Afterword (A Few Words at the End)

Chief Physician of the Celestial Medical Institute, Sun Simiao, the Medicine King, also known as the Perfected Sun.

With sincere devotion, I take refuge in you.

In the Taiji Palace, in the Heavenly Realm of Complete Perfection, he possessed the wondrous art of resurrection and opened the essence of the Great Dao. Known as a child prodigy, he performed many miracles as he grew. His reputation as a master of the Xianmen Guangcheng School was well-deserved; his life spanned the Qi, Liang, Sui, and Tang dynasties, his age immeasurable. His calligraphy, written in the Xie Biao style at Mount Emei, left no trace; his "Heavenly Secrets from the Elbow" entered the Dragon Palace, revealing secret doctrines. His teachings encompassed the three religions, and his works were invaluable. Truly the King of Medicine, the leader of the Xuanzong School. With great compassion and mercy, with a great sage and a great vow, supremely wondrous and divine, he subdued dragons and tigers, protected the nation and saved the people— the Great Perfected Sun of Numinous Response.

The Precious Edict of the Medicine King is placed here; those dedicated to traditional Chinese medicine can recite it more often.

We pray for the compassionate protection of our ancestral master.

I started writing this book last November, and it was completed in less than a year.

This is my first time writing a novel, and I have no concept of what a novel should be.

The reason I wrote this novel was during a gathering with some friends.

My friend said that traditional Chinese medicine is difficult to learn and promote nowadays, there are few good TCM doctors, people don't understand TCM enough, and young people don't recognize TCM.

I'm thinking of a way to do my part, however small, to promote and popularize genuine Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The group chatted back and forth, concluding that writing a novel would be a good idea.

The next day, after sobering up, everyone went about their own business.

They were all busy treating patients and forgot about it.

But I kept it to myself.

So after thinking about it, the prototype of the character Su Ziyang came about.

Later, I searched online and read some novels about traditional Chinese medicine.

It includes some things I don't quite understand, like some kind of system where people are like machines and can travel through time or something.

There are also some more mysterious ones, the feeling that with a needle in hand, you have the world at your fingertips.

I don't have that kind of imagination; I can't write that kind of thing.

Therefore, I decided to focus on documentary style.

This book approaches medicine primarily from four main aspects.

"Medical classics, prescriptions, sexual techniques, immortality"

Medical classics refer to classics such as the "Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon" and the "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica".

Classical formulas, * Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases *...

Sexual intercourse, sexual techniques, including methods for prolonging sexual activity and Nourishment and Benefits in the Bedchamber.

I haven't written much about immortals because some people always criticize me for being mystical, so I haven't written much about them, but I have written a few.

The diseases included are approximately [number missing].

Internal diseases of the five viscera and six bowels

Pediatric diseases and their treatment

ENT (Ear, Ear, Mouth, Nose)...

Gynecology

Andrology

And some strange and unusual diseases.

This also includes content such as palmistry.

The section on Five Movements and Six Qi is a treasure trove; if you understand it, then read on. It's a valuable resource, but whether you can appreciate its worth depends on your understanding.

This is the outline of the book.

The character Su Ziyang reflects many aspects of myself; sometimes writing about him makes me laugh.

Since this was my first time writing a novel, I suddenly felt like I had found the right approach when I was more than halfway through the book.

Looking back, I see many shortcomings.

First, there is no so-called major villain in the book, and there are basically no strong points of conflict.

There are no scenes of people showing off or getting their faces slapped in the face.

See? It's lost some of its passion.

Actually, this article is about a real thing, a story of showing off and getting slapped in the face, and the plot of the school beauty falling in love with me is indeed satisfying to read.

But I've never actually seen these things in my life.

Secondly, the writing skills are insufficient.

I want to avoid being lectured; I hate being lectured.

I have a lot of knowledge in my mind, but I can't express that knowledge well through stories, which makes some chapters lose their interest and readability.

For example, the chapters on "palmistry" and "Five Movements and Six Qi".

Actually, I wanted to use stories to make this knowledge more vivid and engaging, but unfortunately, my writing skills are limited, and I don't know how to turn these things into stories or novels.

As time went on, many dry and frustrating chapters were added.

If I were to share my professional knowledge and some medical case studies with a professional writer...

I believe this book will be even more engaging and exciting.

Finally, while reviewing the entire book, I discovered something.

Many people, after reading the first three chapters, pointed out numerous flaws and shortcomings in the protagonist, saying that my writing was poor or that I didn't understand traditional Chinese medicine.

Some, more politely, would say a few harsh words and then abandon the article.

Some people were more extreme and started cursing or gave it a one-star review.

I know that most people come to read books for leisure.

But I still wrote according to the facts, because it's impossible for people to live as perfectly as in novels.

On second thought, fortune may be the harbinger of misfortune, and misfortune may be the harbinger of fortune.

It's not necessarily a bad thing that these people have given up writing.

To learn traditional Chinese medicine, one needs sufficient comprehension and patience.

Anyone who starts cursing after watching for less than five minutes definitely has no patience.

Not engaging with traditional Chinese medicine is also a good thing.

Something is not afraid of being slandered or destroyed by laymen.

The most dangerous situation is when someone has some understanding but then criticizes others with only a superficial grasp of the concepts.

Because I've witnessed similar things happening around me before.

He originally came from a traditional Chinese medicine background, and it's certain that he didn't fully understand traditional Chinese medicine, but he definitely knows more than those who are complete laymen.

I don't know what triggered it, but it started learning something else, but it doesn't stop from criticizing traditional Chinese medicine on social media every now and then.

The criticisms revolve around the claim that "Yin and Yang Five Elements" are feudal superstitions.

Therefore, I think filtering out some of the manic and extreme people might not be a bad thing.

At this point, I still want to thank all the friends who have remained loyal and supportive.

I've read almost all of your comments.

Although this book is finished, you can still use this space as a discussion forum, and I will continue to reply to your comments.

Also, I'd like to address here why I didn't create a group chat.

The first issue is that after creating the group, I might not have enough time to check it or reply to all the messages.

I don't want to disrupt my peaceful life, but of course, I will read all the comments you leave in this book.

The second problem is that they are difficult to manage.

I don't know if you guys read the comments section, but there are always some extreme people who criticize others everywhere. If they start arguing in a group chat, aren't they just asking for trouble?

Also, I'd like to explain the names of the characters in the book.

The main character Su Ziyang.

At midnight, as the yang energy rises, I hope that traditional Chinese medicine will continue to improve, just like the rising yang energy.

The female lead Li Zijun.

Ziyang, Zijun, Junzi.

Mr. Mengfei.

Mengfei may be like a dream; without the accumulation of knowledge through practice and time, it can only exist in a dreamlike state, as if it were something acquired in a dream.

Daoist Jin.

Metal is associated with a somber and volatile nature.

Therefore, Daoist Jin has a bad temper, but he is skilled in massage and treating children's illnesses. This is because metal can eliminate bad things; it can kill and also protect.

In addition, most pediatric massage techniques are gentle and involve applying pressure to the skin and hair.

The lungs (metal element) govern the skin and hair.

Yang Tianzheng.

Acupuncture requires a righteous spirit. It requires the righteous spirit of people and the righteous spirit of heaven and earth, so as to promote the Tianzheng of heaven.

Also, if time and energy permit, I'd like to write another fantasy book.

This may include cultivation techniques, traditional Chinese numerology (Qimen Dunjia, Great Six Ren, Six Lines and Plum Blossom, and Eight Characters and Four Pillars), and witchcraft and forbidden arts.

Of course, not necessarily. I'd probably have to report to my master before I dared to write this.

That's all for now. Thank you everyone for liking this book.

Thank you all for your love of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

May traditional Chinese medicine flourish and prosper.