"Uncle, do you know Ren Zhiqian?" Song Hao asked with delight.
"He was quite a medical prodigy, but he moved away many years ago. What, you know him?" Gao Mingda asked.
Song Hao said, "Uncle, we came here to visit this man and ask him for advice on medical matters. We didn't expect that he no longer lives here."
Gao Mingda said, "This Ren Zhiqian is an extraordinary person, especially in that he has developed several magical anesthetics that are even more effective than those in modern medicine."
Song Hao said, "I heard that this person possesses the secret formula for Mafeisan, a miraculous anesthetic invented by Hua Tuo."
Gao Mingda said, "I don't know if this is true or not. He never mentioned it to me. I only know that he was researching ancient anesthetic formulas. In particular, he invented a topical anesthetic that produces anesthesia when applied to the skin. What's even more amazing is its local anesthesia. When the medicine is applied to the skin where surgery is to be performed, that area will be completely numb. You can cut or remove the anesthetic as you please without feeling any pain. Even after the main drug's effects wear off after four or five hours, it can still maintain a certain analgesic effect."
"Such a miraculous medicine exists!" Song Hao and Tang Yu exclaimed in surprise.
“And there’s something even more amazing!” Gao Mingda said, “If you want to have surgery on your leg, you just need to apply that anesthetic around the groin or a few inches above the surgical site, and the entire leg will be anesthetized. The anesthetic’s power can penetrate flesh and bone, it’s incredible. For minor surgeries, it can even keep the patient moving around freely without hindering their movement, only causing a slight numbness at the surgical site. I’ve seen him perform this procedure myself, it’s absolutely amazing!”
Tang Yu said, "I've also seen itinerant doctors on the street who apply a medicine called 'Carp Frost' to people's faces to pull out teeth. Strangely enough, they just apply a little to a spot on the cheek and gently flick it with a bamboo chopstick, and the tooth comes out. They can pull out whichever tooth they want, very quickly. It not only relieves pain but also helps the tooth come out, sometimes without bleeding. It's similar to Ren Zhiqian's anesthetic, something modern dentists can't do."
Gao Mingda sighed, “Chinese medicine is profound and extensive, and there are many miraculous prescriptions and medicines that have not yet been revealed and are only circulating among the people. This is where you young people who study medicine need to explore. Some prescriptions and medicines are even more miraculous than you can imagine.”
At this moment, Song Hao became even more determined to find Ren Zhiqian, so he asked, "Uncle, do you know where Ren Zhiqian's family has moved to?"
Gao Mingda shook his head and said, "There has been no news of him since he moved away fifteen years ago. The anesthetic he invented is unique; it works as an anesthetic when applied topically. If taken internally, it can anesthetize the whole body. Unfortunately, he did not want to be in the world, so he is unknown. I don't know where he is hiding now."
"I never imagined that such a remarkable person had lived in our village! After hearing what you, old man Gao, have to say today, I realize that you are no ordinary person either!" Liu Baogen exclaimed in surprise.
Gao Mingda laughed and said, "Within ten steps, there will surely be fragrant grass; within ten rooms, there will surely be strong men. Pay attention to the people around you in the future, who knows which one of them might be a master with extraordinary skills! I only have the ability to keep me awake at night, which is nothing special, so don't praise me anymore."
Seeing that it was getting late, Song Hao got up to say goodbye. Gao Mingda saw the three of them off.
“I really enjoy talking to someone like you. I hope we can meet again sometime,” Gao Mingda said.
"It was truly worthwhile to meet the old man, listen to his words, and learn so much," Song Hao said gratefully.
Back at the Liu family home, Liu Shan was sitting there waiting for them.
“I went to the old Party Secretary’s house. After Ren Zhiqian moved away, he wrote a letter to the old Party Secretary,” Liu Shan said.
"A letter arrived! That means Ren Zhiqian's current address should be there!" Song Hao exclaimed with delight.
Liu Shan shook his head and said, "That was many years ago. After the old Party Secretary read the letter, he just threw it away. I just asked him to look for it, but he couldn't find it. He only remembers that the letter was sent from Yunnan, but he can't remember the specific address."
"Yunnan!" Song Hao sighed helplessly. Without a detailed address, finding someone was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The Liu family assumed Song Hao and Tang Yu were a couple and specially arranged a clean room for them. By the time Song Hao discovered this, the Liu family members had already gone back to their rooms to rest.
"I guess I'll just have to make do for one night," Song Hao said with a helpless smile.
Tang Yu blushed and said, "It's not as convenient here as it is in a hotel, and no one will gossip about you then."
The two then lay down on opposite sides to rest, and continued talking even after the lights were turned off.
"Ren Zhiqian's anesthetic is truly miraculous; I must find him," Song Hao said.
"But Yunnan is so big, where are we supposed to find it?" Tang Yu said helplessly.
“We can investigate further when we have the chance. By the way, do you remember the worker who broke his leg at Liu Tian’s construction site last time? After he was taken to Tianyitang, Ye Chengshun set his leg. The worker was in so much pain that he was screaming and yelling. Later, Wu Qiguang used acupuncture to anesthetize him, and the acupuncture anesthesia worked quite well. Since we can’t find Ren Zhiqian, we can also conduct research on acupuncture anesthesia,” Song Hao said.
“Excellent!” Tang Yu said, “The anesthetic effect of traditional Chinese medicine is simple, quick, easy to accept, and has no side effects. We should carry out research on this topic. Let’s implement it when we get back.”
"We should start now, we can't delay any longer, and other research work also needs to be carried out. We don't have enough manpower!" Song Hao said.
"Now you know how difficult it is to lack talent, right? Don't worry, as long as we formulate a plan to recruit TCM talents, all aspects of the work will be taken care of," Tang Yu said.
“Of course!” Tang Yu added, “Tianyi Hall has gradually entered a development track. We should not be too hasty in some things. It is better to proceed steadily. Otherwise, we will lose sight of one thing and suffer losses. So we need to think long-term, formulate a detailed plan, and then implement it gradually.”
“That’s right, we have to take it one step at a time…” As he spoke, Song Hao actually fell asleep.
The next day, after breakfast, led by Liu Baogen, Song Hao and Tang Yu drove to find Ding Fengjie in Namulian Village. This trip, however, was a departure from Qinghai Lake.
Although the journey of thirty li was not far, the road conditions were extremely poor, and the vehicle did not travel very fast. It took more than an hour to reach a remote village.
Liu Baogen first found a family he knew and inquired about the location of the Ding family. Sure enough, there was a Ding family in the village. Song Hao and Tang Yu felt somewhat relieved.
When they found the family's courtyard, they saw three low, thatched houses, indicating that their living conditions were not very comfortable. Two children were playing nearby, while a middle-aged man sat in a corner, busy weaving a straw basket. Upon seeing three strangers approaching, the middle-aged man quickly stood up.
"Uncle, is this Mr. Ding Fengjie's home?" Song Hao asked.
"Looking for my second uncle! He passed away three years ago," the middle-aged man said blankly.
"What!?" Song Hao was stunned. He was greatly disappointed again, never expecting his master to send him here to find someone.
Volume Two: The World of Traditional Chinese Medicine - Chapter Forty-Seven: The Tower
Tang Yu hurriedly asked, "Uncle, did Mr. Ding Fengjie used to live here?"
“My second uncle wandered all his life, never settling down. He wouldn’t come back for years at a time, so this was his home. What do you want with him? He’s gone, so it’s no use now,” the middle-aged man sighed.
"Well, did Mr. Ding leave behind a book? We've come to retrieve it on someone's behalf," Tang Yu said.
"No, my second uncle traveled all his life and never left anything behind. He only returned when he was dying, leaving behind some money for his funeral. I don't know what book you're talking about," the middle-aged man said blankly.
"Sigh!" Song Hao sighed inwardly. The two people he came here to look for, one had moved away and disappeared without a trace, and the other had passed away many years ago. It was all for nothing.
"Let's go back. We can talk to Master about it at Shangqing Temple later. Even he couldn't have foreseen this unexpected situation," Song Hao said helplessly.
"Shangqing Temple!" the middle-aged man asked hurriedly, "You're from Shangqing Temple!"
"Yes. What, do you know about Shangqing Temple, Uncle?" Song Hao's heart stirred.