Taoist Doctor - Chapter 21

In Zhou Jinyuan’s incredulous gaze, Xie Min continued to ask nonchalantly, and only later did Zhou Jinyuan realize that she seemed to be asking on behalf of a friend from the neighboring department…

 

“You scared me to death, Director Xie. I thought you were possessed.” Zhou Jinyuan let out a long sigh of relief.

 

However, Xie Min had always respected Zhou Jinyuan’s beliefs. Before becoming a doctor, he had been a Taoist priest. She just didn’t allow him to practice those beliefs at work, out of consideration for the reality of the situation.

 

Normally, Zhou Jinyuan wouldn’t necessarily go to Xianglu Mountain on weekends, but he strongly suspected that the union arranged the fitness activity to be a mountain climb precisely because they had heard recent rumors about the hospital, and the climb was at Xianglu Mountain.

 

The San Hospital had many cultural and physical activities, but the union seemed a bit too competitive. Climbing the mountain was tiring enough, and they extended the route.

 

Except for those on duty in each department, hundreds of hospital staff had to participate. The starting point was the hospital, then they would walk to Xianglu Mountain and climb to the top to complete the route.

 

As expected of an event organized by the hospital, they even had an ambulance accompanying them in case of any accidents.

 

Naturally, everyone joked that if anyone really collapsed, colleagues would immediately provide emergency care. And there was no way to fake illness to escape…

 

The TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) department had few people to begin with. After excluding the elderly doctors with mobility issues and those on duty, only four people went.

 

On the day of the event, it was Deputy Director Xiao who announced the departure.

 

This also served as evidence that, although the official notice hadn’t been issued, the “Deputy” in Deputy Director Xiao’s title was definitely going to be removed.

 

Everyone had varying levels of physical strength. By the time they reached the foot of Xianglu Mountain, the once large group had spread out along the route.

 

Liu Qi, who was quite familiar with Zhou Jinyuan, was on duty and didn’t come. At first, the people from the department walked together, but slowly, only Zhou Jinyuan and Dr. Jin were left in the first group.

 

“Dr. Zhou, you brought your needles too?” Dr. Jin noticed the corner of a needle box sticking out of Zhou Jinyuan’s pocket.

 

“Tools of the trade, of course I carry them with me.” This was Zhou Jinyuan’s habit. No matter where he went, he always carried his needles.

 

When he was a child, his elders always carried needles. Whether to help someone sober up after drinking at a meal or to treat a passerby with an acute illness, they were always useful. Influenced by this, it became a habit for him as well.

 

“Heh, I brought mine too.” Dr. Jin showed his needles and joked, “Although we have an ambulance, I figured if something happens, we might be closer. We TCM doctors have emergency skills too.”

 

Better to be prepared, just like the ambulance. After all, acupuncture tools weren’t heavy.

 

“Hey—”

 

A faint cry came from a few hundred meters ahead.

 

Everyone climbing the mountain wore the little red hats issued by the hospital, with the San Hospital’s logo printed on them. The person bending over in pain seemed to be a colleague, with a hint of red on their head as well.

 

“Is that a sprain?” Dr. Jin rolled up his sleeves and ran ahead, even before greeting Zhou Jinyuan.

 

Zhou Jinyuan laughed but jogged to follow.

 

However, halfway there, someone had already turned back, shouting, “Let me see, I’m from the Pain Department!”

 

Dr. Jin slowed down, “Ah…”

 

Didn’t make it in time.

 

The colleague indeed had a sprain, a young girl, seemingly a nurse from some department. She had jumped onto a flower bed and accidentally sprained her waist when getting down. Now, she looked pained and loudly said, “It hurts so much! I can’t straighten my back, and I can’t put weight on my right foot. There’s obvious tenderness in the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae on the left side!”

 

Passersby: “…”

 

The Pain Department doctor had just rolled up his sleeves when another person arrived: “Orthopedics here, let me see!”

 

“I got here first! What’s the deal? The Pain Department can’t treat sprains?”

 

By the time Dr. Jin and Zhou Jinyuan arrived, it had become a battleground between the Pain Department and Orthopedics, with the Orthopedics doctor taking the lead in treating the female colleague on the spot.

 

Nothing for them to do. Indeed, hospital events were inherently safe.

 

They weren’t familiar with the colleague, so after a brief greeting and some comforting words, Dr. Jin walked away, somewhat disappointed.

 

…

 

Reaching Xianglu Mountain was more interesting. There was a ceremony today, so Taoist priests were coming and going from the foot of the mountain to welcome guests. Whenever they saw Zhou Jinyuan and recognized him, they would stop and call him “Uncle Master” or “Senior Brother.”

 

Although Zhou Jinyuan was dressed in ordinary clothes, he would still return their greetings.

 

Standing together, Dr. Jin noticed a similarity between Zhou Jinyuan and the Taoist priests: they both stood very straight, unlike ordinary people. If he wore a Taoist robe, he would look quite ethereal.

 

“It’s like a martial arts movie…” Dr. Jin muttered. “And you have a high status.”

 

Although Dr. Jin, a training doctor, called him “master,” he was actually several years older than Zhou Jinyuan, much like those Taoist priests of the same age who had to call Zhou Jinyuan “Uncle Master” because Zhou started learning earlier.

 

“It’s mainly because I started early and had a head start,” Zhou Jinyuan said. Seeing that she was starting to struggle with the climb, he asked, “Do you want to take the shortcut? It can save you half an hour to the top.”

 

“Really? There’s a shortcut?” Dr. Jin, who rarely came to Xianglu Mountain, didn’t know about it, but it wasn’t surprising to regular visitors or someone like Zhou Jinyuan, who had stayed there for a while.

 

The shortcut was steeper than the main path. Zhou Jinyuan led her to the shortcut, where there were fewer tourists.

 

They climbed in silence. The hospital had set up a rest area at the top with food, drinks, and small games. Dr. Jin grumbled internally, feeling tricked, as the so-called endpoint meant that after the leaders announced the end of the event, they still had to descend the mountain on their own.

 

“Ugh—”

 

“Blegh—”

 

At first, Dr. Jin didn’t pay attention to the sounds, thinking colleagues would go ahead to check. It wasn’t until Zhou Jinyuan tapped her, saying, “Someone seems to be vomiting ahead,” that she realized this was the shortcut, and fewer colleagues might come this way.

 

“Hey? Let’s go check it out!”

 

Climbing further, they saw a young man half-sitting on a bench, clutching his stomach in pain with vomit nearby, while two companions were trying to lift him. These three were likely tourists, as they weren’t wearing the hospital’s red hats.

 

“Whew… whew… what’s wrong with him?” Dr. Jin panted, asking intermittently.

 

“Probably acute gastroenteritis. His stomach hurts a lot!” One of them, seeing their hats, suddenly brightened. “You’re from the San Hospital, right? I remember seeing it in my social circle. Are there ambulances?”

 

They were pharmacists from Haizhou City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital and had friends at the San Hospital.

 

“Yeah, whew… I’m a TCM doctor. Do you want me to take a look?” Dr. Jin sensed they were in the medical field.

 

“Sure, do you have needles? It would be best to give him acupuncture; he’s in a lot of pain!” Working at a TCM hospital, they didn’t reject TCM and even requested acupuncture for pain relief.

 

“Let me see.” Dr. Jin took out her needles. At this moment, the young man with acute gastroenteritis turned and vomited again, crying out in pain.

 

Dr. Jin had thought of using acupoints like Pishu, Tianshu, and Zusanli1, but her hands were shaking from the climb. She grimaced and said, “My hands are still shaking, you do it!”

 

This was directed at Zhou Jinyuan, whose hands were steady and who wasn’t out of breath, indicating his superior physical strength as long as he wasn’t being dragged around by Xiao Xue.

 

Zhou Jinyuan didn’t waste words. He turned the patient over and selected acupoints on his back, first massaging the areas to be needled to promote qi and blood flow.

 

The two companions, thinking Zhou Jinyuan looked even younger than Dr. Jin, assumed he was an intern or trainee. But with Dr. Jin’s hands shaking, they had no choice but to let him proceed and watched closely.

 

However, when Zhou Jinyuan began needling, they were shocked: “Hey, what are you doing! What acupoints are these?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan was massaging points near the patient’s spine. Although the two companions were pharmacists, they had also studied basic Chinese medicine and worked at a TCM hospital, so they were familiar with human acupoints.

 

Their companion had acute gastroenteritis. Points like Pishu, Weishu, and Tianshu would be appropriate, but the points Zhou Jinyuan selected seemed completely unrelated.

 

“You… you’re not going to needle Weishu, are you? My god, Weishu is lower down!”

 

“What’s wrong with you San Hospital people? This needling technique… are you just tracing the outline?!”

 

Zhou Jinyuan was stunned by their vivid descriptions as he started disinfecting the area. “I’m needling exactly this point.”

 

The patient, hearing their comments, endured the pain and said to Dr. Jin, “Hey, didn’t you say you’d find a master? Can you at least find someone who knows the acupoints? If not, just send me to the ambulance. I can still bear it… ugh!”

 

He said this while vomiting again, rolling his eyes in pain.

 

“…He is the master.” Dr. Jin replied dryly.

 

The three companions were puzzled: ???

 

“He’s the acupuncture expert in our department,” Dr. Jin said sincerely, though the three found it hard to believe. Master??

 

Dr. Jin also saw where Zhou Jinyuan was needling. To be honest, she didn’t recognize the acupoint either, but she trusted Zhou Jinyuan.

 

Had Dr. Jin not pulled out her needle set, the three might have thought their San Hospital hats were just picked up from somewhere.

 

Are you kidding? Is this how your department’s acupuncture expert operates??

 

By this time, Zhou Jinyuan was ready to needle. Holding the patient steady to prevent any movement, he focused and inserted the needle.

 

The other two were initially against this “tracing needle technique” by the young man, but Zhou Jinyuan’s aura while needling, coupled with Dr. Jin’s words, left them speechless. They watched in amazement as he inserted the needle.

 

The restrained patient protested, “No, no, don’t just needle randomly! Don’t! Hey, you guys, don’t just stand there!”

 

As Zhou Jinyuan manipulated the needle with the reinforcing method, the patient’s cries gradually subsided. He felt embarrassed to keep yelling and eventually only let out soft moans.

 

Zhou Jinyuan withdrew the needle. “Alright, get up. No food or drink for the next two hours.”

 

“Damn!” The two companions exchanged glances. “Did we remember the wrong acupoint?”

 

Turns out he really was a master. Not only did the needle alleviate the pain, but it effectively treated the condition. It wasn’t the wrong acupoint; it was exactly the right one.

 

“It’s an extra-meridian acupoint!” Zhou Jinyuan took off his hat, feeling a bit sweaty, and fanned himself with it. “I call it the Stomach-Regulating Point. It’s very effective for gastrointestinal issues.”

 

Most human acupoints are located along the meridian lines, but extra-meridian acupoints, often discovered through clinical practice, lie outside these routes and are highly effective for specific conditions.

 

The process of discovering extra-meridian acupoints is often related to “Ashi points.” For instance, if a patient feels relief when a practitioner presses a certain spot, they might say, “Ah, yes, that’s the spot.” Over time, this could lead to the identification of a new extra-meridian acupoint.

 

There are dozens of known extra-meridian acupoints, widely used, such as the Jinjin and Yuye points that Zhou Jinyuan previously used to treat someone’s loss of voice.

 

The point Zhou Jinyuan just used wasn’t among the known ones. He had discovered it through his own practice. It wasn’t widely known or included in textbooks, so of course, these people didn’t recognize it.

 

Using this point was not only effective but required only one needle. Within his ability, Zhou Jinyuan aimed to minimize the number of needles and medication for his patients, avoiding additional discomfort.

 

Though the others hadn’t heard of the Stomach-Regulating Point, seeing its effect and hearing that it was an extra-meridian acupoint, they understood.

 

It wasn’t a mistake; he was using a little-known but highly effective extra-meridian acupoint!

 

“Indeed, it seems to have remarkable effects.” Dr. Jin almost drooled. “Master, that…”

　

Zhou Jinyuan: “I’ll teach you in detail.”

 

For these self-discovered extraordinary acupoints, besides mastering the accurate method of locating them, one must also know how deep to needle, which technique is most suitable, and so on. It’s not something you can learn just by observing; it requires hands-on guidance.

 

“Thank you, Master, thank you.” Dr. Jin devoutly pressed her palms together in gratitude towards Zhou Jinyuan. She decided that in the future, instead of worshipping gods for divination, she would worship Zhou as a god.

 

Zhou Jinyuan: “…”

 

The young man who had just suffered from stomach pain now felt completely relaxed in his abdomen, with his nausea completely gone. He touched his stomach and sat up, saying, “Great Master, thank you. I misunderstood earlier, thinking you… made a mistake.”

 

The other two felt embarrassed. Truly, appearances can be deceiving. If they had replaced Zhou Jinyuan with a more senior doctor, they might have had doubts and might not have dared to speak up immediately.

 

Suddenly remembering something, one of them looked regretful and said, “Wait a minute, so young and already called a great master… I remember hearing about a very young TCM doctor at Hospital Three who is nicknamed a great master because of his exceptional medical skills… it must be you, right?”

 

If only they had recognized him earlier!

 

Dr. Jin thought to herself, what’s this about being titled a great master only because of exceptional medical skills? Why hadn’t she heard of it? Clearly, he had been recognized as a master from the foundation-building period.

 

Zhou Jinyuan immediately nodded, “Yes, exactly!”

 

Dr. Jin: “… well, alright then.”

 

Since it was a group activity, even after arriving at Xianglu Mountain, Zhou Jinyuan did not read people’s fortunes.

 

However, everyone didn’t mind. Most people just joined in for the fun, came to Xianglu Mountain to draw lots, and if they were really interested in forming a bond with Zhou Jinyuan, there would be opportunities in the future.

 

For example, after seeing Zhou Jinyuan’s unique skills, Qu Qingrui.

 

After discussing fortune-telling with Zhou Jinyuan, Qu Qingrui became interested. Many people in the business world are quite superstitious. He used to be neutral, not very believing, but he still made arrangements. Even for the sake of stabilizing people’s minds.

 

Recently, Qu Qingrui’s new headquarters building in Haizhou was completed. He was considering inviting Taoist immortals to come back. Previously, he had invited Buddha statues, but this time, he asked Zhou Jinyuan to give some guidance on which one to choose, and also asked him to calculate which day would be best for relocation.

 

“Go to Xiangsheng.” After circling the new location, Qu Qingrui instructed the driver. “Xiangsheng” is a place for tea. It’s not far from here. “Let’s find a place to sit down, have some tea, and chat in detail.”

 

“Okay.” Zhou Jinyuan nodded.

 

About ten minutes later, they arrived. Zhou Jinyuan looked around. When Qu Qingrui said it was a place for tea, he thought it was just a tea house. Only when he arrived did he realize it occupied an area like a royal palace, with pavilions and towers in Chinese style, flowing water, and bamboo, making the environment very pleasant.

 

Qu Qingrui was obviously a regular here and had a fixed private room. He waved away the waiters and led Zhou Jinyuan through the courtyard to talk privately.

 

“I heard that when Xiangsheng was built, Feng Shui was also calculated.” Qu Qingrui said.

 

“The Qi field here is indeed very comfortable,” Zhou Jinyuan held up the compass again and looked around. “Hmm, that’s correct. The architectural layout here is meaningful. It’s designed to gather Qi veins, with this stream, and the lower part resembling shrimp whiskers…”

 

“Mr. Qu! What a coincidence, Mr. Qu.”

 

While Zhou Jinyuan was pondering, a passionate male voice sounded.

 

I saw a skinny man crossing the stream, running over with small steps, and reaching out his right hand from a distance: “It’s such a fate to meet Mr. Qu today!”

 

He seemed to have run too fast and even supported his waist: “Hehe.”

 

“It’s Licheng.” Qu Qingrui squinted his eyes, recognized the person, and shook hands with him: “What a coincidence.”

 

“Exactly, it’s such a fate,” this man named Licheng shook both of Qu Qingrui’s hands: “I haven’t congratulated you yet. I heard that Young Master found a famous doctor. I wish him a speedy recovery!”

 

The Qu family has also been to many doctors and medical institutions, and for two years, they have not seen Qu Guanfeng get better, but they seem to have disappeared, and a lot of troubles have come out.

 

He didn’t think that this time he could always succeed, especially when he heard that Qu General found San Hospital.

 

“However, blessings still needed to be expressed. Didn’t you see? When Qu Qingrui heard these words, a smile spread across his face.

 

“Well then, I’ll take your auspicious words.” Even if Qu Qingrui wasn’t necessarily pleased to bid farewell, as long as he wished for his son’s recovery, he responded with a smile, knowing full well the other party was just trying to please him.

 

“Haha, this young man looks a bit unfamiliar. May I ask who…?” Li Cheng’s gaze fell on Zhou Jinyuan and the compass in his hand.

 

Earlier, Zhou Jinyuan had been talking about feng shui and directions. He thought he knew all the feng shui masters in Haizhou, but had never heard of this person before. A disciple from someone’s family? Interesting, he had actually taken over Qu’s business.

 

Qu Qingrui’s smile hadn’t faded as he introduced, “This is my son’s new attending physician, Doctor Zhou.”

 

Li Cheng stared at Zhou Jinyuan in surprise. “Ah?”

 

Qu Qingrui continued smiling, “Today, I’ve asked Dr. Zhou to help pick an auspicious day for moving into our new headquarters.”

 

Li Cheng was at a loss for words. “……”

 

Could you be any closer in all this?

 

This young man is quite young, yet his range of expertise is quite broad!

 

 Pishu, Weishu, Tianshu, and Zusanli1

 

1. **Pishu (BL20)**:

   – **Location**: Pishu is located on the back, 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of the 11th thoracic vertebra (T11).

   – **Function**: This point is associated with the spleen and is used to strengthen the spleen and stomach, transform dampness, and harmonize the middle jiao (the middle part of the body’s energy pathways). It can be used to treat conditions such as abdominal distension, diarrhea, and fatigue.

 

2. **Tianshu (ST25)**:

   – **Location**: Tianshu is located on the abdomen, 2 cun lateral to the umbilicus (navel).

   – **Function**: Tianshu is a major point for regulating the intestines and stomach. It is commonly used to treat digestive issues such as constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating. It also helps in regulating the flow of qi and blood in the abdomen.

 

3. **Zusanli (ST36)**:

   – **Location**: Zusanli is located on the lower leg, 3 cun below the knee cap and one finger-breadth lateral to the anterior crest of the tibia.

   – **Function**: Zusanli is one of the most important points in acupuncture, known for its broad range of therapeutic effects. It is used to strengthen the overall body, improve digestion, boost immunity, and treat gastrointestinal disorders such as gastritis, ulcers, and bloating. It is also believed to increase energy and promote longevity.

 

4. **Weishu (BL21)**:

   – **Location**: Weishu is located on the back, 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of the 12th thoracic vertebra (T12).

   – **Function**: Weishu is associated with the stomach. It is used to regulate and strengthen the stomach, alleviate pain, and transform dampness. It is commonly employed to treat stomach-related issues such as epigastric pain, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, and gastric reflux.