Chapter Sixteen: The Death of the Insect

“Name!”
“Fang You!”
“Age!”
“Twenty-three!”
“What’s your zodiac sign?”
“Ah... that...!”
“Hehe, just kidding!”
At that moment, Fang You and Zhang Shengnan were giving their statements to the side.

“So you came in and saw this young woman passed out inside, and out of kindness, you went in to help, is that right?” Zhang Shengnan asked as she jotted notes in her notebook.

“Yes. In Taoism, helping others brings joy; kindness is fundamental. If I see someone faint, I willingly step forward to check their condition.”

“By the way, I have a small question. I know monks aren’t allowed to marry, but can Taoist priests marry? Can they drink and eat meat?” Zhang Shengnan asked curiously, as though she’d stumbled upon a new continent.

“Ah... well!” Fang You thought for a moment before replying, “There are several types of Taoist priests: some are pure, fully ordained priests; some are semi-ordained; and some are internal cultivators.”

“The pure, fully ordained priests are much like Buddhist monks: no alcohol, no meat, abstaining from all desires, dedicating themselves solely to cultivation.”

“Semi-ordained priests live ordinary lives among the people, but also practice Taoist arts—a kind of half-cultivation.”

“As for internal cultivators, they don’t abstain from meat or worldly pleasures; their focus is entirely on internal cultivation. If the heart is born from the Tao and the Tao resides in the heart, then the Tao is everywhere within. ‘Wine and meat may pass through the intestines, but the Buddha remains in the heart.’ If you uphold the Tao in your heart, what difference does it make whether you swallow wine, meat, or vegetables?”

“Wow, that sounds so profound—so impressive!” Zhang Shengnan couldn’t help but chat casually with Fang You.

“Are you done with the statement yet? You’re always distracted. If your father weren’t the mayor of the northern district, you wouldn’t have been assigned to the Special Investigation Division for Supernatural Cases!” Zhou Shen looked at his apprentice Zhang Shengnan’s careless manner and sighed.

“But everyone knows that the closer a group is to the front, the more elite it is. The first and second teams, I won’t even mention. So why am I stuck in the ninth team, the most backward group? It’s just logistics, never touching any major cases!” Zhang Shengnan complained with some annoyance.

“What big cases do you want to be involved in, anyway? Sigh, someone like you would just get yourself hurt facing criminals. You should stay in the ninth team and develop for now. Maybe you’ll get a chance to rise later!” Zhou Shen spoke as the medics he’d just called arrived and entered Lin Xue’s room.

The medical staff checked Lin Xue’s condition briefly, then quickly lifted her onto a stretcher and took her to the ambulance.

“What, are you telling me to stay low and not take risks?” After the medics left, Zhang Shengnan started to argue again.

“I’m not asking you to carry the whole team—just don’t get yourself hurt, or I won’t be able to answer to your mayor father!” Zhou Shen said helplessly.

“Can I leave now?” Fang You asked again.

“Ah, well!” Zhou Shen hesitated, then said, “It’s best to wait until the girl in that room wakes up. Right now, we only have your word, and without proof, I don’t know what really happened. If there are no issues, you’ll need to stay at the police station for a day or two.”

“Ah... this!” Fang You hadn’t expected to one day be taken to the station by the police. But faced with this situation, he could only accept it. No matter how strong his Taoist arts were, they couldn’t be used against the police.

“Let’s go then, Taoist master.”

With no choice, Fang You followed the two officers into the police car, heading toward the station.

On the way, Fang You chatted briefly with them and discovered that the female officer, Zhang Shengnan, had just graduated from the academy and her father was the mayor of the northern part of the city.

A young woman in her prime, instead of traveling and enjoying life, had chosen the arduous path of a police officer—quite puzzling. But according to Zhou Shen, the Supernatural Cases Division specialized in investigating strange or inexplicable incidents, and they often consulted people versed in esoteric arts.

Zhou Shen himself had been a police officer for over twenty years. As he explained, the closer a team was to the front, the more elite its members and the bigger the cases they handled. Teams further back were made up of rookies or those with less aptitude.

The ninth team was the last. Zhou Shen had been assigned to manage it together with the newcomer, Zhang Shengnan. But to outsiders, it simply meant Zhang Shengnan was placed in a safer department, a mere figurehead, while Zhou Shen was tasked with supervising her to prevent any trouble or danger.

Understanding the situation, Fang You wasn’t too nervous. As things stood, the ninth team consisted only of Zhou Shen and Zhang Shengnan, and their cases seemed limited to minor neighborhood disputes.

While Fang You and Zhou Shen chatted with Zhang Shengnan, suddenly someone dashed across the road. The person was covered in all sorts of insects, shouting loudly, “Help me! Someone’s trying to kill me!”

Zhou Shen quickly stopped the car. The insect-covered person rushed toward the police car but collapsed to the ground just in front of it, a foul stench emanating from his body.

“What is that? So scary!” Zhang Shengnan immediately hid behind Fang You. Moments ago, she’d boasted about becoming a top police officer and joining the first team, but now fear had reduced her to a timid girl.

“Call an ambulance!” Zhou Shen quickly dialed for emergency services. Fang You wanted to go check, but his legs wouldn’t move.

Fang You said helplessly, “Miss, could you please get off me?”

It turned out that the once bold Zhang Shengnan was now clinging to Fang You like a turtle, her legs wrapped tightly around his.

“Don’t tease me, I was just too nervous!” Zhang Shengnan tried to calm herself, but the crawling insects still made her afraid to step down.

Fang You had no choice but to move to an open area, and only then did Zhang Shengnan dare to let go.

“I just didn’t want my new shoes to get dirty, that’s why I wouldn’t get off. Don’t get the wrong idea—got it?” Zhang Shengnan said, still shaken but forcing herself to sound brave.

“Yes, yes!” Fang You had no time to argue and turned toward the man lying on the ground, whose body was still swarmed by insects.

“These insects look familiar somehow...”