Chapter 1 "Being Taken Away?"

Hu Ma listened, bewildered, already feeling something was strange.

The old butler also seemed frightened, his face anxious. As he spoke, he reached out, but Hu Ma suddenly glanced at him, not fully trusting this old butler with no credentials, and prevented him from getting closer.

The old butler, knowing his place, quickly stopped and said to Hu Ma, "Please, benefactor, try it first."

"Try to see if my young lady's pulse is normal? First, observe her palms, then test the roots of her index and middle fingers, then explore the roots of her ring and little fingers. Are there any abnormalities?"

"..."

"No need to try!"

At this moment, the doctor beside them interjected, "I've taken her pulse. It's very strange. Her hands are icy cold, and her pulse is almost nonexistent, but her palms occasionally twitch, and her index and middle fingers twitch from time to time."

He hadn't left, wanting to see how Hu Ma would treat her and broaden his knowledge.

Besides, it was getting dark, and he was too afraid to go back. Doctors were also afraid of evil spirits, and it would be safer to wait until he was done and someone could escort him back with a lantern.

"Then it's true..."

Upon hearing this, the old butler's expression turned ashen as he muttered, "Young Miss, she is indeed being held back by something, but..."

"...Who has the ability to take her away?"

"..."

Hu Ma had been listening silently and now looked at him, asking, "What do you mean by 'taken away'?"

"Lost soul."

The old butler's eyes were fixed on the unconscious Xiang Ya Tou on the bed as he said, "A person has three souls and seven spirits. Young Miss's soul has left her body, and she's showing symptoms of not being able to return..."

"Her soul leaving her body is quite normal, isn't it?"

Hu Ma thought to himself, even going so far as to guide other souls...

Knowing that Xiang Ya Tou must have some background, he didn't reveal it but looked at the old butler and said, "If she has lost her soul, shouldn't we find a zou gui ren (ghost chaser) to take a look?"

Normally, calling back a lost soul is a method used within the Xinghun sect.

However, zou gui ren (ghost chasers) help people diagnose illnesses and exorcise evil, facing a variety of situations, so they know a bit of everything. Ordinary families who exhibit symptoms of lost souls will subconsciously ask a zou gui ren (ghost chaser) to come and take a look.

"Useless, useless."

Hu Ma's suggestion wasn't wrong, but the old butler immediately shook his head and said, "Young Miss is different from others. If her soul doesn't return to her body, there must be a problem."

"The most urgent thing is to protect Young Miss's life force, otherwise, after twelve hours, the person...the person will be useless."

"..."

"Hmm?"

Hu Ma heard that the old butler seemed to know something and silently glanced at him.

But the old butler's expression was slightly awkward, avoiding Hu Ma's gaze, and he just looked at Xiang Ya Tou with concern, so anxious that a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Cao Xin Tang."

At this moment, the doctor who had been following along, wanting to see what was happening, seemed to understand the old butler's words and hurriedly said, "If the soul can't be called back, then it's a case of soul loss."

"Then we have to go to the city and find someone from Cao Xin Tang. They are the best at treating these difficult and complicated cases. However, their rules are strict, and they don't easily see people..."

"..."

"There's a Cao Xin Tang shop here?"

The old butler was also stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, "That's great. Only they can help."

"Bai Putaoyou Xiaojie's (Miss White Wine) Cao Xin Tang?"

Hu Ma was also slightly taken aback, not offering any opinion.

He didn't quite understand the situation Xiang Ya Tou was in, and the old butler seemed to be hiding something, which was displeasing, but saving someone was the priority, so he didn't say anything more.

He immediately had the carriage prepared and made ready to rush to Mingzhou City overnight.

Seeing that Xiang Ya Tou had a problem, all the workers were concerned, but they couldn't all abandon the manor and go to the city. So, Hu Ma only took Zhou Datong and Zhao Zhu with him, leaving Zhou Liang to watch over the manor in case anything happened.

"I sent a message to the Mule and Horse Shop to deliver to Da Shitou Ya (Big Stone Cliff). The Li family didn't send anyone, but Xiang Ya Tou suddenly had a problem..."

"This old butler came himself and determined that her soul couldn't be called back with just a glance..."

"...Or was it being held back by something?"

"Who exactly is the Li family of Da Shitou Ya (Big Stone Cliff)?"

"The old butler said earlier that the Hongdeng Niangniang (Red Lantern Goddess) couldn't withstand this family. Was he bluffing, or does he really have that kind of confidence?"

"..."

On the way, Hu Ma sat in front driving the carriage, and many questions arose.

However, seeing that the old butler didn't want to say anything, perhaps because he didn't trust him, and he didn't trust himself either, he didn't force the issue for the time being. In any case, he would first arrive at Cao Xin Tang and have someone there help stabilize Xiang Ya Tou's condition before saying anything else.

While thinking, Hu Ma sat in front of the carriage, pretending to doze off, but in reality, he really did seem to fall asleep, motionless, and entered a dream.

Entering his Natal Spirit Temple, Hu Ma placed his palm on the incense burner and whispered a few calls.

Soon, the Fate Incense responded, passing through the dark red mist and connecting with Bai Putaoyou Xiaojie (Miss White Wine). He heard her sounding somewhat surprised and also a little happy:

"You've refined it so quickly?"

"..."

Hu Ma was stunned for a moment before remembering that he had agreed with her to contact her after refining the Three Viscera.

Actually, he had refined all Five Viscera, but he hadn't had time to find her. He quickly said, "I'm about to finish refining the Third Viscera, but I'm not here for that today. I wanted to ask, can Cao Xin Tang treat soul loss?"

Bai Putaoyou Xiaojie (Miss White Wine) was taken aback for a moment, "Is it soul detachment, or soul loss?"

Hu Ma reacted for a moment, understanding the difference. Soul detachment was simply losing a soul, and a zou gui ren (ghost chaser) could call it back.

Xiang Ya Tou's situation, where the soul couldn't be called back, was considered soul loss.

He hurriedly said, "It's soul loss. It's a friend of mine. The doctors all say that she needs to be taken to Cao Xin Tang to be seen, but I heard that Cao Xin Tang has very strict rules, and it's your place, so I wanted to ask first, so everyone wouldn't be in a difficult situation."

Upon hearing this, Bai Putaoyou Xiaojie (Miss White Wine) was silent for a moment, then said, "If it's really soul loss, ordinary doctors can't treat it. Someone from the inner circles has to take action."

"But Cao Xin Tang really doesn't easily see people for this. Di Gua Shao (Sweet Potato Burn) already came by and circled around twice, but because she didn't prepare enough blood offerings, she wasn't seen."

"..."

Hearing her say this, Hu Ma knew that he had made the right call.

He didn't make the request but patiently waited for Bai Putaoyou Xiaojie (Miss White Wine) to decide on her own. He heard her hesitate slightly, then say, "Well, if you want to come, come after dawn, before noon. It's still possible to find someone to see her."

Hu Ma was immediately curious, "Why?"

"Because someone you know happens to be in the shop at that time. If you come then, you can run into him, and on account of your old friendship, he will help you take a look."

Bai Putaoyou Xiaojie (Miss White Wine) said, "Of course, if the situation is serious, he may not interfere. Your current status may give you face with others, but it's not great enough in front of him."

"But you don't have to worry. I'll come and take a look if necessary."

"..."

Hu Ma was immediately relieved to hear this.

He also sighed inwardly, thinking, this is the difference between knowing the details and not knowing the details.

Di Gua Shao (Sweet Potato Burn) didn't know the details of Bai Putaoyou Xiaojie (Miss White Wine), so Bai Putaoyou Xiaojie (Miss White Wine) didn't have to open a green light for her.

But since he knew her, Bai Putaoyou Xiaojie (Miss White Wine), out of consideration for their friendship, would help out a little.

After settling the matter, he exited the Natal Spirit Temple, took a deep breath as he looked at the fields shrouded in the night ahead, and continued on his way.

Now that Mingzhou City was quiet, there were no problems traveling at night. Just as dawn was breaking, they arrived. Hu Ma and the others followed the people waiting outside the city gate to sell vegetables, fruits, and merchants escorting goods into the city.

Logically speaking, now that he had arrived in Mingzhou Prefecture, he should visit his friends, but now it was to have someone seen for an illness, so he couldn't bother with those things. He asked the passersby for directions to Cao Xin Tang, and they easily told him. Soon, they arrived in front of a rather grand building.

The building had three floors and two entrances, each with a long queue.

One side was a herbal medicine shop, and the other entrance was a clinic, where doctors were seeing patients.

Even though it was early in the morning, there were already many people waiting. Hu Ma quickly had Zhou Datong get a number and waited in the back. Looking inside from a distance, he saw that it was already a flurry of activity. The doctors were seeing patients, taking pulses, and chanting:

"The pulse is floating, large, and rapid, internal toxins are not dispersing..."

"Four qian of Coptis chinensis (Huanglian) to aid Lonicera japonica (Jinyinhua)..."

"..."

As he diagnosed, he chanted the symptoms and the amount of medicine, with inflections and pauses. The assistants beside him learned and prepared the medicine and calculated the money, doing their jobs one by one.

Amidst the busyness, everything was orderly.

The people waiting for treatment were also careful, not daring to make noise here. Even when coughing, they had to cover their mouths tightly.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Hu Ma and the others got their number and hadn't brought Xiang Ya Tou in, the old butler hurriedly slid down from the carriage and rushed into the clinic, shouting to the assistants, "Are there any siming ren (life controllers) from Cao Xin Tang here?"

With this shout, the clinic immediately became noisy.

Two assistants from the clinic immediately came over to push him, shouting, "Get a number first."

"What are you yelling about?"

"..."

The old butler was just anxious, bowing hastily and saying, "I won't shout. The ordinary doctors you have can't treat her. Please have the siming ren (life controllers) in your clinic come out. I'll speak to them directly..."

"What siming ren (life controllers)? There aren't any."

But his clothes were tattered, and he looked a bit muddled, so no one paid him any attention. The assistants in the clinic just pushed him around.

Hu Ma frowned, intending to have someone pull him out, but suddenly he saw that the small commotion had drawn the attention of people from the herbal medicine shop on the other side.

In comparison, the herbal medicine shop was quieter than the clinic, and there were more idle people. Seeing that something was happening here, the assistants there naturally came over to help, but behind the assistants was an old man wearing a long robe and a small hat.

He held a smoking pipe in his hand and also came to watch the fun, his eyes meeting Hu Ma's at the entrance of the clinic.

Both were stunned.

How could I not update on the first day of the new year?

Anyway, I shouldn't have a fever anymore. Today I will work hard to write!!

(End of Chapter)