Chapter 73 Part 1
[Aaaaaa, Uncle Zhang is so kind, wanting Hei Tan to be reborn as a human. I heard from a friend who practices metaphysics that if a pet has a surname, it has a chance of reincarnating as a human in its next life.]
[Actually… being a dog might be better, hehe. So much pressure in this society, being human isn’t very happy.]
[That’s for us ordinary folks. If Hei Tan is reborn as a rich kid, life would be much better.]
[Being a pet is meaningless, your life and death in someone else’s hands. No autonomy.]
[I don’t want to be human in my next life. I want to be a pampered puppy~]
Zhang Da Yong, oblivious to the online debate, explained earnestly, “We live in the countryside, dogs and cats roam freely, and there are many dog thieves around here.”
He could guarantee his family would cherish Hei Tan, but not outsiders.
Thanks to his appearances on Wu Heng’s live stream, he had gained some online fame. Hei Tan might even become a celebrity dog, attracting attention, both good and bad.
Just yesterday, a dog-catching van came to his house, asking if he wanted to sell the “Samoyed” for fifty yuan. He had cursed them and chased them away.
After forty years of loyal service, he wanted Hei Tan to have a choice.
His family, hearing this, didn’t argue further.
Wu Heng nodded. “Humans, at the top of the food chain, have priority for reincarnation.”
Animals, to become spirits, had to cultivate for years, gaining sentience, enduring hardships to achieve human form.
Even the Yellow Weasel, to become a deity, had to ask a human for recognition.
Reincarnating as a human was incredibly difficult, yet the ultimate goal for many animals. Ordinary animals rarely had such opportunities.
Zhang Da Yong truly cared about Hei Tan, even if it meant never seeing each other again.
“Doctor Wu, does Hei Tan have this chance?”
Wu Heng nodded, “Yes.”
Zhang Da Yong squatted down and hugged Hei Tan, able to touch it, but the fur cold.
His voice thick with emotion, he whispered into its furry ear, “Hei Tan, be a good boy, go and be a human, okay? Go wherever you want, see the world, eat whatever you want, no more waiting under the table for scraps, no more fear of dog thieves.”
Hei Tan, not understanding, only sensing his owner’s emotions, pawed at him anxiously, whimpering.
It seemed like… its owner didn’t want it anymore! It didn’t understand what it did wrong.
His wife gently patted his shoulder. “Since you want it to have a choice, let it decide its own fate.”
Zhang Da Yong, his eyes blurring with tears, looked at his wife.
He sat down on the cement floor, looking at the anxious dog, and said seriously, “Hei Tan, if you want to come back to us as our dog, touch my left hand. If you want to be a…”
Before he could finish, Hei Tan lunged at his left hand, licking it eagerly.
The netizens, unable to see the dog, saw Zhang Da Yong’s left hand suddenly move.
[I knew it! I knew Hei Tan would choose to be their dog again!]
[It will never know what opportunity it missed, all it knows is that it can be with its owner again! Congratulations to this lucky dog!]
[This is bittersweet, I also wish my dog could come back.]
[Congratulations to our Hei Tan!]
Zhang Da Yong, looking at the furry black head, hugged it tightly, crying and scolding, “Stupid dog! Silly dog! Dumb dog!”
But it was also his most beloved dog.
Wu Heng, watching, felt a pang of sympathy. “It’s alright, merit can be accumulated, all those sick pets it helped, that counts too. Perhaps you can be reborn as humans together in your next, next lives.”
This was the concept of accumulating merits over ten lifetimes. The underworld judged not just your current life, but all your past lives.
Zhang Da Yong finally understood. No wonder Wu Heng stayed up all night, even holding an impromptu pet clinic. Those animals he treated benefited from his association with Hei Tan, earning the dog merit points.
He looked at the young man on the screen, his heart filled with gratitude. He had never even met Wu Heng in person, only sending a small gift before his consultation.
He and Hei Tan, their bond unfulfilled in this life, could be friends, even brothers, in their next, after all, he took that small, pitiful stray home as a companion.
[Wu Heng is making me cry! Some people were saying he just wanted to keep his live stream interesting, what nonsense! With his personality, he would have just ended the stream and reconnected in the morning!]
[This world is getting stranger, but watching his live streams is strangely comforting.]
[Heng Heng is so kind. I regret not going to see the Nuo opera in person.]
A gust of wind blew through the window, lifting the curtains, caressing Wu Heng’s face.
Wu Heng glanced at the shadow outside and suddenly said to the live stream audience, “Please ask Qingfeng Temple’s master to perform two rituals. One to restore the original birth chart, the other for Hei Tan’s ascension. And Hei Tan, don’t follow the local Yin messengers. I’ll arrange for one from out of town.”
Yin messengers were still ghosts, and as the saying went, “Yama is easy to see, but little ghosts are hard to deal with.” Ghosts were greedy, especially Yin messengers.
Escorting an animal’s soul earned far less merit than a human’s, thousands of animals not worth one human, so their journey to the underworld wouldn’t be easy.
Zhang Da Yong and his family, now willing to follow Wu Heng’s every instruction, nodded in agreement, inwardly shocked.
Wu Heng’s fans had been saying he had connections in the underworld, it was true!
Zhang Tianjun said, “Then I’ll go to Qingfeng Temple first thing in the morning.”
The current master wasn’t the same one from forty years ago, but his disciple, a skilled and kind Taoist priest.
Someone from Qingfeng Temple was watching the live stream, and hearing this, was overjoyed.
Performing a ritual for a dog wasn’t a problem, restoring Zhang Da Yong’s birth chart was also within his abilities. More importantly, clearing the goddess’s name and, with Wu Heng’s influence, attracting even more visitors. A blessing in disguise.
Zhang Da Yong patted Hei Tan’s head, stood, and said to his elderly parents, “After sending Hei Tan off, I…”
He wiped away his tears, his voice firm, “I’ll hold a family meeting and remove our names from the Zhang family registry! We’re returning to our roots!”
His wife and children had no objections.
The elderly couple, tears streaming down their faces, holding Zhang Da Yong, repeated, “Good! Good! Good!”
All these years, they continued their good deeds, praying for their son’s return, never imagining they would have a complete family again.
This child, bestowed upon them by the goddess, couldn’t be stolen.
Harming the child she had given them tarnished her reputation, that couple would surely suffer in the afterlife.
Wu Heng, seeing the time, yawned. “Then I won’t disturb you any longer. Good night.”
Before they could thank him, Wu Heng ended the live stream.
The netizens, stunned: “…”
Indeed, the Wu Heng they knew and loved.
Wu Heng, putting his phone aside, looked at the Yin messenger standing by the window, exasperated. “Can you not visit in the middle of the night?”
Lai Jun, carrying his lantern, sneezing, asked, ‘Any new assignments? Referrals?‘
Wu Heng: “…”
This was the true definition of an overworked employee, sneezing but still thinking about work.
And where would he find so many dead people for him?
“You should ask your boss for sick leave,” Wu Heng suggested.
Lai Jun immediately shook his head. ‘How is that possible? My sneezing is from your Nuo opera festival!’
The Nuo opera was a powerful exorcism ritual. The spirits and demons in the eighteen villages were lying low. Even Yin messengers, still ghosts, were affected.
He felt a pang of regret. He used to be the lead performer!
Lai Jun’s eyes gleamed with a strange light, chuckling, ‘The other Yin messengers in town are taking sick leave to avoid the aftereffects, perfect time for me to shine! Like studying hard while your roommates are sleeping. Promotion here I come!’
Wu Heng: “… Impressive.”
This guy was truly something.
Wu Heng then suggested, “Ask your boss for a transfer to Qiu Hua village in the neighboring province, there’s a big black dog named Hei Tan that needs to be escorted to the underworld, a good excuse for a temporary relocation, to avoid the sneezing.”
Lai Jun’s face fell. ‘A cross-province assignment just for a dog?! That’s barely any merit points! No way!’
Not even enough to cover his travel expenses!
Besides being low-paying, these animal souls, unlike intelligent humans, were often unruly and difficult to handle.
His boss had once told them a story about an Yin messenger escorting thousands of sheep that died in a flood. He used to be a shepherd, so it should have been an easy task. But along the way, the lead sheep suddenly went crazy and knocked him into the River of Forgetfulness.
Other Yin messengers shared their horror stories too, escorting a timid dog that refused to leave his arms, then got seasick and vomited all over him, escorting scaredy-cats who scratched him and fought with each other, their fur flying everywhere.
They barely understood instructions, only those with the lowest merit points, the unluckiest Yin messengers, were assigned to animal escort duty.
Lai Jun sneezed, ‘I’ll just stay here. I saw a few elderly people in town who are almost dead, easy pickings.’
Wu Heng nodded. “Alright then, suit yourself.”
Lai Jun suddenly paused, his dead fish eyes staring at Wu Heng suspiciously. He leaned closer, ‘Are there any… hidden benefits?‘
Wu Heng ignored him.
Lai Jun continued staring, then after a moment, ‘Fine, I’ll go.’
Wu Heng, “Insulting your benefactor?”
These black dog stories are giving me a stuffy nose and watery eyes (I’m not crying – you are!).