Chapter 2826 - 2888: Medical Fraud

"So you want me to spare you?"

"Yes, yes, I’m begging you. I... I can give you money. If a million isn’t enough, then two million. I... I actually studied real Traditional Chinese Medicine, I’m not a fraud. They were terminal cases to begin with, so... thud!" Before Dan Guimin could finish, Li Yifei struck him with a finger, causing the old man to scream in pain, his cries echoing tragically. The patients downstairs undergoing treatment were alarmed, but the stairs were blocked, so no one could come up.

A minute later, Li Yifei released the acupuncture point on Dan Guimin and said, "This is real medical skill; this is real acupuncture technique!"

Dan Guimin’s eyes widened as he finally understood what was happening. He trembled as he said, "So you came... to expose me."

"So you also admit that you’re a fraud?" Li Yifei asked.

"Sigh!" Dan Guimin let out a heavy sigh, seeing Li Yifei take out his phone and turn on the camera. Dan Guimin said, "Looks like you came prepared. I guess I’m done for today. Anyway, these past few years have been spent in fear, with sleepless nights. Since you’re here to investigate, I might as well confess."

"Go ahead." Li Yifei began recording, watching as Dan Guimin pulled over a chair and sat down, his expression pained but still speaking, "Just as you thought, I am indeed a fraud. I’ve been deceiving people for years using Traditional Chinese Medicine. It’s a way to make money. You young folks don’t believe in it, but older people are very willing to believe. To them, Traditional Chinese Medicine can cure all illnesses. No matter what the disease, as long as it’s TCM, they think it can be treated, which is why I exist..."

Dan Guimin confessed without much resistance. His accounts weren’t far off from what Li Yifei had suspected. He took advantage of those who had faith in Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as some ignorant patients, and especially those who were desperate. These were the main sources of his clientele, especially the latter. These people were already spending tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, so what was a few tens of thousands more? Dan Guimin was clever; he never set his prices too high and rarely made grand promises to patients, leaving them and their families with a "might as well try" mindset.

Of course, over the years, there were almost no patients who were truly cured. Even if there were some, it wasn’t thanks to him. Imagine a treatment method without any scientific basis—how could it possibly cure anyone, and how could it possibly be credited to him?

How did he get on this path of fraud? Originally, Dan Guimin was just a barefoot doctor in rural areas, administering injections and such. When people asked for prescriptions, he’d provide them based on a few recipes he learned. Whether they were effective or not, if patients recovered, he’d claim credit. If they didn’t, it was always the patient’s fault—perhaps they brewed the herbal medicine wrong, or didn’t follow the steps, or some other excuse. Given his mobility, even when the medicine didn’t work, it was hard for people to find him.

A few years back, a family with a cancer patient came to him. They were poor and couldn’t afford proper treatment. Dan Guimin gave them a bunch of prescriptions, several containing expensive herbs, from which he profited. Unexpectedly, after the patient followed his prescriptions, within half a year, a previously critical patient miraculously improved.

The patient and their family came back with vigor to thank Dan Guimin, calling him a Master Physician and praising his effective prescriptions, claiming they could even treat cancer, even in its late stages. Dan Guimin was both shocked and pleased. It took him a while to regain his composure, and upon further questioning, he found out the patient only took his prescribed medicine. Six months later, the cancer cells and faulty tissues were gone.

This indeed was a miracle. On the surface, Dan Guimin told them not to thank him, but secretly he noted the event, and it stirred his ambition. Reflecting on his treatment process, which wasn’t anything special, he decided to use this as a promotional tool. Given his age, with a bit of alteration, he could easily present himself as an otherworldly old master, earning the title of an old Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor. To this end, he visited several renowned old Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors in Haicheng, concluding that appearance matters—they all dressed like immortal sage-like figures. People in this country believe in that. An approachable young doctor wouldn’t hold their attention.

Moreover, he knew every famous Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor had a few unique skills, excelling in certain treatments. Compared to them, who had cured cancer patients, he considered himself more formidable. Therefore, after many days, he found inspiration in acupuncture and ’created’ the so-called fire needle technique. The fire needle... an utter nonsensical technique with no basis. The reasons he provided, like the Yin and Yang theory, or the Disease expulsion method, had no logic.

He couldn’t swindle smart people’s money, so he targeted fools, or those desperate patients adopting a ’dead horse as a living horse’ mentality. The former believed in remedies that could cure diseases, while the latter felt they were akin to walking corpses, thinking why not try one more thing, just in case?

And because of the mentioned cancer patient, who would have thought, prepared to be buried, miraculously recovering and remaining healthy to this date? This incident made Dan Guimin famous, attracting many cancer patients to seek him out, though many left, and those who stayed accepted his seemingly moderate yet not cheap fire needle treatment. However, those attempting this treatment likely did not fare well in the end. Cancer being terminal by nature, Dan Guimin didn’t feel any error in what he was doing—he was trying to help, after all, what if it worked?

In his view, formal hospitals do the same, operating over-treatment and over-medication to make money, just like him. Of course, this was his perspective, which Li Yifei sneered at. Dan Guimin knew he was deceiving people, but he’d deceived himself as well, thus feeling at ease with his actions.

The key to successfully deceiving people lies in... some truly believe in him, genuinely willing to let him treat them. Now that he had gained fame, people from other places sought him out. The phrase "Dan Guimin is a Master Physician" was spread among many elders. Dan Guimin didn’t treat just anyone. Those truly at death’s door he refused because they might die before treatment finishes, which would ruin his reputation. But he always laid out the severity beforehand, stating he could only try to delay the condition, allowing the patient to live a little longer. This offered a semblance of prolonged life to patients and families, making it seem worth the gamble.

Of course, that’s not all. Just relying on such scams wouldn’t crown him as a Master Physician. Dan Guimin, with his limited knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, wasn’t enough. Over the years, he had genuinely studied some medical skills, and receiving so many elderly patients for their conditions, like rheumatism, arthritis, cardiovascular issues—these diseases could potentially be fatal but might also allow people to live for decades. He found several methods to temporarily alleviate the pain.

With money, he began hiring people. What kind of people? At the clinic, he hired a few genuinely skilled doctors, all from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Outside, he hired a group of old men and women, paying them a hundred yuan a day. When a specifically pre-arranged patient came for an appointment, these hired elders wouldn’t all appear at once. Sometimes one or two would come, sometimes they’d arrive beforehand. Whenever a new patient arrived, these elders would come and extol his marvels, boasting his extraordinary medical skills, seemingly raising the dead and healing the bones. This helped increase Dan Guimin’s credibility, which is why people kept falling for his tricks.

This is also why he insisted on appointments, refusing to see anyone without one. But there were exceptions; like today when Li Yifei and others arrived, he decided to see them, especially after hearing the little girl... recovered from cancer, which thrilled Dan Guimin. He, of course, knew her recovery had nothing to do with him, but he was even prepared to refund her treatment costs to advertise his skills, as she was genuinely terminally ill but recovered in merely ten minutes. Thus, he could claim credit for her recovery.

He had done this several times. At the clinic entrance, there was a display wall with the diagnostic papers of recovered patients and their post-recovery examination results, along with some other documents. The clinic staff would claim these were only some examples, saying many more had recovered.

In short, whatever could convince patients to seek treatment, they’d say it, feeling no guilt. After deceiving for so long, even they believed it.

People might ask, hasn’t anyone realized they’re frauds? Not every patient could be a fool, and some might have significant backgrounds, possibly even important figures.

But herein lies the problem. As previously mentioned, Dan Guimin always prefaced with cautionary words. Since he made those words clear from the start, when patients died during or after treatment, they would take it as pre-stated. Since Dan Guimin fashioned himself as a Master Physician figure, it was the patient seeking treatment, not him forcing it upon them. This difference in position allowed Dan Guimin to stand forth confidently. Even if someone pursued accountability, he wasn’t afraid. Since gaining the title of Master Physician, he was no longer just a barefoot doctor.

In any case, medical disputes didn’t hold against him. Later on, Dan Guimin even began signing agreements, acting with the grandeur of an old Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor. He’d say, "Take it or leave it; many seek me for treatment. Whether you get cured or not depends on fate. If fate has decreed a disaster for you, you’re destined to die. If your fate is large, you’ll survive..."