Chapter 23 Part 1
Wu Heng’s words weren’t too cryptic, but the girls, including Wang Qiang, still looked at him blankly.
Wang Qiang touched her smooth legs. “Do you mean I have a tumor on my leg?”
Wang Dong, who was cleaning nearby, chuckled. “Not a tumor, it’s that thing men have.”
Wu Heng glared back, and Li Hao immediately rushed over and slapped the back of Wang Dong’s head. “This idiot doesn’t know how to speak, Doctor Wu and the young lady, please don’t mind him.”
Li Hao kicked the back of Wang Dong’s knees, pushing him out of the camera’s view.
[Holy crap, don’t be so scary! What does Heng Heng mean? Could this girl be…intersex?]
[Being intersex isn’t that unusual, the streamer wouldn’t need her birth date and take her pulse remotely for that, this feels strange.]
[I have a feeling something bizarre and terrifying is about to happen, I’m grabbing my blanket.]
[Heng Heng’s words, plus this girl mentioning blood in her urine…I have a bad premonition.]
Wang Qiang finally understood what Wang Dong meant and looked at Wu Heng incredulously, her trembling finger pointing at herself. “Impossible. I shower every day, I know every part of my body!”
Netizens in the live stream brought up Fan Tutu, that beautiful streamer also hadn’t known there was a flower growing from her head before!
Wu Heng didn’t answer, asking gently, “Have you had any strange dreams lately?”
Wang Qiang’s expression changed slightly, her eyes darting around as she hesitated.
Her roommate, who had initiated the call, anxiously nudged her. “Qiang Qiang, say something! This opportunity might not come again.”
Wu Heng was a famous streamer now, countless people wanted to connect. They must have been lucky.
Wang Qiang’s expression was pained. “I keep dreaming of my deceased parents. They scold me in my dreams.”
Remembering those dreams made her eyes water, feeling utterly wronged. “They call me a burden, a waste of money, saying they have no son, no one to visit their graves and burn offerings after their death, so they’re penniless in the afterlife, looked down upon by everyone.”
It was just a dream, but she remembered it so clearly.
There were even harsher words, but Wang Qiang didn’t want to repeat them and risk Wu Heng’s account being banned for profanity.
Wang Qiang took the tissue her roommate offered, wiping her tears. “I’ve snuck out of school the past two weekends to buy joss paper and burn it at their graves.”
The middle-aged woman kicked out of the live stream earlier by He Yunxiao was now banned from commenting but could still watch. Seeing Wang Qiang’s situation, she felt smug. “See? I told you, it’s important to have a son! Otherwise, no one will burn offerings for you after death.”
Such a pity this young doctor didn’t sell fetus gender-changing pills. She’d have to ask around if any unlicensed doctors had any.
Wang Qiang sniffled, her voice pained. “Doctor Wu, did I not buy enough joss paper? I even bought gold ingots and bars!”
For a high school senior who had lost both parents, even buying joss paper was a considerable expense.
Wang Qiang wrung her hands. “Or… or is it because I’m a girl that they can’t receive the offerings I burn?”
[Oh my god, are her parents insane?! Can’t they rest in peace after they die?! If they’re broke, can’t they find jobs in the underworld?! If they can’t find jobs, go rob someone! Why torment a young girl?!]
[Thinking about her symptoms, I have a bad feeling about this.]
[Actually, we do have that saying in our area, that you need a son to burn offerings at your grave.]
[Don’t mention such backward customs, it’s embarrassing.]
[Huh? There really are ghosts? Don’t scare me.]
Wu Heng felt obliged to enlighten them on the current state of the underworld. “Inflation is rampant in the underworld. Joss paper not from certified underworld printers is considered garbage down there. It has nothing to do with whether a son or daughter burns it. Your parents are spouting superstitious nonsense.”
Wu Heng took out the small paper shovel used for digging Heavenly Master Wu’s holes, unfolded it into a joss paper bill, and showed it on camera. “This kind of yellow paper has a decent exchange rate down there.”
Wang Qiang nodded thoughtfully. She understood.
Her eyes were red-rimmed. She felt wronged, vindicated that it wasn’t her fault. But what did this have to do with her illness?
“Ghosts are different from the living. They’re stubborn. If their obsessions are strong, they’ll linger. Given the opportunity, and if it’s serious enough, they’ll take drastic action,” Wu Heng paused. “Your parents’ obsession was with having a son. Since you weren’t one, they found a way to make you one.”
Wang Qiang: “…”
[Holy crap, that’s insane. I’m so glad my deceased parents aren’t tormenting me like this. I’d lose my mind.]
[Wow, just wow. If that were my parents, with my temper, I would dig up their graves and give them a piece of my mind!]
[I have goosebumps all over. So that extra… thing… is it from a living person or a dead person?! This is terrifying!]
[If it’s from a dead person, that’s horrific! If it’s from a living person, that’s even worse!! Poor girl.]
[This is so disgusting and terrifying. What kind of awful parents?! Can’t they rest in peace and stop tormenting their daughter?! I totally support digging up their graves!]
[Heng Heng, tell me, is it secondhand? I’m gonna be sick!]
Wu Heng looked at her sympathetically, carefully choosing his words. “They… took that part from someone, intending to attach it to you. But because they weren’t powerful enough, they used Yin energy to create a replica and stuck that on instead. Yin energy is harmful to the living; that’s why you have blood in your urine.”
Wang Qiang stumbled and almost fell, her roommates quickly supporting her.
Wang Qiang slumped to the floor, dazed, then suddenly burst into tears, hugging her legs.
“Why are they doing this to me?! What did I do wrong?! Just because I’m a girl?! My dad always envied the only family in the village with a graduate student, but so what?! I can also go to a good university, get a master’s, a doctorate, and make them proud!”
“I work so hard, why?! Why are they still doing this to me?!”
The girl curled up on the floor, sobbing hysterically, gasping for breath, her body shaking.
Wu Heng looked down at the slightly wilted paper figure and gently stroked its head with his slender fingers.
Wang Qiang suddenly felt a soothing breeze caress her hair, her near-breakdown easing, tears silently streaming down her face.
[Huh? So it’s not secondhand? Thank goodness. That would be too disgusting, a lifetime of trauma.]
[A replica made of Yin qi, isn’t that more horrifying? What kind of messed up ghost parents?! Using Yin qi on such a private area, are they trying to kill their daughter faster?!]
[Wait, so some dude is missing that? The sample guy is so unfortunate.]
The middle-aged woman, upon hearing “graduate student,” recognized Wang Qiang and started laughing. “Oh, I know who this is! It’s that girl from Da Yong’s family, south of Wang family village! I knew everyone in the village envied me for having a graduate student son!”
See? Even in death, that couple was envious of her son and did this absurd thing.
She wondered whose son was unlucky enough to be the donor.
Wu Heng, seeing that Wang Qiang was calming down, said, “Your parents are newly deceased ghosts, their power is weak. Aside from appearing in dreams, they can’t wander around right now.”
Wang Qiang scoffed. “The Hungry Ghost Festival is coming, a great occasion for offerings. How could they miss it? They’re always waiting for a son to burn joss paper for them!”
Wu Heng thought for a moment. He could remove the Yin energy, but since it was created by her blood relatives, doing so might affect her mental state, and he had just calculated that she was a bright student.
He would have to wait until her ghost parents appeared.
“The Hungry Ghost Festival is in two days. I’ll check again that night,” Wu Heng said with a smile. “Do you have any other questions now?”
Wang Qiang fiercely wiped her tears. “I just want to teach those parents of mine in the underworld a lesson! Do they know this illness has affected my studies?!”
She had thought she was just stressed and developed a psychological problem, always wanting to use the men’s restroom. Turns out someone had been sabotaging her.
Disgusting.
Wang Qiang suddenly felt sorry and sad. “I wonder who was used by my parents… he must be…”
Girls always had stronger empathy.
Wu Heng smiled mysteriously. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
[I’m speechless about her parents, but how can she teach them a lesson? They’re ghosts! Wu Heng is a shaman doctor, sure, but does he have connections in the underworld? I’m getting goosebumps!]
[This girl is so kind, still worried about that other unlucky guy who’s basically a eunuch now. Her parents did something horrible, and now she has to clean up their mess.]
[I wonder who’s so unlucky, being castrated. Does it even work anymore? If not, at least having kids is okay, but without kids, isn’t that the end of his lineage? Who’s the unlucky guy? I pity him.]
[I’ve decided. This Hungry Ghost Festival, when I visit my ancestors’ graves, I’ll give my elders a stern warning not to mess with me!]
[Wuwuwuwu, don’t you guys think Heng Heng is so gentle? This is the only time he didn’t reveal a patient’s condition for everyone to see?!]
[+1, I used to be terrified of going to hospitals, some doctors are unfriendly, impatient, and scary. He’s so gentle. (Of course, there are more good doctors)]
Whether it was He Yunxiao’s snake fetus or the flowers growing from Fan Tu and Mr. Zhou’s heads, countless netizens witnessed everything.
Not this time. To avoid affecting Wang Qiang’s mental state, Wu Heng didn’t let her see it, so she could go to school normally.
As for underworld connections…
Wu Heng smiled faintly. He had known many ghost cultivators and underworld emissaries in ancient times. Though he didn’t have any connections here yet, he still owed an Yin messenger two joss paper bills.
Wu Heng added, “I’ll prescribe some calming talismans. Keep them with you until the Hungry Ghost Festival, and you won’t have those strange dreams or the urge to use the wrong restroom.”
Wang Qiang quickly stood and bowed. “Thank you, Doctor Wu. Thank you so much.”
Wu Heng checked the clock on the clinic wall. “It’s almost lunchtime. I’ll continue the live stream this afternoon.”
With that, Wu Heng closed the live stream, stood, and stretched.
Wu Heng went to the flowerbed outside the clinic, dug some mud, and mixed it with a few herbs from the pharmacy, wrapping it in yellow paper.
Li Hao and his friends gathered around, watching him curiously. “Doctor Wu, this works too? Don’t you need talismans or something?”
Wu Heng: “Talismans rely on the cultivator’s power. Herbal talismans rely on the power of herbs. Different approaches, but they serve the same purpose: warding off evil.”
Wu Heng looked at them. “I’ll go to Beijing shortly after you guys head back.” He needed to retrieve those flower seeds.
Li Hao and his friends grinned, thinking it must be related to their well, hahaha, they were eager to witness He Yunxiao’s fall from grace.
Li Hao asked tentatively, “Doctor Wu, are we taking a plane back?”
Wu Heng countered, “If I jump down a well, would you dare to follow?”
They instantly fell silent.
He could bring along the little white snake and Xi Xi because they were spirit snakes. Ordinary people couldn’t travel through the well’s water channels and emerge in one piece.
Li Hao, Wang Dong, and the others left to return to Beijing. You Jin, bringing lunch, asked with surprise, “Xiao Heng, what did you just say to those gentlemen from Beijing about jumping down a well? What are you jumping down a well for?”
Wu Heng, anticipating You Jin’s nagging, said, “The dry well at the east end, I’m exercising.”
You Jin had heard there was water in that well again. Xiao Heng often went to the east end of the village, was it to practice diving?
“Diving?” He looked at Wu Heng appraisingly, his eyes lighting up. “Do you make big splashes, Xiao Heng? You’re so talented, I bet the splashes are huge!”
Wu Heng: “…”
Wasn’t a smaller splash better? He wasn’t trying to catch fish!
Wu Heng packed the herbal talisman, gave it to Xi Xi along with the access token and a leaf imbued with his shamanic power, and asked her to run an errand.
Xi Xi was very efficient, returning soon after Wu Heng finished his lunch.
Seeing Xi Xi slumped exhausted on the consultation table, Wu Heng asked with surprise, “Didn’t Da Bai help you?”
He had asked Xi Xi, but the little white snake always vied for opportunities to impress the young lady from Beijing.
Xi Xi said: ‘Big Brother Da Bai seems to have been definitively rejected and is now lying listlessly by the well, refusing to move.’
Wu Heng: “?”
Definitively rejected?
Wu Heng didn’t involve himself in the little white snake’s love life and decided to take a nap on the recliner at the clinic before his next live stream. Just as he settled in, playing with his new phone, a new contact request popped up on WeChat.
Account Name: SX, Verification message: [The Child’s Father].
Wu Heng: “…”
Seeing that it was a contact recommendation from He Yunxiao, Wu Heng immediately knew it was Shi Xuan.
