He Yuzhu returns in Siheyuan

Chapter 798 Dual Personality

Little Fox hummed in agreement, her round eyes curving into crescents. Without asking any further questions, she turned and walked towards the kitchen. Her wooden clogs clicked softly on the flagstones, her steps light and quick like a fawn leaping through the forest, the straps of her apron swaying gently behind her.

He Yuzhu reached out and pushed open the creaking courtyard gate. The sound of the hinges turning was particularly clear in the alley in the early morning. He walked towards the alley entrance. The morning breeze carried a hint of early autumn coolness, and the dampness of dew rushed towards him, feeling exceptionally refreshing on his face, yet it also made him subconsciously shrink his neck and pull his collar tighter. The poplar leaves by the roadside rustled in the wind, like someone whispering in his ear. The air was filled with the aroma of fried dough sticks and soy milk from the breakfast stalls in the distance, mixed with the earthy smell of the ground after a light rain—fresh and comforting, the smell of ordinary days.

He Yuzhu glanced habitually at the street corner—at this time, Lao Si would usually be standing under the old locust tree, hands tucked into his sleeves. He always wore a faded blue cloth jacket, his back slightly hunched, seemingly swaying casually, but his toes were always pointing towards the courtyard. In reality, he was keeping watch for the surroundings as instructed by Elder Qingyi. While he called it "helping," he was secretly guarding the courtyard to prevent any ill-intentioned people who had caught wind of the place from approaching. Lao Si wasn't a talkative man, but he always had his pipe in hand. However, he was extremely reliable; he could tell who was a stranger with just a glance, and he never made a mistake.

But today, the old locust tree was deserted. Only a few early risers, dressed in thin jackets, were slowly practicing Tai Chi under the tree. Their white beards swayed gently with their movements, each step flowing smoothly and calmly. The dappled shadows of the tree fell on them, but where was the slightly hunched figure of the fourth brother?

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat, as if he'd been struck hard by something, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks. He knew his fourth brother too well; he was someone who valued his duties above all else. Even if something incredibly important caused a delay, he would always send a message through someone else. And when it came to tasks assigned by the elders, he always handled them flawlessly. He was never late, and even his posture exuded a military-like discipline. His absence at this time—could something have gone wrong?

He stood still, his gaze sweeping across every corner of the alleyway like a searchlight—the stray cat curled up against the wall, the old flowerpots piled on the stone steps, he even glanced behind the trash can. He looked again towards the distant alleyway entrance; the alley with its blue bricks and gray tiles stretched out like a quiet, long snake, empty except for the wind swirling fallen leaves by, and still he didn't see that familiar figure.

Could something have happened during last night's false alarm? He Yuzhu's brows furrowed tightly, his knuckles clenching unconsciously. In the latter half of last night, he vaguely heard noises outside the courtyard, but he dismissed them as stray cats and dogs and didn't pay much attention. Could it be...? The drowsiness he felt upon waking vanished instantly, leaving only a lingering unease, like damp vines, silently coiling around his heart, tightening more and more.

As He Feng gazed out the window in deep thought, pondering how to further deploy surveillance, the fourth brother strode in and went straight to He Yuzhu, reporting in a low voice, "Sect Master, I have carefully checked, and there are no suspicious persons within a three-mile radius. No one is monitoring you outside, so you can rest assured."

He Yuzhu frowned, his tone tinged with anger: "Didn't I tell you to stay here and keep watch at night? Why did you leave without permission last night?"

The fourth brother was taken aback by the question, a look of confusion on his face. He quickly explained, "Sect Master, have you forgotten? You told me yourself the night before last that I didn't need to keep watch at night, but to get some rest and be refreshed before keeping watch during the day. That's why I..."

He Yuzhu was stunned—he had absolutely no recollection of saying those words. But looking at Lao Si's confident expression, he didn't seem to be lying. His heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his lips, only saying in a deep voice, "Are you sure you said that?"

"Absolutely true!" The fourth brother nodded, his tone very certain. "You were standing right under this locust tree when you told me this clearly. I left only after I heard it all. I would never lie to you."

He Yuzhu wanted to ask more, but the fourth brother noticed that something was wrong with his expression and tentatively asked, "Sect Master, has something happened? If there is a problem, I will send more people right now."

He Yuzhu composed himself, waved his hand, and forced a smile: "It's nothing, I probably just got it mixed up. You go back first and let the brothers rest too."

Just as the fourth brother was about to turn around, He Yuzhu called him back, his eyes becoming serious: "By the way, starting tonight, you don't need to listen to any of my orders. Even if I tell you to go back, you have to stay here and keep watch for two more hours to make sure there's nothing unusual around. Remember, no matter what anyone says, follow this rule."

Although the fourth brother was full of doubts, he knew that the sect leader must have a deeper meaning in making such an arrangement, so he quickly nodded heavily: "Sect leader, rest assured, I will definitely do as you say and I will not hesitate."

Watching his fourth brother's departing figure, He Yuzhu's brows furrowed even more deeply. He turned and walked towards the company, his mind in turmoil—he shouldn't have awakened the Dragon God of Slaughter so early. It all stemmed from the time he accidentally consumed that demon core while trying to help those humans. At the time, he only felt a scorching power surge through his body, never expecting that it would unintentionally awaken the Dragon God of Slaughter hidden within his bloodline.

When Long Shishen first awoke, he was completely bewildered, wandering around in his sea of ​​consciousness for a long time before finally understanding the situation. He wanted to appear immediately, but discovered that He Yuzhu was still accompanied by another aura—the Mischievous Demon King. Only after the Mischievous Demon King's aura completely disappeared did he dare to occasionally emerge and move around.

Last night it quietly appeared, having unintentionally caught its father's scent and wanted to see what he wanted to see it about, but unexpectedly, He Yuzhu noticed its presence. Now that He Yuzhu is paying attention to this matter, it has decided to hide, intending to lay low for a while and wait until He Yuzhu has gradually forgotten about it before making any further plans.

He Yuzhu grew increasingly alarmed. In the past, he might have simply assumed he had misremembered, but now it was different—Zhang Jiao had been attached to him for so long; who knew what strange changes might have occurred during that time? He even began to suspect that he might have developed a split personality under Zhang Jiao's influence. If that were the case, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Once at the factory, he forced himself to stay awake, quickly assigned a few tasks, and then couldn't sit still any longer. Nothing was more important than his family right now. He locked his office door and headed straight home. The setting sun cast its glow on him, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in his heart. A nameless unease, like vines, coiled around him, tightening ever more.