Eight Methods of Flying and Soaring

She said that if I continued to meddle, she would make me unlucky for three years.

As Yang Tianzheng spoke, he scratched the back of his head.

"I was young and impetuous back then. When I saw this, I thought, 'You're threatening me? You dare to threaten me?' So I took out my needles and stuck two more needles in."

"And then?!" everyone asked in unison.

"Later, that patient recovered, but I had three years of bad luck. I lost my job, my business failed..."

"Hmm..." Everyone murmured in silence.

"As the saying goes, the cycle of Heaven is real, and cause and effect are infallible. This situation is indeed possible. Therefore, when dealing with such matters, it's best to mediate based on the principle that it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Perhaps that will lead to the most ideal outcome!"

Old Daoist Master Xiao great experience and knowledge, gave the most objective assessment.

"Elder Xiao is right. Besides bad luck, I also encountered a strange situation. I sought help from our capable person— Mengfei. Of course, all of Mengfei's suggestions were terrible and completely useless."

Yang Tianzheng agreed with Daoist Master Xiao's words, and then immediately began to retort to Mr. Mengfei.

Who is Mr. Mengfei? Without blushing or skipping a beat, he coughed lightly and said, "Zhengzai, you can't say that. Actually, feeling unwell is a way of clearing away karmic obstacles. Think about it, is it better for karma to manifest now, or for it to catch you off guard when you're Dayi in the future?"

Yang Tianzheng swallowed the tea in his mouth. "Fine, fine, I can't argue with you. Let's have Senior Xiao judge! Mengfei, in today's terms, you're the best frenemy!"

The two men, whose combined age was nearly a hundred, were bickering, drawing laughter from everyone. Old Daoist Master Xiao stroked his beard with a smile and said, "Tell me, I'd like to hear what strange thing could leave our renowned Mr. Mengfei at a loss?"

"After I cured that patient, they left. Then, the first night I was sleeping, something suddenly grabbed my neck and woke me up."

No sooner had Yang Tianzheng finished speaking than the Old Daoist Master Xiao blurted out, "Nightmare!"

"Mmm!" Yang Tianzheng nodded. "From then on, it happened every night. It made me extremely anxious, and my sleep became terrible. Then, guess what idea Mengfei gave me?"

"What idea?" everyone asked in unison.

"He told me to get a recliner, put it in the living room, take off all my clothes, and sleep on it. This guy insisted that I was covered with too much blanket at night, and that the sheets on my bed were choking me—it was all my imagination!"

Even now, when Yang Tianzheng talks about it, a ridiculous expression still appears on his face.

When it came to the truly terrible idea Mr. Mengfei had given, even someone as composed as Mr. Mengfei, who remained unfazed even in the face of a collapsing Taishan, couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He kept drinking water from his teacup to hide his awkwardness.

"Why is that? Based on my years of knowing Mengfei, Mengfei generally doesn't come up with any crazy ideas. I wonder if Brother Mengfei could explain why Brother Tianzheng should do this?"

Old Daoist Master Xiao looked puzzled.

Seeing everyone staring at him with suspicion, Mr. Mengfei awkwardly put down his teacup and coughed twice. "Ahem, actually, it doesn't mean anything by it. Wasn't the thing he was treating a female ghost? He subdued her, so the one choking him must have been that female ghost. Think about it this way: once Zhengzai takes off her clothes, won't she get shy and not come? Hehe, isn't that a brilliant plan! Brilliant!"

Mr. Mengfei, who had just been feeling awkward, became increasingly smug as he spoke, and eventually burst out laughing.

Mr. Mengfei chuckled twice, then, noticing the strange looks he was receiving, quickly shut up and went to drink his tea.

"Elder Xiao, what I'm saying is, for example, after I've become his disciple, is it possible for me to leave his tutelage and stop studying under him? Is that alright?"

Su Ziyang looked at Old Daoist Master Xiao with great seriousness and asked.

Old Daoist Master Xiao clapped his hands. "Logically speaking, it should be possible, but our sect has its rules. Quitting a sect without permission will result in corresponding punishments. What's wrong? Why are you suddenly asking this? Has anyone been troubled by this?"

"Our sect is very simple!" Mr. Mengfei said, bowing his head. "Just break their arms and legs. What's wrong, Ziyang? Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Ah, it's nothing. A friend of mine asked me to ask!" Su Ziyang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and lowered his head without saying a word.

Hahahaha!

A burst of laughter erupted inside the room.

"So, how did you finally resolve this problem?" Perhaps due to his professional habits, Old Daoist Master Xiao immediately asked Yang Tianzheng how the matter was ultimately resolved after everyone's laughter subsided.

"It wasn't resolved; we just endured it for three years. It's over now!"

To everyone's surprise, Yang Tianzheng's solution was so simple and brutal.

"The reason I'm bringing this up today is to tell Little Ziyang that learning acupuncture is good, but when you're using the needles, remember that Heaven cherishes life, so don't needle too harshly."

It was many years later that Su Ziyang truly understood the advice Yang Tianzheng introducing him to the path of acupuncture, and he finally understood why the Great Dao of Heaven has fifty parts, of which forty-nine are used.

The meeting ended after everyone listened attentively to Yang Tianzheng's story.

With nothing else to do, Yang Tianzheng stayed behind to teach Su Ziyang acupuncture.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mengfei, who never gets anything done, has once again made a hasty escape...

Su Ziyang originally studied acupuncture and massage, so he has some basic knowledge of acupuncture. However, it's not accurate to say he has a solid foundation in acupuncture.

At the very least, one should know the pathways of the meridians, acupoints, and the most basic acupuncture techniques and tonification/sedation methods.

Su Ziyang had just finished work when Yang Tianzheng appeared at the outpatient clinic.

These past few days, Su Ziyang has spent most of his free time in the outpatient clinic, because Yang Tianzheng comes back every now and then to give him a lesson.

After Yang Tianzheng appeared, Su Ziyang quickly stood up and respectfully greeted his master.

Although Yang Tianzheng was upright and dignified, he was not serious, so Su Ziyang was not restrained when he studied under Yang Tianzheng.

"Sit down, Ziyang. I have a question for you!"

Yang Tianzheng was sitting in a chair next to the consultation table, looking at Su Ziyang and speaking.

"Master, may I ask you a question?"

Su Ziyang sat back down in his chair, listening quietly to what question his master wanted to ask him.

"How many different techniques are there in acupuncture?"

Yang Tianzheng's question was a surprise, because the focus of the teaching over the past few days had been on the meridians and acupoints of the human body, and there hadn't been much mention of acupuncture techniques.

Upon hearing Yang Tianzheng's question, Su Ziyang pondered for a moment before replying, "There should be eight acupuncture techniques, Master!"

"How are there eight types? And what are these eight types?"

Yang Tianzheng smiled and looked at Su Ziyang.

Faced with Yang Tianzheng's question, Su Ziyang calmly replied, "The Complete Book of Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion and Sanqu - Yang's Tonification and Reduction in Sanqu has a mnemonic that says: 'Many are the secrets of acupuncture, and though the techniques are numerous, they are nothing more than this: Cut the acupoint, hold the needle, warm the mouth, insert the needle, follow the flow, withdraw the needle, rub, twist the needle to release qi, leave the needle like a bean, shake the acupoint and pull it out like a shuttle.'"

"Therefore, there are twelve techniques before inserting the needle, namely, claw cutting, finger holding, mouth warming, needle insertion, finger tracing, claw grasping, needle withdrawal, finger rubbing, finger twisting, finger retention, needle shaking, and finger pulling. During needle insertion, there are eight techniques, namely: tucking, clawing, rubbing, flicking, shaking, touching, tracing, and twisting."

After Su Ziyang finished speaking, Yang Tianzheng's eyes visibly lit up, but quickly returned to calm. "Hmm! That was a decent answer. Keep up the good work!"

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Master. Are we learning something new today? I think I've almost memorized those acupoints and meridians!"

Su Ziyang knew that no matter what he did, these old guys who acted like reclusive masters would not be satisfied, so he very obediently asked Yang Tianzheng.

But Su Ziyang was truly mistaken this time. Su Ziyang standing in Yang Tianzheng's heart had risen dramatically; he'd gone from a clueless blockhead to a promising young man!

"I was going to teach you something new. Mengfei and I talked about it, and he said you have a solid foundation in I Ching, so I'm going to teach you a practical acupuncture technique first. That way, you can get started quickly. What do you think?"

Yang Tianzheng gave Su Ziyang a brief explanation, and Su Ziyang was overjoyed. He had no reason not to learn, and nodded vigorously.

Seeing Su Ziyang's eager expression, Yang Tianzheng smiled, took an A4 sheet of paper from Su Ziyang's desk, and said, "The acupuncture technique I'm teaching is called the Eight Methods of Flying and Soaring. The acupuncture points are very simple to locate. It utilizes eight acupoints on the eight extraordinary meridians, along with the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Eight Trigrams, and the Eight Trigrams, to treat diseases by needling different acupoints at different times. This method is simple and effective!"

Yang Tianzheng's words made Su Ziyang even more uneasy, and he quickly said, "Master, I would like to hear more details."

"The Eight Methods of Divine Needlework are wondrous."

The method of soaring is the most extraordinary.

Bian needles are applied both internally and externally.

Water and fire are balanced.

The upper and lower passages intersect.

Swift as a hand,

coming and going depends on advancing and retreating.

Tonification and purgation should be applied according to the patient's needs.

Use a method similar to steering a boat.

It should be like the trigger mechanism of a crossbow.

Qi gathers and disperses over time.

Body pain, fingers moving downwards.

Such a profound technique

Few people probably know this.

Yang Tianzheng recited a verse that Su Ziyang didn't quite understand, but he grasped the general meaning: the Eight Methods of Flying and Soaring acupuncture technique was incredibly powerful, and he wouldn't tell just anyone about it.

Upon hearing this, Su Ziyang nodded inwardly, opened his notebook, and respectfully wrote four large characters, "Eight Methods of Flying and Soaring."

Now, after being educated by Mr. Mengfei and Daoist Jin, Su Ziyang's calligraphy has become very beautiful.

Yang Tianzheng Su Ziyang had written such beautiful handwriting again, and he looked at Su Ziyang as if he were a treasure.

"You know the layout of the Luo River Book, right?" Yang Tianzheng's teaching method is not cramming; he won't just stuff all the knowledge into you all at once, but rather interact with Su Ziyang at all times.

"Of course I know!"

Su Ziyang nodded.

"Then draw one in the notebook, make it big!"

Yang Tianzheng watched as Su Ziyang drew the Luo River Book) in his notebook. Su Ziyang picked up a pen and drew a nine-square grid in the notebook, then filled in the numbers, muttering as he did so, "Nine on top, one at the bottom, three on the left, seven on the right, two and four on the shoulders, eight and six on the feet, fifty in the center, residing in the Kun (Earth) formation."

"Not bad, then draw the Eight Trigrams inside!" Yang Tianzheng continued to instruct Su Ziyang, seeing that he was drawing quite quickly.

Su Ziyang remained silent and began filling in the Eight Trigrams diagram on the nine-square grid. (The Luo River Book nine-square grid is as follows:)

4 9 2

3 5 7

8 1 6

Su Ziyang started writing the Eight Trigrams directly from left to right and from top to bottom: the 4th palace is the Xun Trigram, the 9th palace is Kun Trigram Li Trigram, the 2nd palace is the Zhen Trigram, the 3rd palace is the Zhen trigram, the 5th palace is the Zhongtu Bubu trigram, the 7th palace is the Dui Trigram, the 8th palace is the Gen Trigram, the 1st palace is the Kan Trigram, and the 6th palace is the Qian Trigram.

Su Ziyang wrote very quickly, completing the simple character distribution in just a few seconds.

Yang Tianzheng nodded in satisfaction and then said, "I'll recite a mnemonic, and you write it down. Fill in the eight acupoints into this nine-square grid!"

Su Ziyang nodded, tilting his ear to listen attentively, afraid of missing a single word.

"Kan Yi Lian Shen Mai,

According to Haikun Erwu,

Zhen San belongs to the outer gate.

The number of weeping sounds in the fourth position of the Xun trigram.

Qian Liu is Gongsun.

Duiqi Houxi Prefecture,

Genba system inner gate,

The nine columns are missing the master.

Yang Tianzheng was afraid that Su Ziyang would not be able to keep up, so he spoke very slowly, word by word. Su Ziyang suddenly felt like he was in elementary school when his homeroom teacher read out new words to him and asked him to spell the pinyin in the book.

After Su Ziyang finished filling in the blanks, he obtained a relatively complete diagram.

4 Xun Linqi 9 Li Lieque 2 Kun Zhaohai

3 Zhenwaiguan 5 7 Duihouxi

8 Gen Neiguan 1 Kan Shenmai 6 Qian Gongsun

"Hmm, not bad. In the future, when you need to use the Eight Methods of Flying and Soaring, you can just visualize this diagram in your mind. Over time, you'll become more and more proficient."

Yang Tianzheng instructed Su Ziyang to memorize the diagram carefully. Although Su Ziyang didn't know how to use it, he still diligently memorized it without any slackness, because it was the foundation of the Eight Methods of Flying and Soaring. Only by memorizing this could he better delve deeper into the subject.

"Did you learn the Song of the Eight Confluent Points when you were in school?" Yang Tianzheng was well-versed in the first-hand material that Su Ziyang had learned.

Before Yang Tianzheng could ask any more questions, Su Ziyang blurted out. "Gongsun connects to the Chong meridian, stomach, heart, and chest; Neiguan connects to the Yinwei meridian, lower abdomen; Linqi connects to the gallbladder meridian and belt meridian; Yangwei connects to the outer canthus and outer canthus; Houxi connects to the Du meridian, inner canthus, and neck; Shenmai connects to the Yangqiao meridian; Lieque connects to the Ren meridian, lung system; Yinqiao connects to Zhaohai, diaphragm, and throat."

Yang Tianzheng chuckled and said, "Not bad, not bad. It's true that having a foundation makes teaching easier. Did you know that these acupoints on the Eight Extraordinary Meridians are further divided into parent, spouse, male and female, and host and guest?"

"This disciple is unaware, and hopes that Master will enlighten me!" Su Ziyang respectfully clasped his hands in a salute to Yang Tianzheng.

"The Gongsun acupoint, representing the father, connects to the Chong meridian;"

The Neiguan acupoint is the mother point, connecting to the Yin Wei meridian.

The two meridians converge and intersect at the heart, chest, and stomach points in the human body.

The two acupoints Houxi (SI3) are for the husband and connect to the Du meridian;

The Shenmai acupoint represents the wife and connects to the Yang Qiao meridian.

The two meridians converge and intersect at the inner canthus of the eye, neck, ear, shoulder, small intestine, and bladder.

The Linqi acupoint is for men and connects to the Dai meridian;

The two acupoints, Waiguan and Waiguan, are for women and connect to the Yangwei Meridian.

The two meridians converge at the outer canthus of the eye, behind the ear, cheek, neck, and shoulder.

The two acupoints, Lieque and Que, are the primary points, connecting the Ren meridian;

The two acupoints, Zhaohai and Zhaohai, are considered guest points and connect to the Yin Qiao meridian.

The two meridians converge and intersect at the points of the lungs, throat, and chest.

"You need to memorize these basics well. Now go eat!"

Yang Tianzheng left immediately after finishing his lesson, while Su Ziyang pondered Yang Tianzheng's words as he searched for a place to eat.