Yuan Zhiqiang still lived in Liu Xiujuan's house.
The house was the same, but the person was no longer the same.
Liu Xiujuan had married, and though it was just to someone in the same village, Liu Xiujuan no longer lived at home.
Villagers generally respected educated people. Although Liu Xiujuan's parents were very displeased with Yuan Zhiqiang's departure back then, they still welcomed him warmly this time.
Furthermore, because of Yuan Zhiqiang's article, the county leaders received praise from higher authorities. Thus, when Yuan Zhiqiang came again, the county leaders had already informed the village, making the reception even more enthusiastic.
Early in the morning, Yuan Zhiqiang began to wander around the village, ostensibly for inspiration, but everyone understood the real reason.
Yuan Zhiqiang was from a rural background himself. What inspiration did he need? The ins and outs of village life were all too familiar to him.
Looking at the quiet and peaceful mountain village before him, Yuan Zhiqiang was filled with emotion, and could not help but think of his birthplace, a place even poorer than this.
Back then, he had exhausted all his strength to escape from that small mountain village, enter the city, and become a respectable city dweller, an educated person.
However, once he arrived in the city, he discovered that it was not as good as he had imagined.
For someone like him, who came from the countryside and had no connections, discrimination and ostracism were still prevalent. This doused the fiery ambition and joy of the once spirited Yuan Zhiqiang like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing all his aspirations.
But being from the countryside, he was like a blade of grass, small yet tenacious. He continued to strive, to become a more respectable person.
Now he had succeeded, yet the very countryside he had once looked down upon and longed to escape was now offering him a reward.
The morning mist dispersed through the woods as Yuan Zhiqiang ambled aimlessly.
The crops in the surrounding fields appeared particularly radiant and inviting under the morning mist.
Breathing in the fresh mountain air, he suddenly entertained the thought that the countryside was better than the city.
But he quickly dismissed this notion, because acknowledging the countryside as superior to the city would mean completely negating his efforts over the years.
Just then, he faintly saw a figure ahead.
The person was bent over, with a long braid coiled at the back of her head for convenience while working.
Even in her coarse rural clothing, her graceful figure was undeniable, igniting a fire within him.
Yuan Zhiqiang quietly walked up behind her and softly called out, "Xiao Juan."
Liu Xiujuan was startled and quickly stood up. However, due to the sudden movement, the uneven ground caused her to stumble and almost fall. Fortunately, Yuan Zhiqiang, who was behind her, quickly reached out and steadied her.
"Damn, these scholars really know how to play," Liu Nanfeng couldn't help but curse.
His consciousness, which had been following Chen Guang Sheng, suddenly appeared here. At first, he was a little confused. It wasn't until he saw wisps of black qi rising from Liu Xiujuan that he vaguely understood. It turned out that the inner demon originated from such situations.
And Chen Guang Sheng was merely an illusion created by the inner demon.
"Mama..."
"Mama..."
Chen Yaohui's cries echoed from outside the woods.
The two were startled and held their breath.
The tension further ignited their desires, causing them to surge, and the inner demon also grew stronger...
...
Once people cross the moral threshold, there is no bottom line.
This was the case for Liu Xiujuan and Yuan Zhiqiang. The first time led to the second, and the second led to countless more.
However, walls have ears. Villagers began to whisper amongst themselves.
But they never spoke of it in front of Chen Guang Sheng, so he remained blissfully unaware.
Then, one noon, Chen Yaohui returned home in tears.
"What's wrong? Did you fight with your friends?"
Chen Guang Sheng, who was drawing water from the well, asked casually, but truthfully, he didn't pay much attention.
It was normal for rural children to have minor conflicts and squabbles. Parents never took it seriously unless a child was severely beaten, and even then, they would go to the other family to discuss it.
At most, a chicken or a basket of eggs would be exchanged, and the matter would be settled.
"They said... they said that my mom is with Uncle Yuan and doesn't want us anymore." Chen Yaohui cried.
Chen Guang Sheng's face changed drastically, and he then rebuked, "What nonsense are you talking about? Children shouldn't spout such things."
"It wasn't me who said it, they said it. They also said they saw Uncle Yuan sleeping with Mom."
A surge of anger rose from Chen Guang Sheng's heart. He stood up and spanked Chen Yaohui's backside several times.
"Waa..."
Chen Yaohui, who had already stopped crying, began to wail again.
Seeing him cry so sorrowfully, Chen Guang Sheng also calmed down and hugged him to comfort him.
At this moment, Liu Xiujuan also came out of the house and chided indignantly, "Why are you hitting the child when he's fine?"
Chen Yaohui opened his mouth to speak, but Chen Guang Sheng covered it with his hand.
"He wanted me to teach him to swim, and I said I didn't have time, so he cried."
"You promised him, so you must keep your word. What kind of father are you?"
"Alright, I'll take him. I'll take him right now," Chen Guang Sheng said.
Hearing Chen Guang Sheng say this, Chen Yaohui forgot what had just happened and his sadness.
He looked at Chen Guang Sheng with hopeful eyes.
"Let's go."
Chen Guang Sheng directly carried him out the door, deciding to talk to him, that some things should not be said casually.
In fact, even though the villagers didn't say it in front of him, he had a vague inkling of it. After all, he wasn't deaf or dumb.
He just didn't want to believe it, and Yuan Zhiqiang would eventually leave.
Although Liu Xiujuan had had a connection with Yuan Zhiqiang before marrying him, she was now married, and her child was this old. He didn't believe Liu Xiujuan would return to Yuan Zhiqiang.
Even if she did return to Yuan Zhiqiang, would he still want her, a woman with a child?
Besides, as long as he didn't agree to a divorce, they couldn't be together, otherwise it would be against the law.
Although he was from the countryside, he knew this much.
Summer weather can change in an instant.
One moment it was sunny, and the next it was overcast.
Chen Guang Sheng took Chen Yaohui to the riverside, but upon seeing this, they had to turn back.
Chen Yaohui was dissatisfied, but he also knew that one couldn't swim in the river when it rained. If there was heavy rain and the river level rose, a person could be washed away.
However, Chen Yaohui had promised him that as long as the weather was clear, he would take him swimming. This time, he would not break his promise.
Thus, the simple Chen Yaohui became happy again.
But when the two returned home, they saw the tightly shut door and heard the suppressed and rapid panting sounds from inside. Chen Guang Sheng's face turned as black as ink.
Chen Guang Sheng and Chen Yaohui's figures seemed to fade in color like a watercolor painting. No, the entire world was rapidly losing its color.
And Chen Guang Sheng and Chen Yaohui transformed into balls of black energy, swirling in the courtyard, wanting to rush into the house, but unable to do so.
...
In Liu Nanfeng's perception, the entire world seemed to pause for a moment.
Then, the dim world brightened again, filled with color.
Chen Guang Sheng crouched in the corner with a grim expression, while Liu Xiujuan sat motionlessly on a low stool, her face expressionless.
"Give up on that idea. I will absolutely not divorce you. If you dare to run off with him, I will report you."
Liu Xiujuan remained unmoved, as if she didn't care at all.
"I'll go find Yuan Zhiqiang's boss, I'll make a scene at his workplace. I don't care about losing face. Let's see if he still has the nerve to stay, and if his boss will dare to continue employing him..."
This statement struck Liu Xiujuan's weak point. Her face turned pale, and she said in terror, "Chen Guang Sheng, why are you so wicked? You'll ruin Yuan Zhiqiang like this."
"Isn't it perfect to ruin him? Who asked him to sleep with my wife."
Chen Guang Sheng was furious. He suddenly stood up and rushed forward, intending to hit her, but ultimately held back.
"I won't go with him. You... you mustn't go..." Liu Xiujuan said, biting her lip, her face pale.
In those days, it wasn't that leaders didn't interfere in personal matters. If family members caused trouble due to misconduct, people were usually fired immediately, especially since Yuan Zhiqiang was in the wrong to begin with.
...
"Dad, over here, hurry up..."
Although Cheng Yaohui was only four years old, his doggy paddle was already decent, splashing water everywhere as he swam with great joy.
"Slow down, don't go into the deep water."
Chen Guang Sheng, standing nearby, glanced at Liu Xiujuan who was hoeing in the field, his expression incredibly complex.
After the incident last time, life seemed to have returned to normal.
But the rift between them was not so easily mended, their conversations became fewer and fewer, and Liu Xiujuan became more and more silent.
"Dad..." At this moment, a cry suddenly startled Chen Guang Sheng.
Chen Guang Sheng followed the sound with his eyes and was greatly alarmed. Chen Yaohui had swum to the middle of the river at some point, and likely exhausted, was starting to sink.
Chen Guang Sheng quickly dove into the water and swam towards him, but suddenly felt his legs go numb, as if pricked by needles. He must have stood still for too long.
"Xiao Juan... quickly call for help... save..." Chen Guang Sheng shouted loudly in the moment before he himself sank.
Liu Xiujuan on the bank heard the sound, looked up, and then stared blankly as if she had lost her soul.
After Chen Guang Sheng shouted, she finally reacted, dropped her hoe, and ran towards a nearby field.
"His uncle... his uncle..."
Suddenly she remembered something, her expression changed rapidly, her steps slowed, her voice grew quieter...
The black qi rising from her body was almost tangible, constantly shifting in the air, sometimes transforming into a deer, sometimes into a skeleton, and sometimes into an ugly demon...
Name: Nameless Little Demon
Race: Inner Demon
Cultivation: Eight Years
Identity: Inner Demon.
Cause: Triggered
So this was Liu Xiujuan's inner demon's true form. After Chen Guang Sheng and Chen Yaohui died, the inner demon appeared in their likeness in Liu Xiujuan's dreams, tormenting her daily.
There is an old saying: "Do not do a guilty deed, and fear no knocking at the door."
The ghosts here do not refer to actual ghosts, but inner demons, generated by the commission of guilty deeds.
Since its true form was known, the scroll slowly unfurled in the air, ready to capture it.
But the nightmare seemed to sense it, and a mass of black energy directly enveloped Liu Nanfeng.
Heaven and earth inverted.
"Hello, senior sister..."
"Hello, my name is Su Jinxiu, welcome..."
Liu Nanfeng looked at the smiling senior sister before him and felt that something was not quite right. He looked up at the sky, but couldn't quite place it.
"What's wrong, junior brother?" the senior sister asked with a smile.
"Nothing," Liu Nanfeng said, withdrawing his gaze.
But just then, a scroll suddenly unfolded in the air. In that instant, all forgotten memories resurfaced.
But before he could act, the surrounding scenery receded like a tide.
"Nanfeng, Nanfeng, eat shit and drink wind..."
Liu Nanfeng glared angrily at the four people before him. They were the four strongest bullies from his school, who loved to bully others.
"Cai Baozi, I'm not afraid of you."
"I'm Cai Baozi, which is better than you eating shit and drinking wind." Cai Baozi's words drew laughter from the others.
Liu Nanfeng clenched his fists and charged forward.
He was then grabbed by several people and beaten. Liu Nanfeng knew he couldn't fight so many people with just his fists, so he grabbed hold of one person and refused to let go.
Just then, his head was struck hard, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. Many memories faintly emerged in his mind, but before he could think further, the scenery quickly receded again.
"Baby, take your time, take your time... you're doing great..."
A woman opened her arms, looking at the toddling toddler with loving eyes.
"Abba... Abba..."
"Say Mama."
"Mama."
"Oh, my little darling, give Mama a kiss."
Looking at the approaching large head, Liu Nanfeng struggled fiercely. He felt he had forgotten something, but couldn't remember what.
Moreover, his head felt somewhat heavy, as if a heavy object were pressing down on it.
Soft lips brushed his cheek, and a sense of familiarity surged through him, bringing back memories that were almost impossible to recall.
"Mom..."
With his utterance, the entire world shattered like a mirror, and he fell into boundless darkness.
After an unknown amount of time in the darkness, a voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Taosheng, you must remember this: all things in the world, nothing cannot be cut."
"Yes, Master."
"How many times have I told you, I am not your master. I only teach swordsmanship, I do not accept disciples."
"Yes, Master."
"You idiot, go and practice slashing ten thousand times."
"Master" seemed annoyed, yet also helpless, and perhaps even a little pleased.
"Yes, slash..."
The darkness was broken, light returned, and a low cry sounded in his ear.
The surrounding scenery receded like a tide, and he found himself standing outside the supermarket again.
Chen Changsheng and Chen Yaozu, their hands clasped, were separated and stood before him in fear.
Chen Changsheng and Chen Yaozu had long since died. Their souls had likely long since reincarnated. These two were now entirely manifestations of Liu Xiujuan's inner demon.
Because they were both manifestations of inner demons, they appeared as two "people" but were in fact one entity. This was why they had been holding hands. But now their clasped hands were forcibly separated.
This was no different from the inner demon being split in two.
Just then, a scroll appeared out of thin air and rolled them up.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Before Liu Nanfeng could examine the scroll, he heard a surprised shout from inside the supermarket behind him.
Liu Nanfeng didn't dare to linger. He put away the scroll and hurried away.
However, halfway there, he suddenly remembered the memories the inner demon had dragged him into.
His first meeting with Su Jinxiu.
His arguments and fights with his friends.
His time with his mother.
These were all his real memories. The inner demon had pulled him into these memories.
Perhaps it intended to replace reality with illusion, causing him to become lost in his memories and never awaken.
But what were those last memories?
He didn't recall having a master, nor was his name Taosheng.
"Cut?"
Liu Nanfeng murmured in confusion, and instinctively brought his fingers together and made a slight cutting motion in the air, a familiarity like years of practice surging through him.
He heard a sound like tearing fabric in the air.
Liu Nanfeng looked down at his fingers dazedly, then made a few more gestures, but nothing happened.
Just as he was about to investigate further, his phone rang.
"Honey, did you buy the fresh milk?"
"I bought it. Coming up now..."