I was pondering, if this was truly Ke Yingying's psychological maze. We would go deeper and deeper into the labyrinth, but what if this was Xiao Zi'an's setup? After all, this situation could also be interpreted as us being on a situational stage, and Xiao Zi'an being a master of situational staging.
So, that's the brilliance of the true and false Monkey King gambit. Even if I were Guanyin Bodhisattva, it would be difficult to discern which of these two 'Monkey Kings' before me was real and which was fake.
Just then, with a bang, Lin Han kicked the door open and entered, likely using her foot. Lin Han, carrying Tang Yi, was covered in sweat. She walked up to me and tossed Tang Yi onto the bed.
"Careful, don't wake her up."
"She won't wake up. She's exhausted. She had a blast playing with a handsome guy at a nearby amusement arcade."
Ke Yingying arrived when Lin Han was already asleep on my hospital bed. I met Ke Yingying in the VIP ward's reception room. As soon as we met, I got straight to the point: "Did you find any evidence of Xiao Zi'an's murder?"
"No, not a shred of evidence. It's not just that I couldn't find it; even the criminal investigation team currently in charge of the case has no way of obtaining evidence. However, the absence of evidence proves one thing: only she could silently kill 'The Imposter'."
"Is that so? But I've just received some information from Xiao Zi'an that might be useful to you."
"What information?"
"'Southern Faction' does not exist."
"Ah~" Ke Yingying's expression turned disbelieving. The notion of a 'Southern Faction' not existing was hard for him to accept. Ke Yingying was apprehended during the 'Axe Forging' operation by the Special Crimes Department and subsequently became a black informant. Before that, as the leader of the Four Color Old K, Ke Yingying was considered a capable schemer.
At that time, Ke Yingying had heard of the Southern Faction and even knew that Ning Caishen was, in a sense, cooperating with the 'Southern Faction'. On the private jet to Sichuan, Ke Yingying had also told me about Ning Caishen's 'counterfeit currency scam'. It was natural for Ke Yingying to react this way when I told him there was no 'Southern Faction'.
"How can there be no? There must be."
"Xiao Zi'an told me. Ye Qingcheng sent Xiao Zi'an a text message in her final moments, and the content was that there is no 'Southern Faction'."
Ke Yingying didn't say much more, pondering. Then he asked me seriously, "So Xiao Zi'an told you that I lured Ye Qingcheng to Sichuan, didn't she?"
"Yes. How did you guess?"
"Xiao Zi'an also provided you with a piece of evidence, saying I spent 1.2 million yuan at Mr. Deng's place to buy the 'Extreme Punishment Exemplar'."
"Correct!"
"A clever 'substitute the peach for the plum' maneuver. Truly worthy of Xiao Zi'an, capable of constructing a plausible situational stage at any time and place."
"Did you give that 'Extreme Punishment Exemplar' to Ye Qingcheng?"
"No, is that what Xiao Zi'an said?"
"She only speculated."
"I didn't buy the 'Extreme Punishment Exemplar' recently. I bought it before I became a black informant for the Special Crimes Department. You know the resources I have. To control violence, one must be more violent than violence itself. Therefore, I wanted to possess some more extreme means to instill fear in those who are utterly wicked. I heard that there was a famous executioner in the Qing Dynasty with a surname Deng, and he had a son. So I came to Beijing and managed to buy that 'Extreme Punishment Exemplar' through every possible means. However, not long after I bought it, the exemplar was lost."
"How was it lost?"
"It vanished into thin air. It seemed no one around me had any interest in that 'Extreme Punishment Exemplar' at the time, and I was at my wit's end. But now, thinking back, only Xiao Zi'an, who can transform into any face, could have stolen that 'Extreme Punishment Exemplar'."
Hearing Ke Yingying's words, my mind became even more confused. In Xiao Zi'an's words, Ke Yingying's scheme was a psychological maze. Originally, I thought that if I could grasp all the information they possessed, I would be able to distinguish between who was the schemer and who was the victim. I was wrong. Now, I felt as if I were truly trapped in a vast labyrinth. The more I knew, the more complex this maze became, leading me astray.
"Don't think Xiao Zi'an only mentioned the issue of the 'Extreme Punishment Exemplar'. There's another more important question: you have always strongly supported Lu Yao. In the process of becoming one of the Four Color Old K, you didn't seek the talented Ning Caishen, but chose the repeat student Lu Yao. Why is that? Isn't Lu Yao just your tool?"
Ke Yingying gave a wry smile. "Do you think Lu Yao's capabilities make him a mere tool?"
This statement was actually quite accurate. Lu Yao's abilities were quite high. Turning Lu Yao into a mere tool was truly not feasible. Seeing my silence, Ke Yingying continued, "Xiao Zi'an's move is truly brilliant. I admit, I have no evidence to prove that I didn't do it. All I can tell you is that I was completely unaware that Ye Qingcheng used Lingchi, an extreme punishment, against Lu Yao, and I never expected it beforehand. Now, I can only beg you to believe me."
This was something I hadn't expected; Ke Yingying was actually admitting defeat.
"Do you remember anything about the 'Seven Stars Reliance'?"
Since Ke Yingying had conceded, I could only ask about something else to ease the current awkwardness.
"No!"
"Teacher Wang Ren told me that adults who have undergone sacrifices are susceptible to having their thoughts controlled by hypnotists."
"Sacrifice?"
"What is gained through loss?"
As soon as I said this, Ke Yingying frowned deeply. Seeing his distressed expression, I asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
"This is disadvantageous to me."
"Why do you say that?"
"Although I don't know Xiao Zi'an's past, it seems there's a possibility of sacrifice in her life's trajectory?"
"How did she sacrifice?"
Ke Yingying scratched his head. "I'm not too sure either. It seems Xiao Zi'an sacrificed her girlfriend to have offspring. Ye Qingcheng should know about this, but unfortunately, Ye Qingcheng is dead. Master, in the current situation, is it not particularly disadvantageous to me?"
Yes, the current situation was particularly disadvantageous to Ke Yingying, and he was aware of it. I could only nod.
"Although I don't want to say it, it's the truth. If I don't say it, you'll find out sooner or later. Master, don't you trust me anymore?"
"No!"
"Then I'll take my leave for now. I need to sort things out and think about how to break Xiao Zi'an's scheme. You must believe me, Xiao Zi'an is definitely problematic."
I smiled, not defending Xiao Zi'an, but simply nodding at Ke Yingying and saying with a smile, "Please go back first. I believe you."
Ke Yingying turned and left. I watched Ke Yingying's retreating back, pondering in my heart. This time, Ke Yingying's performance was different from Xiao Zi'an's. He was showing weakness, utilizing the psychological state common among schemers. The more the evidence pointed towards him, the less I would suspect him. Because that was how a schemer would behave.
But, should I suspect Xiao Zi'an?
No, I have a gut feeling. Just as Xiao Zi'an said, we are lost in the psychological maze designed by Ke Yingying. The events that constitute this maze are a mixture of truth and falsehood. The problem is, I can't distinguish between them at all.
I think I now understand who is the schemer and who is the victim in this game.
Yes, that's right. In this game of true and false Monkey King, the one setting the trap is Ke Yingying. If this fact holds true, then everything makes sense. Given Ke Yingying's relationship with Lu Yao, he must have also conveyed this false information to Lu Yao. Then, he handed the 'Extreme Punishment Exemplar' to Ye Qingcheng. This way, when Ye Qingcheng used this punishment to force Lu Yao, Lu Yao would speak false information to save his life. Unfortunately, Ye Qingcheng, this weak woman, never showed mercy to Li Jiu's enemies. She forced Lu Yao precisely to obtain intelligence. But from beginning to end, Ye Qingcheng would not let anyone involved in harming Li Jiu live. She would rather kill three thousand unjustly than let one guilty person escape.
The 'Southern Faction' that traded with Ye Qingcheng in Sichuan was not the 'Southern Faction' as we truly understood it. That 'Southern Faction' should have been Ke Yingying's people.
One of the Twelve Disciples became a traitor. That traitor was Ke Yingying.
Now the question is, how do I deal with Ke Yingying and his psychological maze?