Li Xu gently parted the little girl's lips. Her tongue was as red as a cherry, its coating dry and scorched yellow, covered in thorn-like protrusions.
He then took her pulse. It was thready and rapid, beating fast and urgently—a classic sign of "internal excess of pathogenic heat."
He also examined the venules on her finger. The network of vessels on her index finger had turned a purplish-red and extended to the "qi gate" position.
Her skin and the whites of her eyes were both a sallow yellow, like an orange peel;
Her body was scorching hot, yet her limbs were ice-cold;
Her head and forehead were constantly beaded with a weak, clammy sweat...
All the symptoms clearly pointed to a single, dangerous illness.
