The Domineering Cultivator Farmer

Chapter 36: The Five Elements Therapy

But Fang Yun didn’t witness any of this; at that moment, he was refining elixirs in a room on the summit of Sanfeng Fortress. After breakfast yesterday, Fang Yun told his family he was going up to Sanfeng Fortress to refine some elixirs and asked them not to disturb him until he came down. Everyone was in awe of Fang Yun’s miraculous medical skills. Upon hearing that he was going to refine elixirs, they were filled with anticipation and assured him that no one would disturb him—especially promising to keep a close eye on Niuniu to make sure she didn’t go up the mountain. The elixir Fang Yun intended to refine had a rather mundane name—the “Xiao Huan Dan”—and an even more mundane effect: it increased one’s cultivation by ten years. Fang Yun had already failed several times, mainly because he lacked a suitable alchemy furnace, so he had no choice but to resort to the most difficult method: directly using the True Fire he had cultivated to refine the elixir. However, he had made some progress; after several failures, Fang Yun had roughly figured out the tricks of the trade. It wasn’t until this afternoon that Fang Yun finally stepped out of his room. In his hand was a bottle containing the results of his alchemical efforts over the past two days: twenty-seven pills. Fang Yun immediately summoned all the senior practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. “Esteemed elders of the traditional Chinese medicine community,” he said, “eager to work with you all to revive our Huaxia tradition of traditional Chinese medicine, I ventured into the mountains a few days ago to gather some medicinal herbs and refine several elixirs. I hope these will aid you in your true qi cultivation.” The group of traditional Chinese medicine experts was overjoyed upon hearing this. They had all read about elixirs in ancient texts, where their effects were described as nothing short of miraculous—almost capable of bringing the dead back to life and restoring flesh to bones. Sure enough, they were not disappointed. After taking the elixirs, the faint, barely perceptible trace of true qi they had previously felt now coursed through their bodies like a small snake. Seeing the look of surprise and delight on their faces, Fang Yun continued to heighten their excitement. “Esteemed seniors, I’ve learned a few methods for treating illnesses from a fragmentary medical text. I wonder if any of you would be interested in exchanging ideas.” “Yes, yes, yes—absolutely! Fang Yun, your medical skills are arguably the best in the world today. We’d be overjoyed to receive your guidance.” The crowd was overjoyed. Their very purpose in coming had been to learn medicine from Fang Yun, but after he’d already imparted the secret manual on true qi cultivation, they’d felt too embarrassed to ask—fearing he might think they were taking advantage of his generosity. Unbeknownst to them, Fang Yun had brought it up on his own. Now, the way they looked at him was as if they were gazing upon the Buddha himself, saving all sentient beings. The medical techniques recorded in the cultivation manuals Fang Yun practiced contained many rare skills that had long been lost in the modern world. The various theories within were truly extraordinary, and one could find corresponding treatments for nearly every human illness. However, Fang Yun found the process too troublesome; when treating others, he usually resorted to forcibly resolving the issue with his Yuan Qi. Although this method was a bit crude, the results were remarkably effective. Only someone as averse to hassle as Fang Yun would resort to such a method. However, once you grasp one principle, you grasp them all. The level of cultivation in the Daoist path far surpasses that of ancient martial arts. Fang Yun understood certain medical knowledge and methods of true qi circulation at a glance; he could apply what he learned to similar situations and even take them a step further. Fang Yun organized these medical techniques into a theoretical framework based on his own understanding and gradually explained it to everyone. He named the treatment method he had developed the “Five Elements Therapy,” based on the Five Elements theory of traditional Chinese medicine, and greatly simplified the methods for circulating true qi so that everyone could easily master them. A major reason for the decline of modern Traditional Chinese Medicine is that practitioners do not cultivate true qi; without the coordination of true qi, many extraordinary techniques have lost their intended effectiveness and have become a laughingstock. As Fang Yun gradually explained his medical theory and the methods for circulating true qi, the expressions on everyone’s faces grew increasingly reverent, and they took out the notebooks they carried with them to jot down every detail. When Fang Yun finished speaking, everyone stood up and bowed deeply to him at a ninety-degree angle. Fang Yun quickly waved his hands. “Elders, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such a grand gesture.” “Fang Yun, you are more than worthy of it. You have not only taught us the secret techniques of true qi cultivation, but you’ve also spared no effort in gathering herbs and refining elixirs to help us accelerate our cultivation progress. Now you’re teaching us your medical mastery as well. To us, you are truly our benefactor and mentor who has given us a new lease on life,” the crowd exclaimed excitedly. Fang Yun quickly replied, “You’re all too kind. As long as my humble skills can help you revive traditional Chinese medicine, that is the greatest reward for me.” Hearing Fang Yun’s words, everyone was deeply moved and resolved to revive traditional Chinese medicine, so as not to disappoint the effort he had put in. That very day, the group bid farewell to Fang Yun and returned to the capital, eager to put the medical techniques he had taught them into practice. A few days later, a paper from the Chinese medicine community in China stunned the world. The paper proposed a completely new therapy in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, known as the Fang School Five Elements Therapy. This therapy had already successfully cured more than ten cases of intractable diseases, including those listed by the World Health Organization as the “five major incurable diseases”: AIDS, cancer, leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, and motor neuron disease. Moreover, the treatment was remarkably effective, convenient, and produced rapid results—without requiring surgery, chemotherapy, or any other auxiliary measures. Everyone’s initial reaction was one of shock and disbelief. Some clowns even came forward to accuse the Chinese Traditional Medicine community of seeking attention—claiming it was nothing more than a last-ditch effort in the face of the discipline’s declining fortunes. They argued that such actions would only expose the untrustworthiness of traditional Chinese medicine and accelerate its decline. In response to such remarks, the Huaxia Health Organization simply replied, “Let the facts speak for themselves!” They announced that the Huaxia Traditional Chinese Medicine Team would conduct live patient consultations in front of the public in three days, and that patients could be nominated by anyone. They welcomed interested colleagues to attend and exchange ideas. However, patients suffering from terminal illnesses were overjoyed and immediately began making preparations to travel to Huaxia for treatment. For them, any glimmer of hope was worth clinging to. Besides, in the eyes of foreigners, Huaxia has always been a very mysterious land; it would come as no surprise if miracles were to occur there. Perhaps Huaxia’s traditional Chinese medicine had truly discovered a formula capable of curing terminal illnesses—who knows? Journalists from around the world also flocked to China. Some, genuinely concerned for patients with terminal illnesses, arrived with hopeful expectations, wishing that everything were true. But the majority came with the intention of making a mockery of Chinese medicine. In their eyes, Chinese medicine was as ridiculous as so-called witchcraft—how could a few rotten grass roots possibly cure a patient? Wasn’t that a joke? The most malicious of all were the Western pharmaceutical companies harboring hostility toward Chinese medicine; they all believed this to be a farce staged by Chinese medicine practitioners themselves. One by one, they planned to expose Chinese medicine’s “schemes” on the spot, ruining their reputation so that no one would ever believe in it again. By then, Western medicine would be able to take over the entire Chinese pharmaceutical market. These Western pharmaceutical manufacturers have long been salivating over the vast Chinese pharmaceutical market, but many true elites and distinguished families swear by TCM—especially the more time-honored families, who are all the more convinced of its efficacy. These families often wield immense power and have far-reaching influence. Under their influence, the higher one rises in society, the more one comes to realize that TCM—which treats the root cause of illness—is the best choice for everyone. As a result, Western medicine has long been limited to capturing only a small share of the market among the common people of China.