CHAPTER 135: 135 OFF-SITE ASSISTANCE

Xu Pinglin looked at the mobile phone in his hand, hesitating.

He had personally experienced Du Heng’s skill. He had been dealing with his own problems for over ten years, even consulting Director Zhang from Provincial First Hospital. He had seen all the traditional Chinese medicine doctors he thought were good and could access. But in the end, the only one who had an effect was Du Heng.

And, most importantly, Du Heng was right near the hospital, so he could ask him to take a look.

Should he call Du Heng over to take a look? As this thought crossed his mind, it could no longer be contained and grew stronger.

Xu Pinglin’s eyes narrowed slightly. He didn’t know if Du Heng would agree or if Du Heng was capable, but now, he wanted to try it as a last resort. Let’s give it a shot. If Du Heng can’t do it, no one loses anything, and they can proceed as planned. But what if he can do it? It would be beneficial for the patient, himself, Doctor Xiao Hou, and even Du Heng. As for asking a doctor from a Health Clinic to help him, he didn’t care about losing face; he had already lost it all to Du Heng. Moreover, as long as the patient could be treated, what was the big deal about losing some face? Furthermore, this wasn’t shameful. He wasn’t unable to treat the illness; he just wanted to find a simpler and more effective treatment method for the patient. He was doing this for the patient’s sake.

After mentally preparing himself, Xu Pinglin redialed the phone number he had just hung up.

"Doctor Du, I have a patient here. Can you come over and take a look for me?" As soon as the call was connected, Xu Pinglin got straight to the point.

Du Heng hesitated for a moment; he had never expected Xu Pinglin’s call to be about this matter. However, since Xu Pinglin asked, he had to grant him this bit of face. "Alright, Director Xu, I’ll be right there."

Du Heng quickly appeared by Xu Pinglin’s side. Xu Pinglin didn’t waste time. He found a white gown for Du Heng in the office and, while introducing the patient’s condition, led Du Heng towards the hospital room.

Having been the Dean for a week, Du Heng had experienced some subtle changes. Moreover, he felt a psychological advantage in front of Xu Pinglin. With the growth of his medical skills, his confidence emanated naturally from within. As a result, even though Xu Pinglin was a Deputy Director of a Class A hospital, they walked side by side, and Du Heng matched Xu Pinglin in presence.

Doctor Hou, who followed behind, was stunned. So this was the "guru" who had arrived! He was walking shoulder to shoulder with their Director, who was seriously briefing him on the patient’s condition. But wasn’t this "guru" a bit too young? He looked even younger than I am. This was too bizarre.

But since Xu Pinglin personally accompanied them and introduced the patient, Doctor Hou could only keep quiet and follow behind.

It was only a short walk, but another group of people had gathered behind Doctor Hou, all watching Du Heng’s back with peculiar expressions. However, these were all people who had received higher education and had been well-seasoned by their experiences with patients and their families. They didn’t say anything that would make them sound foolish and simply followed them into the hospital room.

Chai Yi’s condition was no longer a secret. Five Departments had consulted. All were deputy director-level gurus, yet none had a good solution. This was forcing their Director to consider a risky surgery. Now a young man suddenly appeared, exuding great confidence. They all wanted to know who this remarkable individual was and what he was capable of.

As soon as Du Heng saw the patient, he was startled by the huge belly. He felt that if he just gently tapped it, the belly might burst.

Du Heng asked a few simple questions, but the patient was now breathing heavily, his breath terrifyingly weak, and his voice almost inaudible. Seeing this, Du Heng stopped questioning and began pulse diagnosis and a check-up.

Du Heng had developed a habit of announcing his diagnosis and treatment plan on the spot after completing his check-up. This was due to his confidence in his own abilities, and it also inspired confidence in the patient and their family. But now, after all, he wasn’t on his own turf, so he held back.

After he had finished the check-up, he looked back at Xu Pinglin.

Xu Pinglin understood, reassured the patient and their family, and the numerous group of them departed once more. Under the current circumstances, discussing the patient’s condition in front of them would be an unwise act.

Back in the office, Xu Pinglin asked anxiously, "Doctor Du, do you have a way to treat this?"

Du Heng pursed his lips. "The patient has a weak pulse, especially the right cun pulse, which is almost imperceptible. The tongue is also pale and lacks luster. Considering these findings along with the clear diagnosis you’ve already made, the patient appears to have suffered from overexertion and internal injury. This has damaged the Spleen and Stomach’s yang energy, causing the middle qi to sink to the region of extreme Yin, which in turn prevents the qi from ascending."

Seeing the bewildered and doubtful expressions of the people around him, Du Heng didn’t elaborate further and continued, speaking to Xu Pinglin, "Moreover, the patient’s kidney’s true qi is not solid, and there’s a risk of his vital qi escaping both upwards and downwards."

Doctor Hou, being Chai Yi’s attending doctor, was the most concerned and thus the first to ask, "Doctor Du, hello. I am Chai Yi’s attending doctor. May I ask, is the condition you mentioned dangerous?"

"Dangerous? In traditional Chinese medicine, the escape syndrome is almost equivalent to your Western medicine’s Critical Illness Notification. If you’re not careful, the patient could be gone."

Doctor Hou wanted to ask more, but Du Heng continued, "First, tell me how you treated the patient so that I can make a judgment."

Doctor Hou turned to look at Xu Pinglin.

Xu Pinglin, however, motioned. "Whatever Doctor Du asks, just answer."

"After the patient was admitted, we gave him medication to treat gastric ptosis. Seeing that his lower abdomen was swollen, we also prescribed anti-swelling medicine. But it didn’t work and even worsened the condition." As Doctor Hou spoke, he observed Du Heng’s expression.

After hearing this, Du Heng pondered for a moment and calmly said to Xu Pinglin, "The reason for the worsening of the condition has been found."

Xu Pinglin’s eyes widened. They had done many tests, such as drug sensitivity tests, but had not found the reason for the patient’s condition worsening after taking the medicine. Du Heng couldn’t possibly know the cause just by listening to a single sentence, could he? Although he had high expectations for Du Heng, wasn’t this going a bit too far? It was very similar to the style of those "Divine Doctors" in society.

The group of people behind them was also shocked by Du Heng’s words, all looking at him with strange expressions. Xu Pinglin was inwardly complaining that Du Heng’s behavior resembled that of a "Divine Doctor," while these people had already come to believe in their hearts that Du Heng *was* a "Divine Doctor."

Du Heng sighed and said, "When dealing with abdominal bulging caused by qi deficiency where upward and downward movements are blocked, it is absolutely forbidden to try and relieve the swelling by dispersing gas and reducing swelling, using cold-natured and damaging treatments, or employing harsh purgatives. Once these methods are used, the patient’s condition will immediately worsen, and critical dangers will arise."

Doctor Hou was dumbfounded and muttered, "When treating illnesses with Western medicine and prescribing medication, do we also need to pay attention to traditional Chinese medicine theory?"

This time, not only did Du Heng ignore him, but even Xu Pinglin paid him no attention. "Doctor Du, how should we treat this condition now?" Xu Pinglin asked.

"For those with lower deficiency, they need to replenish the middle and lift the sinking, protect the oringinal qi of the lower burner, and prevent it from escaping."

Xu Pinglin paused for a moment, and Doctor Hou next to him also paused. Why did these words sound so familiar?