Chapter 64

Chapter 64

"Hurry, save him! Why are you all just standing there?"

Seeing everyone paralyzed in shock, Butler Wu kicked CEO Shi away, snatched a long banner from a nearby master, and extended it into the well, shouting into the depths, "Shi Xuan! Young master, grab onto this pole, we'll pull you up!"

The master, now alert, sternly warned, "That's my ritual banner, it shouldn't touch the yin energy-heavy well water."

"Who gives a damn about that now?" Butler Wu cursed, "Get the hell out of here!"

As CEO Shi got up from the ground and approached, Butler Wu spat, "Go crawl back where you came from."

Butler Wu was in a complete panic, repeatedly extending the banner into the well, almost leaning his whole upper body over the edge, but there was no response, no sign of life.

Butler Wu's heart sank. Was Shi Xuan so furious with the old bastard that he gave up on life? Or... was he already dead?

"Already? So soon?"

Butler Wu stared intently at the well's opening, feeling a cold dread seep into his bones. Shi Xuan had vanished from sight.

Butler Wu whirled around and unleashed a torrent of curses at CEO Shi, "Shi Xuan being born into your family was his greatest curse. If you disliked him so much, why didn't you just give him to me as a son?"

"You damn bully, throwing your weight around, you insisted on taking my son's collar and forced me to be your butler. I once proposed raising Shi Xuan at my Chengde Medical Hall, growing up with my son, but you refused and kept making his life hell."

"Now, you old bastard, you've murdered your own flesh and blood. I'm calling the cops to lock you up!"

Butler Wu's eyes burned with fury. He might not have spent as much time with Wu Heng as he had with Shi Xuan, but this young master, though quiet and a bit odd, was a good kid.

"How dare you!" CEO Shi, white with fury, slapped the phone out of Butler Wu's hand and nervously turned to the masters, "Masters, please tell me if my son can still be saved."

The masters retrieved the banner from the well, huddled around it, whispering incantations, and then threw a few strange talismans into the well.

After a long while, the lead master frowned and said, "Young Master Shi appears to have been consumed by the dense yin energy in the well. We don't know where he has gone."

CEO Shi's face turned pale, his expression uncertain.

Butler Wu was stunned. Gone without a trace? Did the old bastard really wipe out his own bloodline?

*

Su Chenyu instructed the servants to deliver the urgently returned sea fish to the family chef. Back on the Dream Cruise, they had caught a large net of sea fish. He personally selected the most expensive seafood to send to Wu Heng first, then kept a dozen slightly inferior ones to bring home.

Su Chenyu stood bare-chested before the mirror, his skin glistening with fish scales, wincing as he plucked a scale from his chest.

"Xiao Yu, it's good you're back safely," his brother, dressed in a suit, appeared out of nowhere, startling Su Chenyu, who quickly covered himself with a jacket.

"We're family, we already knew. What are you afraid of?" his brother patted Su Chenyu's shoulder reassuringly.

Su Chenyu felt a warmth in his heart. He had grown up in a loving and wealthy family, and this was his first real danger.

His brother suddenly asked, "How about giving me one of your scales?"

Seeing Su Chenyu's surprised look, his brother added, "Let me have one to always remember the hardships you've been through."

Su Chenyu was about to agree when he suddenly remembered Yuan Song and Tang Xueshan.

Tang Xueshan was trapped in the school district apartment rented by Li Hao because Yuan Song had used her last remaining wisdom tooth to create a spell. Of course, Yuan Song did it for his girlfriend.

On the plane back, Yuan Song had warned him not to easily give away things from his body, like teeth, nails, or even eyelashes, as they could be used for malicious rituals.

Su Chenyu naturally didn't suspect his brother, but he feared that if he gave him a scale, he might later associate it with his brother, who was already a sensitive and suspicious person. Wouldn't that harm their brotherly bond?

It would be better to nip this possibility in the cradle.

Su Chenyu shook his head and said, "No, big bro, I can't give you this scale."

The elder brother stared at the fish scales on Su Chenyu's body with an uncertain expression, "Why?"

Su Chenyu was still thinking about how to explain when the elder brother's tone turned cold, "What do you know?"

Su Chenyu was surprised—what could he possibly know? He was just a confused victim throughout the whole ordeal.

"How could I possibly know?"

The elder brother stared intently at Su Chenyu's face, hearing his sarcastic retort, his voice suddenly rose, "Are you questioning me?"

Su Chenyu was bewildered, not understanding the sudden anger from his elder brother, "Big bro, why are you so mad? What am I questioning? What have you done wrong?"

Hearing the words "done wrong," the elder brother's expression became even more uneasy, trying to stay calm in his panic, "Xiao Yu, what could I have done wrong? I just plucked a strand of your hair to do a paternity test with me, it's for my job."

Su Chenyu was shocked by his elder brother's confession, "You've always known you were adopted, and what job needs my hair for a paternity test?"

The more he spoke, the more mistakes he made. Su Chenyu felt something was off. Yuan Song had said that hair shouldn't be given away casually...

The elder brother went silent for a while, his eyes flickering with dark emotions. He became extremely vicious, grabbing Su Chenyu by the neck, and angrily said, "Your parents couldn’t have kids, so they adopted me. They were destined to have no sons, but I have a brotherly fate, that's why you had the chance to be born!"

"The old man ought to thank me. If it weren't for me, your Su family would have died out."

Hearing his elder brother call his father "old man," Su Chenyu was immediately furious, "Didn’t Mom and Dad treat you well? Even though you're adopted, you got the best of everything. Because you're sensitive, Mom always took extra care of you, and not many people in the whole city even know you're my adopted brother!"

The elder brother sharply retorted, "Then why did the old man’s will give you seventy percent and me thirty? Legally, I have equal inheritance rights!"

Su Chenyu loved to play and even wanted to become a handsome influencer. His mind was never on business, yet this slacker gets seventy percent, while I only get thirty? Isn't it just because I'm adopted?

"The old man said it nicely, saying you’re a bit slow and can only keep the family fortune, while I do well in business, letting me expand our reach, and eventually earn much more than the seventy percent you have—all just empty words!" The elder brother let out a strange laugh, "Fine, since he said so, then it's good for me to let you become a mermaid for people to admire and earn more money for your big brother."

The only bad thing was that he was so nervous he mixed up the medicine, turning a beautiful mermaid into a fish-man.

Su Chenyu's expression was slightly complicated. He never thought his big bro would think like this. No wonder the tickets for the Dream Cruise were so hard to get. His elder brother easily bought them for him, and even managed to get a temporary ticket for Chen Zhao. It was for this reason.

"I've already talked to Mom and Dad about this. They revised the will three months ago to split it evenly, and it's been notarized."

The elder brother was stunned, exclaiming in disbelief, "How is that possible?"

Su Chenyu was very disappointed. He picked up the scale he had just pulled off and walked out, his eyes red, "You should turn yourself in to the special affairs unit at the police station."

Su Chenyu wasn't worried about his elder brother escaping. No matter how much you run, death is inevitable, and the reckoning after death is much more painful than turning oneself in to the police.

Su Chenyu looked at the heart scale in his palm, still faintly stained with blood. A beautiful dream of a mermaid prince shattered two decades of brotherly love.

*

The main group of tourists from the Dream Cruise had collectively arrived at Nanluo Village. Most of the tourists were young men and women, and upon arriving at Nanluo Village, they started frantically taking photos, with Chengde Medical Hall becoming a hot spot for check-ins.

Every household, as instructed by the Village Chief, had set up lanterns early to welcome the guests, dressed in ethnic costumes, making it livelier than the village’s New Year celebrations.

A long line formed outside Chengde Medical Hall. Wu Heng sat at the consultation table, with Zhou Yi holding a small white snake standing beside him.

The tourists who lined up first had their pulses checked by Wu Heng, then stood up excitedly yet cautiously to touch the cold scales of the small white snake, feeling thrilled when they saw the small white snake angrily flick its tongue.

So this is the pet reptile raised by Dr. Wu, so cute.

The small white snake was very angry. This was a bad idea from Zhou Yi. Originally, Xi Xi was supposed to come, but how could it let those stinky people touch its sister snake? So it volunteered to take her place.

Wu Heng checked his phone; the WeChat message he sent to Shi Xuan earlier still hadn’t been answered. He wondered what Shi Xuan was doing.

"Dr. Wu, I’m here. Please teach me quickly," Chen Zhao sneaked in when there were fewer people, worried Wu Heng might change his mind.

Seeing Chen Zhao’s excited expression, Wu Heng didn’t mention that he had charged each person 500,000 yuan and outsourced the job to Chen Zhao for the same amount.

Wu Heng was also concerned that Chen Zhao might bolt if he found out, so he said, "I’ll teach you, and I’ll give you the money in advance."

Chen Zhao was shocked. Prepayment? This was something he had never experienced under his master!

Soon, Chen Zhao’s cheap phone buzzed with a bank notification.

Chen Zhao stared at the screen, his breath quickening, "One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand… Holy cow!"

A full 500,000 yuan!

Not only could he learn from Wu Heng, but he could also pocket a net profit of 450,000 yuan by outsourcing it to his master!

Was Wu Heng not a shaman but a saint?

Seeing Chen Zhao’s expression as if he wanted to take Wu Heng’s surname, Wu Heng coughed and said, "Practice for a bit. I’ve got a rehearsal for the village Nuo ceremony this evening."

Wu Heng hurried out of Chengde Medical Hall and headed to the Nuo Temple outside the Nuo River to change into his Nuo dance costume, putting on a Guan Yu mask.

A group of young men, all dressed in similar loose outfits and masks, made it impossible to tell who was who.

The lead dancer, a young man with a crew cut, noticed many tourists watching by the Nuo River. The crowd was packed, and he felt a bit jittery—he had never seen so many people at a village Nuo ceremony before.

As the drums and gongs started, the Nuo dance team began to perform. The tourists naturally focused on the lead dancer, cheering and clapping nonstop.

Some even started live streams to gain followers.

"The lead dancer isn’t wearing a Guan Yu mask. Did Wu Heng change his mask?"

"Is Hengbao nervous tonight because of the crowd? It doesn’t feel as good as when he danced for He Yunxiao’s snake fetus ritual."

"With that many people, I’d be nervous too. Actually, all the young men are dancing well—mysterious and strong. Especially the guy in the sixth row on the left, the one with the Guan Yu mask. He looks pretty slim."

"I can’t tell who’s who. Can they take off their masks so I can give my two cents? Hehe."

The rehearsal wasn’t long; it only required crossing the Nuo River bridge from the east to the west bank of Wuwa Village.

The crew-cut young man stepped onto the rickety wooden bridge over the Nuo River, glancing at the tourists taking photos nearby. He secretly gloated—with the mask on, who could tell who was who?

"Ah—!"

A chilly river wind swept by, as if it grabbed the young man’s ankle. His next step faltered, and he nearly fell off the bridge. However, he quickly grabbed the iron chains on the bridge to avoid plunging into the rushing Nuo River. Unfortunately, his mask flew off and disappeared into the river.

The entire Nuo dance team halted by the Nuo River because of the lead dancer’s slip-up.

All the tourists were startled, shouting Wu Heng’s name.

"Wait, that doesn’t seem to be Wu Heng… The lead dancer isn’t Dr. Wu!" a girl with a high-powered camera exclaimed.

The tourists whispered among themselves, and the Nuo dancers, forgetting the rehearsal, rushed to pull the young man up.

Zhou Dagui, watching from afar, was nearly fuming. This was the lead dancer chosen by the Nuo deity, and he messed up at the critical moment?

Old lady Lai, standing nearby, said in a strange tone, "Deceiving the gods brings punishment. Tell them not to cross the bridge."

The young man with a buzz cut was hoisted up by a few close friends and sat on the bridge, his heart racing as he looked at the rolling river, still shaken by the experience.

Hearing the words of old lady Lai, the young man and his friends turned pale. Old lady Lai was a well-known spiritual medium in the South Nuo Village, and her words were highly credible.

"Could it be... that the Nuo God is angry?" one of the young men gazed at the Nuo River in the night, his legs started to tremble.

They lived by the Nuo River, yet they also feared this mother river.

Even old lady Lai, a renowned spiritual medium, couldn't save her grandson. Lai Jun had drowned in the Nuo River.

If he hadn't grabbed the iron chain earlier, he would have fallen. The young man's legs went weak at the thought.

The icy river wind blew in gusts, cutting into his face like knives. Whether it was a hint from the Nuo God or not, he couldn't tell.

"It was me who tampered with the drawing of lots back then. Please forgive me, Nuo Gong and Nuo Mu." The young man's nerves were frayed by the relentless river wind, and he instantly dropped to his knees by the bridge, kowtowing towards the river.

"Wu Heng, Wu Heng, you... you take care of it. I'm out." The young man screamed in panic, thinking of Lai Wazi's death, and immediately abandoned his responsibility, pushing through the crowd and running away, ignoring the onlookers.

Wu Heng partially lifted the Guan Gong Nuo mask, revealing his delicate features, "Huh? Oh."

Wu Heng looked up at the onlookers not far away, his gaze quickly scanning the area before pausing in a corner.

Wu Heng thought he was mistaken. As he announced the end of the rehearsal, he couldn't help but run towards that figure, still wearing his costume and mask.

Shi Xuan stood under the tree, drenched, his clothes torn and tattered, covered in rotting leaves, his exposed skin covered in bloody scars. In the moonlight, he appeared utterly disheveled, his burning gaze fixed on Wu Heng as he ran over.

Wu Heng looked at Shi Xuan in astonishment, "You..."

Is it really him or a wandering spirit?

Shi Xuan lowered his long, dark lashes, reached out with his long arm, and abruptly pulled Wu Heng into his embrace, resting his head lightly on Wu Heng's shoulder. A strong chill enveloped Wu Heng's entire body as Shi Xuan's voice trembled softly, "Wu Heng, I've finally found you."