Raising a Fox Spirit in My Home

After the awkward and almost confrontational greeting (if it could even be called a greeting), Dr . Zhong began to explain to Zhou Qin the intricacies of her condition . Like Uncle Zhou, Li Yundong stood beside Zhou Qin\'s bed and listened to Dr . Zhong\'s every word .

Dr . Zhong was a plump, rotund man with a full head of white hair and a slightly receding hairline . The man wasn\'t tall . Li Yundong would put his height at around 170cm, which was nowhere enough to compensate for the man\'s large girth; hence the rotundity .

One thing about the Dr . Zhong did stick out at Li Yundong: his confidence . When the guy spoke, he expected everyone in the room to listen to him . Even his colleague—the other doctor who came in—seemed a bit hesitant to voice out his thoughts even though his face clearly showed that he had a few points of his own to add . Then again, Dr . Zhong was a famous expert in the country, so he was probably used to people looking at him like he was a Buddha or Avalokiteshvara .

For some reason, Dr . Zhong reminded Li Yundong of Yan Hua .

At some point during Dr . Zhong\'s lecture, Li Yundong stole a glance at Zhou Qin .

It would seem that Zhou Qin\'s Ice-Queen demeanor was back in full force . She sat on the bed with her back ramrod straight, giving noncommittal single-word answers whenever Dr . Zhong inquired about her condition or asked her questions . Dr . Zhong sounded kind and loving when he spoke to Zhou Qin, though for some strange reason, Zhou Qin seemed a bit annoyed with Dr . Zhong .

"And now, Miss Zhou… Regarding your treatment options . . . " Dr . Zhong suddenly cleared his throat . "After a thorough review of your case, it seems to me that you\'ll most likely require surgery . "

Li Yundong tensed up at the mention of surgery . What the heck? His eyes darted briefly to Uncle Zhou, who stood stoically beside Zhou Qin\'s bed .

"The only problem is that it is impossible to carry out the procedure within the country," Dr . Zhong continued . "I\'m sorry to say that we do not have the proper equipment to facilitate the procedure—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second here," Li Yundong cut in . "Surgery? I thought . . . " He glanced at Uncle Zhou once again . "But what about the risks?"

"Oh?" Dr . Zhong turned away from the bed and raised a brow at Li Yundong . "Do you have a better way then?"

Li Yundong met Dr . Zhong\'s challenging gaze with a steely look of his own .

The other, after Uncle Zhou mentioned about the risks of removing the blood clot from Zhou Qin\'s spinal column via surgery, Li Yundong went home and did some digging .

And his research revealed another consequence of the surgery that was far more devastating than Zhou Qin losing all her motor functions: it was unlikely for Zhou Qin to even make it out of the surgery alive, let alone walk again .

Yes . Zhou Qin would die if she went through with the procedure .

And the reason for that was so simple that Li Yundong had wanted to smack himself for not realizing it sooner: the Du Meridian runs along the spinal column; if they cut open Zhou Qin\'s spinal region, her Du Meridian would be severed .

"What do you know anyway, kid?" said Dr . Zhong\'s colleague . "You should keep quiet if you don\'t know what you\'re talking about . "

Li Yundong ignored the other doctor and turned to Dr . Zhong instead .

"I urge you to reconsider, Dr . Zhong," Li Yundong pleaded . "She wouldn\'t survive the surgery . "

"There are always risks when it comes to surgery," Dr . Zhong said patiently . "But that\'s just it . Those are only risks . She needs surgery if she wants to make a complete recovery . There\'s just no other way . The risks might be worth it if it means that Miss Zhou can stand up again . "

"Not in this case," Li Yundong said insistently . "The chances of Zhou Qin surviving the procedure is close to nil . "

Li Yundong heard two sharp intakes of breaths beside him . When he glanced sideways, he caught a glimpse of Uncle Zhou and Zhou Qin\'s shocked expressions .

Dr . Zhong frowned and exchanged a look with his colleague . "That\'s a rather bold claim, don\'t you think?" Dr . Zhong studied Li Yundong\'s face for a moment . "How, may I ask, did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"Well, the Du Meridian runs along the spinal column," Li Yundong said . "So if you cut open that area—"

"Wait, you know Traditional Chinese Medicine?" Dr . Zhong interrupted him rudely .

Li Yundong sighed . "Yes . I dabbled in it a little . "

Dr . Zhong shared yet another look with his colleague . Seconds later, the two doctors started chuckling and shaking their heads .

"With all due respect," Li Yundong said in a tight voice . "This is no laughing matter . Like I said—"

"Say, kid," said Dr . Zhong\'s colleague . "What year do you think we\'re living in, eh?" There was a pregnant pause . "Nobody believe in all that stuff anymore . " The doctor rolled his eyes . "I mean, you might as well feed Miss Zhou a vial of enchanted water if you still believe in all that Traditional Chinese Medicine crap . "

Li Yundong stared at the doctor for a few seconds, aghast at the complete travesty of Traditional Chinese Medicine that the doctor had just spouted .

Enchanted water? Seriously?

"Your understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine is flawed I\'m afraid," Li Yundong said .

Dr . Zhong\'s colleague stopped laughing instantly .

"Oh?" The doctor raised a brow challengingly . "Why don\'t you enlighten us then?" Then, he gestured at Zhou Qin\'s bed with a hand . "What type of treatment plan do you propose to treat Miss Zhou\'s condition?"

Li Yundong narrowed his eyes at the doctor .

"With improved blood circulation, the blood clot will eventually disperse on its own," Li Yundong said without taking his eyes off the doctor . "And Traditional Chinese Medicine has a lot of good ways to enhance blood flow . The most effective method is Qi control . But there are other methods such as acupuncture and massage—"

The doctor laughed again . "Tsk . Tsk . Did you hear that, Dr . Zhong?" He glanced at Dr . Zhong . "This kid is trying to teach us, trained medical professionals, by spouting all these nonsense . Qi control, he says . " The doctor snorted and rolled his eyes . "Please . Don\'t you know that most Qigong masters in the country were arrested and convicted of fraud?"

Li Yundong exhaled slowly . "Just because there are a bunch of frauds out there operating under the banner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it doesn\'t mean tha—"

"Listen, young man," Dr . Zhong cut in abruptly . "History have shown over and over again that these so-called Qigong masters were all charlatans . And the same goes for those traditional nutritionists or practitioners of alternative medicine . Don\'t you see what the problem is? The problem is that none of their methods could withstand the test of time . " Dr . Zhong paused to look at Li Yundong . "Why do you think that Traditional Chinese Medicine, despite its long history, had failed to establish a strong foothold in the world of medicine? Obvious, isn\'t it? It\'s because Traditional Chinese Medicine isn\'t based on scientific principles . It\'s a pseudoscience, not a legitimate science . " Dr . Zhong sighed heavily . "Look, if you\'re really serious about medicine, then I suggest you enroll to a good medical school and start from there, okay?"

A wry chuckle escaped Li Yundong\'s lips as he shook his head .

At the end of the day, it wouldn\'t matter how he put forth his points or how he presented his case to them . Hell, he could write a frigging thesis that put forward a cogent treatment plan based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, and they would still dismiss it as quackery .

These doctors were already prejudiced to begin with . To them, Traditional Chinese Medicine was nothing but nonsense .

Li Yundong glanced over at Uncle Zhou and Zhou Qin, then looked back towards the doctors again . He didn\'t really have to waste his breath trying to convince the two doctors, of course . Ultimately, the final decision was still up to Zhou Qin . All Li Yundong had to do was make Zhou Qin stand up before then, and everything would be fine .

But still, Li Yundong had to admit that the two doctors\' blatant dismissal of Traditional Chinese Medicine rubbed him the wrong way .

"Look, I fully acknowledge your expertise, Dr . Zhong," Li Yundong said with a gracious smile . "You\'re the best in your field, I get it . But I still think it\'s a bit unfair to dismiss Traditional Chinese Medicine just like that without considering its merits . "

"Merits?" Dr . Zhong\'s colleague scoffed . "We just told you that—"

Li Yundong silenced the man with a raised palm .

"Please allow me to demonstrate to you what Traditional Chinese Medicine really is . " Li Yundong paused and gave each doctor a pointed look . "Until then? Please reserve your judgements . "

Despite the doctor\'s protests, Li Yundong pushed past them and strode into the bathroom . Seconds later, Li Yundong returned with a Zhou Qin\'s makeup kit, which he had grabbed from the bathroom counter .

Li Yundong flipped open the kit and held it in front of Dr . Zhong\'s face .

"Take a look at yourself in the mirror, Dr . Zhong," Li Yundong said . "Pay attention to your eyes . Do you think they look healthy?" Li Yundong didn\'t wait for an answer . "Well, I\'ll be blunt with you, Dr . Zhong . This is the unhealthiest pair of eyes I\'ve ever seen in my life . " He paused for a second . "The eyes of a healthy person will be clear and sharp . Yours look murky and cloudy, like there\'s some kind of opaque substance coating them . The dark circles around your eyes are pretty telling as well . And also the fact that your eyes look totally sunken . " Li Yundong raised a brow . "Based on these physical symptoms and, of course, my understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I have a pretty good guess of what Dr . Zhong\'s daily habits are . Including his vices . "

Li Yundong smirked and glanced at everyone in the room .

Zhou Qin and Uncle Zhou were both looking at him curiously .

"Yeah right," Dr . Zhong\'s colleague scoffed .

Li Yundong ignored the man and looked Dr . Zhong right in the eye .

"Tell me, Dr . Zhong… . How long have you been struggling with your drinking problem?"

There was a gasp .

"Wha… H- How . . . How d- did you . . . "

"The eyes are connected to the liver," Li Yundong explained . "One look at your eyes is enough to tell me that your liver health is severely compromised . And your lack of sleep is pretty obvious from the dark circles around your eyes, which is understandable since you\'re a doctor with a busy schedule . Sleep deprivation does affect liver health, but not to this extent . " Li Yundong gestured at Dr . Zhong\'s eyes . "Something else is messing up your liver . You\'re an alcoholic . "

Silence permeated Room 502 . Gone were the doctors\' condescending and smug attitude . Instead, they looked utterly mortified .

Li Yundong didn\'t plan to just stop there though .

"And then your hair," Li Yundong said, closing the kit with a snap . "All your hair has gone white, but you don\'t look that old to me . From your face, I\'ll put your age around fifty-ish . " He handed the kit back to Zhou Qin and glanced at Dr . Zhong . "Your premature greying implies severe kidney problems . "

Dr . Zhong\'s eyes widened when Li Yundong suddenly approached him .

"H- Hey, hey . . . what are you—Argh!"

Li Yundong jabbed two spots on Dr . Zhong\'s lower back with his thumbs .

"You felt that, didn\'t you?" Li Yundong smirked, easing the pressure of his thumbs slightly . "Renal Yin Deficiency, that\'s what you have, doctor . "

"Renal—What? That\'s nonsense!" Dr . Zhong twisted his back away from Li Yundong\'s hands and shot him a glare .

"Nonsense?" Li Yundong raised a brow . "Is the constant ringing you\'ve been experiencing in the middle of the night nonsense too?"

Dr . Zhong gasped . "How could you possibly—"

"The ears and the kidneys are linked," Li Yundong said flatly . "That\'s how I know . "

Ignoring the angry flush on Dr . Zhong\'s face, Li Yundong gave Dr . Zhong\'s body a quick once-over .

"You don\'t exercise at all, do you?" Li Yundong\'s eyes darted briefly to Dr . Zhong\'s face, focusing on his double chin . "Your body fat levels are way too high…" Li Yundong paused in thought . "I suppose that makes sense considering your drinking problems . Alcohol contains a lot of calories after all . "

Li Yundong reached over to and grabbed Dr . Zhong\'s wrist .

"Hey!" Dr . Zhong protests .

"Shh!" Li Yundong raised a ringer, then spent the next minute giving Dr . Zhong a pulse reading .

Suddenly, Li Yundong looked up at Dr . Zhong\'s face .

"Open your mouth," Li Yundong said .

"What? No!" Dr . Zhong looked completely affronted at that point .

Li Yundong rolled his eyes and pinched Dr . Zhong\'s cheeks until the latter\'s mouth dropped open . Then, he peered into the man\'s mouth, wincing when he saw Dr . Zhong\'s tongue .

Li Yundong shook his head and pushed on Dr . Zhong\'s lower jaw until the man\'s mouth clicked shut .

"Slightly swollen tongue? Weak pulse?" Li Yundong said, ticking the items off on his fingers . "Again, these are all symptoms of Renal Yin Deficiency . " Li Yundong lowered his hand . "The liver and kidneys are integral to overall health . Not only that, but your liver and kidneys also depend on each other . Whenever either organ is compromised, the rest of your internal organs will be affected as well . " Li Yundong held up five fingers . "Five years . You\'re going to run into serious health problems in five years if you don\'t change your lifestyle, Dr . Zhong . " He lowered his hand . "Of course, I can\'t predict the exact illness or illnesses that you\'ll be experience in five years . That\'s beyond the scope Traditional Chinese Medicine and more towards Western Medicine\'s domain . But I know beyond a single doubt that your health will suffer a devastating blow in about five years . "