Physician's Odyssey Chapter 325 - A White Lie

After consuming wolfberry stewed with rabbit meat, it caused a disharmony of Yin and Yang in Cao Dingjun's body, but Su Tao has treated it. The reason why Cao Dingjun fainted was due to the trick that Su Tao left when he was performing the acupuncture so that Cao Dingjun would faint upon suffering a blow to his mentality.
After pressing on Cao Dingjun's chest for a few seconds, the old man gradually regained his consciousness. At this moment, his face was grave. He was convinced by Xia Dechun's words that he was suffering from a terminal illness with what he had just experienced.
Otherwise, how could an ordinary person faint?
"What terminal illness do I have?" Cao Dingjun was an authoritative figure, so he accepted this reality swiftly.
"Variant Hypochondriasis!" Xia Dechun continued his act. Cao Dingjun's response was just as Su Tao had speculated.
"What illness is this? Why haven't I heard of it before?" Cao Dingjun looked perplexed.
"This is a rare chronic illness. The symptom is when you feel weak in your limbs and showing a deterioration of memory!" Xia Dechun swiftly introduced. "If you're willing to cooperate with the treatment, then there's a chance for your recovery."
Cao Dingjun was a strong-minded person. So when he heard Xia Dechun's words, it was perfectly describing how he felt. However, he still rejected, "I don't trust doctors!"
"Sire Cao, it's all thanks to this little friend, Physician Su, for treating you. Otherwise, you would still be unconscious right now!" Xia Dechun immediately introduced Su Tao to Cao Dingjun.
Looking at Su Tao for a long time, Cao Dingjun locked his brows together. "I seem to have some recollection of him!"
"I've met with you once in the past. I was under Sire Shui's orders to treat you!" After Xia Dechun laid out the chess pieces, it's finally Su Tao's turn right now.
To conduct a treatment, the patient's mentality had to be analysed. Although Cao Dingjun's condition was under control, for the time being, it would still relapse in the future. Since the old man was someone doubtful and concerned with his reputation, Su Tao got Xia Dechun to play an act with him.
Hence, the 'Variant Hypochondriasis' was born.
If they told Cao Dingjun that he was suffering from Senile Dementia, the old man would certainly not be able to accept this truth and reject doctors even more to protect his own face.
So by creating the 'Variant Hypochondriasis' to package Cao Dingjun's illness, it would allow the latter to treat this matter seriously and accept treatment.
By the time Cao Dingjun recovers his mind, he would have already accepted the treatment. At that time, he would understand the white lie that he and Xia Dechun cooked up.
"The moment the Variant Hypochondriasis breaks out, it cannot be treated with any medicine and can only be delayed. Your condition is serious, and if you continue to refuse treatment, you will be in a muddled state in just one week!" Su Tao spoke with a straight face. "The reason why it's called Variant Hypochondriasis is that in ancient times, an Emperor had once suffered from this in his quest for immortality. So after consuming a large number of pellets, his illness broke out, and his mind was in a muddled state!"
Cao Dingjun questioned, "But I've not taken any pellet, so why do I have this illness?"
"It's mainly related to the surgery you underwent thirty years ago! You had surgery in your brain. Although the bullet was removed, it has caused your nerves to suffer pressure. So during rainy days, you will feel a headache. This is also because you've trained your body often. If it was someone else, they would've been in trouble ten years ago." Su Tao explained methodically.
Su Tao wasn't cooking up nonsense, since Cao Dingjun's Senile Dementia was related to the injury he suffered in the past.
Hearing Su Tao's explanation, Cao Dingjun felt a chilling breeze blowing against the back of his head. That injury from back then had affected him greatly, and he nearly died from it. So when Su Tao gave an accurate time and his headache during rainy days, that meant that Su Tao was skillful. Many people might know about his past injury, but there's practically no one that knew about his periodic headaches.
As his face sank, Cao Dingjun pondered. Am I really dying from Variant Hypochondriasis?
He had been to the battlefield and experienced both life and death. He was no longer afraid of death, but he still couldn't help wavering to make a decision between life and death.
Perhaps he should believe in this young man and try accepting the treatment.
Getting Cao Dingjun to accept treatment required some psychological methods. Not only did he have to be intelligent and courageous, but he also had to resort to some tricks. Even their acting had to be realistic.
"I don't believe in doctors!" Cao Dingjun weakly stated. "But no one wants to die when they can live. I will give you a few days, and if the treatment has no effect, I will resign to fate!"
Letting out a breath in relief, Su Tao could tell that Cao Dingjun was stubborn. He's someone even more stubborn than Sire Shui. If the old man wasn't ill and he didn't use some tactics, it's probably impossible for him to get Sire Cao to accept his treatment.
Although Cao Dingjun had just regained his consciousness, his physique was extremely fragile so he went back to sleep. After Su Tao and Xia Dechun came out, Cao Huaiqing came up and asked, "How is it?"
"He has already regained his consciousness, but he fell asleep due to exhaustion." Xia Dechun smiled as he glanced at Su Tao. "It's all thanks to Physician Su for allowing the old man to regain his consciousness with acupuncture."
Holding onto Su Tao's hand, Cao Huaiqing expressed his gratitude, "I apologise for not previously recognising Mount Tai!"
With a faint smile, Su Tao courteously replied, "Truth be told, I wouldn't dare to treat Sire Cao if his condition wasn't this serious!"
Thus, Su Tao explained the reason why he turned around and left the previous time.
After a brief stun, Cao Huaiqing came to realise the truth and smiled. "You're right! My father's too stubborn, and he is prejudice about doctors."
Everyone's realistic, and after witnessing Su Tao's skills along with Sire Shui's recommendation, Cao Huaiqing was deeply convinced by Su Tao's ability.
Cao Huaiqing was truly frightened by the sudden outbreak, and he had never felt such fear. Not only was Cao Dingjun the support of the Cao Family, but he was also a spiritual figure in the nation. So it would be a significant loss for the country if anything happened to his father.
"It's not as simple as having prejudice. He has a shadow in his heart!" Su Tao knew that he had to tell Cao Huaiqing about this if he wanted to treat Sire Cao. After all, the white lie cannot be exposed, and he needed a family member to cooperate with them.
However, Su Tao came out with a shocking verdict.
He said Cao Dingjun had a shadow in his heart? Cao Dingjun was well-known for his toughness in the military and political world. Even when facing difficulties, he never bowed.
"Shadow?" Cao Huaiqing was astonished as he looked at Su Tao.
"When he was young, Sire Cao had suffered a stray bullet to his head. At that time, the medical techniques still weren't as advanced, and he had to undergo great pain, since the anesthesia wasn't so effective, forming a shadow in his heart." After Sire Cao regained his consciousness earlier, Su Tao had already probed from the former's lips and figured out the reason why he was so against doctors.
"So, that's the case!" Cao Huaiqing finally understood with an explanation. "I've heard that my father always charged at the front when he was younger in the battlefield. There was a time when he even brushed shoulders with death, but he never mentioned this matter to me!"
"Humans will always choose to hide their most painful memory. Sire Cao might be a hero, but he's also an ordinary person. He will be afraid of pain, so he doesn't want to remember the bitter past!" The reason why Su Tao chose to treat Cao Dingjun's Senile Dementia was because he had a sufficient understanding of the latter.
Some people might want to hide their illness on purpose, and some people didn't believe in doctors because of their difficulties.
Cao Dingjun's difficulties have been unveiled through Su Tao's treatment. It was so much so that not even Cao Dingjun, himself had an idea about this secret hidden in his heart.
Listening to the conversation between Su Tao and Cao Huaiqing, Xia Dechun felt that a new world has opened to him. He realised that Su Tao had a rooted essence of TCM to seek the reason before treatment. Only by knowing the cause could the illness be treated. Otherwise, it would just be treating the symptoms and not the root.
"Sire Cao's condition is a little complicated, since the origin came from the gunshot wound in his head, not to mention this mentality. So I have to use a unique method to treat him, and I need your cooperation!" Instantly, Su Tao told Cao Huaiqing about the lie that he and Xia Dechun told Cao Dingjun.
Upon hearing Su Tao's words, not only was Cao Huaiqing not against it, he even slapped his thigh and sighed, "Physician Su, I never expected that you would understand people's hearts so well, despite being so young. Variant Hypochondriasis is truly the best explanation!"
With a smile, Su Tao replied, "But he has to receive acupuncture daily, and after one week, his condition will gradually be alleviated with the help of medicine."
"Gradually alleviated? Is there no alternative for it to be treated faster?" Cao Huaiqing was sensitive, and he instantly caught onto the key in Su Tao's words.
"It won't be easy to treat Senile Dementia completely!" Seeing Cao Huaiqing's concern, Su Tao gave out a promise, "I will do my best to treat Sire Cao."
Hearing Su Tao's earnest words, Cao Huaiqing's mood gradually calmed down. Back then, when Su Tao left after taking a glance, Cao Huaiqing felt that the latter was putting on airs ⁠— stubborn-tempered and lacking in manners.
But thinking about it now, Su Tao probably already had a plan when he first took a look at his father, and today's arrangements might just be a step within his scheme.
Simply putting it, Su Tao was just pretending to be rude, since he knew that the Cao Family would come looking for him in the end.
Because of his rudeness back then, he was now treated with such great importance by the Cao Family. Cao Huaiqing sighed. Su Tao was simply a monster; how was he a physician? He looked like those people with the special ability to read minds in those Hollywood movies!
As Su Tao chatted with Xia Dechun, they walked out of the building. Upon exiting, they saw Ah Jun standing beside a green military jeep with Shui Junzhuo beside him. The two of them were whispering amongst themselves.