Chapter 98:

Then, in the next second, they heard Zong Nanhan say, “Now, let’s welcome the top scorer of this exam, Qin Chaoyu, to come up and share her insights with everyone!”

Qin Chaoyu instantly widened her eyes, stunned.

The TCM contestants below began whispering among themselves.

“This is unbelievable! Qin Chaoyu finished so quickly and still managed to defeat Senior Xing Weiyue to take first place?!”

“What’s so impossible about it? The facts are right in front of us. Do you think the professors would joke about something like this?”

“Exactly! What does it matter if you’re from a specialized school? You still lost to a student from a comprehensive university!”

Needless to say, this last comment came from a student of the comprehensive university. Though he was stating a fact, his boastful tone was quite irritating, drawing angry glares from the TCM students around him. Oblivious, he continued to revel in his pride. Eventually, his companion, worried he might get beaten up by the frustrated TCM students, tugged at his sleeve to signal him to tone it down.

Of course, there were also students from the Western medicine department who weren’t familiar with the details, either out of curiosity or just to join the excitement, asking their fellow contestants who Qin Chaoyu was.

The contestants being questioned wore complicated expressions.

But since skill was inferior, they had to concede defeat—they weren’t the type to be sore losers. Moreover, facing the “outsiders” from the Western medicine department, they firmly stood up for their fellow TCM peers and enthusiastically exaggerated Qin Chaoyu’s glorious achievements.

Things like: She’s not even twenty yet and already qualified for the selection—a true genius!

Or how Qin Chaoyu had an exceptional memory, finishing the two-page written exam in under half an hour.

And of course, they didn’t forget to mention her miraculous performance in this competition.

This particular TCM student had a silver tongue—clear, articulate, and humorous—leaving the listeners in awe and greatly amplifying their curiosity about Qin Chaoyu.

They craned their necks, eagerly searching for who this Qin Chaoyu might be.

Qin Chaoyu wasn’t comfortable being the center of attention and felt extremely awkward. But Yin Ledan and Kong Han were too excited, urging her to go up. And indeed, she couldn’t refuse. She stood up and made her way to the stage.

Amid the seated crowd, one person suddenly standing was glaringly obvious. Given the circumstances, it was clear who this person was.

Instantly, the Western medicine students in the room erupted in shock and murmurs.

No matter the time or place, outstanding looks are always a bonus. Under equal conditions, beauty and handsomeness naturally attract more admiration than average appearances.

This was exactly the case now.

Qin Chaoyu’s medical prowess was already a fact. Under such conditions, no one had high expectations for the top scorer’s looks. But life had delivered an enormous surprise—Qin Chaoyu was stunningly beautiful!

Those long legs, that cherry-like mouth… The boys were dazzled, the girls envious.

Under such intense gazes, Qin Chaoyu felt as if her back might be pierced by their stares. The short walk to the stage felt like an eternity under pressure.

Once on stage, she took the microphone from Zong Nanhan, greeted everyone briefly, and then directly approached the remaining two patients.

The first was an elderly man with a drained complexion. Qin Chaoyu carefully observed his face, asked a few low questions, and quickly grasped his condition. The other patient was a middle-aged man, thin as a bamboo pole, with a pale face and severe dark circles—clearly someone who either stayed up late or struggled with sleep. Coincidentally, this was one of the patients she had encountered during the exam, so she skipped the preliminaries and got straight to the point.

“This elderly gentleman’s condition falls under the category of ‘Xiao Ke’ disease. For our Western medicine peers here, this term might be confusing—what exactly is this illness?”

“‘Xiao Ke’ is a TCM term. Clinically, its manifestations are largely consistent with diabetes: excessive urination, thirst, hunger, fatigue, weight loss, or sweet-smelling urine. However, TCM’s classification of ‘Xiao Ke’ is more detailed than Western medicine’s. For instance, depending on the pathogenesis and symptoms, it can also be called ‘Xiao Dan,’ ‘Fei Xiao,’ ‘Ge Xiao,’ or ‘Xiao Zhong.’ The ‘Nei Jing’ (Inner Canon) discusses ‘Xiao Ke’ in about fourteen chapters, covering its naming, causes, pathogenesis, symptoms, treatment principles, and prognosis. Interested students can refer to the relevant texts.”

“As for this patient, his pathogenesis stems from long-term dietary irregularities—overindulgence in rich, greasy, or spicy foods, damaging the spleen and stomach, leading to impaired digestion, internal heat accumulation, dryness injuring fluids, and excessive consumption of nutrients, thus resulting in ‘Xiao Ke.’ Of course, this isn’t the only possible cause. Emotional imbalances, such as prolonged excessive stress, can also contribute. So, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a good mindset is crucial. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Qin Chaoyu spoke calmly and vividly, her words engaging and substantive, holding the audience’s attention. Even the Western medicine students, unfamiliar with TCM, sensed her expertise. When she posed the question, the room responded in unison: “Yes!”

Qin Chaoyu nodded and continued, “The core pathogenesis of ‘Xiao Ke’ lies in the depletion of yin fluids and excessive dryness-heat, with yin deficiency as the root and dryness-heat as the manifestation. The two exacerbate each other. The affected organs are primarily the lungs, stomach, and kidneys, with the kidneys being the most critical. While one organ may dominate, they often influence each other. Thus, the primary treatment principle is to clear heat, moisten the lungs, and promote fluid production to quench thirst. The prescription I’ve formulated includes: Trichosanthes root (Tian Hua Fen) and Kudzu root (Ge Gen), 30g each; Rehmannia root (Sheng Di Huang) and Ophiopogon root (Mai Dong), 15g each; Scutellaria root (Huang Qin), 10g; Schisandra berry (Wu Wei Zi), 6g; Chinese yam (Shan Yao) and Dendrobium stem (Shi Hu), 20g each. Of course, this prescription alone won’t fully cure the condition. Complete recovery would require additional treatments.”

Most people didn’t catch the ambiguity in Qin Chaoyu’s last statement. Only a few sharp-eyed individuals noticed, including Wei Bolan.

Wei Bolan smiled mysteriously, casting a meaningful glance at Qin Chaoyu as she earnestly explained. This girl truly was a treasure!

Some attentive listeners had already jotted down her words—to them, this was invaluable experience worth learning from. That Qin Chaoyu was willing to share such a precious, typically guarded prescription moved them deeply. Not only was she beautiful, but her heart was equally generous and kind.

At this moment, Qin Chaoyu’s image shone brilliantly in the eyes of the students.

In truth, they were overthinking it. Qin Chaoyu hadn’t considered any of this when sharing. To her, this prescription was trivial—if she wanted, she could come up with a dozen or more superior formulas. But this one played a crucial role in alleviating symptoms, benefiting the majority of patients.

A healer’s heart is compassionate. Without compromising her school’s interests, she was happy to assist these TCM enthusiasts so they could help suffering patients.

After finishing, she turned to the last patient. Instead of diving straight in, she pointed at him and asked the audience, “How many TCM students here encountered this patient? Could you raise your hands?”

Dozens of hands shot up—roughly thirty or so.

“Good,” Qin Chaoyu said. “I imagine many of you were puzzled when diagnosing him. Even if you identified his condition, you likely struggled with the pathogenesis and treatment. Am I right?”

The raised hands nodded honestly. Xing Weiyue stared intently at Qin Chaoyu. She was spot-on—he’d recognized the problem but couldn’t figure out the treatment because the patient’s condition was bizarre.

And bizarre it was. Have you ever heard of someone sweating so profusely in their sleep it was like they’d taken a shower? Not only that, the patient claimed he couldn’t be woken mid-dream, no matter what. Once, his wife tried shaking and pinching him, but he remained unresponsive. Had it not been for his breathing, she’d have thought he was dead. Terrified, she rushed him to the hospital, but the doctors couldn’t explain it either, merely stating he was asleep until he naturally woke. If not for Xing Weiyue’s staunch rationalism, he might’ve agreed with the patient’s superstitious theory of a “water ghost” possession.

Now, he was eager to hear what insights his junior had to offer.

Qin Chaoyu didn’t keep them in suspense. “Let me first explain this patient’s symptoms for those unfamiliar. He reports excessive sweating during sleep—drenching, as if he’d been caught in a downpour. Sometimes, his clothes are so soaked they can be wrung out. Additionally, once asleep, he cannot be roused by any means—shouting, shaking—nothing works. It’s as if he’s unconscious until he wakes naturally.”

Murmurs broke out in the room.

“How strange! What kind of illness is this?”

“I’ve read a bit about it. The man’s sweating sounds like ‘night sweats.’ Medical Sage Zhang Zhongjing mentioned it in the ‘Synopsis of the Golden Chamber.’ But his sweating is excessive. As for why he can’t be woken, I’m not sure.”

Several students echoed the “night sweats” diagnosis, but they were equally baffled by the severity and the unresponsiveness.

“I heard someone mention night sweats. Correct, the patient does exhibit night sweats, but it’s more than that. He also suffers from excessive sleepiness. His pulse shows floating yang and weak yin, accompanied by irritability, a quick temper, dry and bitter mouth, a reddish tongue with thin coating. From this, the diagnosis points to heart qi deficiency, yin deficiency with fire excess, and spleen-kidney decline. The pathogenesis has two potential roots: spleen-kidney issues or tuberculosis. I’ve confirmed it’s not tuberculosis, so it’s spleen-kidney related, and treatment should focus there.”

“As TCM practitioners, we must be meticulous in diagnosis, noting every detail of the patient’s condition. Overlooking one could lead to an entirely different prescription and treatment.”

“My prescription is as follows: Mulberry leaf (Sang Ye), Tree peony bark (Mu Dan Pi), Gardenia (Zhi Zi), Prunella spike (Xia Ku Cao), Scrophularia root (Xuan Shen), and Withered peach kernel (Bie Tao Gan), 10g each; Rehmannia root (Sheng Di Huang) and Cynanchum root (Bai Wei), 12g each; Calcined oyster shell (Duan Mu Li) (decocted first), 25g; Glutinous rice root (Nuo Dao Gen), 15g; Gentiana root (Long Dan Cao), 3g. One dose daily, decocted in water. Four doses will suffice.”

“Thank you.” With that, Qin Chaoyu confidently walked off the stage.

The classroom erupted in applause.