Chapter 25 Part 1
The little white snake was incredibly excited. Its tongue caught the lingering scent of fast food in the air, the scent belonging to the young man in white before it!
This was the godfather it had longed for!
Wu Heng bullied it, but Shi Xuan gave it fried chicken every day. Of course, it would choose the latter as its godfather.
Shi Xuan stared at the talking snake. “Who are you?”
The little white snake was devastated: “…”
He didn’t recognize his own child?!
Wu Heng watched the scene unfold, finally understanding.
No wonder he had been smelling fried chicken by the well these past few days. The little white snake’s cultivation was weak, it couldn’t possibly climb all the way to town to steal fried chicken, so it must have been Shi Xuan who sent it.
Wu Heng was surprised. There were countless wells and waterways throughout the country, even a spirit snake like the little white snake could easily get lost, how did Shi Xuan accurately deliver the KFC meal to the well in Nan Nuo village?
Furthermore, there was a certain tradition regarding becoming a godparent.
It was common for sick children to take on godparents, and these godparents weren’t limited to humans. Some chose dogs, chickens, even spirits. As long as their birth charts were compatible and there was a connection, it formed a familial bond.
That’s why he accepted Xi Xi, He Yunxiao’s firstborn snake daughter. He had personally delivered her and, being the embodiment of joy, they had a connection, so he accepted her as his goddaughter.
Why would the little white snake choose Shi Xuan as its godfather? He had a heavy Yin aura and was difficult to understand, easily attracting evil, definitely not the ideal choice for a godparent.
Choosing Shi Xuan just for fried chicken, no wonder it had only reached the level of Intern Well Dragon King after so many years of cultivation. It deserved the internship, at this rate, it wouldn’t even get a proper certificate.
Seemingly noticing Wu Heng’s doubtful gaze, Shi Xuan lowered his eyelashes and said, “I’m not worthy.”
There was an unexpected hint of grievance in his voice. Wu Heng immediately realized his old habit was acting up again. This was a friend! A friend he should treat as an equal! Not a patient whose life and death he needed to decipher!
“No, no,” Wu Heng quickly said. “You’re worthy. More than worthy.”
The little white snake looked up, asking Xi Xi in astonishment, “Xi Xi, did Godfather accept me? Can I eat unlimited chicken now?”
Hadn’t it just asked the heartbreaking question “Who are you?”
Xi Xi was happy for the little white snake. ‘Second Godfather seems to have agreed.’
The little white snake froze. ‘Second Godfather?’
What the heck?! Wouldn’t that make them siblings?
No, no, it and Xi Xi weren’t blood-related, and besides, neither of them had household registration documents, they weren’t even in the same household.
Wu Heng finally understood. He stepped towards Shi Xuan, extended his hand, and smiled. “Hello, my name is Wu Heng, I live in Nan Nuo village in the remote southwest. I’m not a spirit living in the well, nor am I a male ghost. I just use the well to travel.”
When Wu Heng smiled, dimples appeared on his fair cheeks, a natural blush coloring his skin. Sunlight filtered through the trees, falling on his left earlobe, where a small ear piercing was visible.
Shi Xuan suddenly remembered the silver earring Wu Heng wore that day, the only time he had seen him wear it.
Shi Xuan extended his hand and gently shook Wu Heng’s. The coldness of his palm made Wu Heng shiver, but he also noticed that his fingers were really long.
Wu Heng pulled his hand back. “I have some business to attend to in Beijing today.”
Wu Heng took out his phone, opened the map app, and showed it to Shi Xuan. “You’re from Beijing, do you know this place? I didn’t find any connected wells there.”
Shi Xuan glanced at it and nodded. “Yes, follow me to the basement.”
Wu Heng wrapped the two snakes around his arm, pulled up his collar to cover half of his face, and followed closely behind Shi Xuan.
The little white snake: ‘Wu Heng, you look like a thief.’
What did the little white snake know? His father was the Shi family’s steward! If they bumped into each other, it would be difficult to explain.
Fortunately, Shi Xuan seemed to be a loner. They didn’t encounter any servants along the way, arriving at the basement where a row of luxury cars was parked.
Wu Heng liked bright colors and his gaze lingered on a fiery red sports car.
Shi Xuan took the key to the red sports car and opened the door for Wu Heng.
Wu Heng had never been in a sports car before, mostly riding electric scooters. As soon as he got in, the little white snake climbed onto his chest, hanging diagonally like a seatbelt.
The little white snake said smugly, ‘Wu Heng, you country bumpkin, I see people wearing a strap in the front when they ride in cars.’
Xi Xi bit the seatbelt and pulled it out. Wu Heng took it, fastened it correctly, and said, “Country bumpkins indeed don’t understand seatbelts.”
The little white snake: “…”
“Ready?” Shi Xuan started the car, the headlights illuminating the garage as the door slowly opened.
After Wu Heng confirmed, Shi Xuan stepped on the gas and drove out of the Shi residence.
Wu Heng asked, “Do you have a driver’s license? Even He Yunxiao doesn’t have one yet.”
Shi Xuan nodded. “I’m eighteen.”
Wu Heng thought, so he was half a year older than him.
The drive wasn’t long. Shi Xuan expertly navigated to an abandoned manor and stopped.
Wu Heng immediately got out of the car and looked at the overgrown garden, the lush branches extending beyond the iron fence, almost rampant.
Shi Xuan used his fingerprint to open the gate. “Let’s go in and take a look.”
Wu Heng paused. “This is your house?”
“It’s my family’s abandoned manor, it hasn’t been maintained for years,” Shi Xuan admitted as they walked inside.
Unruly grass covered the stone path, a large tree, split by lightning, lay across the garden, debris scattered everywhere, occasional insects hopping past.
This was the abandoned manor Fan Tu and her ex-boyfriend, Zhou Haotian, visited and took photos at during their spring trip to Beijing.
Wu Heng took out the paper shovel. “I’m going to dig up some flower seeds.”
Beauty’s Dimple seeds weren’t common. Wu Heng searched for a long time, only finding three.
Although these seeds thrived on human essence blood and were even linked to a person’s life, nothing in this world was purely black or white, these seeds might have other uses.
Wu Heng put the seeds in his ethnic-style backpack. Turning around, he saw Shi Xuan waiting for him, sitting not far away. He was wearing white pants, so the large spider clinging to his leg was especially noticeable.
The little white snake exclaimed excitedly, ‘I’ll help Godfather eat it!
Wu Heng scooped up the little white snake. He watched as Shi Xuan sat on a fallen tree trunk, spiderwebs covering a corner of the wall nearby, not only spiders, but other insects as well, seemingly comfortable around him.
Wu Heng narrowed his eyes, watching the spider greedily absorbing the Yin qi unconsciously emanating from Shi Xuan, and he strode forward, kicking the spider off his leg.
Shi Xuan looked at Wu Heng’s actions, slightly surprised. No one had ever protected him before, not even from a harmless, fat spider.
Shi Xuan: “I haven’t been here for a long time, they seem to miss me.”
Shi Xuan had no friends, or rather, no one dared to be his friend, so this garden became his childhood sanctuary. The plants and insects here were familiar to him.
Wu Heng cast a warding spell on the spider, ensuring no one would be spitting spider silk from their belly button again, and asked, “You like insects?”
Shi Xuan wasn’t particularly fond of the insects in this garden, he just saw them often.
Wu Heng leaned closer and asked, “Do you like celery? Fish mint? Coriander?”
Shi Xuan paused, then said, “I can try.”
“If you’re with me.”
Wu Heng, looking at his pallid complexion, considered it for a moment. Sharing a hot pot with two different soup bases was his final compromise!
Shi Xuan changed the subject and asked if he found the flower seeds. Wu Heng took out the three unremarkable seeds from his pocket and joked, “I dug up these seeds from your garden, so, new friend… if you’re ever in trouble and about to die, I’ll use these to save your life.”
His phone vibrated. A WeChat message.
[Li Hao: Sob sob sob, Doctor Wu, when are you coming?]
Wu Heng glanced at it and replied, “Prepare some joss paper.” He picked up some palm-sized stones and placed them in the four corners of the garden, burying them in the ground in specific patterns.
After finishing, the two left the manor. Wu Heng, sitting in the car, occasionally glanced at Shi Xuan.
Shi Xuan, who had been steering with one hand, now used both, his gaze still fixed ahead.
“Friend, can you completely seal off this manor? Don’t use it for at least five years?”
He had just set up a warding formation in the manor, which needed time to take effect.
Shi Xuan: “Sure.”
Wu Heng’s eyes widened. He… he agreed so easily?
Although he wasn’t very familiar with this world yet, land in any capital city was incredibly expensive. That manor must be worth a fortune, and he agreed not to use it just like that?
Wu Heng, thinking about He Yunxiao, Li Hao, and Wang Dong’s usual behavior, understood. Perhaps this was how rich young masters operated.
The well at Li Hao’s house was dug according to the principles of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, even the well’s edge was made of high-quality stone.
He Yunxiao, invited to the ceremony, was utterly bewildered. He couldn’t understand Li Hao and his friends’ thought process. What was the point of having a well at home these days? Wasn’t well water associated with Yin energy and evil?
The most bizarre thing was that Li Hao winked at him smugly and asked, “He Yunxiao, do you think Doctor Wu Heng will like this well? Do you think there’s anything else we should add?”
He Yunxiao was speechless. “What’s the point of whether Wu Heng likes it or not? Isn’t this your Li family’s well?”
Li Hao, Wang Dong, and the others could barely contain their laughter. He Yunxiao was still clueless, wasn’t he? Haha, he would cry soon!
“Gurgle,” “Gurgle.”
Strange gurgling sounds suddenly came from the well.
Li Hao and his friends were startled. “What’s that? Isn’t this a newly dug well? How can there be something inside?”
They couldn’t help but look into the well, a strange shadow faintly visible in the water.
As if entranced, their eyes glazed over, and they leaned over the well, their necks seemingly pulled downwards by an invisible force.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss—!”
The little gray snake darted forward, climbed onto He Yunxiao’s arm, and hissed menacingly at the creature in the well.
The thing inside paused. Seeing that it was just a newborn spirit snake, it didn’t move, even seeming emboldened.
“Get out.”
A calm, low voice boomed from behind them.
It was Wu Heng.
The creature in the well was startled and instantly fled down the well’s water channels, disappearing without a trace.
Li Hao and his friends collapsed around the well, gasping for air.
“Just now… just now, that was…”
Li Hao swallowed nervously and asked fearfully.
Wu Heng and Shi Xuan approached. He said concisely, “Nothing much, just something unclean.”
Just?!
That was “just”?
“Wuwuwuwu, Doctor Wu, thank you for saving our lives again!” They were filled with fear, vaguely understanding what was down there.
If they had been pulled into the water just now, today wouldn’t be a well completion ceremony, but their death date.
Shi Xuan, however, just glanced at the well and looked away, a coldness around his lips.
Wu Heng examined the well. It was indeed well-built, both in terms of feng shui location and materials. But…
Wu Heng asked with a smile, “Do you still want to keep this well? It’s not too late to fill it in now.”
“You’ve just experienced it yourselves, wells are Yin in nature, they attract unclean things, especially with the Hungry Ghost Festival approaching.”
“Even if it’s marked, if something’s stronger than Da Bai, it can still climb out.”
Li Hao and his friends fell silent. This… this was truly terrifying. What they had just experienced was truly frightening.
He Yunxiao was confused. “What’s the point of having this well? Aren’t you afraid of attracting unclean things and dying?”
