Chapter Summaries

Su Ziyang attended a dinner hosted by Han Jinkai, where the guests thanked him for curing Han Xuanxuan and asked about remedies for drinking. The gathering revealed several connections to Jingchengdao Medical Clinic, and it ended with Chi Shiqiang asking Su Ziyang about tonics for kidney strength.

• Han Jinkai introduced Su Ziyang to Lao Zhang, Song Li, Li Yingwei, Chi Shiqiang, and Zhang Feng at the dinner.
• The guests took turns drinking with Su Ziyang, then asked how he stayed sober and whether he could make ready-made sobering medicine.
• Li Yingwei recognized Jingchengdao Medical Clinic as the place where Su Ziyang's master, Mengfei, had cured his Third Brother's niece.
• Han Jinkai discovered that Fu Xinyu, his acquaintance Old Fu's nephew, also worked at the clinic, while Song Li warned that Old Fu had swindled people.
• After Han Xixi and Lanzi left the room, Chi Shiqiang asked Su Ziyang about traditional medicine tonics, and Han Jinkai clarified that he meant kidney-strengthening remedies.

Su Ziyang prescribed individualized nourishing medicinal paste for a group of middle-aged men and began preparing their order. After Fu Xinyu provoked him at the clinic, Su Ziyang cooked the paste overnight and finished the first batch at four in the morning.

• A group of men asked Su Ziyang to make them nourishing medicinal paste, and he explained that each person needed a formula tailored to his constitution.
• The men returned the next morning, and Su Ziyang examined them, prescribed individualized ingredients, and accepted their medicine bags for preparation.
• Fu Xinyu interrupted the group by pretending to check Song Li for acupuncture needles, then taunted Su Ziyang and left.
• After the men promised to stand up for him, Su Ziyang explained Fu Xinyu's earlier provocations and then went home to make the paste.
• Su Ziyang steamed the ingredients, simmered the herbs, and cooked the honey and medicinal liquids until the mixture reached the hanging-flag stage, then poured it into a ceramic jar.

Su Ziyang finished making medicinal paste for Han Jinkai and his companions, treated an elderly patient, and took a call from Bao Mingya. When Fu Xinyu confronted him and demanded a fight, Su Ziyang followed him outside to settle things.

• Su Ziyang gave Han Jinkai and Song Li their labeled jars of medicinal paste and declined their invitation to hike.
• Su Ziyang used the Five Knee Needles to treat an elderly man's knee, and the patient praised his skill after the pain eased.
• Bao Mingya called Su Ziyang to ask for help with her father's frequent colds, but he teased her and hung up when Fu Xinyu arrived.
• Fu Xinyu cursed Su Ziyang for targeting his family's business and refused to apologize, instead challenging him to a one-on-one fight.
• Fu Xinyu tried to grab Su Ziyang, who slapped his hand aside, then Su Ziyang took off his white coat and followed him toward the square.

Su Ziyang defeated Fu Xinyu and left with Bao Mingya to examine her father, who suffered repeated cold-like symptoms. After ruling out allergic rhinitis based on his symptoms, Su Ziyang examined his tongue and began forming a diagnosis.

• Fu Xinyu repeatedly attacked Su Ziyang, but Su Ziyang used martial arts moves to throw him down and frighten him until Bao Mingya arrived.
• Bao Mingya stopped Su Ziyang from striking Fu Xinyu, then took Su Ziyang home to treat her father.
• Su Ziyang met Bao Mingya's parents and learned her father developed a blocked, runny nose and headaches whenever he encountered cold air.
• Bao Mingya said medical tests had found no allergens or nasal polyps, and Su Ziyang examined her father's tongue coating to investigate his condition.

Su Ziyang examined Bao Mingya’s father and identified a cold pattern rooted in deficiency taxation, while Liu Yanzhen argued for exterior deficiency and Jade Windscreen Powder. After Su Ziyang exposed the weaknesses in Liu Yanzhen’s diagnosis and revealed the father’s undisclosed dizziness, Liu Yanzhen was astonished by his skill.

• Su Ziyang took Bao Mingya’s father’s pulse and concluded that his floating, deficient pulse and hard labor history pointed to deficiency taxation.
• Liu Yanzhen diagnosed exterior deficiency and recommended Jade Windscreen Powder, citing its classical sources and indications.
• Su Ziyang asked Liu Yanzhen to retake the pulse, then pointed out that the father’s deficient, floating pulse did not match the formula’s floating, moderate pulse or sweating symptoms.
• Bao Mingya’s father said he rarely sweated and was not especially sensitive to cold, undermining Liu Yanzhen’s diagnosis.
• Su Ziyang identified a taiyang cold rooted in deficiency taxation and predicted that Bao Mingya’s father sometimes felt dizzy and disoriented.
• Bao Mingya’s father admitted that he had concealed those symptoms from his family, and Liu Yanzhen asked how Su Ziyang had known.

Su Ziyang explained the Dioscorea Pill to Li Yanzhen, who warmed to him and apologized after they drank together. The next day, Su Ziyang presented Old Madam Liu with a book preserving her abdominal massage technique, then followed her to examine a neighbor’s crying, swollen-bellied grandson.

• Su Ziyang explained that Li Yanzhen’s condition was deficiency taxation and that the Dioscorea Pill was suitable, winning Li Yanzhen’s admiration.
• Li Yanzhen and Su Ziyang drank together, reconciled, and Li Yanzhen apologized before passing out; Su Ziyang gave him hangover pills.
• Su Ziyang visited Old Madam Liu and presented her with a large-print book titled “Liu-Style Abdominal Massage.”
• Old Madam Liu thanked Su Ziyang for recording her technique and cooked a meal for him; he then set out for Er Biao’s shop.
• Gedə's wife summoned Old Madam Liu to examine her grandson, and Su Ziyang followed her to the house, where they found the child crying with a swollen belly.

Old Madam Liu treated Geda Jia’s grandson with the Yin-Collecting Technique after the baby became ill from overfeeding and cold, then explained the method to Su Ziyang. She continued teaching him massage precautions at home, but Su Ziyang left to help at Er Biao’s shop when the afternoon clinic became busy.

• Old Madam Liu recognized that Geda Jia’s grandson was suffering from cold and discomfort after being fed too much, and massaged his belly until he burped and spit up milk.
• Old Madam Liu used freshly boiled eggs and Geda Jia’s silver ring to draw out the cold, restoring the baby’s complexion and flattening his swollen belly.
• Su Ziyang saw the eggs and ring turn dark, and Old Madam Liu taught him that the method was called the Yin-Collecting Technique and explained how to perform it.
• Old Madam Liu gave Su Ziyang further guidance on massage and protecting the navel and lower back.
• Su Ziyang left for Er Biao’s shop to help when the afternoon clinic became busy.

Su Ziyang helped Er Biao open his massage and bonesetting shop, then treated its first customer, a boy with a dislocated elbow. Er Biao worried that he could not handle future dislocations, so Su Ziyang promised to teach him bonesetting and prepared to train him with animal joints.

• Er Biao showed Su Ziyang his newly furnished shop, and Su Ziyang gave him a bound booklet before helping wallpaper and clean the upstairs rooms.
• Er Biao opened the shop the next morning, and Su Ziyang posted a message wishing him success.
• A father brought in his son with a dislocated elbow, and Su Ziyang put the joint back into place.
• Er Biao refused payment because he could not treat the boy himself and feared the family would return when Su Ziyang was absent.
• Su Ziyang promised to teach Er Biao basic bonesetting, and Er Biao returned from the market with a rooster, sheep's trotters, and pig's trotters for practice.

Su Ziyang taught Er Biao bonesetting, then cleared up Daoist Master Xiao Yang’s misunderstanding about Er Biao’s clinic trouble. The next morning, Su Ziyang returned to work and met a patient seeking acupuncture for hemorrhoids.

• Su Ziyang taught Er Biao to reduce dislocations, practicing first on a rooster and then on a sheep’s leg until Er Biao could reset joints.
• Su Ziyang returned to the city, where Daoist Master Xiao Yang confronted him about Er Biao; Su Ziyang explained what happened and called Er Biao to confirm Fu Xinyu had paid him to cause trouble.
• After reviewing his bonesetting book and practicing visualization, Su Ziyang saw a young man referred by Auntie Yu Xiushui, who requested acupuncture because he had hemorrhoids and disliked bitter medicine.

Su Ziyang treated Hao Kai’s external hemorrhoid by needling a spot on his upper-lip frenulum and explained the traditional Chinese medicine principle behind it. The next day, Hao Kai brought Dou Liangtian for the same treatment, and the two planned to write a health article about Su Ziyang’s method.

• Su Ziyang diagnosed Hao Kai with an external hemorrhoid and treated him by needling a spot on his upper-lip frenulum after Hao Kai refused Chinese medicine.
• Su Ziyang explained to Hao Kai the principle of treating a lower ailment from above, and Hao Kai praised the explanation and asked to add him on WeChat.
• Hao Kai returned the next afternoon with Dou Liangtian, who had similar symptoms and agreed to receive the same treatment.
• Hao Kai told Dou Liangtian about the treatment while Su Ziyang needled Dou Liangtian’s upper-lip frenulum and explained the method to both men.
• Dou Liangtian suggested that Hao Kai write a health article about the treatment for their media company, and Su Ziyang answered their questions as they took notes.

Su Ziyang treated a woman’s stye by pricking red bumps on her back, then Yang Tianzheng taught him a second method involving a cross scratched onto the opposite thumbnail. Yang Tianzheng also praised Su Ziyang for standing up to Fu Xinyu, before tossing him around during their training and insisting he learn to use internal force.

• Su Ziyang treated the woman’s stye by pricking bumps between her shoulder blades and advised her on aftercare.
• Yang Tianzheng visited and shared his method of scratching a diagonal cross on the thumbnail opposite the affected eye.
• Yang Tianzheng warned Su Ziyang to be careful with his friendship with Er Biao, and Su Ziyang explained that Er Biao had turned over a new leaf.
• Su Ziyang told Yang Tianzheng how he had taught Fu Xinyu a lesson, and Yang Tianzheng praised him while advising him to keep his retaliation within limits.
• Yang Tianzheng threw Su Ziyang around during training and told him to use internal force rather than brute strength.

Su Ziyang attended a dinner with Song Li and his friends, where Zhang Chunyi asked him to treat his severe light sensitivity after cataract surgery. The group also learned how Su Ziyang had beaten Fu Xinyu and pressed him to demonstrate his martial arts.

• Su Ziyang struggled to counter Yang Tianzheng's moves during training, then went home to wash up and copy scriptures.
• Han Jinkai invited Su Ziyang to a dinner arranged by Song Li, who picked him up from the clinic the following evening.
• Song Li and the others praised Su Ziyang's medicinal paste and introduced him to Zhang Chunyi, who explained that his eyes had become extremely sensitive to light after cataract surgery.
• Su Ziyang examined Zhang Chunyi's eyes and proposed trying an external Chinese medicine treatment, so Zhang Chunyi arranged to visit his clinic the next day.
• Song Li explained how Han Jinkai had witnessed Fu Xinyu return home covered in dirt and complain that Su Ziyang had beaten him.
• Han Jinkai challenged Su Ziyang to show the group his martial arts after the others questioned how he had managed to spin Fu Xinyu around.

Su Ziyang demonstrated his skill, treated Zhang Chunyi’s eye condition with an egg-and-herb method, and received a ridiculous banner after Zhang recovered. Yang Tianzheng then told Su Ziyang they would visit a mysterious old man the next day.

• Su Ziyang burst open a beer can with his fingers and impressed Song Li and the others at dinner.
• Su Ziyang prescribed Zhang Chunyi herbs to boil with eggs and roll over his eyes as a treatment.
• Meimei thanked Su Ziyang for curing her and gave him a handmade Hu brush.
• Zhang Chunyi returned without sunglasses, praised Su Ziyang’s treatment, and hung up a banner calling it “Rolling Egg Therapy.”
• Yang Tianzheng teased Su Ziyang about the banner and said they would visit a mysterious old man the next day.

Su Ziyang went with Yang Tianzheng to meet Old Master Jiang, a tooth-puller at a market, who treated Su Ziyang’s troublesome wisdom tooth with a mysterious powder. The chapter left Su Ziyang shocked when a child’s two firmly rooted front teeth fell out after Old Master Jiang applied the same powder and told him to cough.

• Su Ziyang failed to take back his banner from Yang Tianzheng, who returned it and advised him that cleverness needed to be matched with wisdom.
• Yang Tianzheng took Su Ziyang to a market and introduced him to Old Master Jiang, a tooth-puller he had brought liquor for.
• Old Master Jiang examined Su Ziyang’s painful, crooked wisdom tooth and decided to remove it.
• Yang Tianzheng held Su Ziyang still while Old Master Jiang applied white powder to the wisdom tooth with a toothpick.
• A father brought his son to Old Master Jiang, who applied the powder to the child’s outer front teeth and told him to cough.
• The child coughed, and his two firmly rooted front teeth fell to the ground, shocking Su Ziyang.

Su Ziyang’s wisdom tooth fell out after Old Man Jiang applied his medicinal powder, and Yang Tianzheng took a bottle of the medicine to investigate its ingredients. After Yang Tianzheng abandoned Su Ziyang on the outskirts, Su Ziyang got home and secretly let air out of Daoist Master Xiao Yang’s scooter tire, only to be caught as Yang Tianzheng arrived.

• Old Man Jiang’s powder made Su Ziyang’s wisdom tooth fall out painlessly, and he gave Yang Tianzheng a bottle of the medicine.
• Old Man Jiang warned Su Ziyang not to inhale the powder, then Yang Tianzheng explained that he planned to test its ingredients.
• Su Ziyang guessed that Yang Tianzheng and Master Mengfei searched for secret formulas, but Yang Tianzheng mistook his laughter for a reaction to poison, hit him, and rode away.
• Su Ziyang paid nearly a hundred yuan for a taxi home and found Yang Tianzheng’s borrowed scooter parked by the clinic.
• Su Ziyang let air out of Daoist Master Xiao Yang’s tire, and she confronted him before Yang Tianzheng appeared and offered to deal with him.

Su Ziyang identified the arsenic-containing powder as Crucian Carp Frost, a traditional tooth-extraction medicine, and Yang Tianzheng began experimenting with recipes from Su Ziyang’s copy of Chuanya. The chapter ended with Su Ziyang examining a young woman who had been bleeding for more than two weeks and suspecting there was more to her condition than ordinary flooding and spotting.

• Su Ziyang explained the Crucian Carp Frost prescription from Chuanya, and Yang Tianzheng rewarded him with time off.
• Yang Tianzheng made Crucian Carp Frost, borrowed Su Ziyang’s Chuanya, and later showed him more than a dozen medicines he had prepared from its recipes.
• A pale young woman came to the Daoist Medicine Clinic and asked whether there was a female doctor.
• The young woman told Su Ziyang she had been bleeding for more than two weeks, and he found her pulse weak overall but relatively strong at both chi positions.
• The young woman said she had looked up her symptoms online and wanted medicine for flooding and spotting, while Su Ziyang suspected another cause.

Su Ziyang tried to find an affordable herbal treatment for Zhang Yan, who was bleeding heavily after an abortion and could not afford the hospital procedure or his initial prescription. After lowering the prescription’s cost still left her unable to pay, he offered to try a cheaper single-ingredient remedy, leaving its exact prescription undecided.

• Zhang Yan told Su Ziyang that she had continued working long shifts after an abortion at an unlicensed clinic, and her bleeding had worsened.
• Su Ziyang prescribed seven doses of Warm the Menses Decoction, then substituted codonopsis root and donkey-hide gelatin beads to reduce the cost from 432.67 yuan to 245.6 yuan.
• Zhang Yan counted her money and found she had only 193 yuan, so she apologized and tried to leave.
• After Zhang Yan struggled to retrieve a one-yuan coin from under the desk, Su Ziyang stopped her and offered to make a cheaper prescription.
• Zhang Yan agreed to sit back down as Su Ziyang deleted the earlier medicines and prepared a single-ingredient prescription he was not certain would work.

Su Ziyang treated Zhang Yan’s bleeding with a cheap motherwort prescription, then reunited with his masters and learned they were considering him for a meeting with an unnamed master. He fled after Daoist Jin admitted he had been behind Yang Tianzheng’s daily beatings.

• Su Ziyang prescribed Zhang Yan seven doses of motherwort, and she later returned to report that her bleeding had stopped and to offer him gifts.
• Yang Tianzheng showed Su Ziyang a Tibetan mastiff tooth he had pulled using his medicinal paste, then teased him about Zhang Yan’s visits and mentioned Fairy Li’s return.
• Fairy Li returned in secular clothes and led Su Ziyang to meet Mr. Mengfei, Daoist Jin, and Xue Zhen.
• Xue Zhen agreed that Su Ziyang could try something, and the group decided to arrange a meeting with a master.
• Su Ziyang complained that Yang Tianzheng had beaten him daily, only for Daoist Jin to reveal that the idea had been his, prompting Su Ziyang to run away.

Su Ziyang continued training with Yang Tianzheng and Daoist Jin, then treated Li Weiwei for persistent lochial discharge and constipation. After examining her, he prescribed three doses of Fluid-Increasing Qi-Coordinating Decoction, and Li Weiwei agreed to return for a follow-up.

• Su Ziyang tried to strike Yang Tianzheng's acupoints, angering Daoist Jin, but Yang Tianzheng distracted him and helped him escape.
• Su Ziyang took photos of Yang Tianzheng carrying Daoist Jin away as Daoist Jin kicked and struggled.
• Li Weiwei visited Su Ziyang and explained that dark brown discharge had continued four months after childbirth.
• Su Ziyang examined Li Weiwei and identified signs of heat, persistent low-grade fever, and severe constipation.
• Su Ziyang prescribed Li Weiwei three doses of Fluid-Increasing Qi-Coordinating Decoction to address her depleted fluids, constipation, and discharge.

Su Ziyang learned from Mr. Mengfei that Fairy Li had left religious life and liked him, leaving him shy and unsure whether to pursue her. After seeking advice from Ma Jun and his college friends, he went to lunch with Fairy Li, while an unidentified girl saw them leave the clinic together.

• Li Weiwei took the medicine Su Ziyang prescribed after he explained how to prepare it.
• Mr. Mengfei told Su Ziyang that Fairy Li liked him and explained that she had entered religious life to escape her heavenly child's fate.
• Fairy Li invited Su Ziyang to lunch, and he agreed, though he remained uncertain about how to approach her.
• Su Ziyang called Ma Jun for advice, then shared Fairy Li's photos with his college dorm group and received a mix of encouragement and teasing.
• Fairy Li and Su Ziyang left the clinic together, and a cheerful girl carrying a lunchbox saw them and froze.