An Ping was no fool; he immediately guessed what Chai Yanyan was plotting. He snatched the phone away and shouted, "No! Master, this is absolutely out of the question!"
Mu Gesheng was laughing himself hoarse on the other end. "Why? Our Yanyan is a lady of high standing—she’s got the looks, the money, she’s got it all. You mean to say you’re looking down on her, Ampoule?"
Chai Yanyan raised an eyebrow and slid her sunglasses back on.
An Ping felt like he was losing his mind. "This... this isn't a joke!"
The "monsters and demons" of the Seven Houses were far too fond of drama, jumping straight to the R-rated scripts. Poor An Ping, a lifelong bachelor, was so overstimulated he nearly fainted. He waved his hands frantically, his face flushed crimson. "No! Absolutely not!"
Zhu Yinxiao, never one to miss a chance to stir the pot, live-streamed the update to Wu Biyou. Wu Biyou immediately started jeering in the group chat, sending a voice message at the top of his lungs: "Greetings to the Groom, An!"
Despite the chaos, they eventually stuck to Chai Yanyan’s original plan and managed to pull the wool over An Mu’s eyes. Mu Gesheng, looking quite the professional in a white lab coat, gave Chai Yanyan a stern, fatherly lecture: "It’s understandable for young people to go on dates, but a young lady should still dress warmly."
As he spoke, he put on a grand show of writing a prescription, his pen flying across the paper in a scrawl that looked more like ghost-warding talismans than medical notes.
An Mu’s secretary, Xiao Liu, stood nearby, his gaze darting between An Ping and Chai Yanyan with a deeply meaningful expression.
An Ping thought: *Can I just die for a bit and come back later?*
When Xiao Liu went to fetch the medicine, An Ping couldn't help but ask Mu Gesheng, "Master, what did you actually prescribe?"
Mu Gesheng replied, "Tocolytics. To prevent miscarriage."
An Ping bolted for the door to chase down Xiao Liu, but Chai Yanyan caught him. "Ancestor, stop teasing him. This rookie’s skin is too thin." She gave An Ping a playful shove. "The prescription is just Vitamin C and some stomach powder. Look at you, acting like a coward."
An Ping felt like he’d been thoroughly hazed by this group of lunatics. Then his phone buzzed again—another WeChat message from his mother.
"I just had someone look into it. Your little girlfriend’s background is quite interesting. You two have fun at the mall for a while. Once I’m done here, I’ll treat you both to dinner tonight."
An Ping replied: "Mom, what do you mean? My classmate has to go home in an hour."
An Mu: "She’s your girlfriend. Is it really that hard to keep her around?"
An Ping: "Mom—she’s NOT my girlfriend! Making money is more important, just go focus on your business."
An Mu: "I think I need to reconsider my choice of business partner."
An Ping: "??????"
An Mu: "After all, partnering with the Medicine Group only makes money. But this side might earn me a daughter-in-law."
An Ping felt a massive headache coming on; his entire body went numb.
"If I may interject," Mu Gesheng said airily, "Yanyan is the Head of the Chai family. According to the Medicine Family’s traditions, the Head’s husband must marry into the family and take her name."
An Ping: "..."
With the group forced into their roles, Zhu Yinxiao’s temporary identity became Chai Yanyan’s elder brother and classmate. He headed into the mall to buy a suit, preparing to accompany An Mu for dinner.
By the time they left, An Ping looked like a computer that had crashed and was waiting for a reboot.
As the others departed and night fell, the red light outside the operating room remained lit. Mu Gesheng wandered aimlessly through the hospital. He bought a can of hot coffee from a vending machine and studied the floor plan on the wall.
Hospitals usually didn't mark the morgue on their public directories. Its location varied—sometimes in the basement, sometimes in a corner of the first floor, sometimes in a separate building, or even on the roof.
Mu Gesheng recalled the offhand comment Zhu Yinxiao had made that morning: *"I thought you’d be very familiar with hospitals, Fourth."*
The comment had been vague, but following the logic, it wasn't hard to guess the context—his body had likely been kept in a hospital during the years he lay in a death-like slumber.
He didn't need to think twice to know Chai Shuxin was behind it. To this day, Mu Gesheng didn't know how the man had managed to drag him back from beyond the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Every Heavenly Diviner before him had seen their soul dissipate upon death; even if a Divine Healer could mend flesh and bone, they shouldn't have been able to bring him back.
He had asked several times, but the answers were always cryptic. He had slept for over half a century, and Chai Shuxin had lived many years more than him. The young master of the Medicine Family, who used to blush at the slightest tease, had grown into a shrewd "old fox" who wouldn't let a single secret slip, no matter how Mu Gesheng fished for information. After a few attempts, Mu Gesheng found it tedious and stopped asking.
Given Chai Shuxin’s personality, he would share what needed to be shared. Mu Gesheng had received so much kindness from him for nothing; to badger him for every detail would seem ungrateful.
Mu Gesheng scratched his head. He had always known his memory was incomplete, but fortunately, his intellect was still sharp. With the Mountain Ghost Coin in hand, he could usually deduce most things when the time came.
But recently, he had begun to sense that he might have truly forgotten something important.
Something very important.
He had tried to use the Mountain Ghost Coin to divine it, but the answers were always shrouded in mist. Only once did he seem to find a path, but he immediately felt a certain karmic weight descend upon him.
Shortly after that, he met An Ping, followed by the disturbance of the Yin-Yang Ladder, and then the summons for the Seven Houses to gather at Fengdu. Now, the matter of the Divine Healer’s succession was being forced onto the table.
The series of events was like a row of falling dominoes. Because he had touched a certain switch, something invisible was unfolding in the shadows.
What exactly was it?
"Waiting for your wife, young man?" A voice broke Mu Gesheng’s train of thought.
An elderly woman was sitting on a nearby plastic bench, seemingly having observed him for some time.
Mu Gesheng, still lost in thought, blurted out a lie. "You’ve got a sharp eye. I brought her in for a prenatal checkup."
Wu Biyou had just finished the task Mu Gesheng had assigned him and returned to the hospital. After searching everywhere, he finally spotted Mu Gesheng, only to hear him spinning a yarn: "It’s her first checkup. She’s quite nervous."
Wu Biyou: "..." His mind filled with question marks. He wondered what kind of play was being staged now.
However, the chuunibyou teenager’s life mission was to annoy Mu Gesheng. He wasn't about to let this opportunity pass. He walked over and said, "Dad, where’s Mom?"
The old woman blinked at Wu Biyou, then looked at Mu Gesheng. "Your son is already this big?"
The brat was really going all out to embarrass him. Mu Gesheng was actually stunned by that "Dad" for a moment before he managed to say, "...This one was a stray I picked up. The one inside is the second child."
He looked like a young man in his prime; there was no way he could have a son Wu Biyou’s age.
Wu Biyou was stung by the "stray" comment, but before he could start cursing, Mu Gesheng ruffled his hair. "Go, go, your mom’s coming out soon. Go get her some hot water." He pushed the boy toward the other side of the hallway.
The two of them ducked into the stairwell. Wu Biyou wrenched himself free. "What the hell is wrong with you now?"
Mu Gesheng said, "That old lady—I chatted with her for a bit. She didn't look like she was here to support a daughter through a prenatal checkup."
"So what?"
"She’s likely here to support her daughter through an abortion." Mu Gesheng glanced at him. "A daughter getting an abortion without a husband present—what does that tell you?"
Wu Biyou froze, momentarily speechless.
"She’s so old, waiting alone for her daughter in there. It can’t be a good feeling."
This kind of social nuance was clearly beyond Wu Biyou’s scope. He stiffened his neck. "What does that have to do with you?"
"I said I was here for a prenatal checkup. While the contrast might be a bit bittersweet, at least it might make her believe there’s still some warmth in this winter night—that not all men are unreliable." Mu Gesheng explained patiently, "Reading people, knowing how to treat them... learn slowly."
Wu Biyou huffed. "That’s just being a smooth-talker."
Mu Gesheng smiled. "Zhu Yinxiao was known as the 'Jade-Faced Lord' back in the day; his eloquence far surpassed mine. If you don't want to be relegated to a mere smooth-talker, you’ll have to best me first."
He gave Wu Biyou a thumbs-up. "Though that 'Dad' earlier wasn't bad. Quite affectionate."
Wu Biyou nearly exploded on the spot, but Mu Gesheng cut him off. "Hungry? Come on, Daddy’s taking you to dinner."
Mu Gesheng didn't go to the hospital cafeteria. Instead, he found a decent restaurant nearby and ordered several dishes, all of which were Wu Biyou’s favorites.
Just as they picked up their chopsticks, Mu Gesheng’s phone rang. The caller ID showed Chai Shuxin. "Where are you?"
Mu Gesheng slurped some bamboo shoot noodle soup. "Surgery’s over?"
"Yes."
"Taking my daughter out for a meal." Mu Gesheng gave him the address. "The food isn't all here yet. If you come now, you can catch it while it's hot."
"Wait ten minutes for me."
Wu Biyou said, "By the way, I forgot to ask. Zhu Yinxiao’s messages in the group were a mess. What was actually going on with those two earlier?"
Mu Gesheng scooped up a spoonful of corn and shrimp, speaking through a mouthful of food. "What do you think?"
Wu Biyou snorted. "A turtle and a green bean—a perfect match of oddballs."
Mu Gesheng blinked at that. "When Sanjiutian gets here, why don't you ask him what he thinks?"
Chai Shuxin arrived quickly. Mu Gesheng asked the waiter for another bowl of noodles. "Hard work. Eat up."
Then he turned to Wu Biyou. "The one paying the bill is here. Daughter, order whatever else you want."
Despite it being the middle of the night, Chai Shuxin looked to be in good spirits. He took a sip of soup and looked at Wu Biyou. "You seem to have something to say to me."
Wu Biyou held it in for a moment before quickly recounting the afternoon’s events. Chai Shuxin thought for a moment. "So, you want my opinion?"
Wu Biyou nodded.
Chai Shuxin looked at Mu Gesheng. "Was this something you arranged in advance?"
Wu Biyou was dumbfounded. "What?"
Mu Gesheng shrugged. "I only told Yanyan to come a bit later in the afternoon, preferably after five."
And so she had run into An Ping just as he got out of his car, and then they had bumped into An Mu, who was there for a tour. The play had begun.
Mu Gesheng pulled out a Mountain Ghost Coin and tossed it into the air. "The fate of young people—it’s best to let nature take its course. I don't want to be an old fossil who gets hated for playing matchmaker. This time, I just wanted to cause a little trouble for the Medicine Group’s business."
"Yanyan understands this. Zhu Yinxiao probably guessed it too."
In the end, Wu Biyou had only seen the second layer of the plan, while he thought the others were on the first. In reality, everyone else was playing on the fifth.
"It’s fine," Mu Gesheng comforted him. "At least An Ping is on the basement level tonight."
"I’m finished." Chai Shuxin set down his bowl and said to Wu Biyou, "You pay."
Wu Biyou: "...Why me?"
Chai Shuxin said slowly, "Because you still owe me for that 'idiot's' grocery bill."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 入赘 | Matrilocal marriage | A marriage where the husband moves into the wife's household and often takes her surname. |
| 安胎药 | Tocolytics / Anti-miscarriage medicine | Medicine used to prevent premature labor or miscarriage. |
| 维C | Vitamin C | |
| 太和胃散 | Taihe Stomach Powder | A common traditional Chinese medicine for stomach issues. |
| 山鬼花钱 | Mountain Ghost Coin | A type of numismatic charm or coin used in Taoist rituals and divination. |
| 阴阳梯 | Yin-Yang Ladder | A supernatural phenomenon or artifact mentioned in the context of the story's world-building. |
| 酆都 | Fengdu | The Ghost City, often associated with the underworld in Chinese mythology. |
| 玉面郎君 | Jade-Faced Lord | A traditional epithet for a handsome and elegant young man. |
| 王八配绿豆 | A turtle and a green bean | A Chinese idiom meaning a perfect (if odd) match; "every Jack has his Jill." |
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