Seeing Li Xu had finished his diagnosis, Lin Guorui hurriedly asked, "How is he?"

Li Xu withdrew his hand, stood up, and said seriously,

"My diagnosis is a spring plague, with a pattern of phlegm-fire agitating the spirit and damp-turbidity obstructing the core."

"The patient’s unconsciousness is due to a pestilential heat-toxin penetrating the interior. This toxic fire has scorched bodily fluids, creating phlegm that prevents the clear Yang from ascending. The damp-turbidity obstruction shows the pathogen has lodged itself in the core.

The treatment principle should be to first restore the function of the central region to eliminate dampness and resolve phlegm, thereby opening the orifices and reviving the spirit."

As Li Xu recited this string of technical terms, Lin Guorui and the other TCM doctors nodded repeatedly, their faces pensive.

But the foreign experts were completely lost.

As a professor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Professor Yamada could, of course, understand.

However, he didn’t understand Li Xu’s method.

He couldn’t help but ask, "Doctor Li, forgive my interruption."

"The diagnostic technique you just used..."

He pointed to the elderly man’s foot. "As far as I know, pulse diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine is primarily done at the wrist."

Li Xu said calmly, "To save a critical patient, one must diagnose the three pulses simultaneously."

The moment he said this, Lin Guorui and the others scrambled to take notes.

This was clearly something they didn’t understand.

"This..."

Yamada’s expression changed.

He seemed to recall reading about it in some ancient text.

But the technique was said to be incredibly difficult to master.

’I never expected...’

Yamada shot Li Xu a complex look. ’This young man has real ability,’ he thought.

The doctor from Africa, Caballo, was completely bewildered.

He didn’t understand a thing, but he wasn’t shy. He asked directly, "Doctor Li, could you please explain? How can you tell if the patient can be saved just by feeling his foot?"

Lin Guorui and the others all turned to look as well.

Li Xu said, "Actually, for the simultaneous three-pulse diagnosis I just performed, I used the traditional three pulse locations."

"Specifically, the Cunkou pulse at the wrist, and the bilateral Fuyang and Taixi pulses."

"The *Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor: Basic Questions* states: ’Man has three regions, and each region has three points of observation. With these, one can determine life and death, manage a hundred illnesses, regulate deficiency and excess, and eliminate pathogenic evils.’"

"And the *Fuyang Pulse Studies, Volume Two: On Disease Prognosis* states: ’The diagnosis of the Fuyang pulse plays a decisive role in the prognosis of a disease, holding the utmost importance in predicting fortune and misfortune, life and death.’"

"For critically ill patients, we can predict their outcome using the Fuyang pulse."

Li Xu’s voice wasn’t loud, but in the quiet ward, it sounded exceptionally clear and forceful.

"The three-pulse diagnostic method uses the Cunkou pulse to assess the condition of the internal organs, the Fuyang pulse to assess the stomach qi, and the Taixi pulse to assess the kidney qi.

This simultaneous assessment of all three pulses is typically employed when the Cunkou pulse is absent or when observing critically ill patients.

If the Cunkou pulse is weak but the Fuyang pulse is strong, it indicates that the stomach qi remains, and treatment is possible. If not, the stomach qi is exhausted, and the patient is difficult to save.

The Taixi pulse, meanwhile, assesses the kidney qi—the foundation of one’s innate constitution. If that pulse is present, it is like a tree that still has roots. If it is absent, the roots are severed, and the patient is difficult to save.

Clinical practice has proven that in critical cases, the simultaneous diagnosis of these three pulses has life-or-death diagnostic significance. It is a major advantage of Traditional Chinese Medicine when making life-or-death judgments and treating critical conditions."

At this point, Li Xu glanced at Yamada. "I know that Traditional Chinese Medicine in Japan is highly developed, but when it comes to the art of diagnosis, many ancient methods have been lost or forgotten due to an over-reliance on Western medical tests."

"You should all try using this method in the future. It’s far more accurate than just looking at the numbers on a heart monitor."

Every single person in the room listened intently to Li Xu’s words.

Skill!

This was true skill.

This wasn’t just theory. It was a life-saving art, a masterpiece refined by countless TCM predecessors over thousands of years.

Deep down, everyone’s respect for Li Xu grew.

Even Professor Yamada couldn’t help but give a slight nod. The disdain in his eyes receded, replaced by deep contemplation. He had indeed come across similar records in ancient texts, but he had never seen anyone actually apply the technique.

For this diagnosis, Li Xu had no prior information to support him.

But he hadn’t been idle over the past year.

He had spent every spare moment poring over ancient medical texts.

His true ability was now on par with that of an expert.

Li Xu began writing the prescription. "As for the formula... I’ll go with a modified Three-Nut Decoction.

The prescription: almond, cardamom, coix seed, tetrapanax pith, Magnolia Bark, bamboo leaf, talc, licorice, Dannanxing, Purified Pinellia, Buffalo Horn, sweetflag rhizome, turmeric root-tuber, and Forsythia Suspensa."

At his side, Lin Guorui quickly began to write it all down, his pen flying across the paper.

When he finished writing, he asked, "How many doses should we prepare?"

Li Xu paused for a moment. "Two doses."

"Two... is that enough?"

Lin Guorui was hesitant.

For such a severe case, the usual practice was to prescribe one dose to test the waters, or three to five doses to observe the therapeutic effect.

Two doses seemed like too short a course of treatment.

Li Xu smiled, his expression filled with absolute confidence. "It’s enough."

"After taking two consecutive doses, the patient will cough up a large amount of thick, yellow-green phlegm. You must be careful to ensure the phlegm doesn’t obstruct his breathing and create a dangerous situation.

After that, his mind will clear slightly. He’ll be able to respond to questions, but his answers will be nonsensical."

"At that point, check his tongue and pulse."

"The patient’s tongue should be red, with a coating that is yellow, dry, and less greasy than before.

The pulse diagnosis should still be conducted on all three pulse locations.

At that time, the Cunkou pulse will be thready and rapid, the Fuyang pulse will be slippery and full, and the Taixi pulse will be faintly palpable.

This indicates that the treatment has successfully activated the central region, but the pathogen is showing a tendency to transform into dryness.

At this point, you change the formula.

Use Minor Purgative Decoction to unblock the bowels and expel the pathogen, allowing the pestilential toxin to be purged through defecation.

The prescription: immature bitter orange, Magnolia Bark, and raw Da Huang. Administer two consecutive doses over twelve hours.

Around this time, he should have a bowel movement. After passing two dry stools, the abdominal distention and tenderness will ease, the visible intestinal contours will disappear, and his mind will become clearer.

Then, continue with the modified Three-Nut Decoction. The formula is the same as before. Administer a total of six doses.

After those six doses, the thick phlegm he coughs up will have turned from yellow-green to white. His mind will be markedly clearer, though he will be thirsty and crave cold drinks, and he will gradually be able to eat more.

His tongue will be red with a thin, yellow, and slightly dry coating. The Cunkou pulse will be slippery, the Fuyang pulse will feel somewhat floating, slippery, and forceful, and the Taixi pulse will be slow and strong. This indicates the stomach qi has been roused and the kidney qi is gradually recovering."

Li Xu delivered this entire prognosis in one breath. His tone was even, but his words struck everyone like a clap of thunder.

The people around him were completely stunned.

He had written out three successive prescriptions at once.

’Does someone like that really exist?’

’Is this what it means to be a master?’

He’d even predicted the patient’s reactions after taking the medicine—what kind of phlegm he would cough up, what his stools would be like, and even how his pulse would change?

This...

This was too...

For a moment, everyone was speechless.

It was as if he were treating a patient by following a script.

If they didn’t know this was the first time Li Xu had ever met the patient, they would have suspected it was a rehearsed magic show.

Even Yamada frowned, his eyes wide as he stared at Li Xu. He desperately wanted to ask a question...

’Can you really turn something as simple as writing a prescription into such an elaborate performance?’

’Isn’t this... a little too incredible?’

’It’s almost bordering on fantasy, isn’t it?’

What’s more, Li Xu had prescribed three formulas at once, covering six days of treatment, with a new formula every two days, and had even predicted the patient’s subsequent condition.

This...

It was somewhat beyond Professor Yamada’s comprehension.

He had studied Traditional Chinese Medicine for decades, and his practice was based on "formula-pattern correspondence"—you change the formula when the symptoms change.

Who had ever heard of someone like Li Xu, who predicted the course of the illness before it even changed?

"Dr... Dr. Li."

Professor Yamada couldn’t help but speak up, asking in disbelief, "Are you saying that you can determine, right now, how the patient’s condition will change two days and four days from now? Medically speaking, isn’t that far too risky? Anything could happen."