Chapter 24 Part 2
His master promised him five hundred yuan. Splitting it in half would mean 250 each.
What a loss!
Wu Heng asked, “Fellow Daoist Chen, could you do me a favor and collect some of that spider silk? I have a use for it.”
Spider silk was the strongest natural protein fiber, much stronger and more elastic than silkworm silk, and had high medical value. This spider silk, produced with malicious intent, was even more potent.
As long as Wu Heng didn’t ask for half of his earnings, Chen Zhao was happy to oblige.
Wu Heng: “I need the finest strands.”
Chen Zhao easily found the finest spider silk in the ward, collecting a large amount in just ten minutes.
The white-haired former director stepped forward. “Thank you, Doctor Wu, Doctor Chen.”
Having practiced medicine for decades, this was the first time he had witnessed such a bizarre illness.
The director also planned to keep some of the spider silk for research, the rest would be destroyed.
Chen Zhao suddenly looked at the director and asked, “Can I get reimbursed for my travel expenses to Beijing?”
The director was taken aback, then chuckled. “Of course.”
Chen Zhao was delighted. He had hitchhiked on trucks all the way here, and many drivers weren’t willing to pick up a young man like him.
He had become clever. He would promise to pay, then, as soon as he got on, he would tell the driver’s fortune, reciting their entire family history, scaring them into giving him a free ride to the next service area.
“Reimburse me… two hundred yuan will be enough!”
He had hitchhiked for free, so two hundred yuan was pure profit!
The official payment for the Xuanmen Taoist doctor would go through official channels, not directly to Chen Zhao. He would wait for his master to give him the money.
Seeing that things were settled, Chen Zhao shouldered his wooden sword and said to Wu Heng, “I’ll be treating a few more patients in Beijing these next few days. If you need the spider silk, you can find me under the bridge. I’ll keep it in a locker for 18 hours. There’s an hourly charge after that.”
As Chen Zhao walked towards the stairs, Fan Tu couldn’t help but say, “Doctor Chen, there’s an elevator.”
Chen Zhao, without turning his head, declared righteously, “An official Taoist doctor doesn’t take advantage of public resources.”
Wu Heng felt that even he, someone from ancient times, understood this world better than Chen Zhao.
Wu Heng said, “It’s free.”
Chen Zhao stopped in his tracks, turned around, strode towards the elevator, and quickly stepped inside, throwing back a sentence, “Forget what I just said.”
It was getting late. Wu Heng announced the end of today’s free clinic and closed the live stream.
The middle-aged woman had been watching Wu Heng’s live stream all day, captivated, and the spider silk patient had scared her.
So, there must be a skilled unlicensed doctor who sold fetus gender-changing pills!
But her daughter-in-law’s belly was already quite big, what if she couldn’t find the pills before she gave birth…?
Seeing her son walk past, the middle-aged woman immediately called out to him, “Son, if your wife really gives birth to a girl, as soon as she gives birth, you need to try for a second child and give me a grandson! You’re the only graduate student in our village!”
The man, feeling irritated, replied, “We have to be able to have one first.”
“She can’t give birth?” The middle-aged woman, still clamoring for a grandson, saw her son hesitate and his expression change. “Could it be… you?”
The man’s face darkened. “Don’t ask about these things! Mom, aren’t you tired of it?”
The middle-aged woman panicked, forgetting about Wu Heng and her daughter-in-law, and rushed off to buy tonics for her son.
The well at Li Hao’s house was completed, awaiting Wu Heng and the little white snake’s arrival for the marking ceremony. Such rituals always had auspicious dates and times and couldn’t be delayed.
Wu Heng stood by the well, looking at the listless little white snake hanging from a tree like a vine. “Let’s go.”
“I’ll treat you to Orleans flavored chicken wings afterward.”
“It’s not like I haven’t eaten Orleans flavored chicken wings before,” the little white snake grumbled, hanging limply from the tree, its grumbling turning into a mournful whine. “Hiss…I won’t be able to eat them anymore…”
Since that night it enthusiastically tried to become his godson, its unseen godfather at the other end of the well had disappeared.
It had searched the well thoroughly, but besides the clear, fresh water, it couldn’t smell the delicious chicken anymore.
So this was what humans called “clear broth with little substance.”
Wu Heng: “I’ll bring Xi Xi along to keep you company.”
The little white snake, torn between the young lady from Beijing and the fast food its unseen godfather might provide, quickly chose the former.
Wu Heng, with a snake wrapped around each arm, expertly navigated the water channels and arrived at the Shi family’s well. As he emerged from the cold water, he paused.
Wu Heng touched the well wall. The moss from before was gone, his fingers encountering a smooth surface. Someone had cleaned it.
There was even a small metal ladder attached to the side for climbing.
Wu Heng climbed towards the well opening, the bells on his ankles jingling.
When he reached the top, he found that the surroundings had changed.
A small shelf stood by the well, with an absorbent towel on it.
A simple pavilion had been built next to the well, with freshly baked pastries and a pot of tea on the stone table.
Unlike his previous visits, when he would always encounter Shi Xuan, this time he seemed to be absent.
Xi Xi and the little white snake had already rushed towards the pastries, munching happily.
This was the advantage of being a spirit snake. Besides their usual diet, they also enjoyed human food.
Wu Heng took the clean towel and dried his hair, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
He was a shaman doctor, a profession feared by the ancient people. Wherever a shaman doctor went, misfortune followed, sometimes even death. They carried bells, and when people heard the jingling, they knew a shaman doctor was approaching, hence the name “bell doctor.” So, besides reverence, people usually avoided them.
Wu Heng quickly dried his hair. For the first time, he felt that someone was actually happy about his arrival, even preparing delicious pastries for him.
Even though that person was shrouded in a deathly aura, and he couldn’t see through his death date, so what?
Why overthink friendships?
Wu Heng neatly folded the towel and placed it back on the shelf, smiling. “Shi Xuan? Are you there?”
There was no response in the quiet courtyard. The little white snake, its mouth full of pastry crumbs, looked back at him and asked, “Who are you calling, Wu Heng? This is really delicious.”
A tall figure emerged from the other side of the courtyard, his clothes clean and spotless.
Shi Xuan walked towards him, a faint smile softening his usually cold features. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the little white snake flicking its tongue, sniffing the air, and rushing towards him, crying, “Godfather! It’s me! You… you might have even held me when I was little!“
