Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"You never used to use your phone when we went on dates before. Now that you've got me, you don't cherish me anymore," Zhao Li said, holding the steering wheel with a playful yet eerie tone.

Guo Jiang gave a dry laugh as he looked at the time displayed on his phone: 5 PM. He was certain he had run into a ghost, or perhaps both he and his girlfriend had.

The time on his phone was passing unusually slowly. If a normal minute is 60 seconds, the minute on his phone might take 600 seconds, or even 6000 seconds!

Guo Jiang's heart raced, and he wiped the sweat from his palms onto his already damp shirt, coming up with a lame excuse: "I'm downloading a beauty filter app. I'll take your photo later."

As he spoke, Guo Jiang suddenly noticed that his girlfriend's grip on the steering wheel was odd. While most people hold the wheel, she was holding it as if cradling it.

He rubbed his eyes and looked again, his blood freezing for a moment. It wasn't a steering wheel she was holding—it was a decaying skull!

Guo Jiang's nose stung, and he resisted the urge to slap himself hard.

In just half a month, Wu Heng had become an overnight sensation online, gaining five million fans. He must have some real skills. When the shaman performed the marriage check-up, she had clearly said that his girlfriend wasn't human. Yet, blinded by desire, he had ignored the warning. He wondered if Dr. Wu Heng would forgive him for his careless words.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. Guo Jiang noticed it was a message in the group chat.

"Tu Tu: @Help, Hengheng said you should get out of the car and jump into the well when you see it."

"Tu Tu: Can you receive the message?"

Tu Tu was swamped. The fan group she had created wasn't officially endorsed by Wu Heng, but who could have predicted such a scene on Ghost Festival night?

As soon as Wu Heng's live stream ended, countless curious netizens rushed to join the fan group.

Tu Tu waved her hand and upgraded each group to VIP, allowing a maximum of 2000 members per group. She also made He Yunxiao the group admin.

He Yunxiao was panicked. He was Dr. Wu Heng's administrator, not Fan Tu's! He had been inexplicably demoted!

He Yunxiao was furious, cursing Li Hao and his gang of scoundrels, as well as Fan Tu for taking over his role. Why were both men and women competing to be Dr. Wu Heng's number one supporter?

At that moment, He Yunxiao was still standing by the well, staring in disbelief at the distraught Li Hao, Wang Dong, and the others with their dyed hair. "You... you all knew about this?"

Damn it!

He Yunxiao finally realized why Li Hao and his gang had inexplicably dug a well at home, especially knowing that well water was cold and easily attracted unclean spirits.

So, they had known all along that Wu Heng could jump into the well? And they shamelessly planned to record it to constantly humiliate him?

He Yunxiao finally understood. No wonder Wu Heng had been in the capital city ten minutes ago, and now he was in Nan Nuo Village over 3000 kilometers away! It was all because of the well water!

The well... he remembered Shi Xuan's house also had a well.

He Yunxiao whipped his head around to look at Shi Xuan, his gaze filled with wariness.

He had overlooked it. Besides Li Hao and his gang, and the siblings Fan Tu and Fan Xuan, there was also the unassuming Shi Xuan trying to compete with him.

Despicable! These shameless people!

Shi Xuan picked up the half-drunk cup of sweet tea Wu Heng had left on the table and took a sip, saying calmly, "I'm not like you."

He and Wu Heng were friends.

Not henchmen.

He Yunxiao's heart was shattered.

The VIP group five that Guo Jiang was in was invaded by onlookers within just one minute.

"Wu Heng, give me acupuncture: Shouldn't there be no signal at this time according to supernatural novels?"

"San Shui Zhen Ren: Times are developing, now even the underworld has a ghost network. He must be using the ghost network."

"Wu Heng's wife: Damn, San Shui Zhen Ren actually joined the group. In that case, @HelpMe, find a chance to get out of the car first."

Guo Jiang finally noticed his phone's signal bar, the telecom on SIM card one showed a cross indicating no signal, while card two showed 5G.

But he only has one SIM card!!

So what kind of network is the 5G on card two? It's chilling.

Guo Jiang looked out the car window at the bright daylight, the sun was high, and the wide road had five lanes, yet there were no cars or pedestrians.

Where in the city would there be a well?

Guo Jiang's mind was in chaos, and then he saw an administrator tagging him in a message.

"Fan Xuan: @HelpMe, see if there’s a pharmacy nearby? In the prescription Wu Heng gave my sister last time, he specifically noted old ginger slices, saying they might have the effect of warding off evil."

As soon as Fan Xuan spoke, a group of envious netizens changed the topic, everyone wanting the only prescription Wu Heng has ever issued, but unfortunately, the Xue family has not mentioned a word about it, keeping it strictly confidential.

Guo Jiang tightly gripped his phone, looking at Xiao Li, trembling, "Li Li, I just scraped my hand, can I get out to buy a band-aid?"

His girlfriend suddenly turned her head, her skull and right-angled shoulders connected in a bizarre way, she coldly stared at Guo Jiang and said, "No."

Guo Jiang's heart sank, a sense of unease tightly enveloping his whole body. He no longer looked at Xiao Li, but turned to look out the car window, the blazing sun above was extremely appealing to him.

The car was cold and stuffy, Guo Jiang raised his hand wanting to open the window, but found the glass firmly stuck in the frame, as if nailed shut.

His girlfriend stepped on the gas without looking at the road, staring straight at Guo Jiang, "Don't open the window."

Guo Jiang, anxious and annoyed, instantly got angry, "Zhao Li, do you really want to marry me? Your future husband wants to open a window and you won't let him, am I marrying you to be your dog?!"

Although he used to enjoy being his wife's dog.

Xiao Li was silent, opening a small crack in the window on Guo Jiang's side.

The hot summer breeze outside the window brought a cold, chilling wind, directly hitting his face.

Guo Jiang suddenly squinted, vaguely seeing an ancient-looking traditional Chinese medicine hall ahead, with a plaque reading "Chengde Medical Hall."

Guo Jiang's heart suddenly warmed, his mind filled with only one thought—he had to get out of the car!

Guo Jiang looked around the car, unbuckled his seatbelt while grabbing the safety hammer, and smashed it hard against the car window, instantly shattering the glass, and the chilling wind rushed in, turning Guo Jiang's freshly styled hair into a mop.

The car door still wouldn't open, but Guo Jiang, after all, was a fitness trainer, moved quickly, he forced his way out through the window, not caring about the glass shards piercing his muscular arms.

Guo Jiang endured the pain, tightly holding his phone, and ran all the way towards Chengde Medical Hall.

But upon entering the hall, he did not see the expected Wu Heng, he thought it was impossible, heard that Dr. Wu Heng lives in a small village in the southwest, couldn't be here, probably a medical hall with the same name.

Guo Jiang urgently said to the apprentice in the medical hall, "Ginger slices, I need old ginger slices, give me as much as you have."

The pale-faced apprentice stared at him for two seconds, took out two taels of ginger slices from the pharmacy, and pointed to the payment code on the counter, "Ten yuan."

Guo Jiang quickly scanned the code to pay, then directly fed the ginger slices into his mouth, swallowing what he could, and keeping the rest in his mouth, not daring to spit it out, still tightly holding a piece of ginger in his hand.

The sharp, spicy taste of the old ginger slices burst in Guo Jiang's mouth. Accustomed to a bland diet, he immediately began coughing uncontrollably, his eyes watering and red from the spiciness.

Old ginger slices are believed to ward off all evil, cleanse impurities, and connect with the divine.

Perhaps it was truly the effect of the ginger slices, for as soon as Guo Jiang stepped out of the Chengde Medical Hall, the scene outside had completely transformed.

Night had fallen.

The blazing sun had abruptly transformed into a full moon, its cold light pouring down from the night sky, enveloping Guo Jiang in a bone-chilling cold. His girlfriend's black car had vanished without a trace.

Guo Jiang immediately re-entered the fan group, where the messages had already piled up to 999+.

He could still receive real-time messages.

"Wu Heng's Beloved: @Help, buddy, are you okay? We've called the police for you, but it seems they can't locate you."

"Wu Heng's Main Wife: @Help, you haven't spoken for so long, have you already been...? I mean, you're not even as fortunate as Wang Qiang's deceased parents... at least they didn't lose their lives."

"Shaman Master's Compelled Love: Wu Heng has been off live for almost five minutes, hasn't he saved this poor guy yet? Worried."

...

Although there were many who were just watching the drama, there were also many who genuinely cared about his safety.

Gripping the ginger tightly, Guo Jiang hastily typed a reply.

"Help: @everyone, thanks to @Fan Xuan for reminding me of the old ginger slices in Dr. Wu's prescription. I'm safe for now."

Seeing that Guo Jiang was still able to reply, the netizens grew even more excited.

Some suspected it was a staged performance for entertainment, some urged Guo Jiang to take photos while he still had internet access to capture what encountering a ghost looked like, and others asked if Wu Heng had privately connected to rescue him. The questions were all over the map.

Guo Jiang was already panicking and didn't bother responding to those strange questions. He quickly typed, eager to ask what to do next.

Just as he typed one word, a cold hand reached out from behind him, gliding over his shoulder and chest, and pressed down on his phone.

The hand, pale and devoid of blood, made the bright red nail polish stand out even more vividly, and the touch was icy cold.

Guo Jiang let out a scream, dropping the ginger slices and his phone, and scrambled forward in a frantic panic.

The fan group continued to tag Guo Jiang, with dozens of replies flooding in almost every second.

There were still many netizens who weren't afraid of the ghost festival and were eager to witness the drama.

At that moment, some netizens noticed the ID avatar posting another message.

It was a group red packet, with a vibrant red electronic cover and a note that read: "Wedding Red Packet."

In an instant, the fan group went silent.

However, some quick-fingered netizens, unable to resist red packets, had already clicked in and grabbed 4.44.

When they saw the series of 4.44, with the red packet limit set at 444, their hearts dropped.

Guo Jiang was desperately seeking help, so how could he possibly be sending a wedding red packet at this time?

So, who sent this red packet they just grabbed?

The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became!

The fifth fan group instantly became as quiet as a chicken, and no one dared to speak up anymore. Even the administrators like Tu Tu and He Yunxiao remained quiet, not daring to respond or kick anyone out.

Meanwhile, other groups gradually became lively again.

"Where is Heng Heng: Wuwuwu, I couldn't resist clicking! I saw someone in the fifth group sending a red envelope and instinctively clicked on it. Oh my god, I grabbed 4.44 yuan (about $0.70), but when I checked my wallet, it wasn't there at all."

"Heng Bao's Biggest Fan: @everyone, fans in the fifth group, please don't click on that wedding red envelope!!"

"Dr. Wu, Stab Me: I hesitantly ask, what will happen to those who couldn't resist grabbing that wedding red envelope? Will they also..."

"Also Want to Carry a Snake Fetus: Sorry, I'm really scared. I'm going to bury my head and sleep now, everyone. Wishing that guy the best of luck in advance. I'm out."

Many group members were thoroughly spooked by that wedding red envelope, and the timid ones didn't even dare to get up to go to the bathroom.

One netizen was so scared that he decided to go to sleep. Remembering Dr. Wu Heng's reminder in the live broadcast, he quickly hung a string of dried red peppers on the window to ward off evil spirits.

Just as he reached the window, a pale yellow joss paper floated over and stuck firmly to the window! If it weren't for the screen, it would have been blown in by the wind.

Whether someone was burning joss paper downstairs tonight, and it was just a coincidence that it was blown up by the wind, or...

Thinking of that wedding red envelope, the male netizen couldn't control himself anymore: "Ah——!!"

Countless netizens from all over the country let out terrified screams.

The 4.44 yuan wedding red envelope indeed didn't go into the Shark Video Platform wallet; someone sent cash!

Dr. Wu Heng was spot on when he said that around midnight on the night of the Ghost Festival, when the ghost gates are closed, it's really the time when fierce ghosts roam.

Some excitement is really not worth getting involved in.

*

He Yunxiao and the others were relieved they didn't have the habit of snatching red envelopes at the first sight, but they were also a bit anxious.

"Five minutes have passed, and I don't know how Dr. Wu Heng is doing."

In the past, Dr. Wu Heng could save patients from the brink of death through the internet from thousands of miles away, but this time, even though he went in person, there's still no word.

Shi Xuan was still sitting in that circle, quietly looking at the chat box with Wu Heng on his phone.

The guy with green hair rubbed his arms and nudged the guy with yellow hair next to him, asking, "Don't you feel a bit cold?"

The guy with yellow hair looked disdainful: "The temperature drops at night, don't you know that? Did you get a goose egg in geography?"

The guy with green hair said, "Huh? But I didn't take geography for the college entrance exam."

After saying that, they, along with the guy with white hair, crowded towards Li Hao and Wang Dong. A bunch of young guys huddled together, eagerly watching Shi Xuan in the circle and He Yunxiao surrounded by two snakes.

Shi Xuan's monk-like treatment was not to be expected.

As for He Yunxiao...

Li Hao stared at He Yunxiao, who was flicking away the eager little white snake with his delicate fingers, only holding the small gray snake, and murmured, "I wish I could have a snake baby too."

Wang Dong and the others nodded, murmuring, "Yeah, everyone can give birth, why can't I?"

-

Guo Jiang was still screaming wildly, running forward with his eyes closed. He didn't know where he was running, but when he finally couldn't run anymore and opened his eyes, he saw a dilapidated City God Temple in front of him.

Guo Jiang bent over, panting heavily, and muttered to himself, "How did I end up at the City God Temple? This seems to be the abandoned City God Temple at the east gate, waiting to be demolished."

Guo Jiang had heard of the City God Temple before; the City God inside seemed to be an official of the underworld. But whether an abandoned one is still useful, he wasn't sure.

Guo Jiang was hesitating about whether to enter when the familiar chill crept up his spine once more.

As he tensed up, the cold sensation climbed to his ear, softly, accompanied by a coquettish laugh, saying, "Jiang Jiang, perfect timing to go in with me and get our certificate."

"Let's go."

Guo Jiang didn't even have the courage to turn around; the voice belonged to his girlfriend, Zhao Li.

So, in fact, he had never really shaken off his girlfriend. It was even possible that he had been led here like a dog, and this was Zhao Li's destination all along. Everything had been in vain.

What kind of certificate would they be getting here? A certificate for a ghost marriage?

Zhao Li affectionately linked her arm with Guo Jiang's, resting her head gently against his stiff arm, saying, "Let's go in, husband."

Guo Jiang screamed again, not understanding why ghosts loved to hear the living scream.

He dared not enter, instead frantically circling outside the temple, unsure where to flee.

Zhao Li stood in the center, smiling as she watched his antics, her demeanor relaxed.

"Help! Dr. Wu Heng, save me!"

Guo Jiang shouted, on the verge of breaking down, but apart from the sound of the cold wind, there was no other response.

Suddenly, Guo Jiang noticed a well to the left of the entrance. Yes, traditional sacrificial ancient buildings like this temple usually had a well!

Marrying a ghost meant certain death, as did drowning in a well.

Wu Heng had dared to say so in the live broadcast, so he must be responsible for his words. Besides, having disbelieved once, why not a second time?

Guo Jiang roared, trying to muster his courage, and leapt into the moss-covered, nearly dry well, instantly splashing water everywhere, the cold biting at him.

As water rushed into his mouth and nose, Guo Jiang forced himself to hold his breath underwater, fighting back his terror.

The female ghost's expression shifted slightly as she stared at the well.

Deities exist because of people's worship. This crumbling temple, slated for demolition, had been in decline, and the deities were no longer clear.

The well in the temple usually had an owner, and the water snake inside was none other than the *Dragon King of the Well*.

While well water is believed to nourish yin energy, if the well had an owner, these female ghosts wouldn't dare approach.

But then.

The female ghost didn't approach the well, instead sitting down leisurely nearby, smiling lightly, "Guo Jiang, if you don't come out, you'll drown. But even then, we can still get our certificate."

Guo Jiang was utterly desperate: "..."

She was just waiting for him to fall into her trap.

Guo Jiang's face turned red from holding his breath, barely able to hold on, he could only clamp his hands over his mouth and nose.

A flurry of bizarre thoughts raced through his mind.

Since he was destined to be Zhao Li's husband after death, why not now? At least it wouldn't be as painful.

In his daze, a hand seized the back of his shirt collar.

A clear, calming voice whispered in his ear: "Just hold your breath for thirty more seconds."

That voice...

"Honey, are you coming out now?"

The female ghost waited for a while but didn't see Guo Jiang climbing out of the well. She cautiously approached the well and peered inside, instantly dumbfounded:

"Huh—where did he go?"

-

Wu Heng pulled Guo Jiang out of the well. He saw Guo Jiang lying stiffly on the ground, covered in scratches.

Wu Heng pressed a specific point on Guo Jiang's throat, and the man instantly coughed out a large mouthful of well water and finally woke up.

Guo Jiang sat up, dazed, staring in disbelief at the young man in traditional attire before him, the snake-shaped hoop earring on his left ear stood out under the moonlight.

"Wu... Doctor Wu Heng?"

Seeing Wu Heng, Guo Jiang felt as though he had just survived a catastrophe. His tense body relaxed instantly, and he burst into tears.

"Did we... did we escape?"

Wu Heng said, "About a kilometer away from that abandoned City God Temple."

Wu Heng looked at the scratches on Guo Jiang's body, caused by navigating the nearest underwater passage. After all, Guo Jiang was just an ordinary person who could only hold his breath for so long, and could only be brought this far.

However, his ancient shamanic powers seemed to have partially recovered, likely due to the positive karma from recently treating people.

Guo Jiang had no idea how Wu Heng had found him. Not even the police had located him yet.

Even though he had previously dismissed him as a quack, Wu Heng didn't hold a grudge and still came to save him, truly embodying the compassion of a healer.

Guo Jiang now pinned all his hopes on Wu Heng, ignoring his many scrapes and bruises, and asked eagerly, "Can we go back now? Are we safe?"

Wu Heng looked at the sky and said, "The ghost gate is about to close soon. I can ask a yin emissary to send her back first."

Guo Jiang's heart was in turmoil. Did Wu Heng really have underworld connections?

Hearing Wu Heng's proposed solution, Guo Jiang quickly said, "Then send her back first."

Wu Heng turned back to look at Guo Jiang and asked, "Are you sure? She can come out to find you again next Ghost Festival."

A temporary fix, not a permanent solution.

Wu Heng thought for a moment, then sincerely said, "If we delay another year, you'll be an older single man."

Guo Jiang: "..."

Guo Jiang couldn't help but touch his face. Was he already so handsome without realizing it? Causing the female ghost to be so obsessed with him that she would come out next Ghost Festival to marry him again?

Guo Jiang remembered Wu Heng once said during a live stream with Wang Qiang that ghosts and demons are different from humans; they have obsessions, and under those obsessions, they are stubborn.

If this happens again next year, there might not be Doctor Wu Heng to save him.

Guo Jiang wiped his tears, gritted his teeth, and resolutely said, "Doctor Wu Heng, whatever you say, I'll do it. I'll listen to you."

Wu Heng smiled slightly. He liked patients who listened to doctors and didn't self-diagnose via Baidu.

Zhao Li was furious. She never expected to lose her husband right under her nose!

Was it the nearly extinct Dragon King of the well from the City God Temple?

No, the so-called Dragon King of the well nowadays is actually just a spirit snake, not even a proper dragon. It can't even fight off ordinary fierce ghosts, so how could it possibly take Guo Jiang away?

Zhao Li twitched her nose, sniffing the cold air, and then narrowed her beautiful eyes.

Zhao Li immediately followed the scent, drifting through the air until she finally spotted a familiar figure and an unfamiliar one.

The female ghost shouted, "Guo Jiang, my husband!"

Zhao Li floated down from the air, reaching out her pale hand towards Guo Jiang's arm.

With a "snap," Wu Heng grabbed a thermometer and tapped the back of the female ghost's hand. "Stand still, fill out the form first."

Zhao Li quickly pulled her hand back, stung by the thermometer, and looked bewildered as a young man handed her an A4 sheet. She glanced down and saw it was titled "Pre-Marital Medical Examination Form for Underworld Marriage," with a list of check-up items below.

Zhao Li was utterly baffled by the form and blurted out, "Who are you? Since when does the underworld civil affairs bureau require a pre-marital medical examination for marriage registration? There was no mandatory pre-marital check-up before! I only had a mandatory check-up before I died."

The young man confidently replied, "Yes, today is the Ghost Festival, and the ghost gate is wide open. Too many eligible men and women from the underworld are out seeking partners. To improve the marriage and fertility rate and increase the underworld population, a new pre-marital medical examination department has been established."

Wu Heng calmly introduced himself, "Hello, I am the newly appointed doctor for the underworld's pre-marital medical examination. You can call me Little Wu or Dr. Wu."

Zhao Li's mind was still reeling, struggling to keep up with the rapid developments. Guo Jiang's trembling hand reached over and pressed on Zhao Li's shoulder, firmly saying, "If you skip the pre-marital check-up, there could be issues with the baby. Better get checked!"