Chapter 835: I Really Want to Meet the Old Master
Chen Changsheng knew that the instructors from the Green Shade Thirteen Division and Xu Yourong had both come to Wenshui and personally examined the eldest branch master's illness, but he still decided to see for himself.
As he had just said to that old mansion steward, he had absolute confidence in the medical arts.
Even if everyone had concluded that the eldest branch master was not poisoned but suffering from an incurable disease, he still had to see with his own eyes before he would believe it.
He looked at that middle-aged man lying unconscious in a deep sleep, trying to find traces of Tang Thirty-Six in his features, but found it difficult.
Perhaps it was because he was too gaunt, or perhaps because his face was covered in a golden hue.
He sat down by the bedside and began to take his pulse. Half an hour later, he took out golden needles and inserted them into the man's meridians, beginning a more detailed examination.
This time, it took quite a while. By the time the winter sun had reached its zenith, his fingers were still gripping the tails of the golden needles, performing a rhythmic vibration.
The door was tightly shut, sealing off all sights inside. No one knew what was happening within.
Nanke stood before the door, expressionless, motionless.
Whether it was the brocade stool personally brought by Madam Tang or the precious tea presented by the senior maidservant with both hands, she did not even glance at them, let alone speak.
At first, when they saw His Holiness the Pope enter the eldest master's room, the people of the eldest branch couldn't help but show joy on their faces. In their minds, since His Holiness the Pope could refine the cinnabar pill that revived the dead, his medical skills must be extremely superb. Even if the Holy Light Technique couldn't save the eldest master, feeding him a cinnabar pill would do the trick. However, as time passed, people gradually grew anxious. Some bold maidservants tried to sneak a peek, but were scared back by Nanke's gaze.
No one knew how long had passed when the tightly shut door finally opened, and Chen Changsheng walked out.
Madam Tang stepped forward. She had been calm all along, but now she could no longer suppress her emotions. Her face was tense, yet tinged with hope.
Seeing Madam Tang's expression, Chen Changsheng held back the words he wanted to say.
After such a long time probing with the golden needles, he had gained a very comprehensive understanding of the eldest branch master's physical condition. But the more he understood, the stranger he found it. There was indeed no residual poison in the eldest branch master's body, nor any symptoms of poisoning. It was just that his meridians were gradually withering, and his life force was continuously fading away.
The problem was that he couldn't find the cause, so naturally there was no way to treat it. Moreover, there was another strange point: deep within the main acupoint of the eldest master's liver meridian, he vaguely sensed a faint yin-cold aura. However, this aura was very faint and couldn't be traced to its source. It might be an old ailment from years ago, or it might be...
"Has the eldest branch master ever injured his lower back before?" he asked Madam Tang.
Madam Tang thought carefully for a moment, then shook her head and said, "He's been injured many times, but never in the lower back."
Chen Changsheng suddenly noticed a puzzled expression on Nanke's small face and asked, "What's wrong?"
Nanke looked at him and said, "I think I smell something."
Chen Changsheng thought to himself, could it really be so? He turned and led her into the room, saying, "Smell carefully."
Nanke sniffed the air continuously like a little dog, moving around until she got closer and closer to the bed.
Finally, she stopped by the bedside, looked at Chen Changsheng, and nodded.
Chen Changsheng understood what she meant.
Madam Tang was very clever. Although she didn't grasp Nanke's specific meaning, she understood the implication. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, and her body swayed slightly.
Chen Changsheng looked at her and shook his head.
A resolute expression appeared on Madam Tang's face. She steadied her mind and also steadied her body.
Just then, wailing sounds suddenly came from beyond the second gate. Listening closely, the voices included men and women, old and young.
"Heaven has opened its eyes! The eldest master is finally saved!"
"His Holiness the Pope's grace is as vast as the heavens! I, Hu San, am willing to be your beast of burden!"
"Eldest master! Wake up quickly!"
Hearing these sounds, the maidservants in the inner courtyard showed looks of disdain. Several stewardesses were so furious that, if not for His Holiness the Pope being present, they would have cursed out loud. They said bitterly, "These shameless people don't really care about the master. They're just afraid that if the master is saved by His Holiness, he'll settle accounts with them!"
Chen Changsheng had grown up in a Daoist temple. Where would he have seen such sinister schemes in an old mansion of a noble family? He was momentarily stunned.
"These past six months, Tang'er has been in the ancestral hall reciting sutras and praying for his father. I've been busy treating the eldest master, so I've inevitably neglected discipline over the servants. Disturbing Your Holiness is truly disrespectful."
Madam Tang said apologetically, inviting him to rest in the study of the adjoining wing.
The study was quiet, and the insincere crying from afar could not be heard.
Besides him and Madam Tang, only Nanke followed in.
With no outsiders present, Madam Tang finally showed her true emotions. Her eyes slightly reddened, she said, "I thank His Holiness the Pope for his grace. I beg Your Holiness to save the eldest master's life. The Tang family's properties can all be given to the second branch. I only want the eldest master to live, and for Tang'er to be released."
Chen Changsheng said, "Rest assured, everything will prioritize the safety of the eldest master and Tang Tang."
Madam Tang looked into his eyes and confirmed that he was telling the truth before she truly relaxed. She said, "Today, I may also need to borrow Your Holiness's vast divine might."
Chen Changsheng understood her meaning and said, "Madam, use it as you see fit."
...
...
By the time they returned to the Daoist hall, it was nearly dusk. The setting sun shone on Wenshui, and Chen Changsheng once again came to the water's edge.
The grass in the rear garden had been restored to new, showing no trace of last night's assassination.
Archbishop Anlin, Guan Feibai, and the others stayed close by his side, unwilling to let last night's situation repeat itself.
Not long after, the King of Linghai returned, bringing the latest news.
On the grounds of offending His Holiness the Pope, Madam Tang had directly beaten to death three second-rank stewards and over a dozen servants, and driven away seven or eight old maids.
During the execution, the King of Linghai stood by without saying a word, so no one dared to speak.
The old mansion steward's face was extremely grim, but in the end, he remained silent.
After hearing about what had happened in the eldest branch of the Tang family, Guan Feibai felt very frustrated.
Like most disciples of the Lishan Sword Sect, including Gou Hanshi, he came from a poor background and had a natural aversion to all noble family scions except for the senior brother. That was why he had disliked Tang Thirty-Six's behavior at the Green Vine Banquet in the capital.
He had never imagined that the poor had their hardships, and the noble families had theirs too—and relatively speaking, theirs were even darker, with more ruthless cruelty among kin. Just think: if the eldest branch master truly died of illness, Tang Thirty-Six was imprisoned in the ancestral hall, and Madam Tang, a widow, would have an unbearably difficult life ahead.
"We need to find a way to get that guy out quickly," he said to Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng was thinking about more than that.
Besides rescuing Tang Thirty-Six from the ancestral hall, there was also a clue about the eldest branch master's illness.
But to resolve these two matters, it ultimately depended on the Tang family's attitude.
He said to the Bishop of Wenshui, "Make arrangements. I want to see Old Master Tang tomorrow."