Chapter 32 Part 2
Wu Heng checked the time. It was past midnight. “It’s getting late, time to go home.”
Li Hao and his friends immediately shouldered their cameras, their faces full of anticipation, making He Yunxiao grit his teeth.
Wu Heng’s gaze lingered on Shi Xuan. “I need to send Shi Xuan and He Yunxiao home first. Not using the well this time.”
Li Hao and his friends were dumbfounded. He… he wasn’t using their well again?
Shi Xuan and He Yunxiao, two grown men, needed to be escorted? And by Doctor Wu personally? They… especially He Yunxiao, was he even worthy?
He Yunxiao, holding the two snakes, let out a triumphant laugh. He knew he was benefiting from his association with Shi Xuan.
Li Hao reluctantly put down his unused camera, muttering, “Isn’t the Hungry Ghost Festival over?”
Wu Heng countered, “What kind of ghost do you think can escape the gates of hell?”
They immediately fell silent.
Even a malicious ghost like Zhao Li couldn’t escape the Yin messengers, those who could evade the closing gates of hell at midnight must be powerful. Encountering one would mean death.
Wu Heng wasn’t worried about He Yunxiao, but Shi Xuan was radiating Yin qi, if he encountered such a malicious ghost at night, it would be a bloodbath.
Wu Heng glanced at Shi Xuan again. He wasn’t sure if it was just a coincidence, but all the previous strange illnesses seemed to be connected to Shi Xuan, while Wang Qiang and Guo Jiang’s cases weren’t. Perhaps it really was just a coincidence.
Li Hao and his friends resentfully saw Wu Heng and his companions off, watching them get into the car.
The little white snake darted forward, grabbed the handle of the passenger seat door, and pulled, opening the door.
He Yunxiao looked at Wu Heng, then at the little white snake, holding Xi Xi, feeling slightly flattered. “Opened the door for me?”
He Yunxiao got into the car and couldn’t help but remark to Wu Heng and Shi Xuan in the back, “Doctor Wu, your little white snake is so well-behaved, so enthusiastic, even opening the car door for me!”
He Yunxiao, seeing that Wu Heng didn’t respond, turned around and saw him frowning, listening to the little white snake hissing.
Wu Heng looked at Da Bai. “That’s not very appropriate.”
He Yunxiao: Didn’t understand.
As they drove away from the Li residence, Chen Zhao, using the excuse that the bridge was occupied, stayed at the Li family’s guesthouse.
Ten minutes later, the car stopped at He Yunxiao’s house, and they got out.
He Yunxiao, holding Xi Xi and the little white snake, said, “Doctor Wu, my parents miss Xi Xi, let her stay with us for a few days, you can pick her up later.”
Looking at the enthusiastic little white snake, he added, “You can stay too, if you’d like.”
Wu Heng, looking at the clueless He Yunxiao, relayed the little white snake’s urgent request, “Can you accept a talking snake? Da Bai has something to say.”
He Yunxiao was startled. This little white snake could talk? It had been hissing all this time.
He Yunxiao then thought, it must have been afraid of scaring him, as expected of a spirit snake raised by a shaman doctor! The suspicion he had towards the enthusiastic little white snake was unfounded, he had been overthinking.
After experiencing so many bizarre events, what was this? He Yunxiao nodded in agreement.
The next moment, the little white snake said excitedly, ‘Uncle He, can you be my future father-in-law?’
He Yunxiao’s eyes widened, his face falling. “……!!!”
What?!
So his earlier suspicion wasn’t wrong! Someone was trying to steal his precious daughter! No way!
He Yunxiao’s smile vanished. He quickly tossed the little white snake to Wu Heng, hugged Xi Xi, turned, and strode back into his villa without looking back.
Wu Heng tossed the little white snake to Shi Xuan. “Control your snake, you’re its godfather, you’re responsible for it.”
Shi Xuan: “…”
The little white snake stared incredulously at He Yunxiao’s retreating figure, wanting to chase after him if Shi Xuan wasn’t holding it firmly.
It asked, dazed, ‘Didn’t Uncle He just ask me to stay at his house with Xi Xi?’
Wu Heng understood He Yunxiao’s actions. “No yellow-haired snakes within a ten-mile radius of my daughter.”
The little white snake said aggrievedly: ‘I don’t have hair, I have scales, and I’m white.’
It wasn’t a yellow-haired snake.
Wu Heng patted its head, comforting it, “Let’s go home. Fathers-in-law aren’t easy to win over, and you were so direct, it’s good that He Yunxiao didn’t beat you up.”
Wu Heng and Shi Xuan, with the little white snake, walked towards the Shi family courtyard.
Shi Xuan suddenly asked, “I’ve never heard you mention your family, or your father’s preferences.”
Why ask about his father out of the blue? Wu Heng couldn’t say that the Shi family’s steward was his father, and his father, according to the novel’s plot, would be killed by the Shi family.
Noticing Wu Heng’s surprised look, Shi Xuan added, “There will be times when I visit a friend’s home.”
Wu Heng, holding the dejected little white snake, his eyes gleaming, said, “Have you ever been to an ancient village in the south? Our village holds a Nuo opera festival every Lunar New Year, it’s very lively. Come visit then.”
“Lai boy died, so I might be performing.”
The Nuo opera was also performed during major festivals or epidemics, which they called village Nuo. These events always involved the Lai family, and Lai boy had been the performer for the past few years. Now that he was gone, the village would have to choose another young man. He was a likely candidate.
National-level Nuo operas were rare, but folk performances in rural areas were more common.
Shi Xuan looked at Wu Heng, his heart softening. “Okay, thank you for the invitation, I’ll definitely be there.”
Wu Heng’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He grabbed Shi Xuan’s wrist, pulled him gently, and they jumped through the window, landing in Shi Xuan’s bedroom on the third floor.
Wu Heng stepped back towards the window. “I’ll be going now.”
Shi Xuan suddenly called out, “Wu Heng.”
Wu Heng, sitting by the window, turned to look at Shi Xuan, his eyes shining as he curved his lips into a rare smile. “But Lunar New Year is still a long way away. Can I see you before then?”
Wu Heng jumped out of the window and stood there for a long while.
He felt… strange.
The cool night breeze dispelled the lingering heat. Wu Heng, carrying the whimpering little white snake, jumped into the ancient well in the Shi family’s courtyard and returned home.
The little white snake grumbled, ‘I swear, I’ll become the greatest Well Dragon King and establish my territory in Beijing!’
Sob sob sob, it would buy a house in Beijing and make Uncle He look at it with new respect!
Not long after Wu Heng and the little white snake left, the bedroom door opened without even a knock.
The person who entered, seeing Shi Xuan on the bed, was shocked and said sternly, “Shi Xuan? What are you doing? The masters said you were missing, and everyone’s out looking for you!”
Shi Xuan fiddled with the string of bells. “I never left the room.”
Mr. Shi stared at him. He never left? Everyone had just searched the entire house!
A cold smirk appeared on Shi Xuan’s lips. “You invited so many people to perform rituals for me, where could I possibly have gone?”
Every year during the Hungry Ghost Festival, Shi Xuan was bound with red cloth and watched over by various masters throughout the night.
Mr. Shi felt Shi Xuan wasn’t lying, but he became even more apprehensive.
If Shi Xuan had indeed stayed in his room the whole time, how could so many masters not notice?
How powerful had his strange son become?
Was the choker, from Steward Wu’s son, useless against Shi Xuan now?
Back at Chengde Medical Clinic, Wu Heng saw a little radish head (nickname for a child) floating towards him, smiling, his gums toothless. ‘Big brother, you’re back from your date?’
Nighttime was when these spirits were most active.
Wu Heng glanced around the clinic. The little ghost was obedient, hadn’t touched anything, otherwise it would have been harmed by the herbs, and he would have another emergency patient on his hands.
Wu Heng, yawning, went to bed.
The next day, when You Jin arrived to open the clinic, Wu Heng was already awake, playing with mud in the flowerbed outside.
You Jin habitually praised him, “Heng Heng, your mud is so well-made, it looks just like a pig kidney!”
Wu Heng paused. “Brother You Jin, that’s a heart.”
You Jin: “… Oh, sorry, I must be craving pig kidney. How about stir-fried pig kidney for lunch today?”
Seeing that the clinic door was already open, You Jin took a broom from inside and started sweeping the floor outside, chatting with Wu Heng.
“By the way, I saw Zhou Yi earlier, he bumped into me carrying books, didn’t even greet me, just lowered his head and walked away.”
“This kid must be obsessed with studying, usually such a polite child, I don’t know what’s wrong with him today.”
Wu Heng looked up in the direction of the village chief’s house, his brow furrowed slightly.
You Jin didn’t think much of Zhou Yi’s behavior, his mind wandering. “School is starting soon, shouldn’t Xiao Heng go to school? I mentioned it to Uncle Wu Su, he said he was considering it, worried that you might not be able to catch up…”
“How about I go to town in the next two days and buy some study materials for Xiao Heng? Should I start with elementary school level or junior high?”
Wu Heng told You Jin to sweep inside and not disturb him playing with mud.
‘Big brother, what are you making?’ the little ghost asked, peeking from under the clinic’s eaves, its head stretched out.
Being the child of a police officer, even though it was morning, it wasn’t weak enough to hide completely, only feeling slightly apprehensive.
“Have you heard the story of Nuwa creating humans?” Wu Heng asked, his long, fair fingers covered in mud. “Mud is a spiritual thing.”
He would mold a mud heart as a temporary replacement for Guo Jiang.
The little ghost pondered the story of Nuwa creating humans, finding it amazing. So humans and animals were all made from mud! No wonder he was buried in the ground.
He couldn’t help but move closer to Wu Heng, his incomplete soul form asking in a small voice, ‘Big brother, did Nuwa forget to make me an ear and teeth? Can you make them for me?’
The little ghost looked at Wu Heng expectantly.
He didn’t know much, only noticing that the other children who visited the graves with their families had two ears and, even when they were losing their baby teeth, they still had other teeth. He seemed to be different, and he envied them.
Before Wu Heng could reply, a little white snake emerged from a crack in the wall, taking a shortcut, its head piled high with books, exclaiming, *’Wu Heng, I brought the biology materials for Godfather…’
Before it could finish, the junior high, high school, and even university biology textbooks scattered on the ground as it lunged at the little ghost, hissing furiously, ‘Wu Heng, you’re raising another child ghost?! How could you do this to Xi Xi? She’s only been home for two days! Men are so heartless!’
The little ghost’s soul form almost dispersed from the impact, barely managing to re-coalesce. “Big brother, Nuwa didn’t make this snake properly, can you fix it?”
The little white snake was enraged. “What the hell are you, telling me to be factory reset?!“
Choker *from wu heng*??