Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Fan Xuan was about to give this guy a 6.

On the other side, Wu Heng also fell silent. This guy was the real deal—someone who’d risk lives for a quick buck.

At the end of the day, a life’s worth way more than two grand. Though Fan Xuan and Mr. Zhou were cursing Chen Zhao in their heads, they still mustered the courage to move forward.

Fan Tu stood at the door of the ward, her face scrunched up in hesitation—spiders were her worst nightmare. Mr. Zhou blurted out, "Tu Tu, stay out!"

Having been through weird stuff before, and with Wu Heng on the line, Fan Xuan and Zhou Mingze were slightly braver than the first-timers.

Suppressing their fear, the two of them felt their way toward Chen Zhao in the ward. The silk webs drifted in the cramped space, recoiling like they’d been zapped the moment they touched the two men’s skin.

As they peeled away the spider webs, Fan Xuan and Zhou Mingze exchanged puzzled looks. Where the heck had the patient gone?

Suddenly, a scream ripped through the air. "The... the ceiling!"

Fan Xuan and Zhou Mingze looked up and froze. A female patient dangled upside down from the ceiling light, her eyes bulging like saucers, a creepy grin plastered across her face.

Everyone nearly had a heart attack! How on earth did she climb onto the ceiling?

"Holy crap, I dropped my phone!"

"No wonder we couldn’t find her—she was spying on us from the ceiling! I’m sweating bullets."

"Isn’t everything in a spider’s web supposed to be food? Is she planning to snack on that guy?"

"Man, what’s with all these freaky illnesses lately? I need to hit up the temple and pray for some peace."

"Do the streamers sell safety talismans? This is way too creepy."

"Mom, wake up! Get down from there!" The patient's family member at the door looked at the woman on the ceiling in horror and shouted.

Wu Heng, calm as ever at his desk in Chengde Medical Hall, explained, "She’s in a trance. Shouting won’t do a thing."

Noticing Fan Xuan and Zhou Mingze’s pale faces, Wu Heng urged them, "Don’t let her scare you. Focus on saving Fellow Daoist Chen."

Fan Xuan and Zhou Mingze gritted their teeth, lunged at Chen Zhao, and yanked him off the wall.

Chen Zhao spat out spider silk, then in one swift move, swiped the mosquito repellent from Fan Xuan’s pocket. He deftly applied a thin layer of pale green ointment and quickly stuffed the box into his own pocket.

"Crap, I went overboard."

Chen Zhao’s heart sank. That stuff was expensive! What a waste!

Without hesitation, Chen Zhao pushed off the wall and launched himself at the patient on the ceiling. The patient recoiled at the herbal smell, but Chen Zhao wasn’t letting her escape.

He gripped her wrist with one hand and smeared the ointment on her forehead, quickly tracing a talisman.

The patient’s creepy stare faded into confusion as her body went slack. Chen Zhao yanked her down and dumped her onto the bed.

Everyone was frozen in shock, but Wu Heng, miles away, had been the mastermind behind the solution!

This wasn’t just a shaman—this was a miracle doctor!

Done!

Chen Zhao looked around proudly at the silent crowd, all stunned by his good looks, huh?

Dr. Wu said, "Hand over the mosquito repellent in your pocket to Fan Xuan."

Chen Zhao hesitated, "..."

Fan Xuan, snapping out of his shock, quickly felt his pocket and exclaimed, "Wait, you just used it and then slipped it into your own pocket?"

Not only did he not pay, but he also tried to take it with him!

Chen Zhao awkwardly rubbed his nose, threw the mosquito repellent back to Fan Xuan, and blurted out defensively, "I just got used to taking things along the way!"

Everyone fell silent, "..."

Fan Xuan was a bit angry. His sister was basically the first spokesperson for Dr. Wu's mosquito repellent. After this, people wanting to buy Dr. Wu's mosquito repellent would have to line up from his house all the way to the capital city, and getting another box would be tough.

"How are you planning to pay for what you just used?"

Chen Zhao sneered, "I used it on my own, why should I pay?"

These people weren't getting a single penny out of him.

Zhou Mingze realized for the first time that he could misjudge someone—he’d only seen the young man’s righteous aura and missed his stinginess.

Fan Tu and Fan Xuan didn’t bother to argue further; they were just mad for a moment.

"Dr. Chen, Dr. Wu, could you please check what’s wrong with my mom?" the patient’s family anxiously interrupted.

It felt like the sky was about to fall!

The ward was covered in spider webs, making the spider cave from "Journey to the West" look tame in comparison.

Chen Zhao, unable to figure it out, simply said, "Possessed."

His master had taught him: when you don’t know, keep it mysterious—the more mysterious, the more people believe.

Chen Zhao rubbed his sore elbow, which had turned blue after being hit by the female patient earlier.

Suddenly, Chen Zhao’s eyes lit up. He whipped out his phone, snapped a photo of his elbow, photoshopped it to look even creepier, and sent it to his master.

"Bright as Sun and Moon: Master, does this count as a work injury for compensation? [Picture] I even swallowed some spider silk."

"Old Yan: You’ve got more guts than I do."

Chen Zhao stayed silent for a moment; he knew how it would go.

The term "possessed" was too vague and didn’t give much useful information.

This was the difference between a shaman and a Taoist—a doctor had to responsibly explain the illness to the patient and their family.

Dr. Wu explained, "She is indeed possessed, but more specifically, did she sneak into someone’s abandoned estate and dig up plants to take home?"

The family’s faces turned awkward, stammering as they struggled to respond. Their mom was great in every way, except for her habit of petty theft.

She had sneaked into an abandoned estate before. Although the estate was abandoned and had nothing valuable, the plants there were lush, and her mom, loving flowers, thought of transplanting them home, so she climbed over the wall.

Dr. Wu continued, "So the spiders inside were protecting their home. Their defensive state should be understandable, right?"

This world isn’t as peaceful as it seems; even a small evil thought tainted with negative energy can grow into a disaster.

The patient's family fell silent, as if they understood, but they didn't expect it to be so serious. Those abandoned estates are definitely off-limits!

"Heaven sees everything, so don’t do shady stuff."

"This lady’s got guts, going to an abandoned estate like that. Isn’t she scared of running into ghosts?"

"So, the estate’s haunted? Full of yin energy? What place is it? Can you help me steer clear of trouble?"

Fan Tu, listening nearby, grew increasingly uneasy and couldn't help but say, "Could it be the spot my ex and I checked out during our trip?"

Her ex dug up seeds from a beauty’s dimple flower there, and the old lady went in to dig up plants and got attacked by spiders?

Is it the same spot?

Wu Heng nodded, sensing something off about the place. His divination only gave him a vague idea about the abandoned estate, maybe because he’s new to this world, so his powers aren’t fully developed.

The family quickly apologized, "It’s my mom’s fault, and mine too for not keeping a closer eye on her. We’ll make sure to keep a tighter leash on her from now on, and she won’t do petty theft again. I guarantee it as her son!"

They’ve been freaked out lately—their mom’s navel producing spider silk? That’s not normal! They were scared she’d be taken away for experiments or dissection.

Wu Heng nodded, accepting the family’s assurance. "The mosquito repellent ointment’s herbal-based and water-soluble. Mix the right amount in water and have her drink it for three days. She’ll expel all the spider silk from her body."

Chen Zhao’s expression shifted slightly, regretting not trying it for free earlier.

The patient's family nodded repeatedly, "Thanks, Dr. Wu. We’ll buy a jar now and send you the consultation fee during your live stream once things settle down."

Wu Heng nodded. He was never afraid of patients defaulting on payment.

"If it weren’t for how scary that was, I’d think this was a promo for Wu Heng’s mosquito repellent."

"Stop it, the more you talk, the more I want it. When will it be available for sale? I'm already eager."

"First batch half off? If I miss that, I’ll pay full price. This stuff’s a lifesaver. I’d rather die than turn into some spider monster—it’s gross."

"+1, hurry up and list it."

Chen Zhao noticed Wu Heng staring at him. He gripped his peach wood sword and took two steps back, straightening his back and asking with slight vigilance, "Why are you looking at me? I have no money."

Chen Zhao remembered that he had to rescue the patient earlier, thanks to Wu Heng's mosquito repellent ointment. Otherwise, today wouldn’t have been resolved so easily.

He... he wouldn’t want him to split half of the consultation fee, would he? His master gave him five hundred bucks. Splitting it would mean two-fifty each? A big loss.

Wu Heng asked, "Brother Chen, could you help me collect some spider silk? I will need it later."

Spider silk is the strongest natural protein fiber in nature, much stronger and more elastic than silk, and has high medical value. The spider silk produced by evil thoughts is even more potent.

As long as Wu Heng didn’t want the two-fifty, Chen Zhao was very willing.

Wu Heng: "I want the finest."

Chen Zhao easily found the finest spider silk in the ward, and in less than ten minutes, he had collected a large coil.

The white-haired old dean stepped forward and said, "Thank you, Dr. Wu, Dr. Chen."

Having studied medicine for decades, this time he truly witnessed something extraordinary—such a bizarre disease in the world.

The remaining spider silk, the hospital director also plans to take a portion for research and destroy the rest.

Chen Zhao suddenly stared at the old director and asked, "Can my travel expenses to the capital city be reimbursed?"

The old director paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course, they can be reimbursed."

Chen Zhao was instantly delighted. He had hitched rides on big rigs to get here, and many truck drivers were actually unwilling to take a young man like him.

He had also become clever, agreeing to pay, but once on the truck, he would tell the driver's fortune, tracing the driver's ancestry back eighteen generations, leaving the driver in awe, and thus getting a free ride to the next service area.

"Just reimburse me... two hundred dollars is fine!"

He had been hitchhiking for free, so two hundred was a profit for him!

The official Daoist Physician invited by the authorities would pay the consultation fee through the official channels of the Daoist community, not directly to Chen Zhao. Chen Zhao would wait for his master to give him the money when he returned.

Seeing that everything was settled, Chen Zhao picked up his peach wood sword and said to Wu Heng, "I will be seeing a few more patients in the capital city recently. If you need this spider silk, you can find me under the bridge. The express locker keeps it for 18 hours, and it charges by the hour after that."

After saying this, Chen Zhao headed towards the staircase. Fan Tu couldn't help but call out from behind, "Dr. Chen, there's an elevator."

Chen Zhao didn't look sideways and said righteously, "Official Daoist Physicians don’t use public resources."

Wu Heng, who hailed from ancient times, felt he understood the modern world better than Chen Zhao.

Wu Heng said, "It’s free."

Chen Zhao paused, turned around, and strode towards the elevator, slipping in and tossing back a comment, "Forget what I just said."

*

It was already late, and Wu Heng announced the end of today’s free clinic, then closed the live stream.

The old woman had been engrossed in watching Wu Heng's live stream all day, and the female patient who produced spider silk had startled her.

So, there must be some powerful barefoot doctors who can sell gender-changing pills!

But her daughter-in-law's belly was already quite big, and if she couldn't buy the gender-changing pill before giving birth...

The middle-aged woman saw her son passing by and immediately called out to him, "Son, if your wife really gives birth to a girl, you better hustle to have a second kid and give me a grandson as soon as she gives birth. You’re the only graduate student in our village."

The man was in a bad mood and replied, "That’s if we can even have one."

"She can't have one?" The middle-aged woman pestered him for a grandson. Seeing her son hesitating and not responding, her expression changed, "Is it you?"

The man looked annoyed, "Stop asking about that! Mom, aren't you tired?"

The middle-aged woman panicked, forgetting about Wu Heng and her daughter-in-law, and rushed to buy tonics for her son.

-

Li Hao’s well was ready, and they were just waiting for Wu Heng to bring the little white snake to bless it. Such rituals always have auspicious dates and times, and it's not good to delay.

Wu Heng stood by the well, looking at the listless little white snake draped over the tree like a vine, "Let's go."

"After this, I’ll treat you to some Cajun-style chicken wings."

"I’ve had Cajun chicken wings before," the little white snake, hanging like a dead snake on the tree, groaned twice, the more it groaned, the worse it felt, "I'll never get to eat them again, hiss—"

Ever since that night when it enthusiastically worshipped its godfather, the godfather it had never met, who was on the other side of the well, disappeared.

It had been digging in the well for a long time, but besides the coolness of the sweet spring, it never smelled that delicious chicken flavor again.

So this is what humans mean by bland soup!

Wu Heng: "Bring Xi Xi along with you."

The little white snake hesitated briefly between Xi Xi, a young lady snake from the capital city, and the fast food offered by the unseen godfather, but quickly chose the former.

Wu Heng, a snake coiled around one arm, navigated the waterways with ease and soon found the Shi family's well. As he surfaced from the cold well water, he paused.

Wu Heng touched the well wall; the moss that once covered it was gone, and his fingers didn't slip—it had been meticulously cleaned.

A small iron ladder for climbing hung on the left side.

Wu Heng ascended the ladder towards the well's mouth, the bells on his ankle tinkling softly with each movement.

He climbed up and noticed the well's surroundings had been transformed.

On one side of the well stood a small rack with a very absorbent towel.

Beside the well stood a simple pavilion with a stone table, laden with freshly baked pastries and a pot of tea.

Unlike previous visits when Shi Xuan was always present, this time he was nowhere to be seen.

Xi Xi and the little white snake had already pounced on the pastries, eagerly munching away.

This is the perk of being a spirit snake; aside from their usual diet, they relish human food.

Wu Heng grabbed the clean towel and dried his hair, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He was a shaman, a role that struck fear into the hearts of ancient folk. A shaman's arrival often heralded disaster, sometimes even death. When he ventured out, he wore a string of bells, so the sound signaled a shaman's approach, earning him the title "bell doctor." Thus, they avoided him, save for a sense of awe.

Wu Heng briskly dried his hair, struck by the novel thought that someone might actually welcome his arrival, even preparing pastries just for him.

Even if that person exuded an aura of death and his fate was unclear, what did it matter?

What does it matter when forming friendships?

Wu Heng smoothed out the towel and placed it back on the rack, smiling as he said, "Shi Xuan? Are you here?"

The desolate courtyard was silent, with no response. The little white snake, its mouth full of pastry crumbs, turned to him and mumbled, "Wu Heng, who are you calling? This is really delicious."

A tall figure walked from the courtyard next door, dressed neatly without a speck of dust.

Shi Xuan approached, his cold eyes showing a hint of warmth. Just as he was about to speak, a little white snake stretched out its tongue to sniff the air, crying and rushing towards him from the stone table: "Godfather, it's me, your child. When I was little, you... you might have even held me!"