Faced with the crowd's accusations, Lin Yu remained composed and explained calmly, "Adding rhubarb does make the prescription stronger, but for his condition, it's necessary. Your formula focuses on warming yang and activating collaterals, which isn't sufficient. Adding rhubarb helps purge stagnation and guide out excess, which is essential for a cure."
He continued, "This illness originally belonged to the Taiyang syndrome. However, due to mistaken use of purgatives, the pathogenic factors have sunk into the Taiyin, damaging the spleen and causing qi stagnation and collateral stasis, leading to symptoms like abdominal fullness and pain." Song Zheng had taken the pulse quite carefully earlier and believed he couldn't have been wrong.
"You're not wrong," Lin Yu nodded.
Song Zheng felt a hint of pride.
However, Lin Yu added, "But the severity of abdominal fullness and pain varies. For this gentleman, the pain must be quite intense when it strikes, right?"
"Extremely intense—it feels like someone is drilling into my stomach," the patient quickly agreed.
"When I took your pulse earlier, it felt deep and steady, but the symptoms haven't improved, indicating disharmony between nutrient and defensive qi. If I'm not mistaken, you've already tried this prescription," Lin Yu said, pushing the formula Song Zheng had written toward the patient.
The patient glanced at the formula and his eyes lit up. "Yes, that's the one! I've been taking it for over a week with no improvement. I came to Jishi Hall today because I heard it was opening."
Song Zheng's face paled instantly. "Impossible! I took extra care with the pulse to avoid mistakes."
The crowd erupted in murmurs, feeling guilty for misunderstanding Lin Yu earlier. "Sorry, young man, we misjudged you."
"It seems some people only have a reputation as a young genius but lack real skill!"
"Exactly, trying to fool us because we don't know better. Good thing there's someone more capable here!"
Under the crowd's ridicule, Song Zheng's expression shifted between embarrassment and frustration.
"Take this prescription I've written. You'll feel better within a few days," Lin Yu said, handing his formula to the patient.
He then looked at Song Zheng and安慰道, "Your diagnosis wasn't wrong, but traditional medicine emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking. Remember to ask patients more questions next time to avoid detours."
In truth, Song Zheng had genuine talent. Achieving such medical skill at a young age was impressive, and Lin Yu respected him for it, though he found Song Zheng too arrogant.
"Hmph!" Song Zheng turned away, interpreting Lin Yu's安慰 as sarcasm.
"Dr. Song, what about this prescription?" The patient still hesitated to trust Lin Yu, given his youth.
"Follow his prescription. It's fine. Three doses should cure you," said Song Minghui, who had observed everything. He sighed, stood up, and motioned for Song Zheng to give up his seat, preparing to take over personally.
"Grandpa, I haven't finished competing with him yet!" Song Zheng protested reluctantly.
"No need to continue. You're no match for him. Starting tomorrow, double your studies." With so many people watching, Song Minghui felt embarrassed. Although his grandson hadn't made any major errors and each diagnosis was reasonable, compared to Lin Yu, he always fell just short.
In medicine, the difference of a tiny oversight can lead to vastly different outcomes—an apt description here.
With Song Minghui now personally attending to patients, Lin Yu became more cautious. For cases he wasn't entirely sure about, he carefully took the pulse before prescribing. For others, he relied on his judgment.
Each time, Lin Yu's prescriptions were almost identical to Song Minghui's. When they differed, the variations were minor, but Lin Yu's were often slightly better, giving him a slight edge overall.
As they continued, both grew more engrossed and admiring of each other. Whenever their prescriptions matched, they exchanged smiles.
Song Minghui's earlier prejudice against Lin Yu had completely vanished, replaced by respect.
Soon, most patients had been treated, and the sky began to darken.
The spectators, having witnessed such a thrilling contest, were thoroughly satisfied. As the last patient was seen, they broke into applause.
In their eyes, the contest had ended in a draw.
Just then, a young couple squeezed through the door and scanned the room. "Excuse me, which of you is Song Minghui, the renowned Dr. Song?"
"I am," Song Minghui replied promptly.
"Dr. Song, please save my husband," the woman pleaded, her voice trembling with tears.
The man beside her looked pale and in pain.
"Don't worry, have a seat. Describe the symptoms slowly," Song Minghui urged the couple to sit down.
"Dr. Song, I recently developed a strange illness. My back feels like it's burning, drenched in sweat, and I'm extremely irritable. But from my lower abdomen down, it's always cold, as if soaked in cold water. I have frequent urination, and… and…" The man hesitated, glancing around before lowering his voice. "And I have nocturnal emissions every three or four days."
"We've seen many doctors back home, but none could help. So we came to Qinghai for treatment. We heard Jishi Hall was opening today and rushed here. Please, you must save my husband," the woman implored urgently.
The crowd was astonished by the symptoms—half the body hot, half cold—a condition they had never even heard of, let alone encountered.
"Open your mouth, let me see," Song Minghui examined the man's mouth and then took his pulse, his expression turning serious. After a moment, he smiled confidently and gestured for Lin Yu to examine the patient as well, then began writing a prescription.
After finishing, he noticed Lin Yu still sitting nearby without moving. "What's wrong, Xiao He? Why aren't you diagnosing? Our contest isn't over yet. You're not giving up, are you? But then again, this condition is quite rare."
The crowd chuckled good-naturedly, having been thoroughly impressed by Lin Yu's skills earlier.
"The young man is skilled, but still a bit inexperienced."
"I've never even heard of this strange illness. It's normal if he can't diagnose it."
"True, he's already exceptional. Diagnosing so many difficult cases clearly is impressive."
"In the entire field of traditional medicine, someone so young and capable is probably one of a kind!"
The crowd praised Lin Yu generously.
Wei Gongxun puffed out his chest slightly, proud to know Lin Yu.
"No matter how skilled, he still lost to my grandfather," Song Zheng muttered, clenching his fists in dissatisfaction.
"Still better than someone who gets complacent over minor achievements."
"Exactly, some people lag in skill and only know how to make sarcastic remarks."
"Young people should learn humility. Look at Dr. He."
The crowd no longer sided with him, instead teasing him mercilessly.
Song Zheng flushed with embarrassment.
Lin Yu had remained silent throughout. Seeing Song Minghui's childlike smile, he couldn't bear to point out that he had already diagnosed the illness without needing to take the pulse.
Through their competition, Song Minghui had earned Lin Yu's respect. Few doctors nowadays dedicated themselves so selflessly to medicine, prioritizing patients over fame and profit.
The herbs at Jishi Hall were of high quality and reasonably priced, even slightly cheap, reflecting Song Minghui's compassion.
Moreover, Song Minghui's childlike competitive spirit reminded Lin Yu of his own grandfather, evoking a sense of familiarity.
He wanted to concede defeat to let Song Minghui enjoy the moment, but seeing the suffering man and his anxious wife, he felt compelled to speak up.
Out of responsibility to the patient, Lin Yu finally said, "Dr. Song, taking medicine will work too slowly. I have a faster method."
Song Minghui, who had been cheerfully instructing the patient on preparing the decoction, paused in surprise. "A faster method? Xiao He, have you already identified the cause?"
Lin Yu nodded.
"But you didn't even take his pulse."
"I didn't need to. I've seen this condition before," Lin Yu stated calmly. Specifically, his ancestors had encountered it.
The crowd buzzed with excitement. Song Minghui looked astonished—he had only heard of this condition but never seen it until today. How could someone as young as Lin Yu have encountered it?
"Hmph! Bragging without thinking!" Song Zheng snorted, refusing to believe Lin Yu had seen such a symptom. He suspected Lin Yu was resorting to trickery again, but Lin Yu's next words left him stunned.