Others had no idea how Xuancao Hall got its current prestige only Wu Xuancaoknew it most clearly. When she transmigrated over, Xuancao Hall was already run down and struggling to stay open. All she had was a bunch of worthless dical skills that she couldn't use in this backward era. She could only rely on so dical books left by the original host's parents and follow them word for word, straining to stay open.
Later, she rescued Xue Jiming and was rewarded with hundreds of taels of silver. At last, she didnt have to live in fear that the landlord would reclaim the storefront. She was also lucky enough to save that farr whose belly had been pierced by ox horn; she shocked the world with her suturing technique. That was the only reason she got the title of miracle doctor. If it wasn't for Zheng Zhe being attracted to that reputation, she would have been exposed long ago. How could she have been as carefree as she was now?
In her era, there was a very popular adage that went sothing like this if you want to wear a crown, you have to bear its weight. And she wore the crown of "Miracle Doctor", but she did not have the strength to match it, so it was like she was walking on ice, every step filled with fear and trepidation, care and caution.
Being a physician was a very sacred profession. If it was done well, it would save the dying and help the wounded. If done poorly, it would harm peoples lives. How could she not know how powerful it was? Therefore, she worked hard to learn the techniques of traditional Chinese dicine from Zheng Zhe, originally thinking that if things continued like this, based on her own wits, she would sooner or later have the foundation to live in this world.
But now, she had only learned the most superficial amount, but Zheng Zhe actually decided to go out wandering. This was no less than a bolt from the blue to her. After Zheng Zhe left, where could she find a doctor who was skilled enough to support Xuancao Hall? And who would help her actualize her plans to bring surgery into this era?
Currently, Xuancao Hall had a very famous reputation. There would inevitably be an endless stream of patients seeking treatnt. These things that were originally considered glorious had now beco a burden, pressing on Wu Xuancao until she couldn't breathe. She was afraid that her true self would be seen through and even more afraid of losing her reputation.
Every day, she lived in apprehension. She could only hold the dical book that Zheng Zhe left her, flipping through it without eating or sleeping as well as constantly cultivating her internal energy. She really did make so headway. But before she could rejoice, a patient ca to her door and begged her for help, putting her at a loss.
This patient wasnt so random person. It was that patient with the intestinal ulcers. Under Zheng Zhe and Wu Xuancaos rigorous persuasion, he had signed a life and death contract and furthermore had paid the consultation fee in advance. He was originally scheduled to have the operation today. Hearing the news of Zheng Zhe's misdiagnosis, his family originally planned to cancel the treatnt, but before leaving, he suddenly had a flare up and was hanging on by a single thread.
The money was paid and the person was dying. His relatives did not dare to delay, imdiately bringing out the carriage and hurrying to Xuancao Hall as if a wildfire were chasing them, shouting for help at the top of their lungs. Nine out of ten patients with intestinal ulcers would die; it was extrely difficult to treat. If they swapped to another doctor, there wouldnt be enough ti, nor would there be complete certainty. They would rather trust Wu Xuancao this once.
Looking at the dying patient, Wu Xuancao's face turned pale. Once one mounted a tiger, it would be hard to dismount*. The one who persuaded others to sign the life and death contract was her, but now the one who said she couldnt cure it was also her. If this person died, she would probably be beaten to death as well.
*aning its difficult to stop halfway.
The reason why the previous operation where they removed the tumor was successful was because Zheng Zhe prescribed Mafei (boiled hemp) Powder* for the patient to prevent him from feeling pain during the operation, as well as sealing the blood vessels with acupuncture to prevent the patient from bleeding out. He had also been in charge of all postoperative treatnt. The dicine he prescribed could not only promote healing, but also inhibited inflammation. All of these factors combined were the only reason they could save a life.
*An ancient Chinese sedative/anesthetic.
But Wu Xuancao was only responsible for opening the abdominal cavity, cutting off the tumor, and suturing the wound. Without the aid of advanced technology and specialized dication, there was only so much she could do. Whether she could save soone depended thirty percent on technology and seventy percent on luck. Zheng Zhe was a doctor from ancient tis. He believed in the principle of valuing the broom as ones own* and not passing his skills on to outsiders. For him to bestow Wu Xuancao with his original acupuncture and moxibustion technique before leaving was already extrely exceptional. How could he also leave behind his prescriptions for Mafei Power and other dicines?
*aning that he valued what was his and didnt give it away.
Without knowledge of anesthesia and hemostasis, as well as antipyresis and thrombolysis* to promote healing, Wu Xuancao could not perform surgery at all. Not to ntion the fact that in a single operation, the number of problems to be resolved werent limited to just these three.
*Hemostasis is stopping blood, antipyresis is preventing fevers and inflammation, and thrombolysis is clearing blood clots.
She looked at the patient whose life was hanging by a thread and did not make a move for a long ti. But several of her apprentices couldn't wait any longer, urging: "Master, we will carry him into the operating room imdiately. Master should quickly prepare the equipnt."
"No!" Wu Xuancao shouted, her eyes betraying the intense struggle she was feeling. She couldnt even imagine if this person died on her operating table, what kind of consequences there would be. This was a savage era. The legal system had many deficiencies, causing social chaos. Retaliation was above national law. If a doctor hard people, they would definitely be beaten to death. Even the authorities would not care.
Last ti, Lin Dan helped Zheng Zhe resolve a difficult situation, helping him save a patients life. He later compensated one hundred taels of silver and completely settled the issue. But this ti, no one could help Wu Xuancao out. Once the patient was sent to the operating room, she would be the only one responsible for life or death, success or failure.*
*Translators Note: Even though the patient and his family signed the life and death contract, it would be nearly impossible for Wu Xuancao to enforce it. If they lynched her right there, the authorities would never arrive in ti. Part of the authority of the life and death contract lay on Zheng Zhes reputation, which he lost after that misdiagnosis, and which is also no longer a factor anyway for obvious reasons.
She couldn't help but ask herself: Can I afford it?
The answer was naturally no
She gritted her teeth and, with great difficulty, spit out a sentence: "Physician Zheng has left. I can't cure this disease. Please ask soone else."
"You were the one who said that you could cure it, and you are also the one saying you cant cure it. You waited until my brother was so sick hes on the edge of death to ask us to find soone else. Are you deliberately trying to harm him?" The patients family flew into a rage imdiately. He seized her collar and said: "You better hurry up and treat my brother. If anything happens to him today, you will pay!"
"I really can't cure this disease." Wu Xuancao closed her eyes and spoke helplessly. If she was given a sterile operating room and an intensive care unit, she would be able to treat this patient in twenty minutes. How could she be in such a difficult situation?
"A few days ago, didn't you keep saying that only you can treat this disease? If you had told us earlier that you couldn't cure it, how would we have delayed so much ti? Look, my brother is already at this stage! If he dies, you would be a murderer! Youre just a fa-seeking charlatan!" The man shouted with rage while the patient lying on the bed breathed feebly, on the verge of death.
The apprentices of Xuancao Hall looked at Wu Xuancao with suspicious eyes and faintly realized sothing, but did not dare to say anything. Master's dical skills didnt seem to be as brilliant as rumored?
The man paced back and forth in the hall, viciously kicking and trampling everything he saw, extrely frenetic. His wife tried to soothe him, but she herself started to lose her voice as tears ca to her eyes.
The hall full of people was raucous. Them smashing the inner hall attracting busybodies to crowd around and watch. No one knows who shouted at the top of their lungs, "If it can't be cured here, why don't you try Xing Lin Spring? Little Physician Lin's dical skills are no worse than Physician Zheng's. She may have a way."
People outside the door imdiately agreed: "Yeah, yeah, little Physician Lin is also very amazing!"
The man's eyes lit up and he imdiately shouted: "Quick, quick, quick, hurry up and carry my brother across the street! I was really blinded by the fa of Xuancao Hall and forgot about little Physician Lin!" The group of people eagerly yet chaotically lifted the patient and swiftly rushed towards Xing Lin Spring.
Wu Xuancao looked at their anxious silhouettes, feeling very embarrassed, but she also secretly heaved a sigh of relief. The fastest way to treat appendicitis* was through surgery. In this era of backward dical skills, she was very curious how Lin Dan would confront this illness that had been known as an incurable disease.
*This is the first ti appendicitis has co up. Appendicitis is related to ulcers and they can be mistaken for each other. Translators note: I previously translated ulcer as carbuncle, but carbuncles are usually under the skin, not internal.
Xing Lin Spring's business had picked up and Lin Dan had needed to recruit a few more resident physicians and apprentices before she could barely manage to deal with it. Seeing the young man being lifted in through the door, she could not help frowning. She opened her mouth and said, "Intestinal ulcers? How long has he had this condition?"
"It's been seven days. In the first three days, he had bowel movents. Later, he couldnt even pass stools. Urination also ca with a sharp stinging pain, extrely unbearable. Little Physician Lin, do you think you could cure this disease?" The man wiped the sweat from his forehead while looking at Lin Dan with an earnest and eager gaze.
The patient's clothing had already been lifted up, revealing a swollen and red abdon; his mouth was incessantly vomiting filth, occasionally mixed with so foul-slling feces; his legs were bent and he dared not straighten them. It was intestinal ulcers, without a doubt. Lin Dan carefully took his pulse, then looked at the patient's eyelids and tongue again, nodded and said, "The intestinal ulcers led to an intestinal infarction. He can still be saved. Soone co, prepare five catties of white radish and another twenty-four qian* Yuanming** Powder and put it all in a pot to brew together. Add the radishes in three batches; as soon as one batch is finished cooking, scoop it out and add the next batch. Reduce two catties of water to one catty and set aside for later use.
*This is the sa character as the one for money but represents a unit of weight worth one tenth of a tael.
**This ans sothing like (recover) the original (state) by clearing (things out).
As her words fell, she quickly wrote out a prescription and instructed: "This is Gongdu Chenqi Decoction*. Add water until its two cun** above the herbs, add white wine until its five cun, steep for three quarters of an hour to expedite the breakdown of the herbs, then brew it with a fierce fla for another quarter of an hour. Fetch the radish juice and mix it evenly. Every two hours, feed the patient one bowl. Continue to have him take it until his bowels are unclogged."
*This ans Attack Poison, Receive Qi.
**Pronounced tswuhn, (ts one/won), this is a dical unit of asurent, typically the width of the thumb. As everyones thumb size varies, when asuring locations on a patients body, one must take into account the patients thumb size. Two cun below the belly button would be a different number of inches/centiters depending on whether the patient was an eight-year-old child or and adult, but should be roughly the sa ratio. Outside of the body, a cun is similar to our inch.
The apprentices didn't dare to delay, and, holding the prescription with both hands, hurriedly left. Several resident doctors imdiately gathered around and looked at Lin Dan with burning eyes.
Intestinal ulcers were one of the incurable diseases. Nine out of ten patients died. Even imperial physicians in the palace were helpless when they encountered this disease, not to ntion the fact that this particular, grave situation was a combination of intestinal ulcers and intestinal infarction. But little Physician Lin's complexion was normal, her directions appeared orderly, and her prescription was unique endlessly creative and difficult to pin down. However, even though the several resident doctors were full of doubts, they did not dare to inquire arbitrarily, lest they disturb little Physician Lin's thought process. The opportunity to practice dicine in Xing Lin Spring allowed them to learn much more than opening a clinic on their own!
After prescribing the dicine, Lin Dan took out gold needles and pierced the patient's Jinjin (gold river), Yuye (jade fluid), Chize (foot-long pool), and Weizhong (accumulated middle) acupoints and more. Black blood leaked out. She then stuck the needle through the Lanwei (appendix)*, Zusanli (foot three miles), Neiguan (inner door) acupoints and more. Her fingertips pinched the tail of the needles, lifting, piercing, twirling, and turning, then forcefully thrusting the needles in and leaving them there. After doing all this, the Gongdu Chengqi Decoction was also ready, so she imdiately fed it to the patient. Within two quarters of an hour, the patient's vomiting had stopped, his cramps had eased, and he actually revealed a bit of a serene appearance.
After another two hour, the patient's symptoms improved even more. Lin Dan finally had him drink a bowl of radish water mixed with dicine. After waiting a short period of ti, the patient once again had abdominal cramps that felt as if his intestines were twisting. He rolled back and forth. From deep within his abdon, a drumbeat repeatedly sounded. He also started continuously burping.
His brother was terrified and said anxiously: "Just now, he had clearly already made a major recovery, so why did the attack beco worse after taking the dicine instead?"
That crowd that was jamd into the doorway to watch also showed nervous expressions.
"Theres nothing wrong. This is a normal reaction. Continue to feed him dicine, this ti half a bowl more." Lin Dan waved her hand and an apprentice imdiately brought two bowls of radish water and fed them to the patient.
At this mont, the patient finally clutched his stomach and started groaning: "Brother, I, I want to go to the bathroom! My stomach is so bloated!"
The man hurriedly went to look at Lin Dan, but Lin Dan was one step faster. She removed the needles from the patient and told him to go behind the screen to relieve himself. A quarter of an hour later, there was a rushing sound behind the screen, followed by a wave of stench. The onlookers covered their noses one after another and retreated. Even the patient's family were almost unable to take it. They hurriedly stopped breathing and turned their faces away.
Only Lin Dan had no reaction, her expression calm.
After another quarter of an hour, the patient finally finished. Lin Dan then went behind the screen to examine his excrent, ca back and touched his already no longer swollen abdon, and said, "I'll prescribe him another Qingchang (clear intestines) Drink to purge any excess impurities. If hes well taken care of, he should recover in three doses."
The man stared at his brother's flattened abdon, then pinched his fingertips, which were gradually warming up, and was so moved, he started crying.
The passers-by who stood at the doorway all clucked their tongues, unable to believe that little Physician Lin had so easily cured the intestinal ulcers! One must know that that was actually an incurable disease! Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at Novel Multiverse NovelMultiverse dot com
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