Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Wu Heng's Adam's apple bobbed as if he wanted to speak, but his gaze fell on Shi Xuan, whose long lashes cast delicate shadows on his face under the cold moonlight. The usual coldness had melted away, leaving him strikingly handsome.

Wu Heng quickly stepped into the role of an experienced caregiver, moving forward to support Shi Xuan, letting his arm rest on his shoulder. "Oh."

Lai Yin Chai followed closely, scrutinizing them, and couldn't help but say, 'Hey, I think he's faking it.'

Wu Heng glared at him coldly and scolded, "Do you think I can't tell if he's faking it? Are you the shaman or am I? Are you questioning my professional ability?"

Lai Yin Chai: '…………'

In life, he was a bully; in death, he got bullied. There was no justice.

Forget it, this had nothing to do with his quota. Lai Yin Chai immediately turned to leave, planning to hang around the town hospital, where deaths were frequent and work was easy to come by. He and several other yin emissaries often waited at the entrance, like drivers waiting outside a restaurant. They had even argued over competing for work.

After thinking it over, Lai Yin Chai decided to detour to Wu Heng's second uncle's guesthouse, which had now become the inpatient department of Chengde Medical Hall. Perhaps someone there was about to die, and he could pick up some work.

As soon as Lai Yin Chai floated in, he saw Chen Zhao holding his nose and sprinting out. He turned to look inside and immediately bent over, gagging.

Wu Heng's second uncle's guesthouse was pricey, but it didn't seem to make much profit.

-

Shi Xuan's voice came from beside him: "If you don't hold my waist, I can't use my strength."

Wu Heng's ears burned, sensing that Shi Xuan was pushing his luck, but his hand gently supported Shi Xuan's waist. Fortunately, the thick winter coat masked any sensation.

"Is Dr. Wu this good to every patient?"

Wu Heng wasn’t sure if Shi Xuan was just chatting, but he answered lightly, "Of course, I even change the funeral attire for deceased patients, giving them their final dignity."

Shi Xuan: "When I die, will you change my funeral attire too?"

Wu Heng, who was used to life and death, felt a pang of discomfort at these words. He stepped on Shi Xuan's foot and quickly pulled back, apologizing repeatedly.

Shi Xuan looked at the shoe print on his foot, his lips curving slightly, but he said nothing.

The two of them slowly walked back to Chengde Medical Hall, where a wooden door was slightly ajar, letting a faint light seep out. Inside, they saw You Jin still sitting on the wooden sofa, sobbing loudly.

Tonight might have been the worst day in You Jin's career, even making him question whether he should have studied medicine.

If it weren't for Xiao Heng stepping in to fix things, he might have really killed someone.

Dr. Wu, who had founded Chengde Medical Hall decades ago, had never had such a medical accident. Had he ruined the reputation?

"Brother You Jin, it wasn't that you prescribed the wrong medicine or treated the wrong illness. He just wasn’t ready to return to his body yet."

You Jin, still with tears on his face, asked, "Xiao Heng, are you comforting me, or is it that he didn't want to live?"

Wu Heng couldn't help but laugh: "He wants to live more than anyone. How could he give up such a good life?"

Zhou Yi, standing nearby, was puzzled. From what he knew, that Xie classmate didn't have a great life. He was forced to drop out of school early, and there were rumors of strange thoughts about wanting to change his gender, which made people around him uncomfortable. He didn't have many friends either. What kind of good life was that?

"Master, does workers' compensation cover reimbursement?" Just as everyone was baffled, they saw Chen Zhao, holding his nose, running back in a hurry.

"Eww—so smelly, did you fall into a latrine?"

Everyone covered their noses and took several steps back, keeping away from Chen Zhao.

Chen Zhao had already cheekily started calling him "Master" ahead of time. Hehe, since he called him "Master" first, his master would have to go along with it, right? Hahaha, the old man must be fuming, huh? Just thinking about it makes me feel awesome.

Seeing everyone keeping their distance from him, Chen Zhao frowned and said, "Even the patient who arrived last night is staying at Second Uncle's guesthouse now. If Master hadn’t been at the school giving vaccines today, he would’ve come to the clinic instead."

To make an impression, Chen Zhao grabbed the medicine box and took charge, heading to inspect the inpatient department to help Wu Heng ease some of the consultation pressure.

Chen Zhao vividly described, "Oh my, you guys haven’t entered that room. The stench is unbearable. I think Second Uncle's guesthouse needs a complete overhaul. The smell is just too much."

As he spoke, Chen Zhao started wishing he’d asked for some kind of compensation.

"I asked the patient how many days he hadn’t bathed. Take a guess—how many days?"

Seeing everyone's attention drawn to him, Chen Zhao said, "The patient said he hadn’t bathed in six months. I couldn’t take it and had to bail. That smell..."

'Definitely not body odor!'

A soft, sweet voice piped up beside him. Glancing down, he spotted a plump, snow-white fox slipping in, wearing a small outfit with a heart-shaped backpack attached.

Zhang Dayong’s wife, worried the fox spirit might catch a chill, had specially gone to a pet store in town to buy a dog outfit before sending Su Dayi off on the truck. She even tucked a few hundred yuan into the backpack for emergencies.

Su Dayi tried to jump onto the consultation table but, weighed down, slammed into the edge and yelped in pain. Limping, she snarled and hopped around the clinic, eventually sitting down and crossing her legs, proudly declaring, 'The Fox Spirit is here! Where’s my grand welcome?'

Everyone: "..."

You Jin stopped crying and stared at the chubby white creature, saying, "How’d a chubby dog get in here?"

Su Dayi was furious, 'Who are you calling a dog? I’m a fox, a real fox spirit!'

You Jin didn’t understand.

Wu Heng found it amusing and tugged at the small backpack on Su Dayi's back, asking, "Did you come here for school?"

Su Dayi huffed, 'Zhang Dayong’s wife made me wear this. I just went along with it to be polite.'

Su Dayi didn’t mention that it fit perfectly. The bright red outfit made her look like a seductive fox demon, and she adored it!

Wu Heng looked around and said, "Everyone here is pretty open-minded. You can transform into human form and speak directly."

Instantly, everyone around couldn’t help but become curious. Zhou Yi even took out a glasses cloth from his pocket and wiped his glasses, all eyes filled with anticipation.

This was the legendary fox spirit, the very definition of beauty. They wondered how stunning her human form would be.

Su Dayi shrunk her already non-existent neck and snorted, 'You want me to transform? Not happening!'

'Hmm... How about you prescribe me some weight-loss medicine? I’ll transform after I lose weight.'

Seeing Wu Heng remain silent, Su Dayi sniffed and suddenly darted under the consultation table. Seeing a gray and a white dog bed, she immediately lay down in the white one, which looked a bit larger. She struggled to squeeze in, adjusting her position for a long time but only managed to fit half of her body, leaving her round butt sticking out. She kept reassuring herself, 'Hahaha, it’s a perfect fit! Just right for someone as slim as me!'

Wu Heng: "..."

You Jin felt sorry for the little white and gray snakes always being confined in their snake box, so he took it upon himself to buy two dog beds of different sizes and placed them under the consultation table. Recently, the two snakes had been mostly nesting in the dog beds, but as soon as they left, the beds were taken over.

Wu Heng said, "These past few days, there’s still the lingering warmth of the exorcism from the village ritual. The spirits and ghosts won’t recover so quickly from their ailments. Wait a couple of days, and I’ll prescribe you a weight-loss formula. Don’t go running around."

Given the current situation in the eighteen villages, all the fierce ghosts and spirits within a hundred miles radius had to behave and not cause trouble. Su Dayi, instead of staying at Zhang Dayong's house as the fox spirit, insisted on coming here to suffer at this time.

Su Dayi shook the small backpack on her body and deliberately said in a soft voice, "Alright, the money in my backpack will be used to pay for the clinic’s expenses. It’s a few hundred yuan."

Instantly, everyone around felt a slight tremor in their hearts. It was a soft, delicate, and enchanting voice, incredibly captivating, enough to make one’s bones melt.

You Jin murmured in shock, "The Samoyed is talking!"

Su Dayi glanced smugly at the group of men around her, knowing full well her boundless charm, especially the Daoist Physician who had been tainted by the patient's stench, who was now staring straight at her.

The Fox Deity's charm is downright irresistible!

Chen Zhao stared at the fluffy white fox fur and muttered, "This magical fox fur must be worth a fortune, huh? I remember foxes shed fur too..."

At this moment, Chen Zhao was particularly tempted to dig into his own pocket to buy a dog comb for Su Dayi. If he could gather the shed fur and sell it, he'd strike it rich!

Su Dayi: "?"

What’s this stinky guy going on about?!

Wu Heng’s lip twitched. If this keeps up, this place’ll turn into a pet shop.

Wu Heng figured he’d grab some old rags to whip up a makeshift nest for Su Dayi, leaving the two nests empty for the gray and white snakes.

Su Dayi nodded along, but her real thoughts stayed under wraps.

"Chen Zhao can’t crash on the second floor tonight—it reeks. Maybe I should head home first," Zhou Yi pinched his nose and complained.

Wu Heng knew Chen Zhao wouldn’t stay in his guest room. He’d rather sleep outside the clinic than spend money on a homestay, even though he had nearly 800,000 yuan in savings. He just couldn’t break his penny-pinching ways.

Wu Heng pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, go to the well in the east of the village where the little white snake is and fetch two buckets of water. Bring one back for a bath, and take the other to Uncle Er’s homestay to sell to the patient."

Chen Zhao was thrilled. He’d never work for free, but selling something for money was always a yes! A bucket of cold well water could go for 500 yuan, but if he heated it up and delivered it, he could sell it for 1,000 yuan. With that thought, Chen Zhao immediately dashed out.

You Jin grabbed some deodorizer and spritzed it around the clinic, improving the atmosphere significantly.

After freshening up and making sure Shi Xuan’s vaccine side effects were gone, Wu Heng returned to his bedroom to lie down and casually browsed through Weibo.

Sure enough, Weibo users were buzzing about how he’d ‘brought back’ a villager who was practically dead.

"I’m sold, totally sold. I’ll never doubt whether the world is superstitious again. It’s real!"

"How many ghosts and demons have popped up in Wu Heng’s streams without him getting banned? I think this is the higher-ups’ plan, gradually introducing the general public to the supernatural. Anyway, everyone should be mentally prepared. I’ll definitely buy dozens of Dr. Wu’s handmade cloth masks to stock up."

[I’m still on the fence about these ‘gifted folks.’ I heard that Jia Ming High School has started administering some kind of vaccine that boosts yang energy in a mystical way. Some students who got it started acting weird. Xie Zhi, as everyone knows, is a student at Jia Ming High School and also took the vaccine.]

"Vaccinations have already started? Xie Zhi... I wouldn’t say she’s acting strange, just too normal. It’s wild to see this crazy girl suddenly so chill."

"I heard the vaccine is being rolled out gradually, starting with students. I hope I’m up soon—I’m scared of kicking the bucket."

Wu Heng took a breather and scrolled through some short clips, stumbling upon one filmed by a passerby in a mall. A stylish, androgynous girl looked torn and conflicted, repeatedly thanking her mother as she accepted a gift.

Wu Heng skimmed the comments, hit like, and then kicked back.

-

Wu Heng didn’t plan to attend Jia Ming High School today. After Shi Xuan and Zhou Yi left for school, he took his time finishing breakfast, built a fragrant mountain for Su Dayi, who had paid the meal fee, and then started his live stream.

The moment Wu Heng went live, tens of thousands of viewers poured in, and within moments, there were 999+ people requesting to connect via microphone.

Wu Heng clicked to accept the connection while reassuring, "If you haven’t connected yet, don’t sweat it. It might just be a common illness that can be treated at a hospital, or perhaps the situation isn’t urgent yet."

Shark Short Video officials have repeatedly stated that there is no behind-the-scenes manipulation in the microphone connections, but they still couldn’t figure out why Wu Heng always managed to connect with patients suffering from strange illnesses.

As soon as Wu Heng finished speaking, a figure appeared on the other side—a girl wearing a mask and hat, only her eyes visible.

Without Wu Heng needing to say anything, a barrage of comments from netizens scolded the patient for not understanding the rules. Didn’t she know that traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking? Even if the practitioner is a shaman, shouldn’t they at least look at the patient’s face?

"Do I look sick?" The girl didn’t speak directly but used text-to-speech on her phone to communicate.

"What’s up with this female patient? All covered up and doesn’t even dare to speak? Mute? Or is there something she can’t say?"

"Wouldn’t it be easier to see Dr. Wu in person in this situation? Or is she too busy to go?"

"I think… those eyes look just like Xie Zhi’s! Her eyes are really distinctive!"

[It really seems like Xie Zhi, how annoying. Can’t the celebrity stop mooching off our small-time 'influencer' Wu Heng’s clout? I really dislike her.]

"+1, she’s such a pretty girl. I’ve seen a candid photo of her before; she was staring at a beautiful female star with such an intense gaze, anyway emmmm please leave Dr. Wu alone, he’s my only online connection, don’t mess with him."

The girl was shocked by the comments. She was all covered up, didn’t even speak, yet she was recognized instantly?

After hesitating, the girl simply took off her hat and mask, revealing a highly recognizable face, "Hello, Dr. Wu."

She wasn’t really keen on connecting with Wu Heng, but she had no other options for such a miraculous matter, so she tried to connect with Wu Heng, and surprisingly, she got through immediately.

"It’s really Xie Zhi, but is she under a spell today? Her eyes look so calm, isn’t she usually super cocky?"

"This is the young lady making her way in the entertainment industry, with the confidence to back it up, can’t really call it arrogance, right?"

"What’s up with Xie Zhi? Could it really be a side effect from the vaccine? She just connected with Wu Heng like that."

Originally, Xie Zhi as a celebrity had her own traffic, but this was the first time someone from the entertainment industry connected with Wu Heng, drawing in countless netizens early in the morning, even some office workers sneaking a peek at the live stream.

Wu Heng looked at Xie Zhi’s face and said, "You’re perfectly healthy, no issues at all, you can go now."

The viewers in the live stream were a bit surprised by this statement; it was the first time Dr. Wu said a connected patient had no issues. Other patients, even if not suffering from spiritual ailments, had some physical issues pointed out by Wu Heng.

Xie Zhi was also anxious, "Dr. Wu, are you sure? Could you check my pulse from a distance? I really… really have some issues."

The issue seemed a bit too private to mention.

Wu Heng smiled, "No need for a distance pulse check, you’re not sick, you’re in perfect health."

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhi couldn’t help but touch the medicinal charm in her pocket, which Wang Dong said was handed over to her by Dr. Wu Heng. She’d been really anxious since arriving in this strange world, but after getting the charm and remembering Wu Heng’s reputation in various villages, she felt like she’d met a kindred spirit, as if she’d found a treasure.

But she held onto the charm, waiting and waiting, nothing happened, even making her more comfortable here.

Now, with Wu Heng’s diagnosis again, Xie Zhi couldn’t help but doubt his medical skills for the first time—is he really that good?

Just as the live stream was in a bit of a stalemate and awkwardness, two concerned voices came from the other side.

"Zhi Zhi, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Why not talk to mom and dad?"

Mr. Xie was about to head to work when the housekeeper mentioned the young lady was connecting with an online shaman. They immediately remembered their daughter had been acting strange since getting the vaccine, although this strangeness made them happy, they couldn’t help but worry and came over to check.

The couple had never seen such a conflicted, unspoken expression on their daughter’s face before, and were quite taken aback.

The next second, Xie Zhi’s legs gave out, and she knelt directly on the ground, kowtowing to the couple, crying out, "I’m sorry uncle and aunt, I’m not your daughter, I… I… I’m just a country kid."

The couple was thunderstruck by her words, "What?!"

"Holy crap… Xie Zhi isn’t the Xie family’s young lady? Not Mr. Xie’s daughter? How did she know?"

"What a big scoop early in the morning, could it be that Xie Zhi accidentally did a DNA test and found out she’s not biologically related to the Xie family?"

"A country kid… hmm, could it be a case of switched at birth? I’ve read so many novels about switched identities on Green River, could it be a dramatic mix-up?"

"No wonder Xie Zhi has been acting weird lately, not as high and mighty as usual. Did she find out her true identity—that she’s not the real heiress—and that’s why she’s not acting so full of herself? Should she step aside for the real heiress?"

"No wonder Dr. Wu said Xie Zhi is fine—it’s just an ethical issue. Xie Zhi should be physically healthy."

The Xie couple felt like the sky had caved in, stumbling back in shock.

Mrs. Xie’s smile was strained as she tried to help Xie Zhi up, saying, "Zhi Zhi, what kind of joke are you pulling on Mom and Dad? You’re scaring us."

Mr. Xie’s heart was racing, but he stared at Xie Zhi’s face and said, "Look in the mirror—you’ve got six or seven parts of my looks! Who wouldn’t see we’re father and daughter when we’re out together? Zhi Zhi, are you short on cash? Or not getting good gigs? Dad can hook you up. Stop with these scary jokes."

As he spoke, Mr. Xie was about to transfer some money to Xie Zhi.

This girl’s always stirring up trouble and pulling outrageous stunts, but she's their only precious daughter. Everyone else might let it slide, but now she's making up such stories, which really upset the couple.

"She really looks like them—her features and contours are a perfect match. They're definitely her parents."

"I’m at a loss for words, seriously. Xie Zhi is making such a joke just to attract attention and gain traffic. If it were my parents, they would have already scolded me."

"Who said Xie Zhi can’t act? Look at her face—I’m almost buying it!"

"Can you keep Dr. Wu out of your family drama? It's such a good opportunity for a consultation, and it's wasted on Xie Zhi. Dr. Wu, kick her off quickly."

Dr. Wu propped his chin on his hand, silently watching the camera.

Suddenly, netizens remembered the rumor that Dr. Wu likes to watch beautiful women; he had previously watched many videos of Tu Tu.

Su Dayi, curled up in a white dog bed, was curious too. How pretty is that girl?

Curious, Su Dayi pawed at Dr. Wu’s pant leg. Unable to resist, Dr. Wu had to take the phone from his hand and show it to her.

Su Dayi glanced at the girl sobbing on camera and snorted, 'I’m still prettier—once I slim down, I’ll be a hundred times hotter than her!'

Saying that, she contentedly curled back into the dog bed to continue sleeping.

Dr. Wu stared at the fox, round as a barrel, who couldn’t stop eating, never exercised, and just slept all day. How could she not be fat? Dr. Wu gently kicked her, telling her to go lie in that pile of rags, but Su Dayi pretended not to understand.

"Wait, isn’t that the fox spirit from Zhang Dayong’s place? What’s it doing with Dr. Wu?"

"I thought Su Dayi was gonna be Uncle Zhang’s house guardian. Turns out she's here with Dr. Wu. It's good she's here, I was afraid Uncle Zhang couldn't protect Su Dayi."

"Zhang Dayong’s house has Black Coal, that's enough! The canister’s gorgeous, but the bed Dr. Wu got is kinda small."

At this moment, the little white snake holding the tablet watching the live stream: "?"

The little white snake let out a heart-wrenching hiss: "Xi Xi, hurry! Pack up and let’s go—the fox spirit stole our bed!"

That's its bed, damn fox spirit.

They've been robbed!

Xi Xi, on high alert, said, "Okay, let’s head back, but watch out—the fox spirit might gobble us up."

Hearing the last part, the little white snake suddenly shrank its neck and changed its tone, "Xi Xi, how about we wait a couple more days? The exorcism aura from the Nan Nuo village hasn't completely dissipated yet..."

Xi Xi shifted into human form, stumbling toward her room, and came up with a concerned suggestion, "Xi Xi will go back first, Big Brother Bai, wait for Xi Xi to come pick you up."

The little white snake, receiving the gaze from Mr. He and Mrs. He not far away, bravely said, "...Alright, I'll go, we'll go together."

In this fancy mansion, Uncle He’s tough to handle, and Xi Xi’s grandparents are even scarier.

*

On the live stream, Xie Zhi saw the concerned and loving expressions of the couple and remembered the row of branded clothes and bags her mother bought for her yesterday, her guilt deepening.

Xie Zhi sobbed and choked, "Auntie, Uncle, what I said is true. I’m really not your daughter. I’m not joking."

Upon hearing Xie Zhi’s emphasis, Mr. Xie’s expression changed slightly, and his heart sank.

Is it possible? The daughter they’ve loved for 18 years isn’t their biological child? Is the true and false heiress drama that his wife loves watching really playing out in their family? But back then, his wife gave birth at a high-end private hospital with stringent protocols. How could anyone have mixed up the babies? And it’s a child from the countryside. Given the social classes of both sides, they shouldn’t have had any contact in the first place.

"Then… should we go for a DNA paternity test now? I won’t believe it without seeing the test results," Mrs. Xie said, immediately frightened to tears, covering her mouth repeatedly.

The Xie Family’s world has come crashing down! Just recently, they were lamenting how He Yunxiao of the He Family had conceived a snake fetus, and now their own daughter isn’t their biological child.

Xie Zhi kept shaking her head, rambling, "Auntie, Uncle, a DNA paternity test won’t help. The report will show that I’m your biological daughter, but my soul truly isn’t! To be precise, I might have experienced a soul transmigration! My soul has traveled through time!"

The Xie couple: "?"

The couple was completely baffled by Xie Zhi’s words. Soul transmigration?

They were partly getting it but not fully.

Mr. Xie asked cautiously, "Is… your next drama about this theme? Soul transmigration? This is just a joke, right?"

After saying this, he looked at Wu Heng.

Wu Heng, who had remained silent, spoke succinctly, "It’s real."