Chapter 615: Frenzied Attainment

Chapter 615: Chapter 615: Frenzied Attainment

"Hmm." Li Xu nodded. "The *Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor* states: ’The root is in the kidneys, the tip is in the lungs.’ Therefore, in treatment, targeting the lungs can also benefit the kidneys. This is called the ’lifting the pot to remove the lid’ method. Once the lung qi is unblocked, the water passages will naturally clear, making it easier for the stone to pass."

"You’re thinking the same thing I am."

Zhang Liang smiled. The feeling of finding a kindred spirit put him in a great mood.

He picked up his pen and, with a few quick strokes, wrote out a prescription.

After finishing, he pointedly handed it to Li Xu. "What do you think of this formula? Help me look it over."

Li Xu took it and glanced over it.

Glehnia root, Ophiopogon, Rehmannia root, Dendrobium, white peony, Turmeric, Lysimachia, Sea Gold Sand...

"It’s good." Li Xu wasn’t shy about offering his opinion, despite the other man’s seniority.

Saving lives was different from other matters; there was no room for false modesty.

He commented, "The use of Glehnia root and Codonopsis, in particular, is excellent. It not only nourishes yin and boosts qi but also restores the lung qi’s ability to diffuse and transform, which in turn helps the kidneys store and vaporize. Add to that the Lysimachia and Sea Gold Sand to clear stranguria and expel stones, and the Turmeric to soothe the liver and promote bile flow. It attacks and supplements simultaneously, addressing both the symptoms and the root cause."

Zhang Liang nodded in satisfaction, printed the prescription, signed it, and handed it to the patient. "Go home and take this medicine on schedule. Drink plenty of water and get a moderate amount of exercise. After you finish these doses, the stone should pass."

Watching the man and his wife leave with profuse thanks, Zhang Liang turned to Li Xu and couldn’t help but sigh. "Xiao Li, with all your skills, being cooped up in a third-tier city like Feng City is a real waste of your talent."

"I may be old, but I still have some clout in the province. If you’re willing, I can recommend you directly to the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. With a joint recommendation from me and Old Gao, plus your abilities, you’d get the treatment of a department director right away. It’s a bigger platform with more cases, which would be much better for your development."

Li Xu smiled and politely declined. "Elder Zhang, I appreciate your kind offer. But I’ve just gotten things started at the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I’m in the middle of reforming the oncology department, and there’s still a lot to be done. Besides, I think treating patients is the same no matter where you are, and the people of Feng City need good doctors, too."

"Sigh..."

Zhang Liang sighed with regret. "Alright, to each their own. But if you get the chance in the future, come to the provincial capital often for academic exchanges."

...

After another busy period, Zhang Liang and Professor Gao Guanghui stood up to leave.

Their schedule for this trip to Feng City was packed.

In the afternoon, they still had to go to the TCM department at the City People’s Hospital to give a lecture and provide guidance.

Li Xu and Dean Song escorted the two professors all the way to the hospital’s main entrance, watching their coaster bus drive away before turning back.

Back in his consultation room, Li Xu had just sat down and taken a sip of water when Hu Qiming ran in, his face etched with worry.

"Li Xu... no, wait, Dean Li, help me!"

"What’s wrong?"

Li Xu put down his teacup. "Have you run into a difficult patient?"

Ever since Hu Qiming started seeing patients on his own, he had been handling common illnesses with ease, but he still tended to panic when faced with complex conditions or difficult and bizarre cases.

"It’s like this."

Hu Qiming described the patient’s situation to Li Xu in detail. "There’s a patient, a 35-year-old man. His family says he’s a bit... abnormal. Sometimes he’s manic and restless, yelling and screaming, and can even be aggressive. Other times, he’s as calm as usual, like nothing’s wrong. He was seen at a psychiatric hospital and took sedatives, but they weren’t very effective and had major side effects, leaving him drowsy all day."

"Mania syndrome?"

Li Xu raised an eyebrow slightly. "Clinically, there are many causes for mania syndrome. It can be phlegm-fire harassing the heart, Yangming fu-organ excess, or blood stasis obstructing the orifices. But broadly speaking, they all stem from various factors that cloud the heart’s orifices and throw the mind into disarray."

"Of course, I’ll need to see the patient and perform the four examinations to make a final diagnosis."

Hu Qiming nodded, relieved. "I’ll have someone bring the patient over right away."

With that, he walked out of the office to get them.

A short while later, a nurse came in with a man in his mid-thirties.

The man was wearing a gray tracksuit. He had a sturdy build and a ruddy complexion.

As he walked in, his steps were steady. Although his gaze was a bit unfocused, he showed no obvious signs of mania or abnormality. He looked no different from a normal person.

It was just as Hu Qiming had described, somewhat similar to epilepsy or an intermittent psychiatric disorder—the symptoms were obvious during an episode, but afterward, he seemed completely normal.

"Dr. Hu."

The patient’s mother, a woman in her sixties, came in with him. Her face was full of worry, her hair was graying, and she gripped her son’s arm tightly, as if afraid he might suddenly run off or cause trouble.

"Ma’am, don’t worry."

Hu Qiming pointed to Li Xu, who was sitting in the main seat, and introduced him. "This is the renowned Dr. Li from our hospital. He’s also our vice dean, and his skills are exceptional. He specializes in difficult and unusual cases. Let him take a good look at your son. He’ll definitely find a solution."

"Have a seat."

Li Xu gestured for the mother and son to sit down.

The man looked somewhat unkempt. The gray tracksuit hung loosely on his frame, and his face was stubbled, as if he hadn’t groomed himself in a long time.

His hair, however, was clean and gave off the faint scent of shampoo, perhaps the result of his mother’s meticulous daily care.

After sitting down, the man lowered his head and stared at the tips of his shoes, not saying a word.

His silence carried a heavy, oppressive weight, like a stone pressing down on one’s chest.

This kind of personality is actually not uncommon among patients with mental illnesses.

Everyone has the seven emotions and six desires.

Joy, anger, worry, contemplation, sadness, fear, and shock—if these emotions are not properly vented, they accumulate like toxins in the five viscera and six bowels, ultimately harming both body and mind.

An extroverted person is like an open pot.

When they run into trouble, they can find a friend to have a drink with, maybe curse a few times or have a good cry. The pent-up energy is released, and the heat dissipates.

But an introverted person who isn’t good with words is like a sealed pressure cooker.

They’re used to bottling things up, swallowing all their grievances, anger, and sadness, and bearing it all silently and alone.

On the outside, they seem calm and placid, perhaps even more rational and honest than anyone else.

But inside, the water is constantly boiling, and the pressure is always building.

When that pressure exceeds the critical point, BANG! It’s either self-destruction or the destruction of others.

This is why they say it’s most terrifying when an honest person gets angry.

Li Xu looked at the man and asked in a gentle tone, "How long has this been going on?"

The man kept his head down, as if he hadn’t heard.

"It’s been four or five years."

It was the man’s mother who answered. The old woman sighed, her eyes red-rimmed. "For the past few years, because of this illness, we’ve been to every hospital we could find. We’ve spent so much money, but he’s just not getting any better. Our relatives and neighbors all urge me to send him to a psychiatric hospital, saying he’s gone mad and will hurt people..."