Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1221 The Stagnant Turbidity is Released, the Mysterious Sound and Wonderful Method (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 4K Chapters)

"Hmm!" The old monk nodded.

Without saying anything else, he pointed at Wang Huiyuan and asked:
"How is she?"

“There has been an improvement,” Fang Yan said.

Just moments ago, things were rapidly deteriorating, but now they are improving. Fang Yan has no idea what this Zhu You technique is all about; it's the first time he's ever seen such an obvious method.

Previously, Meng Jimin had learned so many incantation techniques, but they were basically only at the research stage.

It's that kind of thing that seems to work, but also seems to be useless.

It may or may not be effective after use.

It's a completely random event.

And the effect was not as obvious as the old monk's method.

That is to say, the patient is Wang Huiyuan. If it were any other patient or any other occasion, Fang Yan would suspect that the old monk was conspiring with the patient to deceive him.

"Thank you for your ritual, Master! Thank you, Master!" Old Zhang bowed deeply to Master Hai Deng with his hands clasped together in gratitude.

Even Zhang Li was no exception.

Master Haiteng waved his hand at Old Zhang and his daughter, his prayer beads turning gently between his fingers. He glanced at Secretary Huang, who was equally surprised, and his voice carried a hint of urgency:

“Please do not confuse it with other things. ‘Spellcasting’ is about using external forces to exorcise evil spirits and involves a lot of talk about ghosts and gods. The art of incantation is about following the energy of heaven and earth, opening the orifices of the human body, and using words and rhythms to harmonize the qi and blood. In the end, it is still within the realm of medicine.”

"Huh? This is also the way of medicine?" Old Zhang was shocked.

The old monk nodded, glanced at Wang Huiyuan's gradually calming breathing, and continued:

“Those syllables just now were not incantations, but imitations of the natural laws of spring growth, summer flourishing, autumn harvest, and winter storage… For example, the word ‘xu’ is related to the liver, and the word ‘he’ is for the heart. I was just disassembling and recombining these syllables, letting them flow along her meridians, and forcing that disordered energy back into its proper place.”

Fang Yan listened from the side and suddenly recalled the record of "Thirteen Branches of Zhuyou" in ancient books. He realized that what Fang Yan meant was not some vague metaphysics, but rather a way to harmonize qi and blood through the frequency of sound. Just like the resonance of strings when playing a musical instrument, Zhuyou uses special syllables to resonate with the qi in the human body. No wonder the air was trembling slightly when the old monk was chanting.

Seeing that the others still looked confused, Master Hai Deng gave another example:

"It's like the water in the field overflowing the dam. A ritual is to ask the Dragon King to stop the water, while a divination is to find a hoe to dig a ditch. Both are to get the water back to its proper course, but one seeks externally, while the other seeks internally. In the end, my method relies on her own life force. If her vital energy is truly exhausted, even if I chant until my throat is hoarse, it will be useless."

As he spoke, he pointed to the spot under Wang Huiyuan's tongue where the medicine was still slowly seeping in:
"What truly saved her life was the foundation laid by the Nine Aperture Ice-Drawing Technique used by young friend Fang. I merely lent a helping hand when her blood and qi were in disarray."

Old Zhang nodded as if he understood, and his eyes, in addition to gratitude, held a greater sense of awe for this ancient medical technique as he looked at the old monk.

Fang Yan brought this old monk today; his skills are so profound that ordinary people probably can't see them.

On the other side, Lao Hu, holding a bowl of ginseng soup, asked Fang Yan:

"Do you still want it?"

Fang Yan felt Wang Huiyuan's pulse and said:
"Let's put it aside for now... for the time being."

Old Hu responded and placed the ginseng soup on the bedside table. The aroma of wild ginseng mingled with the scent of mugwort in the room, which didn't clash.

Fang Yan leaned down to examine Wang Huiyuan's eyelids. The bluish sclera that had appeared earlier had faded somewhat. He then touched her forehead, where the cold sweat had long since dried, leaving only a slight dampness.

Although the pulse was still rather weak, it beat evenly and without the previous irregularity.

A sitz bath should last 15 minutes, and it's only been 3 minutes since then, which means the crisis has temporarily subsided. What will happen next is still unknown.

Fang Yan glanced at the wall clock in the room. The second hand was ticking slowly, each tick feeling like a blow to everyone's heart.

Wang Huiyuan's breathing gradually became steady, her chest rising and falling like waves of wheat swaying in the wind, rhythmic and soothing. The sluggish feeling that had been churning in her lungs seemed to have been smoothed out by the old monk's incantation.

Old Hu, who was standing nearby, leaned closer to the old monk and asked him in a low voice:

"Master... could you record that sound just now for use?"

The old monk was taken aback upon hearing this.

Fang Yan immediately understood what Lao Hu was trying to do. Since sound was the key, he should record it and put the tape directly into the tape recorder when needed... who knows, he could even make a lot of copies and sell them for a good price.

The old monk shook his head:
"No, someone has tried it..."

The old monk paused on the prayer beads between his fingers, a trace of melancholy flashing in his eyes, and slowly said, "A few years ago, a friend who was a Western doctor had the same idea. He brought his equipment to me and recorded the incantations I used to relieve pain, saying he wanted to take them to patients in the city to try."

He looked up at the daylight outside the window, as if reminiscing about the past:
"Later, he sent a message saying that when the recorded audio was played for the patients, it couldn't even calm them down, let alone relieve their pain. The same string of syllables, coming out of the machine, sounded like it had been ripped out of its soul, leaving only a dry, lifeless tone."

Fang Yan listened from the side and suddenly remembered the saying in the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, "When the Qi arrives, it is effective." Perhaps the key to Zhuyou technique has never been just the sound itself.

The old monk continued, “The art of incantation emphasizes ‘sound following the movement of breath, breath following the movement of intention.’ When I chant, the breath in my fingertips and the intention in my heart follow the syllables, like a silk thread pulling a kite. What is recorded in the machine is just the skeleton of a kite with a broken string; it looks like one, but it can’t fly.”

He pointed to Wang Huiyuan's wrist: "When I pronounced 'He' just now, I deliberately added three points of force, taking advantage of the momentum of her surging blood and qi to give her a push; when I pronounced 'Xu', I softened my tone, following the momentum of her stagnant liver qi to guide it. Can the machine record these subtle differences in force and pace?"

Old Hu suddenly realized:

"No wonder..."

Master Haiteng smiled:
“Opera performances are all about spirit and energy, while incantation magic seeks harmony between breath, intention, and voice. If someone else recites it, or if it's used in a different setting, even if the syllables are exactly the same, the effect can be completely different. The reason why Benefactor Wang was able to withstand this magic today is partly because she has her own vitality, and partly because Friend Fang's medicine opened the way first. This old monk merely benefited from this favorable wind.”

Old Zhang listened attentively and nodded repeatedly. His gaze toward the old monk deepened with even more reverence. He realized that there were so many intricacies hidden within these seemingly simple syllables.

Fang Yan suddenly spoke:
"Master, are you saying that the core of Zhuyou therapy is actually the connection of Qi and blood between the healer and the patient?"

The old monk was taken aback, then immediately put his palms together and nodded.

"Young friend Fang is truly intelligent and quick to understand."

"It's like two people pushing hands; you need to know where the other person's force is going in order to guide it. A machine doesn't know force or intention, so how can it push hands for someone?"

"Dr. Fang, my mother... she moved her finger!" Zhang Li suddenly exclaimed, her voice filled with unbelievable joy.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Wang Huiyuan's fingers curl slightly.

Fang Yan's fingertips were already resting on her wrist, and now he felt a change in the weak pulse. He said:
"The blood and qi are flowing upwards."

After saying that, he looked at Comrade Zhang and Zhang Li and whispered, "Uncle Zhang, Zhang Li, try calling out to Aunt Wang."

Old Zhang swallowed hard, his voice hoarse as he softly called out, "Huiyuan? Huiyuan, can you hear me?"

Zhang Li also shouted:
"Mom! Mom!" At this moment, Wang Huiyuan's eyelids trembled, as if she was held back by the call, but she did not open them.

But her hand moved slightly again, this time curling up more noticeably, as if trying to grasp something.

Zhang Li quickly placed her hand on top and grasped her mother Wang Huiyuan's hand.

Master Haiteng suddenly spoke up at this moment: "Let her sit for another five minutes, the medicinal effects of the Glauber's salt water haven't fully penetrated yet."

He walked over to his two apprentices, took a small copper bell from the cloth bag on one of them, and gently shook it. The clear "ding" sounded like an ice bead falling into a jade plate. Wang Huiyuan's eyelashes trembled again, and her breathing seemed to become more even.

"This bell..." Fang Yan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The gavel awakens the mind, the copper bell opens the senses; this was passed down to me by my Taoist master," the old monk explained. "Her consciousness is still sluggish; we need to use some clear and resonant sounds to guide her." As he spoke, he shook the copper bell again, and this time, the corners of Wang Huiyuan's mouth turned up very slightly, as if she had heard some comforting sound in her dream.

A few minutes later, Fang Yan glanced at the time:
"Almost?"

Master Haiteng nodded.

Then Sophia and her mother rushed forward and carefully helped Wang Huiyuan out of the bath tub. Old Zhang had already prepared a warm towel. The three of them worked together to dry her body, change her into a clean set of pajamas, and move her back to bed.

As soon as they lay down, everyone heard Wang Huiyuan suddenly let out a soft "humph," her brows furrowing slightly, as if she were feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Fang Yan quickly checked and saw that her forehead was covered with fine sweat again, but it was not the cold sweat from before.

“It’s the stagnant toxins being expelled,” Master Haiteng said. “Take a thin cloth and wipe her down, don’t cover her with too much.”

Zhang Li quickly grabbed a handkerchief and wiped her mother Wang Huiyuan's neck.

Then Wang Huiyuan's Adam's apple bobbed, and she suddenly turned her head and coughed violently.

A mouthful of dark brown phlegm with a fishy smell spilled from the corner of his mouth and landed on the handkerchief. It was thicker than the previous mouthful and had faint black streaks at the edges.

"This is..." Old Zhang was startled.

"That's good." Fang Yan breathed a sigh of relief. "Being able to cough up the stagnant fluid from her lungs means her digestive system is truly clear." He took the warmed astragalus soup, scooped some out with a small spoon, and slowly fed it to Wang Huiyuan's lips.

"Here, drink some medicine to calm your nerves."

This time, Wang Huiyuan didn't resist. As the medicine slid down her throat, she even slightly opened her mouth, as if she were swallowing actively. After finishing the bowl of medicine, her complexion improved, and the bluish-white color faded considerably.

Master Haiteng, fingering his prayer beads, addressed Andong, who was still receiving moxibustion:

"Young man, put out the moxa stick. The heat in your Baihui acupoint is enough."

Anton glanced at Fang Yan, and only after Fang Yan nodded did he quickly extinguish the moxa stick.

Fang Yan glanced at the ginseng soup on the bedside table and said to Lao Hu:
"Take this to the kitchen and keep it warm; we might need it tonight." Old Hu agreed, and just as he reached the door, he heard a very soft murmur from the bed: "Water..."

"She wants water! She wants water!" Old Zhang was both surprised and delighted, almost knocking over the medicine bowl beside him. Zhang Li quickly poured a glass of warm water and fed it to Wang Huiyuan little by little with a small spoon. Wang Huiyuan gulped it down, and although her eyes were not yet open, it was clear that her consciousness was returning.

After drinking the water, before she could even say anything, she quietly fell asleep again.

"What? What... what happened now?" Old Zhang asked nervously.

Fang Yan then felt her pulse, which was much stronger than before.

Said:

"It's alright, she's just depleted too much energy, she needs to rest properly."

Fang Yan released Wang Huiyuan's wrist, her voice filled with certainty, "This is normal. It's like a parched field that has just been watered; the seedlings need a breather before they can grow taller."

Old Zhang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Fang Yan's affirmative words, but he still held his wife's hand tightly, as if letting go would cause the last bit of hope to vanish.

Zhang Li took the thin blanket and gently covered her mother with it.

Master Haiteng walked to the bedside, his gaze lingering on Wang Huiyuan's face for a moment, then suddenly said:
"Young friend Fang, look at her brow."

Upon hearing this, the others also came closer to look, only to see that the previously dense blue aura had faded to almost invisible, replaced by a faint pink blush.

"Most of the stagnant toxins have dissipated," Fang Yan nodded.
"The medicinal effects of the Nine Apertures Ice-Drawing Technique are still working, and the Zhuyou Technique has helped regulate Qi. Next, it's time to recuperate."

He turned to Old Zhang and said, "Uncle Zhang, don't let Aunt Wang sleep too soundly tonight. Give her some warm water or astragalus soup every four hours, and observe her breathing and pulse. I'll stay here with her. Call me if there's any movement."

It's been a long time since I've paid such close attention to dialects.

When Lao Zhang heard Fang Yan's words, he nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with gratitude. He was so grateful that Fang Yan was willing to help him like this; even his relatives would not do such a thing.

Secretary Huang had been watching for a long time, and upon hearing Fang Yan's words, he finally stepped forward and said:
"Dr. Fang, Master, I can have someone keep an eye on things here. You've been busy all day. There's a place to rest in the building next door. Why don't you go and rest first?"

Fang Yan glanced at his watch; it was nearly 6 p.m. He hadn't stopped since he started working at 3:30 p.m.

He turned to the old monk and said:

“Master, why don’t you go and rest there? I’ll find a place to rest here, and I can come over anytime if I need anything.”

Master Haiteng shook his head:

“Young friend Fang, you go ahead. I’ll stay here for another two hours until she’s recovered from the effects of the medicine. I’ve never used the Nine Apertures Ice-Drawing Technique before, so I have to keep an eye on her.” He pointed to Wang Huiyuan’s chest. “Besides, she’s like freshly turned soil right now; I have to watch her to make sure weeds don’t sprout up.”

He understood what Fang Yan meant.

Although the stagnant toxins have dissipated, if any residues resurface, the nighttime is the most dangerous time.

He said to his mother and Sophia, "You guys should go back first. It's crowded here. Anton and I will stay."

Before I could say anything more, Sophia immediately agreed.

Old Hu then said:

"I'll make a call and order some food. I'll stay here with you tonight."

“This isn’t something you can see every day; I need to see the whole thing.”

PS: The 4000-word chapter is now complete. I still owe you 4000 words after finishing this chapter.

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(End of this chapter)