Divine Level Witch Doctor

As soon as his Friday afternoon class ended, Zhao Yuan went to the anatomy building to ask the professor in charge for time off. He had promised Fang Yi that he would deliver the Soul-Stabilizing Incense today, which meant he would have to miss his work in the anatomy building. Fortunately, the new assistants had already gotten the hang of things and could cover for him, so the professor readily approved his request.

After getting his leave approved, Zhao Yuan didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he stood in the first-floor hallway and called out ”MEOW MEOW” toward the bamboo grove. A few seconds later, a high-pitched meow came from the bamboo grove, and the White Cat emerged, its little head held high as it trotted out with tiny steps. Its posture and bearing showed no trace of its previous severe injuries and weakness. It exuded a queenly air in every way.

The White Cat was carrying a mouse in its mouth. It walked straight up to Zhao Yuan and dropped the mouse at his feet. The mouse was still alive. It tried to run, but the moment it moved, the White Cat pinned it with a paw, rendering it immobile.

The White Cat meowed twice at Zhao Yuan, as if to say, ”This mouse is your consultation fee. Don’t be polite, eat up.”

Zhao Yuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head and said, ”You’re too polite, little one. I’ve told you before, you don’t need to bring me anything. Why don’t you ever listen?”

Over the past few days, every time the White Cat came for a dressing change, it would bring him a ”gift” as a consultation fee. Today it was a mouse, yesterday a sparrow, and the day before, it had even brought him a snake! Although it was just a non-venomous rat snake, it still scared a few nursing students who were coming to the anatomy building for class, making them turn pale and scream their heads off...

”Same as always, just let it go. I don’t have a habit of eating mice.” Zhao Yuan stroked the White Cat’s head and said, ”I appreciate the kind thought, though.”

The White Cat was surprisingly obedient and lifted its paw. The mouse seemed unable to believe it had escaped from the jaws of a cat, and it froze in place, trembling foolishly, having forgotten to run. In the end, the White Cat grew impatient and swatted the mouse, sending it flying a meter away. The blow also snapped it out of its daze, and with a SWOOSH, it vanished from sight.

The White Cat looked away from the escaping mouse and meowed twice at Zhao Yuan, as if to say, ”You didn’t want something that delicious? Are you an idiot?”

Zhao Yuan gave a wry smile and rubbed his nose. ’To think I’m being lectured by a cat... This feels so strange!’

”Alright, stop nagging. Come on, let me see how your wound is healing.” As he spoke, Zhao Yuan quickly removed the dressing from the White Cat’s back. He glanced at the wound and nodded in satisfaction. ”Not bad, it’s healing very well. At this rate, we can probably take out the stitches in another three to five days.”

Not caring whether the White Cat understood him, he muttered to himself while cleaning the wound with iodine, applying fresh anti-inflammatory powder, and bandaging it with new gauze. He had become quite skilled at this series of tasks, finishing the whole process in just a few minutes.

After packing up his things, Zhao Yuan rubbed the White Cat’s little head and reminded it, ”Remember to come back for another dressing change around this time tomorrow.”

The White Cat meowed a few times to show it understood, closing its eyes and enjoying Zhao Yuan’s touch.

”Oh, the White Cat is here for its dressing change again? How’s the wound healing?” a voice asked just then. Zhao Yuan turned his head and saw that it was the anatomy instructor, Yu Ke.

”Thanks for your concern, Teacher Yu. It’s healing very well,” Zhao Yuan replied. He then pulled back his hand and said to the White Cat, ”Alright, you can go now.”

Previously, whenever Zhao Yuan said these words, the uncannily perceptive White Cat would leave immediately. But today, it didn’t move. Instead, it meowed at Yu Ke, as if trying to remind her of something.

Zhao Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then he remembered the cloud of Evil Qi he had seen on Yu Ke before. ’Could the White Cat be warning me that Teacher Yu’s condition has changed?’ Deciding to test his theory, he activated his Qi Observation Technique. He focused his gaze and immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

He discovered that in the past few days, the Evil Qi gathered over Yu Ke’s chest hadn’t diminished at all. In fact, it had gotten worse!

But what shocked him even more was the White Cat.

’It can actually sense changes in a person’s medical condition? That’s just unbelievable!’

Zhao Yuan desperately wanted to ask the White Cat if it knew how to diagnose illnesses, but since the cat couldn’t speak human language, asking would be pointless.

’It must be a coincidence, right? Or maybe it’s an animal’s sharp sixth sense? I remember reading reports that animals can use their keen sixth sense to ’see’ things humans can’t, including cases where pets discovered their owners’ illnesses.’ Zhao Yuan mused to himself.

Seeing Zhao Yuan staring at her with a look of surprise, clearly lost in thought, Yu Ke frowned and demanded, ”What’s with that reaction?”

”Ah, it’s nothing.” Zhao Yuan shook off his distracting thoughts and snapped back to reality. ”Teacher Yu,” he said, ”have you not been treating your illness? Why is it getting worse?”

Yu Ke trembled, her eyes wide with astonishment.

The fact that Zhao Yuan had seen she was ill before had already given her a huge shock, one she had tried to dismiss as a coincidence. But now that he could even see the change in her condition, this was definitely no coincidence!

”Zhao Yuan, how exactly do you know that I’m sick?” Yu Ke asked, her expression stern.

”I could tell from your complexion,” Zhao Yuan said, reusing his previous excuse.

Yu Ke shook her head, clearly unconvinced. ”Do you have any idea? Besides you, no one has been able to tell I’m sick, not even Elder Xiao or Elder Liu. Your self-taught diagnostics can’t possibly be better than theirs, can it?”

”This...”

Zhao Yuan was stunned. He truly hadn’t expected Yu Ke’s illness to be so strange that even Xiao Xianlin and Liu Mingzhang couldn’t detect it. But then, a wave of excitement washed over him. This proved just how powerful his Qi Observation Technique was—it could completely prevent missed diagnoses!

Of course, he would never reveal the existence of the Qi Observation Technique, so he could only play dumb. ”Huh? Even Elder Xiao and Elder Liu couldn’t tell? How is that possible? Your complexion clearly shows signs of illness!”

Fortunately, Yu Ke didn’t press the issue. After all, Zhao Yuan having a high level of diagnostic skill was a good thing, not a bad one.

After a soft sigh, Yu Ke said, ”This illness of mine is very strange. After it started, I went to several hospitals for check-ups, but whether it was a chest X-ray, an EKG, or any other test, the results were all normal. I’ve also seen several famous doctors. I’ve bothered Elder Xiao and Elder Liu time and again, and I’ve taken a lot of both Chinese and Western medicine, but nothing has had any effect. Later, some people even suspected I had a psychosomatic disorder—that I wasn’t actually sick but was convincing myself I was, which caused all these uncomfortable symptoms. Sigh... Now I’m starting to wonder if I really do have a psychological problem. I was planning to see a psychologist tomorrow for therapy and counseling...”