Chapter 82 Part 1
Wu Heng, seeing Lai Jun lingering, knew his workaholic tendencies were acting up again.
He beckoned Lai Jun over, avoiding the camera, and whispered a few words in the language of the underworld.
Lai Jun’s eyes lit up, rubbing his hands together excitedly. ‘Alright! I’ll ask my boss for a field assignment immediately. After this, my ranking will definitely jump by double digits!’
Wu Heng looked at him appraisingly, ‘You alone might not be enough. That place has become a ghost domain.’
Lai Jun’s face fell. Was he suggesting he bring colleagues? Sharing the work meant less for him, and they were also competitors, shared promotion meant no advancement.
Wu Heng continued, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll call a couple from out of town. Won’t affect your ranking in C Province.’
Lai Jun, making an “OK” sign, floated towards the window, then, repelled by the protective herbs, quickly left through the front door.
Wu Heng immediately messaged Yuan Song.
[HengHengBaby: If you’re not busy, take 014 on a field trip.]
[Yuan Song: Okay! Thank you, Doctor Wu!]
It was almost the end of the semester, but such opportunities were rare, and he wanted to visit his girlfriend, Tang Xueshan, in the underworld.
Yuan Song, after becoming an Intern Yin Messenger, finally understood why 014 had said he could never reach his level. Times of peace weren’t like before, when ghosts were everywhere, a few stray souls now a rare sight, large-scale ghost domains unheard of.
He told 014 about the assignment, and 014 immediately turned to leave.
‘Senior, please, I really want to… be in a relationship! Long-distance is too difficult!’
014, looking at the intern clinging to his robes, complained, ‘Kid, work is already annoying, now a business trip? Only idiots volunteer for those. No way!’
‘Xueshan and I will send you wedding candies when we get married in the underworld, no need for gifts, I’ll even share twenty percent of this assignment’s merit with you.’
014 paused, cracking his whip, a strange smile on his face, ‘What are you talking about? Working diligently is our duty as Yin messengers.’
Yuan Song, relieved, had successfully bribed him.
“D-Doctor Wu, what, what should I do about my illness?!” Sun Zhengtao asked, his voice trembling, clearly terrified by that bloody fur coat.
Wu Heng, seeing the store’s name plastered all over the comments, said, “They’re looking for scapegoats. Those who bought clothes from this store, try burning them and performing a small ritual.”
Sun Zhengtao immediately rushed back to his guesthouse, retrieved a black hoodie, placed it on the blood-soaked fur coat, and set them on fire.
A stench, like burnt rats, filled the air, bloody blisters appearing on the fur coat as it burned, then the flames died down. Except for the slightly singed edges, the clothes were still wearable.
Sun Zhengtao and Li Jing collapsed to the ground, wailing.
[Holy crap, they didn’t even burn! They must be cursed!]
[I also bought something from this store! I apologized profusely and burnt it, it turned to ashes, no wonder I’ve been feeling unwell.]
[My friend also bought something! He’s on a business trip. I messaged him, no reply, I wonder if it’s because of no signal or if he’s asleep…]
[Could it be train G4044? My husband, that cheapskate, bought clothes from there, he’s taking that train home.]
[That fur coat was scary, but that black hoodie looked ordinary. Why would this guy trying to look rich even buy such a cheap hoodie? I don’t understand.]
Sun Zhengtao also didn’t understand why he bought that cheap hoodie, he just added it to the cart with his wife’s fur coat on a whim.
“Because those two were a set,” Wu Heng said.
Sun Zhengtao, confused, “The original owners, a couple?”
Wu Heng scoffed. “What couple? They weren’t even married.”
They probably were a couple. But the two didn’t care about other people’s relationships, they only wanted a cure.
Sun Zhengtao, growing increasingly terrified, muttered, “Scapegoats… was that man… cremated and his ashes scattered? Why would he want me as a replacement?! Doctor Wu, please prescribe some medicine! Anything to stabilize my condition.”
“Flies don’t bite seamless eggs. If you hadn’t ‘refunded only,’ making them think it was fair to choose you as a replacement, that hoodie would have burned,” Wu Heng, seeing their regret, said, “Fine, I’ll prescribe something to stabilize your condition.”
“Only refunding” was unethical, but not a capital offense, blaming their greed now.
Sun Zhengtao became anxious, “Can’t I just be cured?”
Wu Heng glanced at him. “Once that male ghost lets go of his attachment, a simple cure is only a few hundred yuan. I can force a cure now, but it’ll cost you seven figures.”
Sun Zhengtao immediately said, “Then… let’s stabilize it for now. I haven’t showered in a few days anyway.”
They were only pretending to be rich, not actual millionaires, a little body odor wasn’t a big deal.
[I own an online store. These “refund only” customers are the bane of my existence! What goes around comes around!]
[Just stabilizing, not curing? What should he do? Beg for forgiveness at the ghost’s grave? But where is it?!]
[I’m checking Chengde Medical Clinic’s online forum. Many who bought clothes from Ping An Secondhand Clothing boarded G4044. Can anyone contact them?]
Those worried netizens, seeing no responses, felt their hearts sink.
Those who bought secondhand clothes were mostly those who couldn’t afford new ones. Just trying to make ends meet, and they were targeted? Could Doctor Wu help?
Just as they were thinking this, Wu Heng, “That’s all for now, everyone. Ending the live stream.”
He Yunxiao looked at the time. Not even an hour! He hadn’t even completed his daily task yet!
Before he could remind him, the screen went black.
He immediately sent a message, and Wu Heng replied, [I know, I’ll start another stream later.]
A young woman, her suitcase packed, was stopped by her fiancé at the door. “Chen Ying, are you crazy?! Nie Wei disappeared five years ago! And you’re going to find her now?! We’re getting married soon! What if something happens to you?!”
Chen Ying, the young woman who just connected with Wu Heng, clutching her suitcase handle, looked around their new apartment, wedding decorations everywhere.
Hundreds of red boxes filled with wedding candies, stacks of invitations, double happiness characters on the windows, their wedding imminent.
Chen Ying’s eyes filled with tears, “Wei Wei is my best friend. This is the first time I’ve heard anything about her in five years! I can’t miss this chance! I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
“Trust me, I’ll bring her back safely, then we’ll get married. We promised, whoever gets married first will be the other’s bridesmaid.”
Her fiancé’s face was a mixture of emotions, he and Chen Ying were together thanks to Nie Wei. “I’ll go with you then.”
Chen Ying looked at the message Wu Heng sent, “But there’s only one ticket.”
He fiancé looked at the train ticket, his face filled with anxiety, it was for a deserted station in the north of the city.
He hugged her tightly. “Be careful… I’ll send Doctor Wu more gifts. I’ll wait for you.” He knew that even if he objected, she would still go.
Wu Heng, ever since his debut with the snake fetus case, hadn’t made a mistake yet. He could only hope for his help.
Her fiancé went to the kitchen and stuffed her pockets with ginger slices, a household essential now, then, pulling her suitcase, his hand in hers, took her to the basement garage and drove her to the station.
Chen Ying quickly drank the medicine Wu Heng prescribed on the way, and they arrived at the deserted train station.
The station, abandoned for years, rusty and desolate, they wondered if a train would actually arrive.
The cold winter night, a gust of wind, made Chen Ying shiver.
Perhaps it was the medicine’s effect, but she vaguely saw a shadowy figure carrying a lantern approach.
Lai Jun brushed the dry grass off his head, muttering, ‘So that’s why Wu Heng has been visiting Beijing so often, he stole the Well Dragon King’s pass. Seriously, who’s the real bully now?’
As he finished speaking, he heard the rumble of an approaching train, its headlights blinding, the number G4044 on its side.
The passengers on the train, seeing it stop, jumped up, forgetting their luggage, desperately wanting to escape.
They had to get off!
Some, still asleep, hadn’t noticed the change. But others had, finding finger bones in their boxed meals.
The train attendant, a ghostly smile on her face, “Get off? We haven’t reached our destination yet.”
“Open the doors! Why aren’t they opening?!” passengers yelled, banging on the doors.
Then the doors opened, but as they tried to get off, they found themselves unable to leave.
An elderly woman in worn clothes, seeing a young couple outside, the woman pulling a suitcase, shouted, “Daughter! Don’t get on! There’s something wrong with this train!”
Chen Ying and her fiancé shared a final hug, then she dragged her suitcase towards the train and, seeing the creepy attendant whose head could turn 180 degrees, her heart almost stopped.
