Snar had regained consciousness, but his body was still extrely weak, and his mind remained in a haze.
"Everyone, please be quiet," Li Xu called out loudly.
After demonstrating his superb dical skills, his prestige had skyrocketed.
With just that one shout, the surrounding clamor quickly died down.
Everyone stared at Li Xu with rapt attention, awaiting his instructions.
Li Xu said to Snar’s two wives, "Go boil a basin of hot water and bring two clean towels."
The two wives didn’t dare to delay and imdiately ran ho to prepare.
Soon, two dusty-looking gray towels were brought over.
Li Xu had them soak the two towels in hot water and apply them to the areas under Snar’s ribs on his left and right sides, right on his ribcage.
In the human body, the area beneath the ribs is governed by the Shaoyang Gallbladder ridian.
The ’Shaoyang’ acts like a hinge for the body’s entire system, a crucial pivot point that governs the flow of Qi and facilitates the interaction between Yin and Yang, Qi and blood.
Applying warm, wet towels to the Shaoyang ridian area is, in effect, a form of transdermal therapy. It effectively guides the newly stimulated Yang Qi from within the organs to circulate outward and connect with the protective Qi on the body’s surface.
In ancient Chinese dicine, this thod is known as the ’Five-Point Iron.’
Sure enough, after less than half an hour of the warm towel compress, Snar’s condition improved significantly once more.
The color gradually returned to his face, and his breathing beca steady and strong.
He was even able to slowly sit up with his wives’ support.
Li Xu, however, couldn’t completely relax yet.
The acupuncture and hot compress were rely treating the "symptoms," forcibly pulling the man back from a state of apparent death.
But the "root" cause of Snar’s condition—the stagnant, unexpelled "yin-evil toxicity" within him—was still present.
Only by using an herbal decoction to completely purge this toxicity could the treatnt be considered a true success.
"Ye Mushen," Li Xu said, turning to the still-dazed herbalist, "do you have any dicinal herbs in the village?"
Ye Mushen nodded hastily.
Then he went back to get the herbs.
A mont later, he returned with a pile of herbs he had gathered from the mountains himself. The variety was limited, not nearly enough to formulate an effective prescription.
Fortunately, Li Xu had brought so of his own.
He took out a few packets of commonly used herbs from his backpack.
He pulled out processed Aconite, dried ginger, and licorice—all herbs with extrely pungent and hot properties. He then had Ye Mushen fetch so common local herbs and combined them on the spot, creating a simple "Yang-warming and purging" decoction.
He handed the prepared mixture to Snar’s wives, telling them to brew it imdiately and give it to Snar to drink.
Only after all this was done did Li Xu finally breathe a sigh of relief.
By now, Snar was able to speak. Supported by his wives, he thanked Li Xu profusely.
anwhile, the way the surrounding villagers looked at Li Xu had completely changed.
It was a look of awe and adoration, as if they were gazing upon a celestial being or a living Buddha.
Ye Mushen also had a quick change of heart.
He gave a thumbs-up. "The dical arts of the East are incredible."
He then enthusiastically invited Li Xu to be a guest at his ho.
"Respected doctor from the East, you must do the honor of visiting my ho. Allow to offer you our most sincere respects."
Seeing his sincerity, Li Xu didn’t refuse.
This was a perfect opportunity to speak with the only local doctor and learn more about digging for Yabulu.
Surrounded by an escort of villagers, Li Xu followed Ye Mushen to his ho.
Ye Mushen’s ho also served as the village’s only "clinic."
It was an adobe house, slightly larger than the other residences.
Inside, the light was dim, and the air was filled with the mixed scent of dicinal herbs and dust.
The furnishings were very crude.
In the corner were piles of various dried herbs whose nas he didn’t recognize.
On a worn-out wooden table sat a few simple dical instrunts—a rcury sphygmomanoter, and a few pairs of tweezers and scissors for treating external injuries.
To Li Xu’s surprise, he even spotted several glass syringes and so antibiotic injectables in a cabinet.
Apparently, this traditional herbalist also knew a few modern dical treatnts.
However, everything looked very primitive, even a bit unsanitary.
The stone mortar used for grinding herbs still had black dicinal stains along its rim, and the cloth sacks for storing herbs were covered in a layer of dust.
Ye Mushen invited Li Xu to sit on a relatively clean chair.
He then turned, went into the inner room, and retrieved a small tin box from a locked wooden chest.
He opened the box. Inside was the item he had treasured for a long ti to serve guests—tea leaves.
Li Xu recognized it with a single glance as low-quality black tea.
But out here, it was a delicacy.
Ye Mushen carefully pinched a small amount, placed it in a rough earthenware bowl, poured in so milky-white milk from a nearby jar, and then added a few lumps of yellow rock sugar.
He placed the earthenware bowl on a stove, lit a fire, and began to brew it.
Soon, a steaming bowl of "milk tea" was ready.
"Honored guest, please."
Ye Mushen presented the milk tea with both hands, serving Li Xu with great hospitality.
Li Xu looked at the oddly colored milk tea in the bowl,
a mixture of tea, the gay taste of milk, and sweetness.
Though he felt a bit reluctant,
he couldn’t bring himself to refuse the man’s kind gesture.
He picked up the bowl and took a small sip.
Instantly,
an overly sweet, cloying, and gay flavor filled his mouth.
Li Xu really couldn’t get used to the taste. After just one sip,
he placed the bowl back on the table.
Just then, a man in his forties was peeking in at the doorway, looking like he wanted to enter but was too embarrassed.
When Ye Mushen saw him, he frowned and said with displeasure, "Belik, what are you doing here again? I already told you about your condition—you have to take that dicine slowly. I’m entertaining an honored guest today. Co back tomorrow."
The man nad Belik scratched his head in embarrassnt, but his gaze went past Ye Mushen and landed on Li Xu.
"Ye Mushen," he said in a low voice, "I... I’d like to ask this Divine Physician from the East to take a look at my illness."
Ye Mushen’s face imdiately darkened.
This was tantamount to saying, right in front of his guest, that his own dical skills were lacking.
But he had no way to refute it.
Because he had indeed treated Belik’s ailnt—hemorrhoids—several tis with various herbs, but to no effect.
Li Xu understood the situation through his translator.
Ye Mushen turned to Li Xu. "Divine Physician from the East, what do you think...?"
Treating the sick and saving lives is a doctor’s duty.
Li Xu didn’t refuse.
"Let him co in."
Overjoyed to hear this, Belik quickly walked inside.
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