"Taken away?" Hu Ma listened, utterly confused. He already felt something was strange.
The old housekeeper also seemed frightened. Looking anxious, he was about to reach out while speaking, but Hu Ma suddenly glanced at him. Not fully trusting this housekeeper, who had no credentials, Hu Ma did not let him approach.
The old housekeeper, understanding the situation, quickly stopped and said to Hu Ma, "Please, benefactor, try first. Check if our young lady's pulse is normal. First, observe her palm. Then, check the base of her index and middle fingers, and finally, probe the base of her ring and little fingers to see if there's anything unusual."
"No need to try!"
At this point, the nearby doctor interjected, "I've checked her pulse. It's very strange. Her palm is ice-cold, and her pulse is almost nonexistent. However, her palm occasionally moves, and her index and middle fingers twitch intermittently."
He had stayed to see how Hu Ma would treat the condition, eager to learn. Besides, it was dark now, and he did not dare to go back alone, fearing the evil spirit. He would have to wait until everything was done and someone could escort him back with a lantern.
"Then it's real..." The old housekeeper, upon hearing this, looked dismayed and murmured, "The young lady indeed seems to be held by something unknown. Only... who has such power to take her away?"
Hu Ma had been listening silently. He then looked at the old housekeeper and asked, "What do you mean by 'taken away'?"
"Soul loss," the old housekeeper said, gazing only at the comatose Xiang on the bed. "A person has three souls and seven souls. The young lady's condition is one where her soul and spirit have left her body and cannot return."
Her soul leaving her body isn't unusual, Hu Ma thought. She might even leave her body to guide other Living Souls...
He had long known Xiang must have some background, but he chose not to expose it yet. Instead, he looked at the old housekeeper and said, "If her soul is lost, should we perhaps call a Ghost Walker to take a look?"
Normally, soul calling and soul loss would require techniques from the Execution Soul Path. However, Ghost Walkers deal with various situations when diagnosing and expelling evil, so their skills are more diverse. Families experiencing soul loss would instinctively call a Ghost Walker to check.
"It's useless, useless." Hu Ma's suggestion was reasonable, but the old housekeeper immediately shook his head. "The young lady is different from others," he said. "Her soul not returning must be a sign of serious trouble. The priority is to safeguard her Life Gate. Otherwise, after twelve two-hour periods, she... she will be beyond help."
"Hmm?" Hu Ma noticed that the old housekeeper seemed to know something and silently glanced at him.
But the old housekeeper, looking slightly embarrassed, evaded Hu Ma's gaze. He merely watched Xiang with concern, sweat beading on his forehead from urgency.
"Grass Heart Hall," the doctor beside them, who had been listening and trying to understand, suddenly seemed to grasp the old housekeeper's words. He quickly said, "If the soul cannot be called back, then it's soul loss syndrome. We need to go into the city and find the people from Grass Heart Hall. They're the best at treating such mysterious illnesses. However, they have strict rules and don't easily see patients..."
"There's a Grass Heart Hall shop here too?" The old housekeeper was surprised at first, then overjoyed. "That's great! We have to find them."
"Miss White Wine's Grass Heart Hall?" Hu Ma was slightly taken aback but offered no further comment.
Hu Ma did not fully understand Xiang's condition, and the old housekeeper seemed somewhat secretive, which was unpleasant. However, saving a life was more important, so Hu Ma said no more.
He immediately had someone prepare a carriage to head to Mingzhou City overnight.
Seeing that Xiang had encountered problems, all the workers were worried. However, it was not feasible for everyone to leave the Manor. Hu Ma decided to take only Zhou Datong and Zhao Zhu with him, leaving Zhou Liang behind to watch over the Manor.
I sent a message via the Mule and Horse Market to Big Stone Cliff, but the Li Family hasn't sent anyone. Unexpectedly, Xiang suddenly ran into trouble... The old housekeeper came over on his own and instantly concluded that her soul couldn't be called back... or was it kept by something? What kind of people are the Li Family at Big Stone Cliff? The old housekeeper initially said the Red Lantern Lady couldn't handle this family's issues. Is he bluffing, or does he really have that kind of confidence?
On the way, Hu Ma drove the carriage at the front, his mind filled with questions. However, seeing that the old housekeeper did not intend to speak, it seemed he did not trust Hu Ma either. So, Hu Ma decided not to press the matter. He would first reach Grass Heart Hall and get their help to stabilize Xiang's condition.
While contemplating, Hu Ma sat at the front, pretending to doze off. In actuality, he really seemed asleep and unwittingly entered a dream state.
Entering his Lifebound Spirit Temple, Hu Ma placed his palm on the incense burner and called out softly a few times.
Soon enough, his Life Incense responded, connecting him through the dim red mist with Miss White Wine. He heard her voice, which sounded surprised and a bit pleased, "You've refined it so quickly?"
Hu Ma paused. He recalled that he had agreed to contact her upon refining the three organs.
Actually, he had refined all Five Organs but had not yet had the chance to contact her. He hurriedly explained, "I'm almost done with the third organ, but today isn't about that. I wanted to ask, can Grass Heart Hall treat soul loss syndrome?"
Miss White Wine was briefly taken aback. "Is it soul loss or soul separation?"
Hu Ma processed this and understood the distinction. Soul separation was simply a missing soul that a Ghost Walker could call back. Xiang's case, where the soul could not be called back, was indeed soul loss syndrome.
He quickly said, "It's soul loss. It's for a friend of mine. The doctors say she needs to be taken to Grass Heart Hall for a proper look. But I heard their rules are very strict, and since it's your place, I thought I'd ask you first to avoid unnecessary difficulties for everyone."
Upon hearing this, Miss White Wine remained silent for a moment, then said, "If it's truly soul loss syndrome, ordinary doctors won't be able to handle it; a practitioner from the Path will be needed. But Grass Heart Hall does not easily accept such cases. Sweet Potato has already been there twice. Because the Blood Food she prepared was insufficient, she wasn't seen."
Hearing her explanation, Hu Ma knew he had made the right call by contacting her.
He did not press the request, patiently waiting for Miss White Wine to decide. After a brief pause, she said, "Alright. If you're coming, make sure to arrive after sunrise and before noon. You should be able to find someone to help then."
Hu Ma asked curiously, "Why?"
"Because someone you know will be at the practice during that time," Miss White Wine explained. "If you come then, you can meet him. Out of regard for old connections, he'll take a look for you. Of course, if the situation is severe, he might still refrain from intervening. Your current status may command respect from others, but it isn't great enough to sway him. However, don't worry; if necessary, I'll come take a look myself."
Hearing this, Hu Ma was greatly reassured.
What a difference it makes knowing the inside information, he reflected.
Sweet Potato did not know Miss White Wine's background, so Miss White Wine was not obliged to do her any favors. But since Hu Ma knew her, Miss White Wine felt inclined, due to their acquaintance, to offer some help in certain matters.
Having settled things, he exited the Lifebound Spirit Temple. He gazed at the fields shrouded in the night, sighed lightly, and continued his journey.
Mingzhou City was tranquil, so their nighttime travel was uneventful. They arrived just as dawn broke. Hu Ma and his companions entered the city gates amid the morning rush of vegetable vendors and merchants from escort agencies.
Ordinarily, upon arriving in Mingzhou Prefecture, Hu Ma would have visited his various friends. However, since treating Xiang was the priority, he bypassed social calls. He directly asked passersby for directions to Grass Heart Hall and easily found his way to an impressively grand building.
The building was three stories high with two entrances, both of which had long queues.
One side was a raw drug store; the other was an infirmary where doctors attended to patients.
It was still early morning, yet the crowd was already substantial. Hu Ma had Zhou Datong get a number card and wait in line. From a distance, he observed the busy scene inside, where doctors were diagnosing patients, taking pulses while rhythmically chanting:
"The pulse is floating, surging, and rapid; the internal toxin is unresolved... Four measures of Coptis complemented by honeysuckle..."
The doctor announced symptoms and prescriptions in a rhythmic, sing-song manner. His assistants learned by observing, simultaneously preparing medicines and managing accounts, working in an orderly bustle.
The waiting patients also kept quiet, careful not to make noise, even stifling their coughs.
However, just as Hu Ma and the others received their number card and were about to bring Xiang in, the old housekeeper urgently slipped down from the carriage. He rushed into the infirmary and called out to the staff, "Is there a Si Ming from Grass Heart Hall here?"
His outcry caused a small commotion inside the infirmary.
Two of the infirmary's assistants immediately came over to push him aside, scolding, "Go get a number card first! What are you shouting about?"
The old housekeeper, anxious, bowed quickly. "I'm not shouting," he said. "The ordinary doctors here can't treat what we need. Please, could you call out the Si Ming from your hall? I need to speak directly with them..."
"What Si Ming? There isn't one." But the old housekeeper was disheveled and looked confused, so who would pay him any attention? The infirmary staff merely pushed him away.
Hu Ma frowned, intending to have his companions pull the old housekeeper out. Suddenly, he noticed that the minor uproar had attracted someone from the other entrance, the raw drug store.
Compared to the infirmary, the raw drug store was quieter, and its staff less busy. Naturally, some of its staff came over to see if they could help. Following behind them was an old man in a long robe and a small hat.
Holding a smoking pipe, he also came to watch the commotion. His gaze coincidentally met Hu Ma's at the infirmary's entrance.
Both were momentarily stunned.