Shoukang Hall had been thrown into complete chaos by the old mistress’s sudden collapse.

By the time Lang Jiuchuan arrived, all the masters of the Lang household, large and small, had already crowded into the main room. A faint sound of weeping could be heard — and Lang Jiuchuan felt a jolt of unease in her heart.

The old mistress didn’t look like someone ready to ascend to the immortals.

As she walked in, quite a few inquisitive glances turned her way. Word that Madam Shen had sent lavish gifts to her had already spread to every branch and every courtyard — naturally people were curious how she had come to know such a notable figure.

They’d heard she had just had Jian Lan sent over to deliver Vitality Pills and medicinal ingredients to the old mistress. One wondered what she might send to the rest of them.

Lang Jiuchuan entered the room. The warmth of the air, mingled with the scent of various face powders, washed over her at once. Her nose prickled — and she sneezed.

There was no death aura in this room. So why was someone weeping?

“What are you wailing about? This is an ill omen!” Lang Jiuchuan coldly snapped at the woman in the moon-white gauze skirt and the coiled celestial-immortal hairdo, her eyes sharp and fox-like.

That was Lang Zhengping’s favored concubine, Chen Yiniang — the birth mother of Lang Cailing and Lang Caiyi. Caught off guard by Lang Jiuchuan’s rebuke, her crying lodged in her throat. Her face flushed red, and just as she opened her mouth to say something sharp in return, mucus shot out of her nose instead.

Ding Yiniang, watching from the side, felt her brow twitch — she nearly burst out laughing.

Lang Cailing had not expected Lang Jiuchuan to walk in and immediately start scolding someone — and her own birth mother at that. Fury blazed in her eyes. “Who do you think you—”

“Seventh Younger Sister, do not cause trouble at a time like this!” Wu Shi, standing behind the beaded curtain, cut her off with a warning.

“She’s the one who started it!”

Wu Shi rolled her eyes inwardly. In all honesty, the rebuke wasn’t wrong — the old mistress was still alive, yet here was someone already making a show of weeping, and looking this done up and pretty while doing it. What was she trying to achieve? Especially with the mourning period still in effect — was she hoping to lure her husband to her room tonight?

Shameless fox.

Lang Jiuchuan paid not the slightest attention to Lang Cailing and walked straight into the old mistress’s inner bedchamber. Wu Shi tried to intercept her and couldn’t.

Inside the bedchamber, the Hou Residence’s house physician, Physician Chen, was already taking the old mistress’s pulse. Lang Zhengping and all three of the Lang household’s daughters-in-law were waiting at the side. When Cui Shi saw Lang Jiuchuan come barging in, her brow furrowed, and she stepped over, speaking softly, “Wait outside. What are you doing in here adding to the confusion?”

Lang Jiuchuan took two steps closer and looked at the old mistress. Her countenance was peaceful, her brow unfurrowed — she looked simply as if she had fallen asleep, without a trace of pain. Serene as someone who had already passed on in perfect calm.

Something was off.

There was no sign that any emissary of the underworld had been here. But in this state, she didn’t appear to have fainted — it looked more like her soul had gone missing.

She went to Wang Nanny’s side and asked quietly, “How did the old mistress faint?”

Wang Nanny’s eyes were red and swollen. “This old servant doesn’t know either. She had been perfectly fine — rambling on about wanting to see the old master, and asking for wine-fermented rice dumplings. I turned away just for a moment to give the order, and when I turned back, she had slumped against the large resting pillow. Most of her body had nearly slid off the daybed. I thought she was taking a quick nap, but when I called to her several times and she didn’t stir, that’s when I panicked.”

Lang Jiuchuan’s brow creased.

At this moment, Physician Chen had already withdrawn his hand and was speaking to a visibly anxious Lang Zhengping. “The old mistress is of advanced years, and her condition of dementia is already established. She has suffered a stroke before. Having just taken her pulse, I find it somewhat rapid — liver qi stagnation, qi deficiency, and blood stasis. I fear this may be a recurrence of the stroke.”

Lang Zhengping’s expression changed entirely. A recurrence of a stroke — for an elderly person already afflicted with dementia — was extremely dangerous. One moment of carelessness, and she could simply slip away.

“Then my mother, she…”

Physician Chen considered his words carefully. “The old mistress remains unconscious. My recommendation is to use acupuncture needles. Once the old mistress regains consciousness, another examination of the pulse can guide a more detailed and thorough diagnosis.”

Wu Shi said just then, “The Imperial Physician has arrived.”

Lang Zhengping immediately went to the doorway. He saw his fourth son bringing Imperial Physician Liang from the Imperial Medical Institute and quickly clasped his hands in apology. “My mother fainted without warning. My son acted presumptuously. Please forgive the imposition, Physician Liang.”

Imperial Physician Liang was still catching his breath. “Think nothing of it — seeing to the old mistress first is what matters.”

Lang Zhengping guided him to the bedside. After a careful examination — observing her complexion, listening to her breathing, asking questions, and taking her pulse — the diagnosis was essentially the same as Physician Chen’s: acupuncture needles first.

The two physicians stepped to the side to confer on how to apply the needles and administer medicine. Lang Jiuchuan slipped through the gap and came to the bedside, taking the old mistress’s hand to feel her pulse.

The pulse was indeed as the physicians had said — qi deficiency and blood stasis, the kind that easily blocked the channels of the brain and brought on a stroke. With acupuncture to clear the meridians and medicine to regulate, further attacks could be prevented.

But acupuncture alone would not be enough to wake her.

Lang Jiuchuan removed the forehead band from the old mistress’s brow, then pressed two fingers against her forehead, the Panguan Brush — hair-thin and suspended in her hand like a needle — passing lightly over it.

No reaction. Not a stir.

Just as she had suspected: the soul had gone missing.

Wan Fang found her movements strange and said, “Ninth girl, you have a kind heart, but please wait outside. After the physicians have applied the needles, your grandmother will wake up.”

This was the first time Wan Fang had seen Lang Jiuchuan show such concern for someone in the household. There was clearly still the bond of the old lady having raised her as a small child — that care had not been given in vain.

Lang Jiuchuan stepped back and went to stand beside Lang Zhengping. Her lips parted — and Lang Zhengping, catching sight of the movement and guessing what was coming, felt his hair stand on end. He said urgently, “Don’t say it. Don’t say anything yet.”

Niece, can that ill-omened mouth of yours rest for a while?

Lang Jiuchuan: “?”

Lang Zhengping pulled her into a corner, his voice hoarse. “Don’t say anything. Wait until the physicians have applied the needles first.”

“She won’t wake up.”

Lang Zhengping’s eyes went wide. His face flushed red with a mixture of anxiety and exasperation. He told you not to say it, and you went and said it anyway — are you incapable of understanding plain speech?

Lang Jiuchuan watched him tremble with rage all the way to his whiskers and felt not the slightest fear. She said, “Grandmother’s soul has gone missing. It’s no longer in the body. The acupuncture needles won’t be enough to wake her.”

“…What?”

“What do you mean, soul gone missing?” Lang Zhengping grew alarmed. What could this possibly mean?

Lang Jiuchuan said, “It means her three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls have left the physical body. In common terms, it’s called soul departure. The soul must be called back before she can recover.”

Lang Zhengping: “…”

Listen to what he was hearing. She was saying his elderly mother had suffered soul departure?

“Is this true?” Lang Zhengping thought of that mouth of hers and all the things it had correctly predicted, and his heart hammered with dread. Did they need to go find a spirit medium to come to the house?

“Just watch and see.”

Lang Zhengping looked over. While they had been talking, Imperial Physician Liang had already inserted silver needles into the acupoints on the old mistress’s head, hands, and even the soles of her feet.

Wan Fang and the others turned their heads to steal glances, their expressions all carrying the same faint puzzlement — since when had this uncle and niece become so close that they could huddle together whispering secrets?

Feng Shi shot a sidelong glance at Cui Shi, then lowered her gaze again, thinking to herself: the ninth young miss certainly knows how to find backing — she’s gone straight to the most powerful voice in the Lang household and latched on.

Cui Shi’s expression turned dazed. She watched Lang Jiuchuan — all her bristles retracted, speaking with her First Uncle with an ease and openness she had never shown toward Cui Shi herself — and felt something strange stir in her chest. A foreignness. And a stinging envy.

If her own father were still alive, would she have spoken with him the same way, without any barrier between them?

An ache rose in Cui Shi’s heart. She looked away, eyes reddened, and turned her gaze to the old mistress lying on the bed.

Meanwhile, Imperial Physician Liang and Physician Chen continued to manipulate the silver needles — but the old mistress showed not the faintest sign of stirring. Their hearts began to sink. At this age, failing to wake — the trouble would be grave indeed.

Lang Zhengping’s heart was going cold as ice. It was over. She had been right again.

Lang Jiuchuan had already gone to the wardrobe, opened it, and rummaged out a small garment the old mistress commonly wore — then walked out.

“Where are you going?” Lang Zhengping immediately caught hold of her.

“Soul calling.”