Chapter 69

Chapter 69

The group chat fell silent in an instant.

Shi Xuan has always been eerie, and with just one sentence, he managed to create a strong horror atmosphere in the chat group.

"Group Admin - Li Hao: @SX, are you dead? Should we go to your memorial and burn some incense?"

Li Hao and the others quickly accepted the situation. After living with the female ghost for so long, running into a ghost wasn’t that strange.

Shi Xuan turning into a ghost was almost expected. But how did he die so suddenly? Didn’t we just see him yesterday at noon?

"He Yunxiao: ...Should I also buy some wreaths and spirit money to pay my respects?"

"SX: Not dead yet."

Wait, he’s not dead?

This statement left everyone confused. If it wasn’t the Shi family head who died, and the memorial hall was prepared for Shi Xuan...

Li Hao sent the most dramatic voice message: "Damn, your dad is really ruthless, wishing you dead. He only has you as his only son, right? So he’s not at ease with the idea of the family line ending and decided to take matters into his own hands?"

He Yunxiao also thought the neighboring Shi family head was acting crazy. He had spread false information and seemingly stabbed Shi Xuan in the heart, so he wisely kept quiet and went to the school to pick up Xi Xi.

At the Shi family, a large ritual site was set up in the courtyard. Vermilion talismans were pasted in every corner of the house. The Daoist priest used red threads to crisscross over the ancient well, holding a peach wood sword and dancing in the formation while chanting incantations.

The butler, Wu, leaned against a tree, munching on melon seeds and cursing between spitting out the shells: "An old bastard and a bunch of old charlatans, none of them are any good."

"Have you found any trace of Shi Xuan yet?" The Shi family head quickly asked when he saw them stop.

The leading old Daoist priest looked grave and said, "The yin energy in the well is too strong. We are not skilled enough to summon the young master’s soul back for now. We’ll have to wait a few more days."

They often took on tasks of finding people, and occasionally there were cases of children falling into wells that needed to be located. After all, for the living or the recently deceased, as long as there was a trace of life energy left, they could be found.

The young master’s entire body was filled with yin energy, almost merging with the well water, making it impossible to find him.

They could only wait a few more days. If Shi Xuan was truly dead, they could try summoning his soul again on the seventh day after death, the night of the returning soul, to determine the location of the corpse through the soul. If the young master still refused to return on the seventh day, then there was really nothing they could do.

Shi Xuan was gone? The Shi family head looked at the well with mixed feelings, unsure whether to feel sad or relieved.

-

When He Yunxiao arrived at Jiaming No. 1 High School, he saw that the black fog had dissipated, revealing the school’s original appearance. The school gate was bustling like a market.

One by one, the students woke up. It was as if they had slept an unusually long sleep, and their spirits were now unprecedentedly high, as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

The principal almost checked each student one by one before feeling relieved. He then had to organize school buses to take the students to the hospital for a full physical examination.

By this time, the principal had already forgotten about the Daoist priests and Daoist physicians from the Xuanmen. Since it concerned the school, he avoided the live broadcast to prevent it from trending again. Instead, he called Wu Heng.

"Dr. Wu, I really want to thank you this time. I’ll submit a report to the higher-ups overnight regarding the consultation fee."

The principal then hinted subtly: "Dr. Wu, what do you think our school should do to prevent such incidents from happening again? Maybe we can also do some drills in advance."

Schools often conduct earthquake drills and fire drills. Shouldn’t they also do drills for situations like this? To avoid students being at a loss when it happens.

A Daoist priest from the Xuanmen came over and said, "Principal, don’t worry. This incident wasn’t accidental. After a simple ritual, the school can reopen."

Do you think the principal paid any attention to them?

Wu Heng avoided the live broadcast camera, took a spare phone, and went to the backyard of the clinic to answer the call. He nodded and said, "Principal, these matters are the expertise of the Daoist priests. As for what you mentioned about prevention... I heard your school has been conducting physical examinations and vaccinations recently? The vaccine produced by the Xuanmen can be administered."

Previously, Li Hao and others were really worried about being affected by Tang Xueshan and kept sneezing constantly, fearing that the school wouldn’t let them get vaccinated on health check day.

Vaccines are definitely not something that can be developed overnight. It seems that the rise of evil spirits in this world has already drawn attention, and research has been in development for a long time.

In the capital city, especially among young students, these supernatural incidents are hotspots, so the vaccination campaign started with the student population.

The principal couldn’t help but invite Wu Heng to take advantage of the school-wide health check day to also have a look at the students. After some consideration, Wu Heng agreed.

With Wu Heng personally vouching for the Xuanmen, the principal felt much more at ease. Thinking that the medical fees reported from above wouldn’t be particularly high, he decided to express his gratitude in another way and said:

"Dr. Wu, I heard that you are also interested in taking the college entrance exam? Then I will make an exception and reserve a free audit seat for you. You can come and attend classes when you have time. The school teachers will share everything they know, and all the learning resources in the school will be free for you."

The principal wasn’t being arrogant, but he was certain that the educational resources of Jiaming No. 1 High School were definitely better than those of a small town on the outskirts.

Wu Heng was somewhat surprised and then was somewhat tempted. It would be nice to attend classes occasionally for a day or two.

"Thank you, Principal."

*

He Yunxiao greeted a few classmates who had just woken up from their deep sleep, and then quietly headed towards the back mountain with Li Hao, Wang Dong, and the other three who had come to watch the excitement.

Li Hao cursed under his breath, "He Yunxiao, you coward, Dr. Wu has already taken care of everything, and you still don’t dare to come to the back mountain alone. When I went to get the Yin supplement for the female ghost sister, I braved the back mountain all by myself..."

Wang Dong beside him looked at him with a resentful and aggrieved gaze, "Comrade Li, have you forgotten about me, your companion?"

They had gone together, both scared out of their wits.

He Yunxiao felt relieved when he saw Li Hao glare at Wang Dong. It was good that he wasn’t the only one scared.

When they arrived at the back mountain, they could clearly feel that the surroundings were a few degrees colder, and the air was quite humid. They immediately took out cloth masks from their pockets and put them on their mouths, then grabbed each other’s clothes and tiptoed forward together.

Under the quiet moonlight, an unusually fat white water snake hung on a tree branch, the fragile dry branch bending downward, obviously bearing an unbearable weight.

"How did it get so fat all of a sudden?" Li Hao and the others stared at the little white snake in amazement, "Indeed, fast food makes people fat, and snakes are no exception."

The little white snake angrily raised its head, "I’m not fat, I’m swollen!"

"I can’t drink anymore, really can’t... I don’t want to drink water for eight hundred lifetimes." The little white snake shouted aggrievedly.

Even though it was a water snake, it was now almost physiologically averse to water.

Xi Xi nestled in He Yunxiao’s arms, her eyes tightly fixed on the ownerless well where bubbles were gurgling, and she repeatedly said, "Big Brother White, don’t rest, mark it quickly!"

Another snake was trying to take over the territory!

Seeing the little white snake still in a daze, Xi Xi suddenly leaped out of He Yunxiao’s arms and stood by the well, hissing a warning at the evil spirits inside, her tense snake body already in an attacking stance.

Only then did the little white snake wake up from its obesity, leaped down from the branch, and dived into the well, rubbing frantically against the moss-covered well wall.

"Mine, this is my new home, hehe."

The faint moonlight fell on the little white snake’s small horn, and the little white snake suddenly felt its whole body lighten up. Its white snake scales became sharper, almost like a lustrous light silver under the moonlight. The spiritual energy emanating from its body completely dispersed the remaining black mist in the well.

The little white snake nestled in the new well, staring at the sky in disbelief, and after a long time, it screamed with ecstasy, "I... I’ve really become the Dragon King of the well! Not an intern anymore."

Li Hao and the others leaned over the well to watch the excitement, couldn’t help but click their tongues.

"So it’s been promoted? Indeed, facts prove that choice is more important than effort!"

Hold onto the golden thigh, and even a loser can rise to the top.

Given the little white snake's track record, it would've been stuck as an intern at some crappy company for ages. How the heck did it make it this far?

He Yunxiao picked up the little gray snake again, looking down at Xi Xi, happy for the little white snake's promotion but also a bit heartbroken. His daughter had busted her butt for that dumb snake; otherwise, all that work would've been for nothing, and Xi Xi got nothing.

His daughter doesn't need to be a virtuous assistant behind a man; she can rule the roost herself.

Too bad Xi Xi, the snake born from the seven emotions, isn't a water snake.

He Yunxiao thought to himself but also felt happy for the little white snake. However it landed this gig, it is now the real Dragon King of the well.

As he pondered this, He Yunxiao felt his arms grow heavy, the little gray snake emitting a faint gray light, its scales started peeling off.

He Yunxiao was stunned for a moment, anxiously saying, "Xi Xi? Why are you losing your scales? Did that little white snake screw you over?"

Xi Xi wriggled in He Yunxiao's arms, clearly in distress, rolling around. He Yunxiao, freaked out by this sudden turn, kicked the little white snake that came bearing good news, urgently saying, "Go get Dr. Wu, now... crap!"

Li Hao's eyes widened at the scene: "What the hell!"

Wang Dong and the others' mouths were agape: "No way!"

In He Yunxiao's arms sat a chubby little girl, her skin like fresh milk, with large, round glass-gray eyes, and a head of light gray medium-length hair just perfect for a little ponytail.

Their eyes met, and He Yunxiao heard the baby in his arms say in a sweet, baby voice, "Daddy."

The little white snake blurted out in surprise, "Xi Xi, you can turn into a human?"

The little white snake could also transform, into a cute, white-haired little boy, but it usually stayed in its original form more often, as transforming was tiring.

He Yunxiao was stunned, staring at the baby in his arms looking like a little kid: "Is this Xi Xi?"

He Yunxiao had mentally prepared himself; Xi Xi was not just a simple pet snake, she was a future guardian spirit. Since Xi Xi could speak human language, He Yunxiao thought she might turn into a little human in a couple of years, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

He Yunxiao vaguely sensed that this couldn't be a sudden transformation. Could it be because Xi Xi also contributed to dispelling the black mist, and the heavens took notice?

Once again, He Yunxiao felt grateful for his decision to have Xi Xi recognize Wu Heng as her godfather and be raised by him.

Indeed, seizing the opportunity is more important than usual efforts.

Winter had already set in the capital, and the temperature at the back mountain was even lower. He Yunxiao, regardless of his own fear of cold and Xi Xi being a spirit snake who wasn't afraid of cold, immediately took off his coat to wrap around Xi Xi, happily holding her and looking her over.

Beautiful, resembling him quite a bit. Look at that high nose, that mouth, those eyes, there's nothing to criticize about her features!

At this moment, He Yunxiao's paternal love was overflowing, his fatherly filter fully on. He held the baby up to Li Hao and the others, asking impulsively, "Do you think my Xi Xi looks good enough to be a child model?"

Li Hao, Wang Dong, and the others: "..."

Yes!

Absolutely yes!

Damn it!!

Li Hao and the others went crazy on the spot, why could He Yunxiao have a snake baby?

Women go through ten months of pregnancy and childbirth with so much hardship, while He Yunxiao, this bastard, carried a snake fetus for only three months, and with Wu Heng as a remote midwife, he easily spat it out without even experiencing contractions.

He just got such a chubby daughter for free?

"I also want to have a snake fetus," Li Hao cried with envy.

Not only is she a guardian deity of the household, but now with deep spiritual cultivation, she can also transform into a stunningly beautiful and incredibly cute little human girl.

He Yunxiao, though he’s not bad-looking, how could he possibly have such a beautiful snake daughter? The heavens are so unfair, ugh.

Li Hao couldn't help but wave his hand: "Let me hold her for a second."

Wang Dong also chimed in: "I wanna hold her too."

The little white snake gazed up at Xi Xi, who had transformed and was being swarmed and fought over by a bunch of uncles. As for its ascension to the role of the Dragon King of the well, it was completely forgotten by the group. The little white snake fell into deep thought.

Is this the allure of a young lady from the capital?

*

Doctor Wu Heng had just hung up the call with the principal when he saw He Yunxiao spamming pictures in the group chat.

"He Yunxiao: @everyone, [picture][picture][picture], this is Xi Xi after transforming! Isn’t she just the cutest? Hahaha, she’s my daughter!"

Doctor Wu Heng knew that Xi Xi's transformation was a recent event, but he didn't expect her to turn into such a beautiful little girl.

Li Hao sent a painful voice message: "Doctor Wu Heng, I can’t pop out a snake baby. Can I just have a monkey instead?"

Then train it to be like Sun Wukong, lol.

Doctor Wu Heng's reply was equally ruthless.

"Baby Heng Heng: You’re guys; guys don’t have wombs and can’t give birth. As for He Yunxiao having Xi Xi, that’s his fate."

"He Yunxiao: @group owner-Li Hao, if you’re that jealous, just get a pet."

Li Hao and the others initially thought that no pet could ever match a guardian deity snake like Xi Xi, but then they thought of Wang Heibao and paused.

Right, they could just get a pet. Dogs need walks, and even if the butler came daily, it wouldn’t be the same as having a companion. Getting a cat would do the trick.

Doctor Wu Heng remembered that his live stream was still on and turned off his backup phone. Just as he was about to enter the clinic, he spotted someone coming from the east side of the village.

Doctor Wu Heng's gaze paused, and in an instant, the person was standing in front of him.

"I'm back."

Shi Xuan stood in front of Doctor Wu Heng, the dim streetlight cast his shadow, completely engulfing Doctor Wu Heng.

Doctor Wu Heng: "Hold out your hand."

Shi Xuan obediently extended his arm, and Doctor Wu Heng pushed up his sleeve to reveal a strikingly muscular arm.

Doctor Wu Heng carefully examined the scars on the arm, confirming that they were all from the first time he came last night.

Since they were treated last night, the wounds showed signs of improvement.

They were old wounds, with no new injuries.

Doctor Wu Heng was astonished. It really is easier the second time. He just casually traveled through the well? Truly, someone full of yin energy, traveling along the yin energy without needing shamanic spells for protection.

"Do you want to check other places?" Shi Xuan asked abruptly after seeing that all four limbs had been examined.

Doctor Wu Heng was momentarily stunned, his gaze drifting: "It's, it's all been checked."

Shi Xuan lifted a small corner of his sweatshirt, revealing a tight set of abs and a faintly visible Adonis belt.

As a shaman, Doctor Wu Heng had seen many patients' bodies, but this was the first time he found himself captivated.

He let down the hem of his shirt, and Shi Xuan's voice came again, casually, "Returning the favor."

As their eyes met, with a faint smile, Wu Heng instantly understood the meaning behind his words.

"You... you saw me ripping off my outer shirt at the village exorcism ceremony?"

The video had already gone viral online, with fans making edits in no time. At the village exorcism ceremony, Wu Heng alone climbed the high tower, the young man panting heavily as he tore off his outer shirt, revealing a sweat-drenched, toned body, the raw strength of a mysterious ethnic youth displayed to the fullest.

Everyone had seen it, and he didn’t care, but when Shi Xuan mentioned it, he felt an inexplicable concern.

So, there was a moment when his eyes had wandered over the internet and landed on his exposed physique?

Wu Heng's ears turned red in an instant, his face flushed deeply, "I’m still live, I’ll head back now."

Wu Heng hurried into the clinic, paused after a few steps, and said with his back to Shi Xuan, "The room’s always been reserved for you."

"Welcome, to my world. Good friend."

Shi Xuan watched Wu Heng's fleeing figure with a light laugh.

He no longer had to stand like Rapunzel on the third-floor bedroom, watching the ancient well in the courtyard from the window, awaiting his figure.

If you don’t see him, he’ll come to you, crossing mountains and seas.

"Xiao Heng, are you okay? Why is your face so red?" Zhou Yi saw Wu Heng rushing back to the clinic as if fleeing for his life and quickly got up from the consultation table in front of the live stream camera to ask.

Wu Heng forced a laugh, "Maybe it’s just the wind."

Zhou Yi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and didn’t respond.

Only the little white snake would buy that, not even Xi Xi could be fooled.

"I’ll go wash up, you should get some sleep." Zhou Yi had just been temporarily covering for Wu Heng's live stream, being naturally shy and not great with words, he was quite embarrassed by the netizens in the live stream room.

Zhou Yi left the camera's view, saw that Shi Xuan from last night had come in, and whispered a reminder, "The bathroom’s out back."

Shi Xuan nodded, "You go, I’ll wait for him."

Zhou Yi's eyes darted back and forth, "?"

You don’t even share a room, why are you waiting for Wu Heng?

Zhou Yi left, even the gray and white snakes had been taken home by He Yunxiao, now the closed clinic only had Wu Heng, and Shi Xuan leaning against the door frame watching him from off-camera.

Wu Heng composed himself and told Shi Xuan, "Thirsty."

Shi Xuan said, "Sure, I’ll heat up some water."

"Heng! You’ve got something going on! Who is it?"

"I, Wu Heng, have to live stream consultations, participate in the village exorcism ceremony to build my hometown, self-study for exams, and even possibly find a partner along the way, my partner says work’s too exhausting to reply to my texts."

"I heard from the group of students who were in a coma that the teachers who enchanted them were scholars killed in an explosion, is that true?"

"How terrifying, why are there so many supernatural events? Is there anything to defend against them? I’ve seen tons of talismans on PDD, ten for a buck with free shipping, but I’m not sure if they work."

Wu Heng ignored all the netizens' gossip about Shi Xuan, calmed himself down, and introduced, "I’m planning to sell some cloth masks here, anyone who needs them can grab them when they’re available."

The netizens' eyes lit up immediately, hearing that the few students who didn’t fall into a coma, apart from those with exceptionally strong bodies and extremely yang birth charts, all wore Wu Heng's cloth masks!

They had been coveting that item for a while, but if Wu Heng didn’t mass-produce it, there was nothing they could do. Who would have thought Wu Heng would take the initiative to list it for sale?

"I’m buying it! No matter the cost, I’m getting one!"

"It doesn’t seem like a one-time use item, but it likely won’t last very long. I hope to grab a few more."

"Dr. Wu has been busy all day, even his meals were hurried. Since the live stream time is over, maybe we should wrap up for tonight?"

"Yeah, if that guy isn’t in a rush, maybe let Hengbao take a break?"

The uncle with the nail art, seeing the chat in the live stream, also started thinking.

Even though he had been waiting for days, Wu Heng must be exhausted after a full day at the village festival and handling issues at Jiaming High School. Even with youthful vigor, it’s hard to keep up.

Perhaps he should wait another day?

But then, Chengde Medical Hall invited him to join the call.

Wu Heng was feeling great now. After today’s grand village festival, he could clearly feel his magical energy growing, and his physical strength had increased significantly. He wasn’t tired at all.

When the camera turned on, the uncle, both amused and embarrassed, showed off, and everyone’s eyes went to his hands.

Hmm, his thick, carrot-like hands now sported beautiful nails with new nail art.

Some nail artists had quietly joined the live stream, and the previous nail art designs had gone viral nationwide in the past few days.

This time, the nail art was dark red with sparkling diamonds, and under the light, his hands looked incredibly glamorous and alluring.

Countless women in the live stream were amazed at how beautiful it looked. With this nail art and a long red dress, wouldn’t it be like a fox spirit captivating the king and enchanting everyone?

Wu Heng smiled and asked, "I gave you some medicine a couple of days ago, how did it work out?"

The uncle hurriedly replied, "Following Dr. Wu’s instructions, I boiled the medicine and sprinkled it around the room, leaving only one window with old ginger slices. Then... a Samoyed showed up at my house."

The uncle adjusted the camera to focus on the corner of the bed.

The dog, which had been hiding under the bed, was now curled up in the corner, eyeing them cautiously.

"Samoyed? Uncle, you think this is a Samoyed? Isn’t this a fox?"

"Your Majesty, I am indeed a white fox, dog head.jpg"

"Uncle, where do you live? The environment is great, with foxes wandering into your house."

"The snow-white fur is stunning, wouldn’t it be easy to captivate King Zhou?"

The uncle was still puzzled. So this was a fox? He thought it was a chubby Samoyed, since many around here use Samoyeds as sled dogs.

"Dr. Wu, this dog... no, this fox came to my house, and I fed it leftovers, meat, and borrowed dog food, but it wouldn’t eat. I’m worried it might be sick."

Wu Heng smiled, "You need to create a pile of incense for it to absorb the spiritual energy from the incense and candles."

Everyone was instantly confused by this statement... something was off.

Wu Heng asked again, "What’s your name?"

The uncle snapped back to reality and quickly introduced himself, "Dr. Wu, my name is Zhang Dayong."

Wu Heng: "I was asking it."

"Don’t tell me the fox can talk! Ahhh, isn’t this really becoming a fox spirit?"

"Wow, I remember the fox spirits in TV dramas all have beautiful nails. Could these nails be the fox’s?"

"It’s probably just a coincidence that the fox ended up at Uncle’s place. After all, if the fox isn’t blind, it wouldn’t give such beautiful nails to Uncle. It’s causing him problems."

"Ahhh, is this for real? It’s not allowed for spirits to exist after the founding of the People’s Republic!"

The white fox glanced at the camera, then shifted positions to sleep, completely ignoring Wu Heng.

Seeing this, Wu Heng told the confused Zhang Dayong, "Uncle Zhang, take scissors and cut the nails."

"Okay." Zhang Dayong grabbed the scissors and started cutting the nails without a second thought.

Snip, one nail dropped onto the bedding.

Aside from the heartbroken screams of the female netizens online, a shrill cry came from the fox in the room.

The fox rolled around angrily on the floor, as if it hadn’t vented enough. It suddenly jumped onto the bed and frantically clawed at the bedding like a mad dog. Its sharp claws tore through the bedding instantly, sending cotton flying.

"...Such a fierce fox. So, it really cared about those nails, huh?"

"Animals are naturally intuitive. It’s normal for them to understand human speech and observe our actions."

"So cute, even when it’s throwing a fit. I want to take it home."

'You jerk, how dare you cut my nails! Are you out of your mind!' The white fox roared at Zhang Dayong.

Zhang Dayong didn’t understand and continued cutting, one after another.

The fox, heartbroken, thrashed around on the bed, too scared to speak human language for fear of being caught.

'Your nails are causing problems for Uncle Zhang. He’s an ice worker, so maybe it’s better not to wear such long nails?'

Such a cold job naturally requires gloves, but the long nails were affecting his work.

The fox was shocked, realizing the handsome young man on the phone hadn’t spoken, yet it heard his voice. It blinked in surprise. Could it be the spiritual language rarely used by mediums? Only it could hear it?

The white fox snorted twice, fiddling with its beautiful nails, and coyly tested, 'What do you know? Even in a freezer, one must live with dignity.'