Signs of Impending Death

"Doctor, can we decoct the medicine here? I'm a bit busy with work here, so I might not have time."

The young man asked Su Ziyang.

"I can prepare the decoction for you; I can prescribe one for you. However, you'll have to pick it up tomorrow."

Su Ziyang opened the system and added the cost of decocting the medicine to the young man's account again.

The next day, when the young man came to pick up the medicine, he brought another person with him.

The two were about the same age, except that the young man was taller and thinner.

"Doctor, this is my childhood friend, and also a good buddy. I heard I've been taking Chinese medicine from you, so I was thinking of having you take a look."

The young man who had diarrhea yesterday pointed to the tall, thin man next to him and said.

"Ah! Okay, no problem! Please have a seat!"

Su Ziyang asked the tall, thin man to sit down, then extended three fingers to take his pulse.

While taking the young man's pulse, Su Ziyang also observed his complexion.

Looking him over, I noticed something was off about the young man's expression.

This person was naturally fair-skinned, and for some reason, Su Ziyang noticed a radiant white complexion between his brows.

Perhaps it was this complexion, coupled with the young man's well-proportioned features, that added to his handsomeness.

However, in traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis, this complexion is not a good sign; in fact, it is considered unfavorable.

In traditional Chinese medicine facial diagnosis, there are auspicious and inauspicious complexions.

The five colors—blue, red, yellow, white, and black—each have connotations of good and evil.

There's a diagnostic rhyme that can help predict the illness represented by a color.

"Cold and stagnant blood stasis causing pain and infantile convulsions; red and hot blood indicating both excess and deficiency, causing yang deficiency."

Yellow indicates spleen deficiency and dampness; white indicates deficiency and cold, leading to loss of blood and qi.

"Dark kidney deficiency and cold syndrome with water retention, accompanied by blood stasis and pain."

The color blue represents illnesses such as cold, blood stasis, qi stagnation, pain, and infantile convulsions.

Red indicates a heat syndrome, including both deficiency heat and excess heat, or a "dangling yang" syndrome. "Dangling yang" means that someone is dying and the last bit of yang energy in their body is coming out, which appears very red and beautiful.

Yellow indicates spleen deficiency and excessive dampness.

White deficiency syndrome, cold syndrome, blood loss, and depletion of vital energy.

Black kidney deficiency, cold syndrome, water retention, blood stasis, and pain.

These are the five most basic diagnostic methods based on color.

However, these five colors must also be divided into yin and yang, that is, good and evil.

Those whose skin turns blue like grass will die.

Those who eat yellow-colored bitter oranges will die.

Those whose skin is as black as ash will die.

Those whose blood is as red as cinnabar will die.

Those who are as white as withered bones die.

These are the five evil colors. The word "" is pronounced "tai", which means the ashes at the bottom of the pot.

These five are a figurative metaphor, meaning they are five colors lacking spirit.

If you still don't have a clear idea, let's take black phone cases as an example. They're all black, but one type has a matte finish, and the other has a glossy finish.

These five metaphors mean that it has this color, but it lacks luster and looks rather withered.

The appearance of these five colors usually signifies something bad or unpleasant.

There are also five other types, which are benevolent colors.

Those that are as blue as emerald feathers are born.

Those that are red like a rooster's comb are born.

Those with a yellow color like a crab's belly are alive.

Those that are white like pig fat are fresh.

Those as black as raven feathers are born.

These five colors are what give rise to life.

Contrary to what was just said, these five colors are bright and luminous, giving a lifelike appearance rather than a withered or dry one; this is what is meant by "auspicious colors."

The white between the eyebrows of the young man in front of me was the white of withered bones—white, but deathly white.

Su Ziyang pressed three fingers lightly and found that this person's connections were very superficial; he could feel them just by lightly touching them with his fingers.

But when you press down hard, there's no root.

If you press hard, the pulse disappears, especially the radial pulse, which is the most severe and least noticeable.

After examining him for about five minutes, Su Ziyang frowned.

"You have a deficiency pulse. It belongs to the five strains and seven injuries. You feel weak all over, easily fatigued, and most importantly, you should have kidney deficiency, lower back pain, and frequent dreams..."

After Su Ziyang finished speaking, the tall, thin man suddenly laughed.

Su Ziyang didn't know what the tall, thin man was laughing at. Had he said something wrong?

What Su Ziyang said was entirely in accordance with the classics.

The renowned physician wrote in his book "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet": "For a healthy man, a large pulse indicates fatigue, as does extreme weakness."

This means that both a pulse that is too strong and a pulse that is too weak indicate a problem of general weakness and fatigue.

Su Ziyang described several symptoms of this person based on their general weakness.

"Doctor, I might have some individual problems, but I don't really agree with your statement that I lack strength. Most importantly, the claim of kidney deficiency is completely wrong!"

The tall, thin man said with extreme pride, "Let me put it this way, seven times a night is no problem, and every time I make the woman fly!"

After the man finished speaking, Su Ziyang frowned even more deeply.

How long have you had this condition?

The tall, thin man was surprised that Su Ziyang not only didn't boast about himself, but instead questioned him like he was examining a patient. The tall, thin man impatiently held up one finger.

"A year?" Su Ziyang asked tentatively.

"Always this intense!"

The tall, thin man chuckled. "Thank you, doctor. I was fine, just accompanying a friend to pick up some medicine. I was hoping you could take my pulse. I didn't make an appointment, so I'm sorry to have troubled you. We're leaving now."

"Ah! It's not about whether or not you need to register. What I mean is, you could try some traditional Chinese medicine to regulate your body. Sometimes, going all out isn't necessarily a good thing."

After the tall, thin man stood up, Su Ziyang quickly asked another question.

"Sigh, doctor, your commission for prescribing medicine is so high! You grab someone and prescribe medicine, you won't let them go? Being too aggressive isn't a good thing, but erectile dysfunction is a good thing!"

The tall, thin man had been quite polite, but when Su Ziyang insisted on prescribing medicine for him, his words became sharp.

"..."

Upon hearing the tall, thin man's response, Su Ziyang remained silent and sat back down in his chair.

"Thank you for your help, Doctor Su. We're leaving now! Thank you so much!"

The young man with diarrhea smoothed things over, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Su Ziyang, and left.

"If you don't want to eat, then don't! Why are you arguing with them?!"

"Damn it, who told him to talk nonsense!"

The sound of the two leaving reached Su Ziyang's ears, so he didn't pay it any mind, shook his head and sighed!

A week later, the young man with diarrhea came for a follow-up visit.

"Doctor Su, the medicine you prescribed last time worked very well. Now I have bowel movements about twice a day, and they're formed. I'll come back to see you again to see if I need to take any more medicine!"

The young man with diarrhea was overjoyed that Su Ziyang had cured his chronic illness, and his happiness was evident in his words.

Su Ziyang took the pulse again, and then, finding the prescription effective, continued to use the same formula for treatment.

After thanking him, the young man got up but sat back down. "Doctor Su, may I ask another question? I've witnessed your medical skills, but why did you insist on giving my friend medicine last time?"

"Excessive violence isn't always a good thing; your friend definitely has health problems!"

"Ah!!?"