A Sudden Cold

Xuyang has fully recovered and is in excellent spirits.

After a round of relatives and friends arrived, the house enjoyed a brief period of quiet.

Today, only Old Master Xu, Xuhui, Xuyang, Xu Wei are at home.

The outsiders were still Su Ziyang and Mr. Mengfei.

Because of the remarkable therapeutic effect of the treatment on Xuyang, Xuhui and Old Master Xu now regard the two of them as their own family.

Xu Wei prepared a table full of dishes to thank Su Ziyang and Mr. Mengfei.

Apart from Xuyang, who was still taking Chinese medicine and didn't drink alcohol, the only woman at the table Xu Wei, repeatedly toasted Su Ziyang and Mr. Mengfei, her face flushed from drinking.

"Xiao Su, you're a force to be reckoned with! I, the old man, salute you!"

Old Master Xu held up a wine cup to toast Su Ziyang.

Su Ziyang quickly stood up, holding his wine glass with both hands in response to Old Master Xu.

After a satisfying meal, Su Ziyang and Mr. Mengfei sat down to drink tea.

Mr. Mengfei, seeing Su Ziyang's unhappy face, leaned close to Su Ziyang's ear and asked, "Worried?"

Su Ziyang nodded, then whispered, "I'm afraid... it's a final burst of energy before death."

Mr. Mengfei looked at Xuyang, who was sweeping the floor nearby, and shook his head. "Have you ever seen a case of 'a final burst of energy' lasting for several days?"

"No, not at all!" Su Ziyang shook his head.

"Don't worry." Mr. Mengfei patted Su Ziyang on the shoulder, indicating that Su Ziyang could rest assured.

Then I stood up and joined the cleaning crew.

Su Ziyang watched the busy group of people, still sitting in the same spot with a furrowed brow. He felt that all of this was unreal, extremely fake.

A patient with advanced metastatic lung cancer recovered after taking just a few doses of traditional Chinese medicine?

But as it turned out, Su Ziyang's concern was unnecessary. Five more days passed, and Xuyang was still lively and energetic.

Furthermore, Xuhui also helped schedule a check-up for Monday, so we can go to the hospital for a follow-up examination.

"Brother, I'm going out to buy groceries today. Staying home all the time isn't a good idea. I've basically recovered!"

Before lunch, Xuyang volunteered to go to the market to buy groceries.

"Uncle Yang, let me go. You haven't fully recovered yet. Let's wait until you take your medicine for a few more days before going out." Su Ziyang got up from the sofa and was about to leave.

"Hehe, Little Ziyang. Look, I'm fine now. I haven't left the house for two weeks, I'm feeling really stuffy. I'm just going out to get some fresh air."

Xuyang knew about the medicine Su Ziyang had prescribed for him and the illness he was treating, so he treated Su Ziyang with special respect.

"I'll go instead." Su Ziyang was still reluctant to let Xuyang go out for a walk. "It's cloudy outside today, and the temperature has dropped. It's especially cold. You should wait until tomorrow when the weather is better, and we can all go for a walk together."

"Oh, it's okay. I'll just put on another layer!"

Xuyang insisted on going out to buy groceries and take a walk, and none of the three, including Mr. Mengfei, could stop him. Moreover, Xuyang was particularly determined to go out, as if he would really get angry if they didn't let him.

Xuyang is a patient, although he has recovered somewhat. But no one dares to go against his emotions or make him too agitated.

So a few people accompanied Xuyang on a large, hurried journey to the market.

It was a cloudy and cold day outside. As soon as Su Ziyang stepped out of the apartment building, he felt a gust of cold wind blowing in his face.

"Uncle-Master, the weather here in the South really changes quite quickly," Su Ziyang said, shrinking his neck as he couldn't help but complain.

"Hey, it's always like this. You'll get used to it," Xuyang chimed in.

As the four of them finished shopping for groceries and were walking home, a mist began to fall from the sky. By the time they arrived home, the raindrops were already quite heavy.

"It's so cold, this wind!" Mr. Mengfei also felt cold and shrank his neck after entering the house.

"Have some hot water to warm yourselves up." Xuhui went into the house, picked up a thermos, and poured a cup of hot water for everyone.

Everyone here felt cold, but Xuyang was the only one who didn't. In fact, he took off his coat as soon as he entered the house. "I guess it's because I haven't been out for a long time, I'm sweating after just a few steps."

"Put your clothes on, it's so cold. Don't make me scold you like a child." Xuhui put down the thermos and scolded Xuyang.

"I'm sweating, but it's not cold in the room, it's okay, it's okay. I'll have some water." Xuyang chuckled as he picked up the water glass on the table and took a couple of sips.

After lunch, Xuyang said he was a little tired and went inside to sleep.

Mr. Mengfei sat to the side fiddling with his phone, preparing to head home in the next day or two, since he still had Guo Tianren's matter to settle down at home.

Seeing that Mr. Mengfei was about to leave, Xuhui didn't try to persuade him to stay any longer. After all, he had been staying long enough, and everyone had their own things to do.

After booking the tickets, Mr. Mengfei played a game of chess with Xuhui.

At this moment, Xuyang came out of the house, his voice very nasal. "Brother, do you have any cold medicine at home?"

His words caused all three of them to look at him nervously.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? I think I went out for a walk and caught a cold." Xuyang chuckled twice, noticing the way the three of them were looking at him.

Xuyang asked for cold medicine, Xuhui didn't know what to say, so he looked at Mr. Mengfei and Su Ziyang.

Mr. Mengfei gently nudged Su Ziyang with his foot, and Su Ziyang immediately understood what he meant. "Come on, Uncle Yang. Let me take your pulse."

Okay.

Xuyang readily agreed.

Su Ziyang placed his fingers on Xuyang's wrist and found that Xuyang's pulse was very wiry and rapid, completely opposite to the deep and slow pulse he had been diagnosed with before.

I've really caught a cold!

Su Ziyang said something with a hint of surprise.

"I really caught a cold, my nose is so stuffy. I don't know how it happened," Xuyang said with a heavy nasal tone.

"What should we do?" Su Ziyang looked at Mr. Mengfei speechlessly. He was still taking the medicine for Xuhui's lung cold that he had prescribed, and now Xuhui had suddenly caught a cold. Su Ziyang didn't know what to do.

Mr. Mengfei did not answer Su Ziyang's question, but instead took Xuyang's hand and began to take his pulse.

After taking Eryang's pulse, Mr. Mengfei frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "Dahui, where's that Xiaochaihu granules you have at home? Take it out and let Eryang drink some."

Without saying a word, Xuhui took out a medicine box from the cabinet under the TV, found a box of Xiao Chai Hu granules, and poured it into Xuyang's cup.

Xiao Chai Hu Granules are a traditional Chinese medicine made from Minor Bupleurum Decoction, which is based on the book "Treatise on Cold Damage". Minor Bupleurum Decoction can treat many diseases, including cold damage and stroke.

Some veteran traditional Chinese medicine practitioners can even cure various diseases by relying solely on the Minor Bupleurum Decoction. Of course, the formula needs to be modified by adding or subtracting ingredients, and it is impossible to stick to the ancient formula without any changes.

After drinking the Xiaochaihu granules, Xuhui felt a bit tired again and went back to his room to continue sleeping.

Even Mr. Mengfei couldn't be happy this time, his brows furrowed. Looking at their serious expressions, Xuhui suddenly felt that things weren't as simple as a cold, and asked with some tension, "What's wrong?"

"How did he suddenly catch a cold? Was he wearing a trench coat when he went out just now?" Mr. Mengfei muttered to himself.

"Yes," Xuhui gave an affirmative answer.

"It was indeed quite cold outside just now." Su Ziyang sipped his tea, his mind a bit of a mess.

"Won't something bad happen?" Xuhui looked at Su Ziyang's expression, and this time his words trembled slightly.

"Take a look." Mr. Mengfei was also a bit at a loss, and could only say this for the time being.

"Okay." Xuhui could only nod. "We're out of Xiao Chai Hu granules, I'll go buy another box."

"I'll go with you, Uncle-Master."

Su Ziyang and Xuhui went out in the rain.

Inside the car.

"Ziyang, tell your uncle, what exactly did those expressions you two made just now mean? Is a cold dangerous?" Xuhui was so concerned that he lost his composure. He knew a little about medicine, but now all his questions and reliance were on Su Ziyang.

"Yes, Uncle Yang originally had lung cancer. Although his mental state has recovered quite well, now that he catches a cold, the possibility of his entire respiratory system becoming infected is extremely high. So it's quite dangerous, and I'm quite worried about him."

Su Ziyang didn't hide anything from Xuhui, because there was no point in hiding it. After all, once Xuhui knew the details, he would be more willing to cooperate in helping Xuyang get treatment.

"I see. Besides buying Xiaochaihu granules, should we buy anything else, just in case?" Xuhui asked while driving.

"Let's buy a box of fever reducers, keep some on hand!" Su Ziyang blurted out instinctively.

Xuhui simply nodded and said, "Okay!"

After the two returned from buying the medicine, Mr. Mengfei was packing his things. In fact, the two had come in a hurry and hadn't brought much with them, just a couple of changes of clothes.

"Master, why are you packing your things?" Su Ziyang looked at Mr. Mengfei with some surprise.

"You two are back, Dahui and Ziyang. I have to go now. We've already postponed that matter with Guo Tianren; it needs to be resolved eventually. I need to help Lao Jin make some medicine to prevent them from causing trouble."

As Mr. Mengfei packed up, he instructed Su Ziyang, "Ziyang, I'm entrusting Xuyang's illness to you. Continue to keep an eye on things here. I'll contact you again once the date is set over there."

During the few days that Mr. Mengfei and Su Ziyang stayed here, Xuhui also heard about the whole story. Originally, Xuhui planned to help Su Ziyang and his apprentice with their boxing, but now Xuyang's sudden cold has completely disrupted the plan.

"Okay. I should be fine here by myself. I'll call you if anything comes up."

Besides preparing the medicine, Daoist Jin had other preparations to make, so Mr. Mengfei had to leave soon. After giving instructions to Su Ziyang, Mr. Mengfei quickly left with a small bag.

"Thank you for your help, Ziyang."

After Mr. Mengfei left, Xuhui felt a little uneasy. He could only pat Su Ziyang on the shoulder, sigh, and say "Thank you for your trouble" to ease his anxiety.

"Uncle-Master, I will do my best!"

Su Ziyang could only purse his lips and say one sentence.

The two remained silent in the living room until evening. Su Ziyang's mind raced, trying to figure out how to handle the situation, drawing on all the books he had studied and read.

It was already 7 p. m., and Xuyang still hadn't come out of the house. Su Ziyang and Xuhui quickly went inside to check on Xuyang.

Xuyang lay on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, as if he were in great pain.

"Uncle Yang." Su Ziyang called out to Xuyang, and Xuhui quickly patted his younger brother on the shoulder.

Xuyang woke up with a start, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Su Ziyang and Xuhui.

"Uncle Yang, what's wrong?" Su Ziyang looked at Xuyang's expression with some confusion.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Just a nightmare..." Xuyang swallowed and sat up slightly.

Xuhui didn't notice anything different and went back to pour water for his younger brother. This dream caught Su Ziyang's attention.

"Uncle Yang, what nightmare did you have? Tell us about it!"

Su Ziyang pulled up a stool and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Xuyang swallowed hard, as if his mouth was extremely dry. "I just had a dream. I was running. Then several dark figures tried to grab me. Their hands smelled awful, were disgusting, like they were crawling out of a toilet. I struggled, but I couldn't wake up. It terrified me..."

"A dark shadow? It smells awful..." Su Ziyang muttered repeatedly, suddenly feeling a chill run down his spine.

"Eryang, have some water." Xuhui came in at this moment, holding a teacup and handing it to Xuyang.

Xuyang held the teacup with both hands, took a small sip of hot water, his eyes slightly glazed over, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the shock he had just experienced.

"What's wrong?" Xuhui noticed that his younger brother's expression was a little off and asked.

"Uncle Yang, please have some water first. Come down for dinner in a bit."

Su Ziyang didn't let Xuhui ask any more questions. Instead, he gestured for Xuyang to drink some water and then pulled Xuhui out of the bedroom.

Su Ziyang pulled Xuhui out and then told Xuhui about the dream he had just told Xuyang.

"You mean?"

Upon hearing Su Ziyang's words, Xuhui immediately understood what Su Ziyang meant.

"You'd better find someone you know in your area to recommend a spiritual healer or shaman. Let's take another look. It's better to be on the safe side; I have a feeling there's something fishy about this."

Su Ziyang repeated himself, and specifically instructed that it must be introduced by a close acquaintance who knew the person very well.

"Okay, okay. I'll arrange it tomorrow. I do know someone in this line of work. Okay, okay!"

Xuhui nodded repeatedly.

"He took Xiao Chai Hu Tang today, is he going to continue taking that medicine?"

"I'm not taking it anymore. I have a cold, so I won't take that medicine for now."

Xuyang's cold was still a bit severe, so after finishing his meal and taking Xiaochaihu granules, he sat in the living room watching TV for a while before immediately going back to his room to rest.

Xuhui, on the other hand, contacted a friend who then connected him with a very powerful local sorcerer.

Su Ziyang was also a little undecided, so he shared his idea with Mr. Mengfei on WeChat, WeChat Mr. Mengfei agreed with Su Ziyang's opinion.

After all, it's best to take these things seriously. Even if it's just to ease your mind, it's still good!