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墨書 Inktalez
"Ah, you studied psychology?" I exclaimed in surprise. I could hardly imagine someone like the old man, a Rogue Fortune Teller, having a background in psychology.
The old man ignored me and continued squinting as he spoke, "Lu Zhiwei is considered the founder of modern psychology in China. He did a great deal of work to promote and develop scientific psychology in the country. In 1940, he organized monthly gatherings for the psychology community at five universities in Beijing—Yanjing, Fu Jen, Tsinghua, Peking University, and Beijing Normal University—to discuss development plans. He also edited and published the Chinese Journal of Psychology. His influence was significant at that time, and it was he who introduced Western Hypnosis into the Chinese psychological community."
"He had many students, and numerous universities invited him to be a visiting professor. My master was one of them; he came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and placed great importance on vital energy. After studying under Lu Zhiwei, he was introduced to Western Hypnosis and became deeply fascinated by it. My master was determined to integrate aspects of both Eastern and Western Hypnosis. He devoted his entire life to this pursuit, even remaining unmarried."
"What happened later? Did he succeed?" I found myself captivated by the old man's anecdotes.
"My master was intelligent and diligent; he sought out renowned figures in the field of psychology, experts in Hypnosis, and masters of Qigong. Finally, in his forties, he wrote a book titled Essence of Chinese and Western Hypnosis."
My! It sounded impressive, almost like a martial arts manual. My curiosity grew stronger, so I refrained from interrupting and continued to listen. Perhaps it had been a long time since anyone had engaged the old man in conversation; regardless, we were strangers with no prior connection, and once he started talking, there was no stopping him.
"Do you know about Hypnosis?" the old man suddenly asked.
"It's like waving something in front of someone's eyes to make them feel drowsy, then saying a few words to put them to sleep so they’ll do whatever you say?"
"Superficial!" the old man scoffed.
"The conventional state of Hypnosis is a kind of consciousness that resembles sleep but is not sleep—a state of altered awareness. Hypnosis is a psychological suggestion technique that uses methods such as psychological suggestion to induce someone into this state. These techniques include relaxation, monotonous stimulation, focused attention, and imagination to guide individuals into a hypnotic state."
"Simple Hypnosis can only create temporary memories or induce actions that the subject may not even be aware of. However, my master's Hypnosis has reached an exceptionally high level; he can induce people into a subconscious state without any external aids. Remarkably, his subjects can function normally in their daily lives while feeling as if they have become different people, releasing many deep-seated emotions." The old man's expression was filled with longing.
"Wait!" I interrupted him. "Are you saying that Liu Qi might be in this kind of state? That sometimes she doesn't even know what she's doing?"
The old man shot me a glance. "I didn't say that. Besides, very few people can reach such a level; as far as I know, my master is the only one."
"What is your master's name?" I couldn't help but ask curiously.
"What's the use of knowing what it's called?" the old man suddenly said gloomily. "No matter how talented a person is, in the end, it still doesn't lead to a good outcome."
"What do you mean?"
"My master died in the second year of the Cultural Revolution." The old man looked at me, took out a cigarette, lit it, and began to smoke.
"Do you know? At that time, I was a Red Guard. I was lazy and didn't do any good deeds; I just liked to stir up trouble and indulge in food and drink. Later on, I met my master. He was part of a group of Red Guards who were studying the teachings of Emperor Xiuzi, trying to establish him as a Black Academic Model. When they were denouncing him, I felt sorry for him and threw him some external medicine as I was leaving. My master had already seen that I was a tough-talking but soft-hearted person; I was just lazy and occasionally lost myself, but my nature was good, and my soul was worth saving." At this point, the old man's eyes began to moisten.
He lowered his head in silence for a moment before continuing, "My master's hard work must not be lost. Since I knew some characters, he secretly accepted me as his disciple. However, he hadn't taught me much before he was denounced and killed."
China has always had many Freaks! I was immersed in the old man's story, realizing that even masters often met tragic ends.
"After my master died, I secretly hid the books he gave me and read them whenever I had time. But my talent was limited, and with no one to guide me, it was quite difficult to understand everything on my own. Later on, when the Cultural Revolution ended, my youth had been wasted. After the college entrance examination resumed, I tried it out but unfortunately forgot most of what I had learned. Then I spent twenty years in a factory until retirement. After that, I relied on my knowledge of psychology to get by and earn some living expenses to support my family."
The old man let out a long sigh as if decades of worries had poured out.
Lost in thought, the old man's words pulled me back. "Hey, where did Liu Qi go for treatment earlier?"
"Ah? Oh, the Mental Health Hospital."
"Do you know who treated her?"
"I think it was someone named Professor Qin. Why? Do you suspect him?"
"It's not suspicion; it should be him. There aren't many people you've interacted with regarding Liu Qi. Considering her mental state when I saw her, if these cases are artificial, then Liu Qi must have someone behind her. My judgment is that this person definitely doesn't have the skills of my master; he simply gave her a suggestion after Liu Qi entered a subconscious state. As for what this suggestion is or what it makes Liu Qi do, we have no way of knowing. Moreover, this suggestion has an on-off switch."
"What do you mean by an on-off switch for suggestions?"
"In general circumstances, this person is normal, but when they receive a certain signal, they can detect the hidden suggestions that have been laid out before and act accordingly."
I was left speechless. "Can these ideas be confirmed through specific, logical experiments? Do you understand what I mean?"
"I get it. You’re asking if it can be proven who hypnotized whom to do what, right? I'm not that foolish."
I nodded eagerly, looking at the old man with hope.
"The answer is no!" he replied bluntly.
"The things of the mental world exist, yet they are also intangible; you cannot see them. Therefore, we cannot prove whether a murderer acted with intent or was hypnotized to kill, or if their mental state is strong enough to feign being hypnotized into committing murder. How can you prove that?"
"I see..." I felt disheartened. "In the end, it's all speculation. Without proof, this won't work; the police need evidence to solve cases."
The old man smiled. "Could you let me meet that Professor Qin? Perhaps I might uncover some useful clues."
"Well..." I hesitated. This wasn't my decision to make; it had to be up to Ah Huang.
I quickly made a decision: I would take the old man to Ah Huang and recount everything from the beginning to see Ah Huang's reaction. After all, I believed the old man.
"Oh, by the way, I still don't know your name," I suddenly remembered while on the vehicle.
"Old? Am I that old? I'm retired! Just fifty-two! Call me Zhao Kun. And please don’t think of me as just some rogue fortune teller; we have our own expertise in this field. Unlike typical rogue fortune tellers, we are applied psychologists."
Honestly, it was the first time I had heard of such a faction.
Zhao Kun shifted from his earlier solemnity and began to share stories about applied psychology. For instance, he explained how three people might come to you for a fortune-telling session regarding their future; how would you respond in a way that leaves no loopholes so that all three would thank you and maximize their benefits?
I was puzzled and decided to ask.
Zhao Kun raised a finger, smiling but saying nothing.
...
Half an hour later, in Ah Huang's office.
"You have no evidence at all. How can I believe you?!" Ah Huang said, frowning tightly as he sat in his office chair. "Brother, you really can't be serious. Do you actually believe what this street fortune-teller says?"
"Who’s a street fortune-teller? I'm just an amateur who enjoys helping people," Zhao Kun retorted, leaning back in his chair.
"I know it sounds a bit absurd, but we should try anything that might lead us to a clue. Isn’t that how you police officers operate? There's a saying in detective work: eliminate the impossible, and whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."
"That may be true, but what you have are merely speculations and imaginations. How can that be considered evidence?"
The office fell silent. Old Man Zhao seemed relaxed, curiously looking around and showing no concern for our conversation.
I sat in my chair, feeling somewhat frustrated. I wanted to help Ah Huang, but he seemed ungrateful. I forced myself to stop dwelling on useless thoughts and mentally organized the clues we had.
Ah, I found a reason to convince Ah Huang.
"Ah Huang, I've found a corroborating detail. I don't know if it counts," I said, looking at him.
"?"
"When did the first disappearance case occur?"
"More than three months ago."
"When did Liu Qi receive the first treatment?"
"I don't know," Ah Huang replied, a bit hesitant.
"Call and ask! Just inquire at the registration desk!" I stood up and said, "Check the appointment time for Liu Qi at the Psychiatric Clinic, and look into the payment details."
"So you mean if there's a connection between the two, it must be that Liu Qi's visit to the doctor happened before the disappearance case?" Ah Huang began to understand.
"I would boldly speculate that the disappearance case occurred after Liu Qi underwent Hypnosis treatment."
Ah Huang nodded thoughtfully and picked up the phone. "Tian, help me check something."
Ten minutes later, Tian rushed into Ah Huang's office, bursting in with urgency. "Report! I've found out!"
(To be continued, more exciting developments tomorrow!)
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