Chapter 239


    Li Yundong on a Roll


    After the awkward and almost confrontational greeting (if it could even be called a greeting), Dr . Zhong began to exin to Zhou Qin the intricacies of her condition . Like Uncle Zhou, Li Yundong stood beside Zhou Qin''s bed and listened to Dr . Zhong''s every word .


    Dr . Zhong was a plump, rotund man with a full head of white hair and a slightly receding hairline . The man wasn''t tall . Li Yundong would put his height at around 170cm, which was nowhere enough topensate for the man''srge girth; hence the rotundity .


    One thing about the Dr . Zhong did stick out at Li Yundong: his confidence . When the guy spoke, he expected everyone in the room to listen to him . Even his colleague—the other doctor who came in—seemed a bit hesitant to voice out his thoughts even though his face clearly showed that he had a few points of his own to add . Then again, Dr . Zhong was a famous expert in the country, so he was probably used to people looking at him like he was a Buddha or Avalokiteshvara .


    For some reason, Dr . Zhong reminded Li Yundong of Yan Hua .


    At some point during Dr . Zhong''s lecture, Li Yundong stole a nce at Zhou Qin .


    It would seem that Zhou Qin''s Ice-Queen demeanor was back in full force . She sat on the bed with her back ramrod straight, giving nomittal single-word answers whenever Dr . Zhong inquired about her condition or asked her questions . Dr . Zhong sounded kind and loving when he spoke to Zhou Qin, though for some strange reason, Zhou Qin seemed a bit annoyed with Dr . Zhong .


    "And now, Miss Zhou… Regarding your treatment options . . . " Dr . Zhong suddenly cleared his throat . "After a thorough review of your case, it seems to me that you''ll most likely require surgery . "


    Li Yundong tensed up at the mention of surgery . What the heck? His eyes darted briefly to Uncle Zhou, who stood stoically beside Zhou Qin''s bed .


    "The only problem is that it is impossible to carry out the procedure within the country," Dr . Zhong continued . "I''m sorry to say that we do not have the proper equipment to facilitate the procedure—"


    "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second here," Li Yundong cut in . "Surgery? I thought . . . " He nced at Uncle Zhou once again . "But what about the risks?"


    "Oh?" Dr . Zhong turned away from the bed and raised a brow at Li Yundong . "Do you have a better way then?"


    Li Yundong met Dr . Zhong''s challenging gaze with a steely look of his own .


    The other, after Uncle Zhou mentioned about the risks of removing the blood clot from Zhou Qin''s spinal column via surgery, Li Yundong went home and did some digging .


    And his research revealed another consequence of the surgery that was far more devastating than Zhou Qin losing all her motor functions: it was unlikely for Zhou Qin to even make it out of the surgery alive, let alone walk again .


    Yes . Zhou Qin would die if she went through with the procedure .


    And the reason for that was so simple that Li Yundong had wanted to smack himself for not realizing it sooner: the Du Meridian runs along the spinal column; if they cut open Zhou Qin''s spinal region, her Du Meridian would be severed .


    "What do you know anyway, kid?" said Dr . Zhong''s colleague . "You should keep quiet if you don''t know what you''re talking about . "


    Li Yundong ignored the other doctor and turned to Dr . Zhong instead .


    "I urge you to reconsider, Dr . Zhong," Li Yundong pleaded . "She wouldn''t survive the surgery . "


    "There are always risks when ites to surgery," Dr . Zhong said patiently . "But that''s just it . Those are only risks . She needs surgery if she wants to make aplete recovery . There''s just no other way . The risks might be worth it if it means that Miss Zhou can stand up again . "


    "Not in this case," Li Yundong said insistently . "The chances of Zhou Qin surviving the procedure is close to nil . "


    Li Yundong heard two sharp intakes of breaths beside him . When he nced sideways, he caught a glimpse of Uncle Zhou and Zhou Qin''s shocked expressions .


    Dr . Zhong frowned and exchanged a look with his colleague . "That''s a rather bold im, don''t you think?" Dr . Zhong studied Li Yundong''s face for a moment . "How, may I ask, did you arrive at that conclusion?"


    "Well, the Du Meridian runs along the spinal column," Li Yundong said . "So if you cut open that area—"


    "Wait, you know Traditional Chinese Medicine?" Dr . Zhong interrupted him rudely .


    Li Yundong sighed . "Yes . I dabbled in it a little . "


    Dr . Zhong shared yet another look with his colleague . Secondster, the two doctors started chuckling and shaking their heads .


    "With all due respect," Li Yundong said in a tight voice . "This is noughing matter . Like I said—"


    "Say, kid," said Dr . Zhong''s colleague . "What year do you think we''re living in, eh?" There was a pregnant pause . "Nobody believe in all that stuff anymore . " The doctor rolled his eyes . "I mean, you might as well feed Miss Zhou a vial of enchanted water if you still believe in all that Traditional Chinese Medicine crap . "


    Li Yundong stared at the doctor for a few seconds, aghast at theplete travesty of Traditional Chinese Medicine that the doctor had just spouted .


    Enchanted water? Seriously?


    "Your understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine is wed I''m afraid," Li Yundong said .


    Dr . Zhong''s colleague stoppedughing instantly .


    "Oh?" The doctor raised a brow challengingly . "Why don''t you enlighten us then?" Then, he gestured at Zhou Qin''s bed with a hand . "What type of treatment n do you propose to treat Miss Zhou''s condition?"


    Li Yundong narrowed his eyes at the doctor .


    "With improved blood cirction, the blood clot will eventually disperse on its own," Li Yundong said without taking his eyes off the doctor . "And Traditional Chinese Medicine has a lot of good ways to enhance blood flow . The most effective method is Qi control . But there are other methods such as acupuncture and massage—"


    The doctorughed again . "Tsk . Tsk . Did you hear that, Dr . Zhong?" He nced at Dr . Zhong . "This kid is trying to teach us, trained medical professionals, by spouting all these nonsense . Qi control, he says . " The doctor snorted and rolled his eyes . "Please . Don''t you know that most Qigong masters in the country were arrested and convicted of fraud?"


    Li Yundong exhaled slowly . "Just because there are a bunch of frauds out there operating under the banner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it doesn''t mean tha—"


    "Listen, young man," Dr . Zhong cut in abruptly . "History have shown over and over again that these so-called Qigong masters were all chatans . And the same goes for those traditional nutritionists or practitioners of alternative medicine . Don''t you see what the problem is? The problem is that none of their methods could withstand the test of time . " Dr . Zhong paused to look at Li Yundong . "Why do you think that Traditional Chinese Medicine, despite its long history, had failed to establish a strong foothold in the world of medicine? Obvious, isn''t it? It''s because Traditional Chinese Medicine isn''t based on scientific principles . It''s a pseudoscience, not a legitimate science . " Dr . Zhong sighed heavily . "Look, if you''re really serious about medicine, then I suggest you enroll to a good medical school and start from there, okay?"


    A wry chuckle escaped Li Yundong''s lips as he shook his head .


    At the end of the day, it wouldn''t matter how he put forth his points or how he presented his case to them . Hell, he could write a frigging thesis that put forward a cogent treatment n based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, and they would still dismiss it as quackery .


    These doctors were already prejudiced to begin with . To them, Traditional Chinese Medicine was nothing but nonsense .


    Li Yundong nced over at Uncle Zhou and Zhou Qin, then looked back towards the doctors again . He didn''t really have to waste his breath trying to convince the two doctors, of course . Ultimately, the final decision was still up to Zhou Qin . All Li Yundong had to do was make Zhou Qin stand up before then, and everything would be fine .


    But still, Li Yundong had to admit that the two doctors'' tant dismissal of Traditional Chinese Medicine rubbed him the wrong way .


    "Look, I fully acknowledge your expertise, Dr . Zhong," Li Yundong said with a gracious smile . "You''re the best in your field, I get it . But I still think it''s a bit unfair to dismiss Traditional Chinese Medicine just like that without considering its merits . "


    "Merits?" Dr . Zhong''s colleague scoffed . "We just told you that—"


    Li Yundong silenced the man with a raised palm .


    "Please allow me to demonstrate to you what Traditional Chinese Medicine really is . " Li Yundong paused and gave each doctor a pointed look . "Until then? Please reserve your judgements . "


    Despite the doctor''s protests, Li Yundong pushed past them and strode into the bathroom . Secondster, Li Yundong returned with a Zhou Qin''s makeup kit, which he had grabbed from the bathroom counter .


    Li Yundong flipped open the kit and held it in front of Dr . Zhong''s face .


    "Take a look at yourself in the mirror, Dr . Zhong," Li Yundong said . "Pay attention to your eyes . Do you think they look healthy?" Li Yundong didn''t wait for an answer . "Well, I''ll be blunt with you, Dr . Zhong . This is the unhealthiest pair of eyes I''ve ever seen in my life . " He paused for a second . "The eyes of a healthy person will be clear and sharp . Yours look murky and cloudy, like there''s some kind of opaque substance coating them . The dark circles around your eyes are pretty telling as well . And also the fact that your eyes look totally sunken . " Li Yundong raised a brow . "Based on these physical symptoms and, of course, my understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I have a pretty good guess of what Dr . Zhong''s daily habits are . Including his vices . "


    Li Yundong smirked and nced at everyone in the room .


    Zhou Qin and Uncle Zhou were both looking at him curiously .


    "Yeah right," Dr . Zhong''s colleague scoffed .


    Li Yundong ignored the man and looked Dr . Zhong right in the eye .


    "Tell me, Dr . Zhong… . How long have you been struggling with your drinking problem?"


    There was a gasp .


    "Wha… H- How . . . How d- did you . . . "


    "The eyes are connected to the liver," Li Yundong exined . "One look at your eyes is enough to tell me that your liver health is severelypromised . And yourck of sleep is pretty obvious from the dark circles around your eyes, which is understandable since you''re a doctor with a busy schedule . Sleep deprivation does affect liver health, but not to this extent . " Li Yundong gestured at Dr . Zhong''s eyes . "Something else is messing up your liver . You''re an alcoholic . "


    Silence permeated Room 502 . Gone were the doctors'' condescending and smug attitude . Instead, they looked utterly mortified .


    Li Yundong didn''t n to just stop there though .


    "And then your hair," Li Yundong said, closing the kit with a snap . "All your hair has gone white, but you don''t look that old to me . From your face, I''ll put your age around fifty-ish . " He handed the kit back to Zhou Qin and nced at Dr . Zhong . "Your premature greying implies severe kidney problems . "


    Dr . Zhong''s eyes widened when Li Yundong suddenly approached him .


    "H- Hey, hey . . . what are you—Argh!"


    Li Yundong jabbed two spots on Dr . Zhong''s lower back with his thumbs .


    "You felt that, didn''t you?" Li Yundong smirked, easing the pressure of his thumbs slightly . "Renal Yin Deficiency, that''s what you have, doctor . "


    "Renal—What? That''s nonsense!" Dr . Zhong twisted his back away from Li Yundong''s hands and shot him a re .


    "Nonsense?" Li Yundong raised a brow . "Is the constant ringing you''ve been experiencing in the middle of the night nonsense too?"


    Dr . Zhong gasped . "How could you possibly—"


    "The ears and the kidneys are linked," Li Yundong said tly . "That''s how I know . "


    Ignoring the angry flush on Dr . Zhong''s face, Li Yundong gave Dr . Zhong''s body a quick once-over .


    "You don''t exercise at all, do you?" Li Yundong''s eyes darted briefly to Dr . Zhong''s face, focusing on his double chin . "Your body fat levels are way too high…" Li Yundong paused in thought . "I suppose that makes sense considering your drinking problems . Alcohol contains a lot of calories after all . "


    Li Yundong reached over to and grabbed Dr . Zhong''s wrist .


    "Hey!" Dr . Zhong protests .


    "Shh!" Li Yundong raised a ringer, then spent the next minute giving Dr . Zhong a pulse reading .


    Suddenly, Li Yundong looked up at Dr . Zhong''s face .


    "Open your mouth," Li Yundong said .


    "What? No!" Dr . Zhong lookedpletely affronted at that point .


    Li Yundong rolled his eyes and pinched Dr . Zhong''s cheeks until thetter''s mouth dropped open . Then, he peered into the man''s mouth, wincing when he saw Dr . Zhong''s tongue .


    Li Yundong shook his head and pushed on Dr . Zhong''s lower jaw until the man''s mouth clicked shut .


    "Slightly swollen tongue? Weak pulse?" Li Yundong said, ticking the items off on his fingers . "Again, these are all symptoms of Renal Yin Deficiency . " Li Yundong lowered his hand . "The liver and kidneys are integral to overall health . Not only that, but your liver and kidneys also depend on each other . Whenever either organ ispromised, the rest of your internal organs will be affected as well . " Li Yundong held up five fingers . "Five years . You''re going to run into serious health problems in five years if you don''t change your lifestyle, Dr . Zhong . " He lowered his hand . "Of course, I can''t predict the exact illness or illnesses that you''ll be experience in five years . That''s beyond the scope Traditional Chinese Medicine and more towards Western Medicine''s domain . But I know beyond a single doubt that your health will suffer a devastating blow in about five years . "