Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The little white snake was not the least bit abashed and instead raised its neck proudly, gazing at the little ghost.

Wang Jun and the other officers, who had been feeling heavy-hearted, were somewhat amused. "Do we need to play goalie next time?"

Smiling, Wang Jun shifted his gaze to Wu Heng, who was still meticulously working on the clay ear.

"We spent all night searching the internal system and finally found something," Wang Jun said.

He handed Wu Heng a file with the confidential information redacted, showing only what could be revealed.

Wu Heng glanced at it, his expression unchanged, as if he had already known. The little ghost couldn't wait any longer and flew toward the file, staring at the black and white text, though he felt a pang of embarrassment. He couldn't read it, but his intuition told him it held information about his parents.

Wu Heng patted the little ghost's head and took the clay ear, placing it against the little ghost's left ear, where it fit perfectly. He even fitted the teeth into the little ghost's mouth.

Wu Heng silently chanted a spell, his long, muddy finger gently tapping the little ghost's forehead.

The little ghost shivered and reached to touch his left ear, which should have been empty, only to feel the softness of the new ear. The little ghost was stunned, then reached for his gums, only to feel solid teeth.

He seemed to have become a fully formed ghost!

The little white snake watched in amazement, muttering, "Wu Heng, you should make prosthetics. Being a prosthetics doctor has a bright future."

The little ghost's eyes flew open wide at the sound of the little white snake's voice. He could hear sounds from farther away, louder than before, as if someone was calling him, though he wasn't sure if it was really him.

Wu Heng rested a hand on the file and gazed deeply at the little ghost. His voice, deep and firm, came from the depths of his throat as he called, "Liu Ziyang."

For ghosts and demons, names are the most important thing. It's the only symbol that helps them remember where they came from, even as their consciousness fades.

The little ghost froze like a tree stump, his pupils wildly dilating within his already white eyes. Blood tears rolled down from his eyes, mouth, and left ear, as soaring yin energy erupted, filling the area with a torrent of resentment.

Wang Jun and his team were lucky to be wearing their uniforms today, the righteous aura protecting them; otherwise, they would have fallen by now.

Liu Ziyang, with a chilling grin, spoke in a cold, childish voice: "I want him dead."

The little white snake darted over to block Liu Ziyang from rushing out. Moments ago, it could have easily dispersed the little ghost's form, but now it was being driven back toward the medical hall's threshold.

"Oh no," the little white snake thought, "Is this little ghost going to beat me up for making him clean?"

"If you cross the border, you'll lose the chance to reincarnate as a Huaxia," Wu Heng explained.

When Liu Ziyang turned to look at Wu Heng, Wu Heng smiled and asked, "Do you remember now?"

Wu Heng's smile had a calming effect, and the little ghost, calming down, nodded and whimpered.

Wang Jun and his team had returned to check the internal system. Since they estimated the little ghost to be only about four or five years old, they searched for officers aged between 27-45 in recent years.

Police have strong memories, and Wang Jun had deeply imprinted Liu Ziyang's appearance in his mind after just one glance.

After searching for a long time, the team couldn't find anyone with a child that looked like the little ghost. Could it be... a mistake? But Wu Heng had clearly said that because he was the son of a police officer, he wasn't afraid of their righteous aura.

Wang Jun immediately ordered an expanded search, and at the first light of dawn, they found him.

Liu Jianguo.

Initially, Liu Jianguo was involved in a case that shocked the entire country—an international cultural relic smuggling case. Numerous rare cultural relics were recovered, and the case involved hundreds of millions of yuan. The ringleader of the trafficking group was arrested.

In the early 1990s, when Liu Jianguo was just twenty-eight, he had a five-year-old son with his wife. The boy was named Liu Ziyang.

With just one glance at the surviving photo, Wang Jun was certain it was the little ghost.

It turned out that this was not a recently deceased child. This little ghost was actually one or two years older than Wang Jun!

Wang Jun’s throat tightened, and he couldn’t help asking Dr. Wu, “Dr. Wu, I’ve read in horror stories that wronged spirits would clearly remember how they died. Why didn’t he remember it before?”

Dr. Wu glanced at Liu Ziyang’s new ear and said, “His spirit is incomplete. His ear was cut off, and his teeth were smashed while he was still alive. The key problem is—”

“His missing teeth and left ear were not buried with his body.”

Typically, new spirits gradually forget certain aspects of their previous life, retaining only precious memories. If a spirit’s body is incomplete, they completely forget, and because of this, they cannot proceed to reincarnation. They are trapped in the place where they were killed, not even remembering who harmed them.

Dr. Wu snorted coldly, “No wonder someone involved in antiques knew far more than most people.”

If an ordinary person were committing murder, they would hastily bury the body, giving rise to fierce ghosts. Even those disposing of the bodies would chop them into pieces. And by coincidence, Liu Ziyang lost his left ear and all his teeth.

In the eyes of a shaman, the ears are connected to the kidneys, which manifest in the ears. The kidneys are the key organs of a person’s vital essence. Since ancient times, men have dealt with the left side, and women with the right side, so the left ear was precisely cut off rather than the right one.

Teeth, like bones, remain intact long after the flesh has decayed. In ancient times, they were essential tools used by great shamans to perform rituals.

Only someone with knowledge in this field could have carried out such precise mutilation.

The little white snake wondered, ‘Did they just casually toss them after killing him and burying him on the other side of the mountain? Shouldn’t the kid be able to find them by their scent?’

Dr. Wu stated firmly, “Liu Ziyang’s ears and teeth were in Liu Jianguo’s possession, right?”

Wang Jun nodded heavily. “According to the files, they were in Liu Jianguo’s possession.”

Back then, Liu Jianguo handled the case and arrested the ringleader. It was during the 1990s, a time of severe crackdowns, far stricter than today’s laws, and the backlash was naturally fierce.

The next day, the child went missing. Liu Jianguo and his wife immediately called upon the child’s grandparents, neighbors, and fellow officers to help search for the child, but they found nothing.

On the morning of the third day, the exhausted Liu Jianguo and the others returned home, silently praying that Liu Ziyang might have returned ahead of them.

Liu Jianguo felt something was off with the door lock and quickly opened the door to see a blood-stained white towel on the table, the room filled with a bloody smell.

With one arm holding his wife’s waist as she slid down, he trembling opened the towel to find a bloody left ear and several of the child’s teeth still attached to the gums.

They vividly remembered every mole on their son’s body and had once playfully pinched the soft, warm left earlobe, laughing, “Yangyang is becoming a little girl. This mole on the ear lobe looks like an earring. We have another daughter now.”

That bloody left earlobe had a tiny mole!

His wife screamed, her legs gave out, and she fainted instantly.

Wang Jun and the other officers had handled countless cases, but at this moment, they couldn’t control their emotions and were shaking all over.

“These beasts are too cruel!”

Wang Jun had never believed in ghosts or evil spirits before, but ever since the shaman Dr. Wu cured his daughter’s high fever, he started to believe.

If it had been before, Wang Jun would have thought that these beasts had harmed the police’s family members out of revenge.

But after hearing Dr. Wu’s explanation, Wang Jun and the others were soaked in cold sweat by the morning, their uniform shirts drenched.

It’s likely they weren’t just thinking of retaliating against the police comrades but also harboring extremely evil intentions, wanting to trap him in the burial place forever, unable to remember who harmed him.

As parents, they’d definitely preserve whatever organs were left.

It’s truly vicious.

Xiao Li cursed, "I’ve got to drag these people to jail!"

They were police officers too; they had families as well, especially Wang Jun, who had a daughter around the same age as Liu Ziyang when he passed away, making it only natural to feel that sorrow for fallen comrades.

But recalling what Wu Heng just said, had they really escaped abroad? If they were still in the country, everything would be manageable, but once abroad, it would become truly difficult.

Wu Heng said calmly, "No rush, he will come to find me personally."

Wang Jun and the others looked at each other. What did he mean?

Wu Heng said with a cold laugh, "He played with ghosts and contracted a dirty disease; an ordinary hospital can’t cure him!"

Wang Jun and the others' eyes nearly popped out.

Playing... with ghosts?

Holy crap, we knew rich people had wild tastes, but who would've thought someone's got the guts to mess with ghosts!

It’s like a knife hanging over the head due to lust; aren't they afraid of death?

Regular people really can’t understand this.

Wu Heng said, "He must know. In the southern regions, there’s a lot of witchcraft. He probably sought help from many but couldn’t cure this disease."

Otherwise, why would he suddenly seek help online?

Liu Ziyang listened quietly as they talked about the past, but finally couldn’t help asking, "Officer, where are my dad and mom?"

Wang Jun felt the term was off; Liu Ziyang should call him "brother" instead, but since he died when he was still a child, let him call you what he wants.

Wang Jun hesitated, unsure how to respond, but after a moment, he said, "Your mom has passed away, and your dad… is still alive but in poor health."

The officer’s wife collapsed after seeing that ear and several teeth, but she kept telling herself. There were many mutilated street children; maybe her child was still alive?

Holding onto this self-deceptive hope, she continued searching for Liu Ziyang, but eventually, the mental strain was too much, and she passed away.

Liu Jianguo refused to give up. He wanted to see his son alive or find his body; even if it was just remains, he, as his father, wanted to dig it out himself!

If he didn’t find him, he’d assume Liu Ziyang was still happily alive somewhere in the world, maybe even married and with children by now.

Year after year, he waited, until his hair turned white and he fell ill.

The internal information Wang Jun and the others found led them to contact Liu Jianguo’s nephew.

The nephew was quite surprised to receive a call from a town police officer in the southwest. He remained cautious and didn’t reveal too much, only saying that Uncle Liu Jianguo was critically ill and probably wouldn’t last more than a day or two.

Liu Ziyang stared at Wang Jun, dazed.

He couldn’t remember much before, but subconsciously, he remembered his dad was a great police officer. He needed to go back and find his dad and mom.

After a long time, Liu Ziyang's lips curved into a trembling yet sweet smile. 'Then, my parents and I will be reunited soon. That's wonderful.'

Wu Heng picked up a brush and swiftly wrote a prescription on a piece of paper, then got up and headed to the pharmacy to prepare the medicine.

Wang Jun and the others looked at Wu Heng's actions in confusion, not understanding why Wu Heng suddenly wrote a prescription and prepared medicine.

Several pots for boiling traditional Chinese medicine were in Chengde Medical Hall. Wu Heng threw the medicine into one of them to boil, and once it was ready, he poured the dark, small bowl-sized amount of liquid into a bamboo tube that was used for warding off evil spirits.

Wu Heng explained, "A dying person who drinks this can gain a few more days with the help of the medicine."

"This is not a technique to prolong life."

Wang Jun and the others were shocked as they stared at the ordinary-looking bowl of medicine.

Is this... all there is?

People often say that if the King of Hell wants you to die at midnight, you can't live until dawn.

Yet Wu Heng was able to keep someone alive with just one dose? Even if it's just for a few more days.

If this prescription were made public, how many wealthy people would pursue it?

Wu Heng gently patted Liu Ziyang's head and said with a smile, "I'll wait for your father to come to pay me the medical fee."

Wu Heng placed the medicine-filled bamboo tube on the little white snake's head and said, "I'll give you the address and a leaf that bears my scent. You go and deliver the medicine."

The little white snake immediately showed its dissatisfaction.

'Why should I? What's up? Wu Heng, do you think you can boss me around for free? I'm the Dragon King of the well, not your...'

Wu Heng said, "I'll have your godfather buy you a full set of KFC's family bucket."

The little white snake immediately straightened up. 'I didn't say a word earlier.'

Ever since they found out the little white snake lived at the well, Shi Xuan had significantly reduced how often he sent food over.

Even when it snuck into Zhou Yi's study to tear pages from the Five-Three exercise book and sincerely wrote letters to its godfather, pouring out its heart, Shi Xuan didn't pay much attention to it.

He only occasionally sent some food over now and then.

The little white snake, thinking about the fried chicken, hurried along with the medicine pack on its head. Soon, it realized something was off.

Wait, Wu Heng asked me to deliver something, but why am I asking my godfather to pay for the work? Wu Heng is being a miser, not spending a single cent!

Liu Ziyang, watching the white snake leave with the medicine pack, couldn't help but chase after it.

Wu Heng thought for a moment and asked Wang Jun and the others to go back first.

Wang Jun and the others nodded. If what Wu Heng said was true, this matter needed to be reported, and they weren't enough to handle it on their own.

Wu Heng sat alone at the consultation table, fiddling with his phone.

Wu Heng ignored the WeChat group he was chatting with and clicked into his chat with Shi Xuan.

"Baby Heng Heng: Later, buy some fast food for your godson."

"SX: Okay."

Shi Xuan sat at his desk. These two days were the start of the new school year, and their senior year had started earlier than the other grades. Every year, there was an opening exam. Although he could easily top the exam without studying, he didn't feel like going out. It was better to stay at his desk.

Shi Xuan picked up his phone and opened a food delivery app to order some fast food. A notification popped up and startled him so much that he dropped his phone onto the floor.

After a long while, Shi Xuan picked up his phone from the floor and checked WeChat, his eyes filled with surprise.

"Baby Heng Heng: Um, can you give me something personal?"

Wu Heng couldn't see through his aura, but he knew that Shi Xuan was surrounded by ghostly energy. If not for the talisman suppressing it, the entire Shi family would become a vast and terrifying ghost realm.

Anything he used would definitely carry his yin energy, especially personal items.

Since he was setting a trap, Wu Heng wanted to give a big gift to certain antique collectors. It wasn't too much to ask a friend for something, was it? They were friends after all!

Yet there was no reply!

After a long time, there was finally a response.

"SX: Are you sure?"

"Baby Heng Heng: Sure."

"SX: ...Something that's been used?"

"Baby Heng Heng: Definitely something that's been used."

Something unused wouldn't retain much of his energy and would be useless.

Shi Xuan looked at the message for a long time, finding it hard to understand what Wu Heng was thinking.

If he wanted it, then, he could have it.

*

Under the scorching sun, the vast exotic estate was lush and green. An elaborately carved pure white elephant sculpture was spraying water from its long trunk.

A South-East Asian family doctor in a white coat, carrying a medical bag, hurried inside.

Inside, the old man was smashing things in a frenzy. Beautiful porcelain from Huaxia was shattered all over the floor, making even the doctor, who knew nothing of its value, feel pity.

Useless!

Lu Guoliang, gripping his cane, shouted, "Why can't you cure me? I have papules on my body and elsewhere on my body, and today they've developed into pustules and ulcers. My bones are beginning to ache."

"I give you all so much money every year for nothing?"

The family doctors shook their heads and said, "It's not that, Master Lu. Initially, we diagnosed you with late-stage syphilis. This can be treated, but we don't know why the medication isn't effective for you."

Lu Guoliang's face darkened, and he was furious.

As Wu Heng had said, he had been a womanizer since his youth and had slept with countless women over the years. He had always been very careful, so how did he catch it?

The doctors were useless, and he had invited many masters who made a living from such practices. Some performed rituals, others gave him talismans, all to no avail.

The symptoms were getting worse, and he had to wear traditional Chinese garments even in the hot weather of South Asia.

He had a cultural relic exhibition event to attend in the near future, but it looked like he wouldn't be able to go.

Either way, they were all useless.

So far, only Wu Heng, the shaman, had been of any use.

Only that online shaman, Wu Heng, had really spoken the truth.

Wu Heng said in the live stream that he would be waiting at Chengde Medical Hall, claiming he could cure all diseases, and that was incredibly tempting.

Lu Guoliang was somewhat tempted but still couldn't decide.

He was now a well-known antique collector, and being older, how could he let himself be taken down by an illness and die, only to be ridiculed?

Yet, he clearly saw the little ghost by Wu Heng's side, the child of that police officer from back then!

Wu Heng was still shaping clay ears and teeth, obviously for that little ghost.

It was as if a large pit had been dug ahead, and it was meant for him to jump in.

So how could he possibly return?

"Mr. Lu, no need to worry too much. That young shaman probably just has a little ghost under his control. The clay organs are just to entice the ghost to do his bidding." A master sitting on the floor tried to console him.

It's quite common here to raise little ghosts. If you raise them, you have to give them something in return; otherwise, why would they work for you? Probably the same in Huaxia.

The ghost of a police officer's child, when it acts, is more effective than ordinary ghosts and fierce ghosts, as it can get close to those with natural righteousness, like police officers.

If not for escaping in a hurry back then, raising such a ghost himself would have been pretty handy.

Lu Guoliang, looking at the red bumps all over his body, was still hesitating. "If I go back, what if..."

He didn't dare to take the risk.

Wu Heng confidently said that filthy disease would kill him within three days, like a death sentence.

At their status and age, they tend to fear death even more.

The world is so beautiful; why die so early? He was only seventy! He could try to live to be a hundred!

The master took out a talisman from his sleeve and handed it to Lu Guoliang, saying confidently, "I've carefully observed that shaman, and he's nothing special. This talisman is for you, Mr. Lu, to ensure you return safely after seeing the doctor."

Holding the talisman, Lu Guoliang's mind drifted back to the image of Wu Heng in the live stream.

In their line of work, boldness is key!

If you're not bold, you can't handle this line of work.

What if there's a trap?

Could a minor child really trap someone like him, an old hand?

Lu Guoliang paced back and forth in the room, and after a long time, he uttered two words, "Go back!"

*

In an ordinary old apartment building, a thirty-something-year-old man carried an emaciated old man into his home.

The small room was filled with family and friends.

The nephew placed Liu Jianguo on the bed and gently covered his uncle with a light blanket, whispering, "Uncle, we're home."

His uncle's time was up; he couldn't be cured in the hospital. With no spouse or children, his nephew took charge of his uncle's future affairs and brought him back to his hometown.

The older generation didn't want to pass away in a hospital; they wanted to leave this world at home.

The nephew looked at the man on the sickbed, finding it hard to connect the frail, wheezing old man with the photo of the police officer who had once been at the top of his game.

Liu Jianguo was dazed, his mind not as sharp as it used to be. He could only raise his finger to point at a small iron box nearby.

His nephew hurried over with it and quickly opened it, taking out a white towel stained with long-dried blood. It had been preserved for nearly thirty years and was still intact, without any damage.

Seeing this, a relative urged the nephew to bring the black wooden box from the offering table. "Jianguo, see, Yangyang is here."

Liu Jianguo sat up, holding the black wooden box, and seemed a little more alert.

Inside the wooden box were his wife’s cremated left ear and a few teeth.

Knowing he didn’t have much time left, Liu Jianguo looked at his nephew and said slowly, "Xiao Hui, in the future, please bury me, your aunt, and Yangyang together."

The nephew, understanding this was his last wish, wiped away his tears and nodded. "I understand, Uncle, don’t worry."

Liu Jianguo’s eyes gradually lost focus, his voice vague and muttering, "I, in my life, have been loyal to the country, loyal to the people, but... but I have let down my family."

His vision blurred, but his muttering continued, "When they are underground, will they... will they be mad at me?"

Perhaps?

Otherwise, why had they never visited him in his dreams over the years?

In his daze, he saw a white snake sneak in through the window with a bamboo tube on its back. The elders used to say that if a snake appeared when someone was about to pass away, it meant they were truly leaving, as it indicated heavy yin energy in the house.

He was really leaving.

Amidst the heavy consciousness, a voice exploded in his ear:

'Dad.'