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A bolt of lightning pierced through the window, striking like a fiery flash into the woman's heart, exiting through her left rib. Her husband was also burned by the lightning, his back and buttocks charred black, leaving him barely alive. A piercing scream shattered the tranquility of Luoyang City at midnight, waking the sleeping residents who rubbed their ears, turned over, and returned to their dreams.
Xie Xuan opened his eyes, gazing into the night, and asked, "What happened?"
A Phantom emerged from the darkness and approached Xie Xuan's bedside, replying, "Master, it is the voice of Young Master Han! Just now, it seems lightning struck the window of the main room; judging by the situation, Young Master Han must have been frightened."
"Just frightened?" Xie Xuan said as he donned his robe and got out of bed. "I don't think so. Although Han Fei is a wayward son, he is not one to be easily startled. From the sound, something must have happened."
"I will go take a look!"
"No need; the messenger has arrived!" Xie Xuan waved his hand, and the Phantom faded back into the darkness.
After a while, the butler's voice came from outside: "Master, something has happened with Young Master Han. His maid was struck by lightning and died instantly; Young Master Han has also suffered severe burns and is barely clinging to life. This is urgent; please decide what to do."
As soon as the butler finished reporting, the door opened, and Xie Xuan stepped out holding a lamp. "You mean Young Master Han and his Concubine were both struck by lightning?"
"Yes, Master! The Concubine was hit by lightning that pierced through the new room; she has already been confirmed dead. Young Master Han's back is severely burned; although emergency treatment was administered, he is only breathing in without exhaling. Whether he lives or dies is indeed inconsequential; however, if this news reaches the Han family’s ears, our Xie family may face serious consequences."
"Han Fei's life or death is indeed unimportant, but his sister belongs to a Martial Family. If this escalates, we could be in big trouble. Fine, I will go take a look first; if things cannot be controlled, I will send someone to inform the Han family. Even if we are questioned later on, it will provide us with an excuse." Xie Xuan said as he looked up. Although the clouds were thick, there were no signs of rain; where did this lightning come from?
"You just said that lightning struck that maid's heart? But I remember that the bed in the main room is still some distance from the window; how did the lightning break in?"
"It is indeed strange at this time. To be honest, even Old Servant does not know how this lightning entered the room. However, when I heard the sound and went to check inside, there were indeed burn marks on that maid's chest from the lightning. At that moment, she was lying flat on her bed while Young Master Han was lying on his side with his face inward and back outward. Therefore, when the lightning struck the maid, it also burned his back. Suspecting foul play, Old Servant specifically checked the scene and confirmed that no outsiders had entered at that time; there was only one mark on the window."
Xie Xuan nodded without saying more and extinguished the lamp in his hand while allowing the butler to carry a lantern as they headed to the main room.
Han Fei was someone he had met during his examinations. He could barely be considered a scion of a prominent family; he had an older sister who was a concubine of Wu Sansi. Although she was merely a concubine, she had gained favor after many years in the Martial Family. Even the official wife treated this concubine with great courtesy. Besides Wu Sansi's affection for her, one could not underestimate this Han family's concubine's capabilities.
Han Fei lacked any real skills and naturally could not pass examinations; however, due to his connections with the Martial Family, he managed to secure a position through deceit but was assigned only a nominal role while continuing to enjoy leisure without performing any official duties. Both the Martial Family and Han family had only one requirement for Han Fei: do not cause trouble.
This time on his way to Beijing, he encountered Han Fei who insisted on sticking with him to return together. On their journey, he heard about matters concerning Xie family's old residence and learned that Xie Xuan was its heir; thus he became even more unwilling to leave and insisted on going ghost hunting for fun.
Xie Xuan had also heard about issues regarding his family's old residence and had received documents from Constable Chang Tai during his journey back to Beijing detailing everything about the case involving his family. Of course, Chang Tai was not foolish enough to mention anything related to supernatural disturbances; thus what Xie Xuan saw were all polished reports on surface matters. As a top scholar with keen insight, Xie Xuan naturally discerned some clues from Chang Tai's report. Although he did not believe in ghosts or gods, he still held some reverence for them; therefore he would not recklessly bring Han Fei back to stay at the old residence before confirming things personally.
The courtyard that came with the Yamen was naturally simple. As the eldest son of the Han family, he could only endure living in the main house. However, just half a night had passed, and such an incident occurred, causing Xie Xuan to feel a headache coming on. The butler was right; with such a bizarre situation, even if he explained and clarified things to the Han and Wu families, they might not believe him.
For now, what Xie Xuan could do was to try his best to preserve Han Fei's life.
"Is there anyone sent to fetch a doctor?"
"In response to the master, Old Servant has already sent someone to call for one. However, the renowned doctor in Luoyang, Liu Zhanggui from Jishengtang, has stopped accepting patients. A common doctor likely wouldn't have the ability to handle injuries like those of Young Master Han."
"Go find Chang Tai. He is a constable in the capital and is most familiar with this area. I believe he should know someone who can treat him. Right now, all I ask is to ensure Han Fei's life is saved. If he dies in my Yamen, neither you nor I will be able to explain ourselves."
"Master's words are understood by Old Servant. Please rest assured; I will go find Lord Chang right away."
Xie Xuan nodded, took the lantern from the butler's hand, and headed towards the main house.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar, with two rows of Yard Officers standing guard outside. Their expressions seemed normal. Upon entering the room, he was met with the smell of burnt flesh. The deceased maid had already been moved to the floor, and there were still signs of burning on the bed. Han Fei lay on his side as the butler had described, his back injured. The charred and bloodied areas mixed together; the closer one got, the stronger the burnt smell became. He still had a breath left in him, but it was weak and seemed unlikely to last much longer.
In front of the bed knelt a person who appeared to be a servant from the Yamen. At that moment, he was staring helplessly at Han Fei lying on the bed.
"Are you the doctor that the butler brought?"
"In response to your honor, I am merely a newly appointed coroner at the Yamen and not a professional doctor."
"Oh? So you're just a coroner. Do you have any way to treat Young Master Han's injuries?"
"In response to your honor, I am familiar with such injuries; however, my expertise lies in examining corpses rather than treating living wounds. According to common practice, since Young Master Han's wounds show signs of being burned, one should first scrape off the charred flesh before applying medicine. But with such a large wound, I've never seen anything like it on either a living person or a corpse; therefore, I dare not take action."
"If you cannot treat the wound, do you have any methods for prolonging his life? At least until the butler finds a doctor!"
The coroner initially thought he was powerless but saw that Xie Xuan's expression did not allow for refusal. Considering his own future and his family at home, he gritted his teeth and said, "I will do my best!"
Xie Xuan nodded in satisfaction and returned to where the maid had been temporarily placed. From visual inspection, she had only one wound located at her heart; however, it was a penetrating injury and fatal with one strike. From the window to where she had been struck by lightning seemed unbelievable at first glance; yet after carefully observing the scene, it felt quite reasonable. Still, it was somewhat bizarre for lightning to kill someone.
Xie Xuan felt a slight headache. He held his breath and stepped outside the door. The clouds seemed to have thinned a bit, and some moonlight could faintly be seen. Perhaps it was the lingering smell in the house, but Xie Xuan felt that even the courtyard was filled with that burnt scent.
He looked at the nearest Constable and asked, "Do you know of a doctor in the city, one with exceptional medical skills, who is quite miraculous?"
The Constable hesitated for a moment before replying, "There isn't a doctor per se, but there is someone comparable to a doctor that Lord Chang knows."
"Oh? Who is it?" Xie Xuan became interested. "I would really like to know what kind of person can be compared to a doctor without actually being one."
"It's a young lady! Although she is a young lady, she possesses many skills. Just her medical expertise alone has earned her the respect of Liu, the shopkeeper from Jishengtang. By the way, Liu's son fell ill, and even he couldn't help him; it was this Ruyi who treated him successfully. Besides her medical skills, Ruyi can also exorcise ghosts and subdue demons. I wonder if you've heard about the incident in Sister-in-law Village; it was Ruyi who helped resolve that as well. That bowl of Black Dog Blood was personally caught and killed by Shengzi."
"Then what did this young lady do originally? A sorceress?"
"No, no, no! Ruyi runs a Rouge shop. If you're interested, my lord, you might as well ask someone on the street tomorrow. In our Luoyang City, probably nine out of ten people know about it; the remaining one is either an idiot or a fool."
"Even fools know!" Someone nearby chimed in. "Previously, regarding the case at your old residence, it was this Fox Demon lady who assisted in it. As for others, not a single person beside me doesn't know Ruyi. It's a pity her Rouge and Face Powder is somewhat expensive; otherwise, I would buy some for my wife."
"I feel the same way. I've heard that Ruyi's Rouge and Face Powder not only makes people look good but also has healing properties. It's truly amazing. No wonder Jishengtang has closed its doors! Moreover, those shops in the city, whether selling medicinal herbs or Rouge and Face Powder, all want to obtain Ruyi's secret formula. Unfortunately, even if they buy the same ingredients back, they can't produce the same results. Therefore, Ruyi is not only the most remarkable young lady in Luoyang City but will likely become the wealthiest as well. If our Lord Chang could marry her, he would be truly blessed."
The group of Constables engaged in lively conversation without realizing they had gradually strayed from Xie Xuan's original question. Although Xie Xuan frowned slightly, he did not interrupt them; instead, he quietly noted everything down in his mind.
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