Healing Doctor

Chapter 43 In the martial world, one is not in control of one's own destiny.

Ji Xiang discussed his doubts and takeaways from observing the surgery with the system NPC.

The system NPC listened patiently to his explanation, then, with a hunched back, said calmly, "Of course there should be differences; these are the different paths I told you about in the various levels of expertise. By the way, you know that the surgical field in China is divided into two schools, North and South, right?"

I've heard people mention it, but I don't know the specifics.

"There's no fixed geographical dividing line; it mainly refers to two surgical styles," the system NPC said with a smile. "I started with the Northern style, but later, in my thirties, I went to Shanghai to do valve research and came into contact with the Southern style."

"How should I put it? At first, I felt that the Southern school of surgery was too slow and tedious. In some places, they could have just made a big, sweeping cut. They were like embroiderers, which was really annoying to watch."

Ji Xiang smiled.

"But after a few months, I gradually came to appreciate the subtleties of the Southern style. It took a while to come to this realization, but that's understandable, since my mind was still deeply ingrained with the Northern style of surgery."

"And then?" Ji Xiang asked.

"It took me about a year or two to fully grasp the concepts, and only then did I achieve mastery of the surgery."

A simple sentence made Ji Xiang quite emotional.

The phrase "having reached the pinnacle" sounds simple, but it is extremely difficult to actually achieve.

The system NPC has already mastered surgery in his thirties! This is simply amazing!

Ji Xiang's heart skipped a beat.

"teacher."

"What's wrong?"

"Did you also have a system operating room back then?" Ji Xiang asked.

"No," the system NPC said slowly. "I just constructed it all in my head, performed the simulated surgery myself, and did whatever I wanted."

"!!!"

Ji Xiang was speechless, stunned by the words of the system NPC.

It's like having a system even without one; this ability is simply heaven-defying!

They relied on their talent and pure human strength to crush someone like me who had cheat codes.

"Teacher, may I ask your surname?"

"Hahaha." The system NPC laughed, "Your parallel world is not my world. I don't exist here, so you don't even know my name."

It turned out to be the case.

"That being said, based on the points you mentioned, Dr. Gu's surgical approach is typical of the Northern school—bold and decisive, with the advantage of..."

"The drawback is..."

The system NPC explained Ji Xiang's doubts step by step, and did not limit himself to Ji Xiang's doubts. The system NPC also "incidentally" brought up some points that Ji Xiang had not thought of.

"Teacher, I have one last question." Ji Xiang had gained a lot. Although it didn't translate into skill points or experience points, it significantly increased his understanding of lengthening techniques, which would be of great help in learning surgery in the future.

"The doctors I've encountered, including you, all have different attitudes toward lengthening surgery. What's your opinion?"

Ji Xiang asked.

"Let me put it this way," the system NPC said calmly, "the plastic surgery department used to be called burn plastic surgery. The main patients were those with facial burns. After plastic surgery, they were no different from ordinary people and could better integrate into society."

Burn reconstruction...

Ji Xiang had no idea what this word meant.

The burn and plastic surgery departments at the affiliated hospital where he interned were two separate departments.

"But as living standards rise, people's yearning for beauty is increasing. Some say this is just idle talk, but I don't think so."

Ji Xiang chuckled and said, "He's just bored and has nothing better to do." This was a simple and blunt remark, and it was even somewhat close to the truth.

In an era when even food was scarce, physical strength was considered beautiful.

When people not only have enough to eat, but also eat well, and even take it for granted, adjectives like "delicate" become positive terms.

"Why do we build our country? Isn't it so that everyone can have enough to eat? It's good to be well-fed, and of course, we should strive for more after we're well-fed?"

"Teacher, but I asked you, and I found your explanation of lengthening surgery to be rather vague."

"There are few doctors specializing in andrological plastic surgery; most of them used to be fraudsters." The system NPC shook its head helplessly. "To put it another way, it's because fraudsters were rampant that surgical procedures became somewhat sensitive. Some doctors, to maintain their integrity, tightened the indications for surgery to distance themselves from the fraudsters."

"This is a subconscious, desperate measure. What do you suggest we do?"

Ji Xiang knew what to do, but like the system NPCs, he didn't say anything.

"As for whether or not to undergo the lengthening procedure..." the system NPC said with a smile, "would you like to experience it for yourself?"

"Okay." Ji Xiang agreed without hesitation.

Although he felt the system was somewhat torturous, Ji Xiang had no resistance to it because it allowed him to better understand the patient's condition and the success or failure of the surgery.

Although that's what they said, the system NPC hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.

"Forget it," said the system NPC. "It's just a lengthening procedure, and the indications for the surgery are very strict. It's better not to empathize with it."

"Uh..." Ji Xiang paused for a moment.

He hadn't considered transforming into 28 or anything like that; he probably just wanted to experience the perspective from the same angle as the catfish incident, which was from a doctor's point of view.

However, the system NPC hesitated and wavered, and finally denied what had just been said.

It seems there is indeed a problem with the lengthening procedure.

"I'll teach you the surgery directly," the system NPC said. "This way, you won't be caught off guard when you encounter patients with burns, bites, or sharp object injuries. However, I'll only teach you the lengthening technique for one night, so you should focus your energy on more important points."

"Teacher, could the treatment time be too short?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Severing the dorsal nerve during the surgery can effectively change the sensitive state, and the success rate is very high," said the system NPC.

"Not 100%?"

The system NPC glanced at Ji Xiang, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile seemed to appear on his face behind the mask.

"Nothing is 100% certain," the system NPC said. "What doctors can do is try their best to increase the chances of success. They can get infinitely close to success, but until the surgery is completed and the patient is discharged, no one can say for sure that it will work."

"So that's how it is." Ji Xiang was slightly disappointed.

"We still need to rely on breakthroughs in basic sciences, but that's all for the future. Doing our current work well is the right way to go."

With that, the system NPC turned around and started swiping his hands.

Ji Xiang followed closely behind him.

"Oh, right, teacher." Ji Xiang suddenly remembered something.

"What's wrong?"

Ji Xiang recounted how Mo Chenggui and Elder Gu insisted on making rounds yesterday, and how they firmly refused to allow the urology hospital to perform electrotherapy.

Looking at Professor Mo's expression at the time, Ji Xiang could sense his sternness, as if they were two adversaries locked in a fierce confrontation.

He had no doubt that if someone had tried to perform electric shocks, Mo Chenggui would have immediately turned against Director Li of the urology hospital.

"Oh, in the beginning, private hospitals were all the rage, and they started giving patients electrotherapy in order to make more money. That stuff is somewhat useful, but it depends on the illness," the system NPC said. "Many patients who had circumcisions received electrotherapy, but because their senses were dulled and the temperature control was poor, it led to necrosis."

Ji Xiang had heard a little about it, but it was all from many years ago, and he didn't remember much of it.

"A lot has happened, but it's all been suppressed," the system NPC said. "I'm asking you, what if something else happens?"

"Go to a public hospital," Ji Xiang replied.

"Yes." The system NPC smiled, slightly helpless. "Back then, the directors and doctors of private hospitals had a very good relationship with the doctors of public hospitals because when something went wrong, someone had to clean up the mess, so they tried to solve the problem as much as possible."

"I guess Professor Mo and Old Gu have seen too many similar cases and are still wary of them, so they absolutely cannot allow similar situations to happen in their own practice. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, they'll be covered in shit."

"Look how polite the directors of private hospitals are now; it's because they need something from them. If something really goes wrong and they're looking for someone to shift the blame, they won't be able to escape."

"So that's how it is," Ji Xiang understood.

It seems like he can forget about going to the urology clinic for surgery and honing his skills. Ji Xiang doesn't want to be burdened with such a huge, dark burden right after arriving at the hospital.

"Teacher, there's one more thing." Ji Xiang scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

"Go ahead and speak." The system NPC didn't mind that Ji Xiang was being difficult; he looked at Ji Xiang kindly and answered all his questions.

"Old Gu was invited to perform surgery, but I noticed that he didn't have a very good attitude towards the director of the men's hospital when he spoke."

"Oh, that's normal," the system NPC said. "Even academicians have times when they are not in control of their own lives."

"Huh? Even academicians aren't good enough?"

Ji Xiang was taken aback.

In his understanding, academicians in the medical field have a lot of freedom. It's just a private hospital; if they didn't want to make money, they certainly wouldn't come.

But when Old Gu arrived, his words seemed to show disdain for Dean Li, which was rather strange.

"Sometimes, a person, a few words, and an academician has to stand up for them." The system NPC said helplessly, "Even though they know it's unreasonable, even though they know that standing up for them will have a huge impact on their academic status and their future place in medical history, they are just like people in the world, unable to control their own destiny."

The system NPC didn't explain in too much detail, but Ji Xiang figured it out by thinking about the people and things he had encountered since childhood.

Indeed, when you're in the world of martial arts, you're often not in control of your own destiny.

It is true that the healthcare industry is undervalued and has a very low status.

"Let's go." The system NPC waved. "You'll encounter these things in 10-20 years, then we can talk about them. Right now, focus on building a solid foundation and improving your medical technology."

"Okay, teacher."

Ji Xiang followed the system NPC into the operating room, ready to begin training.

Because of his extensive experience in the entire urology department, Ji Xiang directly upgraded the surgical level of the lengthening procedure to LV7.

This time, there was no skill similar to "Superior Doctor's Gaze," so Ji Xiang wasn't disappointed.

That stupid skill, let whoever wants to use it use it, I won't use it myself.

The amount of surgery points consumed wasn't important; what Ji Xiang couldn't accept was that he immediately started criticizing Professor Mo.

(End of this chapter)