Chapter Nineteen: Chen Hao

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As night deepened, the number of pedestrians dwindled; people had long since retreated to the warmth of their homes. Qingshui Street, at this hour, felt especially cold and desolate.

Fang You kept watch at the entrance to Qingshui Street. The exit had already been sealed off during the day by Zhou Shen and his team under some pretext; now, anyone wishing to leave could only use this single entrance.

Fang You had cleverly scattered many rock candies at the entrance. He knew well that insects were most attracted to sweet foods. According to his deduction, the culprit controlling the poisonous insects was certainly a novice. As for the advanced techniques—like the Golden Silkworm Gu, the Personal Gu, or the Life Gu—such profound skills were surely beyond the perpetrator’s reach. At most, the person could command insects using objects, unlike the masters of Miao Gu who could direct their insects with mere thought, their minds one with the spirit of their Gu—at that level, nothing trivial could distract the creatures.

But this beginner, at present, could only lure and control the insects with simple items.

Zhang Shengnan crouched nervously beside Fang You, her eyes fixed on the entrance. Her mentor, Zhou Shen, disguised in plainclothes, circled the area, carefully observing his surroundings.

“Hey, little Taoist, are you sure you can handle this? If the suspect gets away, I won’t let you off easily!” Zhang Shengnan muttered, clearly uneasy.

“If your mentor knew you were still this rude, he’d surely scold you,” Fang You replied, glancing at the petite detective of the Ninth Division of the Special Cases Unit. In truth, Zhang Shengnan was quite attractive—tall, slender, with long legs. Her police uniform gave her the air of a cosplayer, making her seem like a delicate girl, utterly lacking any trace of the usual police gravitas.

“What are you looking at? Careful, or I’ll drag you to the station for a night or two!” Zhang Shengnan teased, her careless demeanor betraying no sign of concern for the looming danger. Zhou Shen had been right—if she ever faced a criminal, she’d likely just end up a casualty.

Suddenly, a faint, foul odor drifted in from the entrance—reminiscent of insect droppings from childhood play—instantly putting Fang You on alert. “It’s coming,” he murmured.

A young man, scholarly in appearance, approached the entrance, visibly anxious, glancing about nervously. He wore glasses and clutched two textbooks in his hands, resembling nothing so much as a teacher.

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“Mr. Chen, where are you headed so late at night?” Zhou Shen, spotting the emerging teacher, smiled and greeted him.

Mr. Chen was a well-known homeroom teacher at the local school on Qingshui Street, deeply caring and highly respected among the children and their parents.

“Zhou Shen’s child is in Mr. Chen Hao’s class. He’s a good man—almost thirty, and still not married. Do you think he might be... you know?” Zhang Shengnan whispered indiscreetly from her spot by the wall.

“When will you ever grow up, Zhang Shengnan? Who knows, your own child might end up in Mr. Chen’s care someday. But then, you’re still just a child yourself,” Zhou Shen sighed helplessly.

“Whatever! I’m not getting married anyway—no one is good enough for me!” Zhang Shengnan’s father was the city’s mayor, but she carried herself with no airs, her brash nature lending her an unexpected charm—one would never guess her illustrious background.

“Oh, I’m just making a home visit to one of my students. He’s been struggling academically, and his parents are often away. I worry about him, so I feel it’s my duty to check in,” Chen Hao replied, adjusting his glasses, his gentle and courteous manner the very portrait of a dedicated teacher.

Suddenly, a few black insects crawled out from the right pocket of Chen Hao’s jacket. They crept along his clothes and dropped to the ground, making their way toward the scattered candies.

Fang You tensed, observing the scene. “It seems Mr. Chen is truly devoted to his students,” he remarked, stepping out from the shadows.

“And this is...?” Chen Hao asked, momentarily startled by Fang You’s sudden appearance, instinctively stepping back.

“This is Fang You, our newly appointed special consultant for the Special Cases Unit. We get all sorts of unexplainable cases, so it helps to have someone with his skills around,” Zhang Shengnan explained, glancing at Fang You.

Fang You felt a little speechless—when had he ever agreed to be their consultant? Was this something they could just decide on a whim?

“In that case, I’ll be on my way,” Mr. Chen said quietly.

“Of course, Mr. Chen. Thank you for your dedication to our students,” Zhou Shen replied politely.

“Take care,” Mr. Chen said with a gentle smile.

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“Wait a moment!” Fang You called after Chen Hao. “Mr. Chen, is there something in your right pocket? It seems to be attracting insects.”

At this, Zhou Shen finally noticed the cluster of black insects swarming near the right pocket—not burrowing inside, but crawling out.

Recalling Fang You’s carefully laid plan from earlier, Zhou Shen was startled. Could these insects really be lured by sugar? Or was it possible that Mr. Chen was, in fact, raising Gu insects?

“How frightening!” Zhang Shengnan exclaimed, hiding behind Fang You.

Chen Hao, noticing the situation, calmly adjusted his glasses.

“Mr. Chen, what is this about?” Zhou Shen, though reluctant to believe ill of the teacher, instinctively reached for his pistol.

“So, you’ve figured it out?” In an instant, Chen Hao was covered in black insects. Concealment was now impossible, but he made no attempt to deny it.

“You’re an upstanding teacher—why do something like this?” Fang You asked bluntly.

“Yes, I am a teacher—for now, at least,” Chen Hao replied, smiling faintly at Fang You. “The moment you approached, I could smell the strong scent of yellow talismans and cinnabar on you. I guessed who you were almost immediately.”

“Then why didn’t you try to escape?” Fang You pressed.

“Why should I run?” Chen Hao replied calmly. “True, I’ve killed, but it was an open and honest act of vengeance. I have nothing to hide. They owed me, and I was right to take revenge.”