He changed Tiwat

The "ferryman" led the four people through the store, and suddenly the view opened up before them.

You can't tell from the outside that the Rebirth Hall is actually a large courtyard house with three sections!

After passing through the second-level hanging flower gate, Han Fulai saw a rather spacious courtyard.

The main house, side rooms, and ear rooms in the courtyard are enclosed by the walls of the main house, the courtyard walls, and the covered walkway, which are decorated with rocks, flowers and trees, creating a quiet and elegant environment.

Judging from Han Fulai's observation, this place was much larger than the library of the "Feiyun Chamber of Commerce" that he had seen in Qingce Village before, and could be described as a garden.

In the center of this courtyard, a stage has been set up, with many lanterns hanging on it for stage lighting. It seems that all the lanterns in the Hall of Rebirth have been collected—no wonder the "ferryman" lady had to hold up a lantern for lighting herself.

Benches and small tea tables with food were set up around the stage, clearly indicating that preparations for the concert had been made in advance.

Actually, let alone Xin Yan organizing this small-scale concert, even if Yun Jin's stage were moved here, it wouldn't feel crowded.

Xingqiu often visited Wangsheng Hall to compose poems with Hutao. He was quite familiar with the place and introduced the scenery in the garden to Han Fulai and the others. For example, he mentioned that Hutao had planted this plum tree herself, and that one was planted by Hutao's grandfather...

In the prime location of Feiyunpo, the fact that such a large property exists is undoubtedly due to the hard work of successive hall masters, and Hu Tao has certainly not disgraced the legacy left by his ancestors.

The "ferrywoman" asked the group to wait a moment, then, carrying her paper lantern, she walked silently down the veranda and knocked on the doors of the east and west wing rooms one by one.

Soon, groups of two or three people came out of the side rooms. Most of them were elderly people in their fifties or sixties, dressed in different clothes, but each of them had an extraordinary air about them.

Xingqiu quietly introduced them to the group, explaining that these people were all guest elders of the Hall of Rebirth, as well as renowned scholars from various historical and cultural research associations in Liyue.

Traditional funeral rites involve many procedures—the laying of the body, the method of burial, the memorial tablets and other items… all of these aspects are governed by strict rules.

As the final resting place for the people of Liyue, regardless of how outsiders view it, the Hall of Rebirth considers itself to bear a great mission.

Such an important institution should be led by someone with extensive knowledge and a cautious approach. Therefore, the abbots of the Hall of Rebirth in the Pure Land have always invited scholars from various fields to serve as advisors and teachers.

Walnut House clearly inherited this tradition. Every day when the house was closed, Walnut House would invite learned guests to give lectures and instruction to the young performers. The gentlemen did not stay in the hall for long, but the Hall of Rebirth still prepared guest rooms for them to rest, which was a courtesy that the Hall of Rebirth extended to its guests.

Among all the teachers, Mr. Zhongli is the most respected. His lectures have been remarkably effective, greatly improving the professionalism of the ritual officiants at the Rebirth Hall. Therefore, Hu Tao specially invited him to be the chief lecturer. He not only lectures but also participates in the management of the Rebirth Hall, making him a semi-partner of the hall.

It seems that Zhongli is not in the hall today.

After the "ferryman" had finished greeting the teachers, she went into the innermost part of the courtyard, to the rear building near the boundary of the courtyard—that was the "staff dormitory" for the young ritual officiants of the Rebirth Hall.

According to Xingqiu, the ritual attendants at the Rebirth Hall are provided with room and board, and receive additional allowances during holidays. Their annual income adds up to seven or eight million Mora, comparable to the salary of a civil servant at Yuehaiting. The salaries of the guest attendants are even higher.

Upon hearing this, Han Fulai even secretly thought that if he hadn't been recruited into Yuehaiting by Gan Yu, becoming a ritual attendant in the Hall of Rebirth might have been a good career path.

Chapter 328 A Patient Even Atractylodes Macrocephala Can't Cure [4k]

When the "ferryman" returned, she was followed by many young people in their teens and twenties, all wearing the black uniforms of the Rebirth Hall—they were all young priests undergoing training at the hall.

Although the uniforms of the Hall of Rebirth were solemn and dignified, the curiosity and anticipation on the faces of the young people could not be concealed by the uniforms. Many young people were already excitedly shouting when they saw the stage, but when the "Ferryman" lady turned around and glanced back, the young ritual attendants immediately shut their mouths, and some even started to tremble—although the head of the Hall of Rebirth, Hu Tao, was not very imposing, the head ritual attendant, the "Ferryman" lady, was full of authority.

Presumably, during the training of those young people, the instructor, "Ferryman," must have been quite ruthless.

With Han Fulai's current perspective, he could already see that many of the young ceremonial attendants present were skilled in martial arts, and the "Ferryman" Miss was one of the best among them.

The funeral hall is very different from the makeshift troupes that ordinary people imagine. It's not like the kind of funeral in remote rural areas where you just hire a small opera troupe to play music and make it happen.

Just as Hu Tao and Han Fulai said at Wuwangpo, the funeral officiants at Wangshengtang, in addition to their regular funeral and burial services, also perform exorcisms and rituals to help ghosts pass on. Therefore, it is possible for the officiants working there to actually "see ghosts" while they are working.

Such work naturally requires more professional training.

Besides learning the rules of the Hall of Resurrection, the funeral culture and historical traditions of Liyue, the young people who follow the "Ferryman" also need to know some rituals for warding off evil spirits. When necessary, they also need to be able to "physically exorcise demons." Therefore, self-defense martial arts are also part of their daily training.

If the deceased is willing to have a proper "rebirth," the funeral hall will have music and fanfare to send them off properly... If they are not willing to have a proper "rebirth," then the ritual officiants will have to take care of them, ensuring they "eat well, drink well, and have a good journey."

Martial arts training naturally begins from a young age, which is why most of the ritual officiants at Wang Sheng Tang are young people. If Wang Sheng Tang weren't in the funeral industry, it would probably be some kind of martial arts school like "Hu Family Spear" by now.

Based on what Han Fulai saw, this Wangshengtang was more like a modern enterprise. It not only had ancient traditions, but also a complete set of new employee training and consulting systems. It had even started to pay attention to corporate culture and company team building.

As the guardian of the "boundary between life and death" in Liyue, and also the only monopolistic funeral home in Liyue, the Hall of Rebirth can be considered a state-owned enterprise in Liyue to some extent. It is not surprising that it has such a grand presence - after all, even the Geo Archon retired and became an advisor at the Hall of Rebirth.

Soon, the courtyard, which had been empty just moments before, was filled with fifty or sixty people, a truly massive sight from the stage.

Normally, Xin Yan's guerrilla-style concerts would only attract twenty or thirty listeners at most, but today the audience had more than doubled, which made her quite excited.

Xin Yan took out her guitar and said she was going backstage to tune the instrument in preparation for going on stage.

Han Fulai, as a guest invited by Xin Yan to perform on stage, should have accompanied him to prepare, but an acquaintance appeared in front of him, forcing him to ask Xin Yan to go ahead first.

What he saw was Bai Shu, the "arch-enemy" of Wangshengtang, the business sabotager of Master Hu, and the divine doctor in "Bubulu".

Why is Atractylodes macrocephala in the shrine for the deceased? Did it come out of the "staff dormitory" with the ritual officiants?

What bothered Han Fulai even more was that the Atractylodes macrocephala looked different today than usual, giving Han Fulai a strange feeling that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Han Fulai stepped forward and greeted Bai Shu, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Just as he was about to ask Bai Shu what he had come for, another person came out from behind him.

He was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing the uniform of a ritual attendant at the funeral parlor, but his face was deathly pale, his steps were unsteady, and he looked extremely listless, clearly indicating that he was ill.

The man walked out slowly, sighed as he passed Bai Shu, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he simply bowed to Bai Shu and went to the last row of the audience, where he lowered his head and remained motionless.

"...And who is this?" Han Fulai asked.

Bai Shu's face also showed some worry, but his tone was as warm as ever: "That's Lao Meng, the newly hired ritual attendant at the Rebirth Hall. I'm here today to make a house call for him."

Bai Shu is a doctor, so it's perfectly reasonable for him to come here for a consultation. But what's strange is that old Meng.

At such an advanced age, yet he came to work at the funeral parlor, and in such a half-dead state, it's hard not to think of something unpleasant—for example, that he came to the funeral parlor to make arrangements for his funeral.

"I think... that old Meng should probably rest in bed rather than participate in the group activities of the Hall of Rebirth, or you, Dr. Bai, should take him back to 'Bu Bu Lu'..." Han Fulai suggested.

Judging from Lao Meng's performance, he looked like he was about to collapse at any moment, which was clearly not the time for him to attend a concert.

Moreover, it was obvious from Lao Meng's attitude that he didn't want to participate in this concert.

What if something happens to him during the concert...

Even without considering humanitarian considerations, Han Fulai didn't want a seriously ill patient to suddenly collapse in the audience while he was singing on stage. It wouldn't sound good if word got out that someone died while he was singing.

But Bai Zhu's attitude was quite subtle.

He waved his hand and said, "I suggested that he come to the concert so that he could experience the lively atmosphere, or rather, the 'popularity,' which would be better for him... because Lao Meng is actually not sick."

"Not sick?" Han Fulai looked at Lao Meng in the distance again with doubt. Anyone who saw Lao Meng would think he was sickly, but Bai Shu said he was not sick.

"Hmm." Bai Shu thought for a moment, then said, "Mr. Han, do you still remember Qi Ding, the miner from the Layered Rock Abyss?"

Upon hearing Bai Shu's name, Han Fulai immediately understood—"Doctor Bai means that Old Meng has a 'heart ailment'?"

When the exploration team first arranged for someone to send the mentally unstable Qi Ding back to Liyue Harbor for treatment, Han Fulai gave the reason of "work injury" that "Qi Ding suffered from depression" in order to cover up what Qi Ding had done.

Given the dark and oppressive environment of the Lava Abyss, coupled with the influence of the "Wishing Stone," it was indeed quite possible that the miners would develop mental illnesses. Therefore, after examining Qi Ding, Bai Shu prescribed a calming and soothing remedy and instructed him to recuperate in Liyue Harbor.

And this old Meng is probably a real patient with depression.

Bai Shu nodded and said, "I used one of my 'secret recipes' on Qi Ding before, and it was quite effective. He has almost fully recovered his spirits now... but this 'secret recipe' didn't work on Lao Meng."

"'Secret recipe'? What 'secret recipe'?" Han Fulai asked curiously.

Bai Shu smiled and said, "I have encountered some people who, upon feeling slightly unwell, assumed they had a serious illness, and were stubbornly insistent on reasoning with me. Later, I simply used sweet flowers and calming herbs as ingredients to concoct a batch of white, tasteless pills and gave them to these overly suspicious 'patients.' After being comforted, their 'conditions' improved, and they began to praise the efficacy of my 'secret medicine.'"

Han Fulai nodded. This is the so-called "placebo effect," a common method used in modern medicine when creating a drug efficacy control group.

This is especially common in psychological counseling. Many people cannot distinguish between "depression" and "depressive mood," often taking a temporary bad mood as a major issue, repeatedly telling themselves that they have depression, and as a result, they actually become depressed.

Many medications recommended by psychiatrists are actually placebos, designed to make patients believe that taking the medication will improve their condition. While these medications may not have any physiological or chemical effects, they do provide tangible improvement for many patients. Furthermore, research suggests that injectable placebos are more effective than pills for patients with depression because people generally believe that injections are more effective than oral medications.

Qi Ding's "depression" certainly falls into this category. It was just a temporary mental disorder, and it would have been cured even by eating sugar, let alone placebos.

Such things often happen in life.

For example, when a group of city dwellers who rarely experience rural environments go on an outdoor excursion to the countryside, they are deeply attracted by the clear spring water, lush green grass, and charming scenery when they reach the mountainside.

During a break, one of them happily took a sip of water from the water bottle handed to him by his companion, exclaiming how sweet the mountain water was, saying that the water in the city couldn't compare. The owner of the water bottle, however, told him that the water was just ordinary city water, collected from his home's tap before they set off. The sweetness of the mountain spring water was merely a psychological effect.

As an experienced doctor, Bai Zhu has repeatedly proven effective in treating patients using this placebo effect.

But the placebo effect failed in Lao Meng's case.

"So I recommended he participate in this concert to relax. He's actually fine physically, but he's been having trouble sleeping lately, and the lack of sleep has made him feel listless. The ancestral hall is a very strict place, and it can be quite somber most of the time. Staying there to rest isn't really good for his mental state, so I hope this concert will cheer him up..."

Since the concert was mentioned, Han Fulai took the opportunity to extend an invitation: "Since Mr. Bai is here, why not attend the concert as well? Miss Xin Yan has invited me to sing a new song with her today..."

Bai Shu shook his head. "I won't go to the concert. I have to go back to 'Bu Bu Lu.' That Master Hu isn't here, and I'm quite worried about Qi Qi..."

This is also a major concern for Atractylodes macrocephala.

Qiqi is a zombie. In Hu Tao's view, Qiqi has already passed away and is imprisoned in the mortal world without liberation. She is a suffering victim of the greatest torment.

Hu Tao had committed the crime multiple times, calculating the exact time and place to kidnap Qi Qi, intending to cremate her according to procedure and then stuff her into a pre-prepared tomb in the suburbs.

If Bai Zhu hadn't stopped her in time, Hu Tao would have succeeded.

Every time Bai Zhu arrived, Qi Qi was already inside a bag, with only her little head sticking out, looking at Hu Tao with a puzzled expression as she dug the pit for burning.

Afterwards, Hu Tao wrote an apology letter to Qi Qi, repeatedly lamenting that she was too slow and could not give Qi Qi a proper burial, for which she expressed her deepest apologies...

For Hu Tao, sending her to her final resting place on the seventh day after death was not just about her personal well-being, but also about balancing the order of yin and yang.

Master Hu's philosophy is fundamentally different from that of Atractylodes macrocephala, which pursues "longevity".

Therefore, Bai Shu usually pays close attention to the movements of this Master Hu. Before each house call, he always instructs A Gui, who is in charge of dispensing medicine, to keep a close eye on Qi Qi and prevent Hu Tao from taking her away. Now that Hu Tao is no longer in the Rebirth Hall, Bai Shu naturally has to guard against her coming to take Qi Qi again.

Han Fulai was of course aware of these things, but there was no need to worry about them today. Han Fulai smiled and said, "I just parted ways with Hall Master Hu yesterday. Hall Master Hu is currently far away at Wuwang Slope. Qiqi is not in danger."

Upon hearing that Hu Tao was not in Liyue Harbor, Bai Shu breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, a small, white head suddenly popped out of his arms; it was none other than the little snake named "Chang Sheng".

It flicked its tongue and muttered a complaint: "Bai Zhu, how much longer are you going to dawdle here? That guy is right here..."

Upon seeing Changsheng, Han Fulai immediately understood the source of his previous strange feeling—Changsheng was nestled in Baishu's arms today, instead of wrapping his arms around his neck as usual. No wonder Han Fulai had always felt that something was missing from Baishu.

But who is this "that guy" that Changsheng mentioned? He actually managed to scare this talking spirit creature quite a bit.

Bai Shu smiled and explained, "Chang Sheng is very sensitive to vibrations, and that Miss Xin Yan's singing always makes a lot of noise, so..."

That happened in the past. Singing rock music naturally takes a lot of strain on Xin Yan's voice, and she holds her small nighttime concerts very frequently, so she occasionally experiences throat discomfort. Fortunately, "Bu Bu Lu" has some good medicine for soothing the throat. Yun Jin usually gets prescriptions from Bai Zhu to take care of her throat and skin, so she recommended Dr. Bai to Xin Yan.

After taking Bai Zhu's specially made throat lozenges, Xin Yan felt much better. To express her gratitude, she played an impromptu rock song for Bai Zhu on the spot, and as a result... Chang Sheng was knocked unconscious on the spot.

From then on, whenever Changsheng sensed Xin Yan nearby, he would keep crawling into Bai Shu's collar.

Of course, Changsheng would never let Baizhu tell anyone about such a shameful thing.

"Hey! What are you saying?"

Changsheng interrupted Bai Shu and then turned his gaze to Han Fulai.

"By the way, Bai Zhu, didn't you prepare a 'refreshing balm' for Yu Heng Xing? You can give it to this kid to take with him."

Bai Shu nodded, took out a small box from his medicine pouch, and handed it to Han Fulai.

"Yuhengxing came to my medicine hut a couple of days ago, saying she wasn't feeling well... Actually, she just caught a chill at night, and it's not a serious problem. But judging from her... facial condition, Yuhengxing is probably used to staying up late and thinking too much, which is why she often looks tired. If she wants to take care of her health, she should put down her work and rest. Unfortunately, she's too ambitious and seems determined to trade her health for her career. She might not listen to what I'm saying."

"Mr. Han, you are Yuheng Star's personal secretary, so you should remind her to take good care of her health. Staying up late is never good."

Keqing is still the same as always, working day and night, and even more so when he's not around... Judging from what Baishu said, Keqing probably didn't put on makeup after work and went to see Baishu for treatment with dark circles under her eyes.

This makes him seem rather incompetent as a secretary.

Han Fulai thanked Bai Zhu for his kindness and accepted the "refreshing balm" specially made by Bai Zhu, planning to make good use of his personal secretary's power after his vacation.

Bai Zhu handed over the balm, but didn't leave in a hurry. Instead, he stroked his chin, his vertical pupils behind his glasses staring back and forth at Han Fulai's face, seemingly lost in thought.

Han Fulai felt a little uneasy under Bai Shu's gaze, unsure of Bai Shu's intentions, when Bai Shu suddenly said—

"Mr. Han, I believe only you can cure Old Meng's illness. May I entrust this patient to you?"

Chapter 329 The Serpent Dragging Dragon Technique [4k]

"Me? Help people heal?"

Han Fulai was surprised. In terms of medical skills, he was only half-skilled.

How can he cure a patient that even Atractylodes macrocephala can't? Is this really not a joke?

But Bai Shu's tone was very serious: "Yes, only you can cure it."

Han Fulai frowned. Although Bai Shu's origins were mysterious, his medical ethics were widely praised in Liyue Harbor.

A children's rhyme from Scarlet Cloud Slope goes: "In Liyue there is a hut called 'Buze', in which lives a doctor named Bai. His miraculous hands can cure all diseases, but the medicine he prescribes is—too bitter!"

This nursery rhyme is widely circulated in Feiyunpo and is used by countless parents to warn their children not to get sick, otherwise they will suffer a lot.

However, Atractylodes macrocephala was not feared by children because of this; on the contrary, it was often affectionately called "Brother Atractylodes macrocephala".

This impression is largely due to Bai Zhu's gentle demeanor and kind conversation. Regardless of age or gender, being with him feels like a breath of fresh air; even the most anxious patient feels reassured upon seeing Bai Zhu's confident smile.

In Liyue Harbor, some young girls even pretend to be sick when they're not, just so they have a reason to see this "Brother Bai Shu".

In the eyes of the people of Liyue, apart from the fact that the medicine he prescribed was too bitter, there was almost nothing wrong with Bai Shu.