Song Sisi had never had acupuncture before. Looking at the slender steel needles, she felt a little scared.

"Relax! It doesn’t really hurt. It’s just like a mosquito bite."

Li Xu reassured her, "This shoulder pain is a classic case of overexertion, causing qi and blood to stagnate locally. When things aren’t flowing, you feel pain. I just need to use a technique that both tonifies and drains on a few points like Jianjing and Tianzong to clear your meridians and get your blood moving. I guarantee the pain will vanish."

Li Xu had taken acupuncture courses back in school, so he was still very proficient with the basic techniques of holding and inserting needles.

What he lacked was the diagnostic reasoning and the more advanced techniques.

Now, he had the theory and the techniques; all that was missing was practice.

Seeing the confidence in Li Xu’s eyes, Song Sisi, though still a little scared, finally gritted her teeth and agreed.

"Alright then. Boss, please be gentle!"

Song Sisi lay face down on the treatment bed and pulled down the collar of her shirt to expose her shoulder.

Li Xu took out a steel needle about an inch long, carefully disinfected it with an alcohol swab, then held his breath and focused his mind.

He recalled the movements of the figure in the video. With his left hand, he pressed around Song Sisi’s Jianjing acupoint until he found the precise spot.

He held the needle between his right thumb and index finger, bracing its shaft with his middle finger. Using the force of his wrist, he aimed for the acupoint and swiftly pierced the skin.

Although the entire process wasn’t exactly what you’d call graceful, it was still quick and efficient.

"Ah!"

Song Sisi only felt a light prick, not the sharp pain she had imagined.

The tip of the needle had entered the acupoint perfectly.

He could clearly feel the sensation from beneath the needle.

This was the phenomenon of "deqi," a sign that the acupuncture was taking effect.

Li Xu felt greatly relieved and began to apply the technique he had just learned, performing slight lifts, thrusts, and rotations of the needle.

Miraculously, when he had practiced back in school, his technique had always felt clumsy and his strength difficult to control.

But now, after watching that incredible video, it felt as if his fingers had developed muscle memory. Every movement was perfectly precise and fluid.

A few minutes later, Li Xu removed the needle.

"Alright, you can get up and try moving around." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Song Sisi sat up, skeptical. She tried rotating her neck and moving her right shoulder.

"Huh?!" To her delight, she discovered that the soreness and stiffness she’d felt before was completely gone!

Her entire shoulder felt incredibly light and comfortable!

"Boss! You’re amazing! It really doesn’t hurt anymore!"

Seeing the look of admiration in Song Sisi’s eyes, Li Xu felt his confidence solidify.

In order to practice more, that very afternoon he went online and ordered a state-of-the-art acupuncture and massage training model marked with all the meridians and acupoints.

For the next few days, whenever he had a spare moment, Li Xu would practice the "Mountain-Burning Fire" and "penetratingly cool" techniques on the model, over and over again, as if entranced.

With the aid of the video, he mastered every detail in less than a week, practicing until the techniques were as instinctual as breathing.

...

「City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dean’s Office.」

Dean Song was frowning, flipping through the hospital’s third-quarter operational report.

The numbers in the report weren’t good, but they weren’t bad either. All metrics were holding steady at the average of previous years, but there was no encouraging growth to be seen. It was all perfectly flat, utterly unremarkable.

He put down the report and rubbed his temples, feeling frustrated.

He recalled last month’s city-wide health system review conference, where the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine had emerged as a dark horse, stunning everyone present.

In terms of outpatient numbers, cure rates, and patient satisfaction, the data from the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine was outstanding. Aside from outpatient volume, their other metrics were even better than those of his hospital, the city’s leading institution for traditional medicine.

This made him feel an unprecedented amount of pressure.

"Xiao Wang," he pressed the intercom and said to his assistant, "go and find out more details about what big moves the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine has made recently. Why is their data so impressive?"

"Yes, Dean."

Assistant Xiao Wang was very efficient.

An hour later, he walked back into the dean’s office with a detailed investigation report in hand.

"Dean, I’ve gotten to the bottom of it," Xiao Wang reported. "There are two main reasons for the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s recent sudden rise."

"First, they hired a special expert consultant from outside, a man named Li Xu. This Doctor Li is said to be very young, but his medical skills are exceptional, and he’s especially good at treating difficult and complex cases. He’s only there for consultations for half a day each week, but he has a huge number of patients trying to get an appointment. He’s a large part of the reason for the hospital’s improved reputation."

"Second," Xiao Wang paused before continuing, "they also brought in several new patent medicines from Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory. For example, the ’Mao Duddu Eye Drops’ for eye conditions, ’Watermelon Frost’ for canker sores, ’True Martial Pill’ for regulating the body, and the recently launched ’Dragon Bone Powder’. From what I understand, all these medicines are highly effective. They aren’t just used in-house; many doctors also recommend patients buy them from outside pharmacies. This, in turn, has boosted the hospital’s treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction."

After listening, Dean Song fell into deep thought.

"Medicine from Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory..." he muttered to himself. "If they can use it, then of course we can too. Contact the pharmacy department later and have them get in touch with Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory. Get an initial batch of their medicines for a trial run at our hospital."

"Yes, Dean."

"As for that consultant named Li Xu..." Dean Song thought. ’If he’s really that skilled, we could invite him to join us. The appeal of the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is much stronger than that of a district hospital. I’m sure Li Xu would be willing to come.’

Xiao Wang added, "Dean, I also found out something else. Professor Xue Shuheng from our hospital seems to have been this Li Xu’s university professor."

"Oh? There’s that connection too?" Dean Song was overjoyed. "Perfect! Go see Professor Xue and tell him I’d like him to reach out and invite his prized student to our hospital for an academic exchange or to give a lecture. If he’s really as capable as they say, we can consider hiring him as a visiting expert!"

"Understood. I’ll get on it right away." Xiao Wang nodded and left.

...

「Internal Medicine Specialist Clinic, Xue Shuheng’s Office.」

Xue Shuheng had been in a foul mood lately. In fact, it was absolutely terrible.

A while back, his favorite student, Dong Yingying, had been fired from the hospital and had her medical license revoked for academic misconduct and for having an affair.

For him, this was a huge blow, making him feel as though he had lost all face.

Just as he was looking at a patient’s file in frustration, the dean’s assistant, Xiao Wang, knocked and entered.

"Professor Xue, hello. Sorry to bother you."

Xiao Wang explained his reason for visiting, relaying Dean Song’s hope that he would reach out and invite Li Xu to the hospital for an exchange.

Hearing the name "Li Xu," Xue Shuheng’s expression instantly darkened.

Back then, he had wanted Li Xu to give the authorship credit for the "Dragon Country Virology" paper to Dong Yingying.

Li Xu had adamantly refused.

Only then did Dong Yingying get involved with Xiao Fei, which led to all the subsequent trouble.

’In his eyes, Li Xu was also partly to blame for Dong Yingying’s dismissal.’