Chapter 1505: Inviting Wang Shi Out of Seclusion

Chen Chen Guanlou looked at Pure Yang True Man. "Old Daoist, you take a look at him and see if it's really soul-loss syndrome. If it is, you bring him back."

Pure Yang True Man walked into the cell.

Chen Quan hurriedly signaled the jailers and laborers to withdraw, all of them, far away.

At this moment, Imperial Physician Mu had also come down into the cells.

He had heard that Pure Yang True Man had come, and he was absolutely thrilled.

Qiu Gui's symptoms were very severe; ordinary methods simply could not rouse him.

He was also very curious what method Pure Yang True Man would employ.

"Old Mu is here. You cooperate with the True Man. Strive to wake the man."

Imperial Physician Mu, visibly excited, greeted Pure Yang True Man. "This old man truly has no way left; every method available has been tried. True Man, looking at his symptoms, what should we do? If you need this old man's cooperation, just say the word."

Pure Yang True Man was also a bit at a loss.

"The cases of soul-loss syndrome this poor Daoist has handled were mostly caused by medicinal side effects. A case like Qiu Gui's, without medicinal aid, where he lost his own soul — that is exceedingly rare."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Imperial Physician Mu agreed repeatedly. "That is exactly where this old man's difficulty lies. If it were drug-induced soul-loss, I wouldn't dare claim full certainty, but fifty or sixty percent confidence I would still have. But Qiu Gui's case is clearly from extreme fright; this old man feels there is nowhere to start. None of the medicines in hand are of any use. True Man, do you have a way?"

Pure Yang True Man did not speak in absolutes. "This poor Daoist can only try; I dare not guarantee any certainty."

"Then shall we try?" Imperial Physician Mu asked, eyes shining as he looked at the other.

Chen Chen Guanlou also held enormous expectations for the True Man.

Qiu Gui absolutely could not become a living dead!

If Sun Sun Daoning found out, he would certainly be furious to death. Already at such an old age, every few days being treated like a foot-washing maid and scolded by the Emperor — such a huge shock might kill him on the spot!

He truly could not bear to part with old Sun.

Old Sun must live to a hundred!

It would be best if Qiu Gui could be saved!

And if he couldn't be saved?

Chen Chen Guanlou gritted his teeth — then he'd think of another way.

Pure Yang True Man was a proper disciple of the Daoist school; he surely knew many accomplished people.

Imperial Physician Mu and Pure Yang True Man worked together — one applied acupuncture, the other produced pills, chanting scriptures…

After fussing all the way until dark, Qiu Gui suddenly twitched, spat out a mouthful of blood, and fainted dead away.

Chen Chen Guanlou startled badly, but fortunately he sensed that Qiu Gui's breath was still alive, so he did not lose composure on the spot.

"What's the situation?"

Imperial Physician Mu, horrified, hurried forward, one hand on the carotid artery, the other taking the pulse. "Rest assured, my lord, the man is still alive. It's just that his pulse is a bit weak."

"Why would he vomit blood?" Chen Chen Guanlou asked further.

Imperial Physician Mu shook his head, indicating he did not know.

He truly had not expected this situation to arise.

So the two of them turned to Pure Yang True Man in unison.

"Old Daoist, what's the situation? Can you explain it to me? Is this cured, or not cured?"

Pure Yang True Man sighed and put away the remaining pills. "I have disappointed Warden Chen. After all this treatment, Qiu Gui's condition is likely to worsen."

"You mean he won't wake up?"

"It's possible." Pure Yang True Man did not conceal it.

Chen Chen Guanlou: …

The sky has fallen!

Qiu Gui is a prisoner that Dou in the palace has his eye on; he absolutely cannot die in the Heaven Prison. Otherwise, everyone in the Ministry of Justice, every single one, will be held accountable. The Jia-categorized cells will very likely be purged from top to bottom.

How utterly innocent they would be.

"Old Daoist, think of something. No matter what, you have to save the man. If you can't, do any of your peers have a way? Don't pull any sectarian bias on me now — saving a life comes first."

If anyone dared cling to sectarian bias at a time like this, he would truly kill them.

Pure Yang True Man frowned deeply. "Let this poor Daoist think. There are some sects that hold certain folk remedies — they seem strange, but for this type of soul-loss syndrome, they might have miraculous effect."

"Who has the remedy? Tell me, I'll go invite them here."

Pure Yang True Man racked his brains for suitable peers — this one won't do, that one won't do either, they're all worse than him…

By the end of his search, he was nearly in despair. Yet he could not show it, afraid of agitating Chen Chen Guanlou.

Imperial Physician Mu was also very nervous.

Chen Chen Guanlou instructed him, "Don't worry about whether he can wake up yet — first keep Qiu Gui alive. Don't stint on medicinal materials; charge it all to the public account."

Imperial Physician Mu nodded repeatedly, carefully withdrew the needles, then continued needling.

The earlier needling was to rouse Qiu Gui. The current needling was to protect his heart vessels, ensuring he wouldn't die anytime soon.

Chen Chen Guanlou stared fixedly at Pure Yang True Man, wishing he could crack open the man's skull and sift through his memories.

Unfortunately, he still had to restrain himself, not appearing impatient, so as not to pressure the True Man and affect him.

Pure Yang True Man was anxious at heart — so anxious that cold sweat broke out.

Think, you stupid brain, think!

Boom!

As if his head had suddenly been enlightened, the True Man was overjoyed, his eyes widening as he said to the two of them, "Do you still remember Wang Shi?"

"Wang Shi?"

"The Wang Shi from that clan-annihilation case — the Ji family, the Xia family — remember?"

At this, both Chen Chen Guanlou and Imperial Physician Mu recalled.

The three of them had once gone together to Three Families Village to seek out Wang Shi, to unravel the death secret of a little girl named Liu Xuxiu. Wang Shi was Liu Xuxiu's mother — a mother who had avenged her daughter.

"Old Daoist, you're not fooling me, can Wang Shi awaken Qiu Gui? Back then it was you who said her inheritance was from the unorthodox sects, what was it called again?"

"Yin Gate!"

"Right! That's it, Yin Gate! She's skilled in feng shui, so how could she awaken Qiu Gui?"

Pure Yang Chunyang Zhenren patiently explained, "Precisely because her inheritance belongs to crooked and evil paths, she must have many unorthodox remedies on hand. You've been to the Great Wastes too, so you should understand the people there — barbaric and primitive, they believe in power, and even more so in this kind of crooked and evil path. In any case, among the people I know, none has the ability to awaken Qiu Gui. Only Wang Shi has a chance of success."

Chen Chen Guanlou gritted his teeth and asked, "Are you certain? What are the odds?"

Pure Yang Chunyang Zhenren carefully estimated for a moment, "I'd say about a fifty or sixty percent chance."

"Wang Shi is not an easy person to deal with," Mu Yiguan Mu quietly reminded them. "If we want to ask her for help, what method should we use?"

Never mind whether Wang Shi actually has that ability — since Pure Yang Chunyang Zhenren has recommended this person with such confidence, just invite her over.

The question now is: how to invite her?

Both of them turned to look at Pure Yang Chunyang Zhenren in unison.

The idea was his, the candidate was his recommendation — please continue…

Pure Yang Chunyang Zhenren tugged at his own beard, "How about just paying her!"

"No other way?"

"Nothing beats paying her."

Chen Chen Guanlou heard this and felt a great weight lift off his shoulders. Paying is great!

He's best at using money to get things done. If you asked him to handle things some other way, he'd have to rack his brain, but paying is far simpler.

"It's already late today. Tomorrow morning, the two of you come with me to Sanjia Village to invite Wang Shi out of seclusion."