Village Chief Ma couldn't stand it any longer. He turned, pushed the door open, and walked inside.

Ding Kaifang and Ma Rui followed close behind.

Once inside, Village Chief Ma voiced the question on his mind. "Doctor Li, my uncle broke a bone a while back and had it set at the orthopedic hospital. The doctor told him to drink a lot of bone broth. Isn't that just for calcium?"

Li Xu glanced at Village Chief Ma, then at Ding Kaifang. He could tell they had some misconceptions about Traditional Chinese Medicine.

He explained patiently, "Village Chief Ma, the Western medical concept of supplementing calcium is a bit different from the philosophy of TCM.

"TCM believes that 'the kidneys govern the bones and produce marrow.' The strength of your bones is inextricably linked to the vitality of your kidney qi.

"So, when a doctor tells you to drink more bone broth, from a TCM perspective, it's a treatment targeting the kidneys. The goal is to stimulate your kidney qi and make it more robust.

"When your kidney qi is robust, your bones will naturally heal faster. It's not just about 'supplementing calcium.'"

Village Chief Ma and Ding Kaifang only half-understood, but they got the general idea.

When Ma Xinhong saw the three of them enter, his face instantly flushed beet red. He felt like his "private matter" had been exposed.

But he was too worried to care about that now. He asked anxiously, "Doctor Li, what should I do? This condition of mine..."

Li Xu's tone softened. "The kidneys are the body's congenital foundation. When your kidney qi is strong, you naturally don't get sick easily. But many people who are always clamoring about 'tonifying their kidneys' are really just worried about their performance in *that* department. In truth, impotence isn't always caused by the kidneys. Take you, for instance. You don't have a kidney deficiency."

Li Xu pointed at Ma Xinhong.

The moment Ma Xinhong heard "You don't have a deficiency," his face lit up with surprise, and much of his earlier embarrassment vanished.

He looked over at the newcomers, Ding Kaifang and Village Chief Ma, and unconsciously puffed out his chest as if to say, 'See? Even Doctor Li says I don't have a deficiency!'

Ma Rui, standing to the side, couldn't resist a jab. He asked teasingly, "Doctor Li, if he's not deficient, then why is he impotent?"

Ma Xinhong instantly deflated like a popped balloon. The look of pride on his face vanished without a trace.

Seeing this, Village Chief Ma also stammered, "Doctor Li, could you please explain... the issue of kidney deficiency, does it have anything to do with impotence? I... uh, I have a friend, you see. He makes a lot of medicinal liquor, and I wanted to ask on his behalf..."

Huh?

Ma Rui looked at his father, feeling rather awkward.

'Should I make myself scarce?' he wondered.

But... he was also very curious.

After all, while he was still doing fine now, who could guarantee there wouldn't be problems when he got older?

Ma Rui really wanted to hear the answer too.

Li Xu glanced at the men and saw them all staring with wide, curious eyes, hungry for knowledge.

He cleared his throat, deciding to give them a proper lesson on the subject of impotence.

"Village Chief Ma, first, I need to clarify what 'impotence' actually means.

"In the context of TCM, impotence doesn't just refer to a complete inability to get an erection.

"It encompasses a range of symptoms. For example, 'failure to rise,' which means being completely unable to..."

(A section in the middle has been censored.)

Seeing that they were all listening intently, he continued, "As for the possibility of a cure, you don't need to be overly pessimistic.

"With the exception of a few cases caused by organic lesions—such as structural defects in the reproductive organs or nerve damage, which are indeed difficult to treat—other types of impotence generally respond very well to a period of standardized treatment. They are almost always curable.

"So, the first thing a patient needs to do is let go of the psychological burden and actively cooperate with the treatment."

"Actually, the concept of impotence was recorded in ancient Chinese medical texts long ago," Li Xu continued. "...(This part has been censored).

"It wasn't until the Ming Dynasty that the famous physician Zhang Jingyue first used the term we now know as 'impotence' in his *Jingyue Complete Book*."

"Now that we understand what impotence is, let's talk about its causes."

Li Xu looked at Ma Xinhong and stressed, "Like I said before, impotence isn't always a kidney problem. Its causes are complex and varied, requiring a doctor to perform a careful pattern differentiation."

"Of course, kidney deficiency is indeed a common cause. In TCM, we call this the 'decline of the fire from the gate of life.'

"This is often caused by excessive masturbation in one's youth, marrying too early, or overindulgence in sex, all of which deplete one's essential qi over the long term and lead to the decline of the fire from the gate of life.

"Symptoms include lower back pain, a pale and lusterless complexion, dizziness, tinnitus, pain in the back of the head, fatigue, an aversion to cold with cold hands and feet, soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, and frequent, clear, and copious urination at night.

"For this type, the treatment principle is to tonify the kidney and replenish essence. Common formulas include the Gui Fu Rehmannia Pill or the Five Sons Inheriting Pill. However, in a clinical setting, a doctor will adjust the prescription based on the patient's specific condition."

Li Xu pointed at Ma Xinhong and continued, "Your condition, however, is not a decline of the fire from the gate of life. It's a classic case of damp-heat in the liver meridian. This damp-heat pours downward, causing the 'ancestral sinew' to become flaccid, resulting in impotence."

"The diagnosis from the previous doctor you saw was correct. The formula he prescribed was also meant to clear and transform damp-turbidity and to clear the liver and drain heat.

"But the problem was that you ate the wrong things.

"People with a damp-heat constitution should absolutely avoid 'hot' and highly tonifying foods.

"You ate dog meat and dog penis, on top of all those potent tonifying herbs. Isn't that just adding fuel to the fire?

"Those tonics trapped the pathogenic damp-heat inside your body, causing the heat and dampness to stagnate even more deeply. This not only worsened your impotence but also caused a host of new problems like bad breath, burning and foul-smelling urine, dizziness, and fatigue.

"Therefore, the treatment must still follow the principle of clearing and transforming damp-turbidity and clearing the liver to drain heat.

"But you must strictly watch your diet. Remember, no more reckless tonifying, or not even an Immortal could save you!"

"Beyond these causes, there are also businessmen and executives who suffer from chronic sleep deprivation and mental exhaustion. This overwork damages the heart and spleen, and excessive worry and mental strain can also lead to impotence."

Li Xu elaborated, "These patients often experience symptoms like poor appetite, poor sleep, and a tendency to have diarrhea. The treatment for them involves nourishing the heart, calming the spleen, and supplementing the spleen's qi."

"Then there are people who are naturally full of yang energy, with fiery tempers, and are prone to fits of rage. After an outburst, their liver qi stagnates and liver fire flares up, which can also trigger impotence. In TCM, we call this stagnant heat in the liver and gallbladder, and its treatment is different from the others. Another example is patients with 'deficiency of the lower primum,' which requires its own specific treatment. We doctors must carefully differentiate these patterns and treat them accordingly."

"Even cases of premature ejaculation can be related to either the kidney or the liver, because the liver meridian circulates through the genitals and governs the body's 'dredging and discharge' functions. Therefore, every treatment plan must be determined by the specific underlying cause; you can't treat them all the same."