not rush to the police station but instead looked at Senior Brother's calligraphy.
'A flower cannot be without butterflies, nor a dragon without a phoenix; a bluestone cannot be without moss, how can water lack fish? Tall trees have climbing vines as companions, and people too have their obsessions, only then can they live purely and elegantly.'
'Sitting alone on a clear night, inviting the moon to share my sorrow.'
Senior Brother's calligraphy, with strokes like sharp blades, was vigorous and powerful.
But Wang Ren understood calligraphy. She saw the helplessness and sorrow within Zhang Si's words. It was as if Zhang Si yearned infinitely for life but was prevented by some mission.
Thinking of Senior Brother's past experiences, Wang Ren frowned: Was Senior Brother's mission simply to care for Master in his old age? If so, severing that love would be a natural course of action.
That is to say, if that woman was not meant to be loved, why keep her?
If an ordinary person thought this way, they might go mad.
But Wang Ren knew that none of these fellow disciples were normal; they were certainly capable of doing crazy things for love.
...
This was a scheme. The schemer was none other than her own master, Old Mr. Wen De.
Senior Brother Zhang Si was Old Mr. Wen De's pawn, and Duan Dongyang was Zhang Si's pawn.
If the nature of Senior Brother's mission could be understood now, everything would fall into place. Thus, Wang Ren found Wang Ze Yi again. This time, she did not meet the murderers; she met Senior Brother directly.
It was morning, and Senior Brother still had the demeanor of a cook. He smiled kindly. "I haven't been home these past few days. Has Master slept well and eaten heartily?"
"The household is in disarray. This morning, it was the ninth brother who went to the city walls to buy fried dough sticks and soy milk."
"Master prefers light food. Fried dough sticks and soy milk are not to his taste."
"Since you weren't here, Master indulged the craving of the tenth brother."
Zhang Si sighed. "Is there a solution?"
Wang Ren then turned serious. "Tell me about the woman Senior Brother killed."
Senior Brother had two hours of leisure time each day. When he left home, he would mostly visit exhibition halls to see calligraphy and paintings, the ghost market to look at antiques, and occasionally the library to broaden his knowledge. This woman was someone Senior Brother met at the library.
Senior Brother was not familiar with the woman, only knowing her given name was Fen. Fen was a great reader with a cheerful disposition. During their conversations, Fen would always mention her siblings, talk about her large house, and when she reached the peak of her excitement, she would beam with a healing smile.
However, Senior Brother was no ordinary person. He soon learned that Fen had no siblings; she suffered from dissociative identity disorder. Perhaps due to like attracting like, Senior Brother developed an inseparable affection for Fen, who was over a decade younger than him.
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Later, Senior Brother stopped visiting antique and painting exhibitions. Whenever he had time, he would go to the library, pick up a book, and wait expectantly. Fen would appear each time, dressed in a qipao, elegantly picking up a book and studying it with great concentration.
Gradually, they became familiar with each other. Fen invited Senior Brother to her home, but he declined due to lack of time.
Later, Fen appeared at the library, but her behavior was somewhat erratic. After Senior Brother inquired, he learned that due to her multiple personalities, Fen's memory was starting to decline significantly. Depending on the personality, she would sometimes be mentally impaired or suffer from amnesia.
When Senior Brother learned of this, he realized that Fen's circle of acquaintances had grown. The constant splitting of her personality had reached her mental capacity's limit. Fortunately, Fen did not shy away from seeing a doctor. She took sedatives daily to sleep.
...
Around the same time, Senior Brother was also seeing a doctor. Since Old Mr. Wen De settled in Beijing, Senior Brother had been accompanying him. He was not confident in treating dissociative identity disorder. However, for Fen's sake, Senior Brother chose the renowned psychologist Duan Shan. As time passed, he discovered that this psychologist was not trying to treat him but rather to lure out his hidden personalities. Senior Brother, a cook in the morning and a scholar in the afternoon, was making every effort to suppress the emergence of his criminal personality.
Therefore, Senior Brother resolutely abandoned his trust in Duan Shan. However, it was at this time that Senior Brother discovered Duan Shan was also Fen's psychologist. Furthermore, Fen's dissociative identities were escalating, all due to Duan Shan. Duan Shan would insert a nine-inch silver needle from the patient's scalp, driving it into the cervical spine. Using a traditional Chinese medicine technique, he would split the patient's brain in two and harness it for his own use.
In response, Senior Brother followed several patients who died in agonizing seizures, foaming at the mouth. Senior Brother asked his master, and even his master was powerless against this practice. Helplessly, Senior Brother advised Fen to take more medication. Fen trusted Senior Brother implicitly and fell into a deep sleep after taking the medicine.
Finally, Senior Brother placed the drugged Fen into a bathtub filled with water, ending Fen's suffering. Afterward, to avoid detection, Senior Brother severed his right arm and staged a serial murder scene, the 'Monster with a Man-Eating Right Hand.'
...
After listening to Senior Brother's story, Wang Ren felt a pang of sorrow and, being sentimental, almost shed tears. "When did you start seeking revenge?"
"After Fen died. Duan Shan had a young and beautiful wife. I found Zhu Guang and used the method he taught me to ensnare Zhuang Jing."
Wang Ze Yi couldn't help but interject, "Is this Zhuang Jing also ill? She's a stunning beauty, why would she want to spend her prime years with an old man?"
"This is my junior brother's skill. A few love letters and monthly remittance slips can create the illusion in Zhuang Jing's mind of a handsome man who likes her and has money."
"She was waiting for you that day."
"Yes, I invited Duan Dongyang in her name. When Duan Dongyang arrived, Zhuang Jing had already been murdered by me. I cut off her hand and took it. Duan Dongyang couldn't explain himself, so Duan Shan, to protect his son, admitted to being the 'Monster with a Man-Eating Right Hand.'"
Wang Ze Yi was stunned. Wang Ren went and handed the watch to Wang Ze Yi, smiling and asking, "Xiao Wang, is my watch nice?"
"It's quite nice..."
Wang Ren nudged the sleeping Wang Ze Yi awake. Wang Ze Yi looked up, perplexed. "Sister, when did I fall asleep?"
"To control those who surrendered and confessed for him, Duan Shan inserted a silver needle into their brains. They are on their way to the hospital. If the needles in their heads are not removed, they may become imbeciles. Furthermore, if they undergo scans like CT scans, those people will die instantly."
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Wang Ze Yi sprang up. "Damn it! The captain has already left for the hospital!"
"My bicycle is at the door."
"Thank you, Sister!"