“Sangna Monastery is one of the most famous temples around here. It’s said to have been built during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, and later expanded and renovated over the generations to reach its current size. The incense offerings here are very abundant. There are hundreds of lamas stationed here, and a Living Buddha named Nama also resides here…”
This Major named Luo Hao was extremely talkative. He gave Xu Ze a thorough introduction to the entire monastery, and as the car approached, he pointed at several devotees in front of the temple and said with a smile, “The lamas here are also very skilled in Tibetan medicine, and their treatments are quite effective. That’s why many believers come here seeking medical help…”
Xu Ze nodded, looking at the massive monastery ahead. At that moment, his gaze fell upon the six white pagodas surrounding a great hall at the center of the monastery. He could already sense that the area formed by these six white pagodas was exactly the place where energy particles from the surroundings were slowly gathering.
Looking at the six white pagodas, a flicker of unusual light passed through Xu Ze’s eyes. Whoever built this monastery must have been a cultivator as well. They had deliberately constructed these six spirit-gathering white pagodas—otherwise, such a phenomenon would be impossible…
Seeing that Xu Ze seemed very interested in the six white pagodas, Luo Hao smiled and introduced them, “These six white pagodas above also have quite a history. The first pagoda is called the Lotus Gathering Pagoda, built to commemorate the birth of Shakyamuni. The second is called the Bodhi Pagoda, to commemorate Shakyamuni’s enlightenment. The third is called the First Turning of the Dharma Wheel Pagoda, built to commemorate the Buddha’s first sermon…”
“The fourth pagoda is the Demon Subduing Pagoda, meaning to subdue external demons. The fifth is called the Longevity Blessing Pagoda, built to commemorate the devotees’ celebration of the Buddha’s birthday. The last one is called the Nirvana Pagoda. In Buddhism, entering the state of neither arising nor ceasing, transcending the six realms of reincarnation, is called Nirvana. This pagoda was built to commemorate Shakyamuni’s entry into Nirvana.”
Hearing Luo Hao’s introduction, Xu Ze couldn’t help but ask, “What is that great hall in the middle called?”
“That great hall is called the Great Golden Tile Hall… it’s the hall dedicated to Master Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, and it’s also the largest hall in the entire monastery…” Luo Hao quickly explained to Xu Ze.
As Luo Hao spoke, the car had already arrived in front of the monastery. Xu Ze got out of the car with Luo Hao and looked inside, then asked, “Can we go in?”
“We can go in…” Luo Hao said with a smile. “I’m fairly acquainted with several lamas here. I even once asked them to pray for my mother… Shall I accompany you inside to take a look?”
“Sure… let’s go…” Xu Ze nodded, then smiled at the two other officers. “What about you two? Coming?”
The two men nodded and got out of the car, following Xu Ze into the monastery.
Sure enough, as Luo Hao had said, he was acquainted with several lamas here. When Xu Ze and the others reached the entrance, Luo Hao pressed his palms together and exchanged a few words with a lama at the door, then led Xu Ze inside. The lama glanced at Xu Ze, then respectfully pressed his palms together and bowed to him.
Xu Ze was momentarily surprised, then quickly imitated the lama’s gesture and returned the bow. Seeing Xu Ze bow, the two officers behind him naturally didn’t dare be remiss and also bowed to the lama.
Seeing Xu Ze return the gesture, the lama smiled slightly, then gestured toward the inside of the monastery in invitation before turning and walking away.
Witnessing this, Major Luo Hao was quite astonished. He whispered excitedly to Xu Ze, “Section Chief Xu, it seems you have a affinity with Sangna Monastery. I’ve rarely seen Lama Tajiang be so courteous to anyone…”
Xu Ze simply smiled and said, “Let’s go… let’s take a look inside first…”
“Ah… come, follow me. I’ll show you around inside…”
With that, Luo Hao led the three of them further in, explaining as they walked, “This is the front hall, the Small Golden Tile Hall… Over there is the Manba Dratsang, which is the Tibetan Medical Hall…”
Xu Ze wasn’t particularly interested in all of this. What interested him were the six white pagodas and the great hall in the middle, the Great Golden Tile Hall. But hearing Luo Hao’s introductions, he could only walk forward step by step, casually observing the halls and monks’ quarters on either side.
As they were walking, a crying sound and someone’s cries of pain came from the Tibetan Medical Hall nearby. Xu Ze couldn’t help but pause. Luo Hao peered inside, listened for a moment, then smiled bitterly at Xu Ze and said, “There’s a man here who’s come down with a sudden illness, but the lamas’ medicines haven’t worked… They’re trying to persuade his wife to hurry and take him to the county hospital…”
“Oh?” Xu Ze raised an eyebrow and was about to continue walking to see the six white pagodas, but after just one step, he sighed and said, “Let’s go… let’s take a look over there!”
“Ah…” Hearing that Xu Ze wanted to take a look, Luo Hao was momentarily stunned, but could only nod and say, “Alright…”
The four of them entered the Tibetan Medical Hall and saw a narrow bed inside, with a Tibetan man lying on it, clutching his stomach and crying out in pain. Two lamas beside him were at a loss, anxiously speaking with a Tibetan woman, while the woman just kept crying, chattering away in a language neither Xu Ze nor the others could understand.
Xu Ze really couldn’t understand what she was saying, but Luo Hao translated a few sentences: the woman was saying the county town was too far and there was no car, so they couldn’t get there…
Hearing this, Xu Ze nodded slightly…
At that moment, the two lamas noticed the four of them entering. Luo Hao quickly pressed his palms together in greeting to the two lamas and was about to speak, when the two lamas, upon seeing Xu Ze beside him, suddenly showed a glimmer of joy in their eyes and respectfully bowed to Xu Ze.
Luo Hao watched in bewilderment, secretly wondering, “Could Section Chief Xu have been here before? Why are so many lamas bowing to him?”
Xu Ze also found it strange, but at this moment it wasn’t appropriate to ask. He returned the greeting properly, then said to Luo Hao, “Tell the two lamas that I’ll take a look at this patient…”
Hearing Xu Ze’s words, Luo Hao was clearly taken aback. Before he could react, the officer from the Special Operations Division’s Special Training Section behind Xu Ze quickly explained to Luo Hao, “Our section chief’s medical skills are excellent—he’s famous even at the General Staff Department…”
Luo Hao was startled, then quickly nodded and went to tell the two lamas. The lamas nodded hurriedly and bowed to Xu Ze once more.
Seeing the two lamas agree, Xu Ze walked over, lifted the clothing covering the Tibetan man’s stomach, and began examining him.
The Tibetan woman beside them hadn’t understood at first, but when she saw Xu Ze feeling the man’s stomach and then having Luo Hao ask the man where it hurt, she finally caught on and began pressing her palms together and bowing repeatedly to Xu Ze…
The lama beside her quickly pulled the woman back, telling her not to disturb Xu Ze. The woman then quieted down and watched nervously from the side.
Xu Ze reached out and felt the man’s stomach. It was still soft. Then, hearing Luo Hao translate the man’s words, he learned that the pain had started in the upper abdomen and had now moved to the right side.
“Migratory abdominal pain?” Xu Ze frowned, then gestured with his hand, gently pressing at the point on the line from the navel to the right anterior superior iliac spine, at the junction of the outer and middle thirds…
As Xu Ze pressed down, the man suddenly cried out in pain…
Seeing the man like this, Xu Ze had a rough idea. He extended his right hand and gently pressed on the man’s stomach, while a fine needle as thin as an ox hair quickly and lightly pierced the skin of the belly.
“Initiate complete blood count analysis!” At Xu Ze’s command, Number One responded quickly and displayed the test results in Xu Ze’s glasses view.
“White blood cells: 23,000… Neutrophils: 85%…” Xu Ze nodded secretly. With white blood cells this high, the infection was clearly severe—it should be appendicitis. But with such high white blood cells, he didn’t know if there was suppuration… If there was, that would be troublesome…
Xu Ze raised an eyebrow and commanded Number One, “Number One, initiate B-mode ultrasound examination…”
“Yes… Xu Ze, medical corpsman… B-mode ultrasound examination system activated…” As Number One responded, a faint glimmer flashed across Xu Ze’s glasses, and he looked at the Tibetan man’s abdomen.
As Xu Ze scanned, the man’s belly gradually darkened, then began showing the shapes of the internal organs…
Xu Ze followed the course of the large intestine, looking all the way along, until finally at the end of the intestinal tract, he saw the appendix, about the size of a finger.
Seeing that the appendix, which should normally be thinner than a pinky finger, was now larger than a thumb, Xu Ze couldn’t help but sigh. The appendix had indeed suppurated, but the one fortunate thing was that it hadn’t perforated yet…
In this situation, since the appendix had already suppurated, surgery was necessary as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the appendix perforated and the leaked pus contaminated the entire abdominal cavity, causing peritonitis, that would be serious trouble…
Xu Ze thought for a moment, then said to Luo Hao, “Is the county town far from here?”
Luo Hao understood what he meant and quickly said, “Not very far. If we drive fast, it’s about half an hour…”
“Mm… Then go tell his wife that her husband definitely has appendicitis and must get to the hospital for surgery as soon as possible, otherwise it’s dangerous. If she’s willing, we’ll use our car to take them there…” Xu Ze said solemnly.
Luo Hao quickly went to tell the woman. Hearing that there was a car available, she naturally agreed.
Xu Ze nodded, then said to Luo Hao, “I’ll give him some pain relief first… Then have the two of them drive them over, and hurry back!”
With that, Xu Ze pulled out a silver needle tube from his pocket, preparing to give the Tibetan man some pain relief first!
