Aqing jumped down from the donkey’s back, then ran towards Chen Changsheng.

An Long shouted, seeming to tell her to slow down.

Yan Huanglou saw the girl running fast towards them and couldn’t help but glance at Chen Changsheng. He asked, “Do you like young girls?”

Chen Changsheng coughed and said, “I just know her. You’re thinking too much.”

Yan Huanglou shook his head; he didn’t believe it anyway.

Aqing ran up to Chen Changsheng. She panted for breath and said, “Changsheng, look!”

She took out a bamboo tube from her waist and lifted the lid. Inside, over ten bugs were being kept.

Some were already motionless, seemingly dead.

Others were gnawed on half, leaving only half of a corpse.

The most noticeable one was the green mantis, sharpening its claws, as if enjoying a nap after eating.

Yan Huanglou couldn’t help but frown.

Chen Changsheng paused after seeing this and asked, “Did you raise them?”

Aqing said, “Her name is Xiao Qing, like me.”

As she spoke, Aqing made some chirping sounds.

Right away, the mantis in the bamboo tube raised its head, lifted its claws, and looked at her. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“She, very good,” Aqing said, still speaking awkwardly.

Chen Changsheng cleared his throat lightly and asked, “What about these beside?”

Nearby, there were a few bugs barely alive.

Surprisingly, the girl said, “Eat. Xiao Qing eat.”

Yan Huanglou’s mouth corner twitched, and he couldn’t help but look at Chen Changsheng.

An Long walked over, leading the donkey cart.

“Changsheng,” he said.

Chen Changsheng called out, “Brother An Long.”

An Long looked at Aqing and said, “Little sister, put that away. Don’t scare Changsheng.”

Aqing said, “Xiao Qing, not scary.”

An Long glared at her. Only then did Aqing close the lid, feeling awkward.

Chen Changsheng laughed and said, “It’s just a few small bugs. No harm.”

The few people entered the tea stall.

Chen Changsheng asked Yan Huanglou to bring two more cups of tea.

An Long walked to Chen Changsheng’s side and whispered softly, “Little sister is always playing with these bugs now. Changsheng, you must help me convince her to stop.”

Chen Changsheng heard this and nodded. “Rest assured,” he said.

The few people sat down.

Aqing held the bamboo tube in her arms, glancing at it now and then.

Seeing her so fascinated, Chen Changsheng asked, “Can Xiao Qing understand your talk?”

Aqing nodded. “Understands. I call her, she looks at me.”

“That is quite impressive,” Chen Changsheng said with a laugh.

Aqing nodded. “Yes, impressive. Xiao Qing impressive.”

Aqing got more interested and said, “Xiao Qing can eat.”

“But with so many bugs in the tube, she might not eat them all,” Chen Changsheng said.

Aqing blinked. “Some not for eating.”

“Hmm?” Chen Changsheng responded.

“They, all Xiao Qing’s, all Xiao Qing’s …” Aqing paused, then said, “Ah, beaten enemies!”

“Should be ‘beaten enemies’,” An Long corrected.

“Uh huh,” Aqing nodded.

Chen Changsheng heard this and frowned slightly.

Yan Huanglou, who had just served the tea, heard this and suddenly felt uneasy. But he said nothing.

An Long noticed Chen Changsheng not speaking and asked, “What’s wrong, Changsheng?”

Chen Changsheng thought for a bit and said, “Brother An Long, why not step aside for a while? I want to ask Miss Aqing alone.”

An Long froze. “Is …” he started, then stopped. After thinking, he said, “Fine.”

So An Long told Aqing, “Little sister, just talk to Changsheng here. I’ll be over there for a bit.”

Aqing nodded blankly and agreed. “Okay.”

An Long stood up, led the donkey cart to a spot not far away, and set up stall.

Chen Changsheng saw Aqing touching Xiao Qing now and then and asked, “Does she not bite you?”

“At first, she did,” Aqing said. “Now, doesn’t bite.”

Chen Changsheng then asked again, “Earlier, you said the other bugs in there are all her beaten ones?”

“Um,” Aqing nodded. “Xiao Qing is the strongest!”

“I caught, many,” she added.

Chen Changsheng frowned and asked, “Many what?”

“Bugs.”

Aqing said, “I caught …”

She raised her hand to count but couldn’t figure it out. So she said, “Twenty or so, put inside here.”

There were over twenty bugs, all placed inside the same bamboo tube.

“Xiao Qing beat them all down,” Aqing continued. “Many, lost ones, many eaten by Xiao Qing.”

Aqing laughed. “Isn’t it awesome?”

Yan Huanglou, nearby, heard this talk and couldn’t help his eyelids tremble.

The girl looked very cute, but her words were shocking.

Yan Huanglou felt scared inside. Could this be something a little girl did?

Even though they were just bugs, this act was truly creepy.

Yan Huanglou looked at Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng looked back at him.

Both frowned, knowing this girl had problems.

Chen Changsheng asked, “Aqing, can you tell me why you did this?”

Aqing said, “Only the strongest one can protect Aqing and protect dad.”

Chen Changsheng said, “But have you thought, Aqing, about those bugs that lost? Do they deserve to be eaten?”

Aqing thought about this.

After a long time, she said, “But, many beaten by Xiao Qing, no hands or feet. Let go, won’t live long. So better …”

Chen Changsheng said, “In fact, Aqing, you are very skilled. The Gu Insect Art works just like this: under medicine effects, bugs fight each other, and the last one is the gu.”

Yan Huanglou heard this and froze. Very skilled?

Aqing said, “Then, is Xiao Qing a gu?”

“Yes,” Chen Changsheng nodded, but his voice changed. “But Aqing, do you know this Gu Insect Art is hated by everyone?”

“All things have spirit, bugs and people too. Have you thought, Aqing, if it weren’t bugs in the tube, but people?”

Aqing heard this and froze, thinking but not knowing how to reply.

Chen Changsheng said, “In that bamboo tube, they kill and eat each other to survive. After you caught them, their lives are in your hands.”

“Playing with their lives like this is never something a good person would do.”

Aqing blinked and asked, “What is a good person?”

“Like all these people,” Chen Changsheng pointed to the crowd on the street. “Every person in the world has kindness inside. Even the worst person has a little mercy. Just like Aqing wanting to raise gu to protect dad—that is filial piety, but the way is wrong.”

“Bugs’ lives are weak. You could crush them with one hand. But they are alive, like Aqing. They have loved ones too. Hurting them for your goal—”

“This is not good.”