Jiang Fei was preparing to spread and teach his medical skills, sharing his achievements in surgery, pharmaceutical theory, and acupuncture as broadly as possible with his fellow TCM practitioners ——————
When this news was relayed by Cui Xiuping to the upper echelons of the TCM Association, it caused an uproar. Even Old Divine Doctor Cui, a veritable towering figure in the current TCM world—that is, Cui Xiuping’s grandfather—couldn’t help but be stunned speechless upon hearing the news.
Sectarian prejudices and keeping secret, exclusive techniques close to the chest have been rules in China for thousands of years, not just in martial arts circles, but also in the medical field. Everyone holds the ingrained belief that by making your own skills a secret technique that nobody else knows or can learn, then no one will compete with you for a living. You can live most comfortably without any sense of crisis.
Once your secret technique is learned by others, even becomes widely known and familiar to everyone in the same profession, and everyone has mastered your exclusive skill, what will you rely on to make a living?
The saying, “The Way is not easily taught, a doctor does not go knocking on doors,” roughly captures this principle.
The accumulated knowledge of any school, like the Way itself, should not be transmitted lightly or shown to others easily. If passed on carelessly, the recipient won’t value it or might discard it. The Chinese people treat what they have worked hard to obtain like their own precious sons.
Isn’t the current TCM world just like this?
Whether it’s the numerous long-established TCM families or the three great millennium-old schools, the medical skills they possess through inheritance can be considered magnificent treasures of the TCM world, unknown to outsiders.
However, none of them would teach their family’s or school’s medical skills to disciples outside their own family or school. These skills are very secret, their exclusive techniques, absolutely not to be known by outsiders.
Take Old Divine Doctor Cui of the Ghost Gate Hand, for example. He’s a renowned towering figure in TCM, whose medical ethics are admired and revered by countless people, and they are genuinely convinced. He can be considered a truly respected senior. Yet, regarding the Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles unique to the Cui family, hasn’t he never easily taught them to anyone in his entire life?
Moreover, nobody thinks this practice of his is wrong or violates medical ethics. Everyone feels his approach is natural and not strange at all. If, one day, Old Divine Doctor Cui taught the Cui family’s unique skill, the ‘Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles’, to many people, that would be considered strange and abnormal.
Therefore, when these current leaders of the TCM world suddenly heard that Jiang Fei intended to teach all of his skills freely, one can only imagine the shock they felt.
In fact, many of their first reactions were that this statement was too absurd to believe, simply a huge joke. It wasn’t until Jiang Fei personally confirmed it with them that the matter was finally accepted by everyone.
“Has this Jiang Fei gone crazy? He’s actually preparing to openly teach his entire medical skills, including a superb technique like the Divine Needle Eight Methods? Will his master agree to this?”
“Exactly. This is… simply unimaginable.”
After confirming the news, the leaders of the three great millennium-old schools, along with five or six higher-status, senior members of the TCM Association, immediately convened a meeting. They gathered to discuss what should be done about this move by their young president.
Yan Xiping, the leader of the Attacking Path School, one of the three millennium-old schools, looked at the still-charming and attractive young woman beside him, Yu Ruzhi, the leader of the Fire God Path School, with a knowing smile. He said pointedly, “The Divine Needle Eight Methods, a top-tier acupuncture technique… our president is willing to give even that away. I wonder what he’s really thinking.”
As if sensing Yan Xiping’s gaze, Yu Ruzhi glanced back at him. Her face showed no unusual expression as she said, “The Divine Needle Eight Methods have been a lost art for a long time. They haven’t belonged to our Yu family for ages. Now that President Jiang Fei is willing to openly teach his Divine Needle Eight Methods, it shows he is selfless and broad-minded. Our entire Fire God Path School will sincerely admire him for it and certainly won’t obstruct him due to any selfish motives. So, President Yan, you shouldn’t overthink it.”
Caught off guard by Yu Ruzhi’s direct and unvarnished reply, Yan Xiping’s expression tightened somewhat. He gave a dry laugh and said, “If Leader Yu isn’t opposed, then that’s naturally for the best.”
Jiang Fei’s intention to teach all his skills for the benefit of his fellow TCM practitioners was an excellent thing. Whoever inherited this miraculous medical ability, capable of restoring the dying to life and mending broken bones, would undoubtedly have boundless prospects and become a renowned doctor in the TCM world. Therefore, no one wanted to miss this opportunity.
If someone, dissatisfied for any reason, tried to obstruct or disrupt Jiang Fei’s teaching, that would be extremely unfortunate.
Finally, Kong Yun, the leader of the Danxi Path School, who always presided over major affairs and moderated major discussions within the TCM Association, stood up proactively. He pressed his hands down in the air and said, “Alright, everyone, please calm down and let me say a couple of things. President Jiang Fei, being selfless and willing to teach and give back his miraculously skilled medical knowledge to the broader TCM community, is a tremendous blessing for the entire TCM world, a blessing for us TCM practitioners of this generation. However…”
At this point, Kong Yun paused for a moment before continuing, “But without rules, nothing can be accomplished. The president’s medical skills are too important for the entire TCM world, almost to the point where no mistake can be tolerated. Therefore, we cannot truly pass on the Divine Needle Eight Methods and the TCM surgical knife techniques lost for over a thousand years to just anyone of unknown origin. To inherit the president’s skills, besides possessing considerable medical talent, the most important thing is that their character and medical ethics must be impeccable. Their background must also be clearly traceable and spotless!”
“Otherwise, if among those inheriting the president’s skills we find scum like that heir from the Du family—spies lurking within our TCM Association, lowlifes constantly scheming to plunge TCM into an abyss of eternal ruin—then we would have failed the president’s well-intentioned efforts.”
Everyone listened quietly to Kong Yun’s speech and raised no objections.
Because everyone felt that what Kong Yun said made a lot of sense.
As the president of the TCM Association, even if Jiang Fei wanted to teach his miraculous skills to others without being selfish, it was still a matter for the TCM Association and could only be taught to internal members. He couldn’t truly allow any TCM practitioner who wanted to learn to do so freely; that would truly lead to chaos.
“So, who exactly will be sent to learn the president’s medical skills?” someone quickly asked.
“Don’t rush. Let me explain slowly.”
Kong Yun had a hint of a smile on his face, quite satisfied with everyone’s reaction. “Who qualifies to learn the president’s skills must be only the outstanding young members of the TCM Association. However, regarding the specific allocation of these spots, I think something like organizing competitions to select them wouldn’t be quite appropriate either. So, the only way is self-nomination, followed by a review conducted by all of us here. Pass that, and you qualify to learn from President Jiang.”
“But, President Jiang’s medical skills are notoriously formidable, not something just anyone can learn. No matter how talented a person might be in medicine, they probably can’t learn all of President Jiang’s skills. Therefore, I propose that among the selected younger generations, we make detailed classifications based on different categories like surgery, pharmaceutical prescriptions, acupuncture, massage, and so on. They should be assigned to learn a specific aspect of President Jiang’s skills. Only then might we be able to preserve the entirety of President Jiang’s knowledge.”
These words were, in fact, somewhat discouraging.
Doctors who could enter the TCM Association, especially the younger generation, were almost all geniuses in medicine, gaining recognition and fame at a young age for their abilities. Yet now, not only were these geniuses collectively required to learn from one person, but they also had to divide the labor, each specializing in only a part.
This wasn’t due to sectarian prejudice or a need for secrecy, but rather the fear they couldn’t fully master everything—biting off more than they could chew—hence the need for specialization…
If someone had dared to say such things in the past, it would likely have invited ridicule from everyone present. This situation was similar to when Jiang Fei was given a plaque by a patient that read ‘Acupuncture King of TCM’ and accepted it, not knowing his limits. Subsequently, a procession of old-timers from the TCM Association came to cause trouble for him, believing he was overestimating himself and making a huge joke.
But now, these words were no longer coming from Jiang Fei’s mouth. Instead, they were spoken by the leader of one of the three millennium-old schools, and no one felt they were excessive.
Next, after Kong Yun, the leader of the Danxi Path School, initiated the discussion, everyone began to speak, offering suggestions. They gradually discussed how to better pass on all of Jiang Fei’s medical knowledge. The plan was gradually refined and then presented to Jiang Fei.
When Jiang Fei arrived in the capital and heard Cui Xiuping report this plan to him, he wasn’t too surprised.
He already knew the personalities and working styles of these people in the TCM Association quite well. He wasn’t surprised they acted this way.
It was already pretty good that these people hadn’t started a huge fight or schemed against each other to gain his medical skills because of his move.
“What do you think of this plan?” Cui Xiuping, still dressed in a classical long robe, exuding a warm and gentle temperament, asked with a smile after reporting to Jiang Fei.
Jiang Fei shook his head, placed the document on the coffee table, and said, “It’s not bad, but there’s one point I’m not satisfied with. It needs improvement.”
Cui Xiuping wasn’t surprised. He just assumed an attentive posture and asked with great interest, “Which point?”
“The part about only members of the TCM Association being allowed to learn my skills. I disagree with that. I don’t object to TCM Association members learning from me, but it absolutely cannot be restricted to only the TCM Association. Besides the association, at least a group of young, talented, and morally sound TCM doctors from outside must also be arranged to learn along with them.” Jiang Fei said this without hesitation and with finality, leaving no room for argument.
But to Jiang Fei’s surprise, Cui Xiuping didn’t argue. Instead, he looked as if he had expected this, and said with a beaming smile, “I knew you would find this point problematic, that you wouldn’t want to teach your skills only to TCM Association members, but would want to pass them on to more ordinary TCM doctors. I didn’t dare bring it up with the senior elders before because I knew that, on my own, I couldn’t convince them. They would never agree. But now that you, the teacher, have spoken, even if they’re reluctant inside, they have no choice but to agree.”
“Didn’t expect you to understand me so well?” Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow.
This long-robed man had been his enemy at the beginning, treating him with an attitude that seemed to want to beat him to his knees begging for mercy.
But now, it felt like he had become a kind of kindred spirit.
I guess it’s true what they say: you don’t really know someone until you’ve fought them.
“Since you understand my thoughts so well, I’ll leave this entire matter in your hands. When the time comes, I’ll just look at the results,” Jiang Fei said with a smile.
“Okay,” Cui Xiuping nodded, then asked, “So, when do you plan to start teaching all your medical skills? When will you begin the lessons?”
“After the New Year, of course,” Jiang Fei said.
It was now the last ten days of the twelfth lunar month, one of the final days of the year. The New Year was approaching.
During this time, Jiang Fei naturally had to go home to reunite with his family and couldn’t worry about other matters.
“Alright then. After the New Year, once you’ve rested, let me know, and I’ll finalize the list as soon as possible,” Cui Xiuping agreed.
Having settled all the matters, Jiang Fei left the TCM Association headquarters and went to the newspaper office where Bai Ruoxi worked.
He didn’t come just for the TCM Association business this time, but naturally also to see Bai Ruoxi. And with the year’s end approaching, to take her back to Jincheng, and also ———— to take her back to his hometown to meet his parents.
This was, after all, a mission given by Jiang Fei’s mother…
