Chapter 31: Wounded in the Chest

  An expert reveals himself as soon as he makes a move. At first, I thought the black shadow outside the window was my mother and I thought to myself, "You're really something, Zhang Junhao, how dare you say that my mom has a ghostly aura, what nonsense!"

  But as I looked closer, that black shadow was abnormal, with an umbrella on its head! My heart sank, wasn't this the red-clothed female ghost?

  How did she come again? Wasn't her illness cured? Is it that her illness hasn't been cured yet? Or is there something else she wants from me?

  I was thinking about what to do when Zhang Yunhao whispered to me: "The ghostly aura is getting heavier, it's a female ghost, and she's just outside the window."

  Hearing is virtual, seeing is real. After Zhang Yunhao said this, I had to believe that he really had such an ability and could indeed smell the ghostly aura. I was about to ask him to stop, but then I thought, the red-clothed female ghost was my patient, and I had been in contact with her several times. If she wanted to harm me, she would have done so long ago. It's been many days since she last came to find me, and tonight she came specifically for Zhang Yunhao?

  I told Zhang Yunhao that I was going out to take a look, and asked him not to leave the house. Zhang Yunhao grabbed me in surprise, "Are you kidding? You're going out? Aren't you afraid?" I said I wasn't afraid, I knew her. Zhang Yunhao's eyes widened in half-belief, "You know the ghost?" I nodded, then turned around and opened the door. Seeing that Zhang Yunhao was also about to follow me out, I waved my hand at him to stop and quickly closed the door.

  The woman in red still looked the same as before, her face pale and wan, with a listless expression. I asked her what brought her here, and she bowed slightly to me, made a slight curtsy, furrowed her delicate eyebrows, looking very pained, and said respectfully: "Doctor Yang, this time I've come again to ask for your help."

  Can I help you? What else can I help you with?

  I also secretly let out a sigh of relief, fortunately she wasn't here to make things difficult for me.

  The red-clothed female ghost said: "Last time you operated on me, the rotten flesh on my back shoulder has healed, but this time... I have another piece of rotten flesh in front of me, and I'd like to ask you... to operate on me again."

  Front? I looked at her in front of me, because she was wearing a red dress and couldn't see where she was injured. So I asked her where else she was hurt and how she got hurt again. The red-clothed female ghost hung her head and said in a low voice: "This time, the injury is... on my chest. I want to ask you to operate on me as soon as possible, I won't be able to wait for long!"

  I was stunned for a while, where are you hurt? You're injured in the chest, isn't that a very sensitive area for women? How can I perform surgery on such an important place for you?

  I hadn't spoken for a long time, the red-clothed female ghost raised her head and looked at me, asking: "How is it that you don't want to?" I said it wasn't that I didn't want to, but rather...it felt inconvenient. Moreover, I was still an amateur, if I operated carelessly there, I feared... The red-clothed female ghost immediately said: "As long as you sincerely help me, I won't blame you. If this time you successfully treat my illness, I will thank you and give you a treasure."

  I said I didn't want your thanks, and it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just... how can I put it? I don't know what to say either, where are you hurt... you understand. The red-clothed female ghost suddenly knelt down in front of me, begging: "Doctor Yang, please, help me, I won't be able to wait much longer!"

  "You get up first." I was at a loss for words.

  After the red-clothed female ghost stood up, I asked her why she didn't go for reincarnation and why she still wanted to stay in the mortal world. Was there something that made her reluctant to leave? What did it mean by "can't wait any longer"?

  The woman in red wiped away a tear and said softly: "To be honest, I am waiting for someone. Sixty years ago, I had an appointment with him to meet here, but not long after he left, I died of illness. After my death, the reason why I didn't go to reincarnation and stayed in the world is that I wanted to see him again and fulfill the promise we made back then. However, sixty years have passed, and he has never appeared. Because I am a ghost, staying in the mortal world for one more day will make my soul fade away a bit, if I stay for a few more days, I'm afraid I will dissipate into nothingness...

  I don't know if what she said was true, but she spoke with such sincerity and tears streaming down her face that I believed her. The story was so pitifully beautiful that I, being a sentimental person, couldn't help but be moved. So, after sighing, I agreed to help her this one time.

  The red-clothed female ghost bowed to me again and expressed her gratitude, I said you don't have to thank me, I think anyone who heard your story would do the same as me, then I asked her to wait outside for a moment while I went to get the yin-yang knife.

  I pushed open the door, only to see Zhang Yunhao eavesdropping by the door. I slammed it shut and he looked at me in surprise, asking: "Were you just talking to a ghost?" I said yes, and he asked again: "Can you really see ghosts?" I nodded.

  "Bang!" I only felt a pain in my right shoulder, and quickly turned around to stare at Zhang Yunhao in surprise. Zhang Yunhao was heavily patting my shoulder and said: "Brother, I didn't expect you to be a master, truly a hidden expert!"

  I pulled open his hand, rubbed the shoulder that he had slapped painfully and complained: "Can you be gentler?" Then I asked if he could hear the ghost's voice, he said no, he could only smell the ghostly aura. I said it was good then went to get the yin-yang knife.

  "What the hell!" Zhang Yunhao followed up and asked, "What were you just talking to that female ghost about?" I said that the female ghost was injured, so I treated her. Zhang Yunhao stared at me like a statue and asked, "So, are you... a ghost doctor?" I replied calmly, "You can say that."

  "Ah, come on!" Zhang Yunhao stretched out his hand to pat my shoulder again, and I quickly dodged it, saying "Don't get excited, it's just a ghost doctor, what's the big deal?" Zhang Yunhao nodded and said "That's right, that's right."

  Open the box, take out the iron box, Zhang Junhao immediately asked what treasure is hidden inside? I said it's nothing, just a razor, while saying and taking the iron box to go out, Zhang Junhao blocked me in front and said he wanted to see. I said don't look, what's good about looking at a razor? Zhang Junhao said shave your beard, I pushed him away, looked at his clean lips and said you haven't grown any hair, why shave? Besides, this isn't for shaving people, it's for shaving ghosts.

  Because Zhang Yunhao can't see ghosts, I let him follow me out. The red-clothed female ghost looked at Zhang Yunhao and asked who he was. I said he's my friend, can't see you, then asked her where she was going to have surgery, she said to her home.

  Just a few steps away, the door creaked open and my mother came out of the house to ask us where we were going. I was taken aback, and shouted to Zhang Yunhao and the red-clothed female ghost to hurry up, then yelled at my mother: "We're going to catch frogs!" After that, I took off running.

  Luckily I ran fast and mother didn't catch up with me either.

  We arrived at the mountain ridge, and the wooden house reappeared. Since I was going to perform surgery on the red-clothed female ghost, it was a special location. Although Zhang Yunhao couldn't see her, I still didn't want him staring from the side, so I asked him to stand outside the wooden house. To Zhang Yunhao, he was now standing in front of a grave. The night wind blew by, and the fragrant grass on both sides swayed. Tonight was also a dark and windy night. He looked around and asked me what kind of ghostly place this was. I told him that I was treating a ghost's illness here and asked him not to make any noise.

  After entering the house, the red-clothed female ghost had her back to me. I opened the iron box, and a cold air rushed towards my face. I don't know if it was psychological or what, but I found that the yin-yang knife seemed whiter than before. I stretched out my hand, and although I had mentally prepared myself, as soon as I touched the yin-yang knife, I reflexively withdrew my hand.

  The yin-yang blade is too icy! And it seems even more chilling than last time.

  The red-clothed female ghost turned her head and looked at me, asking: "Dr. Yang, are you ready?"

  I took a deep breath and said I was ready.

  The red-clothed female ghost said softly, "The wound is in front of me, so... you come to the front." I made it clear, first take off your clothes. The red-clothed female ghost said that clothes don't need to be taken off, just unbutton the buttons in front and that's fine. I said okay, whether or not to take it off is not important, as long as you show me your wound.

  "Good." The red-clothed female ghost began unbuttoning her clothes.

  She had her back to me, and it was clear that she was also very shy, only because she was forced to do so, which made me come to do this very distressing and embarrassing thing. I suddenly felt that the patient was very pitiful, once a person gets sick, especially those who need surgery, they are like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others. Sincerely hope that no one in the world gets sick, and everyone is healthy and happy.

  Of course, ghosts shouldn't get sick either.

  "Alright." The red-clothed female ghost said suddenly.

  I took a deep breath again, moved my fingers slightly, and slowly picked up the yin-yang knife.