Chapter 141 - 101: Personally Testing the Needles and the Heaven-Drumming Technique

The old professor circled the anatomical model with a look of curiosity. He hadn’t seen how Chen Jue had inserted the silver needles into the acupoints, but he was rather intrigued by the specific points Chen Jue had chosen.

This was because the acupoints Chen Jue had pierced around the eye sockets were the same eight massage points from the [Eye Health Exercises].

After a period of pressing on these eye acupoints, Chen Jue had completely corrected his nearsightedness.

His vision had now reached 20/20 with the naked eye. Whether looking at objects near or far, it was no longer as strenuous as before, so he naturally paid special attention to these eight ocular acupoints.

"Teacher, these are the acupoints I learned from Liu’s Eye Health Exercises."

"I used to just press them with my hands, and my vision improved. If I used Acupuncture to stimulate them instead, would the effect be even better?" Chen Jue asked humbly.

"Eye Health Exercises?"

The old professor was taken aback at first, then stared at the eight acupoints and pondered for a moment. "Sizhukong treats dizziness, Sibai treats night blindness, red eyes, and facial tics, Cuanzhu treats eye movement disorders..."

"If you stimulate these acupoints with external pressure over a long period, it can indeed have a healthful effect on the eyes. However, Acupuncture is mainly for treating blockages and stagnation of qi and blood within the meridians. It’s a principle of ’breaking down to build back up,’ so it’s best not to use it if there are no clear symptoms. Needling breaks the skin tissue and carries a certain risk of infection and subsequent inflammation."

"Looking at you, your complexion is rosy and you seem healthy. Your eyes are bright and show no signs of illness. Why would you need to use needles?"

The old professor was clearly very knowledgeable, deducing the therapeutic effects of these eight acupoints after just a moment of thought.

Chen Jue looked like he had learned a valuable lesson. After mastering the [Acupuncture] Skill, he had even considered giving himself a few needle treatments.

’It seems I’ve underestimated the complexities of Chinese medicine.’

Just as the old professor had said, his eyes weren’t sick to begin with. Using a medical procedure like Acupuncture would only be inflicting an unnecessary injury on himself.

It was like a healthy person taking random medication—their body is fine, but taking the wrong medicine could actually make them sick.

...

As the other students cleared out of the classroom, Chen Jue pulled the old professor aside to ask a few more questions.

He was particularly concerned about the evolved meridian on his arm, as well as the circle of acupoints around his ear that affected hearing and the auricular muscles.

Seeing an auditing student like Chen Jue so dedicated, the old professor was extremely pleased. After all, the field of Chinese medicine was currently in decline.

Compared to mainstream Western medicine, not many students were willing to study it.

Finding someone so eager to learn naturally put the old professor in a great mood, so he explained a bit more, gesturing at the anatomical model. "The Pericardium Meridian of Hand Jueyin is distributed along both arms and extends to the chest. There are nine acupoints on each side, primarily used to treat ailments of the heart and chest, spleen and stomach, and mental state."

"Furthermore, stimulating the Pericardium Meridian of Hand Jueyin and these eighteen acupoints can also treat traumatic injuries like pain in the inner upper arm, numbness and spasms in the elbow and arm, wrist pain, and heat in the palms, as well as conditions caused by damp-heat."

Hearing that this evolved meridian had a miraculous effect on treating upper limb sports injuries, Chen Jue’s mind raced. He immediately rolled up his sleeves, a look of anticipation on his face. "Teacher, could you locate the points on me and apply a few needles? I’ve been over-exercising recently and have some minor strain and inflammation in my hands and wrists!"

The old professor was slightly surprised by this. He hadn’t expected this ordinary-looking student he’d just met to have the courage to ask to be a test subject for needling.

Just based on the trust and enthusiasm for Chinese medicine the young man was showing, the old professor felt that his lecture hadn’t been in vain!

He reached out, first taking Chen Jue’s pulse. Then he felt the muscles and joints of Chen Jue’s hands, asked about the stinging pain from the inflammation, and confirmed that Chen Jue did indeed have these symptoms. After that, he picked up a silver needle and began applying it while using the anatomical model for a live demonstration.

Because compared to simply learning the location of acupoints, the skill of accurately locating them on a person was far more difficult.

Without being a professional acupuncturist or a licensed practitioner of Chinese medicine, one couldn’t even find the acupoints at all.

After all, the model only had simulated acupoint locations. When applying this to an actual human body, the points would shift slightly due to individual differences in Constitution. Most of those online who claimed to locate acupoints through self-study were talking nonsense.

Without a professional teaching them hands-on, if one were to randomly stick needles in, who knows if they’d be piercing subcutaneous tissue, some unknown lesion, or a fatal pressure point.

As for the old professor before him, he was clearly a highly skilled veteran of Chinese medicine. How could he possibly teach at a top institution like Jiang University without some serious skills?

After feeling the bones a few times and glancing at the visible blood vessels on Chen Jue’s skin, the old professor began to apply the needles.

Chen Jue watched from the side with wide eyes, studying, memorizing, and imitating the old professor’s needling technique and force.

Once a few needles were in, Chen Jue felt a tingling numbness spread through his hands.

First came a warm sensation, followed by an ice-cold feeling that traveled down both arms. The stinging pain in his wrists and fingers, in particular, vanished completely after the Acupuncture.

And on his panel, a notification popped up after the old professor finished the treatment:

——————

[Ding~]

[You have completed an effective meridian treatment. Blood circulation in parts of your hands has been unblocked, deep lactic acid buildup has been effectively relieved and broken down, and inflammation has been effectively alleviated.]

——————

He didn’t gain any attribute value, but the panel still gave a notification, which meant the old professor’s Acupuncture treatment was effective.

Moreover, after inserting the silver needles, the old professor also gave Chen Jue’s hands a massage and pressed on his joints, explaining, "There are numerous ulnar nerve endings near the major acupoints of the Pericardium Meridian of Hand Jueyin. Stimulating them creates that numb feeling which alleviates pain. It’s what we colloquially call the ’numbing nerve’ in the hand."

"Remember not to bathe for 24 hours after Acupuncture to avoid infecting the wounds. If you really must, cover these acupoints with waterproof bandages."

After hearing the old professor’s instructions, Chen Jue nodded. This level of patience was something rarely seen in the assembly-line-like environment of large hospitals.

...

After demonstrating the therapeutic effects of Acupuncture on the Pericardium Meridian of Hand Jueyin, the old professor began to answer Chen Jue’s second question. "As for your question about improving your hearing, I suggest you try massaging these acupoints: First, Ermen Acupoint, which dispels heat and activates the meridians. Second, Tinggong Acupoint, which primarily treats deafness and calms the mind to relieve pain. Third, Tinghui Acupoint, which clears cold-damp, treats deafness and otorrhea. Fourth is Yifeng Acupoint, which treats deafness. Fifth is Fengchi Acupoint, which transmits gallbladder meridian qi and treats stuffy ears."

"And there’s a specific technique for massaging the ears! It’s not effective if you just press randomly. In ancient Huaxia, there’s a long-standing ear massage technique called the [Heaven-Drumming Technique]."

"This method was first recorded in Qiu Chuji’s *Collection of Self-Cultivation*. You cover your ears with your hands to create a sound like a drum, with the eardrum acting as the drum’s skin. Long-term practice can dispel pathogenic qi from the Fengchi Acupoint, clear the mind, and is miraculously effective for treating tinnitus and deafness."

With that, the old professor enthusiastically demonstrated the specific method of the [Heaven-Drumming Technique]. "Cover your ears with both hands, press your index finger on top of your middle finger, and use your index finger to flick the two bones at the back of your head—the location of the Fengchi Acupoints."

When Chen Jue heard that this ear massage technique was actually connected to Qiu Chuji, he was slightly stunned.

Qiu Chuji was the founding patriarch of the Quanzhen Dragon Gate Sect. He had just recently turned down an invitation from Daoist Zhiqing of the Dragon Gate Sect, and now, here at school, he’d stumbled upon a secret ear-training technique from that very same sect.

The coincidence was truly marvelous.

But he was currently focused on learning from the old professor, so Chen Jue quickly cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and began to follow along, performing the [Heaven-Drumming Technique] massage a few times.

At the same time, he incorporated the five major ear acupoints the professor had mentioned into his own massage routine.

He never expected that with just a casual try, the proficiency gain for his [Ear Health Exercises] on the panel would start showing doubled gains like +4 and +5!

After a few minutes of massaging, the panel displayed a direct notification:

——————

[Ding~]

[Proficiency has reached 100%. Skill Level has increased.]

[Ear Health Exercises Lv0 → Lv1]

[Your ear massage and health techniques have seen an initial improvement. You are becoming more proficient at finding hearing-related acupoints, the massage effect has slightly increased, and your hearing has been slightly improved.]

[The auricular muscles have received effective external stimulation and are beginning to recover some of their contractility and elasticity.]

[Constitution Attribute +0.01]

——————

"It’s working!"

Seeing this, Chen Jue was bursting with joy.

Previously, the [Ear Health Exercises] he’d figured out on his own were extremely inefficient. He often couldn’t raise the proficiency by much even after a whole morning of practice. The improvement to his hearing and auricular muscles was negligible, nowhere near the rapid progress he’d made with Liu’s Eye Health Exercises.

He never imagined that just by auditing one Chinese medicine class and receiving proper guidance on acupoints and massage techniques, he would achieve such miraculous results. This gain was far beyond his expectations.

He shamelessly kept the old professor after class for another ten-plus minutes of learning. Seeing that the professor needed to return to his office, Chen Jue then eagerly helped him carry the anatomical model back.

Through some small talk, he learned the old professor’s surname was Zhang, that he was over 70 years old, and was a re-hired professor of Chinese medicine at Jiang University. Chen Jue immediately started calling him "Teacher Zhang" and also added him on WeChat, making it easier to ask him any future questions about Chinese medicine.

Professor Zhang didn’t refuse. For someone his age to still be working passionately as an educator, he clearly had an extraordinary dedication to teaching and was more than happy to have more inquisitive students like Chen Jue.

...

Having unexpectedly improved the efficiency of one of his health skills by asking for help after class, Chen Jue was overjoyed.

As he left the academic building, the guy was walking with a cheerful spring in his step.

Taking advantage of the lunch hour, he first went to the cafeteria for a big meal. Then, Chen Jue went on Taobao and ordered a professional set of silver needles for Acupuncture and a human acupoint model.

Since he had just started learning the key points of Chinese medicine meridians and acupoints, Chen Jue was afraid his skills were still lacking and he might make mistakes. The model he ordered was a 1:1 scale, life-sized bronze figure of an adult.

This model was a high-end, custom-made item. He had to search all over Taobao to find a medical education model factory that sold it. The unit price was over three thousand, and the monthly sales were still zero. It was clear that few people would buy such an expensive teaching tool.

With a to-scale model of Chinese medicine meridians, Chen Jue could learn about them more efficiently and also speed up the process of unlocking the "???" human body annotations in the [Designated Points] menu. It was killing multiple birds with one stone.

Of course, it was only because he’d made a windfall from live streaming that his wallet was fat enough for him to dare make such frequent, large online purchases.

Because just as he was sitting and eating, a bank deposit notification popped up on his phone: "Your card ending in 2333 received an ICBC deposit (transfer from another bank) of 623,691.34 yuan on November X. Current balance..."

He opened his banking app and checked, and sure enough, his account balance had skyrocketed from just over 100,000 to more than 700,000.

’Getting rich really is the only cure for all worries!’ Chen Jue thought, looking at the large cash deposit. He suddenly felt that his lunch in the Jiang University cafeteria tasted several times better than usual!