Taoist Doctor - Chapter 25

“Brother, what should I do… It’s so embarrassing. The abbot definitely won’t let me off…”

 

Rong Shouyun was lying in bed, still unable to stop thinking about the issue. Zhou Jinyuan didn’t offer him any particularly good advice, instead constantly urging him to switch to Taoism.

 

—After all, with his resume, some might already suspect him of being a spy.

 

Or, he could return to secular life and practice at home.

 

He knew Rong Xixue wasn’t asleep, but the kid was ignoring him.

 

Rong Shouyun suspected that Rong Xixue wanted him to sleep in the same bed just so A Jin could sleep alone!

 

Damn, I’m such a neighbor. Rong Shouyun told himself for the hundredth time.

 

But he still wasn’t resigned: “Do you think I should consider A Jin’s suggestion?”

 

Rong Xixue finally spoke, “Abandon Buddhism for Taoism?”

 

Rong Shouyun: “…Return to secular life.”

 

If he returned to secular life, he could move in with them, avoiding the trouble of finding another place. They could add another bed in the living room and partition it off a bit.

 

Then he could find a job in orthopedic medicine, which shouldn’t be too hard. Now that A Jin had probably secured a position at Third Hospital, maybe he could get in there too.

 

Actually, A Jin made sense; practicing at home is the same. Fire-dwelling Taoists manage just fine.

 

Wherever I go, that place is my temple.

 

But if he didn’t keep his hair, he wouldn’t fit in at the traditional Chinese medicine department at Third Hospital…

 

Rong Shouyun thought this far but then saw Rong Xixue suddenly turn over, his eyes shining in the dark. He said warmly, “Brother, practicing at home requires you to gain enlightenment first. Your study of Buddhism isn’t deep enough yet. If the abbot makes things difficult for you because of your transgression, I’ll look into it and find you a new place.”

 

Rong Shouyun listened, thinking it made a lot of sense! Right, he shouldn’t give up halfway!

 

“Then I’ll trouble you again, brother…” Rong Shouyun reached out, wanting to hold Rong Xixue’s hand.

 

Rong Xixue quickly retracted his hand and turned his back: “Sleep!”

 

Rong Shouyun’s hand hung in midair, stifled: “…”

 

…

 

The next morning, Rong Shouyun received a call from the temple, saying he had left without permission and should return immediately.

 

“I have a bad feeling about this trip…” Rong Shouyun looked serious. He was mentally prepared; the cold wind howled at Yishui, the monk left and was expelled.

 

Most importantly, Rong Shouyun said he would help him find a new place.

 

“Go on.” Rong Xixue reluctantly gave him an encouraging look.

 

“A Jin, won’t you see me off?” Rong Shouyun looked longingly at Zhou Jinyuan.

 

“Go by yourself. Our department’s ward is opening today. I have to leave soon too. Don’t look at Xixue; he has classes.” Zhou Jinyuan patted Rong Shouyun’s shoulder and sent him out: “Nothing to be afraid of. At worst, you’ll return to secular life.”

 

Rong Shouyun was pushed and shoved into a taxi.

 

Zhou Jinyuan wasn’t lying. The department’s ward was opening today, so he rushed over early. The hospital held an opening ceremony.

 

With the new ward building in use, the Chinese medicine department would end its decades-long history without wards, welcoming thirty beds. Five or six patients were admitted that day.

 

Once the news spread, more patients were expected to come.

 

One patient who came to see the ward showed a picky expression, hesitating about whether to stay, complaining that the facilities weren’t as high-end as those in private hospital VIP wards.

 

But soon, he was silenced by Qu Qingrui, who personally dragged luggage and brought his son to check-in…

 

“I came to check the place. I have to go on a business trip later.” Qu Qingrui shook hands with Zhou Jinyuan, “I’ll leave Guan Feng in your hands, Dr. Zhou.”

 

The ward was sponsored by Qu Qingrui, and the only single room was reserved for Qu Guan Feng.

 

—So, while the Chinese medicine department’s ward wasn’t luxurious, it met or exceeded usage standards. After all, Third Hospital wasn’t a private hospital, and the Chinese medicine department wasn’t that large.

 

“It’s my duty.” Zhou Jinyuan exchanged a few pleasantries with Qu Qingrui, who then left.

 

The ward had a medicine-brewing machine, and a nurse brought over the traditional Chinese medicine Qu Guan Feng was supposed to drink that day. Without a change in expression, he drank it all.

 

Then Zhou Jinyuan gave Qu Guan Feng acupuncture. After a period of acupuncture treatment, Qu Guan Feng’s sensitivity to the needles had increased.

 

After finishing the acupuncture, Zhou Jinyuan took out a warming pad, peeled it open, and stuck it to Qu Guan Feng’s blanket.

 

“What are you doing?” Qu Guan Feng glanced at Zhou Jinyuan. He hadn’t felt pain or temperature for a long time.

 

“Just trying something,” Zhou Jinyuan said.

 

“Trying? Trying what?” Before Qu Guan Feng could fully express his confusion, he felt a slight warmth on his leg.

 

He paused, then firmly pressed the now-warming pad against his leg through the fabric of his patient gown, warming his leg’s skin.

 

Was sensation returning…?

 

Qu Guan Feng’s eyes involuntarily widened. He could feel the “heat.”

 

Touching the nearby metal railing, he felt the coldness, another long-missed sensation.

 

His once-numb and cold legs were regaining skin sensation.

 

Before his paralysis, such sensations were as natural as breathing, utterly ordinary, but now he couldn’t help but savor them.

 

“Can you feel it?” Zhou Jinyuan asked. “Don’t press the warming pad too hard, it might burn you.”

 

Qu Guan Feng was almost reluctant to let go until he heard Zhou Jinyuan say, “After this treatment, I’ll prescribe you medicine for leg soaks, then you can start trying flexion and extension exercises, aiming for assisted standing as soon as possible.”

 

This treatment had only one week left, which meant… it was soon. Qu Guan Feng slowly closed his eyes.

 

…

 

With the new ward, the Chinese medicine department also had to start scheduling night shifts. However, currently, there were no critically ill patients, so the shifts were relatively easy.

 

Meanwhile, Rong Shouyun struggled for another week at his new place, eventually finding out that the abbot not only sought out junior monks but even lay followers for kisses, hopelessly incorrigible. So, he reported the abbot again and resigned.

 

The moment he resigned, he cried and sought out Zhou Jinyuan, but was promptly sent to another small temple by Rong Xixue.

 

That small temple only had three monks in total, located in a rural area of Haizhou, very impoverished. However, as Rong Xixue put it: “They’re true practitioners of Buddhism,” believing that Rong Shouyun could find the spiritual practice he’d always sought there.

 

“But there’s no rush, right? I want to talk to A Jin for one more night!” Rong Shouyun felt aggrieved, having just arrived after a long journey. “Why are you so eager to send me away?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan looked at Rong Xixue, feeling that he was indeed being a bit impatient with his older brother.

 

Rong Xixue frowned and said, “I thought you’d want to get to the temple quickly to help them open the door of compassion and enlightenment to more people.”

 

Zhou Jinyuan then looked at Rong Shouyun, thinking, yeah, aren’t you going to open the door?

 

Rong Shouyun: “…Fine, I’ll go!”

 

Third Hospital

 

It was already night, and the newly appointed Director Xiao was still in his office. He called an expert who was resting at home: “Professor Chen, yes, it’s Xiao Zuoming. There’s a patient I need your help with… It’s Director Yang from the Municipal Health Bureau, hmm…”

 

After hanging up, he made two more calls to other experts resting at home.

 

Finally, he also called Zhou Jinyuan.

 

It wasn’t Zhou Jinyuan’s turn for night duty at the Chinese medicine department, so he wasn’t at the hospital. Director Xiao could hear some background noise from Zhou Jinyuan’s side, who mentioned he was at home watching a movie with his brother.

 

Director Xiao briefly explained the situation, hoping Zhou Jinyuan could make it back for a consultation.

 

Zhou Jinyuan asked a few questions about the patient’s condition and then agreed to return as soon as possible.

 

“Sigh, what bad luck!” Director Xiao muttered.

 

Most of the experts lived in the staff housing area and rushed over to discuss the patient’s condition with Director Xiao.

 

Director Xiao felt a bit awkward, saying, “Thank you all, it’s quite urgent…”

 

Haizhou Municipal Health Bureau wasn’t far from Third Hospital. During a meeting today, Director Yang suddenly found that he couldn’t open his mouth, his jaws clamped tightly. It wasn’t a loss of voice, but he couldn’t open his mouth, his jaw locked, making it impossible to speak or eat.

 

Trying to force his mouth open resulted in joint pain.

 

Director Yang had an important meeting the next day, so he rushed to the nearest hospital.

 

After an examination, he was diagnosed with temporomandibular joint disorder, a condition with a complex and not fully understood mechanism.

 

It could be caused by stress, nerve dysfunction, or even cold weather.

 

Director Yang underwent various tests at Third Hospital, ruling out tumors, temporomandibular joint arthritis, and cervical spondylosis. It was suspected to be stress-related, and local anesthetics and anti-inflammatory drugs were tried to adjust muscle tension, but the results were unsatisfactory.

 

Director Yang urgently wanted effective treatment, not wanting to miss the important meeting the next day, putting the hospital’s doctors in a difficult position.

 

**Chapter 26**

 

Especially since Director Xiao had just taken office, the Health Bureau was the hospital’s governing unit. If he didn’t handle this well, it wouldn’t just be about what Director Yang thought; how could he establish his authority? Others wouldn’t care about the specifics of the illness.

 

So Director Xiao quickly invited experts from various departments to see if there was a way to treat the condition quickly.

 

After explaining the situation, Director Xiao returned to the ward, only to find a few more people there. He recognized them immediately; they were doctors from other hospitals!

 

It seemed that Director Yang couldn’t wait and had also invited people from other hospitals.

 

Director Xiao’s expression turned a bit sour, but he didn’t say anything. He had no choice but to wait quietly for the experts to discuss the case.

 

Director Yang sat on the hospital bed, full of frustration and anxiety. How could he suddenly develop such an illness? His mouth was like a clam, impossible to pry open! With such an important event tomorrow, was he going to miss it due to illness?

 

“This can’t be treated quickly, right? I suggest using ultrasound and medium frequency for a course of treatment to see the effects,” an external expert suggested. “Our hospital has introduced a new ultrasound therapy device from Germany.”

 

“Our hospital has one too,” Director Xiao quickly interjected. He had just taken office and, unless absolutely necessary, didn’t want to send the patient to another hospital for treatment. Otherwise, where would he save face?

 

Director Yang gestured, and his secretary asked, “How long is a course of treatment?”

 

“Seven days! But given the patient’s condition, even one course may not be enough!”

 

Seven days might not even be enough? That would be too late.

 

“Isn’t there a better method?” the secretary asked with a frown.

 

The experts from both hospitals looked at each other, none confident: “How about… we invite experts from Haibei for a consultation?”

 

The secretary’s expression turned a bit gloomy, “During the meeting, Professor Mo from Haibei was also there, and he examined Director Yang.”

 

The previous director of the Third Hospital had transferred to Haibei Hospital, which was affiliated with Haizhou University Medical School and had a high medical standard.

 

Professor Mo was a Chinese medicine expert from Haibei, a renowned doctor in Haizhou, and a director of the Chinese Medicine Association of China. He also served as the head of the high evaluation committee at the Health Bureau, which is why he was at the bureau today.

 

Professor Mo, a senior figure with many disciples, was even more famous than the renowned doctor Huang Zhongwen from the Chinese Medicine Hospital. Although their approaches differed, Mo and Huang had different styles.

 

Professor Mo was meticulous in his prescriptions and was particularly known for using Atractylodes in his treatments, earning him the nickname “Mo Atractylodes” in academic circles. It was said that with just one consultation, he could determine life and death.

 

Though the present experts were all Western doctors, they were well aware of Professor Mo’s reputation. Given his credentials, no matter their views on Chinese medicine, they had to acknowledge his prowess.

 

Hearing that Professor Mo had already seen the case, everyone eagerly inquired about the outcome.

 

Director Xiao felt mixed emotions, knowing Professor Mo had already examined the case! Why was this mess left to him then?

 

The secretary explained that Professor Mo was rushing to an emergency, but seeing Director Yang’s sudden condition, he had taken a look.

 

After examining, Professor Mo only said: “Nothing serious, it will self-heal by rooster crow.”

 

Then he left for his emergency!

 

Despite Professor Mo’s reputed accuracy, Director Yang felt uneasy. What if it didn’t heal by dawn? The next morning would be too late for his important meeting!

 

But since Professor Mo had already diagnosed it as not needing treatment and hurried off without further explanation, they couldn’t stop him. Hence, they came to the hospital.

 

Regardless, they had to conduct examinations.

 

The results here, however, didn’t align with Professor Mo’s conclusion. Forget about being cured by tomorrow morning, even a week might not guarantee results.

 

The experts didn’t know what to say.

 

They couldn’t fathom the thinking of a master from a different medical system…

 

Moreover, they understood Director Yang’s anxiety. “Self-healing by rooster crow” sounded mystical and wasn’t their usual approach to treatment.

 

Even if Professor Mo was a master and it did heal by tomorrow, could they guarantee it would be in time for Director Yang’s meeting?

 

“So… please discuss any alternative solutions,” the secretary said.

 

After a brief pause, the experts resumed their discussion, though they were all somewhat aware that no matter how they discussed it, the options were limited. Medium frequency treatment had its constraints regarding how much current the patient could tolerate.

 

…

 

While Director Xiao was lost in thought, someone called his name: “Director Xiao?”

 

He turned to see Zhou Jinyuan had arrived at the hospital.

 

The room was crowded. Zhou Jinyuan, wearing his white coat, entered without drawing much attention.

 

“Dr. Zhou,” Director Xiao said with a complicated expression. He had called Zhou Jinyuan to be on the safe side, knowing that acupuncture was sometimes used to treat temporomandibular joint disorder in Chinese medicine.

 

However, now knowing that Professor Mo had already made a diagnosis, Director Xiao was unsure if he should let Zhou Jinyuan proceed.

 

“Any conclusions?” Zhou Jinyuan, unaware of what had transpired, asked with his hands in his pockets, “Can I be of any help?”

 

He didn’t lower his voice deliberately, and an external expert nearby heard him, glanced at him, and wondered what an intern from the Third Hospital was doing here.

 

But the experts from the Third Hospital didn’t think much of it and even extended an arm to hand the medical scans to Zhou Jinyuan, “Dr. Zhou, take a look.”

 

Zhou Jinyuan reviewed the examination results and then asked, “Can I take the patient’s pulse?”

 

Faced with the puzzled looks of those unfamiliar, Director Xiao introduced, “This is Dr. Zhou from our Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) department. He excels in acupuncture.”

 

Director Yang, always knowing Xiao Zuoming to be a reliable person, found this young doctor too youthful. Among the group of senior experts in the ward, he stood out like a sore thumb. 

 

So what was Xiao Zuoming doing this time? If his mouth could open, he would have asked why a young doctor was brought in for acupuncture. Was this young man the best in their TCM department?

 

Seeing people from his hospital even moving a chair closer for Zhou Jinyuan to take the pulse more conveniently, the external experts were surprised. It seemed this young man held a significant position at the Third Hospital!

 

“Director Xiao, may I know this doctor’s rank in acupuncture in your TCM department?” An external doctor voiced the question in Director Yang’s mind.

 

Feeling slightly annoyed, Director Xiao answered expressionlessly, “First.”

 

“…” The doctor opened his mouth but couldn’t speak for a moment.

 

He hadn’t expected Director Xiao to give such a definitive answer without hesitation! How extraordinary!

 

Even more extraordinary was that the other experts from the hospital nodded in agreement without any objections, which was truly shocking.

 

Director Yang was also surprised, but quickly realized that if Xiao Zuoming dared to call this young man and make such claims, backed by other experts’ approval, this young doctor must be quite capable. Perhaps he came from a prestigious medical family?

 

It seemed he had judged too quickly based on appearance. Feeling more at ease, Director Yang extended his hand for Zhou Jinyuan to take his pulse.

 

The external doctor, after a brief loss for words, clicked his tongue and said, “Well, after this doctor examines the patient, let’s hear if there’s any quick treatment method.”

 

“Alright, we can discuss it together,” Director Xiao thought to himself, as if implying that the other had some great solution.

 

After taking the pulse, Zhou Jinyuan calmly said, “No need to be overly concerned. This condition is called ‘locked jaw’ in TCM, where the jaw is clenched and won’t open. However, this patient doesn’t need medication and can naturally recover by tomorrow morning, thus avoiding the pain of treatment.”

 

In TCM, this symptom was known as ‘koujin,’ where the jaw is tightly clenched and wouldn’t open.

 

At his words, everyone was dumbfounded.

 

Especially the external expert who had doubted Zhou Jinyuan earlier, even blurted out, “Self-healing again… Did you hear what Professor Mo said?”

 

The young man’s words, though phrased differently, aligned precisely with Professor Mo’s statement that it would naturally heal by morning without medication.

 

Everyone had hesitated to take the risk of ignoring the illness based on Professor Mo’s words, but Zhou Jinyuan had said the same thing.

 

Either he had overheard the secretary’s account.

 

Or… the condition could indeed self-heal as predicted?

 

If it were the latter, it would also mean this young doctor’s diagnostic skills were on par with Professor Mo’s!

 

“Someone else made the same diagnosis?” Zhou Jinyuan’s eyes lit up, “Then that person must be a wise physician!”

 

Everyone: “………..”