To the academic experts, Li Yundong maintained only a reserved respect. He sized up the neuro-oncology specialist, noting the man wasn't particularly tall, perhaps around five-foot-seven, with silver hair and a slightly receding hairline. His face was oily and overly plump, clearly the result of too many banquets, suggesting he was so saturated with tumors internally that it explained his specialty!

Illness often makes the best doctor!

Zhong Guofang glanced at Li Yundong and snorted inwardly. He was accustomed to people displaying awe and worship the moment his name was mentioned, especially patients who looked at him as if he were the Buddha or Guanyin herself.

But the aura emanating from the young man before him made him deeply uncomfortable. Although Li Yundong appeared young, his bearing was incredibly steady. When they walked into the room and caught him doing something inappropriate, he didn't panic at all; instead, he remained calm and composed, his gaze coolly assessing them, as if he were the attending physician of this stunning beauty.

Zhong Guofang intensely disliked this feeling of the guest acting like the host. Even high-ranking officials treated him with courtesy, because no matter how powerful one was, illness eventually struck, forcing them to seek help from experts like him.

Used to being praised, encountering someone like Li Yundong, who offered no adulation but instead scrutinized him with a doubtful gaze, naturally displeased him greatly.

Zhong Guofang turned away from Li Yundong, fixing his gaze on Zhou Qin, his expression softening as he inquired about her condition.

However, Zhou Qin offered him no pleasantries, speaking coolly and sparingly.

Li Yundong, ignoring the annoyed glares from the two other doctors beside him, listened carefully to the exchange between Zhong Guofang and Zhou Qin.

When he heard Zhong Guofang say, "I've seen the scans for your illness; it will likely require surgery, though we currently lack that technique domestically..."

The mention of surgery made Li Yundong jump as if his backside were on fire, and he shouted loudly, "No surgery!"

Li Yundong knew that Hua Tuo in the Three Kingdoms period possessed surgical skills, but from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, surgery was absolutely discouraged unless it was the absolute last resort.

Western surgery, sometimes in pursuit of a smaller scar when stitching, involved a horizontal incision. Whether cut across the body, back, hands, or feet, such a cut could sever one or even several meridians.

The human body has the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and the limbs possess the Twelve Primary Meridians. A horizontal cut across Zhou Qin's back, to say nothing else, would certainly ruin the Governing Vessel (Du Mai) near the spine, and the Bladder Meridian (Zu Taiyang Shenjing) and Kidney Meridian (Zu Shaoyin Shenjing) would almost certainly be severed as well. Even a vertical cut would sever the Du Mai.

Zhong Guofang and the two doctors turned to look at Li Yundong upon hearing his outburst. Zhong Guofang’s eyes held mockery and disdain: "And what great wisdom do you possess?"

One doctor was far less restrained, saying impatiently, "What do you know? Don't interrupt if you don't understand anything!"

Li Yundong suppressed his rising irritation and stated, "The human body is a great furnace; we must diligently store our vital energy (Yuan Qi). That is why we are taught not to speak while eating or discuss matters while lying down, advocating for a pure heart and few desires. If you make one cut, you don't just cleave open this furnace; you sever her Du Mai, causing the vital energy within her to flee by more than half. Are you saving her or harming her? Even if the tumor is removed and the stasis cleared, once the Du Mai is severed, it can never be repaired!"

Hearing this, Zhong Guofang turned and scrutinized Li Yundong from head to toe again: "Have you studied TCM?"

Li Yundong stated solemnly, "A little."

One doctor let out a derisive laugh: "What era is this, still believing in that stuff? Say, why don't you go buy some talisman water for her to drink? Oh, and what about rotten wood from coffins, or menstrual blood from women—aren't those all medicinal guides for TCM? Good stuff!"

The other doctor guffawed as well.

Li Yundong was aware of the animosity between TCM and Western medicine, but seeing Western practitioners denigrate TCM to this extent was a first for him. Anger flared in his chest, and he retorted without reservation, "Is that the depth of your understanding of TCM?"

The mocking doctor scoffed, "Oh? Then what profound understanding do you possess? Let's hear it!"

Li Yundong walked to Zhou Qin’s bedside, forcing down his fury, and said, "The tumor and stasis inside Zhou Qin can be dispersed through methods of guiding vital energy and practicing skill (Yun Qi Xing Gong), and can also be cleared using acupuncture. There is absolutely no need for surgery!"

The doctor burst into laughter again: "Guiding vital energy and practicing skill? Do you think you're a Qigong Master? Come on, Qigong Masters are all being arrested these days! Even that Li Yi, who caused such a stir recently, has been detained. Didn't you know?"

Zhong Guofang, who had been observing coldly, seized the opportunity to lecture Li Yundong: "Young man, history and countless facts have proven that all those self-proclaimed Qigong Masters and longevity gurus preaching everywhere ultimately cannot withstand the test of time and are exposed as frauds! Why has TCM declined? The fundamental reason is its lack of scientific basis; it is a pseudoscience! If you are truly keen on studying medicine, I can recommend you enroll in the most prestigious medical schools abroad."

Li Yundong was instantly furious!

The entire theoretical foundation and ultimate source of all cultivation practices stemmed from TCM theory, or rather, from the supreme canon of the cultivation world, China’s first medical text, The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon (Huangdi Neijing). Based on this book, various schools of cultivation arose, alongside other medical works, such as the extensive medical treatises within Baopuzi: Inner Chapters written by the grandmaster of the Alchemical School, Ge Hong.

Cultivation and TCM are inseparable: one who cultivates understands TCM, and one who understands TCM comprehends cultivation. This is the meaning behind the saying, "Of the ten paths, nine involve medicine."

But Zhong Guofang's words entirely dismissed TCM, which was tantamount to cutting off the roots of cultivation, and thus denying cultivation itself. What was the difference between that and digging up someone's ancestral graves?

As a cultivator, Li Yundong could not tolerate such an insult!

Li Yundong was enraged, and so he exploded. He gave Zhong Guofang a cold look, then turned to Zhou Qin and asked, "Do you have a mirror?"

Seeing the rising anger in Li Yundong’s brow, Zhou Qin immediately and cooperatively retrieved a compact mirror from under her pillow: "There is one in this vanity case."

Li Yundong took the compact case without ceremony, flipped it open, and pointed the mirror at Zhong Guofang. "Look at your eyes! Do you know what it means when your gaze is cloudy, and your eye sockets are dark and sunken? I’ll tell you: the eyes relate to the Liver. This is a sign of severe liver damage! You must be staying up late and eating erratically, and you likely enjoy drinking heavily, right?"

Without waiting for Zhong Guofang to retort, Li Yundong pointed at his hair: "Look at your hair. How old are you? Judging by your face, you certainly aren't over sixty, yet so much of your hair has turned white. Do you really think you are an immortal with black hair and a youthful face? I tell you, hair quality depends on the Kidneys. Someone in their fifties whose hair is this white almost certainly has a Kidney deficiency!"

Zhong Guofang was stunned by Li Yundong’s rapid-fire accusations. Before he could process it, Li Yundong reached out and twisted his shoulder, forcing him to turn his back.

The two doctors immediately shouted, "Hey, what are you doing?" and "A gentleman uses words, not his hands!"

Li Yundong turned and glared: "Shut up!"

The two doctors felt a stifling, imposing aura wash over them, startling them into sitting heavily on the edge of the adjacent bed. They tried to speak, but their mouths opened and closed, unable to utter a single word.

Zhong Guofang was now dumbfounded. He felt Li Yundong press both hands onto his lumbar region, right over his Kidneys, and a wave of soreness and numbness immediately surged through him, causing him to let out an involuntary "Ay-oh!"

Li Yundong sneered, "Hmph, sore and numb, are we? Know why that is? You have a Kidney deficiency—a severe, profound one! Do you often experience ringing in your ears at night? The ears relate to the Kidneys; tinnitus indicates a Kidney problem! You look bloated and corpulent, clearly due to frequent banquets, and judging by the look of things, you drink a lot, which has ruined your Liver!"

Saying this, Li Yundong grabbed Zhong Guofang’s wrist to feel his pulse, then reached out to pinch Zhong Guofang's cheek, forcing him to open his mouth so he could examine his tongue coating. He sneered again, "The Liver and Kidneys are interrelated. If your Liver is poor and you frequently stay up late, it will certainly affect your other internal organs. Moreover, your pulse is deep, slippery, yet weak, and your tongue is pale, fat, and coated white—this is the classic presentation of Yang Deficiency in the Kidneys! You must have a fondness for women and indulge excessively. Given your age, physical state, and such a strong desire for female company, you surely can't be without potent aphrodisiacs!"

Li Yundong’s words were like needles, each one piercing the expert scholar to his core: "You already suffer from a deep-seated syndrome of Kidney Yang Deficiency, yet you chase after beauty and rely on potent drugs. I tell you, if you continue like this, you will certainly die prematurely within five years!"

When this final sentence was uttered, the entire room fell silent. Zhong Guofang's face was ashen, his body trembling with rage. He pointed a shaking finger at Li Yundong, repeatedly stammering "You... you..." but failing to form a coherent sentence.

Deep down, he was utterly terrified, because Li Yundong had, in an instant, exposed every hidden aspect of his life, and every word struck agonizingly true.

The other two doctors looked at Zhong Guofang's expression, exchanging glances. Though they said nothing, they understood in their hearts that this young man had likely struck the crux of Zhong Guofang's weaknesses.

Suddenly, they began to feel uneasy themselves. Instinctively, they reached up to touch their own hair and the areas over their lumbar Kidneys, murmuring to themselves: Being a doctor is stressful enough, and the socializing never ends. Indulging in wine, women, and luxury is a common release. Lately, they’d noticed more gray hair and their lower backs often felt sore and weak. Could they, too, be suffering from Kidney Yang Deficiency?