Madness

“Is this you?”

Yue Shi pointed at the third person in the photo album—the one who had gradually intruded upon the sweet couple's photos—and asked in a low voice.

“It’s me.”

The Beast Tamer leaned in to look and nodded.

“Is it?” Yue Shi expressed his doubt.

The third person in the photo album, while slender and feminine, was clearly a man. He was worlds apart from the person standing before him, whose voice and appearance were so completely androgynous that it was impossible to tell their gender.

“Yes! I was very handsome back then.”

The Beast Tamer’s tone carried a hint of nostalgia before turning dark again.

“Then why did you become like this?” Yue Shi pressed.

He was genuinely curious, though his gaze remained locked on the begonia hairpin.

“Because I wanted to be with them!” the Beast Tamer’s voice suddenly spiked, a mix of grievance and rage.

“Those two... how dare they have a secret liaison behind my back! How could they?”

The Beast Tamer’s emotions flared up again. “The three of us were supposed to be together! We’ve done everything together since we were children!”

“By what right did they get to date, get married, and roll around in bed behind my back? Their house, their car, even that bed—I was the one who earned the money to buy them!”

“Everything they have should belong to me!”

“If the three of us lived our lives well together, it would be better than anything!”

“I’m probably not the only one who falls in love with a man and a woman at the same time, right?” The Beast Tamer’s burning gaze fixed on Yue Shi, as if seeking a final validation.

A wave of revulsion washed over Yue Shi, but he maintained a calm expression. “In matters of the heart, it’s hard to say what’s right or wrong. As long as you feel comfortable with it, then it’s right.”

As a purely wicked person, Yue Shi was simply malicious; he couldn't truly understand such a twisted sentiment.

However, witnessing the drama unfold in person was quite entertaining.

The vague affirmation from Yue Shi temporarily pacified the Beast Tamer.

Having received a modicum of recognition, the Beast Tamer’s emotions settled slightly, only to be overwhelmed by even greater sorrow and indignation the next second. “I wanted to sleep between them, just like when we were little, but they strictly refused me!”

“I don’t understand. Does growing up mean you can’t do the things you did as a child anymore? I begged them so much, but they wouldn't agree.”

His eyes became hollow and obsessive. “To join them, I didn't hesitate to steal a Demon Seed. I heard that by consuming a Demon Seed, one can obtain the power their heart desires most!”

“Haha, hahahaha...” The Beast Tamer let out a strange, distorted laugh.

“But that Demon Seed turned me into a violent maniac, a monster overflowing with a desire for control!”

“Could it be that what my heart desired most was actually violence and control?”

“No, it wasn’t! That’s not what I wanted! I just wanted to be with them happily!”

His speech began to scramble, his logic fracturing. “They said that in marriage and love, there is only room for one man and one woman. There is no room for a third person.”

“But I will be that third person!”

“Why does humanity only have two genders? Why can’t there be more? Why can’t three people get married? This damn heaven is truly unfair!”

Hearing this nearby, Su Jinglu felt a chill run down her spine, and goosebumps broke out all over her body.

Yue Shi, however, kept his fake smile and inconspicuously closed the distance between himself and the Beast Tamer.

A look of innocent cruelty appeared on the Beast Tamer’s face. “Since the heavens are unfair, I will create fairness with my own hands.”

“So, I stripped them of their gender, and I stripped myself of mine as well. That way, we are all genderless beings.”

“Neither male nor female, we are no longer restricted by legal or biological definitions of man and woman. Thus, the three of us can be together happily forever!”

“Don’t you think this idea of mine is genius?” He looked at Yue Shi again, seeking approval.

Yue Shi nodded sincerely. “Yes, you’re a goddamn little genius. To pursue one's happiness, one should use any means necessary!”

Su Jinglu’s gaze toward Yue Shi became extremely subtle. He really would say anything; in ancient times, he would have surely been a treacherous official.

However, Yue Shi’s 'praise' acted like a key, unlocking deeper pain and mania within the Beast Tamer. His expression suddenly became cold and distorted.

“Since my idea is so genius, why? Why did they still refuse to be with me!”

“Why did they go mad and say they’d become anomalies! Why do they hate me? Why can’t they just live a good life with me?”

The Beast Tamer’s tone became crazed and resolute. “Haha, hahahaha! I understand now. They became genderless anomalies, out of place with everyone else. They are afraid of the strange looks from others.”

“I’ll turn everyone into anomalies! That way, everyone will be of the same kind! They won’t feel strange anymore, and they will definitely accept me!”

“I’ll start with the men, then the women, then everyone... Hahaha!”

Amidst his wild laughter, the Beast Tamer suddenly glared at Yue Shi, finally noticing something unusual. “Why aren’t you affected? Why are you still fine!”

Yue Shi took a step forward, feigning concern. “You’re right, why am I not affected? Perhaps that thing of yours has failed?”

While Yue Shi conversed with the Beast Tamer to draw his full attention, Su Jinglu silently moved into the Beast Tamer’s blind spot to his side.

A fine spider silk shot out from her fingertip, its direction constantly adjusting in the wind and snow, aimed directly at the begonia hairpin in the Beast Tamer’s hand.

The Beast Tamer’s fingers brushed against the petals of the hairpin. He instinctively lowered his head to look, a confused expression appearing on his face, as if he were doubting whether it had truly failed.

Now!

Yue Shi took another step closer. In a voice so low only the nearby Beast Tamer could hear, he whispered enticingly, “Why don’t you try changing the gender of the curse?”

The Beast Tamer’s eyes narrowed at those words.

At the same time, the spider silk controlled by Su Jinglu was about to touch the hairpin!

In that critical moment, the Beast Tamer’s finger suddenly shifted the position of one of the begonia petals on the hairpin.

“Ugh!”

Su Jinglu, poised for the sneak attack, suddenly felt a wave of malaise wash over her. It wasn’t pain, but a deep-seated discomfort.

It caused her blood to churn instantly, and the fine spider silk she was controlling was blown off course by the wind and snow.

The sneak attack failed at the final hurdle.