Chapter 3: The Art of Overcoming Adversity

Upon returning to the city, I immediately called Deng Kun to inform him that I wanted to visit Huang Yu's home. He looked down on me slightly, saying that I had refused his invitation yesterday. Nevertheless, he still drove over to pick me up, and we went to Huang Yu's house together

Her gaze shifted away from the cup, but she did not look at me; instead, she focused on a painting on the wall, which depicted a girl holding a pottery jar. She stared at it for a few seconds before turning to another painting, a landscape that illustrated autumn with falling leaves. Her brows occasionally furrowed and then relaxed, a faint smile flickering across her face, only to be replaced by a momentary sadness. At that moment, I spoke: "Yes, life is very fragile and short, especially for women; no matter how beautiful their appearance, it cannot withstand the ravages of time." She looked at me in surprise: "How did you know what I was thinking?" I smiled. Her brows occasionally furrowed and then relaxed, a faint smile flickering across her face, only to be replaced by a momentary sadness. At that moment, I spoke: "Yes, life is very fragile and short, especially for women; no matter how beautiful their appearance, it cannot withstand the ravages of time." She looked at me in surprise: "How did you know what I was thinking?" I smiled and replied, "I guessed." Many questions cannot be explained to her; a person's micro-expressions often reflect their true inner world. I had merely conducted a behavioral psychological analysis of her. I replied, "I guessed." Many questions cannot be explained to her; a person's micro-expressions often reflect their true inner world. I had merely conducted a behavioral psychological analysis of her.

Huang Yu's home is not large, a small two-bedroom apartment, but it is luxuriously decorated and has a warm color scheme. In the northeast corner of the living room, I saw a statue of Guanyin. I bowed slightly to the statue and then picked it up to examine it closely. Deng Kun did not understand what I was doing, but he did not ask and quietly stood beside me. I discovered some bloodstains beneath the base of the statue, and I handed the Guanyin statue to Deng Kun: "Find a way to determine what this blood is." In fact, I already had an answer in my mind, but I needed scientific confirmation of my suspicion. He nodded and placed the statue into his backpack. I did not linger in the living room and went straight to Huang Yu's bedroom. I rummaged through the bed thoroughly but found nothing. I crawled under the bed and searched carefully; I was looking for something, specifically a talisman. Finally, when I looked up at the mattress above me, I noticed a small white paper figure seemingly stuck to it, with some numbers written on it, which should be Huang Yu's birth date. The paper figure was pinned neatly under the mattress with a thumbtack. I gently took it down and placed it into my pocket.

The skill of brewing tea is quite remarkable, especially since he always manages to procure some excellent tea leaves. We chatted while drinking tea, and it was only around 10 o'clock that I finally took my leave

When Juechen saw me, he was momentarily taken aback, then said: "You didn't come to see me just for tea, did you?" I smiled without replying. He slowly arranged the tea set on the table and said to me: "If I am not mistaken, the police officer who came during the day must be related to you and the library, right?" I replied, "What do you think?" He pursed his lips and said: "You also came because of Huang Yu, didn't you?" I nodded and said: "Yes, you didn't tell that police officer about it during the day; you can tell me now, right?" Juechen smiled wryly and said: "I didn't tell him because he wouldn't believe it." "Are you saying Huang Yu is possessed?" "If I am not mistaken, she should be under a hex, so I had her invite a statue of Guanyin, which I also consecrated for her." I knew that the so-called hex was a type of ancient sorcery practiced by magicians, said to be able to subdue people or objects through curses, generally achieved through a medium, known as a hexing object, such as a figurine inscribed with a birth date, hair, coins, and so on. It is a type of ancient sorcery practiced by magicians, said to be able to subdue people or objects through curses, generally achieved through a medium, known as a hexing object, such as a figurine inscribed with a birth date, hair, coins, and so on.

I received a call from Deng Kun after work in the afternoon. He invited me to have dinner together at a small restaurant near our center

I feel that things are becoming increasingly complicated. Although my profession is highly scientific, I am not a complete skeptic. On the contrary, from some experiences in Tibet, I know that many things in the world cannot be explained by science for the time being. I looked at Juechen and asked, "Can you be certain?" He smiled and replied, "If you had no such doubts, would you come to find me? You are a lay disciple of Tibetan Buddhism; you shouldn't overlook such obvious things." I awkwardly smiled and said, "I have doubted as well, but at the beginning, I didn't want to get too deeply involved in this case, so I didn't think much about it." He said, "Everything has a cause and an effect; if you encounter it, you cannot avoid it."

I habitually poured her a glass of water, encouraging her to drink a little to ease her emotions. One hand resting on her chest, she picked up the glass with the other and suddenly looked at me, saying: "Doctor, I don't have a mental illness, really, I don't." I smiled gently and replied: "I know, and I believe you don't have a mental illness. Also, I am not a doctor; I am just a psychological counselor." Her emotions calmed down a bit, and I continued: "In fact, everyone has some psychological issues to varying degrees; it’s just that the severity differs. As long as it does not affect your normal life and work, it is not a significant problem."

I took a taxi and went to Qianling Temple, heading straight to the secluded meditation room

The next morning, I arrived at the center after taking my daughter to kindergarten, and it was already past 9 o'clock. Li Qing said that Wang Qinghan was in my office

Deng Kun observed everything closely, "This is witchcraft. You don't really think witchcraft killed Huang Yu, do you?" I did not respond to him; in fact, I was aware of the art of hexing, but I did not truly believe that Huang Yu died from witchcraft. Everything must be investigated slowly to reach a conclusion. Thus, I urged to leave this place.

My suspicion was not unfounded; the consecrated Guanyin statue has been tainted by menstrual blood. It seems that behind the Huangyu case, there are more mysteries that need to be unraveled. My curiosity drives me to resolve this matter thoroughly.

Liang Ping referred a help seeker to me. He informed me that this girl was originally admitted to a psychiatric hospital, but after examination and testing, it turned out that her condition was not as severe as her parents had claimed; she does not have a mental illness, but rather some neurosis and depression. I carefully reviewed the examination and testing results from the psychiatric hospital. The girl's name is Wang Qinghan, 25 years old, and she works in human resources at a private enterprise. Her account states: "For the past two months, I have always felt that there is something wrong with my body, especially my brain. I feel as if there is a tumor growing inside, but after visiting many hospitals for examinations, nothing has been found. I suspect the doctors' diagnostic skills and even doubt whether they are intentionally withholding the truth from me." As a result, she is constantly anxious, her temper is becoming increasingly irritable, and she does not trust anyone's words, often claiming that everyone is conspiring against her. She frequently wakes up at night, sighing, and sometimes throws things. Her family, unable to cope with her behavior, sent her to the psychiatric hospital yesterday. I believe there is nothing wrong with the psychiatric hospital's examination results; most people under significant work pressure and suffering from neurosis will exhibit some hypochondriacal tendencies, and their emotional fluctuations may also be relatively pronounced. I have decided to take on Wang Qinghan's case.

I asked Li Qing to call her and inform her to come to the center tomorrow morning for a discussion with everyone

In fact, I am quite familiar with Juechen; he is one of the few who knows that I am a lay disciple of the Buddhist community

Upon entering the office, I saw a girl sitting in the chair opposite the desk. As soon as she heard my footsteps, she immediately stood up. I smiled and gestured for her to sit down, and I took my place as well. She was wearing a light purple dress, had a student-style haircut, and her bangs were neatly arranged. She was not particularly beautiful, but her features were delicate, and she was not tall, about 1.6 meters. Her face looked quite haggard, and a sense of sadness was evident in her brows. She appeared very nervous upon seeing me, her hands clutching and rubbing the hem of her dress.

Two days later, Deng Kun called me to inform that the blood found on the Guanyin statue had been tested; it was human blood, specifically, it was menstrual blood from a woman

She did not speak, bringing the cup to her lips. I said nothing further, quietly watching her, knowing that her emotions needed to be calmed.