Chapter Summaries

Su Ziyang used the Zhuyou Technique to draw illness qi from Liu Hua’s swollen toes, leaving them painless and visibly improved, though the effort exhausted him. At dinner, he kept the details of his training secret, then listened as Senior Sister Yueyue described a strange shadow she saw during a hospital night shift.

• Su Ziyang used his Grab Illness Qi technique on Liu Hua’s toes, repeatedly changing the tissue as yellow grime seeped into it.
• Su Ziyang became too weak to stand, but Liu Hua reported that his toes no longer hurt and the swelling had gone down.
• The instructor praised Su Ziyang, who explained that he had used the Zhuyou Technique and declined to reveal where he learned it.
• Su Ziyang toasted the instructor and became the center of conversation at dinner.
• Senior Sister Yueyue told the group that she had heard footsteps and seen a blue-and-white shadow during a night shift at the hospital.

After the reunion with his mentor and fellow students, Su Ziyang returned home to Fairy Li and resumed treating patients. His first patient was a young man with a severe gout flare, and Su Ziyang prepared to relieve the pain with conventional acupuncture.

• An older nurse and Senior Sister Yueyue found a diabetic patient pacing the corridor because he hoped exercise would lower his blood sugar after he secretly ate flatbread and melon.
• Su Ziyang's former classmates shared a lively barbecue reunion, and their mentor reminded them to save the dying and heal the injured.
• Liu Hua praised Su Ziyang's growing skills, and the two friends said goodbye at the train station.
• Su Ziyang returned home, shared a meal and a movie with Fairy Li, and went back to seeing patients the next day.
• A young man arrived with severe gout in his toes and right knee after eating crayfish and drinking beer, so Su Ziyang prepared to use acupuncture to relieve his pain.

Su Ziyang treated a patient's severe gout with acupuncture and prescribed a modified herbal formula based on Atractylodes and Phellodendron Powder. The patient's pain eased substantially, and he left with instructions to follow dietary restrictions while taking the medicine.

• Su Ziyang used the Heaven-Penetrating Coolness needling technique and a small bloodletting prick to treat the patient's painful knee and toe.
• The patient reported that the pain had eased, and Su Ziyang combined herbs from Atractylodes and Phellodendron Powder and Cinnamon Twig, Peony and Anemarrhena Decoction into a seven-dose prescription.
• Su Ziyang continued manipulating the needles until the patient's pain was nearly gone, then removed them and helped him test his joints.
• The patient asked how long he had to avoid summer foods and beer, and his companion smacked him for worrying about skewers while his toe was swollen.
• Su Ziyang told the patient to follow the dietary restrictions while taking the medicine and said he could indulge once he recovered.

Su Ziyang recognized that a patient’s stomach X-ray strongly suggested cancer but could only encourage him to seek further care, and the man never returned. The next day, Su Ziyang treated a child’s dislocated elbow at the clinic with a quick bonesetting maneuver.

• Su Ziyang examined a middle-aged man’s stomach X-ray and saw irregular shadows that made him suspect stomach cancer.
• Su Ziyang urged the man to register for treatment and offered to try to help, but the man went downstairs and did not return.
• Su Ziyang told Fairy Li about the patient while they prepared braised noodles, and her words eased his guilt.
• Su Ziyang found a child crying with a dislocated elbow at the clinic and restored the joint to its proper position.

Su Ziyang prepared coarse cinnabar for Fairy Li, using water levigation to make it fine enough for her talismans. Fairy Li then mixed the processed cinnabar with alcohol to make cinnabar liquid.

• After helping a woman and her child at the clinic, Su Ziyang received Fairy Li’s request to buy about twenty grams of cinnabar.
• Su Ziyang brought the cinnabar home and found Fairy Li dressed formally with an incense burner, ready to draw talismans.
• Fairy Li complained that the cinnabar was coarse and revealed a collection of laboratory equipment.
• Su Ziyang removed iron filings, ground the cinnabar with water, and repeatedly poured off the cloudy suspension to separate fine powder from impurities.
• After the cinnabar settled, Su Ziyang gave Fairy Li the fine powder, and she mixed it with alcohol to make cinnabar liquid for drawing talismans.

Su Ziyang agreed to prepare moxibustion guidance for his cousin-in-law, who was learning the practice and planned to open a clinic. He reviewed its uses and contraindications so she could avoid harming patients.

• After Fairy Li finished making talismans, Su Ziyang examined them, then went out to eat with her and returned home to rest.
• Su Ziyang's older cousin called to ask whether his wife could run a moxibustion clinic while learning from an experienced practitioner.
• Su Ziyang reassured his cousin that the business could succeed if his wife had proper skills and agreed to send her guidance on precautions.
• Su Ziyang reviewed moxibustion texts and outlined prohibited treatment areas, unsuitable conditions, and people who should avoid or use caution with moxibustion.

Su Ziyang explained to two Western medicine doctors how Chinese medicine treated patients according to their individual symptoms and discussed their plan to study Chinese brake fern for treating stones. He recounted a failed attempt to isolate an effective ingredient from another Chinese medicine practitioner’s prescriptions, which had instead revealed a possible way to separate viruses from healthy cells.

• Su Ziyang met Song Liangtao and Zhang Yu at Han Jinkai’s gathering, where they asked him about his stone-treatment prescriptions.
• Su Ziyang clarified that the prescriptions were different for each patient and explained how Chinese medicine used syndrome differentiation, with Chinese brake fern as a specific medicine for stones.
• Song Liangtao asked whether researchers could extract the herb’s stone-fighting component, and Su Ziyang cautioned that the experiment might fail.
• Su Ziyang described a research team’s study of an old practitioner’s glomerulonephritis prescriptions, which had not directly killed viruses or bacteria.
• Su Ziyang said the extracted medicines had instead been found to isolate viruses from normal human cells, and he wondered whether coexistence could be a better treatment approach.

Su Ziyang explained the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon and the nine traditional needles to Song Liangtao, Song Li, and Zhang Yu, deepening their interest in Chinese medicine. After Han Jinkai asked for help with his friend Liuzi’s elderly mother, Su Ziyang visited her and began assessing her advanced kidney illness.

• Su Ziyang explained how traditional treatments differed by region and described the nine needles, impressing Song Liangtao, Song Li, and Zhang Yu.
• Song Liangtao said he would begin preparations to test Su Ziyang’s prescription, while Song Li became more determined to have his daughter study under Su Ziyang.
• Han Jinkai asked whether Su Ziyang could help his classmate’s mother, who had advanced uremia, and Su Ziyang agreed to visit her with Han Jinkai and Song Li.
• Liuzi described her mother’s worsening swelling, weakness, and sleepiness, and showed Su Ziyang her medications.
• Su Ziyang went to examine Liuzi’s mother, asked about her appetite, and learned she could eat only about half a bowl of noodles.

Su Ziyang examined the elderly woman, diagnosed her condition, and prescribed a cautious course of medicine while reassuring her and Liuzi. Liuzi invited Su Ziyang, Han Jinkai, and Song Li to lunch, and they sat down to admire her cooking.

• Han Jinkai greeted the elderly woman, and Su Ziyang realized her appetite and clear mind suggested she could recover.
• Su Ziyang checked the elderly woman's pulse and prescribed three doses of herbs, explaining how to prepare them and what effects to expect.
• The elderly woman recalled catching a chill before her illness, and Su Ziyang reassured her that the medicine would reduce her swelling.
• Liuzi invited Su Ziyang, Han Jinkai, and Song Li to stay for lunch, and Su Ziyang persuaded the elderly woman to let her daughter cook alone.
• Liuzi served six dishes and a soup, and the three men sat down after admiring the meal.

Su Ziyang enjoyed Liuzi’s cooking with Han Jinkai and Song Li, then returned home and told Fairy Li about the meal. At the clinic, he treated an older woman’s palpitations with acupuncture and prescribed a decoction, refusing to let her use the medicinal liquor as an excuse to drink strong baijiu.

• Liuzi served Su Ziyang, Han Jinkai, and Song Li a feast, and they eagerly ate her dishes while she explained she was a writer and artist who cooked as a hobby.
• Fairy Li smelled perfume on Su Ziyang and insisted she would join him on his next visit to Liuzi for a meal.
• An older woman came to Su Ziyang’s clinic complaining that her heart was thumping, and he identified her pulse as knotted.
• Su Ziyang needled the woman at Neiguan and Shenmen, easing her discomfort, then prescribed Honey-Fried Licorice Decoction.
• The woman tried to use the prescribed medicinal guide as permission to drink strong liquor, but Su Ziyang told her to mix it into the decoction and avoid drinking.

Su Ziyang examined a middle-aged woman with Behçet's disease and learned about her symptoms and previous treatments. After finding an unusual pulse, he asked whether she often felt listless, and she struggled to answer because of her throat ulcers.

• An elderly woman reluctantly left after Su Ziyang finished treating her with acupuncture.
• A young man brought his mother to Su Ziyang and explained that she had been diagnosed with Behçet's disease.
• Su Ziyang examined the woman's mouth and throat, finding numerous ulcers, while her son showed him her medicines and described her treatment history.
• Su Ziyang inferred that her previous Chinese medicine treatment had focused on clearing heat and removing toxins, then examined her pulse and found it unusually long, floating, deep, and faint.
• Su Ziyang asked whether the woman often felt listless, and she winced with throat pain as she tried to answer.

Su Ziyang diagnosed Niu Shilei’s mother with Fox-Lily Disease and prescribed oral and external treatments. A year later, Niu Shilei wrote to say his mother had recovered and that Su’s care had inspired him to study Chinese medicine.

• Su Ziyang matched the woman’s symptoms, including throat and vulvar sores, to Fox-Lily Disease.
• Su Ziyang prescribed Licorice Decoction to Drain the Heart and a sophora-root wash, explaining how to use both treatments.
• The woman and Niu Shilei left, and she did not return for a follow-up, leaving Su Ziyang unsure whether the treatment had worked.
• A year later, Niu Shilei sent Su Ziyang a letter explaining that his mother recovered after fourteen days of Chinese medicine and that he had enrolled in a combined bachelor's and master's program at BJ University of Chinese Medicine.
• Su Ziyang replied on WeChat, encouraging Niu Shilei to study hard and become a physician who saved lives and healed the wounded.

Su Ziyang treated Fairy Li’s mouth ulcer and thought about Daoist Jin’s long seclusion before a middle-aged patient arrived with sudden attacks of pain and palpitations. The patient deliberately exposed his belly to a cold breeze to trigger another spell, and Su Ziyang watched him collapse into the same agonized state.

• Su Ziyang applied Borneol and Borax Powder to Fairy Li’s mouth ulcer, then talked with her about missing Daoist Jin, who remained in seclusion.
• Su Ziyang welcomed a middle-aged man who described waves of pain and qi rising from his lower belly to his chest.
• The man suffered an attack in the consultation room, refusing to let Su Ziyang examine him until it passed.
• The man said cold exposure seemed to trigger the attacks and opened the window to test his theory.
• When the man exposed his belly to the breeze, another attack began, and he collapsed into his chair clutching his stomach.

Su Ziyang diagnosed the middle-aged man’s sudden surges of abdominal qi as Running Piglet Qi and prescribed Running Piglet Decoction. He told the man that one ingredient was unavailable at the pharmacy and would need to be bought online.

• The middle-aged man described attacks triggered by cool air or iced drinks, and Su Ziyang stopped him from deliberately bringing on another episode.
• Su Ziyang examined the man’s pulse and tongue, diagnosed Running Piglet Qi, and explained the condition and its traditional causes and treatments.
• The man excitedly asked for medicine, then suffered another attack as Su Ziyang prepared a prescription.
• Su Ziyang prescribed Running Piglet Decoction and told the man to buy its unavailable sweet plum root white bark ingredient online.

Su Ziyang prescribed medicine for a man with running piglet qi, then examined Zhao Qiangjun, a stomach cancer patient, and began treatment for signs of bleeding. After sending Zhao home with a prescription, Su Ziyang accepted Liuzi’s invitation to dinner and agreed to bring his girlfriend.

• Su Ziyang prescribed the running piglet qi patient fourteen doses of a decoction containing sweet plum root bark and explained how often to take it.
• Zhao Qiangjun arrived with his son and daughter-in-law and asked Su Ziyang to treat his stomach cancer with Chinese medicine.
• Su Ziyang examined Zhao’s pulse and test results, then learned that Zhao had poor appetite, a fishy-sweet taste in his mouth, stomach discomfort, and black stool.
• Su Ziyang prescribed seven doses of Yellow Earth Decoction to stop the bleeding and told Zhao to monitor his stool and return for follow-up.
• Liuzi called to invite Su Ziyang to dinner because her mother’s swelling had improved, and Su Ziyang arranged to bring his girlfriend so she could learn Liuzi’s cooking.

Su Ziyang examined Liuzi’s mother and found that her swelling and pulse had improved, so he advised continuing the same prescription for another week. He then joined Fairy Li for dinner, where Liuzi began teaching her how to make old duck soup.

• Su Ziyang brought Fairy Li to Liuzi’s home, where Liuzi welcomed them and her mother joined them.
• Su Ziyang took Liuzi’s mother’s pulse and heard that her energy had improved along with the swelling in her leg.
• Su Ziyang recommended keeping the same prescription for another week and adjusting it only after her symptoms changed.
• Liuzi served dinner and explained how to prepare old duck soup to Fairy Li.

After Fairy Li tricked Su Ziyang into cooking, she made the shredded pork herself, while Su Ziyang went to watch Doctor Zhou treat a young man with bloodletting. Doctor Zhou’s treatment produced no blood, leaving him baffled.

• Fairy Li revealed she had recorded Liuzi’s cooking instructions and persuaded Su Ziyang to make shredded pork in Peking sauce.
• Su Ziyang ruined five plates, so Fairy Li took over and cooked a successful plate herself.
• Su Ziyang went to Doctor Zhou’s consultation room and watched him treat a young man with a miniature red-tasseled spear-like needle.
• Doctor Zhou punctured the young man at two acupoints and used suction cups, but no blood came out.

Su Ziyang watched Doctor Zhou treat a young man’s severe back pain by finding three points with incense and drawing out thick, dark blood. After the patient recovered, Doctor Zhou teased Su Ziyang with a mysterious explanation for his miniature spear-shaped needle, leaving him impatient for the answer.

• Doctor Zhou failed to draw blood from the young man with two initial punctures and explained that cold had caused stagnation in his body.
• Doctor Zhou used burning incense to locate three points along the young man’s spine, then punctured them with a miniature red-tasseled spear and drew out thick, dark blood.
• The young man said his back felt warm and no longer hurt, and Doctor Zhou advised him to avoid cold foods, drinks, and air conditioning.
• Su Ziyang praised Doctor Zhou and asked about the spear-shaped tool, which Doctor Zhou linked to Yue Fei and the Yue Family Spear.
• Doctor Zhou insisted the tool was not a Yue Family Spear and told an impatient Su Ziyang to be less restless before explaining further.

Su Ziyang learned Doctor Zhou’s incense-based method for locating diseased acupoints and discovered that moxa sticks could produce a similar response. The insight led him to consider studying moxibustion more deeply, and he began outlining how to teach it safely.

• Su Ziyang doubted Doctor Zhou’s story about the miniature spear needle, so Doctor Zhou showed him a box of unusual bloodletting needles and explained their different uses.
• Doctor Zhou explained how burning incense could reveal disruptions in a patient’s energy field, then invited Su Ziyang to try the method on a man with back pain.
• Su Ziyang sensed a sluggish spot on the patient’s waist and confirmed that it was painful; Doctor Zhou punctured the spot with a three-edged needle, releasing black blood.
• Back in his consultation room, Su Ziyang tested the technique with a moxa stick and found that its burning tip also responded to the body’s energy field.
• Su Ziyang connected the fire-based sensing method to moxibustion, decided to study it for his cousin’s wife’s wellness center, and began considering safer techniques than fire dragon moxibustion.

Su Ziyang prepared practical moxibustion materials for his sister-in-law after learning that she had studied the practice from her family. She later opened a busy wellness center, where Su Ziyang discovered that her family also practiced Scar Moxibustion.

• Su Ziyang reviewed traditional moxibustion guidance and decided to remove overly technical treatments from the materials he was preparing.
• Su Ziyang spoke with his sister-in-law, who described learning moxibustion from an elderly woman in her hometown and using moxa floss on common acupoints.
• Su Ziyang organized simpler guidance on locating and treating several acupoints, then sent the materials to his cousin.
• His cousin's wife used her family knowledge and Su Ziyang's materials to establish a busy moxibustion wellness center.
• When Su Ziyang visited the center, he learned that his cousin's wife had mastered Scar Moxibustion, a direct method that caused a sore and left a scar.