Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1219 Five Elements and Six Qi, Nine Apertures Ice-Drawing Technique (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 4K Chapters)

Zhang Li took half a step forward and said with certainty, "My mother was born in 1931, on the third day of the fifth lunar month, at Chen time in the morning. She also said that our birth charts didn't match. I remember it very clearly, there's no mistake."

Upon hearing this, Master Haiteng stopped spinning his prayer beads and began chanting incantations, as if he were performing some kind of divination.
"In the year of Xinwei, the month of Guisi, the day of Gengchen, and the hour of Gengchen... In the Five Elements and Six Qi, this year is characterized by insufficient water element, with Taiyin damp earth ruling the heavens and Taiyang cold water in the springs. In the year of Wuwu, the fire element was excessive, with the sovereign fire ruling the heavens. This year, fire and earth clashed, scorching the marrow and sea of ​​qi..."

After a while, Master Haiteng frowned, and his chanting grew softer and softer, as if he were exchanging secret signals with someone:

"Born on a Gengchen day in the Guisi month, with two Geng stems appearing in the Heavenly Stems, the metal energy is too strong, which weakens the wood energy, causing the liver wood to become unsoothed and prone to internal wind... The Chen hour belongs to earth, and two Chen are damp earth, which buries metal and stores water, causing phlegm and blood stasis to secretly arise..."

"The Xinwei year pillar, earth and metal mutually generate each other, dampness is hidden inside, Gui water sits on Si, water and fire fight each other, the innate water and fire are not in balance... In 1978 Wuwu, the fire luck is too strong, the sovereign fire is in charge of the sky, the ministerial fire is in the spring, the two fires attack together, triggering the hidden evil, rushing up to the marrow sea, and combining with the original dampness and stagnation, like oil into fire..."

He spoke faster and faster, spouting terms like "heavenly talisman," "annual gathering," and "Taiyi heavenly talisman," leaving Old Zhang scratching his head in disbelief. Secretary Huang also quietly moved closer to Fang Yan, his eyes filled with confusion as to "what is he talking about?"

Zhang Li looked completely bewildered, only understanding the words "birthday" and "this year," and her hand gripping the hem of her clothes tightened involuntarily.

The dialect did reveal some clues; it was about matching the patient's birth date with the Five Elements and Six Qi of the year of their fortune. However, the old monk explained the interactions of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches in too much detail, mixing in a lot of Taoist medical terminology, which is why it sounded like gibberish to onlookers.

Master Haiteng muttered for a while before suddenly stopping, opening his eyes and saying:

"I see."

Old Zhang quickly asked:
"Master, what's the story behind this?"

Master Haiteng opened his mouth, about to speak, but was interrupted by the movement of his prayer beads, as if he was considering how to explain these profound principles in a more accessible way.

The local dialect has already taken the pulse.

He summarized to Master Hai Deng:
"The patient's left pulse was deep, thready and hesitant, while his right pulse was wiry and slippery. His tongue was dark purple with little coating, his face was pale and his lips were dark. He was in a coma and had a history of limb rigidity and convulsions."

"Judging from the pulse and symptoms, this condition is caused by phlegm and blood stasis intertwined in the body, liver wind running rampant inside, and deficiency of vital energy."

"The pulse in my left hand is deep, thin, and rough. A deep pulse indicates that the disease is inside the body; a thin pulse indicates insufficient qi and blood; and a rough pulse indicates that there is blood stasis blocking the pulse... This corresponds to liver and kidney yin deficiency and blood vessels in the brain being blocked."

"You should know that the brain, this 'sea of ​​marrow,' needs to be nourished by the essence and blood of the liver and kidneys. Now, blood stasis and toxins are taking up space inside, preventing the essence and blood from reaching it, which has led to this kind of pulse."

"The pulse on the right hand is wiry and slippery."

“A wiry pulse indicates liver wind, while a slippery pulse indicates phlegm and dampness. This shows that phlegm and dampness have been generated in the body, which has also triggered liver wind.”

“When Aunt Wang had an attack, she would convulse and say she saw ‘insects crawling’. This is a clear manifestation of phlegm and blood stasis blocking her senses and liver wind disturbing her upwards.”

"In addition, we just looked at her tongue. The tongue body was purplish-dark like pig liver, and the tongue coating was dry and sparse. This is obviously due to blood stasis turning into heat and damaging the yin fluid. Her pale face and dark lips are caused by the consumption of vital energy and the blockage of meridians by blood stasis, which prevents the qi and blood from reaching her face."

After speaking in dialect, he turned to Master Haiteng, cupped his hands, and said:
"Master, you just deduced the pathogenesis from the birth chart and its associated energy, and compared it with these symptoms and pulse findings. You must have gained a deeper understanding. Please enlighten me, Master."

"In your opinion, is the root cause of this phlegm and blood stasis and liver wind truly, as indicated by the Five Elements and Six Qi theory, related to one's innate constitution and the excessive fire element this year?"

Master Haiteng stopped spinning his prayer beads, his gaze falling on Wang Huiyuan, and slowly spoke:
"Fang Xiaoyou's diagnosis is clear. The root cause is indeed inseparable from her innate endowment and timely fortune. In her birth chart, there are 'two Geng clashing with wood,' which is like two old locust trees in a garden that insist on squeezing out the green bamboo by the wall. This liver wood is suppressed, which is prone to generating stagnant fire. Just like the green bamboo breaks when it encounters the wind, this is the innate root cause of her liver wind stirring internally."

He paused, noticing that many people around him looked blank, and finally turned to the only dialect he could understand, saying:
“And ‘Double Earth’ is like the sticky soil in a garden, which turns into a swamp when soaked by rainwater, thus generating phlegm and dampness. This year, the fire element is too strong, like being exposed to the sun for days on end. The swamp steams up miasma, which is blown by the wind straight to the eaves. Isn’t this exactly how phlegm and blood stasis are attacked by the fire element?”

After he finished speaking, the people around him still looked blank.

He smiled and shook his head.

At this point, the dialect explained:
"This is the Five Elements and Six Qi from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine."

Seeing that Old Zhang and his daughter, Secretary Huang, and the rest of the group all looked confused, Fang Yan decided to explain in more straightforward terms:
"To put it bluntly, Aunt Wang is naturally prone to phlegm and blood stasis. This year, the weather has been particularly hot and dry, which is like adding fuel to the fire of these phlegm and blood stasis, which then spread all the way to her brain. The master used the analogy of trees and mud in the garden to say that this disease is a combination of congenital factors and acquired bad luck."

There was no other way; they wouldn't understand even a professional explanation, so I simply explained it in a simple way, just enough for them to get the gist of it.

Old Zhang suddenly realized what was happening, rubbing his hands together and asking anxiously:

"Then...can it be cured? We can't just watch her fall asleep like this."

Old Zhang was completely confused and almost asked Master Hai Deng to perform a ritual right away.

Hearing this in the dialect, it seems like I'll still have to take medicine in the end.

Fang Yan did not answer, but looked at Master Hai Deng.

Master Hai Deng said:

"I think we need to clear the obstruction in her brain by removing phlegm and blood stasis first. However, since her vital energy is deficient, we need to add some qi-tonifying medicine to avoid over-attacking her."

At this moment, Zhang Li, who was standing to the side, said:

"We heard the traditional Chinese medicine doctor mention this 'qi-tonifying' idea before, but it didn't really work."

Then everyone remembered that they had already gotten Chinese medicine from their family.

"Do you still have the original prescription?" Fang Yan asked.

Zhang Li nodded and immediately ran out to bring in the prescription.

After entering the house, she looked at Master Hai Deng and finally handed it to Fang Yan.

Fang Yan took the prescription and unfolded it. He noticed that the handwriting was somewhat messy, and the ink seemed to be sluggish, as if the hand was unsteady when writing. It must have been written by an elderly traditional Chinese medicine doctor.

He scanned the prescription line by line; it was quite long, containing more than a dozen herbs, most of which were common phlegm-reducing and meridian-clearing drugs.

The base of the "Er Chen Tang" formula, consisting of Pinellia ternata, Citrus reticulata peel, and Poria cocos, is prominently listed, presumably for drying dampness and resolving phlegm. Following it are Angelica sinensis and Ligusticum chuanxiong, likely for promoting blood circulation. Gastrodia elata and Uncaria rhynchophylla are also included, seemingly for calming the liver and extinguishing wind. Finally, a few herbs, Codonopsis pilosula and Atractylodes macrocephala, are added, barely managing to add a touch of Qi-tonifying.

"This prescription... has the right idea, it wants to resolve phlegm, promote blood circulation, and replenish vital energy, but the ingredients are too mixed, and the effects are not concentrated."

He handed the dialect to Master Haiteng and then said:
"Banxia and tangerine peel can resolve phlegm, but without herbs like arisaema that can attack stubborn phlegm, it's like using a small spoon to dig in a mud pit, unable to dig into the hard mud at the bottom; angelica and chuanxiong can invigorate blood, but without herbs like peach kernel and safflower that can clear the brain's meridians, it's like dredging a river only clearing the surface duckweed, without touching the silt at the bottom; codonopsis and atractylodes are correct for tonifying qi, but the dosage is too light, and without herbs like astragalus that can support qi upwards, it's like pasting paper on a leaky house, unable to block out the cold air outside."

Master Hai Deng added from the side: "More importantly, it lacks medicine to open the mind and refresh the spirit. Phlegm and blood stasis block the brain orifices, like closing doors and windows, so even the best medicine cannot be delivered. This prescription is like sprinkling water through a door, trying to extinguish a fire inside the house, it's difficult."

Hearing this, Zhang Li's eyes reddened again: "No wonder my mother drank three doses and didn't have any effect. It turns out the medicine wasn't being used correctly..."

He said in dialect:

"It can't be said that it was completely useless; at least it didn't allow the phlegm and blood stasis to worsen. It's just that this pathogenic factor is too stubborn, and we need to use more precise methods to deal with it."

After speaking, he looked at Master Hai Deng, paused, and asked:
"Master, why don't you write a prescription so we can discuss it?"

Fang Yan already had an idea in mind; he wanted to see if Master Hai Deng had a better solution.

The old monk has traveled to many places; he might have some strange and unusual remedies.

After finishing speaking in dialect, he added:
"Taoist medicine, Buddhist medicine, Tibetan medicine are all fine. Don't be too particular about the methods, as long as it works." Master Haiteng nodded when he heard Fang Yan's words.

Then he said to the dialect:

"Then let's go outside and discuss it."

Fang Yan knew that the old monk was probably going to tell him some valuable information that was inconvenient for too many people to know, so he nodded and went out with him.

Master Haiteng and Fang Yan arrived at the sewing machine on the outdoor balcony. After he stopped, he did not speak immediately, but looked out the window.

From the perspective of dialect, nothing was found.

However, he wasn't in a hurry, thinking that the old monk must be thinking.

Looking down, Fang Yan saw the pattern of the tiger-head shoes, which were probably made for his own child. Fang Yan spoke first, his tone inquiring: "Master, in your opinion, how can we break through the barrier that obscures the clear orifices? There were many people in the room just now, can you tell me now?"

Master Haiteng withdrew his gaze and turned to Fang Yan, saying:
"To be honest, my method is a bit risky."

Fang Yan was taken aback; no wonder the old monk seemed conflicted.

He asked in dialect:

"You tell us first, we might not necessarily use it."

The old monk then nodded:
“The benefactor Wang in the house is mired in toxicity and poison, deeply entrenched in the marrow, and ordinary medicines are ineffective against his condition.”

“When I was traveling, I found a method in a fragment of a scroll in Dunhuang. I thought it might be worth a try. This method is called the Nine Aperture Ice-Drawing Method.” His voice lowered, carrying a sense of secrecy.

"Nine Apertures Ice-Drawing Technique?" Fang Yan frowned slightly; the name had a mysterious feel to it.

However, when he thought of the prescription for treating perianal abscess called "Xianfang Huoming Yin" (仙方活命饮), he immediately felt relieved.

He nodded and said:
"Appreciate further details."

The old monk said:
"The key to this prescription lies in 'using extreme cold to draw out a potent poison.'" Master Hai Deng spread out one palm, his fingertips drawing a diagram of the human body on his palm:

"These nine orifices can connect to the marrow sea. There are seven orifices on the head and face, plus two orifices in the anterior and posterior genitals."

He squinted his eyes and nodded to indicate that he understood.

Master Haiteng continued:

"Use fresh green bamboo sap as a guide, taking advantage of its sharp and penetrating properties; combine it with genuine bezoar, high-quality borneol, and natural Glauber's salt, grind them into an extremely fine powder, and mix them into an extremely cold medicinal liquid."

"Apply the medicine to both nostrils, both ears, and under the tongue; this is how the medicine enters the body. At the same time, administer an enema with a decoction of very diluted mugwort ash, or a sitz bath with dissolved Glauber's salt; this is how the medicine exits the body. One enters and one exits, forming a pathway."

Fang Yan opened his mouth, finding the method novel and daring.

He asked in dialect:

"Is this using the power of cold medicine to open the nine orifices and guide the poison downwards?"

The old monk nodded.

Fang Yan took a deep breath and quickly analyzed the feasibility in his mind.

Green bamboo sap, bezoar, borneol, and Glauber's salt are indeed cold in nature and potent, capable of clearing heat, resolving phlegm, and opening the orifices, possessing a powerful purging effect. The detoxification of the anus and urethra also aligns with the principle of clearing heat from the bowels… however…

He recalled Wang Huiyuan's pulse and couldn't help but ask:
"Aunt Wang was already weak and exhausted, and her pulse in her left hand was deep, thready, and weak. Perhaps she couldn't withstand such a cold and harsh attack?"

Master Haiteng seemed to have anticipated the concerns about dialect, and nodded:

"Indeed. This is a double-edged sword. Therefore, it is necessary to 'use qi to ward off the cold and use yang to support the ice.' It is essential to combine it with a large dose of raw astragalus to replenish the middle qi like building a dike to defend against it; stir-fried atractylodes macrocephala to strengthen the spleen and consolidate it; and then add a little angelica tail to invigorate blood and remove blood stasis, thereby activating the efficacy of the medicine without damaging the foundation of qi and blood. The core of this formula lies in the supporting power of astragalus. Without this qi to support the ice, it would be like a snow mountain collapsing, harming the innocent instead."

Fang Yan suddenly realized that this was the ultimate application of the "Tuoli Disinfecting Powder" concept! Using Astragalus as the foundation, a defense line was built internally, and then a potent and purging medicine was used as the vanguard! The old monk meant that the warming and supporting properties of Astragalus would control the strong purging properties of the cold medicine, forming a "cold arrow piercing armor" force that would directly reach the poisonous nest in the brain.

Master Haiteng continued speaking into the dialect:

"This strategy is like sending elite troops in a surprise attack; it cannot be accomplished without a strong rear. Astragalus is the foundation of such a strong army and supplies."

"The dosage must be sufficient, otherwise the cold medicine will invade and cause the yang qi to dissipate, leading to the danger of collapse. Especially for weak people, we must be careful to balance the protective effect of astragalus and the attacking effect of cold medicine. The slightest difference can be heaven or hell."

Fang Yan's mind raced, combining his previous judgment with Wang Huiyuan's pulse diagnosis:

"With phlegm and blood stasis intertwined, liver wind stirring internally, and yin and blood already deficient, this formula's 'cold, unblock, and open' properties are extremely effective against phlegm and blood stasis obstructing the orifices. When combined with the powerful qi-tonifying and lifting effect of astragalus, as mentioned by the master, if it can withstand the pressure, there is indeed hope for breaking the deadlock."

However, there are still problems.

He looked sharply at Master Hai Deng and asked:
"This medicine is extremely potent, like riding a horse off a cliff. How can we know whether Aunt Wang's own vital energy (original yang) can withstand this 'arrow of ice' and be used by it? And how can we ensure that this 'arrow' can accurately hit the 'poison target' deep in her marrow sea?"

Master Haiteng paused for a moment, his fingers moving the prayer beads faster, before finally speaking slowly:

"Although the pulse may show signs of weakness, it is difficult to accurately predict whether the patient can withstand such an attack."

"This is the boundary between 'fate' and 'Taoist principles'."

"Medical techniques have their limits; they cannot fully comprehend the secrets of the universe."

"This method of mine is also a remnant of an ancient scroll, a way to win in dangerous situations. Whether to use it or not is up to you, young friend."

After speaking, he put his hands together in front of him and said "Amitabha".

The dialect is speechless... this... old monk.

Then Hai Deng continued:

"If used, the following rules apply: the dosage of Astragalus membranaceus must not be reduced; closely observe the reaction after the medicine is taken. If there are signs of slight recovery of consciousness within half a day, it means the pathway has been opened and can be continued; if there is profuse sweating and weak breathing, it is a sign of collapse and the use of warming and restoring yang should be stopped immediately and ginseng decoction should be used to consolidate the effect."

He made his stance clear, handing the choice to Fang Yan and also clearly defining the boundaries of risk.

It depends on how it's said in the local dialect.

P.S.: I still owe you 8000 words after finishing this chapter.

That's all for today, please come early tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)