Chapter 529: Tea and Traditional Chinese Medicine
The class they just attended left an incredibly deep impression on them.
The tragic scenes, the corpses’ greenish faces, the collapsed houses, the pitch-black lake water.
This scene was frozen in time, no matter how the years passed, the tragedy had already occurred.
Most of the classmates had unpleasant expressions as they left the classroom. Especially the girls, whose faces were pallid, lightly patting their chests as if to suppress a nauseous feeling.
The class left a significant impact on them, and Zhao Xuefeng’s lecture was very vivid. Everyone’s notebooks were filled with notes. Their minds still recalled what Zhao Xuefeng had just said.
I do not allow you to fail!
When Zhao Xuefeng said these words, his expression was very solemn, affecting all the students.
Some secretly vowed in their hearts that when they became doctors in the future, they would absolutely never fail!
...
Ancient medicine is a very profound subject, it is difficult to even enter the field, and it’s not something you can understand by just attending one class.
Lin Tian listened attentively. He was only somewhat touched by the scene of corpses scattered everywhere.
More importantly, he had a thirst for knowledge of ancient medicine.
In his mind, there were Acupuncture Skills, prescriptions, and Alchemy.
The foundation of all these is ancient medicine, Lin Tian was well-versed in the human skeleton, meridians, and acupuncture points.
Just as Zhao Xuefeng said before, what Lin Tian lacks most now is experience. Experience comes from diagnosing patients, and the more you see, the more proficiently you can treat all kinds of diseases, taking your practice to the next level.
For example, in the class just now, what impressed Lin Tian the most were the various diagnostic methods Zhao Xuefeng mentioned.
After this class ended, some students remained in the classroom, asking Zhao Xuefeng various questions.
Seeing their studious attitude, Zhao Xuefeng was naturally very pleased, and he answered the various strange questions fluently, opening Lin Tian’s eyes.
Lin Tian stood to the side, occasionally adding a sentence or two to Zhao Xuefeng’s explanations, which not only made many people feel enlightened but even deeply moved Zhao Xuefeng.
After everyone dispersed, Zhao Xuefeng invited Lin Tian to his office.
As the vice dean of Kanyue City Medical University and a leading figure in the ancient medicine of the Celestial Dragon Continent, Zhao Xuefeng’s office was just a separate single room.
The room was not large, and even appeared somewhat cramped, with a desk, an office chair, a bookshelf, a sofa, and a tea table.
Zhao Xuefeng picked up a portable tea maker, then walked behind the desk and took out a ceramic bottle, pouring water into the portable tea maker before starting to brew tea.
Zhao Xuefeng laughed, "Haha, I don’t have much in the way of hobbies in my life. I especially love tea and ancient medicine. As Lu Yu said in the ’Classic of Tea. Part V, Boiling’: when brewing tea, use charcoal for the fire, use strong wood in the second place. But here I can’t burn charcoal, so I have to use this portable tea maker, and the water is something I personally brought from a spring on a natural mountain. This ceramic bottle is made from delicate porcelain clay. Storing water in it doesn’t lose its ’alive’ quality."
Lin Tian smiled wryly, "Teacher, do you even have to be so rigorous when just brewing tea?"
Zhao Xuefeng laughed, without any seriousness towards Lin Tian. "Tea and ancient medicine are both very rigorous fields, and they are traditional cultures of our Luan Continent, so of course they need to be taken seriously."
"You’ve gone to such trouble to make me tea, but I’m just someone who doesn’t understand tea. Don’t waste your good tea leaves." Lin Tian said calmly.
"Haha, no worries, drink more if you like it, otherwise, I’ll just drink it myself."
Listening to the humming sound coming from the portable tea maker, Zhao Xuefeng raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you know what three-boiled water is?"
"I don’t know..."
"When you see the boiling appearance like fish eyes with a slight sound, it’s the first boil. When there’s a surge on the edge like connected beads, it’s the second boil. Bubbling waves are the third boil. The first boil is too tender, so it’s also called infant boil; the third boil is too old, called longevity soup, and shouldn’t be consumed. If pearls float on the water surface, and the sound is like pine waves, it is the second boil, the perfect state."
"Actually, this is like ancient medicine, deep but also shallow, the right amount is the best. Do you understand what I mean?"
As he said this, Zhao Xuefeng picked up the portable tea maker. It was just at the ’second boil, like water surface pearls, sound like pine waves.’
Zhao Xuefeng’s tea brewing pot was also quite particular, it was a somewhat patinated copper pot.
Holding it with one hand, pouring the boiling water into the pot, Zhao Xuefeng’s movements were graceful and skillful, clearly an expert.
Lin Tian pondered for a moment and finally shook his head, "Teacher, I don’t know what you mean."
"Tea brewing has three boils, ancient medicine has four diagnoses, do you know what ’observation’ and ’inquiry’ mean in ’observation, auscultation, inquiry, palpation’?"
Lin Tian nodded, "Of course, I know. Observation is through the patient’s spirit, color, form, posture, tongue coating, and other appearances to examine the patient’s condition. Inquiry refers to asking about symptoms, understanding the cause of the disease, and the treatment process."
"Actually, there’s another layer of meaning."
"Another layer of meaning?"
"Everyone is different, especially patients. For instance, even if two people have a fever, the diagnosis and prescribed medicine need to be tailored to the circumstances. Urgency or leisure, you cannot apply one standard to all, do you understand?"
Currently, Zhao Xuefeng couldn’t teach Lin Tian any medical knowledge; he could only impart some of his own experience.
To cater to the situation can be done by any ordinary doctor.
But during the lecture, when Zhao Xuefeng was teaching the students, Lin Tian interjected, exposing a significant flaw.
His diagnostic methods were too rigid, lacking flexibility, ignoring the patients’ own conditions. How could a person in urgent need tolerate slow treatment?
Lin Tian was slightly taken aback, he didn’t expect Zhao Xuefeng to discuss this with him.
He closed his eyes, savored the experience for a while, and then understood.
The ancient medical knowledge in his mind, all theoretical, was too rigid; Lin Tian had always mechanically applied it without any flexibility.
"Teacher, I understand now." Lin Tian nodded humbly.
In front of Zhao Xuefeng, although Lin Tian believed his theoretical knowledge was several levels higher, he remained very respectful.
The one who excels goes first; Zhao Xuefeng’s superiority over Lin Tian is in his wealth of experience, magnified many times over.
Such knowledge for Lin Tian is undoubtedly precious, worthy of his humble acceptance.
"As long as you understand, now let’s talk about some things regarding the Medical Summit."
While speaking, Zhao Xuefeng had completed all the steps like cleaning the utensils, waiting for water, and drenching the cup.
Pouring water from the pot, lightly shaking it three times, Zhao Xuefeng poured out the tea and said, "This is called washing the tea, a very important step."
"After washing, it’s time to brew the tea, this is the most important step, pouring water along the edge, then around the edge."
After brewing, covering the lid, and pouring a round of hot water over it, known as ’rinsing spray.’
After rinsing, Zhao Xuefeng placed the tea in front of Lin Tian.
Lin Tian didn’t understand tea, but just from the fragrance in the air, he felt a refreshing sensation, without the bitterness of inferior tea leaves, with a hint of sweetness.
"First observe the color, smell the aroma, then take small sips and taste it. Try it." Zhao Xuefeng said.