After spending some time together, Professor Wang had clearly sensed the gap between his own medical skills and those of Mu Lin. Unlike Mu Lin, who had skillfully integrated the strengths of both traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine, forming a unique medical approach well-suited for Western society, Professor Wang felt that he had not achieved such a synthesis.
Yet, when he considered learning Mu Lin’s methods, he was acutely aware of his own advancing age and diminishing energy. Reflecting on his students and apprentices back home, he began to consider the idea of entrusting them to Mu Lin for further training.
It was well known that the transmission of traditional Chinese medicine typically relied on master-apprentice relationships, and a master would rarely pass on his most treasured techniques. Professor Wang was merely Mu Lin’s initial mentor—would Mu Lin even accept such a request? After much contemplation, and considering the bleak prospects of his apprentices and students back in China due to the declining status of TCM, he finally decided to bring up the matter with Mu Lin, hoping that Mu Lin would be willing to continue training these apprentices in his place.
At this time, Mu Lin was also troubled by a shortage of personnel. Seeing that Mu Lin had successfully opened a second clinic in New York, influential figures from other parts of the U country saw a glimmer of hope. If Mu Lin could establish a clinic in New York, why not in other cities? As a result, representatives from these figures began taking turns visiting New York, bombarding Mu Lin with endless requests. The two young female police officers now spent their days acting as receptionists and gift custodians. During meal times, they would complain bitterly to Mu Lin. Since it was hard to refuse someone who smiled and begged, Mu Lin now tried to hide whenever he saw their cars approaching.
Professor Wang’s suggestion came just in time, like a pillow for someone already drowsy. However, Mu Lin thought further and more strategically than Professor Wang. He considered what would happen once these apprentices arrived—what if he left the clinic one day due to his cultivation path or other reasons? Closing the clinic would mean taking away their livelihoods.
Therefore, he planned to have these influential figures step forward. Once the apprentices and students arrived, these figures would coordinate with the U country’s Family Medicine Board to establish a new certification system specifically for acupuncturists. This would allow direct qualification of these practitioners. In this way, even if Mu Lin were to leave, the profession could continue to thrive. Naturally, once this certification system became a legal standard in the U country, other countries would likely follow suit, gradually adopting it as well. This would allow acupuncturists to be directly certified in the West, significantly advancing the development of TCM in the Western world. As for certification for traditional herbal medicine practitioners, Mu Lin knew that this couldn’t rely solely on his efforts. But once acupuncture became a household name in the West, the certification of herbal medicine practitioners would naturally follow.
When Professor Wang heard Mu Lin’s ideas, he was deeply moved. This was something generations of Chinese people had long dreamed of achieving but had failed to realize. Now, with just one person, Mu Lin had effortlessly made it possible. It was an achievement that left Professor Wang so emotionally overwhelmed that he could only tightly grasp Mu Lin’s hands and shake them vigorously. Mu Lin, understanding his teacher’s feelings, simply allowed him to express his emotions freely.
After calming down, Professor Wang felt slightly embarrassed by his earlier emotional outburst. At a loss for words, the atmosphere grew quiet.
Seeing this, Mu Lin took the initiative to start discussing things with his teacher. “Professor Wang, are you still in touch with Professor Li? If possible, you could also contact other teachers you know.”
Professor Li was another of Mu Lin’s TCM mentors, a descendant of a renowned acupuncture family, from whom Mu Lin had learned his acupuncture techniques. Since he now had the ability to help others, it was natural to start with his own teachers. Mu Lin knew that his Western medicine mentors were likely already well-established and successful in China, so he didn’t consider reaching out to them. Still, if time permitted, he would like to visit these early mentors of his.
Professor Wang had originally thought it was already difficult enough to bring his own apprentices and students over. He was surprised when Mu Lin suggested contacting others as well. Could it be that Mu Lin didn’t want to train his own students? Puzzled, he hesitantly asked, “Mu Lin, I’m still in contact with Professor Li. I can give you his address right away. But why do you want to contact other teachers? Could it be that…”
Seeing his teacher’s hesitation, Mu Lin couldn’t help but smile. As people aged, their emotions often deepened, making them more attached to their loved ones. This was no different from Mu Lin himself, who, having spent years wandering far from home, also valued emotional bonds deeply. He hadn’t expected his usually open-minded teacher to be no exception. “Professor Wang, may I ask how many of your apprentices and students are there besides me?”
“There are nine more! Why?” Professor Wang asked in return.
“Then Professor, do you know how many acupuncturists I actually need right now?” Mu Lin replied with a question. Professor Wang shook his head.
“Alright then, let me explain. Think about it—there are 55 states in the U country. Excluding the smaller and more remote ones, we still need clinics in at least 40 cities. Given the non-profit nature of our clinics and our focus on high-end clients, each clinic would need at least four acupuncturists. Professor, that means we need at least 160 acupuncturists.” This statement left Professor Wang speechless.
“And this is just in the U country. Several European countries have also been strongly requesting that we open clinics there. Some have already lodged formal complaints through influential figures and embassies, accusing us of discrimination. So, in the near future, we will also need to establish clinics in Europe. Then, Professor, you can calculate how many acupuncturists we will need.” This left Professor Wang in deep thought for a long time before he finally snapped out of it.
“Son, I guess I really am getting old,” Professor Wang sighed.
“That’s why, Professor, I’d like you to contact Professor Li and see if he’s willing to come. If there are other teachers you know who are familiar with each other, and who have good skills and connections, I’d like you to reach out to them as well. I hope they would be willing to come and help oversee things. After all, as our operations expand, I won’t be able to manage everything alone. I hope you all, who are close to each other, can unite and help me maintain this foundation. We must not allow the Westerners to mock us.” Mu Lin explained his reasoning for contacting Professor Li. He also knew that Chinese intellectuals had long been known for their pride and mutual disdain, often leading to internal conflicts. Therefore, he made sure to clarify the stakes in advance.
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