Chapter 18: Suspicious Gu (3)

Logically, if illegal Gu poisoning is discovered, it should be reported to the police. 

But since the person involved is Zheng Bing, Shi Pengpeng decided to consult Xu Qiannian first.

Xu Qiannian looked exhausted and turned her head aside, saying, “Just handle it as it should be.”

She was good to her friends but not a saint. 

Given the situation, she wasn’t going to hold on to past sentiments.

At this moment, Bai Wanmu suddenly spoke: 

“Wait, I have something to ask her.”

Shi Pengpeng: “What?”

“Zheng Bing just said she bought the Bewildering Heart Gu online,” 

Bai Wanmu pondered.”I want to know who the seller is.”

Gu insects are highly dangerous and strictly controlled even in Bian Nan, making them hard to obtain. 

Yet Zheng Bing, who was far away in Xiluo, was able to buy them online—this was no small matter.

Bai Wanmu then mentioned that recently, due to turmoil in the neighboring country Mian, many telecom fraud criminals had fled from scam zones back to Bian Nan. 

During interrogations, authorities discovered cases of fraud involving Gu techniques. 

Some people were even producing fake Gu insects and selling them online.

“Fake Gu insects?” Shi Pengpeng felt something was off.

“But the one Zheng Bing used was real.”

“That’s the problem.” Bai Wanmu’s expression turned grim. 

If it were just counterfeits, that would be one thing—but the authorities had discovered that many real Gu insects had been mixed in.

Shi Pengpeng was slightly surprisedand said:

“Could there be a Grass Ghost Master involved?”

“Probably, but the specifics are unclear yet,” Bai Wanmu said. 

Gu insect proliferation was a major threat, so the authorities were highly concerned. 

Recently, they had been investigating many Grass Ghost Masters in Bian Nan. 

Bai Wanmu had also received a notice.

So when Zheng Bing mentioned buying Gu insects online, Bai Wanmu immediately thought of this case.

Shi Pengpeng understood the seriousness of the situation and said, 

“Alright, report it and see how they want to handle it.”

Bai Wanmu immediately made a phone call. 

The authorities in Bian Nan responded quickly, contacting their counterparts in Xiluo and sending someone over to take Zheng Bing away.

After dealing with Zheng Bing, Shi Pengpeng turned to look at  Xiao He.

Xiao He met her gaze and immediately bared two rows of sharp teeth, trying to curry favor: 

“Master, you saw everything—I’m innocent! Can you let me go?”

Shi Pengpeng smiled: “Sure.”

Xiao He was overjoyed, but then she added,

“I’ll let you go… with some ginger.”

 Xiao He: “!!!”

“No, Master!”  Xiao He burst into tears, lunging forward to hug her leg. 

“Even though we Water Tigers are wild animals, our skin is rough, our meat is tough, and we’re not tasty or nutritious at all!”

“Shut up.” Shi Pengpeng swung her fist and knocked him aside. 

She then slapped a talisman onto his mouth, smirking coldly, 

“Not so fast—first, return Qiannian’s phone.”

 Xiao He: !!!

 Xiao He regretted everything but had no choice.

Crying, he handed over all his savings—just a few thousand yuan—to Xu Qiannian.

Shi Pengpeng looked at  Xiao He’s original form and felt another headache coming on.

This Water Tiger Spirit hadn’t committed any major crimes, but he was scheming and untrustworthy. 

He definitely couldn’t be released, but dealing with him was tricky. 

Since he already had a Taoist-formed body, he couldn’t just be mailed back to school like other cases.

After thinking it over, she decided to ask her good friend for help.

SPP: [Jingjing, are you there?]

Shi Pengpeng withdrew a message: [Re-edit]

SPP: [Bro, are you there?]

A reply came quickly.

Yan Jing: [I saw it.]

Yan Jing: [Not here.]

SPP: [Bro, you are the most broad-minded man in the world. 🙏]

Yan Jing: […]

Yan Jing: [What do you want?]

Shi Pengpeng quickly typed, summarizing the situation. 

She knew Yan Jing had connections in the metaphysical world due to his special constitution. 

She hoped he could help get  Xiao He placed in a local temple.

Yan Jing: [How did you know I’m going to Qinglian Temple tomorrow?]

SPP: [Wow, what a coincidence~]

Yan Jing: [Is it really just a coincidence?]

Shi Pengpeng found his suspicion amusing.

SPP: [Bro, you’re being paranoid.]

Yan Jing: […]

After a minute, another message appeared—reluctantly.

Yan Jing: [I’ll pick you up at 8 AM tomorrow.]

SPP: [Yay! 🎉]

The next morning, Yan Jing parked his car near Shi Pengpeng’s neighborhood.

Soon, Shi Pengpeng emerged from an alley, dragging a short man with hunched shoulders.

Yan Jing’s car stood out in the run-down neighborhood. 

Shi Pengpeng immediately spotted it, opened the back door, shoved  Xiao He inside, then hopped into the front seat with a bright smile.

“Bro, thanks a lot!”

“It’s on the way,” Yan Jing said coolly. 

He glanced in the rearview mirror, somewhat skeptical. 

“That’s the monster?”

Shi Pengpeng nodded.

Yan Jing sighed in relief. 

He had mustered quite a bit of courage to agree to let a demon ride with them. 

“Looks quite human.”

Xiao He:

He was about to get mad!

Shi Pengpeng smiled warmly. 

“I figured you wouldn’t want to see his original form, so I made him transform.”

Yan Jing scoffed, “I wouldn’t care—”

“Oh.” Shi Pengpeng got the hint. 

She turned to  Xiao He and winked. 

“Kappa, show my brother your charm.”

“Got it!”  Xiao He, feeling disgruntled, opened his mouth wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and let out a terrifying roar.

Yan Jing: “!!!”

Sweat broke out on his back. 

With a deep breath, he said coldly, “It’s broad daylight. Be careful, or someone will see you.”

“You’re right,” Shi Pengpeng snickered, glancing at  Xiao He.

“Kappa, sit.”

Xiao He: “Whimper—”

He quickly shrank behind the driver’s seat, trying to be as invisible as possible.

Yan Jing: “…”

The Taoist priest was very young, looking no more than his early twenties, yet he held a high status in Qinglian Temple. 

He was the chief disciple of the temple master, Zhang Huai, and his name was Zhong Ziqing.

As they walked, Zhong Ziqing explained to Yan Jing, “My master recently went to Beijing for a meeting, so I’m temporarily in charge of the temple’s affairs. I hope Brother Yan won’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Yan Jing, who was quite familiar with Zhong Ziqing, responded:

“I naturally trust Brother Zhong.”

Zhong Ziqing then turned his attention to  Xiao He. 

Last night, he had already received Yan Jing’s message and understood the situation. 

Now, upon seeing  Xiao He in person, he confirmed that this was indeed a demon that had developed considerable power.

Upon learning that it was Shi Pengpeng who had subdued  Xiao He, Zhong Ziqing was quite surprised and immediately inquired about her teacher.

Shi Pengpeng stated her academic background, and Zhong Ziqing suddenly understoodand said:

“So, you’re a student from Liangyi Academy. No wonder.”

Liangyi Academy was not well-known among the general public but had a strong reputation within the industry.

However, Zhong Ziqing was a bit puzzled.

 “Then why didn’t you continue working in your field, Shi?”

As far as he knew, Liangyi Academy guaranteed job placements for all graduates. 

But from what he had heard, Shi Pengpeng seemed to be working at a small company—not exactly a promising career path.

“They downsized,” Shi Pengpeng said bitterly. 

“Maybe the economy hasn’t been doing too well these past two years…”

After hearing this, Zhong Ziqing hesitated for a moment before saying, “I have heard about the downsizing, but I don’t think it’s related to the economy.”

Shi Pengpeng: “Then what’s the reason?”

“It’s hard to say for now.” Zhong Ziqing shook his head. 

“I only know that there have been a lot of strange occurrences recently—not just within the metaphysical world but also involving some international cases. 

My master’s trip to Beijing is said to be related to this matter.”

Zhong Ziqing’s words were vague, clearly indicating that he couldn’t reveal too much. 

Seeing this, Shi Pengpeng wisely dropped the topic.

Zhong Ziqing then turned to Yan Jing and sighed, “Speaking of which, Brother Yan, you seem to have made great progress in your mindset lately.”

After all, Yan Jing used to be terrified of ghosts—he would panic even at the sight of a shadow.

Yet this time, he had personally allowed a demon to sit in his car and even escorted it to the temple. 

This kind of attitude shift was no small feat.

Yan Jing:

He glanced at Shi Pengpeng out of the corner of his eye, thinking that anyone who had witnessed this little exorcist punching the hell out of malevolent spirits would have a hard time fearing them anymore.

Thinking about it, he cleared his throat and said with a somber expression, 

“Maybe it’s because I’ve recently discovered something even scarier than ghosts.”

Zhong Ziqing: “?”

Strong Bro: “I am afraid of ghosts, but ghosts have never harmed me. I am not afraid of people, yet people have hurt me all over.”

Pengpeng: “So outdated” (delivers a beating).