It's absolutely insane!

Shen Zhizhou forcefully threw a dagger at the exposed heart of the shadowy figure, stabbing it into the heart. The shadowy figure paused, then spat out the painting demon that it had already swallowed half of.

The swamp-like shadow began to melt and dissipate into black water. The shadow turned to look at Shen Zhizhou, its lips trembling for a moment before it found its voice.

"Thank you."

The sound was like the last chant of a broken bellows before it burned down, filled with the relief of the shadowy figure.

Then the dark figure melted away before Shen Zhizhou and Shu Yi's eyes like melting cream, but in the last instant it disappeared, Shen Zhizhou, who was closest to it, saw what the dark figure looked like.

He was a very thin young man with sunken cheeks and sharp brow bones. It was obvious that he hadn't been eating enough during his puberty, but his eyes were clear and bright, and there was a relieved smile on his lips.

Then the person was swallowed up by the shadow and finally melted into a pool of black, foul-smelling blood.

Shen Zhizhou witnessed a human being standing before him, in a form that was neither human nor demon.

It turned into a pool of blood.

Shen Zhizhou stood there stunned for a long time until Shu Yi nudged him and came to his senses. Looking at the mess, Shu Yi told Shen Zhizhou to go and rest first, and that she would clean up the mess herself.

Shen Zhizhou, far from displaying gentlemanly manners, went upstairs to rest in a daze, his mind in turmoil.

Shuyi returned to its original form, used its paws to carry a basin of water, wet a rag, and began to wipe it little by little.

Shuyi could actually use magic to clean it, but for some reason, she felt it was better to clean it by hand.

The black liquid clung to the floor like a muddy swamp, difficult to remove. Shu Yi dripped a few drops of her own blood into the disinfectant, reciting a sutra of rebirth with each wipe.

This can be considered a way to pray for the soul of that innocent person.

Shen Zhizhou didn't wash up or change his clothes. He lay down on the bed, pulled the blanket over his face, and curled up in the blanket.

He felt his mind was in turmoil, unable to grasp any clues, yet he was also horrified by Ji Yao's ruthlessness.

After curling up in bed for a while, Shen Zhizhou went downstairs and cleaned with Shuyi.

As for the painting demon, it had suffered adverse reactions after being mostly devoured by the shadow and was currently in a deep sleep. Shen Zhizhou fed it some nourishing medicine and then settled it in properly.

Shen Zhizhou silently wiped the inside and outside of the house, and Shu Yi watched Shen Zhizhou and sensed a sadness in his eyes.

"Shen Zhizhou..."

Before Shu Yi could finish speaking, Shen Zhizhou said, "I already know what they want to do, and I won't let them succeed."

Upon hearing this, Shu Yi immediately looked around, afraid that someone might be overhearing her. She glanced at Shen Zhizhou, who was working hard, and immediately understood.

"I'll stay with you!"

No matter how many difficulties and dangers there are, Shu Yi thought she would always be with Shen Zhizhou.

When Sheyang heard the fighting outside stop, he opened a crack in the door and looked out, calling out to Shen Zhizhou outside, "Is it over?"

"It's solved, get back to work!"

"Oh." She Yang opened the door and saw the mess outside. After a moment of stunned silence, she looked at Shen Zhizhou and shouted, "What terrible thing have you attracted into the house this time? How come there are all these dark things everywhere..."

"That's why we need more people to do the work. If it weren't for these extraordinary times, I would have hired a cleaner."

"Then give me some money. I can't work for free. Let's respect the fruits of the labor of working people."

Shen Zhizhou ignored what he was holding and didn't look up to argue with She Yang. Instead, he immediately launched into a tirade: "When you were little, you wet your pants but didn't dare to say anything. You wanted to dry them yourself, or did I switch your pants with you to convict you? You've forgotten? It's okay if you don't remember, but before you..."

Sheyang ran down and covered Shen Zhizhou's mouth, gritting his teeth and saying, "Ancestor, stop talking, I'll do it! I'll do it, okay!"

Sheyang resignedly took the rag and joined them in cleaning.

After cleaning the entire house, Sheyang sighed, "I didn't realize how big it was when I lived there, but cleaning it is a huge project. Shen Zhizhou, why don't we just move out of the villa and move into a small single room instead?"

"Okay, then you can go and stay in a single room on your own from now on. I think this villa is pretty good." Shen Zhizhou tossed the freshly washed rag to Sheyang, waved, and went upstairs.

Sheyang cursed Shen Zhizhou behind his back, calling him inhuman, but Shuyi felt that Shen Zhizhou's current state was not quite right.

She brewed a cup of tea that Shen Zhizhou liked, knocked on Shen Zhizhou's door, but no one answered. Shu Yi secretly opened the door and peeked her head in, looking around.

Shen Zhizhou sat silently in front of the French windows, looking at the magnolia tree in the courtyard. The lights inside the house were off. Shu Yi closed the door with her foot, then sat down next to Shen Zhizhou with light steps and placed the tray aside.

I stayed with Shen Zhizhou and looked down at the magnolia tree.

Shen Zhizhou remained silent, and Shuyi stayed silent with him. Shen Zhizhou turned his head and looked at Shuyi in her true form, finding it somewhat amusing.

Why aren't you saying anything?

"Because you didn't say anything, I just wanted to stay with you..."

Shen Zhizhou got up, took out the scale and the box he had picked up from Ji Yao's room from the drawer, and handed them to Shu Yi.

Shuyi took the box, sniffed it, looked up at Shen Zhizhou, and said uncertainly, "This box... seems to contain something to suppress monsters."

"You smelled it too?" Shen Zhizhou sat cross-legged next to Shu Yi and slowly explained, "This is the birthday gift my dad prepares for Sister Ji every year. He says it's good for beauty and health, and good for a demon's body. A demon broke into Sister Ji's room and ransacked it. That's when I discovered that Sister Ji hasn't taken the beauty pills every year..."

"You mean... your dad didn't find anything either?" Shu Yi asked in surprise.

Shen Zhizhou frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't know either. My dad didn't say anything to me. You were there the last time we met. Everything seemed normal."

Shuyi looked around and replied telepathically, "Why did your father set fire to the manor? I have a feeling it's not that simple. Why don't we go to the manor now and take a look?"

Shuyi's words enlightened Shen Zhizhou. There was no need for his father to set fire to the house to commit suicide, unless... there was something in the house that he couldn't let others know, so he had to set fire to cover it up.

"Let's go now!" Shen Zhizhou went to the desk to get the car keys, and with a bang, Shuyi transformed into a tiny creature and squatted on Shen Zhizhou's shoulder.

Shen Zhizhou hurried downstairs and saw a familiar figure sitting on the sofa.

As always, she is beautiful and slender.

The slender figure on the sofa put down her coffee cup, and the crisp sound of bone china clinking resonated in Shen Zhizhou and Shu Yi's hearts. Shu Yi turned her head to look at Shen Zhizhou with a worried expression.

Shen Zhizhou looked at Ji Yao sitting on the sofa, who turned around and smiled slightly at him. He looked her up and down before saying, "Xiao Zhou, you've lost weight."

"Thanks to you."

Upon hearing this, both Shen Zhizhou and Ji Yao were stunned for a moment, and both fell silent.

Ji Yao sat on the sofa, watching the child she had raised from infancy grow up and become capable of standing on his own. But the painful price of growing up was one she had paid herself. Ji Yao lowered her eyes, her heart aching as if pierced by needles.

"You didn't come here just to catch up with me, did you?" Shen Zhizhou looked at Ji Yao sitting on the sofa with a wary expression.

Ji Yao stood up, looked at the wary Shen Zhizhou, and smiled mockingly: "No need to be so nervous. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't survive tonight."

Shen Zhizhou pursed his lips and remained silent, only staring warily at Ji Yao.

Ji Yao brushed a stray hair from her temple and spoke again in a gentle tone, her attitude softened: "Hand over that painting and calligraphy demon and swear that you will never interfere in the affairs of the demon race again, and I will guarantee your and Shu Yi's safety."

"Xiao Zhou, listen to Sister Ji's advice. Sometimes, don't be so stubborn. Sister Ji won't hurt you..."

Did you kill my father?

Ji Yao looked stunned, a flash of grief crossing her eyes. She blinked and regained her previous arrogant and indifferent demeanor, saying in a deep voice, "I did not kill your father."

"But I advise you never to investigate. Sometimes, not knowing is a safer and more secure thing."

"So I've been incredibly foolish for the past twenty-odd years, which is why I've given my heart to you, a monster!"

"I was doing this for your own good!" Ji Yao shouted at Shen Zhizhou, clenching her fist. "I was doing it all for your own good! I raised you since you were a child, how could you treat me like this!"

"For my own good? So I lost my mother and my father. I can't bear your 'for my own good'." Shen Zhizhou looked at Ji Yao with icy resentment, spitting out each word: "I'd rather have never known you, when you walked into the house and your father asked me if I wanted to be part of your family..."

Shen Zhizhou took a deep breath and sneered, "I should have told you to get out, you monster!"

Ji Yao's tears fell like pearls from a broken string, dripping onto the marble slab. Her expression was one of grief and disbelief as she stared at Shen Zhizhou.

She couldn't believe that the child she had raised could be so heartless; he actually said he wished he had never met her.

He actually called her a demon with disgust.

"I'm the one who built the Shen family, and I raised you. How could you do this to me!" Ji Yao gritted her teeth and looked at Shen Zhizhou with teary eyes.

"If it weren't for you, my parents wouldn't have died, and I would be a thousand times, ten thousand times better off than I am now. I fucking don't want to be this Anomaly Eliminator!"

When Ji Yao first heard Shen Zhizhou say that he didn't want to become a mystery eraser, she was taken aback and asked, "Then what do you want to do?"

"It's none of your business."

Ji Yao sneered, walked around the sofa to Shen Zhizhou, leaned down and sneered: "None of my business? I advise you not to provoke my patience. Hand over the Book and Painting Demon, and I'll guarantee your safety. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite."

He glanced at Shuyi, who was perched on Shen Zhizhou's shoulder, and the threat in his eyes was self-evident.

"I know what you want to do, and I can give you the painting and calligraphy, but you have to answer one question for me."

"What?" Seeing that Shen Zhizhou's attitude had softened, Ji Yao leaned forward slightly.

Why did your mother raise me so diligently after her death?

Ji Yao was taken aback, recalling the child from many years ago who had pressed his warm cheek against hers, hugged her, and sang "I'm a Good Baby" in a sweet, childlike voice, with gentle eyes.

“Because you are the first human to accept me with all your heart, you said… I am like a mother.” Ji Yao’s eyes were filled with tears as she smiled and said, “I really want to learn what a mother is like, to watch you grow up, to see you have the next generation… and then to take care of your children.”

"I see..."

"What?" Ji Yao didn't hear what Shen Zhizhou said next, so she leaned closer to hear it clearly.

The next second, Shen Zhizhou stabbed Ji Yao in the abdomen with the lotus-patterned dagger hidden in his sleeve.