Everyone likes to use red-eye disease to describe people who are jealous of others.
Liu Nanfeng finally understood what red-eye disease meant.
The monster's pair of crimson eyes, bloodshot and staring straight at Liu Nanfeng, were filled with envy.
Liu Nanfeng was very surprised. This woman looked kind and benevolent, but was full of jealousy, so strong it could spawn a human-demon.
But what surprised him even more was what this woman was jealous of him for? Jealous that he was more handsome and younger than her husband?
Just then, the human-demon coiled above the woman's head leaped onto Liu Nanfeng's head. The long suction cup on its mouth attached directly to his forehead. Good heavens, I didn't come to find you, but you found me first.
Liu Nanfeng felt no fear, but instead showed joy.
When the human-demon touched Liu Nanfeng, his consciousness descended as usual. However, this time it was not a sunny day with bright sunshine, nor a gloomy day with dark clouds.
Instead, it was a blood-red sky, making one feel oppressed and irritable.
Liu Nanfeng's consciousness fell beside a little girl.
The girl was about five or six years old, carrying a patched schoolbag. Her clothes were also rather worn, with a few patches in some places.
Walking alone on a path lined with plane trees, she looked very forlorn.
At this moment, a few parents on bicycles, with their children, rode past her, leaving behind laughter and joy.
The little girl looked on with envy, lowered her head to look at the fallen leaves on the ground, and sighed deeply.
"Li Cuiping, Li Cuiping, patched and worn for three years, this year, next year, father doesn't love you, mother doesn't love you..."
A group of children sang as they ran past the little girl, jeering loudly.
The little girl, Li Cuiping, did not argue back loudly. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, tears welled up in her eyes, but she said nothing, lowering her head and continuing to walk forward.
She crossed several roads, passed through several alleys, and finally arrived in front of an old-fashioned apartment building.
However, she did not go in immediately. Instead, she glanced at a semi-new bicycle parked in the building's entrance and sighed heavily.
Then, she entered the building, holding onto the railing, and climbed the stairs with some difficulty.
After reaching the fourth floor and arriving at a door, she took out the key hanging around her neck and was about to open it when the door was opened from the inside, and a woman with permed hair walked out.
"Cuiping, why are you so late coming back from school? Were you playing on the road again?"
"I wasn't?" Li Cuiping defended herself in a low voice.
"You weren't? How long has it been since your father picked up Xiaohu? You little brat, you must have been playing outside again."
This time, the permed-haired woman pushed Li Cuiping aside without waiting for her to defend herself and walked towards the outside.
Li Cuiping said nothing more and walked into the house. A little boy ran out of the room holding an apple.
From the girl's attire earlier, Liu Nanfeng had thought her family was not well-off.
But now, seeing the furnishings of the house and the boy's clothing, he realized that the family's conditions were likely quite good.
"Is it favoritism towards males?" Liu Nanfeng mused.
The little girl, seeing the apple in the little boy's hand, swallowed and said to the man who also walked out of the room, "Dad, I want an apple."
"We're about to have dinner, why do you want an apple?"
"But brother..."
"He's your brother, and he's still young. Do you have to compete with him?"
"Oh..."
The little girl responded with great grievance, and faint black wisps of energy rose from her body, very faint, very faint...
In fact, in Liu Nanfeng's eyes, Li Cuiping's brother was not much younger than her. He was even taller than her. If one didn't know, they might even mistake him for her older brother.
"Your brother hasn't eaten yet, and you're eating first..."
"The schoolbag was brought by your maternal uncle, so it's for your brother first. You use your brother's. You're the older sister, so you should give way to your brother..."
"There's only one left. Give it to your brother. You're the older sister, so you should be sensible..."
...
Brother, brother...
Like a curse, it devoured Li Cuiping's young heart.
What's more, at school, the teachers and classmates didn't like her much either. Partly because she was dressed shabbily, and partly because she was simple and honest.
"Can't you learn from Wanxia? You two are desk mates. Look how well she performs, and look at your grades. Do you have a brain? Why are you so stupid?"
"This is a new skirt my mom bought me, isn't it pretty?"
"My uncle bought me this pencil case when he came back from Hong Kong. Isn't it nice? Li Cuiping, don't touch it. If you break it, are you worthy?"
"Look at my leather shoes, they're very fashionable this year. My aunt brought them back for me from another city. Li Cuiping, haha, your shoes have a hole, aren't you ugly?"
"Why are you so disobedient? Look at the neighbor..."
"If you were half as smart as others, we wouldn't have to worry so much..."
...
Countless murmurs arose all around, filled with malice towards Li Cuiping, enveloping her tightly.
But she was just a little girl, she dared not resist, nor did she have the capital to resist.
But she couldn't help but be jealous.
Jealous of why both parents loved her brother...
Jealous of why classmates studied better than her...
Jealous of why classmates' families were richer than hers...
Jealous of others having new skirts and new shoes...
Jealous of others being prettier and more likable than her...
The originally faint black energy gradually turned deep black and rose from her body, gathering above her head.
As she slowly grew up, this jealousy did not disappear but became more severe. Whatever she saw, she couldn't help but compare. If it wasn't as good as others, she would be extremely jealous.
However, her life was not much different from many ordinary people: leaving home, working, getting married.
During this process, she encountered many more unpleasant things.
Her job was not as good as others, she was jealous.
Her salary was not as good as others, she was jealous.
Her talent was not as good as others, she was jealous.
Her boyfriend was not as wealthy as others, she was jealous.
Her house was not as big as others, she was jealous.
When her child was born, her child was still not as smart or strong as other children...
Her jealousy reached its peak.
Outside, she was a gentle and considerate wife and mother who spoke softly.
At home, she was like a tyrant, pouring all her dissatisfaction and anger onto her husband and children.
Because of jealousy, the black energy on her body finally nurtured a monster.
Whenever she was jealous of others, the monster would help her devour their talents and luck, making them restless and lose their sanity.
But in reality, the monster brought her no benefits, yet it kept growing stronger.
Liu Nanfeng didn't know what the monster would eventually grow into if she hadn't met him.
There was definitely more than one "Li Cuiping" in this world. There were some now, there must have been some in the past, and there will definitely be many in the future. As long as jealousy exists, monsters will be born from it.
So Liu Nanfeng thought of a question: are there already fully grown human-demons in this world?
The answer was yes, a hundred percent yes.
He had a feeling that he would definitely encounter them in the future.
Their abilities were unknown, but they would definitely be more powerful.
Liu Nanfeng became even more eager to become stronger.
The scroll slowly unfurled in the air.
Compared to the previous two times, this time the human-demon was "sealed" into the scroll with almost no resistance.
As the human-demon was taken into the scroll, the woman suddenly collapsed.
"Wow... Mommy, what's wrong?"
The little boy cried out nervously, which also attracted the attention of the people around. They all gathered around.
Liu Nanfeng also had to step forward to help check.
Li Cuiping did not die on the spot, but only fainted. Liu Nanfeng did not know if she survived, but the previous two had died.
Soon, an honest and simple man arrived, who was Li Cuiping's husband.
Then the ambulance arrived, and Li Cuiping was taken to the ambulance.
Li Cuiping's husband also thanked him.
Liu Nanfeng's mood was very complex. Those who deserve hatred have their pitiable sides.
The fact that Li Cuiping could spawn a human-demon was not just her problem. Those who deserve hatred have their pitiable sides.
In fact, there were many such people in the world, but some could reconcile with their past, and some learned to let go and not dwell on things.
And for people like Li Cuiping, who could neither let go nor change, it turned into obsession, into a demon, devouring her soul.
Finally, it backfired on herself and those close to her. In the memory recall, she became increasingly harsh towards her husband and son as time went on, yet even so, they still loved her. But what about the future?
Just thinking about it was enough to know that the outcome would definitely not be good.
"Alas..."
Liu Nanfeng could only sigh helplessly in the end.
Although neither humans nor demons could see [Guanshanhai], because of Su Jinxiu's instructions, there were many extraordinary people in this world, so he did not immediately take out the scroll to check. Instead, he continued to walk towards the riverside.
The place where Liu Nanfeng and Feng Hongjin had agreed to meet was the same place they had met last time. The main reason was that he was afraid that if they chose another place, the little one would not find it, and it would be troublesome if she got lost.
Liu Nanfeng seemed to see a red figure from afar, lingering by the river. When he got closer, he saw it was Feng Hongjin.
"Hongjin," Liu Nanfeng called out, waving his arms.
"People... good friend... big brother..." The little one excitedly changed her address three times.
When Liu Nanfeng was halfway down the steps, the little one ran up to meet him.
"Big brother..."
The little one tilted her small face up, her face full of smiles, revealing all her neat little teeth, showing her current mood.
She was also carrying a small, round, bulging bag. The bag was very small and exquisite, like a brocade pouch, and looked very cute.
Liu Nanfeng reached out and picked her up. The little one was very light, like a light feather.
Was it because she was just a little carp?
"Where is your sister Yu Chan?" Liu Nanfeng looked down the steps, not seeing anyone, and felt a little strange.
"Sister Yu Chan? She's at home," Feng Hongjin said, scratching her little head.
"Huh? You're alone? No one else came with you?" Liu Nanfeng asked in surprise.
Feng Hongjin nodded, not understanding why Liu Nanfeng was asking.
"Did you tell your mother that I was taking you out to play today?"
"Of course," Feng Hongjin nodded obediently, seeming a bit confused about why he was asking.
"She's that at ease with you coming alone?" Liu Nanfeng felt very surprised.
"Because I'm already three years old, not a little baby anymore. I can take care of myself," the little one said, tilting her neck and raising her small fists with imposing energy.
"Alright, then my big baby, let's go." Liu Nanfeng was amused by her and carried her up the embankment.
As soon as she got up, the little one shook her head and looked around curiously.
"What, you've never been up here before?"
Feng Hongjin nodded, "Mom doesn't allow me on the embankment. I had to beg her for a long time just to come ashore."
Hearing her say this, Liu Nanfeng became even more curious. A mother who was so concerned about her daughter's safety, why would she be so at ease entrusting her daughter to him, a stranger?
He and Feng Hongjin had only met four times, including this time, and only twice with Zhu Yuchan.
Were they really that trusting of him?
Liu Nanfeng himself didn't believe it, so he thought the only possibility was that it was related to the Su Jinxiu and Su Huamei sisters.
That's why they were at ease entrusting their daughter to him.
Thinking of this, Liu Nanfeng thought he had guessed about eighty to ninety percent correctly, and he even felt a little smug about his own intelligence.
At this moment, Feng Hongjin in his arms wriggled like a little fish, wanting to get down and walk on her own.
Alright, she was indeed a little fish.
Liu Nanfeng let her down, and she immediately ran a few steps forward, then seemed to remember something and ran back to put her little hand into Liu Nanfeng's big hand.
Her little hand was cool and soft, very comfortable in his palm.
"Hold my hand tight, don't get lost," she said to Liu Nanfeng, tilting her neck.
"Yes, hold tight, don't let me get lost," Liu Nanfeng chuckled.
Then he took her hand and walked forward.
After walking a short distance, Feng Hongjin seemed to remember something, pulled back her hand, and under Liu Nanfeng's gaze, opened the small bag that had always been hanging on her right wrist.
She rummaged around and took out a round, lustrous "stone," and handed it to Liu Nanfeng. "This is the prettiest stone I've collected. It's for you."
Liu Nanfeng was greatly surprised. This was no stone at all, it was a pearl, and it was even larger than the two pearls Zhu Yuchan wanted to give him last time.
Moreover, it was a sky-blue pearl, as pure as the sky, and it occasionally flashed with fluorescence in the morning light. It was definitely a priceless treasure.
"Where did you get this?" Liu Nanfeng asked, not immediately accepting it.
"I picked it up in Sister Yu Chan's yard," Feng Hongjin said innocently.
"Zhu Yuchan?"
Liu Nanfeng suddenly thought of Zhu Yuchan's true form. Could this thing have been "produced" by her?
It seemed quite possible. Such a large pearl could not have grown this big without a hundred years.
"This is too valuable, I can't take it from you. You should keep it safe," Liu Nanfeng said.
Seeing that Liu Nanfeng refused, Feng Hongjin sniffed her little nose, tears welling up in her eyes, and asked sadly, "Don't you like me? Aren't we good friends?"
"Of course not, of course we are good friends."
Seeing her about to cry, Liu Nanfeng became flustered, not knowing what to do.
"Then why don't you want my gift?" Feng Hongjin asked, choking back tears, her large eyes red.
"Alright, I'll take it for now. I'll return it to you when you want it back," Liu Nanfeng said, having no choice but to accept it.
However, he secretly thought that he would give it back to Zhu Yuchan the next time he saw her.
Seeing that Liu Nanfeng had accepted her gift, the little one became happy again and took Liu Nanfeng's hand, "dragging" him forward.
As they walked, she said, "This is for you. How can I take it back? That wouldn't be a good child..."
Looking at the adorable little one in front of him, Liu Nanfeng felt a surge of tenderness.