At this moment, Song Hao said to an old man, "Sir, your chest is full of bitterness and your ribs are stabbing. This is caused by stagnation of liver qi. Over time, this stagnation will generate fire, leading to hyperactivity of liver yang, which will cause headaches, dizziness, and a dry and bitter mouth in the morning. You are prone to flaring up anger for no reason and everything seems to go wrong."
"This new master is truly amazing! He knew what illness I had just by taking my pulse. He also knew that I'm prone to anger!" the old man exclaimed in amazement.
"Is there something wrong with my liver? I went to a big hospital for tests a few days ago, and everything was normal! The professor there said I'm not sick," the old man said worriedly.
“This is a functional issue, not an organic lesion yet, so those biochemical indicators haven’t changed for the time being. Don’t worry, I’ll prescribe some medicine to soothe the liver, regulate qi, and calm the liver and suppress yang. You’ll be fine after taking it,” Song Hao reassured him. He then prescribed a formula, a modified combination of Gentianae Radix et Rhizoma Decoction for Draining Liver Qi and Bupleuri Radix Decoction for Soothing Liver Qi.
Wuguo glanced over there and, seeing that the medicine worked, nodded secretly.
"Senior brother!" Wu Jing walked over at this moment and said, "There is an emergency over there, and it seems that the patient is not going to make it. You should go and take a look."
Wuguo said, "In case of any emergency, they should be taken to the hospital for emergency treatment."
Wu Jing shook his head helplessly and said, "He was just transferred from the county hospital. His heart had stopped there, and he was diagnosed as dead. They told his family to go home and prepare for the funeral. But those family members brought him here, kneeling on the ground, begging us to save him. I said I couldn't go, so I suggested that you take a look and have them carry him away."
“We can cure diseases, but we can’t cure fate! Alas!” With a sigh, he stood up and walked towards another consultation room.
Upon seeing this, Song Hao quickly said to a patient he was treating, "Please wait a moment, I'll go take a look and be right back." He then got up and followed him.
In another consultation room, a middle-aged man lay on a hospital bed, while a group of men and women knelt on the floor beside him, weeping.
Seeing that Wuguo had entered, a man stepped forward and pleaded, "Master Wuguo, please save my elder brother's life! Otherwise, his whole family will be ruined!"
When all else failed, they could only comfort each other, saying, "Don't be like this, get up and talk."
The man quickly stood up and said, “This morning, my brother was helping someone repair a house when he accidentally fell from it. He was unharmed, but unconscious. We rushed him to the county hospital, but the doctors there said his heart had stopped beating and there was no hope. They told us to go home and prepare for the worst. But he was perfectly fine, without any injuries. How could he just die like that? I heard that the monks at Shangqing Temple are highly skilled doctors, like Hua Tuo reincarnated, so I brought him here. Please, monks, do us a favor; we’ll try anything.”
Without success, he stepped forward, took the man's pulse, examined it carefully, and shook his head, saying, "There's no pulse at all. There's really no hope for him. We can't do anything about it. We can only treat the living, not save the dead. Please forgive us!"
Upon hearing this, the man and the others felt utter despair and immediately burst into mournful cries.
Song Hao stepped forward and examined the man's pulse, confirming that his heart had indeed stopped beating. However, upon closer inspection, he sensed that the man's meridian energy still existed, though it was faint and gradually fading. Song Hao himself possessed abundant meridian energy and was particularly sensitive to it. He remembered his grandfather, Song Zihe, saying that the Song family's Nine Needles for Resuscitation could cure the dying; as long as the meridian energy remained, there was a possibility of activation, which could then activate the blood vessels and restore the heartbeat.
Song Hao's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "I'll give it a try."
"You!?" Everyone in the room looked surprised.
Without success, he frowned and said, "The person is already dead. I wonder what magic you have to bring him back to life?"
Song Hao said, "Although this person has been diagnosed as physically dead, with his heartbeat stopped, his meridians still have energy, and his body is not cold and still warm. He should not be truly dead yet, and there may still be hope. True death is beyond the reach of even a god. I will give it a try, there is always a glimmer of hope. If it doesn't work, so be it, we have done our best."
"Alright, then give it a try." Wuguo nodded helplessly.
"Prepare the needles and other necessary equipment. Everyone else, please leave!" Song Hao's spirits lifted.
Wu Jing persuaded the patient's family members to leave, and Wu Guo personally brought over the needle box.
Song Hao calmed his mind and gently inserted a needle into the Baihui acupoint on the top of the man's head, performing the "Nine Needles for Rejuvenation" technique.
After inserting nine needles and applying slight manipulation, upon examining the meridians again, signs of recovery in the flow of Qi were felt.
Song Hao's expression relaxed, and he said happily, "There's hope! Let's wait and see."
"Is this the 'Nine Needles for Rejuvenation' technique you're using? It's different from Shi Xing's Nine Needles for Rejuvenation in terms of acupoints," Wu Guo asked in surprise.
"Same name, different skill! This is my Song family's unique 'Nine Needles for Rejuvenation'! The key is in the technique, not in the order of selecting acupoints," Song Hao said.
When the examination of the man's pulse failed, he exclaimed with delight, "His pulse has indeed been restored!"
Song Hao said, "With the activation of the Qi in the twelve meridians, the flow of Qi and blood can be restored, and this person will be saved. Although he fell from the roof without external injury, he accidentally disrupted the Qi in the twelve meridians, causing him to be absent-minded and unconscious. But once the Qi in his meridians is restored, he will be able to return to his original state."
At that moment, a sound was heard from the man's throat, an air choked out, his pulse began to beat, and he opened his hazy eyes.
"All done!" Song Hao said with delight, "Tell his family to carefully carry him home to rest and recuperate. Do not let him move around too much. He should be able to recover to normal within a month." After saying that, he began to insert the nine needles.
"Amazing!" Wuguo exclaimed in amazement.
Wu Jing had already run outside to inform the patient's family, when cheers erupted outside. But Wu Jing stopped them again.
Song Hao smiled, went out through the other door, and continued to treat his patients.
"This new, nameless junior brother possesses the art of reviving the dead!" Several Taoist priests in the medicine hall stood in awe of Song Hao, treating him like a deity.
Chapter Fifty-Seven: Becoming an Apprentice
Because there were too many patients, Song Hao didn't even have time to eat the lunch that Wu Jing brought. It wasn't until evening that Song Hao, Wu Guo, and the others finished seeing all the patients.
Just as Song Hao was about to relax, he heard the sound of a car outside. Then the door opened, and several young men in suits carried a person inside. The person's limbs were limp, and he was drenched in cold sweat from the pain.
"Esteemed Taoist priests, our brother here has dislocated his limbs. Please help him regain his normal position. This is just a small token of our appreciation." A burly man threw a wad of cash onto the table and then bowed.
These uninvited guests had clearly just been in a fight; each of them had bruises all over their faces. They were obviously from out of town, not local villagers.
Upon seeing this, he stepped forward, examined the body, and remarked calmly, "Their limbs have been dislocated using a powerful technique; they must have encountered a martial arts master."
"I admire you! But, Daoist Master, we brothers have run into a formidable foe! Damn it! This girl is ruthless; she crippled my eldest brother's hands and feet. Please, Daoist Master, heal us. We will surely repay you handsomely in the future. No one in this province can treat this kind of injury. We heard that the Daoist Master here has superb medical skills, so we came here specifically to seek his help." The man who had spoken earlier also said respectfully.
"A doctor's heart is benevolent! Since you have come seeking medical help, I will do my best to treat you." With that, Wuguo stepped forward, took one of the man's arms, suddenly lifted it upwards, and twisted it slightly. The man cried out, and the limp arm was reattached. He did the same to the other arm.
"You two help him up," Wu Guo instructed the two men.
Just as the two men helped the injured man up, Wuguo suddenly launched his two legs, kicking the man's heels in quick succession. The movement was light and graceful, like a butterfly spreading its wings. "Crack!" Two crisp sounds rang out as the dislocated femoral head returned to its original position.
"Ouch!" A scream rang out, and the injured man almost fainted from the pain.
"You..." The group initially thought Wuguo was attacking, and were momentarily shocked and enraged. However, when Wuguo kicked out with both feet, the injured man, in great pain, broke free from the two people supporting him and stood up on the ground on his own.
This was the first time Song Hao had ever seen such a method of repositioning. He never imagined that the seemingly unremarkable Wugong had such a remarkable skill.