Super Doctor - Chapter 184

Seeing the strange expression on Xu Ze’s face, both Old Man Li and Li Yue grew curious. The old man stroked his beard and chuckled, “Go ahead, Xiao Ze. Whatever you say, Grandpa Li will believe you.”

Li Yue also looked at Xu Ze and nodded repeatedly. “Xu Ze, of course we’ll believe you.”

Faced with their resolute expressions, Xu Ze could only smile wryly. He looked at them and said, “The doctor you’re looking for… is right here.”

“Right here?” Li Yue was taken aback for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. “Xu Ze, do you mean the doctor is in Yanjing?”

“Quick, tell me… where is he? I’ll go pick him up right now…”

Watching the excited Li Yue, Xu Ze’s wry smile deepened.

Just as Li Yue was eagerly urging Xu Ze to speak, Old Man Li gently furrowed his brows and stared intently at Xu Ze. Slowly, he said, “Xiao Ze… are you saying… it’s you?”

The older, the wiser, Xu Ze thought with admiration. He had grasped his meaning so quickly. Xu Ze looked at Old Man Li with respect, then nodded calmly with a faint smile.

“What? Grandpa, what are you talking about?” Li Yue looked bewildered, glancing between his grandfather’s utterly astonished face and Xu Ze. “Xu Ze… what did you just mean?”

“I said… the doctor is me,” Xu Ze said with a wry smile, looking at Li Yue. Then he repeated, “I said I was the one who cured my grandfather’s illness.”

“Ah?” Li Yue was stunned by Xu Ze’s words. It took him a long moment to recover. He stared at Xu Ze in disbelief and confusion. “Xu Ze… what did you just say?”

Xu Ze had anticipated Li Yue’s reaction. He continued with a wry smile, “I said… I was the one who cured my grandfather’s illness!”

Now completely sure of what he had heard, Li Yue stared fixedly at Xu Ze, unable to believe it. “You cured Grandpa Tang’s illness?”

“Yes… it was me,” Xu Ze replied with complete calm, nodding.

Old Man Li, covering his mouth, coughed heavily several times. He studied Xu Ze for a long moment before asking in surprise, “You know acupuncture? And internal cultivation techniques?”

Xu Ze smiled lightly and nodded. “Yes.”

“You really do?” Li Yue stared at Xu Ze, then asked sternly.

Amused by Li Yue’s expression, Xu Ze smiled and nodded again. “Yes… I really do.”

Old Man Li stared at Xu Ze for a long time, observing his serious and composed expression. Finally, he said, “Xiao Ze… how long did it take you to cure Old Tang’s illness?”

“Hmm… about a month and a half,” Xu Ze replied after a moment’s thought.

“A month and a half…” Old Man Li let out a soft sigh. Then, looking at Xu Ze, he said with a faint smile, “Xiao Ze… if you could cure Old Tang’s difficult illness, what do you think about mine?”

Hearing Old Man Li’s question, Xu Ze raised an eyebrow slightly. He had already guessed the intentions of both Li Yue and Old Man Li and was prepared. Regardless of whether it was Li Yue asking or Old Man Li himself, he knew he had to agree.

Not only because of his friendship with Li Yue, but also because of the relationship between the Tang and Li families, Xu Ze wouldn’t refuse. Moreover, Xu Ze thought that if he could cure Old Man Li, his own Grandpa Tang would surely be pleased.

Xu Ze smiled slightly and quickly activated his X-ray vision function, scanning Old Man Li.

Observing the obviously over-lucent areas and disordered lung markings in Old Man Li’s lungs, Xu Ze could confirm he suffered from chronic bronchitis.

However, this condition shouldn’t typically cause such severe coughing. Given Old Man Li’s status, while it might not be completely curable, controlling the symptoms shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Therefore, Xu Ze didn’t jump to conclusions. He looked at Old Man Li with a light smile and said, “Grandpa Li… could you tell me about your condition? Then I can see if I can treat it.”

Hearing this, Li Yue also looked excitedly at his grandfather. He knew Xu Ze wouldn’t lie. Although it was hard to believe, he still trusted Xu Ze.

Old Man Li nodded. This illness had plagued him for decades. Like Grandpa Tang, he had consulted countless famous doctors and been to numerous hospitals, but it had never been cured.

He had long given up, resigned to taking this illness to his grave. But now, a glimmer of hope appeared before him. After all, this cough was truly a miserable thing to endure.

This young man probably wasn’t lying. If he could even cure Old Tang’s illness, then perhaps he really could cure his own as well.

Thinking this, though feeling somewhat excited, Old Man Li calmly recounted his condition in detail…

“Back in the day, fighting the Japanese in the Northeast… I took a bullet to the chest,” Old Man Li began, his face full of reminiscence. “It was bitterly cold. Although I pulled through, ever since then, I’ve always felt a cold sensation in my chest. When I was young and strong, I didn’t notice it much. But as my body gradually weakened, I started developing a cough. It got worse and worse. In recent years, I cough almost every day…”

“Over the last ten years or so, I’ve been to hospitals big and small. Cough, cough… I’ve tried countless traditional Chinese medicines and acupuncture treatments, but nothing has worked.”

Here, Old Man Li covered his mouth and coughed violently several more times before letting out a soft sigh. He continued, “The only things that worked were strong central narcotic cough suppressants…”

“But those things really aren’t suitable for long-term use. After taking them for a while, I felt my body getting weaker day by day, so I stopped quickly… It was only after a period of careful recuperation that I gradually recovered…”

“But this cough… it’s still the same. Coughing every day, every night… I’ve coughed and coughed… gradually gotten used to it. I’ve been coughing like this for over ten years, right up to today…”

Old Man Li shook his head and added, “I’ve been to hospitals everywhere. They all say it’s chronic bronchitis, mycoplasma infection… did all sorts of bacterial cultures, CT scans, everything. Medication works for a little while, but as soon as I stop, it comes right back… Saw TCM doctors too. They said it’s lung network stasis and injury, combined with cold invasion and stagnation, a mix of cold and stasis… But tried countless acupuncture and herbal treatments… Similarly ineffective…”

After saying this, Old Man Li looked at Xu Ze hopefully and smiled, “Xiao Ze… is there any way?”

Hearing Old Man Li’s description, Xu Ze frowned slightly. This kind of condition was recorded in future medicine, and its treatment method involved directly using a highly effective central cough suppressant to resolve it in one go. That kind of suppressant had no significant side effects and was the best treatment method.

But in this era, such effective central cough suppressants didn’t exist. That method was out of the question.

And the electro-acupuncture emergency techniques he was most proficient in didn’t include a treatment method for this specific disease either. It seemed he could only rely on finding another way himself…

Seeing Xu Ze frown, Li Yue, standing beside him, couldn’t hold back any longer. Anxiously, he asked Xu Ze, “Xu Ze… do you have a way?”

Hearing Li Yue’s words, Xu Ze, still frowning, thought for another moment. Finally, he said, “Grandpa Li… your illness is somewhat troublesome, but there is a method we can try. However, I need to examine you first.”

“Oh? There’s hope?” Hearing this, Old Man Li’s eyes lit up. He looked at Xu Ze and said, “What kind of examination do you need? Just say it… If it requires any major tests, we can go to Yanjing Hospital anytime.”

Hearing this, Xu Ze smiled lightly and shook his head. “The examination I do… doesn’t require those things. It’s very simple.”

“Oh? Then what do you need? A stethoscope? Or something else?” Old Man Li asked excitedly.

Xu Ze smiled lightly. “No need… I just need my hands.”

“Your hands?” Both Old Man Li and Li Yue were startled. Old Man Li asked, puzzled, “Taking the pulse?”

“Hehe… no,” Xu Ze chuckled softly and shook his head. “Since you’re eager, Grandpa Li, we can start right now.”

“Please arrange a quiet room with a bed, and we can begin the examination.”

Hearing this, Old Man Li quickly stood up, excited. “Good… Xiao Ze, follow me.”

Seeing Old Man Li stand up, Li Yue also hurriedly stood up and supported the old man as they walked quickly ahead.

Seeing Old Man Li’s excited demeanor, Xu Ze smiled and nodded, then followed Old Man Li and Li Yue into the house.

Xu Ze had indeed thought of a method, but he needed to confirm it through examination. Based on Old Man Li’s medical history, Xu Ze believed the TCM diagnosis was probably correct: stasis obstructing the lung network, cold invasion causing stagnation, a mixture of stasis and cold.

According to this, if Old Man Li’s lung network was indeed affected for this reason, then Xu Ze felt somewhat confident that he could resolve the problem for Old Man Li using his electro-acupuncture techniques combined with the impact of bio-electrical energy.

As for the signs of chronic bronchitis and lung infection Old Man Li also showed, those weren’t the main issue. With sufficiently strong antibiotics, that problem could be completely resolved.

Xu Ze followed Old Man Li and Li Yue into a room inside the house. Li Yue carefully helped Old Man Li lie down on the bed, then looked at Xu Ze with hopeful excitement. “Xu Ze… can we start now?”

Xu Ze smiled lightly and nodded. “Of course… we can start right away.”