Du Heng continued, "How about your bowel movements? There should be some improvement, right?" The female accountant nodded repeatedly. "Indeed, much better. Basically once a day this week." "The recovery is very good." Du Heng was quite satisfied with the result. "Since your appetite has increased and your bloating has disappeared, it’s time to change your prescription. I’ll write you a new one." "Thank you, Doctor Du." This time, Du Heng didn’t write the prescription himself but instructed Gu Ping, who was beside him, "You write. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask." As Gu Ping spoke, he had already gotten everything ready. "Roasted astragalus, raw atractylodes, chicken gizzard, rose... prepared aconite. Fourteen doses, to be taken twice a day. Follow-up in a week." Du Heng spoke slowly, not rushing Gu Ping, allowing him to write it down calmly. "Okay, Mr. Du," Gu Ping confirmed once he finished. "Don’t you have any questions?" Gu Ping scratched his head, embarrassed. "I can’t think of any yet." Du Heng chuckled at Gu Ping. "Since you can’t think of any, then I’ll ask you a question..." Just as he was about to continue, the door to the Reception Room was pushed open. Several of Li Jianwei’s students filed in, lined up neatly, and greeted Du Heng in unison, "Hello, Du." Du Heng swallowed the words he was about to say, looking at the group with slight surprise as he asked, "What are you all doing here?" "We knew today was your follow-up appointment time, Senior Brother Du, and we all wanted to come and learn from you. We just didn’t expect you to be so early." Du Heng hadn’t known it, but he had tormented them horribly over the past two weeks. Two analysis reports had forced them to pull several all-nighters. No one would believe them if they claimed they didn’t hold any resentment toward Du Heng. However, since Du Heng was reviewing the atrophic gastritis patient today, they were more than willing to make the trip. Du Heng pursed his lips, glanced at the neatly lined-up group, and said, "Alright then." If all went according to plan, Du Heng would be starting at their Chinese Medicine Department’s outpatient service next week, and in the afternoons, he would be lecturing them in Li Jianwei’s stead. Since they were already here, it was a good opportunity to start building rapport. So, Du Heng took out the female accountant’s gastroscopy report and handed it to them. "Can you read Western medicine reports?" "Yes," they replied, their voices scattered. Who did he think he was looking down on? They were graduate students, after all; how could they possibly not understand Western medicine reports? "Good that you can understand them. I’ll give you a minute." Du Heng then had Gu Ping hand over the prescription he had just finished writing. While they examined the prescription, Du Heng had Gu Ping take the patient out to get her medication after logging it in the system. Given the current situation, it wasn’t appropriate to ask them questions in front of the patient. During this waiting period, doctors and nurses from Provincial First Hospital passing by would glance into the Reception Room with amusement. Every time Du Heng came, the Reception Room would become lively, sometimes even turning into a lecture hall. This was quite a novelty in their Western medicine-dominated Gastroenterology Department. However, the individuals inside the room paid no mind. More than any amused glances from the Gastroenterology Department staff, they were concerned about whether they could learn something. Du Heng waited calmly. Once Gu Ping returned, he continued the previous topic: "You’ve seen the inspection sheet. The patient’s Helicobacter pylori infection has turned negative, which means the medicines prescribed the last two times were effective. So, who can tell me, what is the treatment strategy?" Everyone in the room widened their eyes. They had expected Du Heng to ask about medicinal combinations as before, not jump straight to the overall treatment strategy. However, Du Heng had already explained his prescribing rationale during the first treatment, so they only needed a moment’s thought to arrive at the answer. Their lead senior student answered Du Heng, "Du, I believe your treatment strategy is to simultaneously support healthy qi and achieve expelling evil, employing an overall regulatory approach." "Explain it more specifically." "Using medication to harmonize the stomach qi allows the healthy qi to recover. Once it does, the stomach’s internal environment can correct itself, leading to self-healing." Du Heng nodded in satisfaction. "Now, let’s get into more detail. I just showed you the new prescription I wrote for the patient. What is the main characteristic of this prescription?" "Tonifying qi and activating blood!" This time, more people answered, their voices a jumbled chorus, and even Gu Ping chimed in. Du Heng immediately asked, "Why tonify qi and activate blood?" This time, no one answered. They all stared at him intently. When Du Heng turned his gaze to Gu Ping, Gu Ping stated bluntly, "Mr. Du, I don’t know." Du Heng sighed and took the initiative to explain, "With atrophic gastritis, there must be areas where qi and blood are obstructed, leading to the formation of lesions. To treat these lesions, we must promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. You all understand this, right?" "Yes." Some answered, while others nodded. "And in atrophic gastritis, the disease is in the stomach, so the patient will invariably exhibit symptoms of qi deficiency or yang deficiency. The current blood stasis is a result of qi deficiency. Therefore, to activate blood, we must first tonify qi." The moment Du Heng finished speaking, the lead senior student had an epiphany and immediately added, "I understand now! The qi deficiency is in the stomach, which belongs to the middle burner. That’s why, Du, in your prescription, you used qi-tonifying herbs like ginseng, astragalus, and sojutsu var, and blood-activating medicine like zedoary and three-edged needle." At this, the stubborn one chimed in, "I was reading a book the other day and saw a record of three-edged needle and zedoary. Their taste is slightly bitter, their aroma faintly fragrant, and their nature slightly warm, making them essential medicines for resolving blood stasis." Before the stubborn one could finish, another student who had grasped the concept interrupted, "Their properties aren’t aggressive, but they work very quickly. When used with ginseng, astragalus, and sojutsu var, they can stimulate appetite and harmonize qi and blood." There was no need to ask further; Li Jianwei’s graduate students answered everything in one go. Aside from a slight inflexibility in applying their knowledge, these students had a genuinely solid theoretical foundation. Compared to Gu Ping, who could only stand there open-mouthed and dazed, their performance explained why they had been accepted into graduate school. Du Heng gave Gu Ping a peculiar look, then chuckled as he stood up to leave. "Gu Ping, take me to see Xue Yiwen." ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥 "Mr. Du, Xue Yiwen has been discharged from the hospital?" Du Heng stopped in his tracks. "Why? Did the prescription I gave him not work?" He asked this, but Du Heng was absolutely confident his prescription was effective. That day, Du Heng had only prescribed for him; the new effective case registered in the system had to be Xue Yiwen’s. Gu Ping sighed. "He decided to give up. After taking the medicine you prescribed and being observed for five days with no adverse effects, he immediately checked out of the hospital." Du Heng took a deep breath. "Nevermind then. Since he’s gone, let it be. It’s his choice."