Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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At this moment, the door was pushed open and a middle-aged man came in hurriedly. He said to Hai Guanchao, “Are you Doctor Hai? I’d like you to see a patient!”
Hai Guanchao was now well-known in Zhuyang City. Seeing that the man was sweating profusely with anxiety, he stood up and fearing that the patient was in critical condition, said, “What’s the situation? Where is the patient?”
“My brother has a problem with his brain!” the man said. “The doctor at the hospital said he needs to be hospitalized. Whenever he goes crazy, he’ll be given a sedative. He’s a healthy man, but he got sick just by going out. I really can’t bear it. I heard that you are very good at treating difficult and complicated diseases, so I brought him here to see. He’s in the car now.”
“I can’t cure every mental illness. I can only take their pulse first. If that doesn’t work, sending him to the hospital would be the best option,” Hai Guanchao said seriously. “Mental illness is different from other conditions. When it strikes, a person can harm oneself, family members, and innocent bystanders. The best option is to send him to the hospital, where he can be supervised and treated by professionals.”
The man said angrily, “…Yes, he pushed my parents and they fell, and they couldn’t make it out together. You’re my last hope, alas.”
“Then Lingya, come with me, just in case the patient breaks out at any moment.” Hai Guanchao knew from the man’s physique that his brother, unless he was born with a disability, would be in good physical condition. It was best to be cautious.
Xie Lingya readily followed his advice and went out with him. When they reached the car at the alley entrance, the man opened the door and saw someone who looked very similar to him staring blankly at the front seat. The man called out to his younger brother, who suddenly rushed out.
Fortunately, everyone was prepared and quickly helped him to the clinic.
The man introduced himself as Liang Yao, and his brother as Liang Guang. Both worked at the auto repair shop. While not exceptionally strong, they were nonetheless quite strong, especially when Liang Guang was having an attack; at that time even three grown men holding him down was a real pain.
After dragging him to the clinic, Liang Guang suddenly burst into tears and laughter, a strange blend of the two expressions. He then began singing again, his fingers clenched in a circle. “In spring, the magnolia blossoms bloom in profusion, and the grasses sprout everywhere. Willows are like smoke, and my lover is a guest away, too lazy to dress…”
His expression was strained, and as he sang, he brushed his fingers across his temples, as if stroking his nonexistent long hair—both brothers had very short buzzcuts.
His voice was so thin and raspy that it gave everyone goosebumps.
Hai Guanchao asked, “He… is always like this?”
Liang Yao said blankly, “Yes, sometimes he grabs me and beats me, and sometimes he sings like this, and each time he sings it differently.”
Hai Guanchao suddenly said, “Are you locals?”
Liang Yao nodded, “Yes, my grandfather came here from Quenan at that time.”
That was also a relocation within the province. Hai Guanchao touched the hairs on his body, and seeing that Liang Yao didn’t think there was anything wrong, he couldn’t help but say, “You shouldn’t have heard him sing this song before, the little song he sang is obviously from Wushan area, and his accent also has certain Wushan characteristics…”
Liang Yao was shocked, “Doctor, what do you mean?”
Hai Guanchao pointed at him and said, “Don’t you really think that his every move and expression is very similar to a woman? Your brother used to be like this?”
“No but, but there is something wrong with his brain.” Liang Yao still resisted Hai Guanchao’s attempt to guide him.
Hai Guanchao sighed, “No matter how many problems there are, it’s impossible for even his accent to have changed. How did your brother become like this?”
Liang Yao said bewilderedly, “I thought he learned it from watching TV, and now his potential has been stimulated.” He talked about the scientific principles he imagined, “Besides, he also learned a different accent.”
Xie Lingya and Fang Zhe almost burst out laughing, both feeling that something was wrong. “You should first tell me what went wrong!”
Liang Yao said quickly, “I wasn’t there that day. I heard that my brother and his girlfriend went up the mountain for a picnic. When he went to collect firewood, he didn’t want to take a detour. Plus, he probably wanted to save face in front of his girlfriend, so he jumped over some graves one by one…”
The three of them: “…”
“He jumped two or three times, then he slipped and fell. He then came back like this, and his girlfriend broke up with him,” Liang Yao said dryly. “Doctor Hai, isn’t it just that the fall misconnected some nerve in my brain?”
At this point, Liang Guang stopped singing, paused, and began again, this time with a different accent: “The Qing Dynasty is unified and peaceful. Tonight, a girl longs for her husband. Mother, you’re so confused…”
Hai Guanchao pointed at him and said, “Mr. Liang, do you really think this is simply a case of brain damage?”
Liang Yao sincerely thought so, and the questioning broke him down. “Doctor Hai, what’s going on? Could it be that he is possessed?”
As soon as he said this, he fell silent. He felt as if he had been harboring this thought for a while, but he just didn’t dare to think about it.
“You’re a doctor…” Liang Yao continued to mutter without a clear mind.
“Then go find him. He’s a Taoist priest.” Hai Guanchao pointed at Xie Lingya. “He’s from Baoyang Temple, visiting us.”
Liang Yao: “…”
Xie Lingya: “…” I’m not!
Liang Yao was at his wit’s end and asked, “Then let’s find this person, can he be cured?”
Hai Guanchao said, “If you want, just give it a try. No one can guarantee a 100% success rate, but there’s hope.”
Liang Yao thought about what his brother had been going through these days. If he didn’t try, would he really be sent to a nursing home? He had seen the conditions there, and with their family’s financial situation, there weren’t even single rooms in the place they could afford, and there was no telling when the disease would improve.
Liang Yao hesitated and asked, “How can we try?”
“If you really want to try, I can guarantee that there won’t be any extreme measures.” Xie Lingya first asked for his opinion, and after receiving a positive answer, he rolled up his sleeves and said, “Come on, Master, protect me.”
Hai Guanchao quietly rolled his eyes.
….
Liang Guang’s symptoms clearly indicated that he was possessed by an evil spirit or possessed by a ghost. And unlike ordinary cases of being possessed by an evil spirit, it seemed that he had provoked more than one ghost.
“Shall we talk? I know you can hear me.” Xie Lingya looked at Liang Guang and said.
Liang Guang stroked his cheek as if no one was around and ignored Xie Lingya.
This was normal. Many ghosts were somewhat perverse, especially those that were seeking revenge, such ghosts would not be very polite to humans.
“Okay, let’s talk in a different way.” Xie Lingya considered Liang Yao’s ability to accept and used the art of incantation to solve the problem. The ancestors of Baoyang Temple had traveled around the world and had seen many such cases. Xie Lingya had not come into contact with too many, but there were many successful examples to refer to.
Liang Guang was having an attack, so Xie Lingya called out to Hai Guanchao and Fang Zhe, “Master, you and Fang Zhe press the Guimen and Guishi points on the left hand, while Liang Yao and I will press the right.”
Liang Yao looked like he was about to cry, and Xie Lingya, seeing this, said speechlessly, “Should I change my approach? Press the Daling and Chengjiang points.”
To comfort the family, Hai Guanchao and Fang Zhe pressed the center of Liang Guang’s palm and the area below his mouth, explaining that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, these two points are called Guimen and Guishi. The ancients believed that mental illness was caused by ghosts and spirits and identified a number of points that could calm or benefit the patient.
Zhuyou (incantation) was inherently connected to medicine, and ancient shamans and doctors were one and the same. According to their concept, pressing Guimen and Guishi was to subdue the spirit within the possessed, preventing it from wreaking havoc or escaping.
Liang Guang’s face was etched with pain, and he began to sweat, soaking his clothes in an instant. Unable to move, he began to curse, his words profane.
Xie Lingya ignored him, freeing one hand to pierce Liang Guang’s shoulder wells with Hai Guanchao’s silver needles. With swift movements, Liang Guang immediately screamed in agony, begging Liang Yao to let him go, exclaiming in agony.
Liang Yao seemed moved. “My brother recognizes me now. Is that okay?”
“No, you absolutely mustn’t move,” Xie Lingya warned him. “It’s not your brother who’s begging for mercy. If you let him go now, they’ll have their way. They might escape or hide, and then come back to find your brother, which would be troublesome.”
If he simply wanted to exorcise the ghost, he could use the Lingguan Jue or press the Shanyuan acupressure points, but Liang Guang had likely offended a ghost, making such a simple solution inappropriate.
Liang Yao shuddered, and his grip, which had been loosening slightly, tightened again. This was mainly because Hai Guanchao had explained that the areas they pressed had traditional Chinese medicine definitions, and that nothing would go wrong. It was Xie Lingya’s acupressure points that had left a lasting impression on him.
Xie Lingya stabbed Liang Guang, causing him to scream repeatedly. After Liang Yao’s pleas for mercy went futile, he resorted to strangling his own throat and pleading in a sinister voice, “Stop, stop stabbing me. Let’s talk!”
“No more singing?” Xie Lingya thought this sounded like a genuine plea. With one hand still pressing the ghost gate, he used his phone to record with the other: “Then tell me your name first. That’s the proper way to talk properly.”
Liang Guang grumbled, “Can you please let go first?”
“You go first,” Xie Lingya remained unmoved.
Liang Guang then gave his name, and Xie Lingya wrote it down on his phone: name, hometown, and why he was possessed. The more he wrote, the more astonished he became, as Liang Guang’s tone kept changing.
Finally, Xie Lingya counted: Liang Guang had given eighteen identities!
Liang Yao’s eyes darkened at this. There really were ghosts inhabiting his brother, and there were more than just one or two…
Xie Lingya took a breath, “Are you treating Liang Guang like a roommate?”
Hai Guanchao said sympathetically, “So, you’re here to deal with him.”
Xie Lingya: “…”
Furthermore, according to the information Liang Guang had reported, most of these ghosts were from Wushan and Sushan provinces. Xie Lingya was about to remark that Liang Guang climbed a local mountain, so why were there so many ghosts from other places? But suddenly, he remembered something and said, “I remember my uncle telling me when I was a child that there was a time when Wushan and Sushan were hit by a disaster, and the victims were relocated to other places. One of the resettlement sites was Zhuyang. But that was decades ago.”
These ghosts possessing Liang Guang were indeed victims of that disaster, so it was no wonder they were singing folk songs from those two places.
Liang Guang added coyly, “This kid has trampled on us so many times. How could we tolerate this? We’re here to exact revenge. Otherwise, we’d be unworthy of being ghosts. Is that wrong?”
“Yes,” Xie Lingya said calmly.
Liang Yao became anxious. “Master, what are you saying? My brother really didn’t mean it!”
Xie Lingya said sternly, “So now’s an opportunity. Let’s sit down and have a good discussion about compensation. What do you want his family and Liang Guang himself to do to appease their anger?”
“I want gold, silver, and jewelry!”
“I want to be reincarnated!”
“I want Liang Guang to prepare my grave!”
“…”
Xie Lingya quickly pressed a button with one hand, recording their requests.
At this moment, “Liang Guang” pinched his throat and said, “I, I want a little boy.”
Xie Lingya didn’t even look up: “I’ll burn a pair of paper-made boy and girl for you.”
“No,” Liang Guang’s neck stretched, and the ghost attached to him showed an eager expression. “I want the little ghost on your shoulder. My son will have been about the same age when I died. Bring it to keep me company.”
Liu Lingtong: !!
Xie Lingya’s movements froze for a moment, and he said speechlessly: “If you want your son then go find him in person, why look for a substitute!”
But the other party said righteously: “I do too. I was hoping for my son to come find me at first, but he didn’t come to reunite with me even after waiting for a long time. He didn’t come to visit the grave in these years. I can’t even see him, and I can’t leave the cemetery… Good man, he is eighty-nine years old this year, and it seems he is still in good health. I can’t wait!”
Everyone: “…”
The other party continued chattering: “Even if he comes down, I may not recognize that old man. I still liked his appearance as a child. It is unlikely that he will dress up to entertain his parents…”
Xie Lingya had a headache after listening to it, “Don’t say anymore, don’t say anymore. Let me tell you, it’s impossible. I am a middleman, not the victim. I didn’t ask you to ask me for things. Even if Liang Guang wants to buy it, I won’t sell it to you.”
The ghost paused, then said playfully: “I want it.”
Hai Guanchao showed an expression that he couldn’t bear to look at. He probably knew that this guy was testing the bottom line of human beings, but without him knowing, he was actually hovering on the edge of death.
“You, you…” Liu Lingtong was so angry that he almost stuttered. But he still managed to say, “You have to fight that big guy in the east first!”
The ghost and the Reporting god were talking to each other, so there was no need to get too close to Liu Lingtong’s real body. The ghost was thus confused when he heard it and said confusedly, “What big guy?”
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