Chapter 66

Chapter 66

"Huh? Making a black dog your godfather? Dr. Wu, are you kidding or serious?"

"Didn't you hear what Doctor Wu Heng just said? If it weren't for Black Panther licking the unlucky guy's face to get rid of the yin energy, he wouldn't be sleeping so soundly now. Calling it a godfather isn’t a big deal."

"In our village, it’s pretty common to make dogs, chickens, or even the big locust tree at the village entrance your godfather."

"I thought about it from their perspective. If this big black dog can save my child's life, I wouldn't just call it a godfather, I'd call it grandpa. It’s just a name, really."

Some netizens who see dogs as food were pretty upset.

The couple glanced at Black Panther and then at Wu Heng, exchanging looks.

"Alright, but does Black Panther know how to go and pick him up?" Mrs. Wang looked at Black Panther with worry, afraid that the dog wouldn't even know where Wang Pengzheng's classroom was, since Black Panther had never been to school before.

Mr. Wang slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I’ll tie my phone to Black Panther and guide it through the live stream. It can understand quite a few human commands."

Mr. Wang quickly tied the phone to Black Panther, holding the big black dog’s head, feeling a mix of emotions, saying, "Black Panther, just go to the third floor and bring Pengzheng back. If you run into danger, just run. If you can't bring him back, we won't blame you."

Black Panther barked firmly, "Woof!"

The principal saw how desperate the parents were to send a dog in, and after thinking it over, he allowed it. As long as no one was risking their lives, it was fine for the parents to find their own solution. If he refused again, who knows what these anxious parents might do?

The cloth mask was designed for humans, so it wasn't convenient for the dog to wear. Mrs. Wang decided to use a hair tie to fasten the cloth mask around Black Panther’s snout.

Black Panther seemed to understand and didn’t paw at the uncomfortable mask. It glanced back at the couple, squeezed through the iron fence, and vanished into the black mist in an instant.

Mrs. Wang quickly used her Shark Video Platform account to set up a three-way call, and Wu Heng agreed.

With the phone strapped to Black Panther’s back, the live feed streamed in real-time.

The screen was foggy, with less than half a meter of visibility.

"Wow, with visibility this low, forget driving—walking’s tough."

"I hope the dog stays safe. Pet owners can totally relate, wuwuwuwu."

"The dog’s picking up the kid—good dog! The black mist is messing with the students—bad mist!"

"Even if it can’t bring back Wang, I hope Black Panther gets a big chicken leg as a treat."

In the footage, Black Panther took a few steps, then stopped, ears perked and looking around, moving carefully.

Wu Heng didn't speak, sitting in front of the camera and picking up a brush to write a prescription.

Many people felt reassured seeing Wu Heng writing a prescription. If Dr. Wu is prescribing medicine for the patient, it should be stable, right?

Wu Heng glanced at the comments and took a moment to say, "This is for Black Panther. In the past two days, it has licked away a lot of yin energy for this patient and entered the school. It will definitely have diarrhea and lose its appetite."

Mr. and Mrs. Wang were initially disappointed that it wasn't for Wang Pengzheng, but hearing Wu Heng say this, they felt guilty and repeatedly said, "We will definitely take good care of Black Panther and give it medicine."

"Black Panther has found the school building's entrance!" Mr. Wang exclaimed in shock upon seeing the entrance.

Due to the low visibility, once inside, it was like entering a maze, instantly losing all sense of direction. They didn't even realize it was the school building while watching the live stream.

The couple quietly urged Black Panther to go up to the third floor.

Black Panther cautiously climbed the stairs, the mist spreading over the steps. Its paw slipped on the icy cold stone steps, and it tumbled down the stairs, letting out a painful whimper.

It quickly got back up and kept climbing the stairs, moving more cautiously but still slipping and falling from time to time. Soon, one of its legs was so hurt it could only hop on one foot.

Dr. Wu explained, "The black mist makes the stairs slippery, and with the yin energy from the departed souls of many students, these stairs are hard to walk on."

Even people who don’t own pets felt heartbroken watching this.

"Wuwuwu, as a pet owner, I can’t stand to watch this, it’s so sad."

"If it were my dog, it’d bolt faster than me in danger, so embarrassing."

"Thinking about how mean they were to Black Panther earlier, I think dogs are the easiest to please. If it were me, I’d never risk my life for someone who scolded me."

Mr. and Mrs. Wang felt guilty too. They weren’t the type to mistreat dogs, but they were so worried about their son they thought Black Panther was just causing trouble.

They got to the third floor.

Mr. Wang quietly told Black Panther to stop at Class Three’s door. Black Panther nudged the door with its head, and since it wasn’t locked, it opened easily.

Inside the classroom, there was hardly any mist, but what the camera showed stunned everyone.

"It’s empty, the classroom’s totally empty. Dr. Wu couldn’t be wrong, right?"

"My daughter’s in there, oh my God! Can Black Panther bring her back too? Please!"

"My dumb son’s in there, holding his book upside down! He’s there too."

"? Are you kidding or serious? I don’t see anything."

Mr. and Mrs. Wang’s hands shook as they held the phone. They… they saw Wang Pengzheng! Just him.

Wang Pengzheng sat at his desk, eyes closed, facing a book. Inside the book was a wooden board, and his fingers moved mechanically across it, like he was scrolling through short videos.

Mr. Wang: "..."

So it was true their son played with his phone in class. Even after his soul left, he was still slacking.

Dr. Wu replied in the comments: "The magnetic field’s messed up, unrelated people can’t see it."

The Jiaming High School parent group chat was in chaos. At first, they were skeptical and let the Wang family take the lead to test things out, but now they had incidentally seen their own children. How could they possibly stay seated?

It really wasn’t any other illness—it was this strange disease of soul departure!

They all rushed to the school in a panic.

Black Panther stared at the classroom where over half the students sat with their eyes closed. It accurately found Wang Pengzheng.

Suddenly, Black Panther barked at the gray shadow on the podium: "Woof woof woof—!"

At this moment, the school building was empty, and the sudden sound of barking could faintly be heard even by the principal and others at the school gate.

'Family emergency, here to request leave?' the gray shadow said coldly, its gaze fixed on the large black dog at the door. 'Are you the student’s father?'

Black Panther barked affirmatively: "Woof!"

The gray shadow lowered its head as if in hesitation, but thinking that this was the student’s parent—the father—it had no choice but to grant the leave. Its sinister gaze turned to the young boy still holding the wooden board and scrolling through short videos: 'Wang Pengzheng, your parent is here to pick you up.'

Wang Pengzheng still looked confused. Hearing the call, he stood up with his eyes closed and walked out of the classroom in a stiff manner, stopping beside Black Panther.

Wang Pengzheng and Black Panther bowed to the gray shadow on the podium, gently closed the classroom door, and walked out of the school building.

Mr. and Mrs. Wang held their breath, not daring to make a sound, fearing they might disturb the scene.

The other netizens were completely baffled, only seeing the black dog bark a few times after pushing the classroom door open and then returning the same way.

Ten minutes later, a large black dog limping hobbled back.

Mr. and Mrs. Wang were overjoyed at the sight of the faint apparition of Wang Pengzheng and couldn't help but anxiously ask, "Dr. Wu, what should we do next?"

Wu Heng said, "Snap off a branch from the locust tree and whip him towards his body."

It was already cold in the city, and although the locust trees were bare, branches could still be snapped off. Coincidentally, there were many locust trees near Jiaming No. 1 High School.

Mr. Wang immediately went to break off a large locust branch and whipped the boy who was still mindlessly swiping his fingers on the wooden board.

Wang Pengzheng's spirit instantly opened his eyes in pain, let out a ghostly scream, threw down his "phone," and ran wildly towards the car.

A group of onlookers thought the scene looked like actors were performing without props, each like a seasoned actor, even the black dog lying on the ground covered its ears.

"Ah, Dad, don't hit me, I won't use my phone in class anymore..."

Wang Pengzheng, lying in the back seat, bolted upright, and the blanket covering him fell off.

They all looked at each other, bewildered.

Mr. and Mrs. Wang discarded the locust branch, immediately opened the car door, and hugged the bewildered Wang Pengzheng, crying with joy, "He's awake, he's really awake."

Wang Pengzheng, still not quite understanding the situation, muttered in confusion, "Didn't you come to ask for leave, Dad, saying there was some emergency at home?"

From not far away came Li Hao's voice, "You're still out of it? If it weren't for our Dr. Wu, you'd still be out of your body, attending class in the classroom, you fool!"

Turning around, they saw Li Hao and Wang Dong, the three black-haired guys, coming to join the fun.

Li Hao said with a sneer, "Whose fault is that? When Dr. Wu urgently made dozens of cloth masks, we handed them out to our classmates in advance, and everyone thought they were ugly."

Wang Pengzheng gradually remembered, his expression full of embarrassment. He seemed to have pretended to inhale mist in front of He Yunxiao.

"...Brother Panther."

Wang Pengzheng also remembered the dog from his family that had come to the classroom to pick him up, and he was deeply moved. He rushed towards the black dog, sniffled, and said, "Brother Panther, tonight really..."

Before he could finish the word "thanks," Wang Pengzheng got a slap on the back of his head.

Mr. Wang, fuming, said, "What are you calling Brother Panther? Do you even understand the rules?"

Wang Pengzheng knew his parents were good in every way, but in this aspect, their thinking was still traditional, believing that dogs were just dogs, livestock. They absolutely forbade the black dog from getting on the sofa or bed, the rules were somewhat strict.

Wang Pengzheng said with a sigh, "I know, calling Brother Panther just slipped out, but at this point, you don't need to be so nitpicky, do you?"

Mrs. Wang gently stroked the black dog's head and scolded, "You insolent child, now immediately kowtow three times to Wang Black Panther, and then call him godfather!"

Wang Pengzheng: "...What? Call him what?"

Wait, Wang Black Panther? He even has a surname now?

"Hahaha, Mr. and Mrs. Wang are indeed no-nonsense folks, not forgetting a single instruction from Dr. Wu, really making their son acknowledge a godfather."

"You silly kid, aren't you happy that your parents found you a godfather?"

"Black Panther broke its leg saving you, being your godfather is still a privilege for you."

"It seems like Black Panther will have a great life in the future. I heard that Jiaming No. 1 High School is a prestigious school in the capital, and most students here are at least from middle-class families, many of whom have family businesses. He's going to become a real Beijing big shot."

Wang Pengzheng and Black Panther stared at each other. He remembered that Black Panther was the dog he brought home to raise as a son, not to get a promotion in the family hierarchy.

"I'll tell the housekeeper to set up a dining table, chairs, and new dishes for Black Panther, and turn the guest room into its own private bedroom. We should also grab a couple of new dog beds."

Wang's mother touched her chin and continued, "By the way, Wang Pengzheng, from now on, you can’t sit at the table or touch your chopsticks until your dog dad’s seated."

Although Wang Pengzheng was happy about it, he couldn't help but say, "...Why don’t you just let Black Panther into the family tomb?"

They changed their tune faster than a Sichuan opera performer changes masks.

Wang's father thought deeply and said, "That's also possible."

Since Black Panther saved their son’s life, it’d be fitting for it to be buried next to them someday. It was a loyal and heroic dog!

Wang Pengzheng fell silent for a moment, then was kicked in the back of the knee by his father, his legs buckled instantly.

In front of everyone online and offline, Wang Pengzheng bowed three times to the big black dog and shouted with all his might, "Godfather!"

Black Panther: "Woof—!"

Wang’s parents were pleased, and their hearts, which had been on edge for days, finally settled. Seeing Black Panther's injured front leg, they decided to take it to the vet to get its leg bandaged first, then go back to get Dr. Wu's prescription and brew the medicine.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wang, hold on! My daughter’s still inside!" A parent drove over and quickly chased them down.

"We’re all in the same class, and we’re all parents. Can you help us out?" another parent anxiously spoke.

"Can we borrow Black Panther? We’ll have our kid call it godfather too."

This statement received agreement from many parents.

Black Panther tilted its head, looking confused.

Li Hao quietly walked over and patted Wang Pengzheng's shoulder, "Your godfather’s a real hit."

Wang Pengzheng indeed felt a sense of crisis. His Black Panther was this popular?

Of course, there were also those who didn't rely on Black Panther. Some parents showed up with their black Labs, and some even carried cat carriers with an all-black cat inside, busy licking its paws.

There was also a parent carrying a black myna bird on their shoulder.

The principal at the school gate: "..."

If you didn’t know better, you’d think this was a pet expo, not a school gate.

A parent took out a cloth mask from their bag, holding a black dog and carrying a black cat, anxiously asking through the live stream, "Dr. Wu, my daughter’s picky and doesn’t like your mask. Don’t take it personally. Can we follow Wang Pengzheng's example and bring our daughter back first?"

Wu Heng said, "It’s still doable for now."

Immediately, some parents followed suit, sending their pets to fetch their children.

Wu Heng watched as more parents crowded the school gate, his mind wandering. Nowadays, many parents love their children dearly, yet Shi Xuan, who was in the same class, had never experienced such care.

A smell wafted into his nose.

Wu Heng looked up and saw a large skewer of cumin-spiced lamb kebabs in front of him, made from highland-raised lamb from the province.

Wu Heng raised his head and saw Shi Xuan carrying gray and white snakes on his shoulders, holding a lot of late-night snacks, including various fried insects, a specialty of Nan Nuo Village, which looked pretty tasty.

Wu Heng grabbed the late-night snack and started eating, watching as a parent cried anxiously: "Dr. Wu, we don’t have the cloth mask you made. Can we borrow one?"

Zhou Yi rushed in from outside and whispered, "Should we make some overnight?"

Wu Heng looked at the foggy school and said, "Even with masks and protective pets, it’s useless now."

The parents were shocked!

"What does Dr. Wu mean? I just saw five or six unconscious students wake up."

"Is it no longer possible? I thought we could rely on the 'Dog Squad' and 'Cat Squad' operation."

"I’ve been wondering, even if the students are saved, the school is still surrounded by fog. Can classes continue?"

Wu Heng said, "The school won’t approve leave anymore."

If one parent asks for leave for their child, it might be approved.

Two, three, or even four could be approved.

But as more and more parents request leave, the school will realize and stop approving.

Hearing this, the parents who had been waiting for Wang Pengzheng’s family to lead the way felt devastated.

Seeing those seven or eight students who had been in a coma suddenly wake up and become lively, while their own children were still sleeping deeply, who could bear such a contrast?

"Indeed, opportunities are for the prepared. The parents who tried first managed to save their children."

"The Wang family dared to risk offending Jiaming No. 1 High School by connecting with an online shaman. No wonder their child was the first to wake up."

"Principal, what are you waiting for?"

The principal, seeing that the Daoist Physicians from the esoteric sect hadn’t found a solution, couldn’t wait any longer. He immediately ran to Mr. Wang’s luxury car parked at the entrance, with the phone still connected to the video call placed on the hood.

"Dr. Wu, what should we do next?" The principal was truly anxious. "On behalf of Jiaming No. 1 High School, I’m hiring you to help. We’ll pay whatever it takes."

Hearing that using protective pets to pose as parents to pick up children was no longer effective, what else could be done?

Wu Heng gently took off the silver earring from his left ear and said, "Tomorrow night, there will be a formal village exorcism ceremony in Nanluo Village. The shamanic ritual dance has the power to drive away evil, especially when performed collectively. The exorcism power is immense."

Wu Heng then added, "It’s quite normal for the school to organize an open-air movie night, right?"

The principal felt hopeful, and the netizens were ecstatic.

"Wow, a village exorcism ceremony? An exorcism team of eighty-eight people, how spectacular!"

"The so-called village exorcism is to drive away evil for the entire village! It’s a very solemn and formal activity in the village. I can’t imagine how grand the national exorcism recorded in ancient books must be, with hundreds of people participating."

"Everyone should remember how Wu Heng’s shamanic ritual dance became a sensation? A whole exorcism team, it’s going to be an incredible sight."

"If this village exorcism works, it would be a huge accomplishment."

"Oh my God, if I could watch it live, would I really be able to get good luck and avoid evil? I’d love to be there!"

Almost all tourists regarded this village exorcism as a characteristic dance of Nanluo Village, a ritualistic practice to pray to the gods and drive away evil. But now, Wu Heng’s proposal made everyone realize its most primitive significance.

In the entire Nu River’s eighteen villages, the village exorcism only happens during the Spring Festival! This time, it was added temporarily, and they happened to witness it?

The principal was deeply moved: "Alright!"

As soon as the principal finished speaking, he saw several Daoist priests approaching.

"You must be Dr. Wu, right?" The Daoist Physician from the Xuanmen took Wang Pengzheng's pulse, confirming that his soul had indeed returned to its rightful place, and he was only slightly uncomfortable. Only then did he seriously glance at the phone that Wang's parent was still on the call with.

It appeared that someone from the Xuanmen had previously arranged to send this online Daoist Physician a certificate of internship as a Daoist Physician issued by the Xuanmen.

Now it seems he’s more than just an intern.

Wu Heng, eating his midnight snack, smiled and said, "Hello, fellow Daoists."

"Fellow Daoist Wu's method is good, but it only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause."

Hearing this, Li Hao and the others were a bit annoyed: "You haven’t even managed to treat the symptoms yet."

There were still about two hundred classmates' souls trapped inside, and they hadn’t managed to retrieve a single one, yet they dared to boast.

"We have roughly identified the source of these black mists; stopping them should be enough," said the leading Daoist priest, holding a compass with the needle pointing towards the back mountain, implying something.

The little white snake, munching on a piece of chicken, looked at the Daoist priest with admiration.

Yes, yes, when it went to deliver the medicine, it came out from the well at the back mountain of the school, where it saw the black mist.

Wu Heng was stunned and asked in disbelief, "Daoist Priest, are you serious? You're not joking, are you?"

The Daoist priest was taken aback by Wu Heng’s shocked expression and paused to reflect.

Isn’t it simple? Just find the source of the black mist and block it from overflowing. What’s so strange about that?

It’s simple—just fill in the well at the back mountain! All those black mists were overflowing from the well at the back mountain of the school, blown into the school by the mountain wind.

Even the netizens in the live stream thought there was nothing wrong with it.

Wu Heng rephrased, "You know about opium smoke? Daoist, your behavior is like lighting up the smoke and getting everyone high together."

Daoist: "..."

Simple yet vivid, many netizens understood.

The jurisdiction of a well generally extends within three kilometers. Below the well is groundwater, where the blocked mist gathers and eventually evaporates upwards. By then, everyone within three kilometers will be having fun together at night.

Wu Heng looked at the white snake without speaking.

The white snake quickly lowered its head, feeling embarrassed because it had been scared by something unusual when delivering medicine that night and didn't tell Wu Heng. Otherwise, Wu Heng could have made more masks in advance...

The gray snake saw the look Wu Heng gave her, then glanced at the white snake, and her originally puzzled snake eyes gradually lit up.

Daddy, Xi Xi understands!

"Big White Brother, let's go to the well on the hill behind Dad's school."

The white snake was stunned, avoiding the camera and shaking its head vigorously at Xi Xi, "Xi Xi, how can you be so stupid? Knowing it's dangerous, you still want to rush in? Wow, Xi Xi, you're not stuttering anymore."

Knowing the black mist from the school all comes from that well, and you still want to rush in to die?

Isn't Xi Xi the smartest and most capable snake fetus in Uncle He's care?

It was scared; it wouldn't go.

Xi Xi opened its pale snake fangs and gently bit the white snake's tail scales, trying to drag it out.

'No, Xi Xi, please let me go, I don’t want to go.' If Wu Heng were dragging it like this, the little white snake would have been furious, but now it could only hiss in panic.

'We are just two ordinary little snakes, let’s not get involved in such excitement.'

Xi Xi instantly reared up on her snake body, her childlike voice sounding odd as she said, 'Big Brother White, the Dragon King of the well has the ability to disperse the malevolent energy in the well. As long as you suppress that black mist, you can immediately mark that well and become its new master!'

Xi Xi flicked her tongue; she had spoken a very long sentence, and she was very tired.

This was different from the well that Li Hao’s family had dug. A new well and an ancient well with centuries of history were vastly different.

A new well lacks the accumulation of time, while an ancient well, though gradually losing its original owner, still retains residual power, much like the well in Shi Xuan’s home.

By quelling the evil in the well and rescuing the souls of more than two hundred students, the heavens would acknowledge this deed, allowing one to forcibly mark that ancient well. With good fortune, one could advance from a (trainee) Dragon King of the well to a permanent position.

Xi Xi encouraged, 'Big Brother White, opportunity knocks but once!'

The little white snake was utterly dumbfounded. Under the gaze of Shi Xuan, Zhou Yi, Wu Heng, and the little gray snake waiting for a response, the little white snake happily said, 'Xi Xi, you are really so smart, my discernment is truly exceptional!'

Everyone: '...'

Is that the point?