Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2039 Arms Where Horses Could Run
In early autumn, the rain belt lingered over the area around Lijin for quite some time. In the last few days, it finally moved south. Although the long-awaited sun has not yet appeared over Lijin, the air temperature has dropped significantly. At least the clothes that were hung out to dry at night are basically dry by the next morning.

The Lianhu Scenic Area features warm pavilions, antique-style buildings with steel-reinforced foundations and several layers of wooden building materials on the outside. The actual solid wood content is probably no more than 20%, with most of the material being composite boards. This isn't because the developers wanted to save money and deceive tourists; given the location's proximity to water and its distance from the city center, coupled with the fact that the buildings are mostly vacant, solid wood boards would be prone to warping, insect infestation, and rapid rot. Moreover, this would, to some extent, increase fire hazards.

The heated pavilions are like private rooms, which are much more convenient to use in autumn and winter. They are equipped with underfloor heating and central air conditioning installed in the ceiling and interior walls. Regardless of size, each heated pavilion is equipped with a dedicated waiter or waitress who will come whenever needed.

Tea tasting, banquets, business negotiations, personal meditation... all kinds of tourists visit this kind of place.

Naturally, the cost is relatively higher. The basic package fee and service fee are charged separately, and tea, food and other items are charged separately. They are charged by the hour. Moreover, it is customary for most customers to give the service staff a small tip. All these things add up, and the cost of the so-called "warm room" can be quite considerable. In any case, most ordinary wage earners in Lijin City never come to such places to spend money.

Bian Mu practices his skills every day and pays close attention to his diet. Especially after his income gradually increased, he became more and more particular about his diet. As a result, his innate energy resonates with the essence of his external diet, and he can also eliminate waste and gas from his body in a timely manner every day. Now, Bian Mu's physique is far beyond that of a person who is strong and healthy.

Bian Mu wasn't sure how well his other TCM practitioners maintained their physical condition. He always adhered to the principle of strict self-discipline and comprehensive conditioning regarding his own health. In his view, if a professional TCM doctor presented himself with a hunched back, sallow complexion, obesity, premature baldness, etc., how could patients and their families possibly view him?!

After the continuous rain, the local temperature dropped by at least 5 degrees Celsius. Bian Mu was wearing a shirt on his upper body, with a regular thick or thin jacket on top, which was not zipped up. He was only wearing black trousers. If he walked fast, he would even sweat slightly.

As they approached the door of the pre-arranged warm room, Bian Mu felt that it was a bit early to choose such a place for the meeting. Of course, perhaps the Qi family relative was a little weak and his three jiaos were not very smooth, so he was a little afraid of the cold when the seasons changed.

"You're here! Um... please sit down!" The relative remained seated, without getting up to offer any courtesy whatsoever.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Is it a bit hot in the room?" Bian Mu said politely with a smile.

"Are you hot? I don't think so... You just came in from outside, it's normal for there to be a temperature difference..." The relative's tone was somewhat cold, not at all like someone talking to their own sister's boyfriend.

Bian Mu immediately felt that this relative in front of him was being a bit pretentious.

The cousin was older than Bian Mu had imagined. His clothes were in the same style as Lu Yisi's: casual, elegant, and covered in designer brands. He seemed to be half a head taller than Lu Yisi when he sat there. Although he was not yet forty years old, his hair was already gray and brittle. Fortunately, he did not have many white hairs. It seemed that the person in front of him did not have good blood circulation.

With thick, ink-black eyebrows and eyes that were neither too big nor too small, he didn't wear glasses. When he looked at strangers, his eyes always held a hint of gloomy coldness. Bian Mu had seen countless people and knew that he was just like that; it wasn't specifically targeting him. If the guest who came in at this moment was much better than him in every way, Bian Mu bet this relative would immediately change his expression and look.

The wristwatch was dazzling, a famous brand, but... the cost should be no more than 10. There were no rings, bracelets, necklaces or other jewelry. In terms of temperament, this relative was quite impressive. He looked like a gentleman, a graduate of a prestigious university, working in a good company, and from a decent family background—the kind of gentleman that's very popular these days.

My first impression was pretty good; at least I didn't run into a spoiled brat.

The waiter who followed her in served her cousin coffee, a very strong kind, while Bian Mu only ordered a glass of water. Plenty of dried and fresh fruits and vegetables had already been prepared, so everyone helped themselves. The waiter politely declined and then went to wait in the duty area.

It was indeed a bit hot inside, so Bian Mu naturally draped his jacket over the back of the chair.

That relative was wearing a two-piece casual outfit, the outermost layer of which probably contained a lot of pure cashmere. Bian Mu felt that it was something that should only be worn in winter! The heating wasn't on yet, and the air conditioning was the adaptive type of central air conditioning. This relative's health was definitely not very good.

"Xiaowei said you're usually very busy, so I'll get straight to the point. The kind of complex traditional Chinese bone-setting and shaping surgery you usually perform must have a theoretical basis, right?" The relative asked with a frown.

"Well... it's a combination of the strengths of many schools of thought... and also incorporates some of my personal medical knowledge," Bian Mu replied somewhat vaguely.

"Oh! So that means... you're not a direct descendant of the orthodox lineage of traditional Chinese medicine?"

"Hehe... As you know, over a hundred years ago, traditional Chinese medicine lacked a truly complete understanding of anatomy. So... what you call 'orthodox and proper' wouldn't be able to fully and accurately explain that kind of delicate surgery. Let me put it this way, that kind of delicate Chinese surgery should be classified under the new stage of traditional Chinese medicine. In other words, those so-called orthodox and proper masters couldn't do this kind of new Chinese bone-setting and shaping surgery that fully conforms to modern medical surgical standards. For example, they absolutely couldn't make the alloy surgical instruments I'm using now. In those days, materials science hadn't even reached the level of having a separate department in universities. Metallurgy, forging, precision machining... they couldn't touch any of these aspects. Furthermore, the specific shape and size of some special needles are precisely calculated on computers using advanced mathematical tools such as differentials, definite integrals, and limits. Even if those famous doctors were geniuses, they wouldn't have been able to do that..." Bian Mu almost burst out laughing at this point, managing to hold back for a long time before finally managing not to lose his composure on the spot.

The cousin's expression immediately became somewhat awkward.

It's clear that this relative is incredibly intelligent; he instantly understood most of the information conveyed in Bian Mu's words.

Speechless for a moment, all the prepared remarks were disrupted by Bian Mu's professional explanation, and the somewhat arrogant cousin didn't know how to continue the conversation.

Since they were relatives, I couldn't be too impolite, so Bian Mu smiled and continued to explain: "Actually... different professions are like different worlds. There is a very troublesome problem with performing this kind of new Chinese surgery... the doctor performing the surgery needs to have some skills, for example, being able to control his qi quite freely. You see..." As he spoke, Bian Mu rolled up two-thirds of the sleeve of his right shirt.

He subtly drew upon some internal energy from his dantian, his mind following his thoughts, guiding the energy through his meridians... Bian Mu extracted a stream of pure energy from a meridian on his back, pausing for a few seconds at each major acupoint...

In less than 10 seconds, a bulging, egg-sized air bubble had accumulated on the inside of Bian Mu's right elbow, as if a tumor had suddenly grown there.

Upon seeing this, the relative was clearly taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Now I'm letting this bubble wander freely back and forth on my arm, and it's getting faster and faster, you watch!" As he spoke, Bian Mu, as if performing magic, used his mind to guide the small ball of air back and forth on the inside of his right arm, and the speed kept increasing...

That relative was completely dumbfounded...