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Chen Maocai Funian of Hangzhou was robust and healthy in constitution. One day, while purchasing medicine for his father at the market, he suddenly collapsed in front of the pharmacy. The shop owner hired a cart to send him home. Despite medical treatment, it was ineffective; he suffered bleeding from the mouth and nose and died within half a day, at the age of thirty.

According to Shen Congxian (courtesy name Ye) in *Bao Zheng Zhi Yao* (Essentials of Sudden Syndromes): Whenever one encounters funerals, visits ancient temples, enters uninhabited rooms, or constructs altars for heaven, earth, ghosts, and gods, and subsequently returns with sudden collapse, red face, and inability to speak, this is named "Gui Zhu" (Ghost Taint), which means being bewitched by evil spirits. Administering medicine at this stage will cause death. It is advisable to place the patient with their head facing east, have the host burn incense and bow towards the north, and then apply the method of fumigating the nose with fire and vinegar, which can restore consciousness; otherwise, the patient will die from bleeding from the seven orifices. I heard that Mr. Chen had visited someone’s house to mourn on that day. Could his illness be exactly this? Practitioners encountering such syndromes must not rashly administer medication.

Yuan Suiyuan, in *Zi Bu Yu*, stated that *Dongui Bogam* (The Mirror of Eastern Medicine) contains methods for treating fox spirits but does not describe the specific formula. According to my research: In the "Evil Spirits Section" of this book, there is a formula called "Pixie Dan" (Spirit-Expelling Pill). It consists of *Cangzhu* (Atractylodis Rhizoma) and *Danggui* (Angelicae Sinensis Radix), each 1 liang; *Taonu* (Peach Twig) 5 qian; *Xionghuang* (Realgar) and *Zhusha* (Cinnabar), each 3 qian; *Niuhuang* (Calculus Bovis) and *Shexiang* (Moschus), each 1 qian. These are ground into powder, mixed with wine paste to form pills the size of longan fruits, coated with gold foil. Take one pill before sleep, dissolved in *Muxiang Tang* (Costus Decoction); various evils will dare not approach the body. Furthermore, storing five to seven pills in a crimson silk pouch and hanging them in the bed curtain is especially effective. What Suiyuan mentioned likely refers to this. (This formula was recorded in Fang Jingxuan's *Yi Shu*, without *Niuhuang*, but with *Gancao* (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), and replacing *Chifufuling* (Polyporus cum Poria Rubra) with...)

"Lifeng" (Leprosy/Mal de Albers) is also known as "Da Feng" (Great Wind) or "Lei". *Analects* states: Bo Niu had an illness. The commentary notes: Ancient scholars believed this was leprosy. Mao Xihe in *Sishu Shengyan* said: Cattle have malignant diseases. According to my analysis: In ancient times, malignant diseases were referred to as leprosy. *Book of Rites* states: Women with malignant diseases... referring to leprosy. Thus, *Han Shi Waizhuan* explains that the wife of a man from Cai grieved over her husband's malignant disease; even if he contracted leprosy, she did not bear to abandon him. Liu Xiaobiao, in *Bian Ming Lun*, claimed that singing about it indeed refers to this matter. Also, *Huainanzi* states: Bo Niu had leprosy. It is also mentioned that certain herbs can treat leprosy, as seen in the commentary on *Liezi*. I note: This herb is *Cheqiancao* (Plantaginis Herba). *Bencao* does not record its efficacy in treating lifeng. Shen Zhiwen’s *Jiewei Yuansou* in the Ming Dynasty specialized in treating lifeng, containing many formulas, yet rarely used *Cheqiancao*. His commonly used herbs included *Dafengzi* (Chaulmoograe Semen), *Cangerzi* (Xanthii Fructus), *Bimazi* (Ricini Semen), certain herbs, *Ganshen* (Codonopsis Radix), and flower snakes. Bao Yunshao’s *Yanfang Xinbian* records a formula for Leprosy White Flower Snake Pills: A person named Jing Shangshe from Danyang suffered from leprosy and was cured by a monk. Someone offered hundreds of taels of silver for the formula, but the monk refused. A guest named Yuan secretly stole the formula while the monk was drunk. Users found it effective. This resembles how Xiao Yi obtained *Lantingji Xu*, both using wine as bait. The formula uses one white flower snake and one black-spotted snake (heads and tails removed, used raw), *Fangfeng* (Saposhnikoviae Radix), *Chantui* (Cicadae Periostracum - crushed with straw shoes to remove dirt), *Shengdi* (Rehmanniae Radix), *Chuanxiong* (Ligustici Chuanxiong Rhizoma), *Kushen* (Sophorae Flavescentis Radix), *Gouqi* (Lycii Fructus), *Huaihua* (Sophorae Flos), *Jinyinhua* (Lonicerae Japonicae Flos) (each 2 liang above); *Bajili* (Tribuli Fructus), *Quanxie* (Scorpio - soaked in vinegar for one day to remove saltiness), *Beixixin* (Asari Radix et Rhizoma), *Manjingzi* (Viticis Semen), *Weilingxian* (Synephores Rhizoma), *Heshouwu* (Polygoni Multiflori Radix), *Huma Ren* (Sesami Semen - stir-fried until fragrant), *Jinmao Gouji* (Dryopteris Crassirhizomatis Rhizoma), *Chuanniuxi* (Cyathulae Radix), *Wuyao* (Linderae Radix), *Tianhuafen* (Trichosanthis Radix), *Chuanlian* (Coptidis Rhizoma), *Huangqin* (Scutellariae Radix), *Zhizi* (Gardeniae Fructus), *Huangbai* (Phellodendri Cortex), *Lianqiao* (Forsythiae Fructus), *Niubangzi* (Arctii Fructus) (each 1 liang above, stir-fried); *Loulu* (Euphorbiae Humifusae Radix) 0.5 jin (cleaned, removing nodes, resulting in 4 liang); *Jingjiesui* (Schizonepetae Spica) 1.5 qian. For lesions on the head and face, add *Baizhi* (Angelicae Dahuricae Radix) 1 liang; for ulcerated skin, add *Da Zaojiao* (Gleditsiae Sinensis Fructus) 1 liang. Grind into powder, make pills with rice paste, size of wu-tong seeds. Take 50-60 pills per dose, washed down with tea, once in the afternoon and once before sleep. (One monk added 1 liang of *Fengteng* (Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis)).

In Yue region, a person contracted lifeng after eating chicken at his maternal grandfather’s house. His maternal grandfather had suffered from this syndrome. After that person died, the chickens raised there grew unusually fat. Neighbors bought and ate them, and subsequently contracted the syndrome and died. This is because the chickens consumed the phlegm of the lifeng patient, which is infectious to humans. The proverb says: Better to marry the wife of a madman than to eat the chicken of a lifeng patient. This is indeed well-founded.