Chapter 69 Part 1
Silence fell over the group chat.
Shi Xuan, that gloomy guy, a single sentence creating such a chilling atmosphere.
[Group Owner – Li Hao: @SX, you’re dead?! Should we bring incense to your funeral?]
Li Hao and his friends quickly accepted this, they had lived with a ghost, what was so strange about Shi Xuan being one? Perfectly normal, actually. But how did he suddenly die? They had just seen him at lunchtime.
[He Yunxiao: …Should I also bring wreaths and joss paper?]
[SX: Not dead yet.]
Huh? Not dead?
Everyone was confused. Not Mr. Shi, but Shi Xuan’s funeral…
Li Hao sent a voice message, his tone gossipy, “Holy crap, your dad is ruthless, cursing you like that. He’s only got you, right? So he’s worried about his lineage ending?”
He Yunxiao also thought Mr. Shi was a bit crazy and, having spread misinformation and possibly offended Shi Xuan, wisely kept quiet, heading to the school to pick up Xi Xi.
At the Shi residence, the courtyard was filled with ritual paraphernalia, talismans plastered everywhere. A Taoist priest, red strings crisscrossing above the well, a wooden sword in hand, chanted and performed a ritual dance.
Steward Wu leaned against a tree, cracking sunflower seeds, muttering, “A crazy old man, and a bunch of charlatans, all useless.”
“Any sign of Shi Xuan?” Mr. Shi, seeing them stop, asked anxiously.
The leading priest, his face grim, replied, “The well’s Yin qi is too strong, our skills are limited, we can’t retrieve Young Master’s soul. We’ll try again in a few days.”
They often performed soul retrieval rituals, especially for children who fell into wells. For the living, or recently deceased, a trace of life force was enough, but Young Master Shi, his body filled with Yin qi, had practically merged with the well water, impossible to locate.
They could try again in a few days. If Shi Xuan truly died, they could attempt to summon his soul during the seventh-day memorial. If even then his soul refused to return, there was nothing they could do.
Shi Xuan, gone? Mr. Shi looked at the well, his expression unreadable.
He Yunxiao, arriving at Jiaming High School, saw the fog had cleared, the school gate bustling like a market.
Students were waking up, as if from a long sleep, their energy levels high.
The principal, after checking on each student, finally relaxed and arranged for them to go to the hospital for checkups.
Having abandoned the practitioners, and wanting to avoid further attention and trending topics, he called Wu Heng directly.
“Doctor Wu, thank you! I’ll submit a report for your payment immediately.”
Then he hinted, “Doctor Wu, how should our school prevent this from happening again? Perhaps we can do some drills.”
They had drills for earthquakes and fires, perhaps something similar for this?
A Taoist priest approached. “Principal, don’t worry, this wasn’t a natural occurrence. A simple ritual should suffice.”
The principal ignored him.
Wu Heng, avoiding the camera, took the call in the clinic’s backyard. “Principal, that’s the practitioners’ expertise, as for prevention… I heard you’re having vaccinations at school? Those vaccines, developed by the Xuanmen, are effective.”
Li Hao and his gang had been worried about their sneezing preventing them from getting vaccinated.
Vaccines weren’t developed overnight. It seemed this world, with its increasing supernatural events, had prompted research and development in this area.
Beijing, and its students, being a hotspot, were the first recipients.
The principal, wanting to take advantage of the opportunity, invited Wu Heng to examine the students during the vaccinations. Wu Heng considered it and agreed.
Wu Heng’s endorsement of the vaccines reassured the principal, then, thinking the official payment wouldn’t be much, he offered,
“Doctor Wu, I heard you’re planning to take the college entrance exam? I can offer you a free auditing seat, attend classes, our teachers will assist you, all our resources will be available to you.”
He wasn’t being arrogant, he was confident in their school’s resources, far superior to a small town’s.
Wu Heng was surprised, then intrigued, attending a few classes wouldn’t hurt.
“Thank you, Principal.”
He Yunxiao, after checking on his roommates who had woken up, went to the back mountain with Li Hao and his friends.
Li Hao grumbled, “He Yunxiao, you scaredy-cat, Doctor Wu already took care of it, and you’re still afraid to come alone? When I went to retrieve the medicine for that ghost girl, I was alone, brave…”
Wang Dong, his voice filled with mock indignation, “Comrade Li, what about me? I was there too!”
Both of them had been scared witless.
He Yunxiao, seeing Li Hao glare at Wang Dong, felt better, not just him then, good.
Reaching the back mountain, the air colder and damper, they immediately put on their masks and, each holding onto the person in front, cautiously approached the well.
A large, white snake was coiled around a tree branch, the branch bending precariously under its weight.
“Holy crap, it’s so fat!” Li Hao and his friends exclaimed, staring at Da Bai, “Fast food really does make you fat, even snakes aren’t immune!”
Da Bai raised its head indignantly, “I’m not fat, I’m bloated!”
“I can’t absorb any more! I don’t want to drink water ever again!” it wailed.
It was a water snake, now disgusted by water.
Xi Xi, nestled in He Yunxiao’s arms, her gaze fixed on the bubbling water in the now ownerless well, urged, “Big Brother Da Bai, no time to rest! Mark your territory!”
Another snake might try to claim it!
Seeing that Da Bai was still dazed, she leaped from He Yunxiao’s arms, stood by the well’s edge, and hissed menacingly at the thing inside.
Da Bai, snapping out of its food coma, jumped from the branch and slithered into the well, rubbing against the mossy walls.
“Mine! This is my new home, hehe.”
A faint moonlight illuminated its small horns. Da Bai suddenly felt lighter, its white scales sharper, almost silver, the spiritual energy it radiated dispelling the remaining black mist.
Da Bai, coiled in its new well, looked up at the sky, then screamed in delight. “I’m… I’m the Well Dragon King now! Not an intern anymore!”
Li Hao and his friends, peering into the well, chuckled.
“He got promoted? Indeed, choosing the right path is more important than hard work.”
Latching onto the right person, even a useless bum could rise to the top.
With Da Bai’s personality, it would have remained an intern forever, how could it be so lucky?
He Yunxiao picked up Xi Xi, a pang of sympathy as he saw her happy for Da Bai’s promotion. His daughter had worked hard, risked her life for that foolish snake, if not for her, someone else would have claimed the well.
His daughter didn’t need to be anyone’s support, she would become her own queen.
He wished she was a water snake too…
As he was thinking this, he felt a weight in his arms. Xi Xi, glowing faintly, her scales falling off, one by one.
He Yunxiao’s eyes widened. “Xi Xi? What’s happening? Are you going bald? Did that Da Bai do this to you?!”
Xi Xi wriggled uncomfortably. He Yunxiao, panicking, kicked the approaching Da Bai aside. “We have to ask Doctor Wu! Quickly… Whoa!”
Li Hao’s eyes widened, “Holy crap!”
Wang Dong and his friends gasped, “Oh my god!”
In He Yunxiao’s arms sat a chubby little girl, her skin milky white, her gray eyes large and round, her short, light gray hair long enough for pigtails.
Their eyes met, and the little girl, her voice sweet and childish, said, “Daddy.”
Da Bai was stunned. “Xi Xi, you can transform now?”
It could also shapeshift, a white-haired boy about ten, but it preferred its snake form, being human was tiring.
He Yunxiao stared at the child, who looked about two years old, “This… this is Xi Xi?!”
He knew Xi Xi wasn’t just a pet, but a future guardian deity, and since she learned to speak, he had expected her to transform eventually, but not this soon!
This couldn’t be a random transformation. Perhaps Heaven recognized her contribution to dispelling the fog?
He was glad he made the decision to have her recognize Wu Heng as her godfather.
Choosing the right path truly was important.
It was already winter in Beijing. The back mountain was even colder. He Yunxiao, not minding his own discomfort – and Xi Xi, being a spirit snake, wasn’t affected by the cold – quickly took off his jacket and wrapped her in it, admiring his daughter.
Beautiful, even resembling him. That nose, those lips, those eyes, perfect!
His paternal love overflowing, his daddy filter fully activated, He Yunxiao showed her off. “Do you think my Xi Xi can be a child model?”
Li Hao, Wang Dong, and the Black Hairs: “…”
Yes!
Too perfect!
Damn it!!
They were going crazy with envy, why could He Yunxiao have a snake baby?!
