Wasting no time, Director Zhu repeated Li Xu's earlier analysis—"a floating, large, and forceful pulse," "fever recurring with every bout of sweat," and "Yang Qi escaping to the exterior"—word for word.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
After a long moment, Elder Zhang finally spoke, his voice slow. "From the sound of the symptoms, it is indeed the Yin-Yang Exchange described in the *Inner Jing*. This doctor's diagnostic skills are incredibly sharp; he saw to the heart of the matter at a glance. Tell me the prescription."
Director Zhu had made a point to memorize the prescription, so he now recited it fluently: "Sixty grams of Aconite, dried ginger..."
Once he heard the full prescription, Elder Zhang fell silent again.
After a good while, his excited voice came over the phone. "This formula... is brilliant. Truly brilliant."
"This formula is based on the Yi Yuan Tang from *Zhang's Medical Compendium*, used to treat what's called a Dai Yang pattern—exuberant Yang repelling Yang—which presents with 'a flushed face and hot body, agitation without irritability, and thirst without the ability to drink.' However, this doctor added pig's bile and boy's urine, transforming it into a masterful formula to 'promote the Yang and connect it with the Yin'!"
On his end, Elder Zhang began to break it down. "Look, the Aconite, dried ginger, and licorice are essentially the Four Reversals Soup from the *Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Warm Pathogenic Diseases*, meant to restore Yang and reverse collapse. The American Ginseng, Ophiopogon, and Schisandra form 'Pulse-Engendering Powder,' which replenishes Qi, nourishes Yin, astringes sweat, and prevents collapse."
"Combined with Mugwort Leaf, ginger, and Large Dates, it warms and nourishes the spleen and stomach, preserving its essential Qi."
"The most brilliant part is the pig's bile. The *Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Warm Pathogenic Diseases* mentions the 'White Penetration Decoction with Pig Bile.' Using the bitter, cold nature of the pig's bile as a paradoxical assistant to the hot-natured herbs does a few things: it guides the Yang back into the Yin, prevents the body from rejecting the hot herbs, and also clears heat and detoxifies. Add to that the boy's urine, which nourishes Yin and subdues fire..."
"This interplay of attack and defense, of ascending and descending, of Yin and Yang... it's all coordinated flawlessly."
"Zhu, this is an incredibly masterful prescription. The doctor who wrote it is an absolute virtuoso. He has a profound command of classic medical theory and herbal compatibility, and he's both bold and meticulous, daring to use a powerful dosage to save a life."
"I never thought a place like Feng City could produce a master of this caliber."
Hearing such high praise from his teacher, the immense weight on Director Zhu's heart was finally lifted.
"Sir, so you're saying the formula is safe to use? There are no issues?"
Director Zhu asked, just to be certain.
"You can absolutely use it. It's the perfect prescription for this."
Elder Zhang said firmly, "If the symptoms you described to me are accurate, then this formula is perfectly suited for the condition. You could even say it's the only life-saving remedy."
Phew...
Director Zhu let out a long sigh. "Then I can rest easy. I understand a bit of medical theory myself, and I thought it was probably alright, but when it's your own child, your judgment gets clouded by worry. With your approval, Sir, I know it will be fine."
"Who wrote the prescription?" Elder Zhang suddenly asked out of curiosity. "Was it that Dr. Lin from your Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine? I didn't think he had this kind of courage."
"No," Director Zhu said. "It was Li Xu. Dr. Li. He's very young, only in his twenties."
"Oh? So it was him."
Elder Zhang's voice lit up with understanding and a hint of admiration. "That explains it. Anyone else, even a seasoned expert, might not have dared to write such a potent and risky prescription. But if it's him, then it's not surprising at all."
Director Zhu was a little surprised. "Sir, you know Dr. Li too?"
Elder Zhang laughed. "Of course I do. He came to our Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for advanced training for a while last year. Although I didn't directly supervise him at the time, I heard a lot about his achievements later. Curing that tick-borne illness, and that... what was it... the sobriety tea... His name carries a lot of weight in the provincial TCM community now."
"I just didn't realize his expertise extended so deeply into treating acute febrile diseases. Zhu, you definitely found the right person for the job."
After hanging up, Director Zhu strode out of the emergency room and hurried toward the hospital ward.
...
Half an hour later, a bowl of herbal medicine was brought in. It was black as ink and gave off a potent, earthy aroma.
Li Xu took the bowl himself and tested the temperature.
"Here, help me sit the child up."
As everyone watched, Li Xu had a nurse use a spoon to pry open the patient's locked jaw, then slowly fed the life-saving decoction to the boy, one spoonful at a time.
All that was left to do was wait.
...
Director Zhu had remained at his son's bedside ever since the medicine was administered at one in the afternoon, refusing to move an inch.
He stared intently at his son, a towel clutched tightly in his hand, ready to wipe away the sweat he expected to pour out at any moment.
Dean Song, Lin Guorui, and the others had to attend to other duties, but they kept a close watch on the boy's condition, popping in to check on him every half hour.
Two o'clock, two-thirty...
As the clock's hands struck three, Director Zhu, who had been on edge the whole time, suddenly felt that the towel in his hand was no longer necessary.
He blinked, then reached out to touch his son's forehead.
The skin that had been burning like a furnace was now significantly cooler.
More importantly, his son's eyes, which had been rolled back in his head with a look of extreme agitation, had now slowly settled back into a normal, forward gaze. The wildness in them had faded considerably.
HUFF... HUFF...
The rapid, heavy breathing, which had sounded like a wheezing bellows, gradually became even and deep.
"It's working."
Hu Qiming, who had been observing from the side, couldn't help but let out a gasp, his face lighting up with unconcealed delight.
"This is wonderful. The fever is really breaking."
Lin Guorui, who had just pushed the door open, was overjoyed when he saw the scene.
Such an immediate and dramatic effect left everyone in the room deeply stunned.
To go from a near-fatal case of Yin-Yang Exchange to a state of significant relief in less than two hours...
It was nothing short of a miracle.
In truth, this result should have been expected.
When Chinese medicine is used to treat acute conditions, as long as the diagnosis is correct and the prescription is precise, the effects are truly "as swift as a drumbeat," capable of resolving even the most severe illnesses in an instant.
The reason this seemed so shocking was simply that there are far too few truly high-level TCM practitioners today.
Most people's impression of Chinese medicine is stuck in the misconception that it's only for "slow, gradual conditioning."
The whole idea that "Chinese medicine is slow and treats the root cause, while Western medicine is fast and treats the symptoms" is a complete stereotype.
Just think about it: for thousands of years, before the advent of antibiotics and ventilators, if Chinese medicine could only offer "slow conditioning" in the face of acute conditions like plagues and high fevers, the entire civilization would have died out long ago.
Director Zhu watched his son's peaceful sleep, his eyes growing moist.
He turned and gripped Lin Guorui's hand tightly. "Thank you. Thank you all. Please, be sure to convey my gratitude to Dean Li. Words can't express how thankful I am."
...
Li Xu remained in the ward to observe for a while longer. Once he confirmed the boy's condition was stable, he returned to his own clinic room to resume seeing patients.
It wasn't long before Hu Qiming came running over, bursting with good news.
"Li Xu, that was incredible! The fever's gone down, the boy has settled, and Director Zhu is ecstatic."
Li Xu nodded, his expression calm. "Good. Follow up with two more doses of a formula to replenish Qi and nourish Yin. That should consolidate his recovery, and he'll be fine."
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