Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2231 Relapse of Old Illnesses is the Most Difficult to Treat
The food was very elaborate, and the three of them ate with great enjoyment. It was clear that the painter Fang's appetite was getting better and better.

"Sister Fang mentioned five illustrators. Looking at it from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine... it does indeed subtly align with the Five Elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth). There's a special background to this, which I'll briefly explain so you two can have a reference point. So far, I can basically conclude that the old gentleman is most likely a successor of the Daoist medical school; at the very least, he's not an amateur! A few days ago, in the evening or late at night, I was suddenly attacked on the road. Now it seems those two were probably also successors of Daoist or martial arts medicine; at the very least, they have a deep connection with these two traditional Chinese medicine schools. Previously, I had doubts..." "After your two hints, I've slowly started to discern some special implications from the previously unclear details. That's right! They both bear traces of the Taoist medical school, or at least have a very close relationship. The old-fashioned oil lamp in the painting symbolizes 'fire,' and it's a symbol that's neither entirely ancient nor modern, neither entirely Chinese nor entirely Western. It's a veiled criticism of our attempts to combine Chinese and Western medicine as pure nonsense, a hodgepodge that ended up with such a clumsy, neither-here-nor-there old-fashioned kerosene lamp. And what was the result? How far could that light even reach?! That's roughly the meaning." Putting down his chopsticks, Bian Mu smiled and speculated a few times.

The two ladies looked at each other for a few seconds. The eldest daughter of the Zhong family smiled, nodded slightly, and said nothing.

"While your explanation might seem a bit far-fetched from our perspective as painters, it does make sense logically and in terms of artistic principles. At least the logic is sound. Also, looking at it from a professional standpoint, that painting... the core of the entire work is that drab kerosene lamp. The composition, coloring, and detail modifications... a great deal of effort and time were invested in every aspect. Now that I think about it, it was indeed a work of dedication. The later objects, however, have a somewhat 'flat and vulgar' feel to them, and nothing is particularly outstanding. But it is definitely of professional quality. If their true identity is indeed that of Taoist healers, then... it must have been quite difficult for them to complete such a painting. It is indeed very well done and shows a lot of skill." As he spoke, as if he suddenly realized something, the painter Fang gradually stopped talking and didn't say anything more.

"Really? Well... if we analyze it from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, some of the logical details make sense. For example, the sect that old man belongs to is probably a branch of Taoist medicine. They have always believed that the key to activating the medicine cauldron lies in the word 'fire,' Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements. As long as they break through the 'fire' key first, the key points from the other four perspectives will gradually become logical and integrated. The activation code of the medicine cauldron may then be unlocked. Once they break through this layer, it will be a natural process for them to use the medicine cauldron to research extraordinary new Chinese patent medicines. That's probably the logic..." Bian Mu seemed a little excited as he said this.

"That seems to be the case... So what happened next?" Miss Zhong asked curiously.

"Later, they came up empty-handed. They never quite grasped the most basic things, and their ideas were all 'new.' The natural generational differences caused by their age limited them. They kept working behind closed doors until now, and when they ran out of new ideas, they finally thought of me," Bian Mu replied with a smile.

"What's new about this place? I mean, what's new about your side?" Painter Fang interjected curiously.

"One of these points is that, in fact, the boundaries between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine are becoming increasingly blurred in contemporary medicine. At least, that's the case for our 'numerical medicine' school. In short, whether it's traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine, let's call them all medicine for now. The underlying logic of medicine seems to be medical chemistry, the underlying logic of medical chemistry is actually all physics, the underlying logic of physics is all mathematics, and the underlying logic of mathematics is mathematics itself. So... layer by layer, the underlying logic of traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese herbal medicine must all be attributed to mathematics. The first character of our school is precisely 'numerical'! In this respect, those older generations who have spent their whole lives pondering this point can only rely on traditional arithmetic at most. Compared to us, they are far inferior. This kind of thing requires a fairly profound mathematical foundation, which they can't handle. So... after stumbling and struggling for most of their lives, they finally found their way to us..." While explaining, Bian Mu gradually sorted out some of the previously vague and ambiguous things.

I'm so happy!
"Oh...that seems to make sense! Well...if you and Ms. Fang examine it together, it won't be difficult to decipher the special meaning in that painting!" Miss Zhong said with a smile.

"It's less of a letter and more of a plea for help!" Painter Fang joked with a smile.

Hahaha... The three of them couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Chatting and laughing, the three of them ate with great relish, and even the eldest daughter of the Zhong family was sweating...

……

After leaving the restaurant, Miss Zhong insisted on having her own car take Painter Fang back to her parents' house. Painter Fang knew that Miss Zhong would never come to her parents' house without a reason, and that she must have something important to discuss with Bian Mu this time. She felt that it would be awkward for Miss Zhong to speak while she was standing by. So, without any hesitation, Painter Fang got into the car and went straight to her parents' house to rest.

……

They found a decent-looking coffee shop by the roadside, and Bian Mu accompanied Miss Zhong to a casual seat for a chat.

“You know my brother, he’s so stubborn, he won’t listen to any of our advice. Lately, his teeth haven’t been working well, and he always seems to drink too much water. I forced him to go to Beiqi to have a full checkup with some acquaintances. They said… all of my brother’s teeth might fall out soon, and his energy and spirit will decline significantly. If this continues, he won’t be able to continue working, and he might not even be able to live a normal life for the rest of his life… My father is very worried, and recently he’s been showing signs of losing his appetite. That’s why he called me back to come up with a solution! What do you think about this…”

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu was secretly taken aback.

This is what special patients like Zhong Xiangxin are most afraid of. Bian Muqian had repeatedly warned him beforehand, but it seems to have no effect at all. He still does whatever he wants. Isn't this a disaster?!
Relapses of old illnesses are often the most difficult to treat!

This is especially true for patients like the Zhong family, who have a special status. Even if Bian Mu's medical skills were to improve by another level, he would still be somewhat powerless to treat the lingering effects of Zhong Xiangxin's unruly behavior. There's no other reason than that, given the extent of the damage to his vital energy, how easy is it to simply patch it up?
To put it bluntly, Zhong Xiangxin is like a tattered brocade robe that is beyond repair. It looks good in every way, but it's not even 40% alive. It might fall apart if you just touch it with a needle and thread or scissors. So how can you cure it?!