# 305
Chapter 305 – Inquiry
After the two of them finished a pot of tea, Lin Qiye checked the time and realized he should be heading back to the asylum. He stood up and took his leave of Master Chen.
“In the next few days this old man must visit Huaihai City,” Master Chen called after him. “If anything comes up at the prison, just look for Xie Yu. He’s the acting warden; when I’m away he handles everything.”
“Thank you, Master.” Lin Qiye bowed again and hurried off the carriage, jogging straight for the asylum.
When he reached the gate, the orderly had already been waiting a long while. To his surprise, Doctor Li was there as well.
“Met Master Chen?” Doctor Li asked with a smile.
Lin Qiye blinked. “I did… how did you know?”
“Of course I know. Master Chen came here first; when you weren’t around I told him to wait for you at the exercise yard.” Doctor Li closed the transparent door and walked on as he spoke.
Lin Qiye nodded.
“I’m here to give you some news as well.” He handed over a file. “Your three-stage observation is complete. From now on you may use the in-house activity area; you don’t have to share the yard with the inmates.”
“Stage observation?” Lin Qiye took the file, puzzlement creasing his brow.
“Stage One: seventy-two-hour pathological watch—full physical and mental assessment within the first seventy-two hours after awakening.
Stage Two: pseudo-free solitude monitoring—secretly watching for unconscious odd behavior or irrational acts while you’re alone. That’s why you were sent to the yard by yourself; only when no one’s watching does your guard drop enough to reveal problems.
Stage Three: stress-combat reaction test—the most important. We observe whether, under high emotion, high pressure, or actual combat, you show sluggishness, hyper-excitement, aggression, blood-lust, anything abnormal. Only after confirming you can handle high-pressure combat can we tentatively clear you for normal missions.”
Lin Qiye read every page. Only now did he realize yesterday’s fight had been filmed in full; every movement and glance had been analyzed for anomalies.
“So making me share the yard with prisoners was just to finish these three stages? You knew I’d clash with them?” He turned to Doctor Li.
“It’s the standard protocol for every psychiatric patient sent here.” Doctor Li’s tone was serious. “You know most Night Watch members who break down do so because of brutal combat. The best way to observe is to simulate a realistic fight.
Honestly, we originally intended your stress-combat test to be just a brawl with three or more inmates. After the second day, when you fought those three, the requirement was already met. However—”
“However?”
“Commander Ye specifically instructed that your stress-combat sample had to be bigger! More intense! We had to be sure your mind stays stable even under extreme pressure.” Doctor Li shrugged helplessly. “We thought it would take at least a month. Didn’t expect you to cause trouble so quickly…”
Lin Qiye coughed. “So the three stages are done. Does that mean my mind’s fine?”
Doctor Li pondered. “Not necessarily. Theoretically, only a full year of observation is truly safe.”
“……” Lin Qiye’s newly lifted spirits sank again.
Just as Doctor Li was about to continue, Lin Qiye suddenly asked, “Doctor Li, starting tomorrow must I use the in-house activity room?”
Doctor Li blinked. “Not at all. If you prefer to keep sharing the yard with the inmates, you may.”
“Good.” Lin Qiye nodded.
They reached the research building. Lin Qiye suddenly remembered something. “By the way, Doctor Li…”
“Hmm?”
“I have a frie— cough, I once heard of a psychiatric case.” Halfway through, unpleasant memories surfaced and he re-phrased.
“Oh?” Doctor Li’s brows rose, interest piqued. “You’re into psychiatry too? Tell me.”
Lin Qiye organized his thoughts. “A patient behaves perfectly normally by day, but after he falls asleep at night a female personality emerges and puts on makeup in front of a mirror… Yet it isn’t split personality; both personalities are independent and real. Do you understand?”
Doctor Li hesitated, then nodded. “You mean two different souls inhabit the same body?”
Lin Qiye: “……”
Seeing Lin Qiye’s odd expression, Doctor Li grew puzzled. “Not what you meant? Did I misunderstand?”
“…No, you understood… only too well.” Lin Qiye managed after a long pause.
He’d twisted his wording to make the unscientific sound scientific—yet Doctor Li hit the bull’s-eye in one shot. Top psychiatrist indeed…
“Anyway, that’s the situation.” Lin Qiye went on. “To cure it without harming either soul, what could be done?”
Doctor Li fell thoughtful. “Do the two souls reject each other?”
“No.”
“Are they aware of each other?”
“The male doesn’t; the female does.”
“Have they ever intersected before?”
“They were husband and wife.”
“Besides the personality switch, any other symptoms? Anxiety, severe conflict, disorganized thoughts, hallucinations?”
“None.”
Doctor Li was silent a moment, then spoke slowly. “I see… From a purely modern-medical viewpoint it’s hard to explain; this isn’t really a disease but something closer to the mystical side. Conventional psychiatric treatment won’t work; we’d need unconventional methods…”