deltrittennovels Chapter 93 Versailles in the Examination Hall
Chapter 93 Versailles in the Examination Hall
If the Western medicine practitioner qualification exam is like a fierce battle across a single-plank bridge, then the "special expertise" assessment for traditional Chinese medicine is a double whammy of metaphysics and personal connections.
According to regulations, someone like Wang Minyu, who has no legitimate background and is an "unorthodox" practitioner, needs recommendations from two licensed physicians and must pass an on-site assessment by a provincial expert group to obtain a license.
Generally speaking, this was basically prepared for scions of prominent families or apprentices with connections.
But Wang Minyu's current background is a bit too tough to handle.
The two names on the recommendation form are: Sun Jiren (former renowned doctor, now chief pharmacist at Renxin Pharmacy) and Zhang Cheng (director of the Provincial Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, now a fanatical menthol fan).
"Master, are you really planning to wear this?"
Before leaving, Zhao Na looked at Wang Minyu's faded white coat with slightly worn cuffs and couldn't help but remind him, "In a place like the Provincial Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, everyone is dressed quite... decently. You look like you just came from a factory."
"This is my battle uniform." Wang Minyu straightened his collar and casually stuffed the stainless steel tea mug into his large pocket. "If I wore a suit and tie, wouldn't I look like an insurance salesman? Come on, Guanshan, drive, let's go to the provincial capital to... cough, to take the exam."
The black Maybach (the car sponsored by Qian Dafa) came to a steady stop in front of the Provincial Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine building.
There were quite a few people in the hall who came to take the assessment.
Most of them were middle-aged people in their forties or fifties, holding thick medical records in their hands, muttering to themselves, and looking nervous.
Occasionally, a few younger people would follow behind their elders, meekly and subserviently.
The moment Wang Minyu brought Guan Shan inside, the atmosphere changed drastically.
A young man who looked to be in his early twenties stood with his hands in his pockets, followed by a burly man who was two meters tall and carrying a thermos full of tea.
Anyone who didn't know better would think it was some young master from a wealthy family who had come with bodyguards to collect protection money.
"Um... is that candidate Wang Minyu?"
The staff member in charge of registration looked at the photo on the registration form, then at the person in person, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Please go to waiting room 302. Also... family members and bodyguards are not allowed to enter."
"He's waiting at the door." Wang Minyu waved his hand, indicating that Guan Shan should act as the doorman.
The atmosphere in the waiting room was heavy.
A middle-aged man dressed in a Tang suit and holding Buddhist prayer beads glanced at Wang Minyu and gave him a disdainful smile: "Young man, so young and already taking a specialty exam? Which master did you study under?"
"Self-taught." Wang Minyu took out his phone and started scrolling through short videos.
"Ha, self-taught?" The uncle shook his head, his voice slightly louder. "Young people these days are so arrogant. Traditional Chinese medicine is all about accumulation; without decades of clinical experience, you can't even accurately feel a pulse. I've practiced this 'One-Finger Zen' massage for twenty years, and I wouldn't dare say I'm absolutely certain."
Several people around him chimed in, "Yeah, there are too many swindlers these days, ruining the reputation of traditional Chinese medicine. Professor Gu will be on the expert panel later; he's known for being incredibly impartial. This young man is probably going to come out crying."
Wang Minyu didn't even look up, his fingers flying across the screen: "Uncle, those prayer beads of yours are plastic, stop fiddling with them, the static electricity will make your hand hair stick up. Also, your forehead is red but your voice is weak, that's probably a side effect of taking too much high blood pressure medication, right? Stop showing off, it's better for your blood vessels."
"You!" The uncle was so angry that his face turned purple. Just as he was about to lash out, the loudspeaker came on.
"Next up, Wang Minyu."
Wang Minyu put away his phone, picked up his teacup, and swaggered into the examination room.
The examination room was a small conference room.
Five experts sat opposite him, the one in the middle with white hair and reading glasses was none other than the famous Professor Gu.
Professor Gu held Wang Minyu's materials in his hand, his brows furrowed like the Chinese character "川" (river).
"Wang Minyu?" Professor Gu looked up, his gaze sharp. "I think your recommendation is quite... exaggerated. Sun Jiren said you have 'unpredictable abilities,' and Zhang Cheng called you the 'King of Medicine of our time.' I haven't seen this kind of praise in many years."
"They are indeed a bit conservative." Wang Minyu pulled out a chair, sat down, unscrewed the teacup, and took a sip of water. "They just haven't seen much of the world."
The examiners nearby gasped.
Is this kid here to cause trouble?
"Arrogant!" A bespectacled female examiner on the left slammed her hand on the table. "Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes humility! Don't you even understand the most basic medical ethics?"
"Medical ethics is about curing diseases, not playing the fool," Wang Minyu said calmly. "Teachers, your time is precious, so let's skip the formalities. Let's get straight to the point: is it reciting the *Shanghan Lun* backwards fluently, or a live diagnosis?"
Professor Gu waved his hand, stopping the angry female examiner.
He stared at Wang Minyu for a while, then suddenly laughed.
"Interesting." Professor Gu pulled a black cloth from under the table and covered something. "Since you're so confident, let's test you with something practical. I won't test your book knowledge; traditional Chinese medicine also requires scientific explanation. Explain to me what this is?"
He lifted the black cloth.
On the table was a glass bottle, half-filled with murky liquid, and a few dead insects.
"This is a water sample taken from the West Suburbs Reservoir." Professor Gu's voice turned serious. "The 'strange disease' that caused such a stir some time ago, you supposedly cured it with 'fecal soup'? Young man, traditional Chinese medicine is not witchcraft. If you can't explain this clearly with scientific reasoning today, forget about getting a certificate, I'll also sue you for practicing medicine without a license in the name of the association."
The entire room fell silent.
This is a question that could cost you your life.
Admitting that it's made with excrement soup is to engage in feudal superstition; denying it is fraud.
Wang Minyu put down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the glass bottle.
He didn't look at the bottle, but glanced at Professor Gu's hand.
The old professor's finger joints were somewhat deformed, and there were several vertical lines on his fingernails.
"Mr. Gu, your rheumatoid arthritis must be quite uncomfortable on rainy days, right?" Wang Minyu suddenly changed the subject.
"Don't change the subject!" the female examiner snapped.
"Who said I changed the subject?" Wang Minyu extended a finger and lightly tapped the glass bottle.
"The so-called 'fecal soup' should actually be called a 'complex microbial community targeted inducer'," Wang Minyu's voice suddenly became professional and indifferent, as if he were giving a report at a top medical forum.
"The parasites in the West Suburbs Reservoir are not ordinary red threadworms, but a variant that is extremely sensitive to a specific alkaloid. The 'Ren Zhong Huang' I used is not an ordinary substance, but a product of fermentation of licorice, black beans, and several special volatile oils (mutant peppermint extract) in a high-ammonia environment."
Wang Minyu pulled a laser pointer out of his pocket (he didn't know when he had gotten it) and shone it directly at the dead insect in the bottle.
"Please look at the grayish-white flocculent substance on the surface of the insect. This is not decay, but the dissolution of the cell wall under the action of high concentrations of biological enzymes. The traditional Chinese medicine concept of 'fighting poison with poison' can be explained by modern pathology as using specific enzymes or toxins to destroy the protein structure of pathogens."
"As for why it looks like feces..." Wang Minyu shrugged, "Because it's a culture medium. Just like penicillin is grown from mold. What, Western medicine using mold is science, but traditional Chinese medicine using fermented substances is witchcraft? That's a bit of a double standard, isn't it?"
Professor Gu's eyes lit up.
He picked up the bottle, examined it carefully, and then looked at Wang Minyu.
"So... what about that incident where someone knocked a patient unconscious with a slipper?" Professor Gu suddenly asked a very gossipy question. "In the video, your assistant knocked someone out with a slipper, and then you started acupuncture. What scientific basis does that have?"
"That's called 'physical blocking anesthesia,'" Wang Minyu said calmly. "It uses a momentary blunt force to cause temporary inhibition of the reticular activating system, blocking the transmission of pain nerve signals. Compared to chemical anesthetics, this method has no side effects, wakes you up quickly, and is environmentally friendly and low-carbon."
puff.
Professor Gu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What a wonderful example of environmental protection and low carbon emissions." Professor Gu took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and said, "Young man, it's a shame you're not a comedian with that mouth. But..."
He changed the subject, his expression softening, "I've seen similar hypotheses in foreign journals regarding the enzyme dissolution theory you mentioned. I didn't expect you to actually be using it clinically."
"Foreign journals?" Wang Minyu curled his lip. "They just copied the Compendium of Materia Medica but didn't copy it properly."
"Approved." Professor Gu stamped the form heavily. "Welcome to the TCM family. But remember, when you're hitting someone in the future, try not to use slippers; it's not a good look. Or even a rubber mallet would be better."