Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Wu Su rushed forward, quickly handing the tray to Shi Xuan. His face was etched with pain as he looked at Wu Heng on the windowsill. The words he spoke were directed at Shi Xuan, "Young Master, stay away from my son!"

After all his years in the Shi family, he had come to realize that the strange occurrences in the household were all connected to the young master.

Wu Su was fully convinced that his son's soul had wandered from their home over 3,000 kilometers away to the capital city because of Shi Xuan's influence!

Shi Xuan said nothing, remaining silent, and stepped back with the tray of snacks to keep his distance from them.

Wu Heng found it hard to explain to his father how he had come to be here. Recalling the speculation that he had wandered away, he quickly came up with an idea.

His eyes became vacant, eerily hollow, with no focus in his pupils, much like many new ghosts he had seen in this state.

"I really did wander away! This damned Shi family is such a hellhole that even dogs would spit in contempt."

Shi Xuan remained silent.

Wu Su hurriedly helped Wu Heng off the windowsill, seeing that his son still looked dazed and confused, unaware of his surroundings.

Moved, Wu Su wiped his tears, grateful that despite the haunted influence of the Shi family, his son's longing for his father must have drawn him here!

Wu Heng, imitating wandering spirits, gradually focused his eyes and tilted his head slightly, "Dad?"

Shi Xuan smiled faintly, impressed by how well he was playing his part, both believable and cute.

Wu Su wiped his tears and said, "My son, Young Master Shi just said he would let your father resign, so we'll soon be reunited in our hometown."

"Although the head of the Shi family isn't exactly a good person, their young master is quite decent. He doesn't talk much, but when he does, he means what he says."

Shi Xuan tightened his grip on the tray.

Wu Su had not been back to his hometown for almost three years, and his online communication had been sparse. Seeing his son, even if it was just his wandering spirit, filled him with endless things to say.

"My son, you're a wandering spirit now... help Dad with this phone, will you?" Wu Su pulled out a black phone from his pants pocket and handed it to Wu Heng.

Middle-aged folks weren't as adept with phones as the younger generation, and Wu Su was no exception, often confused by many features.

Wu Heng looked at the various apps on the phone screen. The theme of the phone was pitch black, and the icons of the apps were either blood red or deathly white, clearly abnormal.

Wu Su opened a game and said to Wu Heng, "My son, this is the underworld edition of 'Happy Eliminate.' Help Dad pass level 3912; I've been stuck for ages."

Wu Su remembered that his son had always loved this game, especially the sound of breaking ice, which he liked.

Wu Heng silently looked at the level, where the once cute frogs, foxes, and chicks had turned into funeral portraits of the deceased, men and women, old and young.

"I've been stuck on this level for ages, and if I lose, my own portrait will be displayed in the game."

Wu Su was afraid of using his phone because, in this haunted place, his phone seemed eerily sinister. In the microblogs, people posted portraits of the dead, and on the official underworld grievance platform, they debated the coolest ways people died and complained about the water quality of the Naihe Bridge. It was driving him crazy.

He couldn't access any normal apps, so Wu Su generally avoided using his phone, and when he wanted to contact his family, he usually used the Shi family's public phone.

Before, to force himself to adapt to this haunted place, he started playing the underworld edition of 'Happy Eliminate,' which his son loved. He thought if he couldn't pass the level, it would be fine, but once he started playing, he realized if he failed, his own portrait would be displayed in the game.

Seeing Wu Heng's soul appear, Wu Su had no choice but to ask his son for help.

Wu Heng glanced at Shi Xuan. Evidently, his friend had too much yin energy, causing his phone to automatically connect to the ghost network of the underworld.

Wu Heng's slender fingers immediately swiped across the phone screen, and with each combo of game effects, blood splattered onto the screen. After a few tries, he successfully passed the level and returned the phone to Wu Su.

Seeing that he had won, Wu Su finally felt relieved and promptly uninstalled the app.

Wu Heng realized he shouldn't linger too long here, so he said, "Dad, I want to go home."

Wu Su felt distressed. "Dad wants to go home too."

Luckily, Shi Xuan had already agreed to let him quietly resign in a few days, and they would soon return to their hometown, bringing that collar back with him.

Actually, before this, Wu Su hadn't thought much of the collar, thinking it was just something Wu Heng carried around.

On that late night, the oddly behaving Lai Maizi rushed into Chengde Medical Hall that night with the tiny Wu Heng in his arms. The pale golden collar around baby Wu Heng's neck stood out.

On a rare occasion when medicinal herbs were being delivered to a medical hall in the capital city, the Shi Family's master, seeking medical help for his child, happened to be there.

The Shi Family's master took a fancy to Wu Heng's collar and borrowed it, also enlisting the help of a renowned master in the capital city who used some inexplicable arts. The collar then became hidden on Shi Xuan's neck, growing along with him, unseen by others.

Only then did Wu Su realize the collar was no ordinary item. When he tried to get it back, the Shi Family's master came up with various reasons to keep it.

Later, when Wu Heng was diagnosed with an intellectual disability, seeming dull and listless, Wu Su even wondered if it was because they had lost that collar.

Wu Su and Shi Xuan saw Wu Heng off at the back door of the Shi family's residence. Fearing Wu Heng might not find his way home, Wu Su said, "Should we buy some paper horses to ride back? I don't know if paper shops sell GPS nowadays."

Wu Heng smiled and said, "Dad, don't worry, I'll be home soon."

He paused and added, "I'll come to see you often, okay?"

Wu Su was deeply moved; his son missed him so much that he traveled a great distance to the capital city even as a spirit.

Wu Su didn't quite understand the underworld's transportation system and took Wu Heng's words as truth. As he watched Wu Heng's retreating figure, he suddenly stared at the ground's shadow.

Wu Su: "Do souls have shadows???"

Wu Heng's pace faltered slightly, then he picked up his pace towards the He family's direction, gradually disappearing into the thin night fog.

Shi Xuan, with a slightly curved lip, glanced at the faint dirt on his white shirt. Not only did it have a shadow, but there were also shoe prints.

Wu Su turned to Shi Xuan, noticing the young man avoiding his gaze and walking faster. Wu Su followed behind and asked in a low voice, "Young master, it seems the Shi Family's master is going to Nanyang for business again, scheduled for 2:30 in the afternoon the day after tomorrow."

Is that when he'll resign?

Shi Xuan naturally understood the implication in Wu Su's words and pondered for a moment before saying, "Wu butler, my family, actually, is not bad."

Wu Su felt a sense of foreboding and countered, "I wonder what the young master finds good about it?"

The young master wants to leave his family, yet dares to say it's not bad.

Shi Xuan fell into silence when questioned, and after a long while, he answered, "The salary is quite good."

Wu Su was speechless, unable to refute, as twenty thousand a month was indeed hard to argue with.

*

"Dr. Wu, you've been so kind to our Xi Xi, actually taking the trouble to come in person."

The He family had been waiting for Wu Heng for a long time, and as soon as he entered, they hurriedly greeted him.

He Xi Xi's scales were shiny, as if she had just had a spa day at home, her head adorned with a custom-made hairpin prepared by Mrs. He, surrounded by various items purchased by her grandparents and father.

Wu Heng looked over the various gifts and thought that even if the small white snake wanted to become a live-in son-in-law through marriage, it would still have to wait its turn.

Today, he was dressed quite casually. Apart from a pair of handmade ethnic cloth shoes, he looked like a high school student in the city wearing a white T-shirt.

He Yunxiao noticed the pretty yet slightly mismatched ethnic cloth shoes on Wu Heng's feet and took out his phone to browse the official website of a well-known shoe brand.

The He family had prepared slippers for Wu Heng before, so He Yunxiao knew that Wu Heng's shoe size was the same as his.

He Yunxiao called the small gray snake over, "Xi Xi, come on, help your old man snag some new shoes. Buy two pairs." One pair for him and one for Dr. Wu.

Although this was a domestic shoe brand, its growth was extremely fast. Even the rich kids who only wear international brands would give it a second look.

This time, a limited edition sneaker was released, and with its beautiful design, only five thousand pairs were available.

"Hey, we got 'em! No wonder you're going to be our lucky charm!" He Yunxiao hugged Xi Xi and kissed her, then turned to Wu Heng and said, "Dr. Wu, the fastest delivery will be the day after tomorrow. Once the goods arrive, I'll send them over to you. I ordered the gray pair for myself and the orange pair for you. The color is bright and looks great."

Netizens said that Wu Heng looked good in bright colors. When he had vibrant colors painted on his face during a Wu dance performance, it became a hot topic of discussion among netizens.

Wu Heng looked at the sold-out sample shoes displayed on his phone screen, smiled, but didn't say anything. He just took Xi Xi and planned to quietly return to the Shi family and then head back to Nan Nuo Village.

With the small gray snake wrapped around his arm and carrying big and small bags, he regretted not bringing the white snake, his little worker.

Slipping in through the half-open back door, he headed towards the ancient well and slightly raised his head to look in the direction of the third-floor bedroom window.

At that moment, Shi Xuan was leaning by the window watching him, his gaze shallow yet gentle, and his white shirt still bore the shoe print over his heart.

Shi Xuan didn't say hello but watched as Wu Heng left quietly.

As usual, he found himself looking forward to the next time that figure would emerge from the well.

*

The cool night breeze rustled loudly as an open-top three-wheeler sped rapidly down the country road.

Father Zhou was flooring the gas pedal, while Mother Zhou and Dagui Zhou were sitting cross-legged in the open cargo area at the back.

Mother Zhou couldn't stay seated and, stumbling, got up and grabbed the railing in front of her, urgently saying to Father Zhou, "Faster, go faster!"

After all, country roads weren't highways, and it took quite a while to reach the town.

Feeling cold and anxious, Mother Zhou started crying, "What's wrong with this child? He did so well on the exam this time, but now he wants to jump off a building!"

Dagui Zhou squatted nearby, equally worried about his only grandson. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, biting the end angrily. "I've said it before, don't push the child too hard."

"Don't sweat every single point. You just wouldn't listen!"

Recalling the entire day he spent watching Wu Heng's live stream replay, Dagui Zhou thought of that girl Wang Qiang and grumbled again, "Is getting into Tsinghua or Peking University that easy? If he doesn't get in, don't blame Ah Yi. Blame our ancestors' graves for not giving off good vibes, blame our Zhou family ancestors for not creating the right conditions!"

Mother Zhou quickly interrupted, "Father, don't say such unlucky things. Ah Yi's homeroom teacher just said that with a bit more effort, Tsinghua or Peking University is within reach. We've never had a student from Nan Nuo Village make it to Tsinghua or Peking University. This would be an achievement for you as Village Chief."

Dagui Zhou took a deep drag on his cigarette, choking on the harsh smoke. He had lost interest in smoking and used his calloused fingertips to crush the cigarette butt, throwing it into the nearby field.

Naturally, he hoped his grandson would bring him pride, but he also wanted the child to be healthy.

Besides, after watching the replay of Wu Heng's live stream today, he felt that having Ah Yi be like Wu Heng wasn't bad either. Pushing too hard might drive the child crazy, just like that child from the neighboring village decades ago.

Father Zhou drove the three-wheeler into the town middle school. "I know my son. He wouldn't dare to jump."

At that moment, the school was still in chaos. Downstairs, many students who hadn't left after school were watching the commotion. Looking up into the night, a figure could be seen sitting on the rooftop of the top floor.

"Yi Zhou!"

The whole family rushed to the top floor in a great hurry and, at the entrance to the rooftop, encountered the school administration and fire department personnel. The homeroom teacher and the others kept their distance from Zhou Yi, daring not to approach him for fear of provoking him.

"Haha! You made a mistake? Do you even have the right to make a mistake?" Zhou Yi, sitting on the edge of the rooftop with his back hunched, let out a strange laugh.

Seeing the parents arrive, the homeroom teacher whispered, "Quick, persuade him."

Zhou's mother immediately spoke up, "Ah Yi, don't do something foolish. Your teacher just said you did very well this time."

Zhou Yi suddenly mechanically turned his head, staring straight at them. Beneath the night sky, his eyes gleamed with an eerie light.

He choked out, "I, did very well?"

The group shuddered for no reason apparent, feeling that something was definitely off with Zhou Yi. Was it possible that the pressure had driven him slightly mad?

Suddenly, Zhou Yi stood up from the rooftop, facing them with his back to the roof's edge, letting out a strange, eerie laugh.

The fire department captain immediately tried to quiet the parents, but Zhou's father took a step forward and said sternly, "Don't mess around, come down now."

Zhou Yi's eyes were filled with both pain and eeriness. Suddenly, he stepped back, and in front of everyone, amidst countless screams, he fell backward from the roof faster than the firefighters could react.

For a brief moment, Zhou Yi's parents' minds went blank.

Zhou's mother collapsed to the ground, her heart seemingly stopping. Zhou's father's legs trembled, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

In that moment, the couple's minds gradually drifted back to the scenes of Zhou Yi's birth. When he was born, the joy of the family as they welcomed the tiny baby, their only wish as new parents was—

Just grow up healthy and safe.

They didn't need him to be rich or be academically excellent, nor did they need him to bring honor to the Zhou family. As long as he followed the law and stayed healthy and safe, that was enough.

People seem to be innately greedy creatures. Gradually, they forgot their original, simple wish.

They began to compare their child with his classmates, wanting him to excel in everything, always guiding his future as experienced elders.

At the moment he fell from the rooftop, that simple wish resurfaced from the depths of their hearts—

Just grow up healthy and safe.

No outstanding grades, no top university, nothing was more important than their child's life!

It seemed that the realization came in an instant.

Zhou's mother cried hysterically, screaming as she broke free from everyone and ran frantically downstairs. Zhou's father followed closely behind, running fast.

"Ah Yi... Ah Yi, please don't be hurt. Mom and Dad just want you to grow up healthy. Nothing else matters!"

On the contrary, Zhou Dagui stumbled and was supported by the homeroom teacher. He steadied himself and said, "Just now, that didn't seem like my grandson."

As Village Chief, Zhou Dagui had more observational skills than most. Just now, he thought Zhou Yi looked like him and yet not like him. And... he wasn't wearing his glasses.

Zhou Yi had a high myopia of 600 degrees due to studying, and without his glasses, he was practically blind.

Zhou Dagui didn't go downstairs. Instead, he stood by the rooftop edge and looked down, fearing he might see a bloodied body below.

However, it was empty.

The hard concrete floor didn't even have any bloodstains.

Not only were Zhou Dagui and the others stunned, but even the students watching from a distance downstairs were dumbfounded.

Although the teaching building was five stories high, and falling didn't necessarily mean he would die, it was miraculous that he was completely unharmed.

Even Newton would probably lose his mind over this.

"Zhou Yi, Ah Yi! It's Dad and Mom who were wrong. Don't do anything foolish." Seeing their son standing intact on the cement ground, Zhou Yi’s father and mother didn’t care about the reason and rushed over, overjoyed.

Zhou Yi suddenly jerked his head around, staring at them with an eerie laugh.

"Whoosh—" and just as quickly, Zhou Yi ran again.

His speed was so fast that he could easily run for the track team, leaving the surrounding crowd dumbfounded.

Lai Wazi, who had been helped down, called out, "Quick, chase him! He's headed towards the river outside the village."

Zhou Yi’s father and mother felt their hearts sink. Although the river outside the village was the lifeblood of the village, it was also where Lai Wazi had died. There was something eerie about it.

Without wondering how Zhou Yi had survived the fall unscathed, the family immediately jumped on a motorized tricycle to chase after him.

As soon as they left, the homeroom teacher picked up a crushed mosquito repellent patch from where Zhou Yi had landed. The light green ointment inside gave off a faint, mysterious fragrance.

The rural roads had few streetlights, and even those were dim.

Zhou Yi’s father pressed hard on the accelerator, utterly astonished at the sight of Zhou Yi running wildly ahead.

But they still couldn’t catch up with a kid running full tilt.

Zhou Yi’s mother cried and shouted, "Zhou Yi! Stop, where are you going? Don't scare Dad and Mom. Your grandfather is too old to handle this."

Zhou Yi paid no heed.

Lai Wazi grabbed the handle of the tricycle and stood up, watching as the headlight illuminated Zhou Yi ahead. Yet, there was no shadow to be seen.

Lai Wazi felt a chill in his heart and immediately judged, "This child is afflicted by something evil. We won't be able to catch him."

No wonder Zhou Yi had been so strange these past few days. He must have been possessed.

"What do we do now? Should we go to Old Lady Lai?" Zhou Yi’s father panicked at the mention of an evil affliction. "But we need to catch him first."

They couldn’t keep up with him.

The sound of a police siren came from behind. Turning around, they saw a police car with flashing lights. Wang Jun shouted sternly, "Stop! Get in the police car."

The Zhou family didn’t hesitate to act. They immediately turned off the engine, leaving the tricycle by the roadside, and hurriedly got into the police car.

The officer at the wheel stepped on the gas and chased after the frantically running teenager. To the Zhou family's surprise, the police car was able to keep up with Zhou Yi, maintaining a distance of just a few feet.

Rolling down the window, they wanted to call out to him to snap out of his trance. As the window opened, amidst the rustling wind of the countryside, they faintly heard him muttering through his strange laughter, "sin(A+B)=sinAcosB+cosAsinB..."

Zhou Yi was reciting math formulas for the college entrance exam!

The boy was losing it. At a time like this, he was still reciting these formulas, as if he had entered his own world.

Zhou Yi’s mother was completely panicked. She had a vague sense that even if he had survived the fall, her son would go mad if this continued, driven to insanity.

In her mind, she saw the image of when she had just given birth to her child, exchanging a knowing smile with her husband. "As long as he grows up healthy and safe."

"What do we do now? What can we do now?!" Zhou Yi’s mother sat in the police car, watching Zhou Yi tirelessly running ahead, reciting math formulas without gasping for breath, slapping her thigh in anxiety.

Wang Jun immediately asked, "Dr. Wu gave you something, didn't he?"

"Dr. Wu? Is he back from gathering herbs?" Zhou's father subconsciously said, "I have no idea what that is."

Zhou Dagui immediately realized they were talking about Wu Heng.

So, Wu Heng had notified town officer Wang Jun in advance to assist them?

Zhou Dagui felt around and immediately pulled out a small cloth bag from his pocket, grabbing a handful of ordinary-looking soybeans.

Zhou's mother was also there, and Wu Heng mentioned the soybeans were for Zhou Yi to snack on, but how could he eat anything in his current state?

Zhou Dagui picked four soybeans and tossed them at Zhou Yi's head. The beans brushed his ear and cheek, followed by ahhhh of strange screams.

It was a traditional folk custom for expelling evil with thrown beans!

Wang Jun reached out and grabbed a handful, throwing them quickly and precisely at Zhou Yi, each bean hitting his head.

The boy slowed down more and more, and by the time the bag of soybeans was empty, he had stopped in place, crouching on the ground, trembling with his head in his hands.

Zhou's mother felt both distressed for her son and embarrassed.

She had advised Wu Heng not to disturb Zhou Yi's studies for the time being, but if it weren't for the beans Wu Heng provided tonight, he would have certainly jumped into the river outside of the village and met the same tragic fate as Lai Wazi!

The officer parked the car, and they all rushed over. As they got closer, they saw Zhou Yi's eyes rolling wildly in their sockets, and he was still reciting key math formulas for the college entrance exam.

"Tie him up fast and take him to Chengde Medical Hall for emergency treatment!" Zhou Dagui commanded sternly.

With a strange smile still on his face, Zhou Yi was tied up. His family then took him to Chengde Medical Hall.

You Jin had already left, and the wooden door was half-closed, with light spilling out from inside.

Xi Xi was very happy; her godfather had told her that since she'd been following him for a while, she needed to work hard to become their family's protective immortal.

She took her godfather's teachings to heart and learned everything he taught her!

The little white snake, however, felt quite frustrated. It thought Wu Heng might teach something interesting, but instead, he was just teaching the multiplication table.

The village children recited it often, and after hearing it so much, the snake had learned it too.

It had hoped that Wu Heng would teach Xi Xi the trick they used to deal with the Nanyang fierce ghosts and had eagerly come to sneakily learn.

Now they were learning simple things like "one times one equals one" and "six times eight equals fifty-four." It had already mastered these long ago.

The netizens in Wu Heng's livestream were also quite surprised.

"Wow, Dr. Wu really keeps pet snakes? He's teaching pet snakes math?"

"That little grey snake is amazing! It uses its tail to dip in medicine and write numbers. It makes me want to get a reptile pet too."

"Is that white snake... making a mistake?"

Even though it was a late-night livestream, many netizens were in the chatroom.

As soon as Wu Heng started broadcasting, the gifts never stopped. Taking a closer look, the top contributors on his leaderboard were all middle-aged women!

Leading the pack was Wang Mei!

Ever since she was raped and then rejected by her boyfriend, she never married and since then had devoted herself to making money, achieving some success.

Many of the other ladies also have considerable financial resources.

"Is this the power of middle-aged women? We college students are in awe."

"Middle-aged ladies, with retirement pensions, no mortgage or car loan pressure, and no kids to support, have bulging wallets."

"Wow, now I really believe it. This shaman really casts spells on poor sisters from everywhere and beats Lu Guoliang. The money should go to Dr. Wu. Not jealous at all, haha."

Wu Heng looked at the barrage area and smiled, saying, "Tonight, I'm not taking any patients. Just a pet training session."

The fans knew what he meant. Wu Heng didn’t want to miss out on the check-in reward from his 100-day live streaming plan!

Dr. Wu's goal was still the same: he just wanted that 5,000 yuan check-in reward.

Fans suspected Wu Heng must have fed these two snakes something special; how else could they be so smart? They're math whizzes!

The white snake wanted to escape, and before leaving, it suddenly asked the small gray snake next to it, "Xi Xi, do you know what 1+1 equals?"

The small gray snake tilted its head and thought, "Equals 2?"

The white snake said dramatically, "Greater than 2!"

Wu Heng was grossed out, while the person being carried in was fuming.

Zhou Yi, tied up, shivering, with his hands behind his back, looked at the white snake with red eyes and anger, crazily shouting, "Two, equals two! Even such a simple math problem is wrong! It's so simple, just die!"

The white snake remembered Zhou Yi kicking it a few days ago and didn't forget the grudge.

The white snake mercilessly teased, "You understand math, but do you understand what love is?"