Chapter 53: Love Gu

The room was crawling with praying mantises.

A chill ran through me. The saying “a woman’s heart is as deep as the ocean” is never wrong. I watched for a moment and said, “The female mantis eats the male after mating. Looks like the males couldn’t take it and are making a run for it.”

Chen Tutu cut in coldly, “It’s female mantis and male mantis, not ‘mother’ and ‘father’ mantis. Did your junior high biology teacher teach politics instead?”

Shen Yihu looked at Chen Tutu. “Isn’t it the same thing? Like rooster and cock?”

Chen Tutu’s face darkened. “Your Chinese teacher must’ve taught you that.”

Xu Guangsheng and the property manager were blocked outside, standing on tiptoes to peer in.

Before entering, Shen Yihu called for two more officers to come up, bringing plenty of bags.

Chen Tutu, Shen Yihu, and I put on transparent white gloves. I went in first, saying, “Be careful. There might be gu insects inside. Don’t get poisoned.”

Chen Tutu laughed, “Nonsense. That’s all superstition. Gu insects? From a modern medical perspective, it’s just pathogens and microbes causing toxic symptoms.”

I chuckled, “Don’t be so sure, Forensic Chen. Even if you identify the pathogen, you can’t cure it. Ever heard of love gu or golden silkworm gu? They’re said to be the deadliest poisons from Miaojiang. The love gu, especially—raised with a Miao girl’s heart-blood for ten years. If her lover drinks it and betrays her, he’ll feel ten thousand arrows piercing his heart, ten thousand insects tearing at him, worse than the eighteen hells. He’ll suffer for seven times seven days, bleed from all orifices, and die with a hole bitten through his chest. The girl herself can’t survive either. Truly incurable, utterly ruthless.”

Chen Tutu glanced at me. “Sounds great. If every man drank love gu before marriage, there’d be no divorces, affairs, or mistresses.”

I thought, Good thing no one’s marrying you.

Sun Junliu’s room was sparse. The walls were bare, the bedroom held only a few clothes—she clearly didn’t live here often.

The curtains were drawn, and the living room air carried a complex smell of herbs and dead insects.

On the coffee table, various jars were scattered—some sealed, some open. Ants, spiders, and other grotesque critters crawled out. There were dried centipedes, likely bought from a pharmacy.

In the center of the jars stood a tall ceramic pot, wrapped with five or six black iron wires and red threads, obscuring its contents.

A crack in the pot’s lid revealed a green mantis leaping out.

Xu Guangsheng and the property manager dodged in a hurry.

“It’s committing suicide again,” Xu Guangsheng muttered, trembling uncontrollably.

I said, “Forensic Chen, didn’t you say you don’t believe in this? Go check what’s in the pot and let me know.” Chen Tutu smirked, “What’s to fear? I’ll take a look.”

She set down her case, sauntered over with cat-like steps, and reached for a dangling red thread. I instantly regretted my words, forgetting Chen Tutu’s personality—the more you challenge her, the more she’ll do it.

What if a venomous mantis jumped out and bit her, leaving her swollen? What if she demanded I marry her? As the red thread swayed in the breeze, I shouted, “Careful, Forensic Chen!” I pulled her back, tackling her to the ground, my body pressing against hers.

Chen Tutu’s eyes widened, but there was no tearful gratitude like a normal girl. Of course, she wasn’t normal.

She tried to slap me, but I pinned her hands. Just then, the arriving officers walked in, gaping at Chen Tutu pinned to the floor, stunned.

“Who’s this guy? He’s got some guts.”

Shen Yihu stepped forward, inspecting the ceramic pot. “Nothing here. Master Xiao, don’t be so lecherous, taking advantage like that.”

I stood, embarrassed, and apologized. “I overreacted.” Chen Tutu got up as if nothing happened, brushed the dust off her back, and soon found a piece of paper under the table. The neat, forceful handwriting suggested Sun Junliu wasn’t a vain girl.

The paper detailed how to raise a mantis gu: Step one, find a fierce female mantis and pair it with male cockroaches, feeding it centipedes and venomous ants. It listed a dozen steps, requiring bizarre ingredients, specific environments, and nurturing the gu in the hatred of the person raising it.

That explained why so many male mantises were escaping—they couldn’t handle the female in the pot. Shen Yihu grabbed a bag, packed the large ceramic pot, and noted it could be used to interrogate Sun Junliu about why she was raising gu.

Next to Sun Junliu’s red high heels, we found a pile of white powder shaped like a large female mantis. I crouched to examine it for ten minutes. The two officers crouched too, curious about what I was looking at.

After another five minutes, one couldn’t hold back. “What are you looking at?”

I said, “I’m seeing how long you’d crouch with me.”

The officers’ faces darkened.

Shen Yihu asked, “See anything?” I said, “I figured it out. Last night, the female mantis in the pot likely saved Sun Junliu’s life. It exhausted its energy and turned to ash. Otherwise, that dump truck would’ve killed her.”

Shen Yihu nodded. “The room has few clothes, shoes, and no TV or decorations. She probably rented this place just to raise gu. It didn’t serve its purpose but saved her life.”

Shen Yihu and Chen Tutu hoped to find clues to track down Sun Junliu’s sponsor and the ultimate culprit. But all they got were jars—nothing else.

The property manager was the most upset. After last month’s cement barrel corpse case and this month’s three deaths and injuries at the entrance, he’d need to raise security guards’ pay or they’d refuse night patrols. Maybe it was time to hire a Feng Shui master.

Leaving Sun Junliu’s room, Chen Tutu called out with a smile, “Xiao Qi, I’ve got something to say.” Wary of a trick, I kept my distance. “If you’ve got something to say, come closer.”

She laughed, “I won’t eat you. Gao Mo asked me to tell you her cousin graduated college this year and is single.”

I thought, Has Chen Tutu changed? Standing too far felt rude, so I stepped closer. She grinned triumphantly, “Xiao Qi, you jerk!” She grabbed my arms, raised her right knee, and slammed it into my groin.

Vicious. Too vicious. A woman’s heart is the deadliest poison…

Clutching myself, I couldn’t speak, squatting in place until everyone left. Barely able to move, I hobbled downstairs. The property manager waited, nervously asking, “Master, what happens if you’re hit by mantis gu? Does it… make you numb down there?” I laughed, “That’s from overuse, not mantis gu…”

From the seventh floor to the fourth, I got home. Xie Lingyu saw my scratched arm and pale face and asked what happened.

Still in pain below, I couldn’t tell her directly. I recounted how Sun Junliu, Ma Shuangxi, and two thugs drank, killed, and crashed, leading to severe injuries. Then, at Sun Junliu’s place, we found mantis gu.

Xie Lingyu said, “From what you’ve said, she’s pitiful. She doesn’t even know which mistress she is, and she’s being hunted. Likely some official’s concubine who held evidence to climb higher but was abandoned. Her life’s worth less than an ant’s.”

I sighed, “The real pity is Ma Shuangxi, losing his life for nothing.”

Xie Lingyu said, “Let’s see if the police can find who’s behind it. Maybe it’ll comfort Ma Shuangxi’s soul.”

I replied, “That’s the police’s job. We shouldn’t worry too much.” Changing the subject, I said, “That white Lycoris from last night was fake. Xie Lingyu… I didn’t want to bring it up, but after I mentioned it, you looked lost and went back to your room.”

She looked at me. “I know what you mean. You’re saying if we can’t find the Lycoris, staying in Jiang City isn’t good, and you want to search for the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart. Heh… we have no contract. If you want to leave, I can’t stop you. Why tell me?”

I asked, “Why not come with me? See the mountains and rivers, don’t keep your troubles bottled up.”

Xie Lingyu flared up. “Who’s troubled? I’m happy every day! Who do you think you are? What right do you have to meddle? What are we to each other?”

Fuming, I snorted, “Right, we’re nothing to each other. Never were!” I turned, slammed the door, and stormed out.

Behind me, Jianjian barked angrily, “Come back! Who’s gonna cook for us tonight?”

At the neighborhood entrance, reporters swarmed. Surprisingly, the police invited them to a hotel with a broken wall for dinner, handing out red envelopes and promising an investigation report later. A cordon kept reporters out, and security guards were under a gag order. The other entrance was opened, and the accident site was temporarily closed.

My heart felt uneasy, like the story was just beginning. So many things happen in this world—what do they have to do with me?

On the street, a cart held two disabled children with twisted limbs, covered in dirty cotton blankets, a tin box beside them. Passersby occasionally tossed coins. Not far off, a pair of sinister eyes watched the kids, bought for five thousand yuan. In his free time, he smoked leisurely, pulled out his pricey new iPhone, and sent lewd messages to nearby girls.

Who cares about those kids’ fates? Sun Junliu, Ma Shuangxi—it’s all their own destiny.

And who’s there to help with mine?

All I could think was, if Xie Lingyu wasn’t lying, the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart is in the Yunnan-Tibet region. I have to go there.

I wondered, have I fallen under a love gu? In this vast world, who hasn’t been poisoned by love?