Chapter 91

Chapter 91

The hall instantly filled with gasps of astonishment. The Zhou family members, led by Zhou Yi, their eyes widened like saucers, their gazes filled with fervent envy.

That was the honor of the first incense offering!

In the family hierarchy, after the ancestors who died in the War of Resistance, the annual sacrifices would now begin with her. She would receive the first incense offering, even ahead of Zhou Fenghua's grandfather, Zhou Dagui, who would have to wait his turn after her in future sacrifices!

This was akin to 'eternal glory' within the family, representing the entire family's pride in her and their recognition of her actions.

In these times, with demons and evil spirits everywhere, whoever enjoys the most incense offerings gains the upper hand in the world.

Zhou Yi thought that even if he got into Tsinghua or Peking University, he wouldn't receive such treatment.

Yet, none of the younger Zhou family members or the villagers objected. After all, she had the Nuo gods' blessing!

Wu Heng smiled. This was the advantage of being on the 'righteous path.'

Masters use paper effigies to let ghosts and demons live among the living. But ordinary people, brimming with yang energy, would still fear them because paper effigies are, after all, items from the underworld. But being on the righteous path is different. With the heavens' righteous energy, even if ordinary people know Zhou Fenghua is different from them, what remains is only reverence.

"Folks from the south with strong ancestral traditions will get how big a deal this is! In my family, getting into Tsinghua ten times wouldn’t get you the first incense."

"My great-grandfather took out over a dozen Japanese soldiers back in the day. In my family, he always gets the first incense and the first stack of paper money during annual sacrifices."

"So, doing good and excelling in your field, even if you’re not rich, will still be recognized by the heavens and counted as merit. That's quite fair."

Zhou Fenghua was stunned by the Zhou family elders' decision. She... what had she done to deserve this? But who could resist the temptation of the first incense offering?

In today’s world, getting incense offerings right after the War of Resistance ancestors is the ultimate honor!

Zhou Fenghua bowed repeatedly to the elders, thanking them, her gaze growing more determined. Even with just six months left, she’d make every moment count, ensuring the heavens wouldn't regret their decision.

Zhou Yi and the others cringed, sensing Teacher Zhou was about to hand out homework. Just as they were thinking of retreating, the principal stepped forward first and said, "Teacher Zhou, since that's the case, you'll still teach two classes of English. But skip the homework for today. Arrange for the students to return to school immediately to get vaccinated."

Zhou Fenghua also tensed up and immediately agreed, then called the town's funeral home: "Funeral home? I’ve been swamped these past couple of days. I'll come to pick up my urn within three days."

Funeral home staff: "...Alright."

Everyone slowly filed out of the Nuo God Hall, and the students, worried they might have unhatched eggs inside them, hurried back to school to get vaccinated.

"Dr. Wu." Wu Heng heard a familiar voice and looked over to see Wang Jun and several officers standing not far away, looking exhausted.

"Dr. Wu, last night we interrogated the ghost of Tang Liang and got the address of the internet addiction school. The masters caught a few instructor ghosts, but based on our experience, they're probably just small fry."

Even though they caught ghosts, ghosts used to be people. Who doesn't know what that's about?

They caught the small fry but missed the big fish. It's all just scapegoats.

Wu Heng wasn't surprised at all: "For now, just prevent the gu from harming the public and turning them into living corpses. Controlling the situation is enough. To truly resolve it, the world needs to return to its former state."

Wang Jun, after all, was an officer from the Special Affairs Department. These days, the public had reported countless supernatural incidents, and he felt somewhat pessimistic, thinking it would be difficult to return to the peace of the past. Just avoiding being trampled underfoot and striving for coexistence with demons and evil spirits would be a challenge.

Wang Jun didn't let his pessimism affect Wu Heng and instead asked, "Dr. Wu, should we burn and kill those gu?"

They instinctively despised the living corpse gu. Just in the town's middle school alone, these bugs had taken over a dozen lives, not to mention the other middle schools across the provinces. Who knows how many students had been harmed?

But Wu Heng shook his head: "Everything has its pros and cons. As long as we control the mother gu that crawled out of Teacher Zhou's body, we can control all the living corpse gu. If used properly, they might even be useful in the future."

The officers were smart and understood immediately, promising to report it.

Dr. Wu estimated that the gu ladies, led by old lady Lai, might even get government pensions at retirement age.

"Dr. Wu still has a media briefing to attend, so we won’t disturb you any further." Wang Jun and his team were in a hurry to return to the police station and left after a brief conversation.

Dr. Wu headed back to Chengde Medical Hall, noticing on his way that there were even more tourists in the village. Some came specifically for Dr. Wu, thinking they’d be safer near him, while others simply came to wish him a happy birthday.

Outside Chengde Medical Hall, the large courtyard was already getting set up with folding tables for the banquet. The village’s catering team had arrived and was busy preparing dishes, creating a lively atmosphere.

The reason the birthday was so well-known was that when old lady Lai handed Dr. Wu over to the Wu family, she clearly informed them of his birth date and time.

As Dr. Wu stepped through the main entrance, he saw Shi Xuan coming in from the small path behind the courtyard, carrying a backpack, and they bumped into each other.

"I’m going to change out of my school uniform. Can you hold the stuff in my backpack for me?"

Dr. Wu took the extremely light backpack: "..."

Li Hao was sprawled on the sofa, shouting, "Dr. Wu, Young Master Shi can’t tell who’s in charge here, making you carry his bag. This is lackey treatment!"

You Jin, who had been checking out his new clothes in the mirror, rushed over in distress upon hearing this: "Xiao Heng, let me carry the backpack for you. You’re about to be the birthday boy—why are you still doing chores?"

Dr. Wu opened the backpack to find it empty except for a small, jet-black stone seal. Upon closer inspection, he could see intricate carvings on it, radiating a strong yin energy.

"This…"

"Wu Heng, happy birthday," Shi Xuan said softly as he changed into casual clothes and came to Dr. Wu’s side. "This is something I was born with."

Now, Dr. Wu had both fame and wealth.

Shi Xuan had heard that when he was born, he was clutching tightly to this small stone seal. His father had kept it in a safe, but it mysteriously disappeared. It was his mother, who died during childbirth, who appeared in a dream to tell him that she had hidden it in the wall of a well—an object that could save lives.

"Did you go back to the Shi family?" Dr. Wu asked, surprised.

"I went back, but I didn’t climb out of the well," Shi Xuan replied, pressing his cold fingertips gently to Dr. Wu’s furrowed brow. "My father is a shrewd man. He probably knows I’m not dead, so there’s no need to worry about leaking information by going back."

Shi Zongguang had always known that he was hard to kill. Even as a small child, he was hard to kill.

As Dr. Wu’s brow touched Shi Xuan’s cold fingertips, he followed the line of Shi Xuan’s slender arm and saw… Li Hao and the others suddenly crowding around, throwing their arms over each other’s shoulders.

"Is this the birthday gift you’re giving to Wu Heng? Did you buy it at Panjiayuan?" Li Hao and the others crowded around to check it out.

Dr. Wu: "..."

Shi Xuan gave them a blank look.

You Jin quickly jumped in, "This is a treasure Shi Xuan was born with. You’re really good to our little Heng. What kind of seal is this?"

Shi Xuan didn’t know, but when Dr. Wu flipped the seal over, he found that the bottom was smooth and blank, with no inscriptions.

Dr. Wu held the small stone seal, turning to give a thoughtful look at Shi Xuan.

He Yunxiao and Chen Zhao also crowded around, excitedly chiming in: "Born with it? Shi Xuan, are you the reincarnation of Jia Baoyu? Are you going to find a girl like Daiyu in the future?"

Knowing it was a gift for Dr. Wu, they didn’t touch it but just stood by watching.

Shi Xuan said calmly, "No."

Li Hao and the others were stunned for a moment, then started laughing: "Got it, got it. You’re on Team Baochai."

Shi Xuan took his empty backpack back from Dr. Wu, zipping it up casually as he added, "Because I don’t like girls."

The medical hall went dead silent, with pairs of eyes fixed on Shi Xuan. Even the two snakes at their feet perked up, staring at Shi Xuan in bewilderment.

Meanwhile, at the consultation desk, Su Dayi had somehow hopped onto Wu Heng's stool. She used her foot to peek inside the cabinet, only to find it empty. She rummaged through all the cabinets, but the snacks were gone, so she just lay there whimpering.

"Hey, what are you guys just standing around in the middle of the hall for? Get moving!" Zhou Dagui walked in from outside, looking at Wu Heng and his group in surprise.

Li Hao snapped back to reality and asked Wang Dong and San Hei Mao, "Did Shi Xuan just say what I think he said?"

"He’s not straight? Both he and Dr. Wu seem pretty straight. Can you even be negative straight?"

Wang Dong shrugged, "Maybe he’s joking?"

Hei Mao No. 3 shot back, "When has Shi Xuan ever joked? Does he even have a sense of humor?"

Wang Dong countered, "Isn’t a cold joke still a joke?"

Wu Heng’s mind was racing, wondering why Shi Xuan had dropped that bombshell. Was it because it was his birthday, like his dad would ramble when he was drunk?

You Jin didn’t dwell on Shi Xuan’s words and immediately fetched a stool for Zhou Dagui, nervously rubbing his hands, "Village Chief, does my new haircut look ridiculous? By the way, Uncle Wu Su went with Uncle Luo to find a knife."

After leaving the Nuo Temple, Zhou Dagui rushed home, cleaned up, changed, and hurried over, sitting with Wu Heng on the sofa in the medical hall's lobby.

The Village Chief was so nervous he kept wiping his sweaty palms on his pants, then took out a pre-written note from his pocket to rehearse his speech.

"Grandpa Village Chief, why are you so worked up?" Wu Heng said as he turned on the TV.

"I’m used to your live streams, but this is a national press conference! I can’t mess this up!" Zhou Dagui said, his legs trembling.

As a small-town village chief, he never imagined he’d be part of a national press conference.

"Where are the reporters? Are they running late?"

As soon as Zhou Dagui finished speaking, the TV screen switched to a formal backdrop with the title "Press Conference on the Recent Epidemic of Evil Diseases."

Zhou Dagui stared at it, thinking... this isn’t Chengde Medical Hall.

Besides the TV, the live stream was also available online, with comments flying by. Some bosses even told their employees to drop everything and watch.

"This isn't Chengde Medical Hall, is it? Wu Heng is quite busy. He was at the Nuo Temple this morning, and now he’s hosting a press conference. He's really on the go."

"Finally, they’re holding a proper press conference. I've been waiting for days, just wanting a proper explanation. There are too many rumors online, it's hard to tell what's true."

"+1, the temple near my house is almost worn out. I don't even know if the 20-yuan talisman I bought is useful."

As the netizens were discussing, the press conference officially began. Several elderly men with an air of immortality and doctors in white coats entered from the back.

A dignified, white-haired old man took the main seat, smiled at the camera, and said, "Hello everyone, I am Wu Tai, the director of Chengde Medical Hall. My team will report to the public on the recent epidemic of evil diseases."

"Huh? Old Wu?!" Zhou Dagui was the first to stand up from the sofa, looking at the TV in shock.

"Old Wu is on TV? Didn't he go up the mountain to collect herbs?"

Zhou Dagui was very worried, fearing that Old Wu might have accidentally dug up a national first-class protected plant and been arrested. But now he's on TV?

You Jin excitedly shouted, "That's my master, Wu Tai is my master! Oh my, my master is on a national press conference."

Chen Zhao remained silent; his master couldn't be expected to achieve greatness.

Soon, the television broadcast Dr. Wu’s background, letting the public learn about him.

"So, according to the introduction, this is the grandfather of Dr. Wu Heng? My goodness, what a family legacy! A true medical heritage."

"Hmm, this elderly Dr. Wu is also one of the Daoist Physicians who developed the Yang-enhancing vaccine. Now, this vaccine is in such high demand that doses are scarce, but it’s truly effective."

"I finally understand why Wu Heng is so skilled. I heard that Wu Heng was a left-behind child; his father went out to work, and he was raised by his grandfather. He must have absorbed it through exposure."

Old Wu elaborated on the recent evil diseases, and countless netizens picked up on the implications.

This press conference all but confirmed the invasion of evil spirits, and now most of the strange diseases are related to these supernatural phenomena. However, everyone is urged to stay calm and avoid panic, because panic weakens your Yang energy.

At present, boosting Yang energy, staying mentally and physically healthy, and getting quality sleep are crucial. It is sincerely recommended not to stay up late, as staying up late increases the risk of encountering evil.

Countless netizens who had been maintaining a skeptical attitude felt their world come crashing down after watching this hour-long press conference.

There really are ghosts!

As soon as the press conference ended, numerous reporters continued to hound the team, chasing after them with microphones.

Seeing the female reporter struggling in her high heels, Wu Tai took the microphone and added, "I personally do not recommend that ordinary people who are not knowledgeable spend a lot of money on Master Liu’s talismans. I suggest relying on herbal remedies to combat evil."

Li Hao asked, "Grandpa Wu, are you saying that Master Liu’s talismans are fake?"

Wu Heng shook his head and said, "Nowadays, there are many capable Master Lius, and their talismans have great efficacy in warding off evil. But first, the producers of such talismans are Master Lius themselves. Even if they work tirelessly, they couldn’t produce enough talismans to supply everyone."

Drawing talismans consumes the Master Liu’s own energy; some can only draw three exorcism talismans a day, each commanding a hefty price. Before the invasion of evil spirits, He Yunxiao’s parents bought him a talisman for 180,000 yuan, but it turned out to be a fake.

These talismans are only affordable for the wealthy, and the production is too low.

"But herbal medicine is different; the cost of counterfeiting is significantly higher, and medicinal herbs are more widely cultivated. Even if the price of medicine rises, it won’t skyrocket to unaffordable levels."

As for the rise in medicine prices, that’s up to official regulation. Moreover, there are eight hundred types of medicinal herbs, and the prescriptions for various exorcism medicines are different, all of which are effective.

Although taking medicine is bitter, at least it gives ordinary people hope. When formulated into pills, they’ll be even more widely accepted.

He Yunxiao and Li Hao can afford expensive talismans, but now they only trust Wu Heng.

Old Wu answered some more questions from the reporters, then suddenly smiled at the camera and said, "Xiao Heng, Grandpa wishes you a happy 18th birthday tomorrow."

Despite his busy schedule, Old Wu remembered Wu Heng’s coming of age.

Wu Heng smiled. In ancient times, he had always been a lone figure, feared by others, but now he finally had the family and friends he wanted.

Wu Heng clenched the black stone seal in his hand and murmured, "We need to end this situation soon so that the family can be together again."

Wu Heng went to the consultation desk, shooed Su Dayi aside, and took out several prescriptions he had written earlier. He photographed them and uploaded them to his Chengde Medical Hall account.

Each prescription was labeled with the main symptoms, applicable groups, and scope. The medicinal herbs used were mild and widely applicable.

There were prescriptions for both men and women to increase Yang energy, exorcism prescriptions for those already infected with evil diseases, prescriptions for women encountering Yin during menstruation... and finally, a deworming soup prescription.

Those who cannot get vaccinated yet but might be infected with the living corpse gu can try it.

"Ten prescriptions!! In other medical halls, these would be secret recipes, right? And he just published them? Saved and forwarded!"

"After looking, none of them are expensive medicines, but I wonder if the prices will rise later. I hope they can control those drug dealers."

"I’ll brew some deworming medicine first. I’ve been so scared by the living corpse incident that I haven’t slept well for two or three nights."

"Who still remembers that tomorrow is Wu Heng's coming-of-age ceremony, yet he's the one giving us gifts?"

"I know that celebrities like Tu Tu and Xie Zhi have already headed to Nan Nuo Village."

University students have an earlier holiday, and students like Su Chenyu, Han Ye, and Fan Xuan have already formed a group to come. Even those patients who couldn't make it in person sent gifts as soon as they could.

Some free clinic patients, lacking the financial means, sent Wu Heng over a dozen virtual gifts.

When Wu Su returned from outside, he was shocked to see the clinic filled with gifts and heard that even more were on the way, expected to arrive in greater numbers on the day of the coming-of-age ceremony.

"Wah, I'm such a useless father!"

His father made national news today, and his son's coming-of-age ceremony is remembered by the entire country. He was indeed right about old Wu, only able to rely on the old and the young.

He couldn't compete with the old nor the young, and even failed to help old Luo find a knife, returning in disgrace.

Wu Su was very depressed. He checked the time and said, "Lai Wazi said Xiao Heng was born at midnight. I'll stay up late tonight to make him some tangyuan."

In the past, Wu Heng's birthdays often saw Wu Su away from home, and old Wu took care of it. This year, it's the turn of his old father.

Everyone sat in the clinic, with patients occasionally coming in for exorcism medicine from Wu Heng's prescriptions, when a cold wind blew in.

Lai Yin Chai sneaked in with a white box, his ghostly face full of excitement: 'Wu Heng, my grandmother and I are both on the state payroll now! This is for you.'

Wu Heng opened the lid to find four paper-folded cannons inside, feeling somewhat speechless.

You Jin suggested, "Lai Wazi, on such a festive day, you shouldn't be giving paper offerings from the underworld, right?"

Lai Yin Chai almost roared; as a ghost, he could only offer these paper crafts, and Wu Heng wouldn't take hell money.

'Don't look down on it, this is Yang Xing's invention!' Lai Yin Chai introduced, seeing them all watching the fun but not praising his gift, 'That top student, you know?'

A top student remains a top student even in the underworld, because he couldn't stay idle and asked his juniors and professors from Beijing University of Science and Technology to burn textbooks for him, even Professor Zhao Qingyun was asked several times.

Professor Zhao was not stingy either, signing and burning highly confidential materials to Yang Xing for self-study.

The underworld doesn't care or control this, letting it develop freely, and then... it got out of hand.

Thus, Yang Xing created cannons, but ghosts and demons disdain high tech, preferring pure ghost power, so his inventions are unsold in the underworld, hence...

Chen Zhao urgently shouted, "So you bought discounted goods, probably buy one get one free, buy two get two free, right?"

Lai Yin Chai chuckled ghostly a few times, isn't giving gifts also taking care of familiar ghost business?

Wu Heng thought the items were decent, and couldn't expect a yin emissary to give anything else, so he handed them to the little white snake to take to the top-floor warehouse. Who knows, they might be useful in the future?

"Here it is!" Wu Su brought over a bowl of freshly cooked tangyuan with a poached egg inside. He watched the clinic clock strike midnight before placing the bowl in Wu Heng's hands.

"It's midnight, happy birthday, Xiao Heng."

A group of friends gathered around, wishing him a happy birthday together.

Wu Heng couldn't hide his smile. He held the bowl and turned to Shi Xuan, who softly said, "Welcome to adulthood, happy 18th birthday."

He hated turning eighteen, for on that day his father slapped him.

Because after that day, even a collar couldn't suppress his overflowing yin energy, causing He Yunxiao to conceive a snake fetus, the family chef went hunting wild animals, and even the creatures in their estate began to mutate.

Yet, he was thrilled for Wu Heng entering adulthood, where one can make their own decisions.

"Thank you all," Wu Heng said with satisfaction, lowering his head to eat the only bowl of tangyuan. The glutinous rice balls, coated in sweet soup, were chewed and swallowed.

"Alright, I'll wash the dishes after you finish," You Jin said, seeing Wu Heng finish eating. He reached out to take the bowl and chopsticks to the kitchen, then urged everyone to rest, as there would be much to do for the day ahead.

Wu Heng and the others climbed the stairs. Shi Xuan stood by the corridor window, watching Wu Heng's back as he was about to enter his room, and suddenly said, "Wu Heng, remove the collar now."

He had said before that on his eighteenth birthday, he would return the collar to its original owner.

Wu Heng knew that his father had always felt guilty about losing his sanity without the collar, a burden on his heart that Wu Su had never mentioned. After some thought, he walked towards Shi Xuan.

Wu Heng gently raised his hand to touch Shi Xuan's neck, feeling a chill beneath his fingertips. The invisible collar, upon contact with Wu Heng's body temperature, suddenly glowed and revealed its true form.

It was a collar made of jade-like white stone, with intricate carvings of various herbs faintly visible under the moonlight. The white jade circle was also wrapped with some gold threads, radiating elegance.

However, the collar began to release a faint yin energy around it.

This collar, Shi Xuan himself could not remove, and even after attempting rituals, it would constrict, making him feel suffocated.

Wu Heng gently grasped the edge of the collar, intending to lift it off, but Shi Xuan was taller than him. Just as he was about to use a bit more force, Shi Xuan's chilling presence suddenly closed in, and Wu Heng was gently lifted up and placed on the windowsill.

Wu Heng perched, able to look down at Shi Xuan.

"Don't worry about falling, I'll hold you," Shi Xuan said softly, guiding him gently.

Wu Heng hooked his fingers around the white jade collar on Shi Xuan's neck, his face mostly red, and couldn't help but lightly press his soft slipper against Shi Xuan's waist.

Wu Heng gripped the collar and pulled it upwards. There was no resistance as he had imagined; in his hands, it came off Shi Xuan's head effortlessly.

Shi Xuan's indifferent expression showed a mix of emotions as he said, "The collar that bound me for the first eighteen years of my life is finally off."

Wu Heng held the white jade collar, which still carried Shi Xuan's warmth, a warmth that Wu Heng found almost too warm. "Do you miss it? Should I put it back on for you?"

"But tonight, I wear a new collar," Shi Xuan said, his hand that was supporting Wu Heng's arm suddenly moved down to hold his waist, feeling a slight tremble. "This time, I do so willingly."

Wu Heng's face turned crimson, as if fire had spread across all the exposed fair skin. He wanted to say something.

"Wait—"

Wu Heng sat on the windowsill, one hand tightly gripping the collar, the other holding Shi Xuan's arm to steady himself. He suddenly looked out the window.

Thick yin energy surged in from all directions, as if all the yin energy of Nan Nuo Village was unconsciously being drawn in. In an instant, the second floor of Chengde Medical Hall was so thick with yin energy that even an ordinary person could see it.

It avoided Wu Heng but violently surged towards Shi Xuan.

When it landed on him, it did not harm Shi Xuan but instead seemed to nourish him.

Shi Xuan's breathing became rapid, like someone who had been choked for eighteen years suddenly able to breathe deeply.

"Shi Xuan?" Wu Heng softly tapped Shi Xuan's back.

Shi Xuan, with one hand still steadying Wu Heng's waist, took deep breaths. The extreme discomfort brought by the swirling yin energy made him lean forward slightly, his head resting lightly on Wu Heng's shoulder.

Shi Xuan felt that he was truly a creature that was neither human nor ghost.

But Wu Heng was unfazed.

Lai Yin Chai quickly floated up, shouting, "What's happening? Are ghosts and demons gathering to offer heads?"

Wu Su followed behind, shocked to see the yin energy swirling in and enveloping Shi Xuan, still being absorbed. It felt like watching his own child gorging on junk food right in front of him.

Finally, Wu Su managed to say, "Shi Xuan, are you some kind of sword-wielding demon?"