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墨書 Inktalez
"Old Xu, you are truly admirable. In this day and age, it is not easy to still adhere to the practice of being a sitting doctor."
This is not flattery towards Xu Zhan, but rather a statement of fact. The five elderly men who were just seen in the main hall were all sitting doctors.
The concept of sitting doctors is related to the Medical Sage Zhang Zhongjing. Zhang Zhongjing, who lived during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, had a passion for medicine from a young age. After years of hard study, he became a renowned physician. However, due to his father's wishes, he pursued the imperial examination route and eventually became the governor of Changsha during the Jian'an period.
While busy with governance, Zhang Zhongjing did not forget to use his medical skills to treat the common people. In that feudal era, officials were not allowed to casually enter the homes of ordinary citizens. Without access to them, it was impossible to treat their ailments. Thus, Zhang Zhongjing devised a plan: on the first and fifteenth days of each month, the government office would be open but would not handle official business. All sick citizens could come for treatment while Zhang Zhongjing would sit properly in the main hall, carefully diagnosing each patient.
This practice caused a sensation and won the support of the people. Gradually, it became a custom; on every first and fifteenth day of the month, citizens from all directions would come for treatment. Later, in honor of Zhang Zhongjing, people began to refer to doctors who treated patients in pharmacies as sitting doctors.
However, in recent decades, due to the introduction of Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine has faced significant challenges. The number of traditional sitting doctors has dwindled, and even those with skills have found it increasingly difficult to maintain their practice. Xu Zhan's persistence in this method at his Tongxin Hall is indeed commendable.
"These individuals are all long-time friends. After decades of practice, I wouldn't dare say they are perfect, but they can certainly treat some ailments."
Speaking of this, Xu Zhan showed a proud expression on his face. Being a sitting doctor is not simply about being present in the main hall; without genuine skill and ability, one would not dare take on such a role.
It is known that an expert's capabilities can be discerned immediately; if a sitting doctor lacks skill, they cannot deceive patients when they arrive for treatment. If they fail to heal others, complaints will follow. This is why many traditional medicine shops choose only to sell medicine and do not employ sitting doctors.
Tongxin Hall has employed sitting doctors for over thirty years, and its reputation has been built on solid foundations.
Nodding slightly, Ancient Sorcerer said, "Old Xu, I would like to prescribe a medicine."
"No problem. I can't speak for other things, but when it comes to traditional Chinese medicine, our Tongxin Hall should have the most comprehensive selection in Guanghai City. While we may not have thousand-year-old ginseng or ten-thousand-year-old He Shou Wu, most medicinal materials are still within our reach."
"Well then, if it's convenient, I would like to go to the medicine cabinet to find the materials I need."
"Of course! Let's go now."
Xu Zhan immediately agreed to Ancient Sorcerer's request, and the three stood up and walked towards the main hall.
It was already evening, and due to the arrival of the Ancient Sorcerer, Xu Zhan decided to end business ten minutes early.
After the shop door closed, the resident doctor and the person responsible for gathering herbs did not leave. The reason was simple: they had long noticed the Ancient Sorcerer beside Xu Zhan—there must be a reason for such a prominent figure to personally accompany him. Now that they saw him back in the main hall, they decided to stay and see what was going on.
"Old Xu, I'll handle it myself."
Looking at the large medicine cabinet, the Ancient Sorcerer suddenly felt excited for some reason, as if everything was familiar.
"Sure, no problem."
Xu Zhan nodded with a light smile.
Everyone was taken aback by Xu Zhan's words. In Tongxin Hall, even those responsible for gathering herbs had to train for three years; otherwise, they would never be allowed to handle it. Strangers were absolutely not permitted near the medicine cabinet.
Xu Dou walked up to Xu Zhan and whispered, "Dad, what's going on?"
In the past twenty years, Xu Dou had never seen his father allow a stranger to approach their family's medicine cabinet—even the best of friendships wouldn't suffice.
"He cured Xiao Tongfang."
Xu Dou was stunned and said incredulously, "No way? Him? He's too young."
Because of Xu Zhan, Xu Dou had been exposed to traditional Chinese medicine since childhood. Now nearing fifty, he had studied it his entire life. Although he wouldn't claim to surpass his father, he was not far off. When Xiao Tongfang fell ill, he and his father along with over ten renowned traditional Chinese medicine experts couldn't come up with an effective treatment plan even after a month of consultations. Hearing that this young man before him had cured him was astonishing.
"Yes, that's right. Ying girl is right here."
Kong Ying, who had been silent until now, nodded and softly said, "Yes, it was the Ancient Sorcerer who cured Xiao Tongfang. It's incredible; just a few well-known nursery rhymes about Heavenly Dreadful cured him."
"Ah? Is he the Ancient Sorcerer?"
At this moment, another elder approached, clearly having heard Kong Ying's words, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
Xu Zhan turned to Ma Weishi, who had walked up beside him, and smiled, saying:
"Old Ma, this is the Ancient Sorcerer. He came today to prescribe some medicine."
"Oh, then let's see what kind of medicine this young man will prescribe."
Except for Ma Weishi, the others slowly gathered around, all watching Ancient Sorcerer.
Xu Zhan noticed Ancient Sorcerer walking to the medicine cabinet, and his long-cultivated calmness was slightly stirred. He had been unable to find the cause of Xiao Tongfang's illness, yet this young man seemed to be able to cure it effortlessly. What kind of ability did this young man possess? Thus, he was filled with curiosity about Ancient Sorcerer.
When Ancient Sorcerer proposed to gather the herbs himself, Xu Zhan immediately agreed. Having immersed himself in Traditional Chinese Medicine for a lifetime, he knew that gathering herbs might seem simple, but in reality, it was one of the best ways to showcase true skill. The medicinal properties of each herb could vary even among the same type, and this could reveal the gatherer's insight, especially for experts.
The real reason Xu Zhan wanted Ancient Sorcerer to gather the herbs was to "measure" his abilities—of course, there was also a hint of pride involved. How could a young novice possibly cure a disease that even a national-level expert like himself had treated? Let me see your skills.
In fact, the others felt similarly to Xu Zhan. They were somewhat skeptical that Ancient Sorcerer could truly cure Xiao Tongfang's illness, so they all widened their eyes to see just how capable Ancient Sorcerer really was.
The Tongxin Hall fell silent as everyone watched Ancient Sorcerer. Both Kong Ying and Xu Zhan, along with Xu Dou, were tense. As for Ma Weishi and the others—who among them wasn't an expert? Their gazes on Ancient Sorcerer clearly indicated they were eager to see what kind of abilities he possessed and what kind of prescription he would come up with.
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