Chapter 816: Feelings

Chapter 816: Chapter 816: Feelings

Song Luojun’s discourse, which lasted for over ten minutes, plunged the entire multi-functional conference room into a Zen-like silence. The young doctors who were previously immersed in shallow competitions of "who is better" and "who will win" now looked as though their souls had been cleansed.

Many of them had indeed been chasing the thrill of pulling off a surprise victory. They had always felt that prescribing a heavy dosage was cool and demonstrated high skill, but they had never considered that the subtle, gentle approach of small prescriptions required a much more profound foundation to support it.

Sitting in the back row, Liu Haodong hadn’t moved the pen in his hand for a long time. He looked at Song Luojun on the stage, then turned to look at the composed Li Xu. Unable to hold back, he whispered to Liu Haofei beside him, "Haofei, I finally understand why our grandfather always said that a Great Physician remains nameless. These words are truly enough for us to ponder for the next ten years."

Liu Haofei nodded vigorously, his eyes slightly red. "Yeah. A master is a master for a reason. This depth, this perspective... And Li Xu, he’s only thirty this year! How could he think of the principle of ’nourishing the stomach with watery porridge’ in that split second, something that even Director Ju overlooked? How is his brain wired?"

Sitting beside Li Xu, Lin Guorui felt a surge of emotion. He had originally come to hold down the fort for Li Xu, afraid that he might be at a disadvantage in front of these proud geniuses. But now, it seemed that Li Xu had not only held his own but had become half the head chef of this "feast." He had even drawn out a titan like Elder Song to personally share his invaluable wisdom.

Li Xu himself didn’t think that much of it. Listening to Song Luojun’s teachings, his mind continuously cross-referenced these viewpoints with his own knowledge. He found that Song Luojun’s theory of integrating Western medicine with Chinese medical foundations shared a striking parallel with the flexible methods of "adapting to time, place, and person" mentioned in the *Yellow Emperor’s Outer Canon*. The path of a Great Physician ultimately led to the same destination.

"The previous medications, whether Western or Chinese, have already severely harmed the patient, leading to a massive depletion of Yin energy and damage to the spleen and stomach," Song Luojun continued. "The patient is experiencing dry mouth, lack of appetite, and frequent feelings of nausea. These symptoms are already very telling. If we continue to use large doses of medication, it will only increase the burden on the patient’s spleen and stomach. Therefore, choosing a small dose of heat-clearing and Qi-replenishing decoction is the most appropriate course of action at this time."

Looking at Li Xu, Song Luojun added, "I didn’t expect Xiao Li, at such a young age, to consider things so comprehensively."

"You flatter me, Elder Song," Li Xu hurriedly replied. "I was merely analyzing the patient’s specific symptoms."

"Treating an illness is inherently about analyzing the patient’s symptoms," Song Luojun said with a smile. "Could it be that we should imagine things out of thin air from some other angle?

"Being a doctor absolutely requires integrating reality. The goal of Chinese medicine is not only to cure the disease but also to alleviate the patient’s suffering. The reason Chinese medicine advocates ’one prescription for one person’ and ’varying treatment from person to person’ is exactly because, when prescribing medication, we must consider not only the symptoms but also the patient’s actual physical condition.

"For example, if a patient is of average build with a small tongue and a weak spleen and stomach, a small dosage should be chosen. If a patient is of large build with a small tongue, it indicates excess Metal and deficient Earth. The patient’s spleen and stomach are inherently weak, and combined with this imbalance, the dosage chosen should be even smaller. Conversely, if a patient is of small build but has a large tongue, it means their spleen and stomach are relatively okay, but deficient Earth fails to nourish Metal. The transforming function governed by the Earth element is still on the weaker side. The dosage can be larger, but aromatic herbs must be added to aid digestion and transformation.

"Adapting to each individual, creating a unique prescription for each person, and selecting different dosages and formulas based on the patient—this is the true essence and core of Chinese medicine. Dosage is the most closely guarded secret of the field. Without understanding this, it is impossible to become a renowned doctor."

Throughout the morning, because of Song Luojun’s teachings, they only managed to see two patients. When lunchtime arrived, many people were engaged in discussions.

"I didn’t expect Li Xu to be even more outstanding than Director Ju. You really can’t judge a book by its cover."

"Yeah, he only looks to be around thirty. He’s probably the youngest doctor at our exchange conference this time."

"There’s always a higher mountain."

Someone sighed with emotion, "I originally thought Director Ju was already incredible, but I didn’t expect someone to be even more impressive. At the very least, when Director Ju was Li Xu’s age, he definitely wasn’t at this level."

"That’s true," the crowd agreed.

On the other side, Song Luojun and Ju Jiahong were sitting together having lunch. Neither Dong Yongnian nor Hao Xiangchen went over to disturb the grandfather and grandson.

"How do you feel now?" Song Luojun asked Ju Jiahong while eating.

"I don’t feel much of anything," Ju Jiahong replied. "Li Xu is indeed very skilled; he’s a rare talent. I also admit that I was lacking in what I said earlier."

Arrogant people generally found it hard to easily admit their mistakes. An outstanding person like Ju Jiahong was naturally very proud deep down. He couldn’t possibly feel that he was wrong or inferior to others just because of one incident. It was like a top student occasionally getting a question wrong; they would only feel that they weren’t paying attention or were careless, rather than lacking the ability.

Although the previous patient’s condition was complicated, Ju Jiahong could have figured it out if he had pondered it carefully. It was just that Li Xu had reacted too quickly, and Liu Haodong’s interruption hadn’t given Ju Jiahong much time to think. Afterward, Ju Jiahong had actually reflected on it. He admitted he had shortcomings, but didn’t Li Xu have them too?

"Li Xu is eight years younger than you. When you were his age, you weren’t a match for him," Song Luojun said with a smile.

Although Ju Jiahong was his grandson, he had grown up by Song Luojun’s side. Because of Ju Jiahong’s talent, Song Luojun had raised him as his successor, so he knew his grandson’s mindset very well. Therefore, Song Luojun wasn’t too direct when he spoke, nor did he use a reprimanding tone. Instead, his voice was very gentle.

They said that doctors could not treat themselves, and sometimes, educating a child was the same. When parents educated their own children, they were too close to the situation and often failed to see things clearly. As a master physician, Song Luojun shouldn’t have been blind to Ju Jiahong’s shortcomings when teaching a disciple. But because Ju Jiahong was simply too outstanding and had been incredibly smart since childhood, Song Luojun had inadvertently overlooked a few things. Previously, Song Luojun had always been proud of Ju Jiahong. After all, having such an excellent grandson brought him great honor. Even Wang Chuyun had praised Ju Jiahong on many occasions.

It was only after Ju Jiahong entered Feng City Hospital that they saw each other less often. In fact, some of the changes in Ju Jiahong were the result of influences he had gradually absorbed over the past few years working there.

"Yes, at Li Xu’s age, I really wasn’t as good as him." Ju Jiahong nodded and said, "Actually, I had seen Li Xu’s prescriptions before. I wanted to meet him this time and get to know him in detail. He didn’t disappoint me."