Physician's Odyssey Chapter 574 - Turning things around

The moment Su Tao stepped in, he saw that the patient's eyes were closed, the lips were pursed, the fists were clenched, and veins were popping out from his neck. The patient seemed to be in great pain.
"Out of concern that it might affect the activity tomorrow, we did not send him to the hospital for a detailed check-up." Yue Zun said.
His meaning was blatant, the core official's condition was currently kept a secret since China's party didn't want anyone to know about that, including Russia's side. The core official was the leader of this representative team, and Russia only recognises him.
By not sending the core official to the hospital, it meant that he could not be thoroughly checked. At the same time, it also meant that the medical team was helpless since the medical apparatuses they brought with them were simple ones. Such a complicated condition exceeded their boundaries.
Generally speaking, this sort of event would be accompanied by a Western Medicine and TCM National Healer Specialist. When the western medicine specialist couldn't find a solution, then it would be up to the TCM specialist to turn things around.
"Martial Uncle, calm down. I will perform a check-up on him before making a conclusion." Su Tao nodded his head.
Yue Zun knew the standards of Su Tao's medical skills, and the latter was not inferior to Dou Fanggang so he sighed, "I'll leave it to you. If you're helpless, then we can only contact Russia's side and send the patient to a hospital for Russian specialists to treat him."
"Absolutely not!" The core official opened his eyes with great difficulty and replied, "You guys just have to alleviate my pain. This is a diplomatic visit, and it cannot be turned into an international joke!"
Understanding the core official's meaning, Su Tao sighed. The international community was currently paying attention to China's diplomatic visit. If the core official couldn't attend the function normally, that meant that the cooperation between the two countries would be put to a halt. This would seriously affect numerous plans and projects. If the enterprises that were involved in this were affected, it would definitely result in severe losses.
Putting it in a nutshell, if the news got out, it would definitely be used by those with malicious intentions. That also meant that the stock of those involved enterprises would suffer an irreversible blow.
This also proved that nothing was small when it comes to diplomatic visits, and the health matters of anyone was a grave matter.
Just when Su Tao wanted to take the pulse of this core official, a middle-aged man in his forties entered and said, "Hold it!"
Turning around, Su Tao saw a clean looking man, a black-framed spectacle, and a mole by the corner of his eye. He should be the secretary of this core official, and thus, Su Tao stopped.
The middle-aged man waved his hand at Su Tao and Yue Zun, signaling the two of them to come out before he asked, "I've already finished making my call. Is there no conclusion?"
As he spoke, his gaze examined Su Tao, which made the latter feel uncomfortable.
His meaning was blatant, he felt suspicious of Su Tao, who appeared out of nowhere.
Hence, Yue Zun immediately introduced, "Mr. Xue, let me introduce you. This is the new specialist accepted through this year's National Healer Selection, Su Tao. Please don't look down on him because of his age. The organisation recognises his medical skills, he's also a famous physician."
Yue Zun was experienced, to which he paid attention when addressing Mr. Xue. This Mr. Xue wasn't simple, not only was he the right-hand man of the core official, but he also had connections within the country; he's the advisor of the core official.
Sweeping a glance at Su Tao, Mr. Xue said in a solemn voice, "During such a crucial moment, I feel that you should be the one conducting the examination, Professor Yue. As you know, I'm a cautious person, and I don't trust new faces."
When Yue Zun heard Mr. Xue's words, he nearly went insane. Although he was grateful for the latter's trust, there's nothing he could do right now since he didn't have sufficient apparatuses.
If it was a common illness like cold or flu, Yue Zun could make a rough judgment by the temperature and hemogram. However, the core official suddenly became ill, and his condition was also extremely peculiar. Hence, there's nothing Yue Zun could do about it.
As the saying goes, it's easy to deal with Yama, but his subordinate ghosts are troublesome. When the core official got ill, Mr. Xue instantly became the commanding official.
Inwardly letting out a sigh and taking a deep breath, Su Tao said, "I already got a rough guess of the patient's condition, I only have to take his pulse to verify it."
What a big tone!
Mr. Xue didn't believe it. After all, Yue Zun and his assistants spent nearly half an hour, and there's nothing they could do about it. But all Su Tao did was take a few glances to figure out the cause?
Sweeping a glance at Su Tao, Mr. Xue replied, "Stop bluffing! I would rather believe in science. Professor Yue, you continue to think of something. I still have to make a few calls to prepare for the worst-case scenario."
When he finished, he took out his phone and leaned against the wall while staring at Su Tao, as if he was staring at a thief.
With a bitter smile, Yue Zun turned to Su Tao and whispered, "Please don't blame him. He's extremely cautious against young doctors. It was said that two years ago, his mother passed away when a young doctor made a mistake and gave the wrong medication."
Hearing Yue Zun's explanation, Su Tao instantly felt much better. He then moved to the former's ears and revealed his conclusion.
"Uh… it's that simple?" Yue Zun looked at Su Tao with disbelief.
"It's simple, and at the same time, it's not. It might seem like nothing serious, but if it's not treated in time, then it might be dire." Su Tao smiled.
"What's the treatment method?" Yue Zun asked, curiously.
"Just a needle will do the job!" Su Tao said with confidence as he continued, "Martial Uncle, you can perform it on my behalf under my instructions, and the patient will instantly feel much better."
"Absolutely not!" Yue Zun immediately waved his hand and continued, "Our professions differ, and it's fine if you want me to conduct a surgery. But if you want me to perform acupuncture, absolutely not!"
Yue Zun's reaction was within Su Tao's guess. If it's an ordinary patient, then Yue Zun might dare to take Su Tao's suggestion. However, the patient was a core official, and even if Yue Zun believed in Su Tao, he still had to put up his guards. If Su Tao purposely dug a trap for him, then he's finished.
Knowing that it's impossible to get Yue Zun to take his advice, Su Tao showed a helpless expression and sighed, "But Mr. Xue doesn't trust me."
Nodding his head, Yue Zun replied, "Secretaries are usually cautious. You're an unfamiliar face, and not to mention that you're so young that it jabbed on his sore spot. Forget it… I'll try and talk to him."
"Hold up!" Su Tao immediately stopped Yue Zun. Although he knew that the latter was eloquent, it's still impossible to convince Mr. Xue without some planning.
Hence, Su Tao came over to Yue Zun's ears and whispered.
"Is that true?" Yue Zun looks baffled.
With a smile, Su Tao gave an 'OK' gesture before he seriously nodded his head.
Hence, Yue Zun went over and talked to Mr. Xue. In the beginning, Mr. Xue was shocked before his expression was replaced with admiration. Turning to look at Su Tao, Yue Zun continued speaking a few more words.
Wearing a smile, Mr. Xue walked over and sighed, "Mr. Su, I would like to apologise for my earlier rudeness."
In response, Su Tao smiled. He knew that Mr. Xue's impression of him took a drastic turn after he managed to see through the latter's hidden condition.
It's not easy living in this world, and everyone's role determines their attitude when handling matters.
If he was in Mr. Xue's position, there wouldn't be much difference in how he handled the matter, not to mention that Mr. Xue was even cheated by a young doctor once.
Opening his medical box, Su Tao took out a piece of paper and wrote down a prescription.
"Take this prescription for a month. You will feel its effects."
Stomach ulcer was one of Mr. Xue's occupational illnesses. He was under stress for an extended period and often stayed up late. Furthermore, his diet was irregular, not to mention that it was common for him to skip meals when he was young. Lastly, it was also due to the large amount of alcohol that he consumed. Although Mr. Xue had been paying attention to his health, he would often suffer a recurrence from his stomach ulcer.
Su Tao did not take Mr. Xue's pulse. All he did was to take a glance at the latter's complexion, speech, and walking gesture to make the judgment. This wasn't a difficult observation skill, but it's practically magic for patients.
Mr. Xue has been accepting treatment for his condition, but it couldn't be treated, not to mention that he was also getting on with his age. Hence, the cause of the problem couldn't be found.
If the head hurts, treat the head; if the leg hurts, treat the leg. This was the standard method used by western medicine, and at the same time, it's also the most unscientific.
The cause of Mr. Xue's stomach ulcer wasn't his stomach, but spleen.
When treating stomach illnesses, TCM emphasised treating the spleen as well.
Although food was digested through the stomach and small intestines, it still relied on the spleen for circulation to reach the various organs. Hence, the spleen was the engine that circulated nutrients.
The spleen mainly circulates, while the stomach mainly accepts. Hence, the spleen and stomach were closely linked.
This was also the reason why TCM emphasised on treating the spleen along with the stomach as well.
Although Mr. Xue's stomach ulcers were nourished from all sorts of western medicine, it was akin to a cloth with countless holes being filled up with medicine. With the spleen unwell, the nutrients in the stomach couldn't circulate well, and it was no doubt that the cloth would be torn again.
Experiencing Su Tao's ability, Mr. Xue no longer wasted time. It's not up to him to determine if a National Healer was incapable when they're selected and chosen by the organisation. They're racing against time right now, and if the core official missed the best opportunity to be treated, wouldn't he be held responsible?
Entering the room, Su Tao first took the pulse for the patient before he gently patted on the latter's right shoulder.
The patient, whose consciousness was initially murky, suddenly yelled out, "Arghh!"
While Mr. Xue's face was drained of blood as he clenched his fists, Yue Zun felt heavily relieved with an unnoticeable smile hanging on his lips.