Chapter 27

Chapter 27

In front of the Wang family ancestral grave, male and female ghosts stood in a row. The elderly Wang patriarch, head of the family, bowed his head, nervously clasping his hands in a gesture of pleading: "Yin emissary, please be merciful, do not report our Wang family to Lord Xie. This... this would be bad for our descendants."

If the yin emissary were to report this to the higher-ups, the Wang family would truly have no chance to rise again. Wouldn’t Wang Qiang curse at their graves next year? Would she really dig up the ancestral grave herself? That would be disastrous!

Lai Yin Chai was lightly counting the golden ingots, sneering: "According to these two ghosts, hasn’t your family already been cut off from descendants? Why do you still care about this?"

The barely alive Wang parents crawled on the ground, sobbing, "We won’t dare anymore, we really won’t!" They no longer dared to call their only daughter a sign of the family’s end. The recent "lesson of love" had made them deeply realize how unforgivably wrong their thinking was.

Lai Jun, a yin emissary from out of town, found it too troublesome to report through several layers. He didn’t have the patience for that, but that didn’t stop him from exploiting the little ghosts.

Lai Jun pointed to his lantern, which boldly declared "I, yin emissary, demand money," and barked, "Can’t you read? Need a reminder?"

The elderly Wang patriarch truly couldn’t read, but the other literate ghosts hurriedly handed over all the paper money and offerings they had gathered that night, despite the total being worth less than one of Wu Heng’s golden ingots. But the yin emissary wasn’t picky about the amount.

Lai Jun gleefully stuffed the loot into his pockets and made a quick exit.

The Ghost Festival was a good day; ghosts with families could receive money and food, while some fierce wandering ghosts would try to steal. It was up to the yin emissaries to maintain order and, incidentally, earn some extra income.

As Lai Yin Chai walked back towards Nan Nuo Village with his lantern, he suddenly noticed that the code number on his lantern had changed.

He had only recently become a yin emissary, presumably the newest one in town, with the regional code number 399. Now the code had changed to 352, indicating a promotion.

It was said that Lord Xie and Lord Fan’s lantern codes were both the national standard number one.

Lai Yin Chai reflected that seizing spirit money from wandering ghosts today likely didn’t count as merit. Unless—

He had just beaten up Wang Qiang’s parents!

This was merit practically handed to him by Wu Heng.

Thinking about his past actions towards the simple-minded Wu Heng, which weren’t exactly kind, Lai Yin Chai’s pale face showed a hint of discomfort. In death, karma mattered even more. Being promoted thanks to Wu Heng was... downright embarrassing!

He remembered that he hadn’t actually bullied the simple-minded Wu Heng back then. With only one clinic in the village, who would dare to offend the only grandson of the respected village doctor? Did they have a death wish?

He couldn’t explain why a voice kept urging him to take Wu Heng to the dry well east of the village. When Wu Heng fell and hit his head on the well’s edge, the nosy Zhou Yi saw it and tattled to the Village Chief, making everyone think he’d bullied a mentally challenged person.

It wasn’t really his fault, so he accepted the merit Wu Heng handed him!

Lai Yin Chai snorted and muttered, "Guess I owe you one."

*

After the ancestral grave incident, the girls were still spooked and begged Wu Heng not to leave yet.

Wu Heng mentioned, "Throw the medicinal talismans I had sent earlier into the bathwater; it will enhance the effect."

Wang Qiang had boiled the well water. She grabbed the talismans and her clothes, then headed to the bathroom to soak. The other girls stayed in the courtyard, chatting away.

Being high school seniors, the girls were naturally more concerned about next year’s gaokao and kept asking Wu Heng various questions.

Even on the Ghost Festival, sitting in the dark courtyard didn’t feel scary—there was plenty of laughter.

"Aim for universities in the west," Wu Heng said, studying the dorm leader’s face.

Then, looking at the other two girls, he added, "You two should go to the coast."

The dorm leader was puzzled about why she should go to the west for university. Seeing that Wu Heng didn’t elaborate, she curiously asked, "What about Wang Qiang?"

Wu Heng chuckled, "If nothing unexpected happens, she will go to a university in the north."

"Is she really a potential candidate for Tsinghua or Peking University? Her parents really messed up. If this messes with her head, the admissions offices of Tsinghua and Peking University might even want to dig up their graves."

"With such a brilliant daughter, these parents still wanted a son, even with such a smart daughter. I'm really speechless."

"Wu Heng indeed has some skills. He managed to handle it just through an internet connection. I thought he would have to visit the He Family and the Fan Family in person for an offline consultation."

If he can be lazy, he will. Just two stolen hell money notes can make a yin emissary work for him with gratitude. Why not?

As the most renowned shaman from ancient times, Wu Heng deeply understands one thing.

There are endless patients in this world, and he alone can't treat them all. Recruiting some helpers to solve the problems is also a good idea.

Whether it's Lai Yin Chai or Chen Zhao.

Wang Da Sao had no clue what was happening tonight. After eating dinner in the evening, she started feeling drowsy. After ordering her daughter-in-law to wash the dishes, she fell asleep on the sofa.

In her dream, she saw two familiar yet unfamiliar people. Familiar because they looked like Wang Dayong and his wife. Unfamiliar because they were beaten to a pulp, with no good spots left on their bodies.

Wang's dad choked out, "Wang Da Sao, we heard you're seeking a sex-changing pill?"

It really was Wang Dayong and his wife. Why are these two ghosts visiting her in a dream? Wang Da Sao felt uneasy and wanted to break free from the dream, but upon hearing about the sex-changing pill, she immediately became excited.

Do they know who has the sex-changing pill?

"Do you have it?"

Wang's mother wiped the blood off her face and said, "No, don't look for it. It doesn't exist."

Wang Da Sao felt displeased. These two ghosts didn't visit their own daughter in a dream but came to her to talk about this?

Do they think having a daughter is useless and want to seek help from her son, the first graduate student in the village?

Yeah, right!

Wang Da Sao had all sorts of thoughts, and then Wang Dayong and his wife dropped a bombshell.

"We found your son's thing and are returning it to you."

"You better get Dr. Wu to fix your son."

When Wang Da Sao saw the thing, she started cussing up a storm in her dream. As she cursed, she struggled and woke up. Upon waking, she found herself soaked in sweat, and there were two sets of black footprints at the entrance of the living room, leading to the sofa where she had been lying.

Wang Da Sao, thinking about the words in the dream, felt uneasy. This can't be happening. She's still counting on her son and daughter-in-law for another grandkid.

Wang Da Sao got up and walked out of the living room, only to see her son washing something at the sink in the courtyard. Upon closer inspection, it was a set of pink women's underwear. Her face fell, and she scolded, "You're a man. Why are you washing women's underwear? You're a graduate student. Is this something you should be doing? Did your wife put you up to this? I'm gonna call her and see what the hell is going on!"

The graduate student son was extremely annoyed. "I tried it on myself. Can't I wash my own clothes?"

Wang Da Sao stared at her son, shocked. What? Her son stole his wife's underwear and wore it?

What the... what the...

Wang Da Sao then remembered the dream from the couple and immediately sat down on the ground, slapping her knees and wailing, "My grandson, am I never gonna have a golden grandson?"

So, Wang Dayong and his wife took something from their daughter, and it was her son's?

At this moment, Wang Da Sao's world came crashing down.

Wang Da Sao wanted to rush to the Wang family's ancestral grave, but remembering it was the Ghost Festival, she had no choice but to run to Wang Qiang's place.

At this moment, Wang Qiang had just gotten out of the shower and was chatting and laughing with her roommate and Wu Heng online. When she saw Wang Da Sao rushing over in a rage, she was so scared she backed away.

Truth be told, her late parents were the ones who did wrong, so her family was at fault.

Wu Heng jumped in first: "Have you repeatedly boasted about your graduate student son to Wang Da Yong and cursed them to be childless?"

Wang Da Sao's face stiffened. So what if she did? She wasn’t lying, was she?

"You also used your son being a grad student and an intellectual as an excuse, and because Wang Qiang is a daughter who doesn’t count, you took half of the public land shared with Wang Da Yong's family?"

Wang Da Sao fell silent.

"What goes around comes around. The couple had their reasons for targeting your house."

There are tons of guys out there, so why did they specifically target Wang Da Sao's graduate student son? Their own bad behavior made them vengeful spirits, and that's why they sought out her family.

"I mean, guys are everywhere, so why pick on her family? When you cursed Wang Da Yong and his wife, you should have thought about the consequences."

"You can’t pin this on anyone else. It’s your own fault for doing something immoral."

"Old lady, you’re the reason your son’s ‘childless,’ don’t forget that."

"But that grad student’s really... unlucky, getting sterilized is just brutal."

The online trolls were merciless, their comments in the barrage getting harsher and harsher. Fortunately, the middle-aged woman didn't have time to watch the live stream now.

Wang Da Sao wailed and thrashed around on the ground, completely distraught.

"This can’t be happening! If it’s my fault, take it out on me, hit me, kill me! But I want a golden grandson, I want a grandson!"

"How much do you want? I’ll pay anything to fix my son."

The woman, once so full of herself, was now a complete wreck, kneeling on the ground and frantically kowtowing to Wu Heng over the phone, not caring even if her forehead bled. Wang Qiang and the other girls looked on with a mix of disdain and sympathy.

Wu Heng stared at the middle-aged woman, thinking she’d lost her mind. Her obsession with having descendants was scarier than anything from ancient times.

Wu Heng gave her a deadline and hung up: "Wait, I'll come to treat him within 24 hours."

To treat, according to Chen Zhao, a village doctor doesn’t pick and choose patients. Since there is an illness, why not treat it? It's just that after he treats them, the family’s grief is out of his hands.

Upon hearing this, Wang Da Sao got up from the ground and rushed back, deciding not to sleep for the next 24 hours, all for the sake of her future golden grandson!

Wu Heng checked the wall clock; it was just past eight in the evening, the time when ghosts are most rampant during the Ghost Festival.

You Jin called the landline at the medical hall, his voice muffled, like he was talking under a blanket: "Xiao Heng, go to bed early tonight, close up early. Just cover your head with the blanket and you won't be afraid of running into ghosts. By the way, Xiao Heng, do you know how to lock up the medical hall?"

Wu Heng felt that You Jin still treated him like a child and acknowledged the advice.

Tonight, every household in the village would close early and rest. Usually, Chengde Medical Hall closes at 10 PM, but tonight it could indeed close early.

A chilly breeze swept in from outside, and suddenly a clear and pleasant bell sound came from within the medical hall.

Wu Heng turned to look at the string of bells on the consultation table.

This was one of the two strings of bells offered to the Nuo Gong and Nuo Mu. Xi Xi had sniffed out that the other string was probably in Shi Xuan's hands, but he couldn't be bothered to ask for it.

Now, it rang.

One chime after another, echoing through the hall.

This wasn’t the wind carrying the sound of chimes, but—

Someone was shaking the bell.

He heard it.

The two bells offered to Nuo Gong and Nuo Mother had gained a spiritual connection, especially after his shamanic dance, they had started to resonate with each other.

Wu Heng took out his phone and opened the chat box with Shi Xuan. Since adding each other on WeChat, they hadn’t even said hello.

"Baby Heng Heng: ?"

Shi Xuan did not reply.

But the bell kept ringing, growing more frantic.

Wu Heng remained silent for a moment. He had originally agreed with Chen Zhao to head to the capital city tomorrow morning to treat the graduate student.

When Chen Zhao heard he wouldn’t have to bum a free ride to Nan Nuo Village and could even earn five thousand yuan, he was overjoyed, repeatedly saying yes and agreeing to follow the senior's arrangements.

Well... he might as well go treat the graduate student early. He would go to the capital city now.

Holding the ringing bell, Wu Heng quickly grabbed the wooden door of the medical hall, intending to lock up and close for the day, then head to the ancient well in the east of the village.

Several burly figures rushed over, one of them stepping quickly onto the steps and placing a hand on the wooden door that was about to close.

"Doctor Wu Heng, please check Xiao Li! He can’t breathe!" Wang Jun gasped, helping the officer on his back to sit down by the door of the medical hall.

They had carried the man down the mountain, rushing to the hospital, completely exhausted.

The young officer’s face turned pale, then red, his features twisted, unable to speak.

Wu Heng glanced at him and asked, "Did you go to the south of the mountain?"

Wang Jun was shocked—Wu Heng had nailed it. He quickly replied, "Yes, we heard a child crying and thought it might be a child who got separated from their family while visiting the graves in the mountains. We followed the sound but found nothing, and after coming down, Xiao Li became like this."

This situation should’ve been taken to the town hospital, but for some reason, they came to Chengde Medical Hall instead. They didn’t even stop by old lady Lai's house on the way.

The bell in his hand kept ringing in the wind. Wu Heng lowered his gaze to look at it.

A patient had arrived, and no matter who it was, he couldn’t turn them away now. Sorry, godfather.

Wu Heng had the officers bring the patient into the medical hall and immediately went to scoop a bowl of dark, murky medicinal soup from the medicine vat.

Wang Jun could see Xiao Li was in no state to drink anything, but Wu Heng asked, "Is anyone here born in the Year of the Rooster, during Wei hour?"

They thought for a moment, realizing Wei hour meant between 1 PM and 3 PM. Another young officer quickly raised his hand, saying he fit the description.

Wu Heng said, "Take a sip and spit it on his face."

Today’s the Ghost Festival, and people with weak astrological signs often run into ghosts. Shamans’ clinics like theirs usually brew a pot of medicinal soup ahead of time for situations like this.

If it’s not used, it’s poured on the plants the next day as fertilizer.

The officer did as Wu Heng instructed, taking a big gulp of the bitter medicinal soup and spitting it on Xiao Li's face.

Xiao Li let out a loud "Ah!" and started gasping for air, clutching his neck, finally catching his breath.

Wang Jun and the others stared at Wu Heng in amazement. This guy was the real deal—no wonder the higher-ups had come to give him a certificate.

Wu Heng smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just the effect of the herbs."

To a shaman, not only does ginseng have spiritual properties, but all herbs possess spirits, and their medicinal powers can be used to ward off evil. If the herbs' power isn't enough, then the shaman's own power comes into play.

Wang Jun patted Li Hao's back, and with his keen hearing, he suddenly looked at Wu Heng and asked, "What's that sound?"

Wu Heng put the faintly ringing bell in his pocket, didn't answer, but instead looked at the gray shadow on Li Hao's shoulder and said, "On Ghost Festival, hundreds of ghosts roam, but if you cause trouble tonight, you won't have a good time either."

What the hell? A ghost?

Wang Jun and the others were visibly shaken. Previously, his daughter had been affected by something unclean and had a high fever, but it wasn't that kind of thing. Had they encountered something serious?

The gray shadow sat on the officer's shoulder without speaking, making faces at Wu Heng.

An officer asked, "Aren't we cops? Doesn't this uniform carry some natural protection? How... how could we be affected?"

That's a fact. Those who become police officers are said to have strong life fortunes, and with their professional attributes, they naturally carry an aura of righteousness. Even fierce ghosts would hesitate; they are the least likely to be affected by such unclean things.

Wu Heng said, "Because it's the child of a police officer."

So even though it's a ghost, it can still approach these righteous police officers.

Wu Heng reached out and lifted the ghost child off Li Hao's shoulder. Li Hao instantly felt the oppressive weight on his shoulder lift, and when he looked up, he clearly saw the child in Wu Heng's arms.

A pale face, with black pupils that took up two-thirds of its eyes. It looked like a four or five-year-old but had no teeth, making it quite eerie.

Wang Jun instantly knew the child's teeth had been brutally knocked out.

'Too loud!' The ghost child covered its one remaining ear, tugging at Wu Heng's pocket with the bell, wailing.

Wang Jun steadied his nerves, forcing himself to accept this surreal scene, and asked, "A cop's kid? Is he one of our own?"

Hearing it was a fellow officer's child, and thinking of his own daughter, Wang Jun's guard dropped.

Wu Heng gently pinched the ghost child's cheek and said, "That's why it's confused. It doesn't remember its father or its name. It just wants to go with you to find its dad."

Ah, I see.

Wang Jun immediately said, "Our database can track it down, no problem."

Several officers glanced at the ghost child, and though they didn't know the full story, they felt a pang of sadness.

Noticing the concern on Wang Jun and the others' faces, Wu Heng smiled and said, "Let the kid stay here for now. We'll figure it out tomorrow once you find its folks."

Wu Heng glanced at the bell, its ringing growing fainter, patted the ghost child's head, warning it to stay put and avoid the herbs, which could harm it. He was closing up.

Wang Jun sensed Wu Heng had other plans. He noticed that Wu Heng locked the clinic but stood outside, and asked, "Dr. Wu, heading out this late?"

The ghost child pressed against the glass window, and its voice came through: "Big brother's off to meet someone, right?"

According to the ghosts, the Ghost Festival is a good day for ghosts and their living relatives to gather, which is called a date. It also wanted to find its parents for a date, but it didn't know where to find them.

Wu Heng laughed a couple of times without explaining, parted ways with Wang Jun and the others, and before jumping into the well, he sent a WeChat message to Li Hao.

"Li Hao: Hehe, got it. We've already brought Dr. Chen Zhao to my Li family's house, just waiting for you to come and treat that graduate student. Dr. Wu, we will definitely prepare everything for you and make you feel at home."

Wu Heng: ?

What does that mean? Why welcome him?

Li Hao was extremely proud and immediately sent a message to He Yunxiao.

"Li Hao: He Yunxiao, what do you think of my family's well? [Picture]"

"He Yunxiao: ? Well, why are you always talking about your family's well? Are you sick?"

"Li Hao: Hahaha."

Last time was just an accident—it was only because Shi Xuan, that manipulative woman, used some tricks to lure Dr. Wu away. This time, Dr. Chen Zhao has been invited to the Li family, and Li Hao is certain that Wu Heng will emerge from their well. He’s got the camera ready to capture this epic moment, and he’s sure nothing will go wrong. He Yunxiao is going to lose his mind when he sees it.

Li Hao and his friends thought of that scene, practically shaking with laughter.

Ten minutes later, Wu Heng emerged from the Shi family's well.