The Domineering Cultivator Farmer

Chapter 26: Old Li’s Request

After seeing the family off, many villagers and tourists who had heard the news rushed over, crowding Fang Yun’s spacious courtyard until there was barely room to move. One by one, they asked if it was true that Fang Yun had cured the elderly man of cancer. Upon receiving Old Li’s affirmative answer, everyone was utterly stunned. For humans, cancer has always meant death, so the fact that a “miracle doctor” capable of defeating the Grim Reaper had appeared in this small mountain village was truly astonishing. The villagers all wore proud expressions—this was the only miracle doctor their village had ever produced. The tourists standing nearby looked at Fang Yun with eager eyes. If a miracle doctor could cure even cancer, what couldn’t he cure? Perhaps one day they or their friends and family might need to seek Fang Yun’s help. Fang Yun spent most of the day chatting with the excited crowd before they gradually began to leave. “Why are you staring at me like that, old man? Oh, right—it seems you still have something you didn’t finish telling me.” Fang Yun noticed that Old Li hadn’t left yet; he was staring intently at him with his huge, round eyes, which made Fang Yun feel a little uneasy. Remembering that Old Li had seemed to want to say something to him before the patient arrived, Fang Yun quickly diverted Old Li’s attention. “I never would have thought you could cure even late-stage cancer—a condition the whole world has been helpless against. You truly live up to your reputation as ‘Doctor Fang the Miracle Healer,’” Old Li exclaimed, clapping his hands excitedly. “It’s nothing special—you’re overpraising me, sir. Just say what’s on your mind. I’m not used to this kind of thing.” Old Li had a straightforward, forthright personality and had never been one to flatter anyone. This sudden outpouring of praise made Fang Yun feel quite uncomfortable, but he figured Old Li must have a request he wanted to make. “All right, I’ll get straight to the point. Fang Yun, would you be interested in working at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital? With your medical skills, you could definitely revitalize traditional Chinese medicine.” Hearing Fang Yun speak, Old Li hurriedly voiced his idea. “The Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital? That’s the holy grail of the TCM world—it’s filled with venerable, highly respected senior practitioners with profound medical skills. How could a young, inexperienced country bumpkin like me possibly get in? Old Li, please don’t tease me.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Fang Yun refused. Old Li grew impatient. “Fang Yun, your medical skills are among the very best in China. If even you aren’t qualified to join, then who is? As for your age, that’s not an issue at all.” Fang Yun sighed helplessly. “Old Li, let me be blunt: I don’t have any grand ambitions. I just want to stay at home with my family and live a peaceful life. So please don’t bring up the matter of joining the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital again.” Old Li, frustrated that his protégé wasn’t living up to his potential, said, “You’re still so young, yet your mindset is just like an old man’s. A true man should achieve great things—how can you spend your whole life cooped up at home? Traditional Chinese medicine is currently deeply misunderstood and unsupported by the world. On top of that, some scoundrels in the medical community are exploiting it to swindle people out of money. TCM has now hit rock bottom. Some shameless scoundrels have even called for the abolition of TCM—even those puny Koreans dare to shamelessly plagiarize it as their own Korean medicine. “Since you possess such excellent medical skills, you should step forward to restore TCM’s former glory and help our people view it objectively and correctly. Only then can TCM thrive and prevent the medical tradition passed down for thousands of years in China from becoming extinct—so that we, as descendants of the Chinese nation, may have the courage to face our ancestors after we die.” Speaking of the current state of TCM, Old Li was simply heartbroken. TCM originated in primitive society. By the time the *Huangdi Neijing* (The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon) was compiled during the Warring States and Western Han periods, its theoretical framework had already taken shape. Anatomy and medical specializations had emerged, and the “Four Diagnostic Methods” were already in use. Treatment methods included stone therapy, acupuncture, herbal decoctions, moxibustion, qigong exercises, qi cultivation, and incantations. During the Western Han Dynasty, the concepts of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements began to be used to explain human physiology, and “medical artisans” emerged, along with gold needles and copper keys. The Eastern Han Dynasty saw the rise of the renowned physician Zhang Zhongjing, who had already developed an understanding of the “Eight Principles” (Yin-Yang, exterior-interior, deficiency-excess, cold-heat) and summarized the “Eight Methods.” Hua Tuo, meanwhile, was renowned throughout the land for his mastery of surgery and anesthesia, and he also created the health-enhancing exercise routine known as the “Five Animal Exercises.” During the Tang Dynasty, Sun Simiao synthesized the theories of his predecessors and drew upon his own experience to compile more than 5,000 medical formulas, employing a syndrome-differentiation approach to treatment. Revered for his exemplary medical ethics, he was honored as the “King of Medicine.” After the Tang Dynasty, Chinese medical theories and writings were widely disseminated to Goryeo, Japan, Central Asia, and West Asia. During the Song Dynasty, the Song government established the Hanlin Medical Academy, where medical disciplines were nearly fully systematized. It also standardized the acupoints of Chinese acupuncture—which had become inconsistent due to errors in hand-copied texts—and published the *Tu Jing* (Illustrated Classic). It can be said that the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was far ahead of Western medicine. However, as the pace of human development accelerated, Western medicine—which, while fast-acting, often treats symptoms rather than root causes—gradually replaced Traditional Chinese Medicine, which focuses on regulating the body and addressing the root causes but takes longer to show results. The vast majority of people do not understand Traditional Chinese Medicine, and when combined with malicious slander by certain individuals, this has caused Traditional Chinese Medicine to decline steadily, showing signs of eventual obsolescence. Bribed by Western pharmaceutical manufacturers, many so-called enlightened elites have even clamored for the outright abolition of TCM. Ironically, it is South Korea—which plagiarized TCM, claimed it as its own, and renamed it “Korean medicine”—that places great importance on the development of TCM. Fang Yun lowered his head, thought for a moment, and said to Old Li, “Old Li, it’s impossible for me to join the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, but I’m willing to do my small part to help revive TCM. Here’s what we’ll do: select some people with a solid foundation in medicine—and most importantly, strong medical ethics—to come here so we can all exchange ideas.” When Old Li first heard Fang Yun’s words, his face was filled with disappointment, but as soon as Fang Yun finished speaking, Old Li perked up immediately. “Excellent, excellent, excellent! I’ll make the arrangements right away. Fang Yun, on behalf of the TCM community, I thank you.” Fang Yun quickly waved his hand. “Old Li, you’re too kind. It’s only my duty.” Fang Yun felt deep admiration for someone like Old Li, who had dedicated his entire life to serving the country and continued to care deeply about national affairs even in his old age. “I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll go right away to arrange for people to come learn from you and gain insights,” Old Li said, cutting short the pleasantries as he hurried out the door to report to his superiors. Upon receiving Old Li’s report, the higher-ups took it very seriously. The fact that someone could cure late-stage cancer was nothing short of a miracle in the medical world. They immediately approved Old Li’s request and arranged for a team to travel to Qiaotou Village to learn from and exchange ideas with Fang Yun. Surprisingly, the delegation arrived very quickly. On the third day, a twenty-person team drove into the village, led none other than Professor Meng, an academician at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital—a clear indication that the government was deeply concerned about the current state of traditional Chinese medicine.