Chapter 15

(I sent the wrong chapter earlier, I'm re-sending this one, sorry! Due to the wrong chapter, there will be three updates today!)

After wandering through the intricate corridors, Du Zhong finally saw a peculiar department named 'Traditional Chinese Medicine Department'.

He pushed the door open.

As soon as he entered, Du Zhong was stunned. This place didn't look like a hospital consultation room at all; it resembled an ancient and elegant traditional Chinese medicine clinic. The consultation room was particularly large, filled with various ancient and simple medical instruments, perfectly recreating an ancient clinic. Moreover, it was fully equipped with all necessary facilities, and the medicine cabinet was right behind the counter, eliminating the need to go to the pharmacy downstairs.

Du Zhong noticed that apart from Elder Qin, Wu Haihua was also there.

Elder Qin, with his gray hair and ruddy complexion, stood beside the medicine cabinet, seemingly searching for medicine. Wu Haihua stood respectfully by Elder Qin's side, his head slightly lowered, watching every move Elder Qin made!

Seeing Du Zhong arrive, a flash of malice crossed Wu Haihua's eyes, but he quickly lowered his head.

"Old Master Qin, hello."

Du Zhong bowed respectfully and said.

At this moment, Elder Qin turned around, looked at Du Zhong, and smiled, "Du Zhong, you're here."

Elder Qin said with a chuckle.

"Yes! Since you had someone pass on the message, I dared not come late," Du Zhong said respectfully.

Elder Qin smiled slightly, then turned his head and, while searching for the herbs he needed, asked seemingly casually, "I heard that Huang Mingjin gave you a banner praising your miraculous recovery?"

He went straight to the point.

Wu Haihua immediately turned his gaze to Du Zhong, his eyes full of disbelief.

He had inquired about it in the department this morning and heard that Du Zhong had cured Huang Mingjin's late-stage bone cancer, which left him stunned on the spot.

How could that be possible?

Not only did no one believe that someone could cure late-stage bone cancer, but no one believed that a security captain could do it!

But many people confirmed it, leaving him no choice but to believe it.

But he still didn't believe it!

Du Zhong also turned his gaze to Wu Haihua.

"It wasn't Haihua who told me, but one of your security guards!"

Elder Qin grinned and added, "Let me introduce you, Dr. Wu Haihua, an orthopedist and my registered disciple!"

Registered disciple?

Du Zhong nodded thoughtfully!

No wonder those little rascals had disappeared; they were probably spreading the glorious deeds of the security team.

Wu Haihua's face showed a hint of pride, but he was very respectful when he turned to Elder Qin.

"According to Haihua, Huang Mingjin's test results showed late-stage bone cancer. With such a disease, by the time it reaches the late stage, there's no chance of recovery."

Elder Qin gestured for Du Zhong to sit down.

"But in a blink, Huang Mingjin's test results were completely normal. Can you tell me how you did it?"

Elder Qin and Du Zhong sat opposite each other at a small desk.

"Everyone has their own secrets!"

Du Zhong said frankly.

To his surprise, Elder Qin smiled slightly and, contrary to Du Zhong's expectations, did not continue on this topic. Instead, he said, "Everyone should have their own secrets. No matter how you did it, saving lives is a good thing! I have a question, have you studied traditional Chinese medicine?"

"Never."

Du Zhong answered truthfully.

Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in Elder Qin's eyes, as if he was excited. He suddenly asked, "Do you want to learn traditional Chinese medicine?"

What?

Wu Haihua was immediately shocked.

This clearly meant that Elder Qin wanted to teach Du Zhong traditional Chinese medicine. How could that be allowed?

The woman he liked was living with him, and now his half-teacher was about to be taken away too!

Wu Haihua stared at Du Zhong intently.

Is this guy my nemesis?

The main point has been reached.

Du Zhong thought to himself.

"Yes!"

Du Zhong answered directly, without any pretense. It would be foolish to let an opportunity slip by!

He then added, "But it also depends on who I learn from!"

Du Zhong already had someone in mind, the renowned national medical master Qin Kaiyuan, who was over eighty years old. The Elder Qin in front of him was at most in his sixties and couldn't possibly be Qin Kaiyuan.

But before finding that person, learning from the Elder Qin in front of him might not be bad. However, he didn't know much about Elder Qin, including his character and medical skills.

He needed to investigate further.

"How about me?"

Elder Qin laughed heartily, not angry at all. Without waiting for Du Zhong's answer, he continued, "You can come here every afternoon to follow my consultations. Then you'll know whether learning traditional Chinese medicine from me is worth it."

Saying this, Elder Qin looked at Du Zhong, waiting for a response.

At this moment, Wu Haihua, who had been listening to their conversation, was shocked and hurriedly stepped forward.

If this continued, Elder Qin would really take Du Zhong as a disciple, and he had to stop it!

"Teacher, he's just a security guard with no medical background, and he's too old. Learning traditional Chinese medicine would be as difficult as climbing to the sky. Teacher, shouldn't you reconsider?"

After several setbacks, Wu Haihua's hatred for Du Zhong grew day by day!

He was Elder Qin's only registered disciple. If Du Zhong also became Elder Qin's disciple, he wouldn't worry about Du Zhong stealing his spotlight, but he would be upset that something that belonged only to him was being taken away, just like the woman and the teacher. How could he be happy?

Elder Qin's disciple, even if registered, should be him alone!

Du Zhong turned his head and, seeing Wu Haihua's agitated expression, couldn't help but chuckle!

This laugh instantly filled Wu Haihua with resentment. In his eyes, Du Zhong's smile was like looking at a clown, which made him extremely uncomfortable!

Elder Qin chuckled, his gaze shifting between the two, finally settling on Wu Haihua.

"Haihua, as the saying goes, 'ambition does not depend on age; it depends on the heart and the nature of the person.'"

His words were full of deep meaning.

Wu Haihua, not stupid, glared at Du Zhong with resentment and immediately stopped talking.

At this moment, Du Zhong had already shifted his gaze from Wu Haihua to Elder Qin.

"Since Elder Qin is so kind, I will follow your guidance. Let's start today!"

Du Zhong bowed respectfully.

"Very well!"

Elder Qin also stood up and said, "Before the clinic opens, I'll take you to familiarize yourself with the herbs."

Du Zhong was not very familiar with traditional Chinese medicine knowledge. To learn traditional Chinese medicine, he first needed to learn to identify herbs.

This was what Du Zhong needed now.

Ancient medical techniques included herbal treatments, and while he had many formulas in his mind, he didn't recognize the herbs. Giving people the wrong herbs in the future would definitely be a problem.

Now that Elder Qin suggested he learn to identify herbs, it perfectly met his needs.

"Get familiar with the environment first, and I'll prepare for you!"

Elder Qin instructed and then turned to walk into a room on the side of the department.

Du Zhong began to wander around the department, closely examining the entire consultation room.

Apart from the medicine cabinet and the traditional Chinese medicine scales, there were also tools for boiling and preparing medicine, and the division of each area was very strict. At first glance, it didn't feel cramped at all; instead, it gave a sense of solemnity.

After a short while, Du Zhong, under Wu Haihua's murderous gaze, had completely familiarized himself with the environment of the department.

Elder Qin also came out and handed Du Zhong a notebook.

The notebook neatly recorded the names, properties, indications, and cabinet numbers of many traditional Chinese herbs.

"I have quite a variety of herbs here!"

Elder Qin laughed, sounding quite proud. "It's not easy to remember all these herbs in a short time. Try to memorize as many as you can. The rest can be learned gradually; there's plenty of time!"

While listening to Elder Qin, Du Zhong quickly flipped through the notebook, looking up at the medicine cabinet after each herb he memorized.

Soon, it was time for the clinic to open.

Outside the department, a group of patients waiting for consultation quickly gathered.

"The Traditional Chinese Medicine Department is so popular?"

Looking at the long queue, Du Zhong was secretly amazed. In this era, Western medicine had become the mainstream medical practice worldwide, and while traditional Chinese medicine was also widespread, it didn't have as broad an audience as Western medicine.

In Du Zhong's experience, the patients he encountered almost always relied on Western medicine for treatment, and few were willing to seek traditional Chinese medicine for diagnosis.

The Du family's traditional Chinese medicine had been in decline for a long time.

"Du Zhong!"

Elder Qin called out and said, "Today, you'll be responsible for dispensing the herbs from the medicine cabinet."

Identifying and dispensing herbs, though just the entry level in traditional Chinese medicine, was also the most challenging stage to test one's patience.

Elder Qin had Du Zhong dispense herbs rather than directly teaching him traditional Chinese medicine for two reasons: to help Du Zhong remember the herbs faster and to test his patience through the tedious task of dispensing herbs.

"Okay."

Du Zhong nodded.

Learning traditional Chinese medicine starts with dispensing herbs.

With this decision made, Du Zhong walked directly to the medicine cabinet.

Beside him, Wu Haihua, seeing Du Zhong assigned to dispense herbs, secretly rejoiced.

"I said it, a mere security guard can't possibly learn traditional Chinese medicine. No wonder the teacher kept him; he's just using him as free labor!"

Glancing at Du Zhong, Wu Haihua suddenly curled his lips in a sinister smile.

Then, the clinic officially opened.

Seeing Elder Qin start his consultations, a sharp light flashed in Du Zhong's eyes. He focused on Elder Qin, deciding whether to follow him based on his diagnostic methods.

The first patient was a young man with a sallow complexion, looking very weak.

"Feeling unwell, lacking energy, feeling dizzy, and often seeing black spots before your eyes?"

Elder Qin sat upright, his eyes sharp, as if he could see through the patient with just one glance.

"Yes, I've been feeling listless lately, and even my favorite dishes don't taste as good as before!" The weak young man nodded and, at Elder Qin's gesture, raised his hand.

Elder Qin nodded and, with one hand, accurately pressed the young man's pulse.

Traditional Chinese medicine relies on observation, auscultation, inquiry, and pulse-taking. Elder Qin's simple yet direct question and his quick and precise pulse-taking impressed Du Zhong.

Such accurate diagnosis was not something just anyone could achieve!

After a moment, Elder Qin released the young man's hand and smiled.

"Nothing serious, just excessive liver fire causing poor blood circulation."

Du Zhong observed that Elder Qin's diagnosis was very efficient. He could diagnose a patient and write a prescription in less than two minutes.

Other traditional Chinese medicine practitioners could see at most fifty patients a day.

Receiving the first prescription, Du Zhong carefully examined it and then began to find the herbs, using the traditional Chinese medicine scales to measure the quantities.

Du Zhong, from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, knew how to use the scales from a young age.

Elder Qin's prescriptions were measured in ancient units, not modern grams, which posed no difficulty for Du Zhong. If he couldn't do this, his grandfather would surely beat him with a shoe.

Du Zhong carefully measured the herbs using the traditional Chinese medicine scales.

Finding, measuring, combining, and packaging the herbs, he did it all smoothly, without any hesitation.

Seeing Du Zhong handle the task so easily, Wu Haihua was somewhat surprised but mostly dismissive.

No matter how quickly he picked it up, he was still just a worker!