Li Xu and Ding Aiguo listened with heavy hearts.
Although they hadn’t witnessed it themselves,
they could imagine how Traditional Chinese dicine, and acupuncture in particular, must have struggled desperately during those turbulent years, almost to the point of extinction.
"Just at this most critical mont,"
Elder Li’s tone grew impassioned. "One man stood up! With his strength alone, he turned the tide against impossible odds, propping up a collapsing pillar! With his own knowledge, he restored the na of acupuncture and saved Traditional Chinese dicine!"
"This man was none other than the one later honored as the ’Father of the Modern Acupuncture Revival’—Mr. Cheng Dan’an!"
"Elder Cheng!" Li Xu said, his voice filled with reverence.
In the world of Traditional Chinese dicine and acupuncture, that na was legendary—a figure as monuntal as a great mountain or a guiding star.
"That’s right!" Elder Li nodded emphatically. "Elder Cheng saw that the art of acupuncture was on the brink of being lost, and his heart burned with anxiety. He spent his entire fortune to travel to Japan, where he studied the ancient acupuncture thods preserved in their Traditional Chinese dicine. He then combined this with his own knowledge, refining it by separating the wheat from the chaff. He established the first acupuncture correspondence school in the Dragon Country, unreservedly passing on his life’s work to students from all corners of the nation."
"Throughout his life, his students spread far and wide. He trained thousands of acupuncture specialists, who later beca the pillars of the Traditional Chinese dicine field after the founding of our country. The ’Chengjiang Acupuncture School’ he founded is known for its rigorous theory and exquisite techniques, and it remains one of the most important academic schools in our country’s acupuncture community to this day. You could say that without Elder Cheng, there would be no revival of acupuncture as we know it today!"
His words were deeply moving and resonant.
After hearing this, both Li Xu and Ding Aiguo were filled with boundless respect for Elder Cheng, a man they had never t.
When Elder Li finished speaking, he said to Li Xu, "Wait here a mont."
He turned and went back inside the house. A mont later, he reerged, holding a long, rectangular object wrapped tightly in yellow cloth.
He placed the cloth bundle on the stone table and unwrapped it, layer by layer.
Inside was a thread-bound manuscript, its pages yellowed with age.
The manuscript’s cover was sowhat tattered from age, but one could still faintly make out two powerful, calligraphic words: "Acupuncture Insights."
"Doctor Li," Elder Li said with a solemn expression as he gently pushed the manuscript toward Li Xu. "That An Gong Bezoar Pill you gave is a life-saving treasure. Your gift was far too precious. I’m just an old man with nothing of great value to give in return. Please, consider this manuscript a small token of my gratitude."
Li Xu’s heart stirred, and he quickly reached out to accept it.
He opened the manuscript to the first page, and the rich scent of ink and the aroma of age washed over him.
The characters inside were written in neat, small regular script. The strokes were sharp, their power seeming to penetrate the very paper.
There were also simple, lifelike drawings of the human body.
Although so parts were slightly blurred by sared ink, the content made Li Xu’s heart instantly begin to race!
’This... This is actually Elder Cheng’s handwritten study notebook on acupuncture!’
It contained detailed records of Elder Cheng’s unique insights into the acupuncture theories from classics like the *Inner Jing* and the *Nan Jing*. It docunted his repeated verifications and personal understanding of the functions of various acupoints. It even included hand-drawn diagrams of the human ridians and acupoints, as well as needling treatnt plans for all sorts of difficult and complex diseases!
’This is no longer a simple notebook. It’s the crystallization of a grandmaster of acupuncture’s entire life’s work!’
’Its value is simply imasurable in monetary terms!’
Although Elder Cheng’s works had been published, such as *Chinese Acupuncture Therapy*, *Collection of Acupuncture Treatnt Experints*, *Chinese Acupuncture Science*, *Comntary on the Fourteen ridians*, and *Copper Man Acupoint Atlas Examination*...
those were all specialized academic works, and it wasn’t easy to fully grasp them.
But this notebook in front of him recorded the difficulties, questions, and solutions Elder Cheng encountered while learning acupuncture.
In a way, it was easier to understand and easier to learn from.
"Elder Li... this... this is too valuable!" Li Xu said.
"Take it!" Elder Li would not allow him to refuse. "I ca to acquire this manuscript by a stroke of luck in the 1960s. In my hands, it’s rely a collector’s item. But in your hands, I believe it can truly co alive, allowing Elder Cheng’s life’s work to be passed down and carried forward!"
He looked at Li Xu and said earnestly, "Doctor Li, I have high hopes for you. Your talent and your perceptiveness are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I hope you won’t be satisfied with just your achievents in pharmacology. Sotis, in an ergency, dicine alone isn’t enough. Study the art of acupuncture well! I believe that with your talent, you can definitely beco a great master of dicine, capable of using both needles and prescriptions, and standing on your own as a true expert!"
Hearing Elder Li’s heartfelt words, Li Xu knew he could no longer refuse.
He stood up and gave Elder Li a deep, solemn bow.
"Thank you for your high regard, Elder Li! I will not disappoint your expectations!"
He carefully put the manuscript away.
Ding Aiguo, who was standing to the side, was also filled with emotion as he watched the scene unfold.
He laughed and joked, "Haha, this is fantastic! Once Doctor Li masters these ultimate acupuncture techniques, we’ll be in luck whenever we get a sore back or aching muscles! When the ti cos, we have to make him show off his skills and give us all a good acupuncture treatnt!"
Hearing this, Elder Li also burst out laughing. "That’s right."
「A little after three in the afternoon.」
Li Xu said his goodbyes and left Li Garden, returning to his clinic.
The clinic was closed for the day.
Li Xu went back to his room, brewed a pot of tea, and carefully spread the yellowed manuscript out on his desk.
As he gently turned the sowhat fragile pages,
the rich scent of ink and the aroma of accumulated history washed over him.
Li Xu’s mind grew calm, and he beca completely absorbed.
The mont he started reading, he was captivated.
In the opening of the manuscript, Elder Cheng didn’t imdiately explain specific needling techniques or acupoints. Instead, he began by expounding on his understanding of the two components of acupuncture.
Through Elder Cheng’s writing, Li Xu truly ca to understand that the term "acupuncture" actually refers to two completely different treatnt thods.
The first, "needling," refers to the thod of piercing the skin.
It involves inserting specially made tal needles into specific acupoints on the human body, using techniques like lifting, thrusting, and rotating to stimulate the qi of the ridians and regulate organ function.
The second, "moxibustion," refers to the thod of applying heat.
It involves burning flammable materials like mugwort fiber on the acupoints of the body’s surface, using the gentle heat stimulation to warm and clear the ridians and dispel cold and dampness.
So needling techniques focus on "draining," prioritizing dredging and attacking;
other needling techniques focus on "tonifying," with the goal of warming and reinforcing yang energy.
One yin, one yang; one draining, one tonifying—they complent each other, together forming this ancient and miraculous therapy.
As he read deeper, Li Xu’s understanding of needling underwent a revolutionary change.
What he had learned in school was mostly about how to accurately locate acupoints, how to perform the procedure, and how to insert the stainless steel needles to the proper depth.
But in Elder Cheng’s manuscript, all of this was rely the most basic "form." The true "spirit" lay in the "pattern differentiation" perford before ever applying a needle.
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