When the man saw that Song Hao was looking at him, he turned around and walked away.
"It can't be this fast, can it? They just called yesterday, and they've already found us today?" Suspicious, Song Hao quickened his pace back into the city. Fortunately, he didn't notice anyone following him on his return. He figured the person was just preoccupied and overly suspicious; the person was probably just a tourist strolling along the beach. Song Hao reassured himself.
When Song Hao returned home, Song Zihe was tidying up some things; it turned out that a package mailed from Baihe Town had arrived.
Seeing Song Hao return, Song Zihe stood up and said, "Your second uncle just brought this over. He also invited us to his house for dinner tonight, saying he has something to discuss. It seems there's some progress on the clinic's establishment. You should go too."
Song Hao responded and then helped his grandfather organize the medical books from the mailed package. The two then locked the door and went to do so.
At the dinner table at Song Li's house, Song Li told Song Zihe that he had already contacted someone about the clinic and there shouldn't be any problems, but it would take some time, mainly because Song Zihe didn't have a medical license, which would make the process a bit more complicated.
"Just wait, this can't be rushed. As long as it gets done eventually," Song Zihe said helplessly.
“Fourth Uncle, if you can’t stay idle, why don’t you go to Qingdao for a while? I have a friend who runs a hospital there, but it’s not doing too well because he doesn’t have any famous doctors. Yesterday, this friend called and asked me to find some experts and professors to work there. I mentioned it to you, and he was overjoyed. He said he would drive over to pick you up tomorrow, but I didn’t agree because it depends on your decision. The clinic will take several months to get you there. If you agree, it would be nice to help him for a few months.” Song Li said with a hint of pleading.
Upon hearing this, Song Zihe smiled and said, "That's good too. I'm really not used to staying here like this. I'm itching to see a doctor even though I'm not sick."
Upon hearing this, Song Li was overjoyed and said, "That's wonderful! I'll make the call tonight, and my friend will come to pick you up tomorrow. Don't worry, Fourth Uncle, once we arrive in Qingdao, everything will be arranged by my friend. You won't be treated badly."
"By the way, Song Hao should come along too. I heard from Fourth Uncle that you've become quite skilled in medicine, and you're very impressive. You'll be treated like an expert if you go," Song Li said with a smile.
“This…” Song was at a loss. He didn’t want to leave his grandfather, but he couldn’t rest easy about the Tian Sheng acupuncture bronze figure in the secret room of the house.
Song Zihe understood Song Hao's thoughts and also didn't want anything to happen to the national treasure, the Tiansheng Acupuncture Bronze Figure. So he said, "Song Hao, you should stay and watch the house. Anyway, I won't be in Qingdao for long. I'll be back in a few months."
Song Li laughed and said, "Alright! With Fourth Uncle's medical skills, he can make my friend's hospital famous in a few months. At that time, he will definitely be reluctant to let Fourth Uncle come back. Then we can let Song Hao fill in for Fourth Uncle for a while, which will be a good buffer. If you want, Song Hao can stay there in the end. After all, a hospital can train people."
"We'll talk about it later," Song Zihe said with a smile and nodded.
Nothing was said that night.
The next day at noon, someone from Qingdao came to pick up Song Zihe. Song Zihe gave Song Hao a few instructions and then went to Qingdao.
Chapter Nineteen of the Record of Strange Writings: Forbidden Needles on the Day When Gods and Humans Are Present
The Yangqiao (蹻) is a branch of the Foot Taiyang meridian. It originates in the heel, emerges below the lateral malleolus at the Shenmai (申脉) point, circles the heel behind the ankle, with Pucan (仆参) as its root, ascends three cun above the lateral malleolus, with Fuyang (腗阳) as its xi-cleft, ascends along the lateral aspect of the thigh, along the posterior aspect of the ribs, meets the Hand Taiyang and Yangwei meridians at Naoshu (臑俞), ascends along the lateral aspect of the shoulder, meets the Hand Yangming at Jugu (巨骨), meets the Hand Yangming and Shaoyang at Jianyu (肩髃), ascends to Renying (人迎), passes the mouth, meets the Hand and Foot Yangming meridians and the Ren meridian at Dicang (地仓), ascends with the Foot Yangming to Juliao (巨髎), meets the Ren meridian again at Chengqi (承泣), reaches the inner canthus of the eye, meets the Hand and Foot Taiyang, Foot Yangming, and Yangqiao meridians at Jingming (睛明) point, ascends from Jingming to the hairline, descends behind the ear, enters Fengchi (风池) and ends there. —Selected from *Examination of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians*
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Song Zihe went to a hospital in Qingdao for a temporary consultation, leaving Song Hao alone at home to guard the Tiansheng Acupuncture Bronze Figure in the secret room. Ever since that day at the beach when he suspected someone was watching him, Song Hao had become increasingly cautious, rarely venturing far from home except to buy groceries. He devoted himself to studying medicine every day, or entering the secret room to study the Tiansheng Acupuncture Bronze Figure.
On the evening of the third day after Song Zihe went to Qingdao, Song Ziping sent Song Ming to invite Song Hao to his home for dinner. Song Hao couldn't refuse, so he went.
The brothers Song Gang and Song Li were also at their father's house. When they saw Song Hao, they warmly pulled him over to talk.
"Song Hao, I have a question for you. Today, Dr. Qu from our hospital's acupuncture department was giving acupuncture to a patient when, for some reason, the patient fainted. Although the patient woke up more than ten minutes later, Dr. Qu was quite frightened afterward," Song Li said.
"But are you afraid of needles?" Song Hao asked.
“No,” Song Li replied, “The patient was a burly man who wasn’t afraid of needles. He had been suffering from lower back and leg pain and had been receiving treatment at Dr. Qu’s acupuncture department for a week. He was almost fully recovered. But today, Dr. Qu administered the acupuncture as usual, and the patient inexplicably fainted.”
"Where should the needles be applied?" Song Hao asked.
Song Lidao said, "The needles were inserted into the legs, and not even into the lower back. They're far from the internal organs! It's very safe. When I went to check, there were only a few needles in the legs. Nothing should have happened. The patient is usually very healthy. This time, apart from suffering from lower back and leg pain due to catching a cold, he had no other illnesses. In other words, there was no reason for him to faint under the stimulation of acupuncture. Several of us doctors discussed it, but we couldn't figure out the cause either."
Song Hao pondered for a while, still unsure of the cause. Suddenly remembering something, he glanced at the calendar on the wall and realized, "Could it be that I've violated acupuncture taboos? Today is the 29th of the lunar calendar, a day when the gods and humans reside, and acupuncture on the knees and thighs is forbidden."
"Needles are forbidden in the presence of gods and men! What is the reason for this?" Song Li asked in surprise.
Song Hao said, "I don't fully understand the internal mechanisms either, but many acupuncture texts record contraindications, especially the saying that acupuncture should be avoided on days when the 'human spirit' resides. This saying has several variations, including those based on the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and those based on the seasons. Even the *Neijing* mentions this. As for what the 'human spirit' is, it's not clearly explained. Perhaps it's a kind of vital energy circulating within the body, closely connected to the energy of the meridians. Wherever it circulates, the energy of the meridians in that area becomes relatively 'weak.' If it is occasionally stimulated by external force..." Provocation or impact can easily cause harm to the human body. For example, you might be able to withstand ten punches to the chest on a normal day without any problem, but if you're struck on a day when the spirits are in their aspect, a single punch could kill you. While there are concepts like "inch power" and "skillful force," there's some truth to this when considering the influence of the spirits. On a day of bad luck, even a cotton ball can kill. And then there are those who suffer serious injury from a seemingly insignificant fall or bump. The patient's coma was likely due to violating the taboos of a day when the spirits are in their aspect.
Song Li, not quite understanding either, asked, "Does it mean that on days when gods and humans are present, one cannot insert needles?"
Song Hao said, "Not entirely. If there is an emergency and the acupoints on the day the spirit resides are needed for rescue, then they should be needled. Usually, nothing will happen, but in the case of an emergency, the body's Qi is out of balance, and the spirit will also be out of place. Of course, this saying is still quite mysterious. The 'spirit' and the meridians are not tangible. Although they are recorded in medical books, most doctors do not pay much attention to them. However, since the ancients passed down this saying, there must be a reason for its existence. Acupuncture doctors should still pay attention to it."
Song Lidao said, "What exists is reality. Do you know the exact time when that god will be there? I also need to tell Doctor Naqu that he really needs to be more careful in the future!"
Song Hao said, "This can be found in many ancient acupuncture books, and it is also mentioned in many folk custom and technique books, which shows that the ancients valued it. I will tell you once, and it will be good for you to write it down, Second Uncle."
Upon hearing this, Song Li quickly turned to Song Ming, who was listening to the story, and said, "Get me paper and pen. Your brother Song Hao is telling you what to write down. This is all knowledge!"
Song Hao then said: "On the days when the spirit resides, the first day is in the big toe, the second day in the outer ankle, the third day in the inner thigh, the fourth day in the waist, the fifth day in the mouth, the sixth day in the hand, the seventh day in the inner ankle, the eighth day in the wrist, the ninth day in the buttocks, the tenth day in the lower back, the eleventh day in the bridge of the nose, the twelfth day in the hairline, the thirteenth day in the teeth, the fourteenth day in the stomach, the fifteenth day in the whole body, the sixteenth day in the chest, the seventeenth day in the Qi balance, the eighteenth day in the inner thigh, the nineteenth day in the foot, the twentieth day in the inner ankle, the twenty-first day in the little finger, the twenty-second day in the outer ankle, the twenty-third day in the liver and foot, the twenty-fourth day in the hand Yangming meridian, the twenty-fifth day in the foot Yangming meridian, the twenty-sixth day in the chest, the twenty-seventh day in the knee, the twenty-eighth day in the yin meridian, the twenty-ninth day in the knee and thigh, and the thirtieth day in the thigh and foot."
After finishing his sentence, Song Hao continued, "The underlying mechanisms still need further research, and there is no evidence to prove whether this is true. I will pay attention to this aspect in my future medical practice. The ancients have left us with too many things that cannot be understood with modern knowledge. Of course, we should discard the dross and take the essence. Superstitious things are not worth keeping, but we should not ignore things that are valuable."
"Yes!" Song Li exclaimed, "The mystery of meridians has not yet been solved, but it has guided the clinical practice of acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. It should truly attract the attention of the world!"
Song Hao said, “What is ancient is not necessarily backward; on the contrary, it is closer to the essence of things. What is primitive and simple may be a superficial manifestation of the truth, and the more so, the easier it is for people to overlook it.”
Upon hearing this, Song Li nodded repeatedly, saying, "I've learned a lot! I've learned a lot!"
After dinner, Song Hao bid farewell to everyone and headed home.
Ancient Chinese medicine, impacted by modern technology, is increasingly rejected and categorized as "empirical medicine" and "mystical medicine," drifting further and further away from so-called "ordinary medicine." And today, how many practitioners of Chinese medicine truly understand what it is? Chinese medicine is a "science of humanity and nature," a study of how to harmonize the relationship between humans and nature; the concept of "correspondence between humanity and nature" is a key characteristic. It places humanity and nature on an equal footing, and harmony between humanity and nature is the foundation of Yin-Yang balance.
Everything in the universe has its contradictory duality, which ancient Chinese sages defined as "Yin and Yang." "Yin and Yang are the way of Heaven and Earth, the guiding principles of all things, the parents of change, the origin of life and death, and the abode of the spirit. To cure disease, one must seek its root cause." (Suwen, Treatise on the Correspondence of Yin and Yang).
In treating illness, a physician must first understand the principles of Yin and Yang.
Song Hao returned home. By then, it was completely dark.
After sitting in the living room for a while, Song Hao got up and went to the back courtyard.
"Huh!?"
After Song Hao entered the house and turned on the light, he found several medical books scattered on the table. He had neatly arranged them and folded them aside, indicating that someone had touched them. His grandfather had gone to Qingdao, and he was now all alone in the house. Who could possibly come here?
Although nothing else in the house seemed out of the ordinary, Song Hao still felt a chill run down his spine; an outsider had entered his home.