Looking at the professor’s expressive face, Mu Lin began to speak slowly, “Professor, I just want to clarify one fact for you. Traditional Chinese medicine has been passed down for five thousand years in our country, ensuring the smooth continuation of our nation. Although it may not be as systematic in certain aspects of internal medicine and surgery as Western medicine—in other words, as scientific as you call it—I have two Western medicine teachers and one TCM teacher. However, during my three years of wandering, I have cured thousands upon thousands of patients. My skills are not something you need to doubt. Besides, your condition is just a minor issue!”
“Good heavens! A minor issue! This kid sure speaks lightly. But judging from his relaxed expression, maybe he really can cure this damned ailment of mine!” The professor continued to ponder.
If Mu Lin hadn’t wanted to avoid entangling himself in too many debts of gratitude, thus compromising his spiritual cultivation, he would never have taken the initiative to treat the professor to repay his teacher’s grace.
“Professor, you are Professor Weiss Lee’s teacher, and Lee is my teacher. Would I ever harm you?” Mu Lin spoke again.
“All right then, my boy, please proceed with the acupuncture!” said the professor. Mu Lin first took out three pills and handed them to the professor. “Professor, please take these!”
As the professor was about to put the wax-coated pills into his mouth, Mu Lin quickly snatched them back. “Oh! Sorry! My mistake—I didn’t explain clearly. Look, you need to remove the wax coating before chewing them.”
After swallowing the chewed pills, the professor took a sip of water and asked, “What kind of medicine is this? It’s sweet, tastes like bone, and has a fragrant aroma. Can you tell me what it is?”
“Do you understand Chinese herbal medicine?” With this single question, Mu Lin silenced the professor.
In fact, the three pills were a Blood-Nourishing Pill, a Vitality-Replenishing Pill, and a Dizziness-Relieving Pill. Even if he had told the professor their names, he wouldn’t have understood.
Mu Lin had the professor lie down for half an hour, giving him a massage during that time. Partly to help the medicine circulate, and partly to use his inner energy to gently nourish the professor’s damaged organs. Half an hour later, the professor had already fallen asleep.
Mu Lin took out the needles and gently sedated the professor’s sleep point. He selected several acupoints—Neiguan (P6), Taichong (LR3), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Fengchi (GB20), Zusanli (ST36), and Yanglingquan (GB34)—using a reinforcing technique. He stimulated these points in a cross pattern, directing energy through the right Neiguan and left Taichong. An hour and a half later, he removed the needles.
When the professor woke up, he exclaimed, “How did I fall asleep? Good Lord! This is the best sleep I’ve had in years! Now I believe you! Daniel Mu, please continue my treatment!”
Mu Lin couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Professor, the treatment is already complete!”
“No way! You haven’t even used those long needles on me yet, my boy. Please accept my apology! I’m sorry for thinking you were some kind of devil earlier!”
Now Mu Lin was even more amused. “While you were asleep, I finished the treatment. And these needles don’t necessarily hurt a lot. I won’t be leaving for a few days yet. If you still don’t feel better, I’ll gladly perform the acupuncture again in front of you!” After packing up his tools, Mu Lin took his leave, as he had another professor to visit the next day.
Before dawn the next day, a phone call startled Mu Lin, who had been practicing his cultivation.
Professor von Normann called early to inform Mu Lin that he had completely recovered. He hadn’t felt dizzy the entire night, slept soundly, and felt unusually refreshed upon waking. He even wanted to tell all his friends about it, just to make them jealous.
Mu Lin was taken aback. If word got out, he wouldn’t be able to get anything else done. He quickly tried to stop the professor, but the stubborn Professor von Normann wouldn’t listen.
Sure enough, before Mu Lin had even visited Professor Qicai Na, the professor had already called, asking him to bring his healing tools and sending a driver to pick him up at his home to treat him with bark, roots, and sewing needles.
If scholars in Western countries still viewed traditional Chinese medicine this way, then the general public must have an even more bizarre perception of it.
Shaking his head in resignation, Mu Lin quickly freshened up and had breakfast at the hotel. Before he could even get up, a hotel attendant approached him respectfully and informed him that the driver sent by Professor Qicai Na was already waiting outside the hotel, seemingly impatient that he was still taking his time despite knowing the professor had invited him. Mu Lin was surprised—it wasn’t even time for work yet.
The driver looked at Mu Lin in disbelief and asked again, “Are you really Doctor Daniel Mu?”
“I’m not a doctor, but I am Daniel Mu. Any problem?” The driver shook his head and drove off.
At Professor Qicai Na’s house, the tall, slightly overweight old man was already waiting in the living room.
“Oh! So you’re the student of my student Jack Zhang! Good heavens! I can’t believe it—you’re so young! How did you learn Zhang’s computer technology? You’re also an expert in material mechanics and medicine! Good heavens! You’re a genius! How did you treat that damned German old man? Hurry up and treat me! I won’t be like that old man—I’m not afraid of eating bark and roots or your sewing needles. I don’t want him to show off in front of me! You don’t know, I’ve had this chronic pain for decades—sometimes half my head feels like it’s going to explode! Can you cure this? Or do you only treat that German bastard?” The professor ranted dramatically.
“Come on! Even this has to be a competition?” Mu Lin was both amused and exasperated.
“As you wish, Professor! I’d be happy to help,” Mu Lin said, pulling out a stethoscope, blood pressure monitor, thermometer, medicine bottles, and other medical tools. When he took out the acupuncture needles, Professor Qicai Na looked at them with great interest.
Like a curious child, the professor asked, “So these are your sewing needles? Won’t they break?”
Mu Lin’s needles had been tempered with his own inner energy, making them like a set of magical artifacts. He bent them into various shapes, and the needles neither deformed nor broke.
Professor Qicai Na played with the needles for a while before handing them back to Mu Lin, declaring firmly, “Then let’s begin the acupuncture!” He sounded like a hero setting off to war, never to return.
Mu Lin couldn’t help but smile. “Please relax, Professor! I don’t know what Professor von Normann told you, but first, I’d like to check your blood pressure, listen to your breathing, examine your internal organs, review your medical reports and imaging scans. Finally, I will use the traditional Chinese method of pulse diagnosis to assess your condition. Once I’ve made a clear diagnosis, I will proceed with treatment only after your approval, and I will do my best to minimize your discomfort.”
“Oh! That old fraud told me that you only need to touch his hand to know what’s wrong with him, and then you make him take those terrible medicines made from bark and roots, and then you stick him all over with sewing needles like a brave warrior to get cured. But why are you acting like a real doctor now? Was he lying?” Professor Qicai Na spoke quickly, his face full of confusion.
Mu Lin knew Professor von Normann meant no harm—he was just a bit childish and wanted to show off. But he didn’t realize the medical regulations in the U.S. According to his description, Mu Lin really did sound like a witch doctor, missing only the animal-skin clothes and grass hat.
So Mu Lin explained, “Professor, as you know, I’ve only been here for a few months, and I don’t have a medical license. But I have three medical mentors—one traditional Chinese medicine master and two Western doctors, both of whom hold general practitioner licenses. One graduated from Duke University, and the other from MIT. Moreover, Western medicine is also one of the primary treatment methods in our country. Therefore, I use both diagnostic methods. Whichever is more effective, I will use. However, I need to examine you first before I can determine whether I can treat your condition. So, shall we proceed with the examination now?”
“Why not, my boy! Now that you’ve explained it like that, I feel much more at ease. You’re using a scientific approach. That damned German old man sure got you into a mess this time. Let’s begin!”
After completing the examination, Mu Lin told Professor Qicai Na, “Your condition is caused by high cholesterol, which has narrowed your cerebral blood vessels due to fat buildup. In addition, you had chronic otitis media in your left ear when you were young, which wasn’t fully treated, leading to nerve damage and causing frequent migraines. I can cure this for you, but please don’t go around telling everyone like Professor von Normann did.”
Hearing that he could be cured, Professor Qicai Na felt a great weight lifted from his heart and immediately promised not to spread the news.
Mu Lin then handed him a Pain-Relieving Pill, a Vitality-Replenishing Pill, and a Migraine-Relieving Pill. After he swallowed them, Mu Lin began massaging his head. Half an hour later, Professor Qicai Na also fell asleep. Mu Lin then inserted needles into six acupoints: Taiyang (EX-HN5), Tongliangu (GB8), Waiguan (SJ5), Fengchi (GB20), Sidu (SJ9), and Yanglingquan (GB34), using a balanced reinforcing and reducing technique. Half an hour later, he removed the needles and woke the professor up.
“How did I fall asleep again? Good heavens! This is the best sleep I’ve had in years! Now I believe you even more! Daniel Mu, please treat me as soon as possible!” Professor Qicai Na’s words were almost identical to the previous professor’s. It took Mu Lin quite a while to explain that such miraculous healing techniques did indeed exist.
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