A gray-haired physician shook his head as he said, "This venerable lord's mind is clouded, sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. He responds when called, but occasionally speaks deliriously. In my judgment, damp heat has bred phlegm, obscuring his clear faculties. The books say the heart governs consciousness. Musk, borneol, and sweet flag, supplemented with storax and simmered over a low flame, should cure him within a few days."
No sooner had he finished than a haggard-looking physician beside him sprang forward. "Nonsense! His pulse is sluggish, thin, straight, and soft. This is plainly caused by depleted kidney essence and deficient qi and blood. The proper remedy is my family's ancestral Angong Rhinoceros-Horn Rehmannia Pill."
"Utter rubbish!"
A small, skinny physician rose onto his toes and pointed at their noses, berating them in a shrill voice. "Observation, listening and smelling, inquiry, and pulse-taking are the foundations of medicine! All those books you read have ended up in a dog's belly! His qi and blood are weak, his palms, soles, and chest burn, and his mind is confused. These are clearly signs of a stroke!"
Overjoyed, Han Zhan stepped forward, seized the skinny physician's hand, and shook it. "Wonderful! If you can tell what's wrong with my father, you must be able to cure him! Don't worry. Cure him, and I'll reward you handsomely!"
Caught in Han Zhan's grip like a little chick, the skinny physician was shaken so hard that his body nearly fell apart. At last, he grimaced and protested, "Sir, I'm not very good at treating it either... I can only diagnose the problem. But if my master were here, he could certainly cure him."
"Oh..."
Han Zhan raised his brows and glared. "Where's your master? I'll send someone to fetch him right now."
The skinny physician hung his