Wu Biyou had originally intended to head to Yeshui Zhuhua to manage the business, but there was no way he was missing the spectacle of Chai Shuxin performing surgery. He immediately volunteered to hail a car, and the group set off for the hospital in a grand procession.
The address on the invitation belonged to a private hospital, one quite famous in the city. "As expected of the wealthy and powerful," Mu Gesheng remarked. "The time listed is three in the afternoon. Let’s head over and scout the situation first."
As soon as they got into the car, Chai Shuxin closed his eyes to rest. It was unclear if he was actually asleep, but Wu Biyou didn't dare act up. Fearing he might start cursing if he opened a mobile game, he was left to stare awkwardly at Zhu Yinxiao.
After a while, he couldn't take the silence anymore and began making small talk. "A bunch of delivery guys showed up at Yeshui Zhuhua this morning. I don't know which moron placed the order—probably put in the wrong address. The kitchen happened to be short on ingredients after the New Year, so we got a huge bargain for free."
Zhu Yinxiao arched an eyebrow. "A windfall from the heavens? Careful it doesn't bring a curse."
Wu Biyou scoffed. "I’m an Impermanence myself. What do I care about curses? Think I’m afraid?"
Chai Shuxin, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke: "I placed the order."
Wu Biyou: "Huh?"
Mu Gesheng fanned himself with the invitation, looking leisurely. "Sanjiu went to the market yesterday and decided to restock your supplies while he was at it, 'daughter.'"
He added, "He’s the 'moron' you mentioned."
Wu Biyou: "..."
Chai Shuxin: "I’ll send you the bill later."
"If you don't listen to your elders, you'll suffer before your eyes," Zhu Yinxiao said, patting Wu Biyou’s shoulder with mock gravity, nearly suffering internal injuries from suppressed laughter. "Disaster comes from the mouth; spending money wards off calamity. My condolences, man."
Wu Biyou wore an expression that screamed *I’m screwed* and *how the hell did this happen?* He spent the rest of the trip questioning his life choices.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the private hospital, Mu Gesheng had barely stepped out of the car when Chai Puti led a group to greet them. "Tian Suan Zi, we have been expecting you." She introduced the people beside her. "These are the Director and Deputy Director of this hospital."
Mu Gesheng waved a hand dismissively. "No need for such formalities, Miss Chai. We’re just here to watch the show." He pushed Chai Shuxin forward. "You lot take your time chatting."
The Director and Deputy Director looked quite old, yet they greeted Chai Shuxin with the nervous deference of students. Chai Puti smiled slightly and said, "These two are distant branches of the Yao family. By seniority, they would be your grand-nephews, Luo Cha Zi."
"Spare me the empty etiquette. I haven't concerned myself with Yao family matters for a long time." Chai Shuxin kept his hands in his coat pockets, his tone flat. "I need to see the patient."
Chai Puti’s smile stiffened for a moment before she recovered. "Of course."
As Chai Shuxin and the others walked ahead, Mu Gesheng and his group followed at a distance, Mu Gesheng sighing with wonder. "Hospitals have changed so much. The Yao Group really is loaded."
Mu Gesheng was essentially a perennial shut-in. Usually, his life revolved around the line between West City Street and No. 1 High School; otherwise, he stayed holed up in the City God Temple. Given his unique constitution, he never had a reason to visit a hospital. If he were to register for a blood test here, he’d likely be treated as a medical miracle or sent straight to the morgue.
When he first woke from death and faced a world a hundred years later, he had indeed felt the profound disorientation of passing eras. However, he was naturally easygoing—all is void after death, and with his memories in tatters, he was unburdened by the past. He had adapted to the modern world quite quickly.
Now, as his memories gradually returned, the smell of disinfectant in the air reminded him of the old Chai family pharmacy in the city. He remembered the shopkeeper wrapping herbs in oil paper and cotton twine, the green, bulbous porcelain jars on the wooden cabinets, and the bitter, cool scent of gentian root.
Zhu Yinxiao was somewhat surprised. "I thought you’d be familiar with hospitals, Lao Si."
Wu Biyou snorted. "He has Luo Cha Zi by his side. Why would he ever need a hospital?"
Mu Gesheng thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I did come here once." He looked at Wu Biyou. "You probably don't remember, 'daughter,' but when you were little, you had a high fever. You refused to drink the Chinese medicine Sanjiu brewed no matter what, so we had to take you to the hospital for an injection."
He chuckled at the memory. "But you cried even harder during the shot. You could hear it all the way outside the emergency room—sounded like a pig being slaughtered. Back then, you weren't afraid of Sanjiu at all; you even peed all over him."
Wu Biyou’s face turned bright red. "Stop talking nonsense. I don't remember a single bit of that."
"You were only two; it’d be a miracle if you did," Mu Gesheng said casually. "You were such a handful back then. Even Lao San didn't want to deal with you. He figured if you died of fever for a bit, it wouldn't matter—he’d just go to the Hall of Yama, change a few lines in the Book of Life and Death, and drag you back from Fengdu."
Zhu Yinxiao burst into laughter, calling it a brilliant plan.
Chai Shuxin’s group went to see the patient first, then entered a conference room to discuss the surgical details.
Although Mu Gesheng had spent a long time with Chai Shuxin, his understanding of medicine was superficial, and he knew nothing of Western medicine. Unable to follow the barrage of professional jargon, he slipped away halfway through, taking Zhu Yinxiao and Wu Biyou for a stroll around the hospital.
"You really are carefree," Wu Biyou mocked. He had come for the drama, only to end up like an old man taking a walk. "Strolling through a hospital... you certainly have the leisure for it."
"You’ve got it all wrong, 'daughter.' A dead man wandering a hospital—it’s a perfect match. The morgue is full of my fellow countrymen," Mu Gesheng said serenely. "Besides, as the Impermanence, the hospital should be even more lively for you."
Wu Biyou grunted.
He possessed a Half-Nether body and was born with Yin-Yang eyes. Hospitals were thick with Yin energy; the grievances of the dying, the souls of the newly departed, passing Soul Reapers, and all sorts of strange, foul entities. His field of vision held at least twice as much as a normal person's, and it was indeed noisy.
However, no matter how lively the ghosts and demons were, they couldn't compare to the company he kept. One was a descendant of ancient gods and a powerful spirit; another was a dead man who refused to enter reincarnation, whose fate was a complete mess. None of them were easy targets, and the various spirits and ghosts gave them a wide berth.
Some Soul Reapers recognized Wu Biyou. As the Impermanence, he could command ten thousand ghosts, making him their direct superior. They had to nerve themselves to come over and greet him, their voices trembling and stuttering. It was a case of the ghosts being more scared of the person than the person of the ghosts—a truly ridiculous sight.
But the most dramatic area was around the conference room. With Chai Shuxin sitting inside, not a trace of Yin energy remained on the entire floor, aside from the living. Every spirit had fled; the place was cleaner than if it had been swept by a demon-reflecting mirror.
"The two of us are like vacuum cleaners—filth avoids us, and we clear the room wherever we go," Zhu Yinxiao joked with Mu Gesheng. "My brother, on the other hand, is a straight-up bomb. He leaves nothing but scorched earth."
"The Vermilion Bird is a divine beast that wards off evil and brings auspiciousness," Mu Gesheng said, shaking his head. "I’m different from Sanjiu. The reason there’s no filth around him isn't because he wards off evil, but because his own baleful aura is too overwhelming. The area around the conference room looks clean now, but in truth, the baleful aura he carries alone is more than the entire hospital combined."
"Regardless of how good Sanjiu’s medical skills are, this upcoming surgery will be very troublesome. His own baleful aura affects people. It’s fine for a regular consultation or prescribing medicine, but surgery involves cutting open the body and drawing blood. When the King of Hell takes the operating table, even a god would find it hard to come down alive."
"I’m a dead man, so I’m unaffected; that’s why we can live together day and night," Mu Gesheng said helplessly. "But that patient just now is different. I may not understand the risks of brain surgery, but you all saw it—that person clearly doesn't have much time left."
With Chai Shuxin’s skills, saving someone wasn't an issue, even if their lifespan was short. But the key problem was that the Yao Group was clearly forcing his hand.
The principles of medicine—observing, listening, questioning, and feeling the pulse—required a holistic approach; it couldn't be rushed. Even if he were Hua Tuo reborn, it would be difficult to bring someone back from the brink of death in just a few hours.
"Chai Puti has certainly calculated this well," Zhu Yinxiao noted. "It looks like she wins either way."
If the surgery failed, the Yao Group would have leverage to challenge Luo Cha Zi. Even if it succeeded, it would bring prestige to the hospital. And Chai Shuxin couldn't point out the trap; the moment he said the surgery was too difficult or beyond his reach, it would be framed as his own medical inadequacy. As the previous generation's Ling Shu Zi, how could there be anyone he couldn't cure?
Wu Biyou frowned. "Is Luo Cha Zi really going to be okay?"
Mu Gesheng, however, didn't seem worried at all. He strolled along, looking entirely confident. "He’ll be fine. Follow me."
Wu Biyou thought he was heading somewhere important, but when he looked up, two glittering golden characters nearly blinded him:
*Cafeteria.*
***
The news of Chai Shuxin performing surgery spread quickly. An Ping had created a WeChat group consisting of himself, Zhu Yinxiao, Chai Yanyan, and Wu Biyou. Initially, An Ping named it "Springtime for the Remedial Class," but Wu Biyou changed it to "Chicken Essence Farm," then Zhu Yinxiao changed it to "Senior Cadre Chess and Card Room." The name changed almost daily. Finally, Chai Yanyan took charge and changed it to "Empress Chai and Her Pretty Boys."
"Pretty Boy Zhu" had posted the news about the surgery in the group early that morning. An Ping had spent most of the morning locked in a battle of wits with his own mother. He finally managed to see the "Empress Dowager" off, but by the time he saw the message, it was already noon.
The private hospital was far from his house, and his father had insisted he stay for lunch. By the time An Ping finally took a taxi to the hospital, it was nearly evening.
As soon as he got out of the car, he spotted Chai Yanyan. The young miss seemed to have just arrived as well. Seeing An Ping, she turned to give a few instructions to an elderly man who looked like a butler, then walked toward him with poised dignity. However, the moment she opened her mouth, she said: "My sister sent the news to the group this morning. You’re a single dog with no dates, so why are you just getting here?"
People from the City God Temple seemed to have all inherited Mu Gesheng’s sharp tongue; her words stung. It took An Ping a long time to sputter out: "Weren't you just arriving yourself, Miss?"
"Family business. I barely squeezed out some time to come check the situation." Chai Yanyan turned and waved to the butler. "I’m leaving in an hour."
She handed her handbag to An Ping. She was wearing high heels today and sporting sunglasses, carrying some of Zhu Yinxiao’s flamboyant aura. It was an outfit meant for "holding the floor." Clearly, she was here to enter enemy territory, ready to open fire at any moment.
An Ping looked at his own outfit and decided he should just play the role of the bag-carrying lackey today. A live-action version of "Empress Chai and Her Pretty Boys"—or more accurately, "Empress Chai and Eunuch An."
However, before Empress Chai could begin her procession, An Ping saw something that made his face pale instantly. He grabbed her and ran toward the hospital. Chai Yanyan was startled. "What are you doing? Starting a rebellion?"
An Ping didn't look back. "See that black SUV?"
"I see it." Chai Yanyan was bewildered. "What, did you run into it once?"
"That’s my mom’s car!"
Chai Yanyan: "What?"
An Ping wailed inwardly. His mother had mentioned she was having tea with the Yao Group this afternoon. This private hospital was quite famous; it wasn't unusual for her to come here for an inspection. He should have realized this sooner. Now he could only pray his mother would focus on her business and not be so observant of her surroundings.
But clearly, he was overestimating his luck. Just as An Ping and Chai Yanyan ran up to the second floor, his phone rang. It was a video call from his mother.
An Ping didn't dare not answer. He picked up to see his mother sitting in the car, looking at him with a half-smile. "Son, are you sick? Why didn't you tell me?"
An Ping was speechless. Chai Yanyan looked around, then suddenly took off her sunglasses and leaned in close to him, her expression becoming incredibly sweet and obedient. "Hello, Auntie. I’m An Ping’s classmate."
"We had a club gathering today, and I suddenly had a stomach ache. Since the shopping center is close to here..." The young miss’s improvisational skills were superb. She furrowed her brows slightly, looking weak. "I troubled An Ping to come accompany me to see a doctor."
"I see. Little girl, you must take care of your health. An Ping, look after her." It was unclear if An Ping’s mother believed them, but she immediately took charge. "I know the doctors here. Go straight to a specialist. If your stomach is upset, don't walk too much. Once you get your medicine, I’ll have Xiao Liu drive you both back."
Decisive and efficient, she had them sorted out in an instant. Chai Yanyan remained as steady as an old hound, not panicking at all. she politely thanked An Ping’s mother before the call ended.
It wasn't the first time An Ping had witnessed the young miss’s acting skills, but this time she was acting against his own mother. He felt his head throbbing.
Chai Yanyan immediately used his phone to switch to WeChat. In "Empress Chai and Her Pretty Boys," she rapidly explained the situation and made arrangements. Zhu Yinxiao was to scramble to the shopping center to pretend to be their classmate, while Mu Gesheng was to find a white lab coat and pose as a specialist.
The whole situation was absurdly melodramatic. Wu Biyou, doing who-knows-what, sent a voice message. The background was filled with whistling ghostly winds and his hysterical laughter.
"That should do it. I’ve heard my sister talk about your situation, so I have a rough idea of your school and class. I’ll do my best to cooperate later; don't slip up." Chai Yanyan handed the phone back to An Ping and clicked her tongue. "If I’d known your mom was this difficult, I wouldn't have saved you. I’d have let you fend for yourself."
Before An Ping could even say thank you, a WeChat message from his mother popped up on his phone: "Spill it, kid. Did you get that girl pregnant?"
An Ping: "..."
His mother was relentless. "She’s a good girl. You’d better take responsibility for your actions. By the way, what’s your classmate’s name?"
An Ping replied mechanically: "Her surname is Chai."
"Surname Chai?" His mother’s train of thought veered off in an unknown direction. "Is she my daughter-in-law?"
Chai Yanyan’s sharp eyes caught the message. She thought for a moment, then asked, "What is your mother here for today?"
An Ping, feeling like a child caught in a web of intrigue, briefly explained his family’s business.
Chai Yanyan’s eyes darted around. She pulled out her phone and called Mu Gesheng. "Old Ancestor, are you in costume yet? ...No, the situation is special now. I might need to trouble you further."
"Could you please pretend to be an OB-GYN?"
***
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Of Weddings and Wakes | Chapter 49 | The Hospital Ruse | Novela.app | Novela.app
