Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Huang Qiang was shaking with anger, unable to believe Wu Heng could be so brazen.

Ten Carnival gifts for a mud ball? Even gold isn't that expensive! Moreover, these ten Carnival gifts were transferred privately, so there was no need to split the profit with the Shark Video Platform. It was pure profit for Wu Heng.

Or was this kid scared I'd sue him for peddling fake medicine? Was he deliberately playing a trick on me?

Huang Qiang had initially thought that if his uncle, who seemed to be in bad shape, died after taking the medicine prescribed by Wu Heng, he might be able to sue Wu Heng's family for a hefty compensation, a windfall of millions. But this half-grown kid had some brains and didn't fall into his trap!

Huang Qiang cursed inwardly, his mind racing. He was so anxious that tears almost welled up in his eyes, and he kept stomping his feet: "Brother Wu Heng, I'm so worried about my uncle's condition that I'm getting blisters in my mouth, and you're still playing games with me? Don't you know that the illness can't be delayed?"

Huang Qiang's plea for sympathy quickly won over both live-stream audiences. Even some of Wu Heng's fans felt that Wu Heng was being unreasonable.

"Brother Qiang turned to this quack shaman for medicine, and I believe it was out of desperation. But Wu Heng is going too far, fooling people with a mud ball? Pure time-wasting! Just delaying things!"

"I feel for Brother Qiang, scrambling to help his uncle, only to be played by a kid. Don't think being a kid gives you a free pass to mess around."

"If the medicine he prescribed contained some other ingredients, even if it didn't cure the illness, I wouldn't say anything. But a mud ball is just pure mockery. Good thing I'm not a fan yet—still on the fence. From this perspective, Brother Qiang's character is a thousand times better than his."

"Give the money back! You don't deserve Brother Qiang! Screw you, refund the money!"

Wu Heng retorted in surprise: "Why can't a mud ball cure illness?"

The ancient legend of Nüwa creating humans from mud is still passed down. If mud can be shaped into living people, what's so strange about shaping a mud ball to cure illness?

Everyone was stunned into silence. A mud ball curing illness? What, are you Ji Gong now, pulling miracle pills out of thin air?

But then again—

Yes, this mysterious shaman danced away He Yunxiao's snake fetus belly. Who knows if his mud ball might have some miraculous effect?

Huang Qiang's anger turned to confusion. He almost forgot that this shaman had recently gained fame for his bizarre and mysterious methods. The mud ball looked like plain old dirt from the fields. But as long as he admitted that the mud ball was his creation, if anything went wrong, he could still sue him!

Huang Qiang got an idea. He poured a cup of hot water for Huang Zhigang and advised: "Uncle, no hospital could figure out what's wrong with you. Why don't you try the medicine prescribed by Dr. Wu Heng?"

Huang Zhigang tightly gripped his swollen throat. He felt more and more that something was stuck in his windpipe, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Every breath was agony.

Huang Zhigang's trembling hand reached for the mud ball, but Huang Qiang suddenly pulled his hand back, saying cautiously: "Uncle, why don't you take half first?"

Huang Qiang looked at Wu Heng for confirmation. A glint of amusement flashed in Wu Heng's eyes: "That's fine."

"Huang Qiang's got guts, feeding his uncle mud? Mud shouldn't kill anyone. Brother Qiang is still clever, knowing to keep half as evidence, so if there's a problem, he can still go after that so-called shaman."

"If mud can cure illness, I'll shower him with gifts and become his top fan. This is hilarious! A bunch of folks who skipped basic education."

"I understand Brother Qiang's anxiety about his uncle's illness, but I feel... something's off."

"+1, I also feel something's off. Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

Huang Qiang brought a small knife and carefully cut the mud ball in half, handing it to Huang Zhigang. Once the pill was cut, the earthy smell became even stronger.

Huang Zhigang hesitated for a moment, then, with his nephew's help, swallowed the half mud ball with hot water. The earthy taste exploded in his mouth almost instantly.

It took Huang Zhigang a full five minutes just to take the medicine.

At this moment, there were over 300,000 netizens in Huang Qiang's live stream, countless eyes closely watching Huang Zhigang's every reaction. Some concerned netizens even held their phones tightly, silently determined to call an ambulance if the uncle showed any signs of distress.

But... it seemed, not much had changed.

Unlike the snake fetus patient, whose barrel-sized belly visibly shrank with each passing fart, Huang Zhigang's face remained pale, and he still struggled to breathe.

"It's really fake medicine, no effect at all. I'm starting to doubt Wu Heng's diagnosis that Uncle had a pig bone stuck in his throat."

"Do people actually believe that shaman? He even made Tu Tu shave her trending, viral hair! He's just an attention-seeker. These days, influencers will do anything for clout; he should be banned!"

"That night when Wu Heng danced and cured the illness, nearly a million netizens witnessed it. Shark Video Platform officially confirmed there were no special effects, alright?"

"Exactly, it's not some miracle pill that grants immortality instantly. You have to wait a few hours to see if it works, right?"

...

He Yunxiao was also lurking in Huang Qiang's livestream, barely holding back the urge to defend Wu Heng, constantly rubbing his face.

He couldn't help at all. He had personally watched Wu Heng knead the mud ball, and even the mud was dug from his own garden. It was no wonder it didn't work! He just hoped Dr. Wu Heng could hang in there, and after deleting his account, he could join the He Family.

Meanwhile, Wu Heng, resting his chin on his hand with a slight smile, seemed to be waiting for a good show.

Wu Heng: "The signal in the village is bad. Let's reconnect in a few hours."

Wu Heng shook his lagging phone and went offline, frowning at the 4G signal displayed at the top. If it stayed like this, it would be inconvenient for him to surf the internet in the future.

Huang Qiang was secretly thrilled. Whether his uncle was cured or not, he was winning! The key was that the livestream was getting massive traffic, so he kept the camera focused on Huang Zhigang.

For the next few hours, whether Huang Zhigang went to the bathroom or slept on the recliner in the courtyard, tens of thousands of people were watching.

In a European-style villa in the capital city, a bunch of lively young guys huddled together, but instead of playing games, they had been closely following several livestreams, jumping between them.

Seeing Huang Zhigang sleeping on the recliner in the yard, his complexion still poor, the comments about "reporting fake medicine" grew louder.

Li Hao slumped on the sofa, finally relieved: "So it's fake medicine, that's a relief, that's a relief. I was saying, how could we be as unlucky as He Yunxiao, getting bitten and ending up with a snake fetus? Ah—what the hell is wrong with you?"

Li Hao looked down to see the guy with dyed yellow hair suddenly sneak up beside him and lick his arm.

The yellow-haired dude looked up at Li Hao in confusion, but Li Hao quickly noticed something was off—

A human tongue is warm, but the yellow-haired guy's tongue felt cold on his arm, even prickly.

Li Hao screamed and tried to run, but his legs gave out on the sofa. His legs wouldn't listen, instead moving together like a snake, wriggling and crawling.

Li Hao was stunned. He turned to look at the yellow-haired guy and his friends, who were also crawling on the ground in terror.

Their... their legs seemed to have degenerated, unable to stand!

The nanny who came in with fruit saw this scene, which looked like some cult gathering, screamed, and bolted.

He Yunxiao was fine, but they were in trouble now!

Fortunately, while their legs had degenerated, their upper bodies were still functional. Li Hao stammered, "Quick, quick, get into Chengde Medical Hall's livestream!"

*

As the sky darkened, Huang Qiang woke up from his nap, rubbing his sleepy eyes and looking at the hazy mist. "Why is it foggy?"

He turned back to the livestream and said, "The ecology at the foot of our reserve is really good. Just the other day, I even saw a weasel."

Huang Qiang leaned over the recliner and saw Huang Zhigang lying there with his eyes closed, his face free of pain, looking completely at peace. Huang Qiang's heart skipped a beat, but a glimmer of hope rose within him.

Huang Qiang didn't show it, just trembling slightly as he reached out to check Huang Zhigang's breathing.

Suddenly, Huang Zhigang's eyes snapped open, his dark pupils, more prominent than the whites, locking onto Huang Qiang's gaze. Huang Qiang jumped back in fright, while Huang Zhigang sat up.

Huang Qiang patted his chest, calming his racing heart, and asked, "Uncle, how are you feeling?"

Since his throat had swollen up, Huang Zhigang had not spoken for almost a few months. Huang Qiang didn't expect his uncle to reply, but suddenly, in the night, he heard a deep voice: "Quite well."

Huang Qiang was stunned and couldn't help but take a closer look at Huang Zhigang.

"Holy crap, the mud ball actually worked? Wu Heng's got some serious skills! Uncle can talk now! Incredible! Should we apologize for mocking Dr. Wu earlier?"

"Didn't he say it was a pig bone stuck in there? If it hasn't come out, isn't this just treating the symptoms and not the cause? It might not necessarily be the mud ball's effect, right? Uncle's been on all kinds of meds this whole time."

"I don't know if it's because I haven't heard Uncle's voice for two months, but it feels like his voice has changed a bit?"

He Yunxiao was instantly wide awake after seeing this. While the viewers might still have their doubts, he was absolutely certain it was the mud ball! And it actually worked?

He Yunxiao was so excited he almost jumped up. Indeed! The He Family had really stumbled upon a master!

In the camera, Huang Zhigang stood up straight and said, "I'm hungry, let's cook."

Huang Qiang, never forgetting he's a food blogger, immediately said, "Uncle, I'll cook, you sit... alright, you can at most assist me."

The live stream viewers were ecstatic. Not only did Uncle seem to be improving, but tonight they could also see Qiang's cooking? These foodies were practically drooling!

As the sky darkened, the courtyard was lit up with moody lanterns, and dishes were gradually brought to the large round stone table. Each dish was light and perfect for someone on the mend.

"The last dish is century egg and lean meat porridge, and the meat was cut by Uncle," Huang Qiang said, his eyes glistening as he faced the camera. "I'm just happy Uncle's doing better."

Huang Qiang felt a bit disappointed inside. Uncle wasn't going to die, so he couldn't squeeze money out of Wu Heng's family, but thinking that Huang Zhigang's survival could help him more, he felt quite satisfied.

"Wow—it looks so delicious, Qiang's cooking is just amazing. Even though it's so light, I'm drooling, and I usually can't live without spicy food."

"That century egg and lean meat porridge is packed with flavor!"

"I don't know why, but Uncle's expression seems a little off..."

Huang Zhigang: "Eat."

Huang Qiang also found it strange that Uncle spoke so little, but considering his throat had been uncomfortable for so long, speaking less was normal, so he picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

As a food blogger, he exaggerated his eating style and expressions to show how delicious the food was.

Uncle sat across from him, his right hand hanging under the stone table, his left hand holding a spoon. Under the dim, old-fashioned courtyard light, his usually honest face wore a strange smile.

As Huang Zhigang ate the porridge, the spoon clattered against the bowl, making an unsettling noise.

Many netizens felt something was off, but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"I know! In our countryside, we usually hold chopsticks with the right hand and the bowl with the left. Is Uncle's right hand uncomfortable? Why is it always under the table?"

"It's foggy, and the fog is quite heavy. Why do I feel so uneasy? Can we connect to Chengde Medical Hall? I feel like Dr. Wu is very righteous! With him, I'm not afraid."

"You guys are always going on about ghosts and spirits. In the future, I'll sell health products to you all. Do you really think it's the mud ball's merit? The top-tier hospital doctors who treated Uncle earlier must be crying in their scrubs."

Huang Qiang, while drinking the porridge, invited Wu Heng to connect again, and couldn't help but praise, "Ah, this century egg and lean meat porridge is so fragrant, the meat is so good."

Wu Heng connected again.

Chengde Medical Hall started a live stream, and Wu Heng saw the message He Yunxiao sent on WeChat and even gave He Yunxiao the administrator rights for his live stream.

Li Hao and his group, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately rushed into the live stream, wanting to request a connection, but Wu Heng accepted Huang Qiang's connection first.

The guys with the yellow hair dye were sprawled on the ground, anxiously looking at Li Hao: "Hao, what are we gonna do? He's live-streaming with that influencer again."

Li Hao was frantic too, pacing back and forth on the sofa, "Hurry, get in line for the next live stream."

They didn’t have Dr. Wu’s connections or inside track and could only try their luck in the live stream.

In the live stream chat, Huang Qiang looked at Dr. Wu's handsome face and said, "Dr. Wu, you’ve got some serious skills! My uncle has improved a lot and can even eat porridge now! It’s just a shame that the pig bones you mentioned haven’t come up yet."

Huang Qiang glanced at the comments and noticed that some sharp viewers weren’t too happy with his comment. The last part kinda hinted that Dr. Wu’s treatment wasn’t really fixing the root problem.

Before Dr. Wu could even reply, Huang Qiang quickly changed the subject and asked, "Dr. Wu, you were joking with me earlier, right? It’s gotta be a pill, not some mud ball! What’s in this pill, and what’s it supposed to treat? Can you share it with everyone?"

Some viewers were already thinking Dr. Wu didn’t want to spill the secret recipe and, for the sake of traffic, deliberately called it a mud ball!

Dr. Wu smiled and said, "It’s mainly for stopping bleeding."

Everyone, including Huang Qiang, was stunned. What? Stop bleeding?

This doesn’t even make sense for the treatment!

Huang Qiang also found Dr. Wu's words inexplicable and couldn’t help but mutter softly, "There's no bleeding, what's there to stop? What a quack."

As Huang Qiang stirred the pot with his spoon, his gaze casually swept over it and suddenly froze.

In the fragrant stone pot, there was an extra sapphire ring.

Huang Qiang remembered this ring. His uncle had bragged that the Shi family gave it to him as a reward for being such a great chef. He had secretly searched for it and found out it was worth seven figures!

His uncle loved this ring and wore it almost every day on his right middle finger.

Why was this sapphire ring in the stone pot of the century egg and lean meat porridge? Did it accidentally fall in while cooking?

Huang Qiang had a bad feeling and stirred the pot with his spoon. A soft, decayed finger floated to the surface.

That finger clearly belonged to a human.

Huang Qiang froze in terror, and from above came his uncle's eerie, cold question: "Qiang, why aren’t you eating?"

Blood!

A thick smell of blood hit him.

Huang Qiang was so shocked that the spoon in his hand clattered to the ground. He finally saw his uncle's right arm—it was completely missing!

The severed right arm wasn’t gushing blood, only a few drops of blood fell.

From the other side, Dr. Wu gently asked, "Does it make sense now?"