A Shaman Doctor’s Live Diagnosis Stream! 113

Chapter 113

Wu Heng, feeling slightly guilty, whispered, “He’s not a pig, he’s Marshal Tian Peng! Commander of a hundred thousand naval troops! He’s very powerful!”

Shi Xuan didn’t dwell on it, carrying him towards a path where they saw some ghosts.

The ghosts ignored them, even the Yin messenger leading them. Who, despite looking like an underworld police officer, simply glanced at them and asked for their Road Passes.

They shook their heads honestly, and the Yin messenger, leading the other souls, left.

Wu Heng, noticing that the underworld police weren’t as helpful as the human ones, said, slightly annoyed, “Xuan Xuan, we need to file a complaint about these Yin messengers’ work ethic,” and Shi Xuan agreed. They walked in the opposite direction. Away from the crowds. Then he stopped. Turned and looked at the Southern Gate. A flicker of longing in his eyes.

His mother, he had only seen photos and videos, no memories.

If this was truly the underworld, then was she… here?

But Wu Heng was clearly uncomfortable. He couldn’t stay long.

Shi Xuan sighed, forcing himself to turn away from the gate.

They continued walking, until, in the distance, a familiar sight and their eyes lit up, Wu Heng jumped off his back, and they ran towards it. Chengde Medical Clinic, the door closed, a sign indicating closing time. Wu Heng, taking out his keys and letting them in. “We’re home!”

Shi Xuan found this Chengde Medical Clinic odd, white lanterns outside, interior similar but not quite, A young man, face pale, lips bright red, empty eyes staring, he descended the stairs, his voice mechanical, monotone, ‘I’m the apprentice. It’s daytime now, we’re closed,‘

Wu Heng and Shi Xuan were stunned, their clinic’s apprentice? Then who was You Jin?, “He… he’s a… paper effigy,” Wu Heng whispered, they were familiar with such things, having grown up with ghost festivals in their small village. It looked just like one.

They exchanged glances, turned, and ran, the paper effigy tilting its head, ‘？’ Just then, the paper telephone on the counter rang, “Little Zhi, have you seen two boys, about six or seven years old? My grandsons? If so, keep them here, I’ll come get them,” the voice said.

And the paper effigy, watching them flee, ‘I saw them, they… ran away…’ it said.

Wu Tai: “…” Those little rascals!

After hanging up, Wu Su urged his father, “Hurry, Old Man, time to sleep and get the kids.”

He knew his father would work at their clinic’s underworld branch occasionally, two jobs, this old man.

Wu Tai, looking at the bright daylight, his body tired. “It’s hard for old people to just fall asleep like that, isn’t it?” He commented. “Give me something for sleep!”

So, they gave him the heaviest sleeping medicine they could create with their combined knowledge. And the two children, running, suddenly saw a light. A beacon, a path and they were running, their hands reaching, their fingers breaking through the cold water’s surface and then, into the sunlight, above the well a small white snake, its small horns visible, stared at them, and Wu Heng recognized this place. He smiled, and “You two… you’re the Chengde kids…” it said.

A talking snake.

Wu Heng and Shi Xuan were calm, talking snakes, nothing special, but the accent gave them a hint that they must have returned to their own village, at least. And the little white snake, wagging its tail excitedly, offered, “Want to come up? How about… you become my godchildren?!” its eyes gleaming,

And Wu Heng, grabbing Shi Xuan and pulling him back, “Becoming your godson? That deal is off.”

The snake looked slightly embarrassed. “I asked you.”

Wu Heng and Shi Xuan: “…”

Huh?

The little white snake was the intern Well Dragon King of this dry well. Try as it might, it couldn’t make it produce water. Years ago, a beautiful woman said she would hide a stone in a dry well, and whoever found it would be rewarded with a flowing spring. And it had indeed started flowing. And Wu Heng and Shi Xuan were the only ones who had drawn water from it, perhaps these boys, its saviors? And their parents were definitely well-off enough to ensure it never went hungry. A lucrative opportunity.

The two boys, without hesitation, turned towards their homes and as the little snake cried out, ‘Wait! My well, is it not a good one, how good would it be if both of you were living at that place, wouldn’t it be very close? So close to your home’“We just came from the underworld. Can this well really lead to other places?” Wu Heng asked Shi Xuan, walking quickly down a small stone path, the familiar path.

Shi Xuan nodded. Perhaps.

They exchanged a look, turning back towards the small white snake, which was now desperately crawling after them.

Perhaps… there was room for negotiation.

And thus, Wu Heng and Shi Xuan inexplicably gained a snake godson, the well dry. Not very effective, right? They could ask Wu Heng to fill it up.

They arrived back at the clinic just as the police arrived, the place a mess.

Wu Su, seeing the two boys soaking wet, rushed over, hugging them tightly. “You’re alright!”

Wu Heng, looking up, his eyes bright, “Dad, we want mushroom soup and stir-fried mushrooms for lunch,”

You Jin, wiping away his tears of relief, his voice breaking slightly, “Coming right up!”

They gave their statements to Officer Wang, who wasn’t very interested in metaphysics, after A Mu, the ever-present bodyguard, took them to change. Then, Old Wu questioned the boys about their… adventure…

Wu Heng, describing what he saw, touching his throat, slightly apprehensive. “Grandpa, it was so hard to breathe down there,” he complained.

Xuan Xuan was amazing, unaffected, perfectly at ease, that kid.

A Mu, looking at Wu Heng, his body unharmed, full of life, thankfully he was just a child, such words coming from an adult…

The underworld. No life force there. Only Live Impermanences and those very few with the skills to travel between worlds could even go there. Normal humans couldn’t survive.

Wu Tai ruffled his hair and chuckled. “Don’t worry, as you get older, you’ll get used to it,” his powers would return.

Wu Heng, not quite understanding, quickly forgot about their adventure. The smell of food in the kitchen, he ran to the stove, his nose twitching, “Can we have more, Brother You Jin? I want to take some to Zhou Yi!”

“Of course, just don’t hover around the kitchen. Don’t want you getting sick, sneaking a taste!” You Jin warned.

The delicious mushroom feast that afternoon erased all traces of their harrowing underworld experience. Years later, that adventure would become dinner table banter and a family joke.

“At my age, still a ‘North Drifter’ , what a miserable life.” Wu Su looked at their luggage and sighed.

[Translator’s Note: North Drifter,” refers to people who move to Beijing from other parts of China in search of better opportunities. It often implies an unstable life without permanent residency in the city.]

The two boys came downstairs, Wu Heng handing his bag to Shi Xuan. Seeing his expression, he said, “Thirty-seven. Prime working age, Dad.”

Shi Xuan added, “My father has assigned an assistant to you, Steward Wu, just delegate, it’s easy,” and he tried to convince Wu Su he was truly successful and powerful and loved.

“I’m going as a… chaperone,” Wu Su said. As their “teacher”

With the kids older now, Hezipo’s educational resources were no match for Beijing’s. For their future, their university entrance exams, they had to move.

Seeing You Jin’s sadness, Wu Heng whispered, “We’ll be back every weekend, Brother You Jin.”

You Jin was skeptical. Beijing was so far, middle school, exams, what time for weekend trips?

Wu Heng and Shi Xuan exchanged a look, their secret:

Da Bai’s well was convenient. In their explorations, it could now lead to different places. He craved those fancy snacks from the provincial capital, not sold at their tiny village market, and now, Shi Xuan’s family home in Beijing also had a well, a quick journey, So they arrived. Settling into the Shi residence permanently. Shi Zongguang looked at his son who had grown taller than he was. No visible Yin qi, their family, for generations, haunted by this evil energy, causing various troubles. the practitioners they constantly consulted always shocked.

This Wu Heng’s choker really was effective. Keeping his son’s Yin energy contained, no monstrous tendencies yet, his gaze now much softer, and Wu Su, pleased by this, hoped his son didn’t just want to work. But be loved, too.

So, they enrolled both boys at Jiaming High School, and with He Yunxiao. their new friend, always near, though his behavior and thinking, always slightly “off”, not normal.

“Huh? Wu Heng, you’re saying I have snake fate?” he would ask.

A blush then creeping up his face, “A beautiful snake spirit, repaying a favor by falling in love with me?” he wondered, a fan of Bai Suzhen, The famous White Snake story, “I can do that!” he mused excitedly.

Wu Heng didn’t reveal much, having seen a small gray snake in his “children’s palace,” on his face.

Shi Xuan, also aloof, observing from a distance, the Shi family gates always in view, and as the familiar chill fell, enveloping the house, even seeping through the closed windows, the house now strangely cold.

Wu Heng immediately got out of the car, thanking He Yunxiao, “Thanks for the ride, next time, it’s our turn,” as he led Shi Xuan into the house. Shi Xuan and Wu Heng shared this car since Shi Xuan was in High School now, it would only make it easier for them to visit later. It wouldn’t hurt to spend time at the school too!

Shi Xuan’s expression cold as he stared at the faint, lingering Yin qi. “We have an uninvited guest,”

He instinctively touched the braid around his wrist, had his Yin aura attracted something?

A hand, warm and firm, on his wrist, Shi Xuan looked at him, Wu Heng’s gaze unwavering, filled with assurance, the cold tendrils of doubt receding.

Not a monster, then.

They followed the traces of Yin qi into the house. Wu Su, the now official steward of the household, bringing out their usual after-school snack.

“You guys worked hard today,” he said, handing them small plates of pastries, his eyes on Shi Xuan, asking, “Steward Wu, where’s my father?”

“Mr. Shi? He’s taking a nap,” he said, sitting down to eat. “Unlike those CEOs in novels, always working, he enjoys his sleep.”

Wu Heng, a suspicion forming, could it be that the intruder was sending him dreams?

Those evil spirits were cunning, using dreams to manipulate their victims, driving some even to suicide, Ignoring the snacks, he grabbed his bag and rushed upstairs with Shi Xuan, as soon as they reached the bedroom door, it flew open, Shi Zongguang, in his pajamas, his face grim, staring at his son, the unspoken tension between them, a long-standing war.

Wu Heng, stepping between them, a cheerful smile on his face, “Uncle Shi, it’s almost Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day), my grandfather called and reminded us to be careful when burning offerings. Those ghosts are cunning, even pretending to be family, so many scams these days,” he said.

Shi Zongguang, “Really?”

He had dreamt of his wife, crying by a riverbank, her sadness, Shi Xuan, an evil creature, a monster, his actions preventing her reincarnation, but hadn’t she been the one urging him to send Shi Xuan away, and the years Shi Xuan spent with the Wu family hadn’t caused any trouble, not the foretold chaos and destruction, his resolve faltered, Perhaps Wu Heng, not a curse, but a blessing. He was clearly in better shape, his resolve faltered, and now he couldn’t even control his son anymore, softening his tone now, trying to connect, his gaze kinder, “Tired from studying? We’re having riding lessons and golf this weekend. If you’re interested.”

“This is your home. Be comfortable. Just now… just now I was still half-asleep.”

Shi Xuan nodded, his face impassive, “Yes.”

Mr. Shi, still unable to be truly affectionate, awkwardly patted his shoulder and left, down for coffee to clear his mind, and Wu Heng, gathering the lingering Yin qi, molding it into cold, fluffy balls, and placing them into a plastic bag, Shi Xuan watched curiously, what was he doing, and Wu Heng said, “Xuan Xuan,” his childhood nickname for him, and Shi Xuan felt his heart flutter as his name seemed to fill up his world from beginning to end. “Should we report this… to the authorities? To… central?”

This wasn’t an ordinary Yin qi.

Shi Xuan, thinking of Wu Heng’s breathing difficulties in the underworld, “I can go alone.”

“Absolutely not! We’re friends!”

So they returned to Nan Nuo, Shi Xuan retrieving a stone seal from his well – his mother’s amulet – just in case, and as they entered the underworld through the well, Shi Xuan firmly grasping Wu Heng’s wrist, they were more efficient now, traveling through the waterways. No need for extensive preparation.

Wu Heng found the dreary landscape less oppressive now, he could breathe more easily, and Shi Xuan, his own Yin qi stronger. With Wu Heng he knew what to do.

And their arrival wasn’t unnoticed. Ghost guards rushed forward.

‘Your Majesty, you’ve returned early? As expected!’

‘Doctor Wu, we’ve improved the palanquin service! A luxurious experience guaranteed!’

‘Your Majesty, the four judges are waiting for your command!‘

Wu Heng and Shi Xuan, maintaining their composure, were inwardly bewildered.

They were here to file a complaint, and Shi Xuan was the central authority.

Wu Heng, “Where’s… Jiang Lisha?” he asked.

Shi Xuan, immediately turning to him, Wu Heng returning a reassuring smile, he hadn’t revealed his mother’s name, but Wu Heng knew. he yearned, and a warmth spread through Shi Xuan’s normally cold heart, he couldn’t contain his emotions,

A beautiful young woman entered, her eyes red-rimmed upon seeing him, he wasn’t her son, not Yama, just Shi Xuan, her child, she touched his cold cheek, her voice soft, “You’ve grown, my little boy,” already years older in those few years. She could imagine him all grown now, ‘They’re urging me to reincarnate,’ she said, and Shi Xuan, hugging her, his voice thick with emotion, whispered, “Mom… I missed you…”

His first time seeing her, not a faded photo.

“Mom, this is Wu Heng, my… my closest friend,” he said, pulling him closer for her to meet.

Jiang Lisha smiled at Wu Heng, “It’s good to meet you, I hope both of you will be happy,” she glanced at the braided bracelet, noticing its unique energy. recognizing the hair as Wu Heng’s. her instincts sharp even as a ghost, ‘Xiao Heng, you’re so kind, she thought, so much love in this world for my son, a shame he never met your mother.’

Wu Heng turned to the ghost guards. “Don’t you have any… special privileges for family members?” he asked.

The guards, slightly confused, ‘Yes, Your Majesty’s living relatives, they’re granted permanent residency in the underworld, no need for reincarnation. A very good thing for them, only needs Your Majesty’s seal of approval. Without it, they’re subject to the normal process. Reincarnation,’ they explained.

“It’s a good thing we came. She might have reincarnated otherwise,” Wu Heng said to Shi Xuan, looking relieved. “You have a mother now,” Wu Su wasn’t a possibility, his father only focused on having a partner, not family, Shi Xuan’s lips curved upward slightly, “You do too,”

And Wu Heng, still confused, Jiang Lisha smiled.

Shi Xuan personally prepared the necessary documents, the seal affixed, his mother’s future in the underworld secure, waiting for his return, and how was his son so lucky? How to express this sadness? Not having any memories of his own parents, a void, but there, a loving father. a kind and generous grandfather, and Wu Heng…

‘The judges have arrived,’ a ghost guard announced.

Wu Heng, sitting beside Shi Xuan, saw four figures enter, led by a benevolent-looking elder, and he stared at him, then the Yin qi bundle in his pocket, Wu Heng smiled at the Xuanmen ancestor, ‘Elder, which foot did you use to enter?’

The ancestor, expecting a more subtle approach, his heart pounding, was startled by the question, ‘L-left…’ he stammered.

“Your Majesty,” Wu Heng said, his voice filled with mock outrage, turning to Shi Xuan, “Since ancient times, left is the position of honor. He dares enter with his left foot. This judge is clearly plotting against you. Unacceptable!”

Shi Xuan immediately instructed the guards, “Seize him.”

The ghost guards were stunned. ‘？？’

Just like that?!

Wasn’t their wise and powerful King Yama…lovestruck and irrational?