By 3 p.m., the number of patients coming for treatment had gradually decreased to none. Luo Feiying breathed a sigh of relief and said admiringly, "Old Lin, if you owned your own hospital, you would have become very wealthy by now! You wouldn't have to suffer here and have to be subservient to others."
Lin Fengyi didn't mind Luo Feiying's way of addressing him and laughed, "I don't have the ability or the energy for that, so it's better to be this comfortable."
Tang Yu said excitedly, "Teacher Lin's pulse diagnosis skills are superb. I've witnessed them firsthand today. You've had a busy day, so we'd like to treat you to dinner."
"All the credit for today belongs to you all, so let me take it. The institute is starting to value me again!" Lin Fengyi said with emotion.
"Alright, Lao Lin, don't be so polite with us. Just teach Song Hao pulse diagnosis in the future," Luo Feiying said.
"That depends on how sensitive Song Hao's fingers are. If they're not sensitive enough, it'll be a waste of my time to teach him; he won't be able to feel it," Lin Fengyi said.
Song Hao smiled and said, "Please rest assured, Teacher Lin, I will not let you down."
The four of them then sat down at a restaurant and ordered a table full of food.
Since Song Hao's hands were not functioning properly, Tang Yu and Luo Feiying continued to feed him.
Upon seeing this, Lin Fengyi smiled and said, "Song Hao, although you can see the illness with your hands when taking a pulse, you must also discern it with your heart. You must not let your mind wander."
Song Hao smiled and said, "My heart is as still as water right now!"
Luo Feiying rolled her eyes at Lin Fengyi and said, "Old Lin, what are you thinking? Song Hao's hand is inconvenient, isn't it? I think it's your mind that's in turmoil."
Lin Fengyi smiled and said, "Actually, the state of mind I require is not one of being completely detached from worldly affairs and having a detached and tranquil mind. It simply requires that you be able to bring all your thoughts back when taking a pulse. You can remain calm under pressure, which shows that your cultivation in this area is already quite profound. Hehe!"
"By the way, I saw that you two girls were quite skilled today. Even the experts and professors are not as good as you. I would like to ask Tang Yu, are you from the Tang family of the medical sect?" Lin Fengyi asked.
Tang Yu smiled and nodded, saying, "Teacher Lin guessed correctly, I am indeed from the Tang family of the Medical Sect."
"My apologies! You truly come from a distinguished family! And Luo Feiying? Your acupuncture skills are extraordinary; such mastery could not be achieved without family tradition," Lin Fengyi asked again.
“The Demon Needle Sect!” Luo Feiying replied.
"The Demon Needle Sect!?" Lin Fengyi shook his head and said, "Never heard of it!"
"That's what they call it in the martial arts world. You should have heard of the Luo Family's Magic Needles," Luo Feiying said.
"What is your relationship to Dr. Luo Beiming, the acupuncture doctor?" Lin Fengyi asked in surprise.
“I am his daughter!” Luo Feiying said proudly.
"I see!" Lin Fengyi cupped his hands to the two women and said, "From now on, I will call you two masters and teach you some acupuncture and medicine skills."
Tang Yu smiled and said, "As long as Teacher Lin teaches Song Hao pulse diagnosis well, we will teach you anything you want to learn from us without reservation."
Luo Feiying laughed and said, "Old Lin, you're quite cunning."
Lin Fengyi smiled and said, "I will do my best to exchange ideas."
"By the way, Lao Lin, there's something I'd like to discuss with you," Luo Feiying said, glancing at Tang Yu.
“You speak, I’m listening,” Lin Fengyi said.
"Would you be willing to work at the Chinese medicine hospital run by my Luo family in the future? You can choose any of those big hospitals, and you'll have complete control over everything. Let's start with an annual salary of one million, and we can increase it later," Luo Feiying said.
Tang Yu, who was listening nearby, thought to herself, "That little devil! I was hoping to invite this person to the Heavenly Medicine Hall that Song Hao will be founding in the future! But you've already beaten me to it!"
“This…” Lin Fengyi hesitated for a moment, then said, “Thank you for your kindness, but we can discuss this matter another time.”
Upon hearing this, Song Hao knew that Lin Fengyi still cared about that kind of "medical luck." The time wasn't right, and he lacked the confidence to treat patients. Although his diagnoses were miraculous at the moment, they didn't bring corresponding benefits. He admired Luo Feiying's shrewdness; she had gotten there first. However, seeing that Lin Fengyi hadn't responded, he knew he would have another chance in the future, and he shared the same thought as Tang Yu.
“Alright, as long as Lao Lin wants to leave this hospital in the future, I will come and pick you up personally,” Luo Feiying said.
Over the next few days, Song Hao's fingers gradually recovered, and he was able to hold objects again. He then practiced more by examining the grains of millet. At first, he could distinguish more than ten grains under each finger, an extraordinary feat that astonished Tang Yu and Luo Feiying. Half a month later, with dozens of grains of millet spread under his fingertips and covered with a thin sieve, he could still clearly distinguish the number, with an error of only two or three grains. Overjoyed, he showed it to Lin Fengyi.
Lin Fengyi examined it and exclaimed in astonishment, "What others take two years to achieve, you accomplished in just one month! It's simply unbelievable!"
Song Hao said, "This is also thanks to my previous experience in acupuncture. After using the needles for a long time, I can naturally develop a sensitive response to the flow of qi and blood between my fingers. Now my fingers have been transformed by the medicine, and their sensitivity has increased by an unknown amount, so I was able to meet the teacher's requirements in a short period of time."
"It's fate! That old Taoist Xiao really did send me a good disciple!" Lin Fengyi exclaimed with emotion and delight, "In that case, I can teach you pulse diagnosis. But this kind of pulse diagnosis can only be passed on when actually diagnosing patients, examining the same pulse and observing its subtle changes. Otherwise, it's impossible to explain certain pulse patterns clearly. Let's begin now, and we'll have an extra day of diagnosis together. Remember, the real pulse diagnosis is felt and felt on the patient's wrist. But I'm just passing on my existing knowledge to you. Decades of skill, all taught in one day—you've gotten a great deal. This is the benefit of having a ready-made master, and it's also because you have the ability to receive it."
Upon hearing this, Song Hao was overjoyed and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Master!"
"Very well! I'll accept you as my disciple today!" Lin Fengyi said happily.
Tang Yu and Luo Feiying exchanged a smile. Everything had fallen into place naturally.
At Luo Feiying's suggestion, and also for Song Hao's safety and convenience in learning pulse techniques, Song Hao, Tang Yu, and Luo Feiying moved out of their apartment and into a villa that Luo Feiying had borrowed from a friend. They also brought Lin Fengyi over to teach them morning and evening.
On the first day of formally teaching pulse diagnosis, Lin Fengyi said, “As a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, you must first be able to diagnose what disease someone has before they will trust you. Although you have achieved some success in pulse diagnosis, it is not yet applicable to the world. Medical theory is infinite, and pulse diagnosis is difficult to understand. The ancients used the Cun-Kou point to determine the condition of the internal organs and to predict life and death. The Cun-Kou point is the location of the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, which is the great gathering place of all pulses. Pulse diagnosis should be based on Yin and Yang, and all changes are within the same principle. Pulse diagnosis is something that the ancients have already verified. Just use it. If you can't use it well, it is a problem with your own level. Don't blame the ancients.”
"Of course, three famous doctors each have three different pulse patterns. Everyone's cultivation and understanding of pulse patterns are different. But one must first understand the main pulse patterns before gradually understanding the other pulse patterns and forming one's own pulse patterns. There are twenty-seven main pulse patterns: floating, sinking, slow, rapid, slippery, rough, weak, strong, long, short, surging, faint, tight, slow, hollow, wiry, leathery, firm, soft, weak, scattered, fine, hidden, moving, hurried, knotted, and hidden. Most pulse diagnosis methods in the world are limited to these. Due to differences in natural environment, season, and human constitution, some pulse patterns are also present in the pulse of ordinary people. There are pulse patterns that correspond to the season and pulse patterns that correspond to the individual, but the key is the word 'slow,' which means there is no disease."
"Beyond the main pulse, there are also hidden, miscellaneous pulses. Many people overlook these and cannot perceive them. Therefore, the true pulse path is only presented in the pulse books passed down through generations, with the other seven parts requiring personal perception. Feel with your hands and comprehend with your heart. This requires keen tactile sensitivity in your fingers and a calm and peaceful mind. Within the three fingers, all the information about the body is contained. This is why I asked you to distinguish the countless small yellow grains under your fingers. The pulse patterns of a person are complex and diverse; diagnosis cannot be made simply by distinguishing a few main pulses. In the future, you will have new sensations on the patient's pulse, which will be different from before. I will guide you again when the patient is ill."
Lin Fengyi's TCM clinic had been moved to a spacious room downstairs, divided into a diagnosis room and a treatment room. The clinic hours had been extended to Thursdays to allow Song Hao more exposure to various pulse patterns as he studied pulse diagnosis. After Lin Fengyi examined each pulse, Song Hao would examine it again. Initially, the difference between them was significant, but over time they gradually became closer. On some pulse conditions, Lin Fengyi only needed to offer a few pointers, and Song Hao would immediately understand without needing to explain. Lin Fengyi was increasingly pleased, and his instruction became smoother and smoother.
Only then did Song Hao realize that this pulse diagnosis method was a completely different world, far beyond his imagination. The twenty-seven main pulse types he had previously mastered were merely a framework. The "Lin Family Pulse Diagnosis Method," on the other hand, was incredibly detailed and exquisite, leaving one in awe. For example, in diagnosing blood pressure, the largest margin of error was only 10 millimeters of mercury. One patient with hypertension was diagnosed by Lin Fengyi as having a diastolic pressure of 100 mmHg and a systolic pressure of 160 mmHg. Tang Yufu then verified this with a blood pressure monitor, finding the actual diastolic pressure to be exactly 100 mmHg, and the systolic pressure to be 165 mmHg, a difference of only 5 millimeters. Such pulse diagnosis was practically supernatural.
Luo Feiying and Tang Yu also practiced alongside Lin Fengyi, who patiently explained the techniques. However, their understanding of the pulse points was mostly intuitive, lacking the ability to articulate them with their fingers, unlike Song Hao who could sense them instantly. Nevertheless, with such a master's guidance, their pulse techniques improved significantly, becoming vastly different from their previous abilities. This greatly inspired them.
To Lin Fengyi's surprise, Song Hao was not only as skilled and adept at prescribing medicine as Tang Yu, but also exceptionally skilled in acupuncture. His manipulation of the fine needles was masterful. Truly, the pain stopped instantly upon insertion, and stubborn ailments were cured immediately, eliciting gasps of amazement from the patients in the consultation room. Lin Fengyi realized that the disciple recommended by Xiao Boran was actually a versatile master in all aspects of medicine, and had only come here to learn his pulse diagnosis techniques. He felt a surge of respect for him.
After more than three months, Song Hao had fully mastered Lin Fengyi's pulse diagnosis techniques; all that remained was to become proficient in clinical practice. Lin Fengyi then switched seats with Song Hao, allowing Song Hao to begin taking on all the patient consultations, while Lin Fengyi sat beside him, offering guidance when encountering difficult cases. Song Hao's progress in pulse diagnosis exceeded Lin Fengyi's expectations. This was partly due to Song Hao's already solid foundation, but more importantly, it was the patients seeking Lin Fengyi's diagnoses who paved the way for his advancement. With five or six hundred patients under his care, Song Hao was exposed to all sorts of complex pulse patterns, understanding them clearly with his fingers and having a clear understanding in his mind; it would be strange if his progress wasn't rapid. It wouldn't be an exaggeration for Lin Fengyi to say that what others had mastered in decades was absorbed by Song Hao in a single day.
Chapter Six: Deadly Counterattack
Medical principles are boundless, and pulse diagnosis is difficult to understand; once the discerning eye grasps them, enlightenment arrives, entirely through Zen-like understanding. — Zhou Xueting, *Three-Finger Zen* (Qing Dynasty)