Ghost Strike and Flying Corpse Disease

When Mr. Mengfei saw Su Ziyang turn to look at him, he said, "If I'm not mistaken, this young woman's illness should have started with something she ate! At first, she must have been vomiting nonstop! She probably couldn't pass stool at the time, either!"

At those words, Xiao Qiang, who had just been so defiant, immediately looked at Mr. Mengfei and nodded vigorously. "That's exactly right, sir. How did you know?"

He looked so meek and obedient that it was as though the two of them had never just exchanged harsh words.

What Su Ziyang admired about his master was that Mr. Mengfei could always hit the nail on the head.

That ability was exceptionally useful in the medical profession.

A striking statement that hit the mark would often win a patient's trust, and trust was equally important to patients and doctors.

If patients trusted their doctors, they would tell them the truth about their condition, allowing the doctors to make better diagnoses and help them resolve their problems. At the same time, patients who trusted their doctors would follow their instructions without question, which was better for their recovery.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

But in the current medical environment, patients often didn't fully trust doctors and even concealed details of their conditions, leading doctors to make inaccurate judgments.

This was especially evident among young doctors in hospitals.

With incidents of medical disputes occurring frequently, doctors were often overly conservative when treating patients, which was detrimental to their recovery. Doctors had little choice in the matter, but it was indeed an effective means of self-protection.

Mr. Mengfei, however, could diagnose the cause and nature of a patient's illness through observation alone, and that ability could go a long way toward solving the problem.

The handsome Xiao Qiang immediately began explaining to everyone. "The woman in the bed is her younger sister, Xuan Yu. Her condition has lasted for two whole years. The illness did start as Mr. Mengfei said. My sister and I were visiting our maternal grandparents at the time."

"The two of us usually didn't have much free time, so our grandparents were delighted that we'd come together. My uncle was also very happy to see his nephew, and that day he bought a wild softshell turtle at the market, insisting that everyone eat it to build up their strength!"

"The whole family had a happy meal together. Just as we finished eating, Xuan Yu suddenly said she was sleepy. The housework wasn't going to fall to the two of us kids, so she went back to the bedroom to sleep!"

At this point, Mr. Mengfei suddenly interrupted Xiao Qiang. "The problem should have been with that turtle. It was the only wild animal on the table when you ate, wasn't it?"

Xiao Qiang thought for a moment and gave an uncertain nod. "But if it was the turtle, I ate it too, didn't I? Everyone ate it. Why didn't anyone else get sick?!"

Mr. Mengfei didn't answer Xiao Qiang's question immediately, instead gesturing for him to continue.

So Xiao Qiang went on. "My sister went back to the bedroom to sleep, and we chatted in the living room. But by dinnertime, she still hadn't come out."

"So I went to call her. I knocked, but no one answered, so I went in. She was still sleeping there, and I woke her up. When she woke up, she said her stomach felt uncomfortable, and her complexion didn't look very good either! I thought the food at lunch had been too greasy and she had indigestion, so I gave her a digestive tablet."

"But when dinner was ready, she took one sip of porridge and rushed to the bathroom to throw up. Then she kept throwing up until there was nothing left, and she was still dry heaving. The family got a little scared, so we went to a nearby hospital."

"I remember they did a blood test at the hospital, I think! But everything was normal. Then the doctor said to give her an anti-vomiting injection. Afterward, my sister said she felt a little better, so we thought it had just been a false alarm and went home."

"After we got back, she was probably still feeling a little unwell. She didn't eat dinner and went to sleep. The next morning at breakfast, she had barely taken a sip of porridge when she immediately started dry heaving again!"

"My sister was the youngest, so everyone doted on her the most. My grandpa called our parents, and afterward we went to the most authoritative hospital in our area for an examination! They ran practically every test there was, but still couldn't make heads or tails of it. Then they started her on an IV, and the vomiting improved while she was on it. Without the IV, anything she ate or drank would come right back up the moment it entered her mouth!"

"Later, we brought in a specialist from the capital. He judged it to be vomiting caused by the central nervous system, so he used a central nervous system antiemetic. She did stop throwing up after taking it, but then she actually had a stroke and became paralyzed on one side. Her mouth was crooked and her eyes were askew!"

Everyone was startled to hear this, but no one interrupted Xiao Qiang.

"When the hospital saw she'd had a stroke, they started treating that. In less than two weeks, I think, she recovered completely, without a single aftereffect! Just as we were about to celebrate, we discovered that my sister had started vomiting again when she ate! The symptoms were very strange, and after a long time without a cure locally, we came to the capital."

"After we got here, they still couldn't find a cause, and all her physical examinations came back normal. Later, we traveled from place to place seeking treatment, but no one had any good solution. Now she usually relies on IVs of glucose and such to maintain her basic bodily functions."

As Xiao Qiang spoke, his eyes reddened. Clearly, he was very close to his sister.

"Didn't you consider gods and ghosts?!" Daoist Master Xiao Yang asked bluntly.

Xiao Qiang sighed. "Alas, my father never used to believe in that sort of thing, but since my sister fell ill, we've invited plenty of Buddhists and Daoists, as well as folk spirit mediums and shamans. I don't know how much money we've spent, but nothing has made her any better. Whenever those people came, she could eat on the day they performed their rituals, but usually it only lasted two days, three at most, before she went right back to how she was!"

"Actually, my father didn't believe in this sort of thing before, and no one else in my family did either. But when we were in the capital, my sister dreamed one day of a dark figure. The figure said that no matter where my sister went, he would kill her. For one thing, we thought her dream was strange, and for another, we really were at our wits' end! We heard that the Daoist masters at the Daoist Medicine Clinic here were highly skilled in medicine, so we came seeking treatment! That's why I spoke a little hastily just now. Please forgive me, masters. My sister is ill, and I've been upset about it!"

At this point, everyone basically understood what had happened.

Mr. Mengfei asked Su Ziyang, "You've taken her pulse! The inquiry is clear, and so is the observation! What do you think should be done?"

Although the situation was clear, Su Ziyang was completely bewildered. It was simply too strange; the oddity of this illness was no less than that of the woman before.

Seeing that Su Ziyang wasn't speaking, Mr. Mengfei said, "Then, Xiao Su, let me ask you. What was the pulse you just felt like?!"

Su Ziyang honestly described the pulse he had just felt, and everyone was astonished to hear it.

"What illness does this pulse indicate, then?" Mr. Mengfei asked again.

"I don't understand, Master. Please enlighten me!" Su Ziyang had realized that if he didn't understand something, it was better to admit it outright. This was a trump card for dealing with Mr. Mengfei's tests.

"According to the Illustrated Explanation of Pulse Formulas and Disease Patterns, whenever a ghostly entity attaches itself to someone, the pulses in both hands may suddenly be large, then small; suddenly long, then short; suddenly rapid, then sparse; suddenly deep, then floating. When a yang evil appears, the pulse is floating and surging; when a yin evil appears, it is deep and tight. In cases of ghosts and sudden fright from external influence, all three pulse positions are slippery, surging, and large, wavering, deep, and smooth. But when these do not correspond to the symptoms, they are all the work of the five corpses, ghostly evils, and hidden influences..."

Seeing that Su Ziyang didn't know, Mr. Mengfei recited the passage from an ancient text at a measured pace.

Although it was an ancient text, everyone understood it in light of Su Ziyang's description! This was a Ghostly Pulse!

At this, Xiao Qiang suddenly asked, "Then, according to you, Master, my sister should be possessed by a ghostly entity. But we've brought in so many masters that she should have recovered. Why hasn't she?!"

"The ancients recorded this pulse under the name of ghostly entities to show that it was highly changeable and very strange. It doesn't necessarily mean that a ghost or evil spirit has actually possessed someone. It's like how people ordinarily say someone is 'sneaking around like a ghost'; it's a description!"

Mr. Mengfei continued, "What your sister has is actually an illness. As the saying goes, the patient suddenly suffers fullness and distension in the chest and abdomen, with neither vomiting nor diarrhea able to pass, resembling dry cholera. This is what people call an evil assault. When a person's spirit is incomplete and their heart and mind are full of fear, they may be struck by an evil ghost, or one may attach itself to them. They become deeply silent, talk and rave in their sleep, slander and curse, expose others' private affairs without regard for reproach or suspicion, and readily speak of misfortunes and blessings yet to come. When the time arrives, they are not wrong by a hair's breadth. When someone forms a thought, they already know its beginning; they climb heights and cross dangerous ground as though walking on level earth. Or they weep and groan, unwilling to see anyone. Their manifestations are countless, like drunkenness or madness, too many to list. These are all cases of ghosts, spirits, and various sprites and demons attaching themselves to people and bewildering them, or of people violating taboos and offending local gods and spirits, who cause these things. Yet there is nothing real to them."

"That passage says it! There is nothing real to it; it is actually only an illness, not a genuine offense against ghosts and gods! In traditional Chinese medicine, this illness is called Ghost Strike and Flying Corpse Disease! Now that I've mentioned it, Xiao Su, it shouldn't be unfamiliar to you! It's in the book you read all the time!"

Su Ziyang thought about it. There were only two books he read all the time: Treatise on Cold Damage and Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet. But he hadn't seen any Ghost Strike and Flying Corpse Disease in either of them, had he?

"Master, I don't know!" Su Ziyang rubbed his head, a little unhappy. Since his master had said it, it must be there. He had probably overlooked it.

"Then you need to hurry up and study, Xiao Su." Mr. Mengfei wasn't angry; he merely urged him on. "In 'Chapter Ten: Pulse Patterns, Symptoms, and Treatment of Abdominal Fullness, Cold Hernia, and Retained Food' in Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet, there is an appended prescription called Galloping Horse Decoction. The Outer Terrace's Galloping Horse Decoction: treats evil assault with heart pain, abdominal distension, and inability to pass stool. Two croton seeds, peeled, cored, and roasted; two apricot kernels. Wrap the two ingredients in cotton and pound them to pieces. Add two he of hot water, squeeze out the white liquid, and drink it; it should bring about a bowel movement. Adjust the amount for the old and young. It also treats Flying Corpse and Ghost Strike Disease."

At this, understanding suddenly dawned on Su Ziyang!

There did seem to be such a prescription. Because croton seeds were highly poisonous, Su Ziyang had even grumbled about what use the prescription could possibly have!

He hadn't expected it to come into use today!