Chapter 63 Part 1
The top ten Yin messengers in North Beijing were fiercely competitive. He, at fourteenth place, was quite comfortable, having been a low-level worker for decades, his initial drive long gone, just coasting along.
Then 014’s eyes lit up. This intern, Yuan Song, could be useful…
Thinking this, he didn’t leave, pacing around the duplex villa with his lantern, his dead fish eyes assessing the decor.
‘Not bad, quite modern. I wanted a spirit house like this when I first started as an Yin messenger.’
He Yunxiao, curious, “So you have one now?”
This 014 seemed like a seasoned veteran, he must have been working for a long time, he should be able to afford it.
014 chuckled, ‘I do, still paying off the eighty-year mortgage though. Want to ask about my car loan too?’
Few in the underworld needed cars. Paper horses, oxen, or even a paper mule on loan were the most common modes of transportation.
He Yunxiao shut up, that hit too close to home.
Wu Heng, figuring he would encounter this Yin messenger often, glanced at his lantern code. “Master, may I ask your name?”
014 replied, ‘I don’t remember my original name, just call me 014, I’ve been in this position for decades.’
Although they knew Yuan Song’s soul was in the underworld, they were still worried about his physical body. After all, it was his first time, something could go wrong, they didn’t dare leave.
Su Chenyu, finding an opportunity, asked Wu Heng, “Doctor Wu, now that we know my fish-man condition was caused by someone, can I take the medicine you prescribed for a full recovery now?”
Wu Heng nodded. “You could have taken it anytime.”
Su Chenyu rolled up his sleeves, revealing the pale pink scales on his arms. The pills only stopped the growth, the existing scales remained.
“So they’ll all disappear after I take the medicine?” Su Chenyu touched them, smooth and slightly cool.
Seeing Wu Heng nod, he sighed, a temporary underwater experience, but he probably wouldn’t be able to swim like that again.
Could he keep a scale as a souvenir then?
He decided to pluck one and make it into a necklace, a memento of this bizarre and terrifying experience.
He hadn’t expected someone with his family background to be targeted. So much for his privilege. The pursuit of equality and communism wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Then, seeing a message from his older brother urging him to come home, he said, “Doctor Wu, I have to go. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning for our flight back to Nan Nuo, if you’re not in a hurry.”
He Yunxiao and the others, watching with amusement, chuckled. Su Chenyu, still confused, quickly left.
Soon, Yuan Song’s soul returned, alone, his expression melancholic.
He had personally escorted Tang Xueshan to the underworld and helped her register for reincarnation.
But he couldn’t help her with finding a job or adapting to life there.
A sense of urgency grew within him. He understood now why that Yin messenger on the cruise was so obsessed with his work, he needed to escort more souls.
‘Xiao Yuan, since the higher-ups assigned you to me, I won’t mistreat you,’ 014 placed a hand on his shoulder, acting like a supportive colleague.
‘I’ll teach you everything I know about escorting souls, improve your efficiency,’ 014 said, a strange glint in his eyes.
Yuan Song knew that nothing was free in the ghost world, but he was still tempted.
014 continued, ‘Just share some of your merits with me. One soul out of every ten you escort.’
Then he could slack off for a good long while, earning while doing nothing.
Without hesitation, Yuan Song agreed. ‘Okay. Thank you, Senior.’
014, seeing his immediate agreement, chuckled, so this was the joy of being a capitalist. He was finally experiencing it himself.
‘Then tonight, should we…’
014 suddenly vanished through the window. ‘Next month, I’m leaving now.’
Yuan Song, seeing this, returned to his body and checked his phone’s calendar.
Four days until the end of the month, still a long way to go.
“Senior, there’s no rush,” He Yunxiao said, patting his shoulder, “We have evening self-study now, can you go back to school by yourself?”
Yuan Song nodded. The video of him stabbing Heavenly Master Liu on the cruise had gone viral, he had to return immediately, the school administrators and Counselor Xu were waiting.
Yuan Song bowed deeply to Wu Heng, “Thank you, Doctor Wu, I’ll send you the payment later.”
Without Wu Heng, he would have been trapped in a stalemate with those bastards, not this clean resolution.
Tang Xueshan had always given him money, she was older and more financially stable, and she would even get upset if he refused. He had saved it all, combined with his scholarship, grants, and part-time job earnings, paying Wu Heng wouldn’t be a problem.
They parted ways, Yuan Song taking the subway back to the university, Wu Heng taking Shi Xuan and his friends to the high school.
“Holy crap, our school’s a fairyland now?” Li Hao exclaimed.
With their one-hour break over, night had fallen, a dense black fog enveloping the school, the classroom lights on the upper floors barely visible, a mirage-like scene.
Even thicker than last night’s.
Li Hao and his friends huddled closer to Shi Xuan, while He Yunxiao held Xi Xi tightly, perhaps his daughter should accompany him to class tonight.
Wu Heng: “Put on your masks.”
They quickly donned the dark blue homespun masks and, as the bell rang, followed Shi Xuan into the fog.
The little white snake slithered out of Wu Heng’s sleeve, chasing after them, ‘Xi Xi, Uncle He, Godfather, wait for me!’
Wu Heng, seeing this, left.
He Yunxiao, assuming they were late, was surprised to find a third of the class, including their teacher, absent.
Discussions erupted in the classroom.
“What’s going on? The weather forecast didn’t mention fog, why is our school always foggy now?”
“Wandering around in the fog is fun! My roommates are still asleep, should I wake them up and bring them here?”
“Does anyone feel sick after inhaling the fog? My nose is a bit stuffy, I wonder if it’s my rhinitis.”
He Yunxiao, noticing Xi Xi nudging his backpack with her head, understood and stood up, holding his bag.
“This fog might not be good for your health, here are some masks made by Doctor Wu.”
Li Hao and his friends helped distribute the masks. He had brought dozens, enough for their class, even a few extra for their friends in the neighboring class.
The dark blue homespun masks, with visible stitches, looked rather crude.
Being students at a prestigious school, most weren’t impressed by these plain, unpackaged masks, questioning their hygiene.
But some were intrigued.
A female student, trying on the mask, thanked him.
They knew He Yunxiao was acquainted with the famous online shaman doctor, even an administrator of his live stream.
“These were really made by Doctor Wu? Aaaaa, my best friend managed to buy his mosquito repellent last time, it was incredibly effective!”
Another girl said excitedly, “My dog was bitten by ticks during the summer. My friend tried the mosquito repellent on my dog, and the ticks came off immediately. Thank you so much. And this mask has a nice, faint herbal scent, I like it!”
One student frowned. “It’s… ugly… but thanks.”
Then he put it in his desk drawer.
Li Hao was about to explode but was quickly dragged away by He Yunxiao.
It was a gift, they couldn’t force people to use it.
His classmates were generally well-mannered, they expressed their gratitude even if they didn’t like it.
As more and more students arrived, having found their way through the fog, the classrooms quieted down for evening study.
Wu Heng walked back to the clinic alone, occasionally encountering excited tourists who wanted photos with him.
“Doctor Wu, we asked the village chief, is the Nuo opera rehearsal tomorrow night? We’re so excited!”
A girl even had a professional camera. “I’ll make sure you look amazing in my photos, Doctor Wu!”
Wu Heng thanked them and returned to the clinic, where Zhou Yi was reading.
Seeing Wu Heng’s gaze on his book, Zhou Yi smiled, “Xiao Heng, I plan to go back to school after the Nuo opera festival.”
He hadn’t forgotten he was a senior, and after several days of rest, he was ready to return.
Wu Heng nodded in agreement, this was the right thing to do, balance was important.
He studied for a while too, then started his live stream.
[Heng Bao is live! That cruise ship incident was terrifying, even those from wealthy families like Su Chenyu can be targeted!]
[Any fans of Mu Yu Yi Mian here? She finished her novel before she died, even added extra chapters!]
[The Nan Nuo Village official account said the Nuo opera festival will be live-streamed, when?]
[Doctor Wu, did that ghost author reincarnate yet? I’m worried about her!]
As soon as he started streaming, comments flooded in. Chengde Medical Clinic was always number one.
Wu Heng checked Tang Xueshan’s profile on Jinjiang, her unfinished BL novel was indeed completed.
She had released the last twenty chapters during her live stream, and now there were seven extra chapters, sweet epilogues.
A new message on her profile page, above the obituary:
“While sorting through her belongings, I found the remaining manuscript on her computer and decided to publish it.”
–Mu Yu Yi Mian’s boyfriend.
These weren’t pre-written chapters, but ones she wrote after realizing she was a ghost. Yuan Song couldn’t reveal that, following her instructions, he updated and marked the story as complete.
The comment section was filled with gratitude and well wishes.
