Chapter 59

Chapter 59

"I was only going to give you five thousand, but who else could I call my one and only master?"

Fifty grand! Chen Zhao felt like this was the first time in years he'd spoken with such boldness!

He never thought he'd be throwing around five-figure sums like that. Master, oh master, he'd really come a long way.

The old man on the other end was taken aback—fifty grand?

It had been twenty-five years since he last came down the mountain and took Chen Zhao under his wing. Fifty grand was no chump change.

But...

What kind of scoundrel was this disciple of his? He'd picked up the art of skimming from him all too well—this was the legacy.

The old man snapped, "Come clean, how much did you skim? Did Doctor Wu Heng really give you a hundred grand?"

Chen Zhao sighed to himself; his master's imagination was still too narrow, too cautious.

This was the look of someone who'd never seen the bigger picture.

Chen Zhao: "Master, yes or no, just say the word."

There was a brief pause on the other end, "Done."

Satisfied, Chen Zhao hung up. See, it's not about not bending for money, it's about the offer not being big enough!

As Chen Zhao was about to head back in, Yuan Song had already tied up Master Liu and dragged him out, quickly taking all the talismans from his pockets to stop him from using any magic to hurt anyone.

A group of tourists at the red song festival watched the beaten-up master with fury, feeling like they'd paid for an overseas trip only to end up in a scam compound in northern Myanmar.

"The ones who get caught are just the small fish; the big bosses are probably watching the live stream just like us."

"+1, usually, the ones who actually do the dirty work get paid the least but take the most heat."

"Life these days is tough, but death isn't an option either. Thanks to Doctor Wu Heng, or the suicide rate would've been even worse."

"@Muyu Yimian, can you still see this? Your boyfriend didn't betray you, he didn't take your money to party, so you can rest in peace and move on."

"Truly a brave young man, coming alone to avenge his late girlfriend, and in the process, saving a lot of poor ghosts, racking up some good karma, huh?"

"But little Yuan stabbed the master's wrist with a knife—does that count as assault? Hopefully, he'll just get a slap on the wrist, like skipping a meal."

"Officer, cut him some slack, just dock some points from his game account."

Yuan Song didn't give a damn, even if it meant jail time. He didn't plan to live long, had no kids, and wasn't worried about messing up any civil service exams.

Tang Xueshan stared at the grainy live stream, watching the farewell words at the door, tears of a ghost streaming down her face.

So that's why, it finally clicked for her.

Why had she been stuck in this apartment? If she hadn't been trapped here, she'd have been among the ghosts scolded by the yin emissary, squatting on the ground during the vice raid.

Because someone had quietly taken her place.

She could continue leisurely creating at home, or after the house's array disappeared, happily follow the yin emissary to reincarnate, dreaming of her future life.

'Yuan Song...'

Her younger boyfriend had planned her reincarnation path, but he never considered how much attachment she would develop for the human world once she understood the truth.

Doctor Wu Heng was right; people with weak family ties would eventually be filled with other forms of love.

On the cruise ship, Su Chenyu held his phone and said with a frown, "Doctor Wu Heng, according to you, someone is planning to kill a group of tourists and capture their ghosts for exploitation. Then what about me? Why did I turn into a fishman? Am I just an exception?"

Those tourists were hallucinating fish heads due to being invaded by yin energy from the food they ate, but he had actually grown scales and was about to become a fish-headed monster!

Wu Heng said, "You were part of an experiment. They probably intended to turn you into a mermaid, but it backfired, turning you into a fishman."

Yin energy is growing denser in this world, and strange incidents are happening more often, with the risk of bizarre illnesses rising sharply.

It seems some people are no longer limited to using ghosts to set up schemes; they’re now trying to use living people for their purposes.

After all, a ghost like Tang Xueshan, who is beautiful and talented, pales in comparison to the world's first mermaid.

The future is likely to get even more chaotic.

Su Chenyu: "..."

Su Chenyu's expression turned grim. He never thought someone like him would be targeted—it was simply outrageous!

"Doctor Wu Heng, when will we reach the port to get off?" a tourist on the deck asked with concern.

They were no longer in the mood to enjoy the cruise. Seeing the tied-up master and a group of men and women who seemed to have contracted some dirty disease made them very uneasy.

Being on the same cruise ship with these people made the more timid tourists feel spooked.

Yet, apart from the hallucinations of fish heads all around, the cruise ship was shrouded in thick sea fog, seemingly stationary in the ocean.

Wu Heng, on the other end, burned the prepared medicinal herbs with a white candle and smiled, "That’s up to Mr. Wei."

Many of the tourists were wealthy young men and women. Their parents had immediately entered the Chengde Medical Hall's live stream after the incident. Upon hearing Wu Heng's words, they were infuriated.

They were being treated as expendable! What does Wei Tianming’s late wife have to do with their kids?

Wei Tianming, with his head full of white hair, sat on the hospital bed, glued to the tablet streaming the live feed. Of course, he wasn't on the cruise ship; watching the video remotely was enough to understand the situation.

This was the lifelong burden on his heart—his deceased wife.

He had sought out masters from both domestic and international sources, all in the hope of seeing his wife in a dream just once.

But in the past fifty years, his wife had never appeared in his dreams.

He had thought she might have already reincarnated. It wasn't until the appearance of a master from Southeast Asia that he finally met his wife in a dream.

She was as beautiful as he remembered, but in the dream, the first thing she said was, "I want to divorce you."

In the dream, she was still so angry, and Wei Tianming became even more desperate.

The master from Southeast Asia said that his wife had been trapped at the site of the shipwreck and could not leave. Only by finding a suitable scapegoat could she be rescued.

He had already failed her once; how could he bear to see her trapped in the cold sea water?

Over the years, he had remarried, had children, and divorced again. In the end, he was still alone. There would never be another woman like his deceased wife, like the white moon in his heart, and he longed to feel her presence again.

Wei Tianming looked at his phone, which was flooded with calls. He hunched over, coughing, and with his aged hand, he turned it off, leaving only the tablet playing the live stream.

Wu Heng said, "Mr. Wei, your deceased wife is truly not in this sea. You have really been deceived."

As soon as Wu Heng finished speaking, Lai Yin Chai emerged from below the deck, holding a paper lantern with satisfaction. Seeing everyone looking at the sea by the railing, he also glanced into the water.

Lai Yin Chai blurted out, "Damn, why are there spirits in this sea? This shouldn’t be happening!"

Normally, even if someone dies at sea, there should be yin emissaries on boats to guide them. Even though the underworld is slow, it still makes sure to guide every soul equally.

It’s like the postal service—slow, but you still count on it for important deliveries.

Wei Tianming, holding a talisman that could see spirits, burst into tears upon hearing the white-robed yin emissary's words. He knew that internet shaman had deceived him; his poor deceased wife was still in this deep sea.

Chen Zhao immediately got excited, "Sir Yin Emissary, if you bring back the wealthy man's deceased wife, he should burn a lot of money for you!"

Seeing all the paper money in the lantern, Chen Zhao figured this small-town yin emissary had a thing for cash.

As he spoke, Chen Zhao felt deeply pained by his inability to earn ghost money, feeling as useless as a eunuch in a brothel.

Lai Yin Chai glanced disdainfully, "Money talk is so crass."

What’s money good for? Ghost money’s just for bribing little spirits. What’s the use of money compared to power?

Indeed, in this world, only Wu Heng could sort of get his desire for promotion.

Only Wu Heng understood him!

However, Lai Yin Chai could also see that these tourists' lifespans were not yet over. If they ended up as substitutes, it’d be a total mess.

Lai Yin Chai dragged his small boat over and floated down from the deck with the lantern.

Soon, he climbed back up, looking at Wu Heng on Su Chenyu's phone, "I got permission from my boss for this field assignment. I’m not a sea yin emissary by trade; I can’t dive in to guide souls."

Lai Yin Chai looked slightly embarrassed. After drowning in the Nuo River, he’s got a natural fear of water, so diving into the deep sea’s a no-go.

Lai Yin Chai looked at the faint ghostly light in the vast deep sea. Looks like this mission’s a bust.

Fortunately, he had made enough achievements from busting illegal activities. He could just report back and have the sea yin emissaries check in a few days to see if there were any lingering spirits.

Wu Heng smiled, "If anyone here can swim, they’re welcome to dive in."

Although the live-stream viewers couldn't see the yin emissary or the spirits, they could guess from the conversation!

"Wait… could it be…?"

"Maybe we should just forget about saving Mr. Wei’s wife. Mr. Wei’s pulling a fast one on all the tourists. I wouldn’t go out of my way to save his wife! By dawn, the sea fog will surely disperse, and the police will arrive. Once the sun’s up, what’s there to be scared of?"

"+1, let’s have the tourists sing red songs all night. I never get tired of listening to red songs!"

"+10086, don’t worry, guys. I’ll stick around in the live stream with you. Su Chenyu, don’t even think about it."

Su Chenyu felt the gaze of many people on him. The medicine from Wu Heng slowed his merman transformation, but his upper body was already scaly, and he had fins stashed in his backpack.

He, a landlubber, had just learned to swim for the first time.

Once Dr. Wu cured his fish-head condition, would everything return to normal? Then he might never be able to swim freely in water again...

The key was that this was Dr. Wu's hint. Su Chenyu now trusted Wu Heng completely. Dr. Wu wouldn’t let him come to harm, and it might even count as a good deed?

Su Chenyu looked at the vast, bottomless deep sea, took a deep breath, and jumped from the deck with the fishing net.

The second he hit the water, it felt like coming home, and he was overwhelmed with joy.

Su Chenyu dove headfirst into the deep sea, and to his delight, he found himself truly like a swimming fish. He didn’t need to hold his breath or even use any diving gear to see the underwater scenery.

Su Chenyu never thought he’d ever be able to dive, and now he realized how beautiful the seabed was.

Su Chenyu savored this incredible moment and quickly swam toward the light in his sight.

"I hereby declare Su Chenyu the mermaid prince! In every way imaginable!"

"From now on, Su Chenyu has no weaknesses."

"Can you believe a landlubber like him diving into the deep sea?"

Everyone waited nervously, watching as Su Chenyu's time underwater exceeded the world record for human breath-holding, their hearts racing.

Dr. Wu had never messed up before, but who knows if this would be the first time?

At that moment, a figure burst out of the water, with black, short hair tightly clinging to his scalp.

Su Chenyu’s face was red and dripping with water, and he shouted, "Hurry, get me out of here!"

Turns out, an artificial merman isn’t a real fish. How could he live in the sea forever? He almost died!

A dozen burly men rushed to help, and Su Chenyu's body was gradually pulled out of the water.

As he was pulled out of the water, what he held in his hands was revealed to everyone.

Wei Tianming straightened up, staring intently at the live stream.

Had he found his late wife?

The next second, a net bursting with seafood was hauled onto the deck.

Seafood was thrashing around in the net, including all kinds of fish, lobsters, oysters, crabs, and even a stray sea turtle, all incredibly fresh!

Wei Tianming: "..."

"Holy cow, he caught all that in one dive? Foodies are drooling."

"If I could swim like that, I’d make the sea creatures run for their lives."

"Skip the concert, let’s have a seafood feast!"

"Fishermen are green with envy, isn’t this skill a bit too good?"

Su Chenyu wiped off the seawater, looked at the seafood in the net going crazy from dehydration, and took out a rusty old-fashioned pen from his pocket, "I only noticed this pen glowing underwater. It looks like a relic from a shipwreck, and I grabbed this seafood as a treat for Dr. Wu."

Wu Heng's eyes lit up upon hearing this—it was specially caught for him?

Nan Nuo Village is a tiny, remote village in the southwest, and it's not easy to get seafood there. It's quite expensive in the town.

The last time he had seafood was with Shi Xuan and others at a seafood night snack shop in the capital.

Only Wei Tianming was concerned about the rusty old-fashioned pen. He didn’t remember his late wife having such a relic.

But the old man in the wheelchair broke down in tears when he saw the pen. It was a parting gift he had given to his childhood friend.

Later, his friend moved overseas with his family, and they never met again for many years. The only letter he received was his friend's wish to return home.

Fifty years ago, he stood on the coast looking into the distance, only to hear the news of the ship sinking.

After that, that person was never seen again.

The old man looked at the faint glow on the old-fashioned pen, as if a ghost was stepping out of it.

After years apart, he recognized him at first glance.

'I figured if I ever made it back, you'd be the first to come get me,' the young man said gently, looking at the old man in the wheelchair. 'I was right again.'

The old man extended his trembling hands towards him, "Leaves must return to their roots. I'll take you home."

Lai Yin Chai probably understood why this ghost had lingered in this sea for fifty years. It was likely that the yin emissaries from the other side had tried to take him, but he refused to go.

Across the strait, the longing to return home is a constant warmth for a generation.

Wu Heng smiled gently, "Welcome home, sir."

Seeing this, Lai Yin Chai had no choice but to say, 'Forget it, I'll let you step on land before you follow me to the underworld.'

After all, the quota was already met, so it shouldn't matter if he returned a bit later.

The young man showed a look of gratitude, 'Thank you, sir.'

Wei Tianming looked at the live stream in disbelief. The talisman that let him see ghosts through the internet clearly showed the ghost that was pulled up—it wasn't his deceased wife! Why was it a man?

So where did his wife go?

Wu Heng had just said that his wife wasn't in this sea area at all. Was it true?

If she hadn't been trapped in the sea, why hadn't she appeared in his dreams all these years? The only time was when she was angry and told him about the divorce.

Or was she still mad at him all these years for getting on the lifeboat first?

If he went down and apologized properly, would she forgive him? She probably would, after all, she was his wife.

Wei Tianming was stunned, watching Su Chenyu on the live stream select some of the precious seafood he had caught and put them into the tank, while the rest of the common seafood was handed out to the tourists. Everyone on the deck started singing patriotic songs while grilling barbecue.

In the distance, the old man in the wheelchair was holding the ghostly young man's hand, talking about how their hometown had changed over the years, and even took out a family photo from his pocket to introduce his adopted grandson.

Yuan Song was guarding Master Liu and the group of sick men and women, while Lai Yin Chai was excitedly counting his performance not far away.

The once eerie Dream Cruise now had an indescribable warmth, all thanks to the shaman connected through the internet!

Only he, he hadn't found his deceased wife! She really wasn't in the sea.

Wu Heng, eyeing the barbecue they were grilling, seemed to know what Wei Tianming was thinking and spoke rather bluntly, "You're divorced now, so the ex-husband should stop meddling in the ex-wife's life, right?"

Wei Tianming's eyes widened, "?"

What divorce?! Nonsense!

His wife had died in a shipwreck. When had he divorced her? Had he agreed to it?

Perhaps he was so angry that his blood rushed to his head.

When Wei Tianming came to, he saw a yin emissary in black robes standing before him, holding a lantern with the characters "Zero One Four" written on it.

After Professor Zhao Qingyun mysteriously recovered from his illness, the entire internet was abuzz with rumors that after death, family members would accompany the yin emissary to fetch the deceased. Perhaps after his death, his family would come to fetch her too.

Wei Tianming instinctively asked, 'Where is my wife?'

Yin Emissary 014 looked at Wei Tianming inexplicably: 'How does a bachelor like you have a wife?'

Wei Tianming, despite being dead and should respect the yin emissary who was guiding him, said urgently: 'My original wife, the one who perished in a shipwreck fifty years ago.'

Although he later remarried and had children, he eventually divorced again. Technically, his only wife was his late wife.

Yin Emissary 014 pulled out a tablet and checked, then explained: 'Oh, you mean your ex-wife? You might not understand the rules down here as a new ghost. Down here, we stay up-to-date and follow the policies and guidelines from the living world, including the divorce waiting period. We also piloted a divorce evaluation period in the Jingbei area of Beijing.'

Wei Tianming was almost confused: '??'

He understood the divorce waiting period.

The thirty-day divorce waiting period means that if one party does not apply for a divorce certificate, the divorce registration application will be revoked. But what on earth is a divorce evaluation period?

Yin Emissary 014 said: 'The divorce evaluation period is exactly what it sounds like. As long as the spouse can provide evidence of crimes that affect merit, they can unilaterally divorce to avoid dragging down the spouse's reincarnation.'

Wei Tianming was utterly stunned. What on earth? He longed for his late wife so intensely that he risked everything to bring her out of the sea, only to discover upon his death that he was divorced. And it was a one-sided divorce.

Wei Tianming was furious: 'She died so early, where could there be any evidence of my crimes?'

Yin Emissary 014 looked him up and down and said: 'She was pregnant, yet you took the lifeboat and fled alone. Isn't that evidence? But don't worry, your ex-wife just remarried recently, and the trio has already reincarnated together.'

Wei Tianming: '...'

All that hard work for naught.

He worked so hard, only to end up in the underworld as a divorced bachelor!

Wei Tianming was dragged away by Yin Emissary 014, still ranting about the underworld's policies: 'With this policy, the marriage and birth rates in the underworld will never rise.'

The underworld loves to imitate the living world. Seeing how developed the internet is in the living world, they also established a ghost network. But why imitate this nonsense? What the heck is a divorce evaluation period?

Yin Emissary 014 gave him a disdainful look: 'You're illiterate.'

'Nowadays, in the living world, people don't get married or have children, resulting in fewer birth slots. In the underworld, the number of those eligible for a yin marriage certificate is reduced, otherwise, it would take over a hundred years to reincarnate!'

-

At this time, the school had already finished evening study session, and some students were watching the live stream while packing their bags. Shi Xuan was sitting at his desk, quickly browsing the stock market situation of the Wei family on his phone, with a small window in the upper right corner of the screen playing the live stream of Chengde Medical Hall.

He Yunxiao, Li Hao, and a few others, carrying their backpacks, slumped into the empty seats around Shi Xuan.

Shi Xuan's fingers were moving quickly, and he glanced at them out of the corner of his eye: 'What's going on?'

He Yunxiao pointed out the school window: 'It's foggy outside, can barely see the road.'

Perhaps because it was cold in Beijing, fog had risen at night, enveloping the high school building, with only the residual classroom lights faintly visible.

Li Hao and Wang Dong looked at the fog outside, feeling uneasy.

'Comrade Li, doesn't this fog look like the one we saw when we went to the school well to get medicine for the female ghost sister that night?'

Li Hao cursed: 'Nonsense! Doesn't all fog look the same? You've all been scared out of your wits by that female ghost Tang Xueshan!'

Shi Xuan took a moment to ask simply: 'So?'

Li Hao had just finished scolding Wang Dong and the three black-haired guys, and upon hearing Shi Xuan's words, he eagerly said: 'Shi Xuan, could you walk us home? Oh no, we see you going back alone, so we thought we'd accompany you out of the school building?'

While looking at the stock market software, Shi Xuan occasionally glanced over and saw Wu Heng on the other side of the camera staring straight at them grilling barbecue, his prominent Adam's apple subtly bobbing.

His good friend was craving.

Shi Xuan smiled slightly, recalling the barbecue stall outside the school gate, catering to high school seniors with evening study sessions.

Shi Xuan glanced up at the group, guessing they were terrified by the female ghost haunting their homes and had been jumpy these past few days.

Shi Xuan exited the stock market app, the large screen showing Wu Heng staring ahead, continuously drinking water. With his other hand, he slung his backpack over one shoulder and walked towards the classroom door: "Sure, let's go."

"Wait up!" Li Hao and the others shouted behind, hastily grabbing their half-packed bags, switched off the classroom lights, and hurried to catch up with Shi Xuan.

Seeing this, He Yunxiao also followed down the teaching building. On the first floor, they found a foggy scene, barely seeing a few street lamps, their light faint in the mist.

Shi Xuan was a day student; the Shi family's car was parked outside the school, while Li Hao, Wang Dong, and the three with black hair rented apartments in the school district. They were on the same route, all heading out of the school gate.

Only He Yunxiao lived on campus, not going the same way.

Shi Xuan looked at He Yunxiao and asked, "Should I drop you off first?"

He Yunxiao, seeing the provocative smirks of Li Hao and the others, said with determination, "No need, I can go back to the dorm with my roommate."

He Yunxiao thought again and checked the old ginger slices in his pocket.

Shi Xuan, not great at socializing, upon hearing this, did not insist on inviting him further. He led the nervous Li Hao, Wang Dong, and the three with black hair into the fog, where visibility was so low that they could hardly see a few meters ahead.

He Yunxiao and his roommates felt their way to the dormitory building in the dark.

He Yunxiao was on edge and couldn't help but call Xi Xi.

Xi Xi had a pink children's watch, bought specially by her father.

As Xi Xi learned to speak human language, the frequency of using the children's watch had increased a lot.

Soon, the soft and somewhat unskilled voice of a little girl came through: "Daddy, are you, out of school?"

He Yunxiao nodded and asked about Xi Xi's recent situation.

"Have been attending, Teacher Yang's, online classes well."

He Yunxiao touched his slightly reddened face and asked, "Does Xi Xi need Daddy to pick you up to and from school?"

Xi Xi tilted her snake head, not quite understanding He Yunxiao's meaning.

She had watched videos where kindergarten kids had parents picking them up, but she and Big White Brother were attending Teacher Yang's online classes?

Xi Xi obediently said, "No need, Daddy, Xi Xi doesn't need it."

He Yunxiao looked at the thick fog before him and reluctantly gave in, "Daughter doesn't need it, but dear Daddy really does!"