Pan Hong sighed. "Her soul left her body, cleanly and completely. Her body lost all signs of life at once, and Little Black was so frightened it alerted Miao Zhen."
In truth, Pan Little Black had not been frightened at all. Soul projection, after all—Pan Yun was already a Third Marquis, so an occasional wandering of the spirit was possible. It simply could not last too long, lest it damage her soul and body. But the instant Pan Little Black sensed that Pan Yun's body had stopped breathing, it shot up as if all its fur had stood on end.
In blind panic, it leaped onto the table, swept everything from it with one swipe of its tail, then smashed through the window with a bang and chased after her soul.
Miao Zhen, startled awake next door, immediately rose, only to hear Pan Little Black's voice by her ear. "Preserve her body!"
The next instant, it bounced across the rooftop in two or three leaps and vanished without a trace.
When Miao Zhen rushed into the room, Pan Yun no longer had any breath left. Fortunately, Miao He and Tao Yanbai also lived at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and Miao Zhen swiftly fetched them.
The three laid Pan Yun flat. Tao Yanbai immediately inserted needles, while Miao He and Miao Zhen each seized one of her arms, rolled up her sleeves, and began slapping the hollows of her elbows.
A person could be without a soul, but not without a heartbeat.
Without a soul, one was a living corpse. Without a heartbeat, one was a corpse outright.
So the three moved as quickly as possible to restore Pan Yun's heartbeat.
Though her soul was absent, her body's instincts remained. The silver needles went in, stimulating her heart.
The rhythmic slapping