Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 545: Chapter 545: Zhu You

"Priceless?"

Lin Xiaoyu was confused. "Wasn’t Princess Diana’s crown also auctioned off? I remember it only went for a few million pounds."

"That’s different," Ding Kaifang countered excitedly. "That was just a modern piece of craftsmanship. Even with the princess’s name attached, it held no political significance for any country, nor did it symbolize any power. At best, it was high-end jewelry."

"But this one..." Ding Kaifang pointed at the crown in his hands, his eyes fervent. "This is a true cultural artifact, an antique from several hundred years ago."

Li Xu leaned in and asked, "Then how do you know this one has political significance? Do you know which country it’s from?"

Ding Kaifang shook his head. "This part of Southeast Asia was historically home to a multitude of small kingdoms—the Sultanate of Sulu, the nation of Boni... There are too many. I can’t be sure which one it belonged to."

"But look at the craftsmanship. It’s a typical fusion of Chinese style and Southeast Asian characteristics. Several hundred years ago, a crown of this caliber couldn’t be made by just any artisan, nor could it be worn by just anyone with money. This must have been worn by a king or a sultan, symbolizing supreme royal authority."

"True ancient crowns have always been state-collected treasures or plundered by conquerors as spoils of war. A few hundred years ago, even the royal family of France couldn’t afford to buy the Byzantine crown. Nowadays, items like this are either in museums or in the hands of royal families."

"If this crown were to reappear in the world, the relevant countries or historians would definitely come looking for it. It could even attract attention at a diplomatic level. It’s impossible to fetch a sky-high price for it at an auction because it’s a priceless treasure. It can only be collected or donated."

Li Xu understood.

’This thing might not be easily converted to cash,’ he thought, ’but it’s a top-tier business card, a symbol of status and profound heritage.’

"Whatever."

Li Xu shrugged. "I’m not short on cash. Since we’ve dredged it up, it must be fate. It’ll make a nice display piece at home."

Next, the group enthusiastically opened the other chests.

CRACK—

As the rusty locks were pried open, chest after chest of treasure was revealed before their eyes.

Besides large quantities of gold, silver, and jewels, there were also strings of copper coins, exquisite porcelain, and even some well-preserved fragments of silk.

It was like a miniature museum of the Maritime Silk Road.

While sorting through the treasure, amidst a pile of tattered ancient books and ship logs, Li Xu unexpectedly discovered several relatively well-preserved sheets of parchment.

The parchments had been sealed in a copper tube with a wax seal, so they hadn’t suffered severe corrosion from the seawater.

At first, everyone thought they contained a treasure map or a cargo manifest from the shipwreck, hoping it might lead them to the treasure’s original owner.

But when Ding Kaifang squinted and laboriously identified the script on them, he froze.

"Zuyou... what’s that?"

Ding Kaifang scratched his head, a look of complete confusion on his face.

"Zuyou?"

Li Xu was taken aback by the word. He quickly walked over and took the parchment.

It was densely covered with all sorts of incantations and talismans.

"Zuyou, or more formally the Zuyou Branch, is one of the thirteen traditional branches of ancient Chinese medicine."

Li Xu explained, "The *Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor* mentions the concept of ’transforming essence and altering qi,’ which is actually the theoretical foundation of the Zuyou Skill."

"Simply put, it’s a method of treating illness through talismans and incantations. The ancients believed many diseases were caused by ’evil qi’ or ’ghosts and spirits,’ so they used these seemingly mystical methods to exorcise evil and cure sickness."

Li Xu had heard his father mention the Zuyou Skill when he was a child, but he only knew the basics.

Although his father was a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, he kept such things, with their strong sorcerous undertones, at arm’s length. He never studied them in depth, let alone practiced them.

’To think I’d find a long-lost secret manual on Zuyou in a shipwreck in the middle of the vast ocean.’

Li Xu began to study it carefully.

Most of what was recorded on the parchments were Zuyou methods for treating common illnesses sailors encountered during voyages.

Some were very complex, requiring the setup of an altar, pacing the Dipper, and drawing talismans on yellow paper with Cinnabar. They seemed quite cumbersome and had a heavy sense of religious ritual.

But some were very simple, only requiring the chanting of specific incantations along with simple hand gestures.

For example, one page of parchment recorded a secret technique called the "Itch-Cursing Method."

It read:

"If one suffers from an unbearable itch, especially from eczema, hives, or the like, one may silently chant this incantation: ’First I curse the sky sheep, second I curse the earth sheep, third I curse the Y-sheep, fourth I curse the antelope, fifth I curse the Shang-Yang. Whether the ewe dies or not, whether the ram is exterminated or not, all their children and grandchildren must be eliminated. If they are not yet gone, this disciple shall summon five hundred savage thunders to destroy them!’"

In addition to the incantation, there was an accompanying diagram for the hand technique: "First, use five fingers to pinch the affected area, silently chant the incantation three times, then make an outward flicking motion. Repeat this process three times, and the itch will dissipate."

Li Xu read with great interest, even feeling a little eager to try it.

He had always held a complex curiosity about the Zuyou Branch.

His rational mind told him it was too fantastical, too unscientific.

And yet, the miraculous cases of the Zuyou Branch curing diseases and saving lives recorded in ancient texts made him wonder if there was some kind of energy field or psychological suggestion mechanism behind it that modern science had yet to touch upon.

’Is it really effective, or is it pure coincidence?’

Li Xu felt it was probably real.

In ancient times, sailing the seas was a profession where people put their lives on the line.

If it wasn’t useful, who would seal this "feudal superstition" in a copper tube like a precious treasure?

Most of the so-called Zuyou Skill circulating today are just snake-oil tricks distorted through hearsay.

The true, authentic teachings have long been lost to the river of history.

So, in Li Xu’s eyes, the value of these few sheets of parchment was a hundred times more precious than all the jewels and copper coins.

’This is a "living fossil" of Chinese medical culture.’

He carefully put the parchments away again, placing them in a waterproof bag he kept close to his body.

...

After sorting the treasure, the yacht continued its return journey at full speed.

「One day later.」

The vessel approached their home country’s territorial waters.

Ding Kaifang had already made arrangements. They would land at a secluded port in Hainan, then switch to a private car sent by the company to drive directly back to Feng City.

The reason they weren’t flying was simple—there was too much treasure.

With over a dozen chests of gold, silver, and jewels, plus the priceless crown, checking it all as airline baggage would be like shouting at the security screeners, "Hey, look, I’ve got treasure!"

Not only would the procedures be complicated, but they would also face all kinds of inspections and could even have the items confiscated.

In contrast, driving themselves was more tiring, but it had the advantage of being safe and discreet.

That day, Li Xu had been standing on the deck ever since he woke up, constantly watching the surface of the sea.

Song Sisi walked over with a glass of juice and asked curiously, "Li Xu, you’ve been staring at the ocean since we flew to Bali Island. You’ve been looking at it for days, aren’t you tired of it yet? We can always come back again in the future."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!