Tang Yu said, "Look at Lin Fengyi's hands, they are white and smooth, they must have been soaked in this medicine. If we remove some of the more toxic ingredients and make a skin lotion to apply to the face, it would have a whitening effect."
"Also, I bought some millet, but I don't know how to distinguish the number of dozens of grains between my fingertips?" Tang Yu took out another bag of millet and placed it on the table.
Luo Feiying said, "The pulse of a disease is clearly defined, whether it is floating, sinking, slow, or rapid. How can one discern the chaotic and disordered phenomena under the fingers, and how can such chaotic and disordered phenomena arise?"
Song Hao said, "This might be how you diagnose whether someone has had an appendectomy. Some pulse patterns that aren't pathological can also appear in the pulse itself or next to the main pulse. These hidden pulse patterns are not easy to detect. The profound and exquisite nature of Lin Fengyi's pulse diagnosis method is not just about identifying a few dozen grains of millet under the fingers, but about sensing in a dynamic state and then controlling the body's ailments. Such skill is truly divine!"
Luo Feiying said, "Lin Fengyi said that even if you can calm down, it will take two years to develop the sensitivity under your fingers. Do you really want to stay here for two years?"
Song Hao said, "Even five years would be worth it to receive the true transmission of his pulse diagnosis method." As he spoke, he took some millet and spread it on the table. He stretched out three fingers, pressed a few grains under each fingertip, and carefully counted them.
Tang Yu picked up a few grains and said, "You can distinguish three or five grains, but it's not something you can do in a short time to distinguish dozens. Start with fewer and gradually increase."
Song Hao, meanwhile, was focused intently on counting the millet grains under his fingertips. After a few minutes, he suddenly relaxed and smiled, saying, "It's not that difficult. There should be seven grains under my index finger, six under my middle finger, and eight under my ring finger."
Tang Yu and Luo Feiying were both astonished upon hearing this.
Luo Feiying exclaimed in surprise, "It can't be that amazing! You've already mastered half of it so quickly! Let me check."
Volume Two: The World of Traditional Chinese Medicine - Tianyi Hall, Chapter Three: Transformation (2)
The pulse is the precursor to qi and blood. When qi and blood are abundant, the pulse is strong; when qi and blood are deficient, the pulse is weak. When qi and blood are hot, the pulse is rapid; when qi and blood are cold, the pulse is slow. When qi and blood are weak, the pulse is feeble; when qi and blood are balanced, the pulse is gentle. —Selected from the *Zhongzang Jing*
After Luo Feiying counted the millet grains that had stuck to Song Hao's three fingers, although she found nine grains under his ring finger, one less than Song Hao had sensed, the magical effect left the two women speechless.
Tang Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Song Hao, could it be that you were born with the potential to learn the Lin Fengyi Meridian Technique? Otherwise, how could you have achieved such results from the very beginning?"
Song Hao pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "That's it! I'm used to using needles, and with each needle I feel the subtle changes in the meridians and blood flow, the sensitivity of my fingertips has been unconsciously honed. Once you understand one thing, you understand everything, and this applies to pulse diagnosis. That must be the reason! It seems that it won't be long before I meet Lin Fengyi's requirements. It's truly heaven's help!"
Tang Yu said excitedly, "That's right. Acupuncture and pulse diagnosis both depend on the subtle sensitivity of the mind and spirit, which allows for free and easy manipulation of the fingers. Lin Fengyi's pulse diagnosis method must have been created and prepared for you."
Song Hao smiled and said, "I'm definitely going to be his disciple. He can't possibly leave me alone. By the way, Miss Luo, your Luo family are also experts in needlework, and their sensitivity under their fingers must be extraordinary. Why don't you give it a try?"
Luo Feiying rolled her eyes at Song Hao and said, "If you don't like calling me by my name, just call me by my nickname Yingying. I feel that the name Miss Luo is too formal and I don't like it. You are not allowed to call me that again."
Song Hao laughed and said, "Whatever you want, go ahead and try it."
Upon hearing this, Luo Feiying was delighted and stretched out three fingers to pick up some millet grains and went to feel them.
A few minutes later, Luo Feiying read out the numbers and checked again. There was a difference of more than three or four dots under each finger. She immediately lost interest and declined, saying, "This Lin guy came up with this strange way to mess with people. I can't learn it. You can go play by yourself."
Song Hao laughed and said, "Have confidence! You haven't even soaked your hands yet!"
Luo Feiying shook her head and said, "To hell with that Lin guy, I won't play by his rules. The Luo family has enough acupuncture skills, and being able to handle the diagnosis is enough."
Song Hao said regretfully, "If you're content with the status quo and don't take this great opportunity to learn, then I won't force you. Tang Yu, boil the medicine and soak your hands!"
After Tang Yu finished boiling the medicine and let it cool, Song Hao put his hand into the liquid and felt nothing unusual. After a while, he felt a slight prickling sensation.
Tang Yu reminded her from the side, "Lin Fengyi said that it should be soaked for about an hour, not too long, and the skin will peel off after three days."
Song Hao said, "It's alright, it's good to soak a little longer!"
So Song Hao soaked his hands while talking to Tang Yu and Luo Feiying. He ended up soaking them for a full three hours. Tang Yu, worried that Song Hao would hurt his hands from soaking for too long, told him to stop and removed the medicine. She then washed his hands with clean water.
"It's nothing! Just a little numbness and swelling." Song Hao raised his hands and waved them.
Looking at Song Hao's hands, which had turned white from being soaked in the medicine, Tang Yu said worriedly, "This medicine is very toxic and won't show up immediately. I'm afraid you won't have a good night."
Luo Feiying gloated, "Serves him right! Who told him to show off and soak it for so long? The pig's trotters are all softened up!"
"It's nothing!" Song Hao said nonchalantly, "It's late, you guys go to sleep first."
After Tang Yu and Luo Feiying returned to their rooms to rest, Song Hao also lay down on the bed. Only then did he feel his hands begin to burn with pain, and become unbearably numb and itchy. He realized then that he had been too hasty.
In the middle of the night, Song Hao felt that his hands had lost feeling and were swollen and extended to his arms.
"If this continues, won't my hands be ruined!" Song Hao was filled with regret, but there was nothing he could do.
Tang Yu, still worried about Song Hao's hands, came to check on him before dawn. She found Song Hao lying there, sweating profusely, his palms swollen like buns, painful to the touch, and too weak to move.
In a panic, Tang Yu quickly called Luo Feiying and ordered her to drive Lin Fengyi to the hospital immediately for treatment, for the one who tied the knot must untie it.
"That old man is a menace!" Luo Feiying exclaimed and hurried away.
"I told you not to soak for so long, but you wouldn't listen. What if something happened?" Tang Yu scolded.
Song Hao gave a wry smile and remained silent.
A series of hurried footsteps approached, and Luo Feiying led Lin Fengyi in.
Seeing the situation before him, Lin Fengyi wasn't in a hurry. He stood there shaking his head and said, "You child, why don't you listen! I told you to only soak for one hour a day. If you soak for several hours, you'll end up like this. If the treatment isn't done properly, your ten fingers will be ruined. Now you have two choices. One is to soak in clean water for a day, and the effects of the medicine will naturally dissipate. You'll be back to normal in five or six days, but you can't touch that medicine again, otherwise the muscles between your fingers and palms will risk ulceration, meaning you'll never be able to train the sensitivity of your fingertips again. If your fingers don't reach a certain level of sensitivity when taking a pulse, you can't detect the myriad complex pulse patterns. The other option is to continue soaking in that medicine, causing the skin on your fingers and palms to peel off completely. However, the pain during this is unbearable for most people."
"You old man, what are you up to! If you keep soaking in it, aren't you just peeling off a living person's skin?" Luo Feiying said angrily from the side.
"There's nothing I can do. It's up to Song Hao to decide for himself," Lin Fengyi said, shrugging.
"Help me up, then soak your hands," Song Hao said to Tang Yu.
Tang Yu shook her head with difficulty, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Where do you find such a self-harming method to learn pulse diagnosis? Isn't this tantamount to killing someone!" Luo Feiying said angrily.
Seeing Song Hao's resolute attitude, Lin Fengyi nodded secretly and stood there calmly, saying, "To master extraordinary skills, one must have extraordinary methods. I studied pulse diagnosis for twenty years, and for those vague pulse signs, I could easily understand them in my mind, but not with my fingers. It wasn't until I invented this potion that my fingers became more sensitive, and when I felt the pulse, I had a thorough understanding. I could perceive even the slightest change in the pulse under my fingers. Since then, my pulse diagnosis has advanced by leaps and bounds. This is a quick way to master it. Without this special training, one can only reach the level of an ordinary person's pulse and diagnose common illnesses. Mastering the art of medicine is difficult; it's not something you can succeed just by studying hard. Besides talent and comprehension, you must be prepared to endure hardship. If you weren't Master Xiao's disciple, I wouldn't have shown you this method. The choice is yours."
After saying that, Lin Fengyi turned and left.
“I have no way out now. I can only follow Teacher Lin’s method. Otherwise, I won’t be able to achieve that true pulse diagnosis. Don’t hesitate any longer. Get the medicine and continue soaking your hands,” Song Hao instructed.