The two arrived at Mingyue’s clinic. Not many people were queuing outside waiting for him; it was a stark contrast to the crowds outside Li Yizhen and Sun Sizu’s doors.
Looking at Mingyue, who was sitting dejectedly, treating a patient, Long Xiao smiled and said, "Mingyue, let Tong Hui help you here from now on. He diagnoses and you treat. Your treatment speed won't be slower than those two divine doctors."
The young man sitting opposite Mingyue, with his hand extended for Mingyue to feel his pulse, shot Long Xiao a glare and said, "Nonsense. How can he compare to Divine Doctor Li and Divine Doctor Sun?"
Long Xiao smiled, looked at the young man, and then turned to Tong Hui, saying, "See what his ailment is."
Tong Hui glanced at the young man and said, "He has faint black energy in his lungs and a faint black mist on his body. His vital energy is likely weak, and external evils have invaded..."
With just a glance, Tong Hui accurately described the young man’s symptoms, even stating his sensations clearly.
The young man and Mingyue looked at Tong Hui in astonishment. Mingyue said, "Junior brother, you can observe qi now."
Tong Hui nodded and said, "Yes, I can see qi now, which will make diagnosis much easier."
Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes "looking, listening, questioning, and feeling the pulse." Observing qi is the initial diagnosis. One still needs to listen to sounds, ask about the illness, and finally verify the diagnosis by feeling the pulse to determine the illness.
Observing qi is the most crucial step. Tong Hui's ability to observe qi means he can now go on house calls.
There were very few people queuing in front of Mingyue's clinic. In less than half an hour, Mingyue and Tong Hui had finished examining them all.
After dark, Long Xiao did not eat at Xinglin Caotang. Lin Xuan called him, saying she was treating someone and wanted Long Xiao to accompany her.
The dinner was at Yuelai Restaurant. Long Xiao took a taxi to Yuelai Restaurant. Before he even got out of the car, he saw a strange sight.
A jet-black coffin was placed in front of Yuelai Restaurant, with four burly men standing on either side. Behind the coffin, a small old man in a Tang suit held a shiny, dark, meter-long stick.
Seeing the coffin, people coming to eat kept their distance, watching the spectacle. Two security guards hurriedly called their captain.
Soon, the security captain and the manager of Yuelai Restaurant drove to the parking lot in front of the restaurant.
Long Xiao was standing by his car, watching the commotion, when Lin Xuan got out and walked over.
"Long Xiao, what's going on?" Lin Xuan asked.
Long Xiao pointed at the coffin and explained the situation. Lin Xuan said, "Yuelai Restaurant is part of the 'Living Dead's' business. If someone brings a coffin here, they're definitely looking for trouble."
Long Xiao didn't have much interaction with Nangong Fu, the "Living Dead." Although they had attended meetings together and he had helped Nangong Fu remove a蛊 worm from his body, they didn't have a deep friendship.
As the two were talking, a Hummer stopped in front of Yuelai Restaurant. The car door opened, and a dark-skinned, strong man got out.
The strong man looked at the old man in the Tang suit and asked, "Who are you? Are you asking me to help you with a burial?"
The old man in the Tang suit, with his hands behind his back and swinging his stick, stepped forward a few paces and said, "Are you the boss, Nangong Tianlu? I'm here to collect a debt from your father."
Thirty years ago, Nangong Fu came to Donghai to make his fortune with a coffin. Relying on his perseverance and ruthless nature, he dominated the funeral industry in Donghai in ten years, becoming the boss of the funeral business.
Nangong Tianlu knew his father's rise to success best. He knew that his father was not only strong and lucky, but his dominance in the funeral industry was also greatly related to that red coffin.
Nangong Tianlu didn't know what was inside the coffin, but he knew that whenever his father encountered an unbeatable master, he would bring that coffin with him when he fought.
"What debt do you want to collect, and why are you bringing a coffin to cause trouble at my restaurant?" Nangong Tianlu asked, looking at the coffin.
The old man in the Tang suit chuckled and said, "Before your father came to Donghai, he borrowed a coffin from me. Thirty years have passed, and it's time to return it with interest."
Nangong Tianlu looked at the coffin again and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not aware of my father borrowing a coffin from you. Could you please move aside and not delay our business? As for the debt, I'll contact my father."
The old man in the Tang suit shook his head and said, "No, I must see your father today and clarify things."
"My father has been unwell recently and is recuperating at home. You can't see him, so tell me what debt you want to collect."
"Heh heh, telling you, you can't make the decision."
"I'm in charge of our family's business now. What can't I decide?"
The old man in the Tang suit patted the stick in his hand and said, "Your father once promised that he would share half of his fortune in Donghai with me if he borrowed a coffin. As for the profits from his ventures, we'd split them fifty-fifty."
Upon hearing that the old man wanted half of the Nangong family's assets, Nangong Tianlu immediately shook his head and said, "Impossible. My father would never make such a promise. You're blackmailing me."
The old man in the Tang suit didn't get angry. He chuckled and said, "I expected that your Nangong family would renege on the deal. Since that's the case, I'll forcibly collect the debt."
The old man in the Tang suit raised his hand and tapped the black coffin with his stick, shouting loudly, "Ah Hui, let's get to work!"
As soon as the old man in the Tang suit finished speaking, the lid of the black coffin, like the lid of a boiling kettle, began to rattle as if pushed by gas.
With a bang, the lid of the black coffin flew open, and a figure shot out from inside.
Long Xiao only saw clearly what was in the coffin after it landed: a corpse emanating a chilling aura.
For most people, a moving corpse is something seen only in movies and TV shows; it doesn't exist in reality.
The onlookers were so scared they retreated, and even Nangong Tianlu stepped back a few paces.
In ancient China, there was the art of corpse refinement. As this practice was too cruel, it became lost in modern times.
There were many types of corpse refinement. The "Dragon Scripture" only introduced a few basic ones, and the various types that evolved later were not recorded in the "Dragon Scripture."
Corpse refinement was not about refining dead bodies but living people. Through various drugs and methods, a living person was transformed into a corpse that was impervious to weapons and could obey the commands of the refiner.
This art existed worldwide, but the principles of corpse refinement were limited to the few types recorded in the "Dragon Scripture."
The famous Haitian zombies were the most basic form of corpse refinement.
Witches would give captured people a special drug, causing them to breathe weakly, not eat or drink, and work tirelessly until their strength was exhausted and they died.
Unknowing people believed that Haitian witches dug up corpses from graves to refine zombies.
Chinese corpse refinement was much more advanced than Haitian corpse refinement. Witches would generally place people in coffins and bury them, using a sliver of vital energy to protect their heart.
As time passed, the bodies of those being refined absorbed a large amount of Yin and malevolent energy, becoming incredibly tough before being dug up.
The corpse that jumped out of the coffin had white hair covering its exposed skin, clearly an Yin corpse that had absorbed a large amount of Yin energy.
This type of stiff corpse was very difficult to deal with. One either needed sufficient strength to shatter it directly or a means to break through the Yin energy on its surface and destroy its heart.
Otherwise, it would continue to attack until its opponent was eliminated.