Chapter Seventeen: Commanding the Insects

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"This man appears to have been killed by insects, but why would he have attracted so many of them?" Zhou Shen gazed at the corpse of the man on the ground. He had just reached out to check the man's breathing, but it was already clear—the man had long since stopped breathing.

At that moment, the ambulance arrived. Zhou Shen simply raised his hand. "Hand this man over to Forensic Examiner Sister Ai Yue from the Spirit Case Unit!"

"Judging by the look of these insects, they seem to be Gu worms from Miaojiang!" At last, Fang You recalled the origin of these black insects and realized they were the same kind used by the master from his uncle's paper effigy shop.

"Gu worms?" Zhou Shen turned to Fang You, sensing that he might know something.

Fang You gazed thoughtfully at the dispersing insects on the ground. "In certain regions of Miaojiang, people make a living by raising insects. At first, the insects were used as medicine, or to cure diseases. But over generations, what began as folk remedies evolved into the Gu arts. The Gu clan of Miaojiang can command and drive insects at will. If I'm not mistaken, this is likely the work of a Gu master from Miaojiang."

"A Gu master?" Zhou Shen swallowed as he looked at the tortured expression on the dead man's face. "Then, sir, do you have any way of finding this Gu master?"

Fang You thought for a moment before replying, "My skills in this area are still shallow, but my uncle at the paper effigy shop might know a thing or two about such matters."

"Is that so? That's excellent!" Zhou Shen quickly handed over his business card and picked up his phone. "Let's exchange contact information. If you find any solution, please contact us immediately!"

"No problem. As a Taoist, doing good and helping others is my duty. If I can be of any help, I shall not shirk from it!" Fang You and Zhou Shen exchanged phone numbers as they spoke.

"Don't leave yet—if you go, what will we do about these insects?" The policewoman, Zhang Shengnan, who had overheard their conversation, realized that this young Taoist had some abilities and wanted to keep him around.

"Xiao Nan, mind your manners," Zhou Shen said with a hint of reproach.

"I have to return to the paper effigy shop. If I'm gone too long, my uncle will worry," Fang You said as he looked at his phone, which already showed several missed calls from his uncle, likely out of concern for his safety.

"I must hurry to the station to oversee this case, so I won’t see you off," Zhou Shen said politely, carrying himself with the air of a seasoned officer.

"That's alright. I'll grab a cab back," Fang You replied, about to turn and leave.

At that moment, Zhang Shengnan grabbed the corner of Fang You's shirt. "If you find a solution, call us right away. Let me be clear, it's not that I'm afraid—police and public cooperation is the key to peace, right?"

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"If I find a way, you’ll be the first to know," Fang You said, then left.

Zhou Shen watched Fang You's departing figure, a faint, enigmatic smile playing at the corners of his lips. "He certainly has some ability."

When Fang You returned to the paper effigy shop, he saw his uncle deep in conversation with a mysterious visitor. His uncle's brow was furrowed, as if hesitating over some weighty matter.

"Uncle," Fang You called, about to recount the day’s events and ask about the origins of the Miaojiang Gu arts.

But his uncle looked at him with a meaningful gaze, then turned to the mysterious figure in black robes. "I understand. I'll go take a look at that old ghost and see how he's faring."

"I'm sorry to trouble you," the mysterious man said, standing and bowing respectfully. "I'm counting on you."

His uncle took a small sip from his cup and sighed. "I never thought that, with all of that old ghost’s skill, he could still fall victim to another."

"Then I’ll take my leave," said the visitor.

"Go on."

The mysterious man turned to leave. As he passed Fang You, their eyes met. The man wore a mask, but from his posture and movement, he seemed young and vigorous.

"Fang You, come here a moment," his uncle called, his expression heavy with sorrow and fatigue, as if burdened by grave news.

"Uncle, what’s wrong?" Fang You asked.

"My nephew, having returned from Mount Mao, you must know of the Fate of Five Calamities and Three Lacks," his uncle said, looking at him with both affection and helplessness.

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"Of course I know. Mount Mao Taoism peers into fate, calculates the balance of yin and yang, and discerns the matters of the dead. Yet every life has its cause and effect. Those who peer into the heavens and inquire after destiny often disrupt the order of karma and must suffer retribution."

"Thus, those who enter Mount Mao are fated to encounter one or two of the Five Calamities and Three Lacks. I accepted that long ago."

"Good, good," his uncle said, gratified by Fang You’s acceptance of his fate.

Yet, after the mysterious visitor had departed, his uncle’s face remained clouded with worry. He said gravely, "Since your birth, you have carried the fate of the Heaven's Calamity, doomed to bring misfortune to those close to you. Of the Five Calamities, you bear solitude; of the Three Lacks, you lack family. You are destined to a lifetime of loneliness, with neither children nor descendants, and when you die, not a soul will mourn your passing."

He sighed. "When you were born, your parents died; at three, your guardians died; at seven, your grandparents. With no other choice, we sent you to Mount Mao. Your fate was already marked by the Heaven's Calamity, so taking on the Five Calamities and Three Lacks was hardly a loss."

"Now, I suppose I am your only kin left in this world. But… ah!" His uncle hesitated, as if there was more he wished to say but could not bring himself to utter it.

"Uncle…"

"My nephew."

Fang You looked at his uncle, this middle-aged man who usually lounged around in shorts, now so uncharacteristically solemn.

"Do you remember that master from Miaojiang who came to the shop for help not long ago?" his uncle asked.

"I remember." Fang You recalled the master who had sent a message through insects a few days earlier, asking his uncle to keep an eye on his disciple who was studying forbidden Miaojiang arts, as well as a Gu master named He Bi'an.

"That old ghost is one of the elders of Miaojiang. The orthodox Gu faction has seven elders, each governing a region and overseeing the local Gu masters and their affairs."

"The He Bi'an he asked us to watch is also one of the seven elders, a master of poisonous Gu. But he broke the rules and stole the forbidden Gu manual, 'The Ten Thousand Gu Arts,' and for that, the entire Gu faction is hunting him."