"What a good child!" Dou Haiqin couldn't help but exclaim.
"Because I met and became a disciple of a Taoist master during this time, he has calmed things down for me, and this turmoil should be considered over," Song Hao said.
“At the time, I also thought it was true, and I felt extremely regretful and saddened, because someone did see an acupuncture bronze figure being loaded onto a cargo ship, which then had an accident at sea. Later, after a wise person pointed it out, I realized that you had received help from a master and were devising a plan to quell the matter,” Dou Haiqin said.
“Aunt Dou, the bronze acupuncture statue of Song Tiansheng is now safe and sound. Please set a time and place to return it to your Dou family of the Golden Needle Sect. This will also serve as me completing the task that Aunt Dou entrusted to me,” Song Hao said.
Upon hearing this, Dou Haiqin shook her head and said, "My Dou family no longer has the power to protect this national treasure. Otherwise, it would still stir up another wave of looting in the martial arts world. Facts have proven that you have the ability to protect it, and you should become the true owner of this national treasure. The purpose of inviting you here today is to tell you that the Dou family has decided to formally present the Tiansheng Acupuncture Bronze Figure to you, so that you can continue the fate of this acupuncture bronze figure. In the world today, only you meet the true conditions for guarding that national treasure."
“Aunt Dou, this isn’t appropriate,” Song Hao said in surprise.
“Song Hao, please don’t refuse. For the safety of this medical treasure, you should continue to safeguard it. Besides, you are also a practitioner of medicine, especially skilled in acupuncture. Perhaps it was fate that you obtained it in this unexpected turn of events. In your hands, you should be able to truly bring out the function of the Heavenly Saint Acupuncture Bronze Figure. This is the true meaning of this national treasure, and it will not have been in vain for Wang Wei’s painstaking efforts in casting this bronze figure. We must follow the will of Heaven and not go against it. Otherwise, if it changes hands again, there will surely be other changes,” Dou Haiqin said earnestly.
“Well then, Aunt Dou, this is too valuable for me to accept. Since it’s for safety’s sake, I’ll keep it for a while longer, and return it to the Golden Needle Sect after this matter has completely calmed down,” Song Hao said, surprised.
"Silly child! Just accept it without worry. It has found its true owner. Auntie believes you will take good care of it," Dou Haiqin said with a smile.
"I'm afraid I can't shoulder this responsibility," Song Hao said, scratching his head in distress.
“You are capable of shouldering this special responsibility, and you have already taken it on,” Dou Haiqin said with a smile.
"Alright, since Aunt Dou values me so much, I will definitely do my best to keep it safe," Song Hao finally nodded. He knew that he couldn't just let it change hands easily now, otherwise it would cause another uproar.
"By the way, Aunt Dou, the Dou family's acupuncture technique has been passed down for nearly a thousand years and has already grasped the essence of acupuncture. I am currently preparing to establish Tianyi Hall to help people and practice medicine, in order to revitalize traditional Chinese medicine. I would like to ask the Golden Needle Sect to lend me a hand," Song Hao then pleaded.
“I knew I hadn’t misjudged you; you are a person with lofty ambitions. Very well, I can select some of the most capable disciples from my sect to go to your Heavenly Medicine Hall in the future,” Dou Haiqin said.
"Thank you, Aunt Dou!" Song Hao was overjoyed to hear this.
Looking out of the tower, Dou Haiqin sighed and said, "After this calamity, the Golden Needle Sect has been severely weakened and can hardly recover its former glory. I need to find someone to seek justice for the Dou family, and even more so for my devoted niece. I need to ask that person why they betrayed our Dou family."
Upon hearing this, Song Hao asked in surprise, "Aunt Dou, are you going to find that Li He?"
"What, you know him?" Dou Haiqin asked in surprise.
“This Li He is a disciple of the Luo family of the Demon Needle Sect. He must have infiltrated the Golden Needle Sect to steal their techniques,” Song Hao said.
“I already know all that,” Dou Haiqin sighed.
“But now Aunt Dou can’t get anything out of this person, because he has mastered the reverse needle technique of the Luo family’s magic needles to the extreme. In his delirium, he has developed a deadly needle that can slowly take a life. I have treated patients who have been treated with this technique, and they are really difficult to cure,” Song Hao said.
"What! Li He has gone mad and turned the reverse needle technique from the Luo Family Magic Needle into a deadly needle?" Dou Haiqin exclaimed in surprise.
“That’s right, I confirmed this with the Luo family,” Song Hao said.
"How could Heaven punish him like this!" Dou Haiqin shook her head and sighed.
“Song Hao, there’s something that concerns medicine. You should pay attention to it in the future.” Dou Haiqin’s tone became serious as she said, “Following the Tian Sheng Acupuncture Bronze Man, another strange thing has happened in the martial arts world. That is, a mysterious legend circulating among the medical schools suggests that a miraculous remedy without medicine may have been born.”
"A miraculous cure without medicine!" Song Hao was stunned upon hearing this.
"Indeed, the 'prescription without medicine, cure without medicine'—this legend, which has been passed down in the medical field for thousands of years, has now become a reality," Dou Haiqin said. "It is said that the 'miracle prescription without medicine' is a mysterious code that deciphers the essence of traditional Chinese medicine. Those who obtain it can cure all kinds of diseases without medicine. This matter originated from the Ghost Doctor Sect and the Ji family of the Medical Sect. Ji Xuan of the Ji family once stole the prescription from the Ghost Doctor Sect, which resulted in the crippling of his legs. However, not long ago, it was reported that Ji Xuan deciphered this great secret of medicine, first curing his own paralyzed legs, and then using the 'miracle prescription without medicine' to cure several difficult and complicated diseases, which shocked the medical community."
"Ji Xuan's method of curing diseases with his 'miracle cure without medicine' was particularly peculiar. He simply gave the patient a bowl of water that he had treated, and the patient's stubborn illness was cured in a short time. Some patients secretly kept a sample of the water for testing, and it turned out to be just ordinary water with no foreign substances. But those patients were indeed cured of their stubborn illnesses because they drank this very ordinary water. As a result, the martial arts world was thrown into turmoil again. Some people went to steal the 'miracle cure without medicine,' and Ji Xuan, who kept the secret, was killed. Only his grandson, Ji Dongyang, who possessed this great medical secret, escaped and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day."
"Such a strange thing!" Song Hao exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't it similar to the Taoist talismanic water that can cure diseases!"
Dou Haiqin said, "Whether the Taoist practice of using talismanic water to cure diseases still exists is unknown. However, what we usually see is just Taoists using this religious method to fool people, and it's not credible. The 'miracle cure without medicine' is indeed a code that has deciphered a great secret of medicine. As for its principle, no one except Ji Dongyang knows it yet, but its effects are real and have been verified. This also shows that there are indeed things in ancient and mysterious traditional Chinese medicine that we modern people cannot know or understand. Ancient means it is close to the essence of things, and mysterious means it has many secrets that we cannot understand at present. The profoundness of medicine is evident from this. If such a miracle cure without medicine really exists in the world, it must be a divine cure that benefits mankind. As practitioners of medicine, we must investigate it."
Song Hao recalled his past interactions with the Ji family grandfather and grandson. He never expected that such an incredible miracle would happen to them. Although he could not yet determine whether it was true or not, he was filled with emotion.
"Just keep an eye on this matter in the future, but don't be too obsessed with pursuing it. This matter is too special, and it might easily fall into the realm of superstition. Traditional Chinese medicine is already criticized enough, and with this incident, who knows how many more so-called 'anti-TCM fighters' will attack it. But remember, what truly exists is reasonable. As for whether it's scientific or not, science itself doesn't even have a complete definition yet!" Dou Haiqin said with a hint of helplessness.
“I understand!” Song Hao nodded.
"Alright, Song Hao, it's really nice to meet you! I hope we'll have a chance to chat again sometime. I have something to do, so I'll take my leave now," Dou Haiqin said with a smile.
The two then left the ancient pagoda and met up with the squad leader. Song Hao saw Dou Haiqin off at Yongning Temple, and Dou Haiqin waved goodbye.
Song Hao and the squad leader returned to the hotel. Song Hao sat on the bed in a daze. To Song Hao's surprise, Dou Haiqin had given him the Tiansheng Acupuncture Bronze Figure. Although it seemed like a matter of course at the time, it still surprised Song Hao.
"Brother Song!" the squad leader said at this moment, "We've come here this time to invite that acupuncture master from Tianyi Hall, haven't we?"
Song Hao replied, "That's right. For the future of Tianyi Hall, we must invite several medical experts to provide consultations; otherwise, it will not be enough to establish a reputation."
The sergeant said, “There’s someone I don’t know if Brother Song is interested in. I only remembered him after I got here. Back when I was learning martial arts from my master, one of my senior brothers accidentally broke his leg while practicing. Even our master, who was skilled at setting bones, couldn’t cure him. Our master said, ‘Broken bones are difficult to heal, except by the Ye family in a certain city. Otherwise, he will be paralyzed.’ So our master hired a cart overnight to take our senior brother here, accompanied by several of us fellow disciples. We found a man named Ye Chengshun. This man was indeed skilled. He first used his manual techniques to reset the leg. He knew exactly how to knead and press, and in a short while, he said it was set. Then he used a wooden board wrapped with gauze to fix the leg, and then gave me a packet of ‘Bone-Setting Pills,’ saying that if I took it with yellow wine as a guide for a month, I would recover. And it was as he said.”
Upon hearing this, Song Hao exclaimed in surprise, "Since there is such a master of bone setting, we must visit him. Which hospital does he work at now?"
The sergeant said, "Although this Ye Chengshun possesses this skill, he is not known for his medical expertise, so few people know about him. He lives in the south of the city and runs a small shop selling wine for a living. Moreover, he has an eccentric personality and is unwilling to set bones for others, making him extremely difficult to hire. If it weren't for my master's past relationship with him and his personal intervention, he wouldn't have offered to help."
Upon hearing this, Song Hao asked in confusion, "With such extraordinary skills, why do you not appear in the world?"
The sergeant shook his head and said, "I don't know either. Master once said that the Ye family's bone-setting technique is the best in the world, but they rarely treat outsiders. If any disciples in the sect have bone injuries that are difficult to treat in the future, it is best not to go to this person unless Master personally intervenes, because it will be of no use. I mentioned this person to tell Brother Song that there is a bone-setting master here, but it may not be possible to invite him."
Song Hao said, “People with great skills all have tempers, which is not surprising. Sometimes they keep their skills hidden from the world while waiting for the right opportunity. Otherwise, what’s the use of learning such skills? Or there may be other reasons that prevent them from revealing their skills to others. Or they may be eccentric and self-important, pretending to be profound and unfathomable. I wonder which category Ye Chengshun belongs to.”
The sergeant said, "Back then, Master discussed it with him for a long time in the house before Ye Chengshun agreed to help. This man is calm and doesn't seem like an arrogant person. He must be the kind of person who has other hidden reasons."
Song Hao nodded and said, "He must have suffered some kind of trauma to be unwilling to use this technique to save people. Let's not worry about that for now. We'll go and meet this person first thing tomorrow morning. If he really has the miraculous bone-setting technique you described, Tianyi Hall should prepare a place for him."
"By the way, Master Lu Yanping has a wide circle of friends and should know some medical experts. Tell me about them if you know anything about them," Song Hao continued.
"No, that's all I know. He's the only one I can get my hands on. Maybe you can ask my master later. But he's a wanderer, traveling all over the world, and none of us disciples can find him." The sergeant scratched his head and chuckled.
Upon hearing this, Song Hao laughed and said, "When the time comes, we will naturally meet again. I had the good fortune to meet him back then, and he taught me the Thunderbolt Needle Technique. Now that I have met another of his disciples, there should still be a chance for us to meet again."
Volume Two: Traditional Chinese Medicine Under Heaven - Chapter Twenty-Two: Ye's Bone Setting (2)