Zhu You

Zhu You

The atmosphere in the villa abruptly fell silent.

"Tingsong, do not speak nonsense!"

Daoist He put on a show of rebuking his disciple, then sized Li Bai up with a faintly mocking smile. "My young friend, you are not one of us Taoists. Why do you address me as a fellow Daoist? As far as I know, psychology originated from Western medicine."

The three Daoists from Qingliang Temple made their living off their reputation as reclusive experts. If just anyone could call themselves their equal and friend, how could they maintain their unfathomable prestige?

Even if the other party truly were a Taoist, they still had to hold on to their lofty status as seniors.

Once they fell to a lower position, the air of mystery and methods they had cultivated for so long would inevitably reveal flaws under all kinds of scrutiny.

"Doctor Li, perhaps you should..."

The confrontation between the two sides made Chairman Cao's expression turn somewhat unpleasant. He wanted to ask the young psychologist to rest somewhere else and prevent the conflict from escalating, but Li Bai cut him off.

"Fellow Daoist He, that is not correct. Psychology also originated from Taoism, so I too am a Taoist."

Pfft!

The two young Daoists, Tingsong and Wentao, could not help laughing aloud. This shameless attempt to force a family connection was simply laughable.

"Why do you say that, young friend?"

The other party's stubborn insistence made Daoist He's expression grow increasingly grim. He struggled to maintain the composure of a reclusive expert and did not openly fall out with the young man.

Yet his tone remained lofty and condescending, leaving the other party no chance to curry favor.

"Since ancient times, medicine and the Dao have been inseparable. In ancient China, psychology used for mental treatment had a special name. I presume Fellow Daoist He knows it."

Li Bai deliberately left him hanging, infuriating Daoist He's two disciples until they glared angrily.

Having been called "fellow Daoist" again and again, He Xunxian snorted irritably in response.

Seeing that the other party did not answer, Li Bai answered his own question. "Have you ever heard of Zhu You Shu, Fellow Daoist He?"

Daoist He's expression changed slightly, and he blurted out, "Zhu You Ke?!"

Huh? Zhu You Ke? Wasn't it psychiatry?

Chairman Cao and Madam Cao exchanged glances, both utterly bewildered. Even the two young Daoists, who were about the same age as Li Bai, wore puzzled expressions. They seemed to have heard the name somewhere before, yet could not recall it.

"So that is how it is. This humble Daoist forgot for a moment. Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Li. Infinite Blessings Heavenly Venerable!"

Daoist He promptly conceded.

Once the other party brought up the words "Zhu You," it effectively established his identity as a Taoist beyond dispute. There was no point in continuing the argument.

What the hell!

Zhu You Shu was not a technique, but the name of a profession. The words "Zhu You" came from Chapter Thirteen, "Treatise on Transferring Essence and Transforming Qi," in the Suwen section of the first volume of The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon.

The Yellow Emperor asked: "I have heard that in ancient times, illnesses were treated solely by transferring essence and transforming qi, and could be cured through Zhu You alone. Today, illnesses are treated internally with poisonous medicines and externally with needles and stones; some are cured and some are not. Why is this?"

The Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven in broad daylight, and this also aligned with Taoist cultivation methods, perfectly confirming Li Bai's earlier claim that medicine and the Dao had been inseparable since ancient times. Later followers of Taoism and medical practitioners all knew of The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon.

Medicine was divided into thirteen disciplines. The first was the Internal Medicine Department, which treated cold damage, phlegm, asthma, and all internal ailments.

The second was the Wind Disorders Department, which treated numbness, abscesses, paralysis, and all kinds of strokes.

The third was the Obstetrics Department, which treated illnesses before and after childbirth, as well as all unusual gynecological conditions.

The fourth was the Ophthalmology Department, which treated blindness, corneal opacity, and epidemic eye diseases.

The fifth was the Pediatrics Department, which treated infantile convulsions, tidal fevers, and all miscellaneous childhood illnesses.

The sixth was the Oral Medicine Department, which treated toothaches, fish bones stuck in the throat, and all throat ailments.

The seventh was the Pox and Rash Department, treating carbuncles, abscesses, malignant boils, as well as urinary disorders. The eighth was the Trauma Department, which treated crush injuries, broken bones, and injuries from falls and blows.

The ninth was the Ear and Nose Department, which treated deafness, nosebleeds, and all ear and nose diseases.

The tenth was the Sores and Swellings Department, which treated leprosy, scabies, stubborn ringworm, and unidentified malignant swellings.

The eleventh was the Metal Weapon Department, which treated arrow wounds, gunshot wounds, and injuries from knives, axes, and iron weapons.

The twelfth was the Incantations and Taboos Department, namely Zhu You Ke, which treated the suppression of evil and exorcism of ghosts, as well as warding off poison and halting sores.

The thirteenth was the Stone Needle Department, which treated madness and pain in the tendons and bones.

Even today, despite the influence of modern Western medicine, the thirteen disciplines of traditional Chinese medicine remained largely similar to those of ancient times.

Because sorcery and witchcraft had long been taboo to emperors throughout the dynasties, Zhu You Ke, whose many secret arts had been lost, had no choice but to introduce Western medicine as a supplement. The price was having to change its name and become psychiatry.

What Daoist He from Qingliang Temple had been doing at the Cao residence was fundamentally no different from the Zhu You Shu Li Bai had mentioned. His qualification to call himself a fellow Daoist was completely beyond question.

He Xunxian looked as though he had been forced to swallow a fly. His expression could not have been uglier.

The two young Daoists, Tingsong and Wentao, stared at each other in disbelief. They could not believe that this young doctor had forcibly linked the two sides together, and that even their master, Daoist He, could not find a single flaw in it.

This was why people who studied psychology could act like hooligans.

Compared with history, On the Soul predated even the foundational Confucian classic The Analects.

Compared with prestige, apart from Zhu You, its early name was philosophy, and going further back, religion.

Compared with influence, Nietzsche's declaration, "I am the sun," inspired countless people to worship him. In the East, no one among the Yellow race had not heard of the Tao Te Ching. If you wanted to get gay, just call it a Platonic spiritual romance, and suddenly you were no longer a pervert, all right? Suddenly it became classy, didn't it?

The Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian traditions had only just managed to form a three-way balance, and they probably all had an MMP they weren't sure whether to say.

Chairman Cao and his wife were both bewildered. The psychologist was actually a Daoist?

But judging from Daoist He's reaction, it seemed to be true!

It was simply unbelievable. The couple immediately felt as though their entire worldview desperately needed an upgrade. What on earth was going on with this world?

"This humble Daoist's spell was just disrupted. Please wait a moment longer, Chairman Cao."

Unable to keep stalling, Daoist He could only make an excuse. He resumed pacing the Big Dipper steps and chanting under his breath, while his eyes darted constantly about. Using the renewed ritual as a delaying tactic, he pondered just who this psychologist using Zhu You Shu as a cover really was.

From the moment the young doctor had arrived at the Cao residence, he had felt an inexplicable pressure.

If the other party had merely been a consulting doctor at Seventh People's Hospital, He Xunxian would never have believed it so easily.

If every psychiatrist had mastered the true secret arts of Zhu You Ke, how would Daoists like them make a living? After all, Zhu You Shu was the real expert at casting spells, driving away evil, drawing talismans, and setting formations.

Li Bai ignored Daoist He, who was still putting on his mystical act, and asked Chairman Cao, "Chairman Cao, may I see the patient first?"

No matter how earth-shaking a fellow utterly devoid of spiritual energy made things look, it was all just deception.

But Li Bai had come on a house call, not to watch someone play at being a shaman. He might as well let the man keep hopping around for now.

"Yes, yes, of course. Please follow me!"

Chairman Cao finally came to his senses and hurriedly prepared to lead the way.

Daoist He, still muttering his incantation, was inwardly frantic. He fiercely signaled to his two disciples with his eyes.

Tingsong and Wentao immediately understood and stepped forward together, blocking Chairman Cao and Li Bai.

"Master has just performed a technique on the patient. She cannot be disturbed."

"I'll only take a look. I won't touch anything."

Li Bai showed no intention of stopping.

The two young Daoists tried to block him, but they could not withstand the irresistible force and were forcibly squeezed apart as he passed between them.

The moment Daoist He saw this, he panicked and hurried after him, shooting his two useless disciples a vicious glare at the same time.

Li Bai still got there first. He entered Chairman Cao's younger daughter's room, looked Cao Qiuqing up and down, sniffed lightly, then turned and smiled at Daoist He, who could barely contain his exasperation.

"Fellow Daoist, you truly have impressive methods!"

He had caught the faint, distinctly sweet scent of ether, mingled with the fragrance of early spring flowers and grass drifting in through the window. Ordinary people would have found it difficult to notice, but it could not escape Li Bai's professionally keen sense of smell.

Ether was a common chemical product. For a time, it had been used as an anesthetic and could cause dizziness, fatigue, and drowsiness. Nowadays, it was more often used as a light industrial solvent, a pharmaceutical extraction agent, and for making gunpowder, while its original use as an anesthetic had become increasingly rare.

If it had been an anesthesiologist from an operating room, they would probably have noticed it the moment they entered.

He Xunxian, who had followed them over, felt his heart lurch. His expression changed slightly as he realized the other party had seen through his little trick.

"Fellow Daoist Li is indeed knowledgeable. This humble Daoist's petty skill has made a fool of himself."

Daoist He no longer dared underestimate this perfectly legitimate psychologist. Though he put on a mystical act, he also understood a little medicine. At this moment, he took the initiative to lower his stance, utterly unlike the arrogance he had shown upon their first meeting. Was that not also a form of yielding, in hopes that Li Bai would not expose him?

Tingsong and Wentao were horrified. Their master had previously refused to address the other man as a fellow Daoist, yet now he had taken the initiative to do so. The change before and after was simply unbelievable.