"Take a deep breath, relax. Imagine your breath sinking into your dantian." Xiuxiu's voice was soft as a warm breeze, gently brushing through the faint, lingering fragrance of mugwort that permeated the treatment room. Her voice seemed to carry a certain penetrating power that could reach the soul, flowing slowly in the tranquil space, intertwining with the herbal molecules floating in the air to form a silent requiem. Facing her, the young man lying on the treatment bed slightly relaxed his furrowed brows, the tight lines seemingly smoothed by invisible fingertips, and even the stiff lines of his shoulders and neck softened a little. He was Xiao Li, a researcher from the neighboring quantum computing laboratory. After weeks of intensive work, migraine and insomnia had clung to him like persistent parasites. Western medicine had shown little effect, and after countless sleepless nights, he finally stepped into this space blending ancient wisdom with modern technology—recommended by a colleague and with a tentative mindset. His body still carried the residual tension from the laboratory, as if every nerve was still trembling for some unsolved algorithmic problem. Yet here, in this realm enveloped by herbal scents and tranquility, he finally allowed his over-exhausted senses to temporarily lower their guard.
Xiuxiu's "Lingshu Hall" was not a traditional Chinese medicine clinic in appearance; it more resembled a bridge spanning the corridor of time, connecting the distant past with the tangible future. The walls were plain white, paired with wood-colored furniture, simple and bright. Sunlight cut through the blinds, casting warm patches of light on the floor that moved slowly like sand trickling through an hourglass. Hanging on the wall was not a yellowed ancient chart but a digitalized human meridian map, where light and shadow flowed quietly, displaying real-time simulation animations of qi and blood circulation. The seemed alive, flickering with a preset rhythm, revealing the invisible energy ocean within the human body. On one side stood an elegant rosewood needle case, its body carved with intricate cloud patterns, exuding the solemnity and mystery of years of sedimentation; on the other side, it connected to advanced bioelectric sensing equipment—precision electrode wires, blinking indicator lights, and sleek metal casings, all showcasing the precision and rationality of modern technology. This was the world Xiuxiu had meticulously constructed, fusing millennia of family heritage with her profound understanding of modern biophysics. She sought to find that hidden path between these seemingly disparate fields, one that could mutually validate and elucidate each other.
She walked to the sink, carefully washing her hands with warm water. The water flowing over her fingertips seemed to wash away external disturbances and distracting thoughts. Then she dried them gently with a clean white towel, each movement unhurried, carrying a near-ritual solemnity. She opened the rosewood needle case, took out an extremely fine silver needle, less than half an inch in length, gleaming with a pure, cool luster under the shadowless lamp—like a condensed cold star, or a strand of moonlight salvaged from the depths of history, imbued with the experience and wisdom of countless generations. This tiny silver needle was both a physical object and a symbol, representing an ancient language for conversing with the body.
"There will be a slight sensation of soreness and distension; it will stop once deqi is achieved." She spoke gently, her voice steady and clear, her gaze calm as water. Her deep eyes showed no ripples yet seemed capable of reflecting the tension and expectation within the other. This gaze possessed a pacifying power, making Xiao Li on the bed feel an involuntary sense of trust.
Xiao Li nodded nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, then obediently closed his eyes, surrendering himself to this unknown sensory experience and to Xiuxiu's stable, commanding hands. His breathing became audible in the quiet treatment room—initially somewhat hurried, then gradually becoming long and deep under Xiuxiu's silent guidance.
Xiuxiu's fingers gently pressed and located near the Neiguan point on his left wrist. Her fingertips carried a warm body temperature, sensing the subtle structures beneath the skin. The Neiguan point, belonging to the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin, is located 2 cun above the wrist crease, between the palmaris longus tendon and the radial flexor tendon. Its indications include heart pain, palpitations, chest tightness, insomnia, mania, depression, vertigo, migraine... This information was etched into her memory like a brand. This was one of the main points she had carefully selected based on Xiao Li's symptoms, aiming to calm the heart, soothe the mind, relieve chest tightness, and unblock the energy pathway possibly obstructed by stagnant qi. Her needle-holding hand was as steady as a rock, showing no tremor—a stability honed through countless repetitions and ingrained in her bones. Then her wrist rotated slightly, the motion fluid and precise, and the silver needle silently pierced the skin, like a raindrop merging into the sea, carrying a natural decisiveness. The angle, depth of insertion, and the subtle rotational force all condensed the muscle memory formed through thousands of practices and the ineffable essentials of her family's teachings. In her view, this was by no means mere mechanical stimulation—not simply poking a point with a needle—but a guidance and communication of energy, using this metal medium to knock on the body's internal door leading to self-regulation and repair, to awaken the dormant river called "qi."
"Hmm..." Xiao Li let out a soft, suppressed groan, his recently relaxed brows involuntarily furrowing again, as if some dormant switch within had been suddenly triggered.
"Is there a sensation of soreness, numbness, and distension, like a faint electric current spreading toward your fingers?" Xiuxiu inquired timely, her voice still peaceful, as if confirming an already anticipated phenomenon.
"Yes, exactly that feeling! A bit strange, but not uncomfortable." Xiao Li's tone carried a trace of astonishment, as if discovering for the first time this unfamiliar dimension of perception within his own body.
"Good, that's 'deqi'." The corner of Xiuxiu's mouth lifted slightly in a barely perceptible smile—a confirmation that meridian qi had responded to the needle, and gratification at her accurate judgment. "'The Essentials of Needling, from the Spiritual Pivot · Nine Needles and Twelve Source Points,' states: 'The key to needling is that efficacy arrives with the qi.' Deqi is crucial for the effectiveness of acupuncture, meaning we have successfully accessed your body's internal regulatory system." As she spoke, she carefully sensed the subtle movements beneath the needle through her fingertips, simultaneously adjusting the needle's orientation and performing minuscule lifting, thrusting, and rotating manipulations, using unique techniques to "guide qi" and "promote qi," intensifying that peculiar experience known as "needle sensation." To Xiao Li, it was an unfamiliar yet not uncomfortable deep sensation, as if a long-dormant stream within his body had been quietly awakened, beginning to flow slowly but resolutely, flushing through those blockages formed by fatigue and stress, bringing a strange sense of unblocking and relaxation.
Next, she needled Xiao Li's Taiyang point—an extraordinary point outside the regular meridians, renowned for its significant analgesic effects; Fengchi point—belonging to the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang, located at the back of the neck, level with Fengfu point, in the depression between the upper ends of the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles, skilled at dispelling wind and releasing the exterior, clearing the head and brightening the eyes; and Taichong point—belonging to the Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin, located on the dorsum of the foot, in the depression anterior to the junction of the first and second metatarsal bones, adept at soothing the liver and regulating qi, calming the liver and extinguishing wind. These point combinations were deeply contemplated, aimed at synergistic effects of dispersing liver wind, unblocking collaterals, and relieving pain, dissipating the migraine that had troubled Xiao Li for days from different levels.
While skillfully manipulating the needles, Xiuxiu explained softly. These words were not entirely for Xiao Li's education but rather her habitual process of organizing thoughts and consolidating understanding—a way of externalizing internal thoughts into language: "The human body is a microcosm, a highly precise and self-regulating complex system. Meridians are the pathways for circulating qi and blood, connecting the internal organs with the body surface and all parts of the body—the regulatory system of human function. They are not physical conduits in the modern anatomical sense, like nerves or blood vessels; they are more like a functional network, a high-speed route for energy and information transmission. Though invisible, their effects are real and tangible. Acupoints are the special locations where meridian qi is transported to the body surface—portals for energy entering and exiting the body, and nodes where we can apply interventions from the outside to influence internal states." Her voice was not loud yet clearly echoed in the room, clothing those ancient concepts in an easily understandable modern guise.
She instructed Xiao Li to completely relax his entire body, entering a state of rest, and informed him that the needles would be retained for twenty minutes to allow the acupuncture effects to fully persist and diffuse. During this time, she turned to connect the bedside bioelectric sensing equipment, skillfully placing several microelectrode patches precisely on Xiao Li's Neiguan, Hegu, and other acupoint areas, beginning to monitor real-time microcurrent and skin temperature changes at these points. On the light screen, several curves of different colors undulated steadily over time, pulsating with the rhythm of life, recording the subtle electrophysiological changes produced by the body under acupuncture intervention. Everything seemed to proceed as expected, running smoothly along a predetermined track, as if yet another routine and effective treatment was about to conclude successfully.
Until... an unexpected interlude, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, abruptly shattered this orderly tranquility.
As treatment neared its end, just as Xiuxiu prepared to focus her spirit and remove Xiao Li's needles one by one, the screen of Xiao Li's personal terminal on the bedside table suddenly lit up, seeming to automatically receive a data push from the laboratory. The screen's cold light flashed briefly in the dim treatment room. Almost simultaneously, on the adjacent bioelectric monitoring screen, the curve representing the electrical signal at Xiao Li's Neiguan point—previously steady—suddenly exhibited an extremely brief yet exceptionally intense spike pulse! Its waveform was steep as a cliff, the frequency extremely high, out of place with the previously rhythmic, relatively gentle fluctuation curve. Its form more resembled a strong interference signal from an external, non-biological source, a dissonant note intruding into the harmonious movement of life.