The crowd around the man on the ground watched in stunned silence.
Black blood poured from the man’s nostrils like a rushing stream, showing no sign of stopping! Before anyone could react, the rugged man on the ground let out a groan and blinked his eyes open, looking dazed. He lifted his head, scanned his surroundings with a confused expression, and asked weakly, "What... what happened to me?"
*Gasp!*
The entire scene was shocked! A stroke... he woke up?!
Zhang Liang watched this incredible sight with wide, disbelieving eyes. In less than two minutes, a stroke patient had been revived! The two nurses, Xu Lan and Miao Ningning, were even more shocked, covering their mouths with their hands. As medical professionals, they knew all too well that severe strokes usually required craniotomy; how could he wake up so quickly?
Seeing her son speak, the old woman who had been kneeling on the ground finally broke down. Her body went limp, and she collapsed onto the ground, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.
The rugged man felt something strange on his mouth. He wiped it, saw his hand covered in blood, and froze for a moment. The next second, he struggled to sit up.
"Don't move. You haven't fully recovered from the stroke yet." Lu Yi reached out and pressed the man back down, then began to check his pulse again.
*Stroke?*
The man finally cleared his head. He looked at Lu Yi and suddenly recalled what had been written on the paper. He asked in disbelief, "Did I really have a stroke just now?"
Lu Yi nodded.
"Then how did I get better? Aren't stroke victims supposed to be paralyzed? Why can I still move?" the man asked, bewildered.
*That’s right! How did he get better?*
The eyes of the surrounding crowd immediately turned to Lu Yi. They were still completely lost, having no idea how the young doctor had treated the stroke. Could it really be done with just a cup of wine and a lock of hair?
"I used the hair from the left temple steeped in wine," Lu Yi explained simply. "It’s a prescription recorded in the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon)."
In the *Suwen: Miaci Lun* chapter of the *Huangdi Neijing*, it is written: "In states resembling a corpse, or what is called 'corpse syncope,' shear the hair from the left temple, burn a square inch of it, and drink it with a cup of fine wine. If the patient cannot drink, pour it in!"
*Burning hair and drinking wine is a prescription from a medical text?* Everyone was baffled. Was there really such a thing?
Lu Yi finished taking the pulse, let go, and exhaled. He said to the man, "The danger has passed, but you aren't completely recovered yet. There are still traces of bleeding in your brain. To heal fully, you need to take some medicine."
He stood up, went to the diagnostic desk, and wrote a prescription on a notepad: Ephedra, Cinnamon Twig, Angelica sinensis, Ginseng...
"If you want to get better, take this for seven consecutive days." Lu Yi handed the note to the man and helped him stand up.
At that moment, a wisp of gray, almost black, "pathogenic qi" drifted from the man’s body and condensed in the air. It slowly dissipated, leaving behind a glowing white filament of *true qi*—a hundred times thicker than the one he had received from Wu Shengli, nearly as thick as a sandalwood incense stick!
The white *true qi* flew directly toward Lu Yi and vanished into his *dantian*.
*Boom!*
The *true qi* in Lu Yi’s *dantian* began to boil and swirl rapidly. The area of his *dantian* expanded instantly due to the influx of energy, doubling in size. If it had been the size of a small coin before, it was now at least the size of a dollar coin. His reserves had increased tenfold; what was once a small stream had become a river!
Lu Yi’s eyes flashed with brilliance and surprise. He hadn't expected to gain so much *true qi* from saving a life on the verge of death! It was a hundred times the amount he usually obtained from minor illnesses. It seemed the more severe the patient's condition, the more "pathogenic qi" was released, and the more he benefited.
The rugged man looked at the prescription, then at Lu Yi with gratitude. He wanted to say something polite but realized he didn't know how. After a long pause, he said, "Thank you, Doctor. I shouldn't have been so mouthy earlier, saying you were wrong."
Lu Yi waved his hand and smiled. "Go inside and get your medicine."
The man helped his mother up, and they walked slowly toward the hospital lobby.
Silence returned to the area, broken only by the sound of the autumn wind rustling the leaves, the footsteps of the mother and son, and the eyes of the crowd following them. Now, those who were quick-witted turned their gaze to Lu Yi with eager eyes. If this doctor could treat something as serious as a stroke, what about their own "minor ailments"?
Just then, the rugged man, having reached the lobby, suddenly remembered something. He stopped, slapped his forehead in self-reproach, turned around, and asked Lu Yi, "Doctor, can you treat diarrhea? My mother has it today, and even the IV drips at the clinic didn't work."
"I can. Madam, give me your hand." Lu Yi didn't turn anyone away.
The man quickly helped his mother over. She placed her hand on the desk, and Lu Yi took her pulse, nodding as he prepared to speak.
*Gurgle!*
Suddenly, a loud stomach growl erupted from the crowd. A young man, pale-faced, was clutching his stomach. He had been about to dash into the lobby to find a restroom when he changed his mind and ran toward Lu Yi’s desk. Clutching his gut, he asked anxiously, "Doctor, I have diarrhea too! Can you treat me after you're done with them? I need to use the bathroom first!"
He started to rush toward the lobby, but Lu Yi quickly reached out and grabbed him. "No need."
The young man looked at him in confusion, as did the others.
"There's nothing wrong with your body. I’ll write a prescription to regulate it. Just wait a moment." Lu Yi explained with a smile to the old woman, then turned to the young man. "Give me both hands."
"Can I just give you one at a time?" the young man asked, his face twisted in agony as he clutched his stomach. "My stomach hurts too much; I have to hold it."
"Give me both hands," Lu Yi insisted.
"Fine." The young man reluctantly stretched out his other hand, his body instinctively hunching over, legs bent into an X-shape. Even through his pants, one could see his muscles tensing.
*Left for men, right for women.* Lu Yi used his thumb to press firmly onto the *Changguan* acupoint on the young man's left arm.
He pressed hard!
The young man was about to struggle in pain when his body suddenly shuddered, and he looked up in surprise, slowly straightening his back.
*Huh?* The young man looked at his own stomach, bewildered. A miracle had happened: his stomach didn't hurt as much, and the urge to go had vanished!
The surrounding crowd noticed the young man suddenly standing straight, his expression calm, and they stared in amazement. Zhang Liang, standing to the side, also keenly noticed the change in the young man's state—the diarrhea had clearly subsided. He carefully observed the spot Lu Yi had pressed and reached out to try the same position on his own arm. He didn't feel much at first, but three seconds later, he was shocked to find that his urge to urinate had diminished.
This sent a jolt through him. *This is incredible!*
It wasn't incredible at all. Lu Yi was using his other hand to press the young man's right *Chiguan* point. This was an emergency TCM technique. The *Changguan* point, as the name suggests, is the "gate" for the bowels. If one needs to use the restroom but there isn't one nearby, pressing this point can alleviate the urge within a few breaths. If the urge is strong, one must keep pressing until a restroom is found.
After finishing the pulse check, Lu Yi nodded secretly—it was the same condition as the old woman's.
"Keep pressing this spot yourself," Lu Yi said, releasing his left hand. The moment he let go, the young man felt the urge return, and he quickly clamped his hand back down on the spot. Ten seconds later, the urge dissipated.
Lu Yi was about to write the prescription when he caught a glimpse of a maple leaf under the desk, blown there by the autumn breeze. He looked up at the vibrant red maple trees swaying in the wind, and his eyes lit up.
Maple leaves, when ingested, are a primary treatment for diarrhea and dysentery!
"Could you please fetch two cups of warm water from the lobby?" Lu Yi said with a smile to the nurse, Miao Ningning. She happily obliged.
Under the gaze of the curious crowd, Lu Yi stood up, walked to the maple trees in the yard, and plucked two handfuls of bright red leaves. *What is he doing with maple leaves?* The scene was dead silent; everyone was watching Lu Yi intently.
He returned, flicked the dust off the leaves, handed a few to the young man and the old woman, and said, "Chew them directly. The finer you chew, the better."
*Huh?* The young man stared at Lu Yi, stunned. The old woman was equally bewildered, and the surrounding crowd was frozen.
"I chew these... to cure my illness?" the young man asked in disbelief.
"Yes, this will treat both of your conditions," Lu Yi said with a smile.
The young man stared at the leaves in his hand. Feeling that Lu Yi wasn't joking, he grit his teeth, took them, and stuffed them into his mouth. After eating them, he quickly put his hand back on his *Changguan* point, terrified of having an accident. Seeing the young man eat them, the old woman did the same.
Nurse Miao Ningning returned with two cups of warm water. Lu Yi took them and handed them to the patients, signaling them to drink. The old woman held the cup and sipped slowly, while the young man gulped his down. He was about to ask a question when his expression froze, and he looked down at his stomach in confusion.
*Huh?* The pain was gone?
The young man tentatively let go of his right hand. To his surprise, it really didn't hurt anymore! There was still a slight urge, but the pain was completely gone.
"My stomach doesn't hurt anymore," the young man said, looking at Lu Yi with awe.
"Mine doesn't either," the old woman added, surprised.
*Gasp!* The surrounding crowd was stunned, including the rugged man who was supporting his mother. *It doesn't hurt anymore?* A moment ago, they were in such pain they were sweating, and now it was gone? Were maple leaves that magical?
The crowd’s gazes turned to Lu Yi again. Treating stomach pain with a few maple leaves was unheard of.
Two faint, pale gray wisps of pathogenic qi drifted from the old woman and the young man, dissipating into white *true qi* thin as silk, sinking into Lu Yi.
*It seems the amount of true qi is indeed related to the severity of the illness!* Lu Yi thought to himself. He sat back down, wrote two identical prescriptions, and handed one to each of them. "Go use the restroom if you need to, then go home and take this medicine. It will regulate your body so you won't have diarrhea like this again."
He then said to the nurse, Xu Lan, "Could you please take them to the pharmacy? It can be a bit hard to find."
Xu Lan, still in a state of shock, nodded. After thanking Lu Yi, the young man and the old woman followed the nurse into the lobby.
As they walked away, the area fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the wind and the rustling leaves. Everyone glanced at the brilliantly red maple leaves, then at Lu Yi, whose white coat fluttered in the breeze. Their eyes, once dim, began to light up like lamps. Finally, they burned with intensity!
*Whoosh!*
The crowd scrambled to surge forward toward Lu Yi.
"Doctor, check me too! My tooth hurts!"
"Check me too! My butt hurts!"
Zhang Liang made a bold move and surged to the front of Lu Yi's desk, gripping the sides tightly. No matter how much others pushed, he remained unmoved, his face a mask of determination.
***
"Everyone, line up! Form a line! Don't push, don't push!" Nurse Miao Ningning quickly stepped out to maintain order.
After much jostling, the crowd finally formed a line, each person craning their neck to look at Lu Yi with desperate eagerness.
Treating a stroke with hair and wine! Treating diarrhea with maple leaves! These two examples were enough to prove that this young, handsome doctor’s medical skills were on a level entirely different from what they had previously understood about TCM!
New patients entering the hospital saw the long line, asked the people at the back what happened, heard the magical stories, and immediately joined the queue. Patients who had already finished their appointments and were leaving the lobby saw this, asked around, and their eyes lit up as they rushed to join the back of the line.
A miraculous scene unfolded at the Community Hospital. All the patients waiting for care formed a long, snake-like line that snaked out of the hospital courtyard and onto the sidewalk of the main road.
Seeing the line, the corners of Lu Yi’s mouth curled upward. This was the effect he wanted! He turned to Zhang Liang, who was first in line.
"Thanks for your help earlier." Lu Yi handed him the bottle of Moutai he had retrieved earlier.
"You're too kind." Zhang Liang took the Moutai, stuffed it into his pocket with a bold gesture, cast a glance at the people behind him with a victorious smile, and turned back to Lu Yi. "You were the one saving the life; I just helped out a little. Now, please help me." He held out his hand hopefully.
"I’ll see you for free, and I’ll pay for your medicine," Lu Yi said earnestly.
"Then thank you." Zhang Liang didn't stand on ceremony. "I have a toothache. I ate barbecue last night, and it started hurting as soon as I got home. It’s been terrible today."
*Barbecue causes internal heat.* Lu Yi made an immediate diagnosis. He took Zhang Liang's pulse on both wrists and wrote a prescription for *Qingwei San* (Clear Stomach Powder) on the notepad: 30g Rehmannia, 15g Angelica sinensis...
"Take just one dose, and your toothache will be gone."
"It's that magical?" Zhang Liang looked at the prescription in surprise.
Lu Yi shook his head. "It’s not magic. Medicine is just about correcting imbalances. If the medicine matches the condition, the result is as swift as a drumstick striking a drum. You have excess heat in your stomach; this medicine clears that heat. Once the stomach heat subsides, the toothache will vanish naturally."
Zhang Liang, still skeptical, cupped his hands in a salute and took the prescription into the lobby.
Next was a woman in her thirties. She stared at Lu Yi’s face, her cheeks flushed with excitement, and offered her hand.
***
"Doctor Li, please prepare the herbs for these two patients." In the pharmacy, Nurse Xu Lan handed two prescriptions through the clear glass window.
"Oh! The TCM Department is actually open? Seems Doctor Lu really managed to trick some patients," Doctor Li, who was preparing medicine, teased with surprise. He turned and caught sight of the rugged man outside the window, still covered in blood below the nose, and froze.
"Don't be surprised yet, the shocking part is still to come. I expect even more people will be coming for medicine soon," Xu Lan said proudly. She recalled the way the people in the courtyard had looked at Lu Yi—just like the nurses in the hospital, eager to throw themselves at him.
"More? Even after all this time, there are only two. How many more can there be in one afternoon?" Doctor Li scoffed, unimpressed.
"Doctor, please prepare some Chinese medicine for me too." Zhang Liang walked up and handed over his prescription.
Doctor Li froze, looking at the third prescription, his expression turning to astonishment. *A third patient?!* That shouldn't be possible! He knew perfectly well what the patients in this hospital thought of TCM. If they believed in it, the expensive herbs in his pharmacy wouldn't be on the verge of molding.
"Doctor, get me my medicine!" Another person walked up.
"Get mine too, quick! I need to go home and boil the soup!" Another followed.
Doctor Li jerked his head up, disbelievingly watching the constant stream of patients arriving outside the glass, each holding a prescription. His eyes were filled with shock and confusion. *What on earth is going on?*
***
"What’s going on today? There are so few patients. I only saw a few in the first twenty minutes, and it’s been half an hour without a single one," the surgeon Ma Jianshan messaged in the doctors' group chat, bewildered.
"Same in Dentistry. Saw a few at the start, but then nothing."
"Same in Internal Medicine. Not a single patient in the last half hour."
If it were just one person, no one would think much of it, but since it was everyone, they grew suspicious. Monday was supposed to be the busiest day; this wasn't right!
*Look out the window!!!*
A message suddenly appeared in the group. Everyone jumped up and looked out their windows. They all froze! A line without an end stretched from the lobby door all the way to the hospital gate, and it was even extending onto the road. And at the very head of that line was Lu Yi’s diagnostic desk.
*What is going on?!* Surgeon Ma Jianshan asked in the group, shocked. But no one replied for a long time, because no one knew. One thing, however, they were certain of: it wasn't a lack of patients—they had all run to Lu Yi!
***
"Finally done writing this. I hope the other hospital directors won't laugh too much tomorrow, and that the leadership doesn't look too sour-faced, so I still have a chance for a promotion."
Zhao Jinliang stood up, stretched, took a large gulp of tea, and glanced out the window, freezing instantly. He swallowed the tea, set the cup down, and hurried to the glass window, eyes wide as he stared at the long line outside.
*What... what is this?*
He pulled out his phone and made a call. As soon as it connected, he barked, "Xiao Lan, what is happening in the courtyard?"
"Second Uncle, the situation is great. Everything is normal," Nurse Xu Lan said confidently.
The blood pressure in Zhao Jinliang’s head almost spiked. *I sent you through the back door to work, not to give me a heart attack!*
"I know things are normal! I want to know why all the patients are lining up in front of Lu Yi!"
"Obviously because Doctor Lu conquered them with his medical skills! He just treated a stroke with hair and wine, and cured two cases of diarrhea with maple leaves..."
*Treating a stroke with hair and wine, diarrhea with maple leaves?*
Hearing these two things, Zhao Jinliang couldn't process the rest of what she said. His mind couldn't think. Only one question echoed in his soul: *Was this young man, Lu Yi, actually that skilled?*
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him. He looked at the speech draft on his desk, and his eyes lit up. He immediately spoke into the phone: "Take some pictures of the scene, right now!"