Chapter 255 - 254: The Eerily Windy Ancestral Hall

The old doctor entered the room, sat on the chair by Zhao Linglong’s bed, and placed three fingers on her wrist. He closed his eyes and began to take her pulse.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, his expression quite certain. "Miss Zhao is suffering from a deficiency of both qi and blood, a restless mind, and physical weakness caused by long-term overthinking. She just needs some proper nourishment. I’ll prescribe some medicine to calm her nerves and replenish her qi, and she’ll recover after a period of rest."

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao immediately showed a satisfied expression. She turned to Yang Xun, her tone laced with a hint of smugness. "Did you hear that? This is a professional diagnosis. Not like some people, going on about ’Yin Sha Qi.’ Who do you think you’re fooling?"

Yang Xun wasn’t annoyed. He simply gave the old doctor a cool glance. "She is indeed deficient in qi and blood, but that is not the main reason for her illness."

Being questioned like this, the old doctor was clearly displeased. "I’ve been practicing medicine for thirty years. I’m confident in my judgment. How dare a young punk like you question me?"

Yang Xun’s tone remained calm. "I am simply speaking the truth. There is an extremely faint blockage deep within her pulse. That is a far more serious problem than a deficiency of qi and blood."

"Everything you’re saying is just something you’ve imagined!"

Madam Zhao snorted coldly. "Enough. Stop trying to be mysterious. My daughter’s illness will naturally be treated by a real, renowned doctor. We won’t trouble you any further."

Zhao Hongshan was about to try and smooth things over, but Madam Zhao pulled him into the house, showing no regard for anyone’s dignity.

Zhou Yuan’s expression had completely darkened. He turned to Yang Xun. "Mr. Yang, since they’re so ungrateful, there’s no need for us to stay here. As for the Red Flame Reishi, I’ll help you ask around somewhere else."

Yang Xun was silent for a few seconds before finally nodding.

He walked to the bedside and looked down at Zhao Linglong.

Zhao Linglong was looking at him with her amber eyes wide open. She spoke weakly, "Dr. Yang, I... I believe you."

Yang Xun took a slip of paper from his pocket, quickly wrote down his number, and pressed it into Zhao Linglong’s palm. "If you feel unwell tonight, call me."

Zhao Linglong’s fingers gently tightened around the slip of paper, and she nodded obediently.

Yang Xun turned and followed Zhou Yuan out of the room.

As they went downstairs, Zhou Yuan was still fuming. "That woman from the Zhao Family really doesn’t know what’s good for her. We came all this way, and what does she do? Calls you a fraud right to your face."

"It’s a small matter."

Yang Xun’s tone was placid. "The Yin Sha Qi in Zhao Linglong’s body can’t be cleared in a day or two. Even if that old doctor prescribes medicine now, she’ll have an episode tonight."

Zhou Yuan was stunned for a moment. "How do you know?"

"Because that Yin Sha Qi isn’t just simple cold energy," Yang Xun explained. "It has a will of its own. Treating it carelessly with medicine will only make the coldness worse."

Zhou Yuan was dumbfounded. He was silent for a moment before asking, "So where are we going now?"

"To that old town."

Yang Xun pulled open the car door and got in. "I want to see for myself what’s in that ancestral hall that can do this to a person."

The car drove out of the manor, heading west along the outskirts of the city.

About forty minutes later, the buildings on either side of the road grew sparse, and they finally stopped at the entrance to a small town that looked like it had been abandoned for years.

Bluestone Town.

The town wasn’t large. Most of the houses lining the streets were dilapidated, their corners overgrown with moss and weeds. Occasionally, one or two elderly people could be seen sitting by their doors, sunning themselves, their cloudy eyes watching the unfamiliar car pass by.

The car stopped at the easternmost edge of the town.

A dusty, gray ancestral hall stood silently in a vacant lot overgrown with weeds.

The roof of the ancestral hall had mostly collapsed, revealing the pitch-black beams within.

The stone steps at the entrance were covered in a thick layer of moss. The two wooden doors were ajar, their mottled paint long faded by the erosion of time.

Yang Xun pushed open the car door and stepped out. A blast of chilly wind hit him, carrying an indescribable dampness that made him narrow his eyes slightly.

Zhou Yuan and two of his men also got out of the car, following behind Yang Xun.

The group had just reached the entrance of the ancestral hall when Zhou Yuan couldn’t help but shiver.

"Why is this place so gloomy? It’s broad daylight, so why do I feel a chill down my spine?"

One of the subordinates rubbed his arms. "Young Master Zhou, I feel it too. It’s like something is watching us."

Zhou Yuan turned to Yang Xun. "Mr. Yang, something’s not right with this place."

"You guys wait at the entrance. I’m going in to take a look."

Yang Xun pushed open the ajar wooden door and strode inside.

The interior of the ancestral hall was even more dilapidated than it appeared from the outside. A thick layer of dust covered the floor.

Cobwebs were layered one upon another in the corners. Sunlight slanted in through cracks in the damaged roof, casting columns of light onto the dim floor.

The air was filled with a scent of decay. This ancestral hall hadn’t been entered in a long time; the yin energy was truly heavy.

Yang Xun’s gaze slowly swept across the hall’s interior, and his eyes suddenly narrowed slightly.

On the floor, there were several spots that were clearly darker than the surrounding dust.

Yang Xun squatted down and gently touched one of the darker spots with his finger.

It was blood!

Too much time had clearly passed. The blood had seeped into the wooden floorboards, leaving dark-brown, sprawling stains.

And there wasn’t just one.

Yang Xun stood up, his gaze slowly following the trail of stains on the floor.

From the entrance to the offering table, from the table to the side door, and then to the back corner...

The bloodstains were intermittent. Some were splatters, others were drips, as if someone had been in a violent conflict here and then dragged their injured body away.

Yang Xun’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

He carefully examined the position and shape of each bloodstain, then followed their direction through the side door at the back of the hall, arriving in an empty, weed-choked lot.

The lot wasn’t small. It was surrounded by collapsed walls and dense bushes, making it feel exceptionally dark and damp even at high noon.

The wild grass on the ground was waist-high, a dense, oppressive patch.

Yang Xun stood at the edge of the lot, his gaze slowly sweeping over the dense grass. Suddenly, he felt a faint, almost imperceptible force guiding him in a certain direction.

He composed himself and followed the pull deep into the grass, stopping where the ground was slightly raised.

"Mr. Yang, what are you doing?"

Zhou Yuan, standing at the entrance of the ancestral hall, called out with some worry as he saw Yang Xun walk into the waist-high grass.

Yang Xun didn’t answer, his gaze locked tightly on the slightly raised patch of ground at his feet.

He turned, walked out of the ancestral hall, and retrieved a folding shovel from the car. Then, he strode back to that patch of grass and began to dig.