If a person’s body is diseased and rotting, should one cut away the corrupted flesh and allow it to regenerate through pain, or should one consume bitter medicine and trust in a recovery?
A skilled physician would surely do both: excise the rot while using tonics to nourish the essence and strengthen the body. Only then can recovery be swift. If the patient is frail, one might choose just one of these paths—but as long as the treatment begins now, results are inevitable.
But what if the patient is unwilling to be cut, nor willing to take the medicine?
Chapter 453