Chapter Twenty-One: Catching the Culprit

"Your time is up. Surrender quietly, and at least you’ll retain some dignity when you leave with us!" Zhou Shen once again aimed his pistol at Chen Hao, wary that this teacher might still harbor ill intentions.

Yet Chen Hao burst into laughter. "Though I can no longer pursue my revenge, and it seems I won’t escape today, little Taoist, you’re quite something. But to have killed the landlord who humiliated my girlfriend in public—my life is enough."

Now that the gu worms were gone, Chen Hao had lost his power to resist. Fang You approached him slowly. "The cycle of heaven is relentless; fate is unpredictable. Evil begets evil—why persist in this path?"

"Heaven’s justice? I couldn’t wait for heaven to punish them. I…!"

Suddenly, as Chen Hao spoke, a scream echoed from the entrance of Qingshui Street. They turned to see a little girl holding a lollipop, terror in her eyes as she stared around. All about her crawled countless black gu worms, now uncontrollable under the influence of camphor powder, ready to attack.

"Jiajia!"

Seeing the girl, Chen Hao couldn’t help but cry out.

"Mr. Chen, my mom saw you at the door and told me to ask if you’ve eaten tonight. If you haven’t, you’re welcome for dinner at our house. And what are these things? Such terrifying bugs!"

"This is bad. At this rate…" Zhang Shengnan’s usually calm face now showed rare alarm, as if an irreversible disaster loomed.

"Chen Hao, do you have any other way to control these gu worms?" Fang You’s voice betrayed panic. He had only thought of disturbing the worms’ minds to subdue the master, never imagining such consequences. He had only read about gu techniques in the ancient texts of Qimen Dunjia, never having truly studied them.

"Jiajia, run!" As a homeroom teacher for years, Chen Hao could not stand by while his own gu worms threatened his student. He dashed forward without hesitation.

"It hurts!" The girl—Jiajia—cried out, tears brimming in her eyes as a worm bit her deeply.

"Don’t be afraid, Jiajia. Teacher is here!" Chen Hao rushed over, scooping her from the ground and holding her close. The berserk gu worms, deprived of their original target, now turned their frenzied attacks upon Chen Hao.

Having studied the craft for less than a year, Chen Hao could think of no way to control the swarm. He simply endured the onslaught, standing firm, holding Jiajia high to shield her from the voracious insects.

"Fire Talisman! Daoist Fire!" In desperation, Fang You cast a fire talisman. As it struck the earth, flames burst forth. Fortunately, these worms were newly bred and not yet immune to fire and water like their deadlier kin.

Faced with the flames, the gu worms scattered like ordinary insects.

But Chen Hao suffered terribly—bitten by worms, then scorched by fire. Never robust to begin with, his body collapsed, still clutching the terrified, sobbing Jiajia.

"Call an ambulance!" Zhou Shen shouted to Zhang Shengnan as he rushed to Chen Hao’s side.

Fang You hurried over and rolled up Chen Hao’s trouser legs. The sight was ghastly—his feet nearly half-devoured by the worms, now charred and blackened by fire, little left but mangled flesh.

"Is Jiajia alright?" Chen Hao’s consciousness faded, but his concern for the girl remained.

"She’s fine, everything is alright." Zhou Shen took Jiajia in his arms, unable to meet the eyes of this once-respected teacher, now brought low by a single mistake.

After examining Chen Hao’s wounds, Fang You sighed. "I’m afraid his legs can’t be saved."

Prompted by Zhang Shengnan’s police badge, the ambulance soon arrived. As the medics lifted him onto the stretcher, Chen Hao gazed longingly at the hospital standing in Qingshui Street. "Goodbye, children."

Zhou Shen’s mind was heavy with emotion. His child’s homeroom teacher, respected by all, had lost everything for a single mistake. Resentment is like a sprouting vine—if unchecked, it can grow rampant, seize control of the heart, and drive a man to lifelong regret.

With these matters settled, Fang You took his leave. "Now that this is resolved, I must go. There are still things I must do."

Zhou Shen turned, still cradling the shaken and tearful Jiajia. He spoke earnestly to Fang You. "I’ve been in the Supernatural Cases Division a long time. I’ve seen too many young men with extraordinary skills go astray from greed or desire. Those with such powers must restrain their hearts more than ordinary people."

"Rest assured, Captain Zhou. I, Fang You—"

But as Fang You began to promise, a memory flashed in his mind, stirring him.

It was that day in Lin Xue’s room. After driving out the malevolent spirit that haunted her, he’d looked down at the shapely Lin Xue lying on the bed. In that moment, desire sparked within him. If he hadn’t caught himself in time, he might have made a grave mistake. Now, reflecting on it, cold sweat broke out on his brow.

"It’s natural to have seven emotions and six desires. Don’t burden yourself with too much guilt. Restrain your heart as best you can and cultivate your Dao." Zhou Shen, noticing Fang You’s hesitation, seemed to understand yet chose not to say more—only advising him to nurture his character and guard his heart.

"I understand." Fang You looked at Zhou Shen, sensing that this man was no ordinary person. Perhaps it was just that he had encountered too many extraordinary folk and seen too much.

"Little Taoist Fang You, from now on you’re the official occult consultant for Supernatural Division Nine. I don’t care what you say—I’ve decided! If anything happens, I’ll come straight to you!" Zhang Shengnan announced with pride.

Fang You merely smiled. In his leisure, he had already cast a divination for this proud young policewoman. The hexagram had shown much danger in her fate, with a calamity soon to come.

Though divination was not his strongest skill—his senior brother Zhang Zhiheng was the true master—it was clear that their relationship had become adversarial. Still, from the Qimen Dunjia texts, Fang You had gleaned some understanding.

Clever as he was, Fang You had grasped the essentials, but as he looked at the earnest young officer, he could only smile wryly. Destiny is unalterable, not in the hands of man. He could protect her for a time, but not for a lifetime. Fortune or misfortune—she would have to face it herself.

With that, Fang You turned to leave. Behind him, Zhang Shengnan called out warmly, "Little Taoist, I’ll remember your name—Fang You!"

"Until we meet again!"