Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The little white snake was beside itself with excitement. Its forked tongue caught the lingering scent of fast food in the air—it belonged to the young man in white standing right in front of it!

This was the godfather it had been dreaming about day and night, the one it had never even met!

Wu Heng had been mean to it, but Shi Xuan had been delivering fried chicken to it every day. Of course, it would choose the latter as its godfather.

Shi Xuan stared intently at the little white snake that was speaking in human language: "Who are you?"

The little white snake was utterly shocked: "..."

Don't you recognize your own kid?!

Wu Heng observed the scene for a while and finally caught on.

No wonder he had been catching a faint whiff of fried chicken near the well these past few days. The little white snake's cultivation was too weak for it to climb to the fast-food restaurant in town and steal fried chicken, so it must have been Shi Xuan who sent it.

Wu Heng was quietly amazed. With countless underground waterways across the country, even spirit snakes like the little white snake could easily get lost. How did Shi Xuan manage to deliver a KFC meal precisely to the well in Nan Nuo Village?

Besides, there was a certain tradition behind choosing a godfather.

In folklore, it was pretty common for sick kids to pick a godfather. This godfather wasn't just limited to humans; some would pick dogs, chickens, or even ghosts and demons. As long as their birth signs matched and there was a connection, a family bond could be formed.

This was also why Xi Xi. He Yunxiao's first snake daughter was practically delivered by his own hands, and as the first of his seven emotions, she naturally clicked with him, so he took her as his goddaughter.

Why on earth did the little white snake pick Shi Xuan as its godfather? His yin energy was so intense that it was impossible to read him, and he was prone to attracting evil spirits. He was definitely not the top pick for a godfather.

Just for some fried chicken, it went with Shi Xuan. No wonder it had been training for so many years and was still just a trainee Dragon King of the well. If it didn't train, who else would? At this rate, it might not even get its training certificate.

As if sensing Wu Heng's skeptical look, Shi Xuan lowered his lashes and said, "I'm not good enough."

For some reason, Wu Heng picked up a hint of hurt in his voice. He immediately felt his old habit acting up again. This was a friend! An equal friend! Not a patient whose lifespan he needed to discern!

"No, no," Wu Heng hurriedly said, "You're worthy. More than worthy for it."

The little white snake raised its head, shocked, and confirmed with Xi Xi: "Xi Xi, did godfather accept me? Do I have unlimited chicken now?"

Didn't he just ask that heartbreaking question, "Who are you?"

Xi Xi was happy for the little white snake: "Second godfather seems to have agreed."

The little white snake froze in place: "What second godfather?"

Holy crap! Doesn't that make us siblings?

Wait, no, it and Xi Xi weren't related by blood. Besides, neither of them had a household register, so they weren't even on the same family record.

After fully understanding, Wu Heng took a step toward Shi Xuan, smiled, and extended his hand: "Hello, I'm Wu Heng. I live in Nan Nuo Village in the southwestern borderlands. I'm not a spirit living in a well or a male ghost. I just came through the well."

Wu Heng's smile revealed shallow dimples, and his fair cheeks had a natural rosy hue. Sunlight filtered through the tree shadows and fell on his left earlobe, where there was a small ear piercing.

Shi Xuan suddenly remembered the silver earring Wu Heng had worn that day. He had only worn it once.

Shi Xuan reached out and gently shook his hand. Wu Heng was momentarily chilled by the coldness of his palm but then noticed how long his fingers were.

Wu Heng pulled his hand away and said, "I came to the capital city today for some business."

Wu Heng took out his phone, opened Gaode Map, and handed it to Shi Xuan: "You're from the capital city. Do you know this place? I didn't find any well that connects there."

Shi Xuan glanced over and nodded, "I know, come with me to the basement."

Wu Heng coiled the two snakes around his arm, tugged his collar up to hide half his face, and followed closely behind Shi Xuan.

The little white snake said, "Wu Heng, you seem like a thief."

What does the little white snake understand? His father is a butler in the Shi family! Running into him would be hard to explain.

Luckily, Shi Xuan seemed to live alone, and they didn’t encounter any servants along the way. They followed him to the basement, where a lineup of luxury cars was parked in the garage.

Wu Heng was drawn to bright colors, and his eyes lingered on the fiery red sports car for a moment.

Shi Xuan picked the red sports car key from a pile of keys and opened the car door for Wu Heng.

As far as Wu Heng could remember, he’d never ridden in a sports car; the most he’d ridden was a small electric bike. Once in the car, the little white snake crawled up to Wu Heng's chest, hanging diagonally like a makeshift seatbelt.

The little white snake said proudly, "Wu Heng, you country bumpkin, I see they all wear a belt in front when they ride in cars."

Xi Xi bit the seatbelt and pulled it out. Wu Heng took the seatbelt and smoothly inserted it, saying, "Country bumpkins really don’t get seatbelts."

Little White Snake: "..."

"Ready?" Shi Xuan started the engine, and the headlights flashed on. The garage door slowly opened.

After receiving Wu Heng's affirmative answer, Shi Xuan hit the gas and drove off the Shi family property.

Wu Heng asked, "Do you have a driver's license? He Yunxiao doesn’t even have his yet."

Shi Xuan nodded, "I'm eighteen."

Wu Heng thought hazily, so he’s six months older than me.

The drive was short, and Shi Xuan drove skillfully to a deserted estate and stopped.

Wu Heng squinted and immediately got out of the car, scanning the wildly overgrown garden beyond the fence. The lush branches of various flowers had already extended beyond the iron fence, growing almost out of control.

Shi Xuan entered his fingerprint at the gate to open it and said, "Let’s head in and check it out."

Wu Heng was slightly stunned, "Is this your home?"

"It’s my family’s abandoned estate, left untouched for years." The two walked inside, and Shi Xuan admitted.

The overgrown grass had swallowed the stone path, and a tree split by summer lightning lay across the garden, debris scattered everywhere, with occasional insects jumping around.

This was the abandoned estate where Fan Tu and her ex-boyfriend Zhou Haotian had visited during their spring trip to the capital city, snapping photos as keepsakes.

Wu Heng took out a paper shovel and said, "I'll dig up some flower seeds."

Beauty’s Smile flower seeds aren’t easy to come by. Wu Heng searched for a long time with the paper shovel and only managed to dig up three seeds.

Although these seeds feed on human essence and are even related to the life of their host, not everything in the world is black and white. These seeds might just be useful.

Wu Heng put the seeds into his ethnically styled backpack and turned to see Shi Xuan sitting not far away, waiting for him. He was wearing white trousers, so the large spider on his pant leg was particularly visible.

The little white snake was ecstatic, "I'll help godfather eat it!"

Wu Heng reached out and lifted the little white snake. He looked from afar at Shi Xuan sitting on the trunk of the lightning-struck tree, with spider webs covering one side of the wall, not just spiders but other insects as well, clearly drawn to him.

Wu Heng squinted, watching the spider greedily absorbing the yin energy that Shi Xuan unconsciously emitted. He suddenly stepped forward and kicked the spider off his pant leg.

Shi Xuan was slightly stunned by Wu Heng's actions; no one had ever protected him before, not even from something as trivial as a harmless, plump spider.

Shi Xuan: "I haven't been here for a long time, they seem to have missed me."

Shi Xuan had no friends, or rather, no one dared to be friends with him. This garden had become the place he frequented most during his childhood. The plants and insects here had become familiar with him.

Wu Heng reached out and cast a spell to ward off evil on the spider, ensuring that no one would ever have spider silk spilling from their navel, and asked, "Do you like bugs?"

Shi Xuan didn't particularly like or dislike the small insects in the garden; he was just accustomed to seeing them.

Wu Heng leaned closer and asked, "Do you like celery? Houttuynia cordata? What about cilantro?"

Shi Xuan remained silent for a moment, then said, "I can give it a try."

"If you're with me."

Wu Heng looked at his expressionless face and thought that sharing a hot pot with him would be his final compromise!

Shi Xuan changed the subject and asked if he had found the flower seeds he wanted. Wu Heng took out the three rather plain-looking seeds from his pocket and joked, "These seeds were dug up from your garden, so, new friend... if you ever find yourself in dire straits, I'll use these to save your life."

His phone vibrated in his pocket; it was a WeChat message.

"Li Hao: Wuwuwuwu Dr. Wu, when will you arrive?"

Wu Heng glanced at it and replied, "Prepare some joss paper." He then picked up some palm-sized stones and arranged them in different formations at the four corners of the garden, burying them in the soil.

After completing all this, the two left the manor. Wu Heng sat in the car, occasionally stealing glances at Shi Xuan.

Shi Xuan, who had been holding the steering wheel with one hand, now gripped it with both, still looking straight ahead.

"Friend, can you completely seal off this manor and leave it unused for at least five years?"

He had just set up a protective array in the Shi family manor, which needed time to take effect.

Shi Xuan: "Sure."

Wu Heng's eyes widened in surprise—he agreed just like that, without hesitation?

Although he didn't fully understand this world yet, he knew that land in any capital city was outrageously expensive. That manor must be worth a fortune, and he just agreed to leave it unused?

Wu Heng thought about the usual antics of He Yunxiao, Li Hao, and Wang Dong and felt somewhat reassured. Maybe rich young masters just liked to operate this way.

*

The well in the Li family was constructed according to the principles of the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams, and even the well's edge was made of top-grade stone.

He Yunxiao, who had been invited to witness the ceremony, was utterly confused. He really couldn't comprehend the thought process of Li Hao and the others. What was the point of having a well at home nowadays? Wasn't well water considered very yin and malevolent?

The strangest part was that Li Hao was winking and smirking, proudly asking, "He Yunxiao, do you think Dr. Wu Heng will like this well? Do you think there's anything else we should add?"

He Yunxiao was speechless: "What does it matter if Wu Heng likes this well or not? Isn't this your Li family's well?"

Li Hao and Wang Dong could barely contain their laughter. He Yunxiao still didn't get the situation, did he? Haha, he was in for a rude awakening!

"Gurgle," "gurgle."

The water in the well suddenly made strange gurgling sounds.

Li Hao and the others were startled: "What's that? Isn't this a newly dug well? Why is there something else in it?"

They couldn't help but peer into the well, where a strange shadow could faintly be seen, though it was difficult to make out clearly.

Maybe they were out of their minds, as their eyes grew increasingly glazed, and they all jostled to shove their heads into the well, their necks feeling like they were being yanked down by some unseen force.

"Hiss—!"

The small gray snake shot in like a flash, climbing onto He Yunxiao's arm, and let out a menacing hiss directed at the creature lurking in the well.

The creature inside hesitated, realizing it was just a newborn spirit snake, and stayed still, almost dismissive of the threat.

"Scram."

A calm yet commanding voice cut through the air from behind.

It was none other than Dr. Wu.

The creature in the well recoiled in shock and vanished in a flash, disappearing into the depths.

Li Hao and the others slumped to the ground like lifeless sacks around the well, gasping for air like fish out of water.

"What the hell was that just now...?"

Li Hao swallowed hard, asking with fear.

Dr. Wu and Shi Xuan walked in from outside. Dr. Wu shrugged it off, "Nothing serious, just some nasty spirit."

Wait, that's it??

That was just some 'dirty thing'? Are you kidding me?

"Oh man, Dr. Wu, you saved our asses again!" The group was still trembling, barely grasping the horror that had been lurking in the well.

If they'd been pulled in, today would've been their funeral, not a well ceremony.

Shi Xuan shot a cold glance their way before turning away, his lips curling slightly in disdain.

Dr. Wu inspected the well. It was a solid piece of work, perfectly aligned with feng shui principles and built with top-notch materials. But there was a catch...

Dr. Wu asked with a smile, "You sure you wanna keep this well? We can still seal it up if you change your mind."

"You've just experienced it firsthand. Wells are yin magnets, drawing in all sorts of nasty spirits, especially during the Ghost Festival."

"Even with a mark, if something stronger than Little White shows up, it can still crawl right out of that well."

Li Hao and the others froze. The thought alone was bone-chilling.

He Yunxiao frowned, "What's the deal with this well? You guys aren't scared of getting haunted or worse?"

Dirty things? Please, they’ve got nothing on the creepy vibes Shi Xuan gives off.

Li Hao immediately said, "We're keeping it!"

With Dr. Wu around, what's there to fear from demons and ghosts?

As newcomers, they had to fight and compete to surpass He Yunxiao.

Man, they should’ve carried snake fetuses and popped out a whole brood for Dr. Wu, all fighting over who gets to call him godfather.

Hearing this, Dr. Wu grabbed the little white snake that had been squirming awkwardly in front of He Yunxiao and said, "I keep my word. This is your new territory. Go mark it."

For the spirit snake, this newly dug well isn’t as refreshing as the ancient well’s spring water, so what’s the point?

Wu Heng added, “This well cost over two hundred thousand. Do you know what that means?”

The small white snake’s eyes lit up: ‘A lifetime’s supply of Orleans-style roasted wings.’

“Whoosh—” The small white snake jumped into the well in a parabolic arc, swimming in the water and frantically rubbing against the walls to mark its territory. ‘Haha, now I’m a snake with real estate in the capital!’

At that moment, Wu Heng’s statement, “Xi Xi is a young lady from the capital,” became vividly clear.

After the small white snake finished marking, Wu Heng inscribed a talisman above it. If all goes well, no dirty things will crawl out of this well, and with proper use, it might even accumulate spiritual energy.

“Wu Heng, the joss paper you asked us to buy is ready. Is this for the Ghost Festival?” Li Hao, seeing the well ceremony completed, smiled so widely his face nearly cracked and quickly had the household help bring out the prepared joss paper.

Having seen Wu Heng’s live stream with a girl named Wang Qiang yesterday, they bought old-style yellow joss paper.

Wu Heng nodded and had them sit at the stone table in the courtyard. “Let’s get folding some ingots. By the way, start a live stream and help me clock in.”

He Yunxiao and the others vaguely heard that there’s a custom of folding ingots during festivals in the south, but they don’t have this custom here and aren’t sure what Wu Heng is getting at.

“Is the streamer showing us how to fold ingots today? I just bought some yellow joss paper.”

“Actually, there’s special paper for folding ingots, but since the streamer is using joss paper, I’ll use that too.”

Folding ingots isn’t hard. With a brief demonstration from Wu Heng, the seven or eight young men present started folding them pretty well.

“You messed up. These two corners are backwards. Let me show you.” Seeing Shi Xuan’s half-finished golden ingot, Wu Heng reached out and guided his fingers to teach him again.

Shi Xuan nodded. “Got it.”

Li Hao, watching this scene, almost laughed his head off.

Haha, Shi Xuan is the top student in his grade at school. Isn’t he supposed to be very capable, solving problems at a glance? Why is he so clueless today that he can’t even fold a simple ingot and needs to ask for help twice?

Li Hao was laughing when he turned his head and saw He Yunxiao holding the small gray snake, looking at him like he’s an idiot.

He Yunxiao looked at Li Hao and the others as if they were fools, feeling somewhat proud. After all, his standing with Wu Heng is superior, so Li Hao and the others probably don’t understand the hidden meanings, haha.

“That deadpan guy looks quite smart. How come he can’t do this? I learned it just by watching through the screen.”

“Such confusing guy talk.”

“Seems just like the ingots we fold at home.”

“Done. Looks quite similar.” He Yunxiao placed his folded ingot next to Wu Heng’s sample for comparison.

Li Hao and the others, along with Shi Xuan, also placed their folded ingots on the table. Since there wasn’t much technical difficulty, everyone’s ingots looked quite similar to Wu Heng’s.

Wu Heng, however, picked up the ingot folded by Shi Xuan and gave him a few more glances.

Folding ingots is actually about the appearance and quality.

Ordinary people fold ingots that only resemble the shape, which turn to ashes when burned and sent to the underworld. The better the quality of the golden ingot, the higher its value in the underworld.

Wu Heng noticed that the golden ingots folded by Li Hao and the others only looked the part, without any bonus wealth in the underworld. He Yunxiao’s folded ingots were slightly effective, probably because he’s got a spirit snake like Xi Xi as his snake kid.

As for Shi Xuan’s—

The quality and appearance were top-notch, and when placed beside the ingots he folded, there was no visible difference.

If any ghosts or demons were present at the scene, they would be drooling over these two gold ingots. Just these two gold ingots alone could outvalue a mountain of randomly burned paper money and hell notes by ordinary people!

He is an ancient shaman, and his methods are naturally unique, but Shi Xuan...

Dr. Wu played with the ingot folded by Shi Xuan, a hint of curiosity flashing in his expression.

Recently, every patient he has consulted online has been intricately connected to Shi Xuan. He had just seen the spider clinging to Shi Xuan's trouser leg, and it seemed the spider silk in the female patient's navel at the top hospital in the capital city came from it.

Whether it's a coincidence or not is hard to say.

Dr. Wu looked at Shi Xuan again. The young man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his gaze as cold as a deep pool, but when it met Dr. Wu's, it turned warm.

Still, he couldn't tell whether it was life or death.

Everyone in front of him was like a blank sheet of paper, but he was an abyss.

Dr. Wu picked up his phone and glanced at the real-time pictures posted by netizens in the super topic. Occasionally, one or two were as useful as those folded by He Yunxiao, but the rest were just scraps of paper. After all, few in this world can truly benefit from the underworld.

Dr. Wu put down the ingot and said, "Fold more; I need them for the Ghost Festival."

Shi Xuan suddenly spoke, "Who is number one in your heart?"

Dr. Wu was stunned for a moment. Does folding ingots also require ranking first and second?

Li Hao and the others immediately understood. Indeed, the top student in school always wants to be first in everything.

Dr. Wu answered truthfully, "You."

Shi Xuan curved the corners of his lips.

The green-haired guy leaned over and asked, "What about us?"

Dr. Wu said, "The bottom ranks don't count."

The yellow-haired guy looked at He Yunxiao and then at big brother Li Hao, teasing, "Dr. Wu, are you saying that the girl with two ounces of flesh below, who you connected with, needs them?"

"Some administrators just can't manage such a big live stream room, but our Hao brother has experience in managing people."

He Yunxiao's alarm bells rang loudly. Li Hao and his group of latecomers were trying to steal his administrator position! Damn it!

He Yunxiao sneered while folding ingots, "My daughter is Dr. Wu's only goddaughter."

Li Hao and the others were momentarily speechless, but seeing the well not far away, they quickly regained their composure. Having connections is impressive, right? Soon, He Yunxiao would know what real power is.

Dr. Wu took out a paper shovel and a creased hell note from his pocket, two hell tickets he had snatched from Lai Yin Chai. He dismantled the paper shovel and folded two more gold ingots with the hell note, casually tossing them into the pile of ingots folded by Shi Xuan.

"That should be enough," Dr. Wu said, glancing at the sky. "I still need to meet someone. Close the live stream after an hour of check-in."

Li Hao and the others were addicted to folding ingots. Thinking of Wang Qiang's parents who had wronged their daughter, they said, "Dr. Wu, you go ahead. We'll keep folding and burn some for our ancestors. I suspect they weren't doing their job last time when I was learning to crawl like a snake."

He Yunxiao checked the time and said, "Then I'll head back first."

Li Hao and Wang Dong immediately pressed He Yunxiao's shoulders with one hand each, "Sit down, sit down, Young Master He. What's the rush?" Is now the time for you to be in a hurry?

They had to make sure He Yunxiao saw with his own eyes that Dr. Wu returned to Nan Nuo Village from this well, so that He Yunxiao would cry his eyes out, hahaha.

He Yunxiao, confused, had no choice but to continue folding ingots.

*

Dr. Wu got into Shi Xuan's car, and with a slight calculation, he pinpointed the bridge underpass where Chen Zhao was located.

Shi Xuan parked the sports car on the outer edge of the riverbank. Wu Heng told him not to follow and walked along the grass to the river mouth. Using the vines, he leaped into the space under the bridge.

Chen Zhao jumped up in surprise and quickly got up, seeing it was Wu Heng. He looked outside to check the time and felt a pang of regret: "It's still early; it hasn't even been eighteen hours yet."

It seemed he couldn't collect the storage fee for the delivery locker. Chen Zhao felt a bit disappointed.

Soon, Chen Zhao reacted: "Wait, weren't you in your hometown just yesterday? How did you get here so fast?"

Wu Heng said, "Ever been on a plane?"

Although he hadn't either, it didn't stop him from saying so.

Chen Zhao was shocked: "Do I look like I can afford to fly?"

As he spoke, he tossed the spider silk, bundled like yarn, from his backpack to Wu Heng. "What do you need this for?"

Wu Heng tugged at the extremely fine spider silk, which had remarkable elasticity.

"This spider silk, born from dark forces, makes the best sutures. It'll come in handy for someone."

Chen Zhao, noticing the glint of amusement in Wu Heng's eyes, wasn't particularly interested and asked, "Lately, a big shot in the capital city has fallen ill, inviting top doctors for a consultation. Are you going?"

Wu Heng countered, "Did you get an invite?"

Chen Zhao naturally shook his head, excitedly extending five fingers, mysteriously saying, "Of course not, I'm going as an apprentice to fill in the numbers, and I'll get five hundred bucks."

This was extra cash, no need to share it with the master.

Hearing this, Wu Heng turned around without hesitation and left the bridge cave, swung back using the vines.

Shi Xuan opened the car door for him, sitting in the driver's seat with one hand on the steering wheel, casually asking, "To the Li's or my place?"

"Either works."

Wu Heng didn't care which well led back to Nan Nuo Village; the destination was the same no matter the route.

"The Li's place is a bit out of the way; mine's closer." Shi Xuan drove towards his home.

On the other end, He Yunxiao had already folded hundreds of paper gold ingots, his fingers starting to ache. "I'm heading back, what are you guys really doing?"

Seeing how late it was, Li Hao and the others were puzzled by Wu Heng's absence.

Wang Dong simply got up and went to the well, shouting inside, "Dr. Wu?"

He Yunxiao thought Li Hao and his friends were crazy and slipped away unnoticed while they were distracted.

In the dim night, Li Hao and his friends still sat at the stone table, shivering at the pile of paper gold ingots meant for the ghosts and demons.

Li Hao insisted, "It must be that Dr. Wu hasn't finished his business yet. Once he's done, he'll definitely return through our well. Let's wait a bit longer."

With a new house and home, who would go back to that dump? Isn't that normal thinking?

And when we asked Wu Heng about digging the well, didn't he agree to use ours from now on?

The group of young men waited by the well, waiting and waiting. Who knew Wu Heng would be so nostalgic!

Wu Heng received a WeChat message early the next morning, a voice message from Li Hao.

The person on the other end was almost sobbing, asking, "Dr. Wu, ever had to wait from dusk till dawn?"