A Shaman Doctor’s Live Diagnosis Stream! 1

Chapter 1

The evening sky gradually darkened. Wisps of smoke rose from the village in the southwestern border region, carrying a medley of aromas from each family’s cooking.

Wu Heng, smelling the food, slowly opened his eyes. Above him hung a milky white mosquito net, its stripes uneven and dotted with small holes.

Wu Heng sat up groggily from the wooden bed and saw a handcrafted desk in the dim room. On the wall near the door hung several handmade bamboo hats.

A stream of memories flooded his mind. Wu Heng quickly processed them, his confused gaze clearing up as he murmured softly:

“Father… Grandfather…”

For as long as he could remember, Wu Heng had been alone. Three hundred years ago, he’d received guidance from the Heavenly Dao: if he became an outstanding shaman doctor in this world, he would have the chance to reunite with his family.

Although his memories indicated that both his grandfather and father were currently absent, Wu Heng wasn’t anxious. They were bound to meet soon.

As Wu Heng envisioned that scene, footsteps echoed from the wooden stairs. Moments later, a teenager with a watermelon haircut and round-framed glasses, around seventeen or eighteen years old, climbed up, panting slightly. “Wu Heng, my family’s dinner is ready. My mom seems to have made crispy roasted money pig’s knuckle today.”

Thinking of the tender and crispy pig’s knuckle, Zhou Yi’s eyes behind his thick glasses brightened. Hearing this, Wu Heng’s throat bobbed, and the two, in perfect sync, immediately went downstairs.

Wu Heng’s grandfather was the only village doctor in the settlement. He ran a forty-year-old clinic called Chengde Medical Clinic. The upstairs was the grandfather and grandson’s private residence, while the entire downstairs was the clinic. Portraits of Hua Tuo, Zhang Zhongjing, and other famous physicians hung in the main hall, and various medicinal herbs were stored in the medicine cabinets.

Emerging from the clinic filled with the faint scent of herbs, the two walked along the crisscrossing bluestone alleyways.

Amidst the wafting aromas of dinner, a strange melody of drums and the crackling of firecrackers came from a brightly lit area in the distance.

Zhou Yi pushed up his glasses and whispered in surprise, “Why is the drum music so strange?”

This was a unique funeral custom of the Nan Nuo village. When a villager passed away, firecrackers were set off at their doorstep to announce the death. The number of firecrackers was also fixed: three long strings for an elder, two for a young or middle-aged adult, and one for a minor who died before eighteen.

Judging by the quickly finished firecrackers, it was likely a child who had died prematurely.

Looking towards the distant courtyard, Wu Heng said, “The soul-guiding drum music for unnatural deaths will be played in a descending tone.”

Just as Zhou Yi was about to nod, he suddenly looked at Wu Heng in surprise. “Wu Heng, is your mind alright now?”

Wu Heng looked back, his lips twitching slightly.

His mind had always been fine.

Everyone in Nan Nuo village knew that the grandson of Doctor Wu had been intellectually challenged since he was adopted. The words “Wu Heng” and “normal” were never associated.

Because of this, there was no shortage of people who bullied Wu Heng. Zhou Yi naturally didn’t dare to offend those delinquent students, but he secretly told his village chief grandfather about it. The next day, his grandfather severely scolded the little thugs, led by the Lai family’s boy.

Zhou Yi couldn’t help but scrutinize the suddenly normal Wu Heng. He always knew that Wu Heng was extremely handsome, with dark eyes like the night sky, and skin as fair as moonlight on a cold night, seemingly never tanned. Especially the red mole between his eyebrows, identical to the River God statue when his grandfather took him to worship the River God.

Looking at Zhou Yi’s round, unhealthy body, Wu Heng said, “Pay attention to your weight management, or you’ll be next.”

Just as Wu Heng finished speaking, Zhou Yi’s mother, wearing an apron, came out and waved to them. “A-Yi, Xiao Heng, come eat!”

Thinking of the crispy roasted money pig’s knuckle tonight, the two immediately went into the kitchen to wash their hands and then eagerly sat at the dining table.

Zhou Yi first served Wu Heng a piece and then stuffed a piece of crispy roasted pig’s knuckle into his mouth, asking indistinctly, “Mom, where’s my grandpa?”

As soon as he finished speaking, an elderly man in a white mandarin jacket, revealing his bare arms, walked in from outside. He had two cigarettes tucked behind his ear, one a welding rod and the other a white cigarette.

The village chief washed his hands and sat down, sighing, “The Lai family’s child has passed away. After dinner, we have to go to their house to help out.”

When there was a funeral in the village, every household would help out in some way.

Zhou Yi, whose head was almost buried in his bowl, abruptly lifted it, asking as if he had misheard, “Who died? I clearly saw him yesterday…”

“Don’t ask so many questions!” The village chief glared at Zhou Yi. The old man had been extremely busy recently. He looked at Wu Heng, who was sitting next to his grandson and eating heartily, his expression slightly worried. “Wu Heng, why hasn’t your grandfather returned from collecting herbs in the mountains?”

Wu Heng’s grandfather had said a few days ago that he was going into the mountains to collect herbs and had entrusted Wu Heng to the village chief’s family for meals. The old man wasn’t worried about the extra mouth to feed, but rather about Doctor Wu’s absence.

If he hadn’t received a text message assuring him of his safety, the village chief would have gone to the only police station a few miles from the village entrance to report him missing.

Looking at the dwindling roasted pig’s knuckle in the bamboo winnowing basket, Wu Heng had to put down his chopsticks, pinched his slender, fair fingers to calculate, and comforted him, “Village Chief Grandpa, my grandfather will be fine. Don’t worry about him.”

The village chief immediately looked at Wu Heng in surprise, “Wait, are you alright now, child?”

Zhou Yi wiped the grease from his mouth and said, “Grandpa, Wu Heng suddenly became normal just now.”

The village chief was greatly surprised, seeing that Wu Heng’s eyes were now clear and lacked their usual absentmindedness.

The old man slapped his leg and exclaimed, “That Pockmarked Lai really had some skill all those years ago!”

Seeing the curious gazes from everyone at the dining table, the village chief cleared his throat and said, “It was Pockmarked Lai who told Wu Heng’s fortune when he was brought back. He said that Wu Heng was missing a soul and a spirit, and if he was raised for a few years, they would eventually return.”

Wu Heng was adopted by the Wu family, which was not a secret in the village.

This matter had to do with Wu Heng’s father, Wu Su. When Wu Su was young, he was playing in the small river east of the village when he suddenly got a cramp in his ankle, as if someone was forcefully pulling him deeper into the water.

At the time, Wu Su was so scared that he struggled and shouted, swallowing several mouthfuls of water. Just as he was about to be swept away by the undercurrent, the crazy Pockmarked Lai fished him out of the river.

Doctor Wu intended to prepare gifts to thank Pockmarked Lai for his great kindness, but Lai disappeared completely. He was gone for seven or eight years, until one stormy night seventeen years ago, he suddenly appeared at Chengde Medical Clinic holding a baby and handed the child to the grandfather and grandson.

This child was Wu Heng.

The next morning, Pockmarked Lai died. He drowned in the same river he had saved Wu Su from.

The grandfather and grandson reported it to the police and confirmed that the baby was not abducted. Looking at the adorable Wu Heng in the swaddling clothes, Wu Su, remembering Pockmarked Lai’s life-saving grace from years ago, formally adopted Wu Heng.

This story was quite mysterious in the village. The villagers initially thought that Pockmarked Lai was just trying to get rid of the baby and was deliberately comforting the Wu family. Who would have thought that Wu Heng would actually become a normal person one day?

Zhou’s mother couldn’t help but look Wu Heng up and down, finding it quite strange.

After finishing this well-known story in the village, the village chief paid close attention to Wu Heng’s expression and continued, “Wu Heng is officially registered in the Wu family genealogy. Old Wu treats you like the apple of his eye, doting on you very much.”

Wu Heng smiled knowingly. The village chief was probably worried that since he suddenly became normal, he might feel resentment for being adopted.

Wu Heng: “Village Chief Grandpa, don’t worry.”

After waking up, Wu Heng’s mind had acquired a new set of memories. It turned out that they lived in a novel. His father, Wu Su, had become the steward of a wealthy family in the capital city. Later, because he learned the domineering CEO’s secret, he was callously discarded and ultimately died “impoverished.”

The already elderly Doctor Wu, with his hair turned white from grief, became despondent and passed away within a year.

Over the years, his father, Wu Su, had been sending home a large sum of money every month, allowing the grandfather and grandson to live comfortably in the village. It seemed his salary as a steward wasn’t low.

Perhaps because they were insignificant side characters, the novel didn’t detail why Wu Su eventually died “impoverished.” It was unclear whether there were any hidden circumstances behind his “poverty.”

Wu Heng had finally found his family and was determined to prevent anything from happening to them. Since his father might eventually die “impoverished,” he would earn some money for his dad before the CEO’s secret was revealed.

So Wu Heng sincerely looked at the village chief and asked, “Village Chief Grandpa, what’s the most profitable thing to do these days?”

Zhou Yi burped and instinctively answered, “The most profitable thing now is probably being a celebrity, an internet influencer, or a live streamer.”

Zhou’s mother glared at her son, afraid that he would mislead the newly normal Wu Heng, and warned, “You should study hard. Don’t always think about messing around.”

“Since Xiao Heng is a normal child now, talk to the school and see if he can enroll normally. He needs to study more to get out of the mountains.”

Zhou Yi’s lips moved but he didn’t respond to this.

Wu Heng remembered a phone call from Wu Su a while ago, saying that he had discussed it with his employer and planned to take him and Doctor Wu to live in the capital city in three months. The capital was a big city, more tolerant of intellectually challenged teenagers.

Looking at his daughter-in-law’s warning gaze, the village chief put down his medicinal wine glass and said with a smile, “A-Yi’s mom, things are different now. The internet has its good side. If more influencers introduce our Nan Nuo village, we can develop tourism after the high-speed rail opens and let all the villagers live a prosperous life.”

Nan Nuo village was remotely located. In the past two years, under the leadership of the government, they were preparing to develop tourism to attract visitors and had implemented many innovative measures.

Thinking of this, the village chief’s expression turned worried again. “Wu Heng, it seems your grandfather won’t be able to return in the next few days. What about the ‘100-Day Live Streaming Plan’ on the Shark platform? Should we withdraw?”

Short videos were very popular recently, and new capitalists also wanted a share of the pie, so they launched Shark Short Videos. To promote the platform, they organized the “100-Day Live Streaming Plan.” New streamers who participated and completed the 100-day live stream check-in would receive a bonus of at least 5,000 yuan.

In order to promote Nan Nuo village’s tourism, the village chief had been inviting the only village doctor, Doctor Wu, to participate in this live streaming activity. Doctor Wu couldn’t refuse the village chief’s persistent requests and eventually registered an account on the Shark platform and signed up for the activity.

Who knew that Doctor Wu went up the mountain to collect herbs and hadn’t returned yet. Tomorrow was the official start date of the live streaming activity.

The village chief thought angrily, was that sly old Wu deliberately avoiding him because it was hard to refuse?

Wu Heng thought for a moment. “Village Chief Grandpa, in that case, I can participate in the live stream on behalf of my grandfather.”

His grandfather was the only village doctor, and he was the most renowned shaman doctor in three hundred years. Substituting one doctor for another shouldn’t be a problem.

These days, making a living on the internet wasn’t easy. Even though Wu Heng was normal now, the village chief didn’t take his words seriously, but he didn’t immediately refuse him either.

Young people are always enthusiastic about new things. When their enthusiasm wanes, it’ll be fine. There’s no need to dampen Wu Heng’s spirit, especially since he’s just recovered and is probably eager to try new things.

As everyone finished their meal and put down their bowls and chopsticks, a man with his head wrapped in white cloth crossed the threshold, his expression panicked and nervous. He stammered, “Village Chief, please come to the Lai family’s house quickly. Lai boy’s coffin… the coffin…”

The village chief had also just hurriedly come back for a quick meal before he had to rush to the Lai family’s house to help. Hearing this, he immediately put on his straw sandals and strode outside.

Listening to the strange drum music in the distance, Zhou’s mother also took off her apron and went out towards the Lai family’s house, not forgetting to turn back and shout to Zhou Yi, “A-Yi, go back to your room and study. I’ll wash the dishes when I come back.”

Zhou Yi silently stared at the leftover dishes on the table and started cleaning up a few seconds later.

Wu Heng, having freeloaded a meal at the Zhou family’s, also got up to help clear the table, intending to wash the dishes in the kitchen.

Dirty dishes were piled haphazardly in the bowl filled with dish soap bubbles. A loofah sponge floated in the basin.

Accompanied by the faint, mournful drum music in the distance, Zhou Yi, wiping a plate, started a conversation with Wu Heng, breaking the silence in the kitchen. “Tonight’s pig’s knuckle was really delicious, but the portion was too small. I wonder when we’ll get to eat it again.”

Wu Heng lowered his head, diligently washing a plate, a tiny bubble clinging to the tip of his straight nose. He casually replied, “Go to the funeral banquet.”

Zhou Yi paused, then lowered his voice. “Funeral banquet? Weren’t we talking about pig’s knuckle? Are you talking about… Lai boy’s funeral banquet?”

Zhou Yi frowned. In Nan Nuo village, it was taboo to attend funeral banquets for unnatural deaths, especially for minors like them.

His grandfather was the village chief and had to go to the Lai family’s to help, but they didn’t have to.

Zhou Yi quite disliked that Lai boy. He caused trouble in the village and acted like a delinquent. Zhou Yi had once witnessed Lai boy throwing Wu Heng into the dry well at the east end of the village, causing Wu Heng to bleed from his head. It was he who helped pull Wu Heng out after Lai boy and his gang left.

Zhou Yi saw that Wu Heng’s face wasn’t disfigured, but he still couldn’t help but ask, “Wu Heng, now that you’re normal, have you forgotten how Lai boy bullied you?”

Zhou Yi tossed the loofah into the water basin and whispered, “Why would you still go to his funeral banquet? Aren’t you being a bit disrespectful?”

Wu Heng was surprised. “Didn’t you want to eat crispy roasted money pig’s knuckle?”

Zhou Yi thought of tonight’s tender roasted pig’s knuckle and couldn’t help but swallow his saliva. But just as he was about to nod, he was struck with shock. “You’re going to the funeral just to freeload a meal of pig’s knuckle?”

Wu Heng’s calm tone carried a hint of confusion. “What else?”

Zhou Yi: “…”

A hero who dares to freeload a dead man’s meal.