Chapter 18: The Divine Healer Wu
“Shen Meng.”
Ling Qiu stepped forward, resting a gentle hand on Shen Meng’s fragile shoulder.
“Ah? ...Ling... Ling Qiu?” Shen Meng was flustered to see Ling Qiu appear so unexpectedly.
Ling Qiu softly patted Shen Meng’s hand. “Don’t worry. I came here specifically to see your mother. How is she doing? Do you have enough for the medical bills? And… why is your mother staying out in the corridor?”
A string of questions overwhelmed Shen Meng, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, just tell me slowly,” Ling Qiu consoled her, gently wiping away her tears.
Shen Meng gradually calmed herself, forcing a small, grateful smile. “It’s alright, Ling Qiu. Thank you for coming to see my mother… The doctor said she’ll get better soon.”
Ling Qiu paused.
A lie.
A lie that was all too transparent.
Yet, somehow, the lie made her plight even more heartbreaking.
At that moment, a cleaning lady passed by, shaking her head with a sigh as she walked away. “Such a sweet girl… It’s a pity, the world is just like this… Kindness alone gets you nowhere.”
Ling Qiu’s mind turned. He caught up with the woman and asked, “Auntie, I’m her classmate. Could you tell me what’s really going on?”
The cleaning lady sighed. “These two, mother and daughter, have it tough. When the girl first arrived, she came with a backpack full of coins, scraping together just enough to pay a small part of the medical bills. But the wards are overcrowded, so the hospital could only place her mother in the corridor. Her condition is severe, but with no money and no room, who knows how long they can hold out…”
Hearing this, Ling Qiu drew a deep breath. “Thank you, Auntie. I understand now.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Shen Meng watched Ling Qiu’s retreating figure, biting her lip with longing…
She wished he could stay with her, but just having him visit was already more than enough.
She had grown up with her mother, just the two of them, weathering poverty for years. She knew all too well how insignificant her status was, her life as fragile as paper—she was the very embodiment of those words.
So she had never dared to hope for anything, from anyone…
Yet…
About half an hour later, Ling Qiu returned with long, purposeful strides.
Seeing him come back, Shen Meng felt a warmth bloom in her chest. Before she could say anything, Ling Qiu called out, “Who is the doctor responsible for this patient?”
His voice was loud, quickly drawing the attention of a nurse. “What’s with all the noise?! This is the inpatient ward. Don’t you know the whole floor is supposed to be quiet?!”
Ling Qiu replied, “Arrange it now—I want the patient moved to a proper ward.”
The nurse, whose face wore a mocking sneer, burst out laughing. “Oh? Judging by your look, are you this little girl’s teenage sweetheart? Tsk tsk… She looked so pitiful and obedient at first, but who would’ve thought, with her family in such dire straits, she’d still have time for puppy love… Lucky her mother’s unconscious—if she was awake… Ouch!”
Before the nurse could finish, someone strode over quickly and delivered a resounding slap to her face, so hard she nearly lost her footing.
“Who the hell… ah?! Director Zhao?!”
The nurse spun around to see that the person who had slapped her was none other than Director Zhao, the hospital’s senior medical professor.
Director Zhao, face livid with anger, pointed at Ling Qiu. “This young man, Mr. Ling, just made a donation of two million to our hospital! He’s already settled all the patient’s debts and paid another hundred thousand in advance! I checked just now—there are vacant wards. Why hasn’t the patient been moved in?!”
What?!!
His words stunned everyone present, both staff and patients’ families alike.
Countless eyes stared at Ling Qiu in disbelief…
He… had just donated two million to the hospital?!
Who was he, really? Some hidden scion of a wealthy family?
“Ah, I’m so sorry! Director Zhao, I’ll transfer the patient to a ward right away!” The nurse, realizing she’d picked the wrong person to cross, apologized frantically and rushed to make arrangements.
In no time, Shen Meng’s mother was moved to a proper ward—a private room with a pleasant environment.
Money opens doors everywhere—some truths never change.
Click.
The door to the ward closed.
A doctor was inside, looking grave as he re-examined Shen Meng’s mother.
Director Zhao approached. “Mr. Ling, on behalf of the hospital, I thank you again for your generosity. Rest assured, the attending physician is conducting a thorough diagnosis. Once we have the results, our hospital will do everything possible for the patient’s treatment.”
Ling Qiu nodded calmly.
“Ling Qiu, thank you!” Shen Meng grabbed his hand, choking back sobs. “Thank you… If not for you…”
“I don’t want you to treat me as a stranger. If you keep doing that, I won’t talk to you anymore.”
“No, please don’t— I won’t cry anymore!”
Hearing that he might ignore her, Shen Meng hurriedly wiped away her tears, clumsy and pitiful, yet endearing.
“Ling Qiu… could you tell me where you got all that money? Don’t worry, I’ll repay you someday…”
Ling Qiu smiled faintly. “No need. I just sold a car I never liked driving.”
“What?”
Shen Meng was dumbfounded.
He sold his own car… just to help me?
At that moment, the attending physician came over. “I’m sorry. After another examination, it appears the patient’s internal bleeding has compressed most of her cranial nerves. Even with aggressive treatment, there may be permanent cognitive impairment, or she may even… become vegetative.”
This matched exactly what Ling Qiu remembered.
But he knew well—the real problem was the wild ghost that clung to her. Once that ghost was dealt with, all the issues would be resolved!
With that thought, Ling Qiu’s eyes sharpened as he turned the Ring of Yama.
In an instant, the light before him was swallowed by a shroud of darkness!
Directly above Shen Meng’s mother, a sinister, swirling black mist of yin energy hovered and spun, emitting eerie, manic laughter from time to time.
Ling Qiu’s face grew cold. “A mere wild ghost, daring to cling to a life and demand payment! Courting death!”
The specter, formed of black mist, occasionally revealed a hideous face, drifting and shifting.
It hung from the ceiling, baring its claws and teeth.
It looked menacing, but in truth, it was only a little lost soul who had just evolved into a wild ghost. For something of this level, Ling Qiu didn’t even need to use the Yama Domain!