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"Chang'an?" Xing Ruyi exclaimed, "That's quite far."
A-Ling smiled lightly, remaining silent.
The Sheng Family had only two houses: one located on the left side of the main gate, which also served as a living room for guests; the other was directly facing the Soap Pod tree in the middle of the courtyard, with two evergreens planted in front of the door. Aside from that, there were no other plants in the yard.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard muffled sobs coming from inside the house, mixed with intermittent pleas: "Master Liu, please think again about the Method. My family only has this one Shengzi; if anything happens to him, how can I face His Father?"
"Madam Sheng, it's not that I don't want to save Shengzi, but I don't know how to do it," followed an annoyed voice from Liu Laoye of Jishengtang, accompanied by sounds of him pounding his chest in frustration. "I am called a second Hua Tuo by the people of Luoyang, yet I can't even diagnose what illness Shengzi has. I truly feel like a fraud and am ashamed before my ancestors."
"Doctor Liu need not blame himself. People eat grains and naturally develop various ailments. Even Hua Tuo might encounter illnesses he cannot cure," said Chang Tai. "Consort Sheng, you take care of Shengzi first; I will accompany Doctor Liu back to Jishengtang to fetch medicine."
After a light sigh, Xing Ruyi saw Chang Tai and Liu Laoye, and Chang Tai noticed her as he stepped forward.
Their eyes met; Xing Ruyi smiled while Chang Tai merely nodded.
"Here to see Shengzi?"
"Yes, today Madam Liu came to my shop and mentioned Shengzi during our chat. Hearing he was ill, I came to check on him," Xing Ruyi replied, glancing into the room only to see complete darkness. "Have you figured out what illness it is?"
Chang Tai shook his head, but Liu Laoye struck his chest forcefully: "Liu Jisheng is incompetent; after years of practicing medicine, I still can't identify this strange ailment."
"It’s natural that you can't see it, Liu Laoye," Xing Ruyi said as she looked at A-Ling. "Illnesses in this world can be categorized into four types. The first type is congenital ailments—those present at birth; some are self-inflicted due to improper eating and drinking habits or lack of care during autumn and winter; others are caused by external factors like poisoning or drugging that make it appear as if one is ill. However, the first three types can be treated if one encounters a skilled doctor like Liu Laoye. Even if a cure isn't possible, they can help prolong life and alleviate pain. But for this fourth type of illness, even if Hua Tuo were alive today, he would be at a loss."
"Oh? May I ask Ruyi, what are these four types?" Master Liu's curiosity was piqued, his eyes fixed intently on Xing Ruyi's lips, afraid to miss a single word she might say next.
Xing Ruyi didn't mind Master Liu's behavior; she simply chuckled and looked at A-Ling, asking, "Does Master Liu believe in ghosts and gods?"
A-Ling's face grew paler, her lips pressed tightly together in silence. Master Liu slightly parted his lips, neither believing nor disbelieving. Clearly, Xing Ruyi's question had put him in a difficult position. Chang Tai, being straightforward, pondered for a moment before blurting out, "Are you suggesting that Shengzi is not sick but has encountered a ghost?"
"Is that impossible?" Xing Ruyi looked at Chang Tai with interest. In this era, a Constable was roughly equivalent to a police officer in her time, so she was quite curious about Chang Tai's attitude toward ghosts and gods.
To Xing Ruyi's surprise, Chang Tai did not directly answer her question. Instead, he lowered his head, furrowing his brow, and after a while muttered to himself, "Could it really be because he encountered that?"
"That?" Xing Ruyi pressed for clarification.
"A skeleton, a white skeleton." Chang Tai seemed somewhat frustrated. "A few days ago, Shengzi accompanied me to pursue some Bandits. Who would have thought that after nightfall he got lost and accidentally wandered into a forest? He spent several days wandering around before finding an exit. The night before he found the way out, he came across a skeleton."
"And then?" Xing Ruyi glanced at A-Ling before returning her gaze to Chang Tai.
"I saw that the skeleton was exposed and didn't know if it had been abandoned there after death or if it had been harmed by those Bandits. It was quite pitiful, so I let Shengzi wrap it in leaves and then find a relatively flat place to bury it. Before leaving, Shengzi even marked the spot so that if the skeleton's relatives came looking for it later or if its identity was clarified, they could take it back."
"That explains it." Xing Ruyi glanced at A-Ling again. "Now that we know the background, this matter can be handled."
"You can save Shengzi?" The three of them asked in unison.
"I'll give it a try; it's my first time encountering a ghost," Xing Ruyi said as she cracked her knuckles. She looked anything but ready to exorcise a ghost; rather, she seemed like someone preparing to confront one. Naturally, upon seeing her like this, the ghost—red-clad A-Ling—took two steps back instinctively.
She secretly recited a mantra and casually flicked her fingers as she entered the room, dispersing the dark energy within. Looking at Shengzi, he had become as thin as a bamboo pole; his once rosy cheeks were now pale, resembling fragile paper that could tear at any moment. Approaching the bedside, she noticed his breathing was weak, the skin around his eyes had taken on an unhealthy waxy yellow hue, and his lips were dark blue as if he had been poisoned.
"Why can't you just do your job as a Constable? Why do you have to provoke vengeful spirits with your pity? If she doesn't cling to you, who will?" Xing Ruyi muttered, gripping Shengzi's wrist tightly and exerting force. Soon, several wisps of dark green smoke escaped from his ears, nostrils, and mouth. The black smoke darted into the courtyard, circled around, and then entered A-Ling's body.
Hearing Shengzi's breathing stabilize, Xing Ruyi finally relaxed her grip.
"How is he?" Chang Tai asked anxiously, still supporting Consort Sheng.
"He should be fine," Xing Ruyi replied, brushing off her hands. "He was possessed by evil energy; I’ve already forced it out of him. However, it’s unlikely he’ll be back to his lively self immediately."
"I understand. I'll come by more often these days to keep Consort Sheng company and take good care of Shengzi," Chang Tai said, noticing that Shengzi's complexion was no longer as frighteningly pale as before, easing her worried heart a little.
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