"The friend you mentioned last time, I can take a look," w.a.n.g Yao replied .

"When?" w.a.n.g Mingbao was surprised by his answer .

"Let's see when he is free to come here . "

"Sure, please wait . I'll give him a call now," w.a.n.g Mingbao immediately dialed his friend on his mobile phone .

He chatted with the friend for a while and then got off the phone .

"Such a coincidence, he is currently in Lianshan County . I told him about your availability and he will be here shortly . If you have the time, perhaps you can wait here for him?"

"Sure, I will wait for him . "

w.a.n.g Yao and w.a.n.g Mingbao had tea in the reception area until a person arrived after about 20 minutes . The man was not tall and was a little rotund . He walked quickly into w.a.n.g Mingbao's shop, to the reception area . On closer look, the man had a round face that was smiling; he had big ears and a wide mouth . He apologized profusely upon seeing them .

"Sorry, I was delayed by some matters . " In reality, he was not very late . This was w.a.n.g Mingbao's friend . His surname was Wei and his first name was Hai .

From the point this person entered the shop, w.a.n.g Yao had started observing him . Wei Hai had a scent of alcohol on him, although it was faint and not easily detected by an ordinary person, it did not escape w.a.n.g Yao's exceptional sense of smell . He could smell it when Wei Hai was only a few steps away .

This was an indication that Wei Hai drank quite substantially the night before and the scent had not dissipated even in the next day .

"Let me introduce you . w.a.n.g Yao, this is Wei Hai, Director Wei . "

"Eh, what director? Don't make fun of me, we're all friends . h.e.l.lo, Doctor w.a.n.g," Wei Hai laughed while greeting w.a.n.g Yao .

It was obvious that this person was a social b.u.t.terfly and very approachable .

"h.e.l.lo . " w.a.n.g Yao smiled and shook his hand .

In closer proximity, w.a.n.g Yao could detect that Wei Hai's breath gave off an acidic odor . This indicated that his intestines were unhealthy . His eyes were yellow-tinged and coupled with an unhealthy complexion, all these pointed to a poorly functioning liver .

The three of them sat down and made no mention of the illness; they had tea and chatted . Wei Hai was a good conversationalist and could talk about any topic .

After around 20 minutes, w.a.n.g Yao made the first foray into the main topic .

"Director Wei, if it's okay with you, let me take your pulse . "

"Okay," Wei Hai agreed readily .

w.a.n.g Yao's fingers were on his wrist .

The room became silent . Both w.a.n.g Mingbao's and Wei Hai's eyes were on w.a.n.g Yao .

After a while, w.a.n.g Yao moved his fingers away .

Wei Hai may look jovial, but his body had multiple problems . Hs internal organs were damaged—the most serious damage was in the liver and stomach . This was likely due to his lifestyle and habits . Excessive drinking had damaged his liver .

"I'd like to ask you a few questions," w.a.n.g Yao said .

"Go ahead . "

"Do you eat a lot of fish, especially raw ones?"

"Yes, I like sas.h.i.+mi, drunken prawns, conch—all extremely tasty," Wei Hai replied .

"You like eating them iced, especially during summer . "

"Ah, that's right!" Wei Hai was astonished .

Initially when he arrived and saw how young w.a.n.g Yao was, although outwardly he appeared friendly, inwardly he belittled him . His prejudice deepened when he saw him take his pulse . Looking at w.a.n.g Yao's youth, his perception was that for w.a.n.g Yao to be using the Traditional Chinese Medicine's approach of taking the pulse, he should be at least 40 to 50 years old . He did not believe him to be experienced in traditional Chinese medicine, as he looked too young .  

However, w.a.n.g Yao's questions had shocked him . If it was regarding his love for seafood, he a.s.sumed w.a.n.g Yao might have asked w.a.n.g Mingbao . As to the specifics of him liking his seafood iced—this was something not many people knew as he rarely displayed this preference in front of his friends .

However, w.a.n.g Yao's questions had shocked him . If it was regarding his love for seafood, he a.s.sumed w.a.n.g Yao might have asked w.a.n.g Mingbao . As to the specifics of him liking his seafood iced—this was something not many people knew as he rarely displayed this preference in front of his friends .

"Can I see where the symptoms appear on your body?"

"Sure . "

Wei Hai rolled up his sleeve to reveal his arm . Lumps the size of a fingernail were scattered on his arm, slightly swollen, keratinized and squamous . Some of the lumps were festering .

Based on his examination, w.a.n.g Yao had an idea of the cause of the illness .

This was the result of toxins in the bloodstream that surfaced as visible symptoms on the skin . His internal organs were also affected by the toxins . If not treated in time, the symptoms would worsen and reach deeper into the internal organs, which would pose a greater problem!

Medication could treat this illness only for a moment . In order to treat it at its source, the person's habits needed to change . As the saying goes, a diet cures better than a doctor does . Many illnesses resulted from poor lifestyle and habits . Even if the illness was treated, if the lifestyle did not improve, the illness would return .

"Your illness is a result of toxins in the body, which have surfaced on your skin," w.a.n.g Yao remarked .

"Yes," Wei Hai replied .

"In order to cure this illness, you need to start from your habits . "

"Continue . "

"Firstly, abstain from seafood . Even if cooked, reduce intake . Secondly, abstain from smoking and drinking . "

Wei Hai nodded his head while listening . At first, he thought w.a.n.g Yao would continue, but he stopped after listing the two points .

"That's all?"

"Start with these two first . " w.a.n.g Yao smiled .

The two points that w.a.n.g Yao mentioned were no easy matters . Without strong willpower, they would be difficult to uphold, as they pertained to a person's years of unconscious habits and lifestyle . Merely quitting cigarettes and alcohol would cause ma.s.sive difficulties for the majority of people .

"If I guessed right, there should have been other doctors who said the same thing?" w.a.n.g Yao enquired .

"If I guessed right, there should have been other doctors who said the same thing?" w.a.n.g Yao enquired .

"Yes, more than one . "

Wei Hai did not hide this fact . He had seen numerous doctors before who asked him to quit smoking and drinking . He was unable to do so . After all, he was a businessman—socializing situations were aplenty and a party without alcohol did not make a party . Where there were opportunities for partners.h.i.+p, without drinking with the business partners, what would they think? How would one discuss business? There was no discrimination where it came to smoking and drinking . If one offered a cigarette to you, wouldn't you take it?

"Will you be able to prescribe medication for me?" Wei Hai asked .

"Prescriptions can treat the illness momentarily only . If you do not change your habits and lifestyle, this illness will relapse and likely worsen," w.a.n.g Yao calmly explained .

There was hearsay that in the ancient times a legendary physician named Hua Tuo met a person who loved eating seafood and had very painful stomach aches . He diagnosed him, prescribed medication and the man puked liters of strange vermin . Hua Tuo advised him not to eat seafood, or suffer the consequences . By which time even a deity would not be able to save him . The man promised but eventually fell back into his old habits . Before two years had pa.s.sed, he died .

Hahaha . w.a.n.g Yao smiled and shook his head .

"Doctor w.a.n.g, what do you mean by this?" Wei Hai saw his reaction and was puzzled .

"If you can change, I can prescribe you something . If you can't, the medicine is for naught," w.a.n.g Yao quipped .

"I can change!" Wei Hai exclaimed .

"Okay, I will prescribe you a formula . I will inform you when it's ready . "

"Thank you, how much is the medical fee?"

"Let's talk about it then . " w.a.n.g Yao smiled and waved his hands .

Wei Hai chatted with them for a bit before departing .

"You were trying to insinuate something just now, weren't you?" w.a.n.g Mingbao waited until Wei Hai left before quizzing w.a.n.g Yao .

"Your friend's illness is not easy to treat . "

"Why?" w.a.n.g Mingbao was puzzled .

"An ancient legendary physician, Bianque, listed six types of untreatable patients," w.a.n.g Yao drank some water before rattling off the points . "One, lack of reason rooted in unbridled arrogance, two, focus on money and not health . Three, focus on creature comforts, four, internal organ failure . Five, unable to take medication and six, belief in witchcraft and not medicine . "

"Why?" w.a.n.g Mingbao was puzzled .

"An ancient legendary physician, Bianque, listed six types of untreatable patients," w.a.n.g Yao drank some water before rattling off the points . "One, lack of reason rooted in unbridled arrogance, two, focus on money and not health . Three, focus on creature comforts, four, internal organ failure . Five, unable to take medication and six, belief in witchcraft and not medicine . "

"What does that mean?" w.a.n.g Mingbao was stunned .

"The first phrase means, a person who is arrogant, overbearing, unreasonable and disrespects doctors' advice is untreatable . The second phrase means, a person who is focused on wealth and disregards his health is untreatable . Your friend may have given his promise . However, when he goes back, it's likely he will not listen to advice and will continue to eat and drink, as usual . Therefore, he is the first type of untreatable . He is also focused on his business and lax on his health, belonging to the second type of untreatable . Since he belongs to two categories of untreatable, treating him is a waste of effort . " w.a.n.g Yao said .

"What happens if he continues like this?" w.a.n.g Mingbao asked .

"Actually, his illness must have been diagnosed by many doctors . He loves seafood and loves eating them raw, resulting in toxins from the seafood entering his body . The doctors have already given him advice and treatment, but he evidently does not take them seriously . If he continues like this, the toxins will penetrate deeper into his organs . By that time, even a deity can't help him . It's too late for him to regret!" said w.a.n.g Yao .

His words sounded scary, but they were not said lightly .

When an illness began to take root, this was the time when it was easiest to treat and eradicate it . When it spread to the internal organs and bones, unless a magic elixir existed that could resurrect the dead, or if the legendary physicians Hua Tuo or Bianque were alive, there was nothing that could be done about the illness .

"I will talk to him," said w.a.n.g Mingbao . He knew his best friend's character well; w.a.n.g Yao was not one to deceive . Since he had been so explicit, it showed that Wei Hai's illness was serious and warranted attention .

"Okay, it'll be great if you can advise him . Better to save one life than to build a seven-storied paG.o.da," w.a.n.g Yao remarked .

"What about the medicine?"

"If he does not change, prescribing him medication is a waste of the herbs," w.a.n.g Yao commented . He observed from Wei Hai's mannerisms and words and knew that he had no intention of following his advice, hence w.a.n.g Yao similarly did not intend to prepare the medicine .

w.a.n.g Yao left w.a.n.g Mingbao's shop soon after and drove back to the village .

On Nanshan hill, he thought about what transpired during the day and penned his thoughts into his notebook .

Night gradually fell; the cottage at Nanshan hill was lit with a solitary lamp . It appeared lonely .

w.a.n.g Yao rested on his desk . In front of him was the Five Lines Method; on the desk was a piece of paper which was where he sketched the map of Nanshan hill . Various markings were made on the map .

"Here, here and here…" w.a.n.g Yao muttered while making more markings on the map .

The friend you mentioned last time, I can take a look, w.a.n.g Yao replied . When? w.a.n.g Mingbao was surprised by his answer . Lets see when he is free to come here . Sure, please wait . Ill give him a call now, w.a.n.g Mingbao immediately dialed his friend on his mobile phone . He chatted with the friend for a while and then got off the phone . Such a coincidence, he is currently in Lianshan County . I told him about your availability and he will be here shortly . If you have the time, perhaps you can wait here for him? Sure, I will wait for him . w.a.n.g Yao and w.a.n.g Mingbao had tea in the reception area until a person arrived after about 20 minutes . The man was not tall and was a little rotund . He walked quickly into w.a.n.g Mingbaos shop, to the reception area . On closer look, the man had a round face that was smiling; he had big ears and a wide mouth . He apologized profusely upon seeing them . Sorry, I was delayed by some matters . In reality, he was not very late . This was w.a.n.g Mingbaos friend . His surname was Wei and his first name was Hai . From the point this person entered the shop, w.a.n.g Yao had started observing him . Wei Hai had a scent of alcohol on him, although it was faint and not easily detected by an ordinary person, it did not escape w.a.n.g Yaos exceptional sense of smell . He could smell it when Wei Hai was only a few steps away . This was an indication that Wei Hai drank quite substantially the night before and the scent had not dissipated even in the next day . Let me introduce you . w.a.n.g Yao, this is Wei Hai, Director Wei . Eh, what director? Dont make fun of me, were all friends . h.e.l.lo, Doctor w.a.n.g, Wei Hai laughed while greeting w.a.n.g Yao . It was obvious that this person was a social b.u.t.terfly and very approachable . h.e.l.lo . w.a.n.g Yao smiled and shook his hand . In closer proximity, w.a.n.g Yao could detect that Wei Hais breath gave off an acidic odor . This indicated that his intestines were unhealthy . His eyes were yellow-tinged and coupled with an unhealthy complexion, all these pointed to a poorly functioning liver . The three of them sat down and made no mention of the illness; they had tea and chatted . Wei Hai was a good conversationalist and could talk about any topic . After around 20 minutes, w.a.n.g Yao made the first foray into the main topic . Director Wei, if its okay with you, let me take your pulse . Okay, Wei Hai agreed readily . w.a.n.g Yaos fingers were on his wrist . The room became silent . Both w.a.n.g Mingbaos and Wei Hais eyes were on w.a.n.g Yao . After a while, w.a.n.g Yao moved his fingers away . Wei Hai may look jovial, but his body had multiple problems . Hs internal organs were damaged—the most serious damage was in the liver and stomach . This was likely due to his lifestyle and habits . Excessive drinking had damaged his liver . Id like to ask you a few questions, w.a.n.g Yao said . Go ahead . Do you eat a lot of fish, especially raw ones? Yes, I like sas.h.i.+mi, drunken prawns, conch—all extremely tasty, Wei Hai replied . You like eating them iced, especially during summer . Ah, thats right! Wei Hai was astonished . Initially when he arrived and saw how young w.a.n.g Yao was, although outwardly he appeared friendly, inwardly he belittled him . His prejudice deepened when he saw him take his pulse . Looking at w.a.n.g Yaos youth, his perception was that for w.a.n.g Yao to be using the Traditional Chinese Medicines approach of taking the pulse, he should be at least 40 to 50 years old . He did not believe him to be experienced in traditional Chinese medicine, as he looked too young .   However, w.a.n.g Yaos questions had shocked him . If it was regarding his love for seafood, he a.s.sumed w.a.n.g Yao might have asked w.a.n.g Mingbao . As to the specifics of him liking his seafood iced—this was something not many people knew as he rarely displayed this preference in front of his friends . Can I see where the symptoms appear on your body? Sure . Wei Hai rolled up his sleeve to reveal his arm . Lumps the size of a fingernail were scattered on his arm, slightly swollen, keratinized and squamous . Some of the lumps were festering . Based on his examination, w.a.n.g Yao had an idea of the cause of the illness . This was the result of toxins in the bloodstream that surfaced as visible symptoms on the skin . His internal organs were also affected by the toxins . If not treated in time, the symptoms would worsen and reach deeper into the internal organs, which would pose a greater problem! Medication could treat this illness only for a moment . In order to treat it at its source, the persons habits needed to change . As the saying goes, a diet cures better than a doctor does . Many illnesses resulted from poor lifestyle and habits . Even if the illness was treated, if the lifestyle did not improve, the illness would return . Your illness is a result of toxins in the body, which have surfaced on your skin, w.a.n.g Yao remarked . Yes, Wei Hai replied . In order to cure this illness, you need to start from your habits . Continue . Firstly, abstain from seafood . Even if cooked, reduce intake . Secondly, abstain from smoking and drinking . Wei Hai nodded his head while listening . At first, he thought w.a.n.g Yao would continue, but he stopped after listing the two points . Thats all? Start with these two first . w.a.n.g Yao smiled . The two points that w.a.n.g Yao mentioned were no easy matters . Without strong willpower, they would be difficult to uphold, as they pertained to a persons years of unconscious habits and lifestyle . Merely quitting cigarettes and alcohol would cause ma.s.sive difficulties for the majority of people . If I guessed right, there should have been other doctors who said the same thing? w.a.n.g Yao enquired . Yes, more than one . Wei Hai did not hide this fact . He had seen numerous doctors before who asked him to quit smoking and drinking . He was unable to do so . After all, he was a businessman—socializing situations were aplenty and a party without alcohol did not make a party . Where there were opportunities for partners.h.i.+p, without drinking with the business partners, what would they think? How would one discuss business? There was no discrimination where it came to smoking and drinking . If one offered a cigarette to you, wouldnt you take it? Will you be able to prescribe medication for me? Wei Hai asked . Prescriptions can treat the illness momentarily only . If you do not change your habits and lifestyle, this illness will relapse and likely worsen, w.a.n.g Yao calmly explained . There was hearsay that in the ancient times a legendary physician named Hua Tuo met a person who loved eating seafood and had very painful stomach aches . He diagnosed him, prescribed medication and the man puked liters of strange vermin . Hua Tuo advised him not to eat seafood, or suffer the consequences . By which time even a deity would not be able to save him . The man promised but eventually fell back into his old habits . Before two years had pa.s.sed, he died . Hahaha . w.a.n.g Yao smiled and shook his head . Doctor w.a.n.g, what do you mean by this? Wei Hai saw his reaction and was puzzled . If you can change, I can prescribe you something . If you cant, the medicine is for naught, w.a.n.g Yao quipped . I can change! Wei Hai exclaimed . Okay, I will prescribe you a formula . I will inform you when its ready . Thank you, how much is the medical fee? Lets talk about it then . w.a.n.g Yao smiled and waved his hands . Wei Hai chatted with them for a bit before departing . You were trying to insinuate something just now, werent you? w.a.n.g Mingbao waited until Wei Hai left before quizzing w.a.n.g Yao . Your friends illness is not easy to treat . Why? w.a.n.g Mingbao was puzzled . An ancient legendary physician, Bianque, listed six types of untreatable patients, w.a.n.g Yao drank some water before rattling off the points . One, lack of reason rooted in unbridled arrogance, two, focus on money and not health . Three, focus on creature comforts, four, internal organ failure . Five, unable to take medication and six, belief in witchcraft and not medicine . What does that mean? w.a.n.g Mingbao was stunned . The first phrase means, a person who is arrogant, overbearing, unreasonable and disrespects doctors advice is untreatable . The second phrase means, a person who is focused on wealth and disregards his health is untreatable . Your friend may have given his promise . However, when he goes back, its likely he will not listen to advice and will continue to eat and drink, as usual . Therefore, he is the first type of untreatable . He is also focused on his business and lax on his health, belonging to the second type of untreatable . Since he belongs to two categories of untreatable, treating him is a waste of effort . w.a.n.g Yao said . What happens if he continues like this? w.a.n.g Mingbao asked . Actually, his illness must have been diagnosed by many doctors . He loves seafood and loves eating them raw, resulting in toxins from the seafood entering his body . The doctors have already given him advice and treatment, but he evidently does not take them seriously . If he continues like this, the toxins will penetrate deeper into his organs . By that time, even a deity cant help him . Its too late for him to regret! said w.a.n.g Yao . His words sounded scary, but they were not said lightly . When an illness began to take root, this was the time when it was easiest to treat and eradicate it . When it spread to the internal organs and bones, unless a magic elixir existed that could resurrect the dead, or if the legendary physicians Hua Tuo or Bianque were alive, there was nothing that could be done about the illness . I will talk to him, said w.a.n.g Mingbao . He knew his best friends character well; w.a.n.g Yao was not one to deceive . Since he had been so explicit, it showed that Wei Hais illness was serious and warranted attention . Okay, itll be great if you can advise him . Better to save one life than to build a seven-storied paG.o.da, w.a.n.g Yao remarked . What about the medicine? If he does not change, prescribing him medication is a waste of the herbs, w.a.n.g Yao commented . He observed from Wei Hais mannerisms and words and knew that he had no intention of following his advice, hence w.a.n.g Yao similarly did not intend to prepare the medicine . w.a.n.g Yao left w.a.n.g Mingbaos shop soon after and drove back to the village . On Nanshan hill, he thought about what transpired during the day and penned his thoughts into his notebook . Night gradually fell; the cottage at Nanshan hill was lit with a solitary lamp . It appeared lonely . w.a.n.g Yao rested on his desk . In front of him was the Five Lines Method; on the desk was a piece of paper which was where he sketched the map of Nanshan hill . Various markings were made on the map . Here, here and here… w.a.n.g Yao muttered while making more markings on the map .