From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Mrs. Zhou knew that leaders only need to move their mouths while their subordinates break their legs running errands, so she didn’t have the heart to let them be criticized. She said, "Then just press twice."

Xu Chunliang nodded and said, "Okay, just press twice. Would you like to go inside?"

Mrs. Zhou laughed and said, "Look at me, I forgot to invite you inside to sit, how rude of me."

Accompanying her back to the room, there was only one caretaker cleaning, who was also a relative from their rural family, also surnamed Zhou, and she called Mrs. Zhou cousin.

Mrs. Zhou asked her to make tea. Xu Chunliang took the opportunity to observe the elderly lady. She had white hair but a youthful appearance, with a rosy complexion, appearing to be in good health. According to her, she usually had no illness, except that every winter she would experience a bout of migraine. In the past, it would take at most three days to heal, but this time it had already been nearly a week, and she had taken several medicines without any effect.

The elderly lady asked the caretaker to bring the medical records for Xu Chunliang to inspect.

Xu Chunliang glanced at the medical records and then pretended to look at the CT scans for a while. He couldn’t actually understand these things; he just knew that various tests were done to rule out organic intracranial lesions.

Mrs. Zhou was quite talkative and usually had no one to converse with, so once she opened up, she wouldn’t stop talking, and at this point, her headache worsened again.

Xu Chunliang stood up and asked, "Madam, where does it hurt?"

The elderly lady pointed to her right temple: "Here... oh... it’s throbbing, like someone is hammering my head with a small mallet."

The causes of migraines are usually climate, sleep, mental state, diet, and medication, often mixed with multiple factors.

In medicine, there is no unified treatment method for these symptoms. After ruling out intracranial organic lesions, the common approach is symptomatic treatment, focusing on relieving the pain.

Patients are prescribed pain relievers and reminded to rest more, relieve stress, balance work and rest, keep warm, adjust their diet, and avoid high-calorie, high-protein foods, as well as quit smoking and drinking.

The elderly lady didn’t smoke or drink, maintained a predominantly vegetarian diet, and led a healthy and disciplined lifestyle. Having retired, her life was peaceful without any worries about her children or grandchildren—which should mean no stress. Her migraine wasn’t significantly related to the aforementioned factors. Some diseases are like that, with no identifiable cause.

Xu Chunliang had Mrs. Zhou sit properly with her hands on her knees. He raised his hands, fingertips pointing upward, palms inward, touching the top of her head, with his thumbs pressing the outer end of her eyebrows.

This acupoint is called Sizhukong, one of the common acupoints in the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, located at the indentation above the eyebrow, at the orbicularis oculi muscle, surrounded by the temporal branches of the superficial temporal artery and vein; with the supraorbital nerve, temporal nerve branch, facial nerve temporal branch, and zygomatic branch distributed.

"Sizhu," one of the ancient eight sounds, refers to the serene arrival of qi and blood like a great hush.

Sizhukong Point is the terminal acupoint of the Sanjiao Meridian. The qi and blood arriving from the Heliao Point to this point are already extremely weak and thin, with the qi and blood within the point appearing empty, causing the cold and damp water qi from the heavenly section to converge here, flowing into the Sanjiao Meridian from above, descending and returning to the earth.

Pressing this point can treat common disorders such as migraine, dizziness, blurred vision, and eye twitching.

Xu Chunliang used his thumb pads to knead the Sizhukong Point. To achieve optimal results, the selection of the point, the recognition of the point, and technique were indispensable.

Especially technique—different people pressing the same acupoint can yield vastly different effects. It is said that too much is as bad as too little, which refers to the control of force.

Xu Chunliang had only kneaded a few times when Mrs. Zhou felt her temple was sore and swollen, but the frequent intermittent pain was not as obvious.

Xu Chunliang deduced that as she aged, the qi and blood in the Sanjiao Meridian became increasingly weak, causing the cold and damp water qi and external cold water qi to invade significantly. The inadequate qi and blood in the Sanjiao Meridian couldn’t fend off the external cold, leading to cold invading the cranial cavity.

Kneading the Sizhukong Point can promote the circulation of qi and blood within the Sanjiao Meridian, thereby aiding the descent of cold, avoiding excessive accumulation here.

To help the elderly lady quickly relieve pain, Xu Chunliang also quietly sent a surge of Inner Strength to dissolve the cold within the Sizhukong Point.

This produced immediate results.

Mrs. Zhou initially felt sore and swollen, then the area being pressed at both eyebrows started to heat up.

After massaging the Sizhukong Points on both sides for two minutes, Xu Chunliang moved to the temples.

The temple, known as an extra point, is from "Yinhai Jingwei". It’s also known as Qiangnoun or Dangyang. Traditional meridian literature states that the left is the sun, and the right is the moon.

In Traditional Chinese Meridian Theory, the temple is considered an extra miraculous point and was one of the first essential dead points listed by major schools. According to Shaolin Boxing Classic, hitting the temple lightly could cause fainting, while a severe strike could be fatal.

Modern medicine proves that a blow to the temple can be lethal or cause a concussion leading to loss of consciousness.

"Dharma’s Secret Prescription" lists rubbing this point as a rejuvenation method. Regular use can keep the brain young and rejuvenate.

When people use their brains continuously for long periods, the temple often feels heavy or achy—signals of brain fatigue. This is when massage can be remarkably effective. Massaging the temple can provide positive stimuli to the brain, relieve fatigue, invigorate the mind, relieve pain, and awaken the brain. It can also treat vascular neurological headaches and migraines.

The temple is located about an inch above the outer corner of the eye and can be distinctly felt with a hand. When selecting this point, usually the patient takes a sitting, lying, or reclining position to facilitate the practitioner accurately locating the point and smoothly performing the corresponding massage techniques.

Under Xu Chunliang’s appropriate pressure, the elderly lady’s previously groggy head felt noticeably lighter, allowing her brain to relax, and her whole body’s nerves followed suit, creating a very comfortable feeling.

From the elderly lady’s expression, Xu Chunliang knew his massage was effective and deliberately asked, "Madam, shall we continue?"

Mrs. Zhou said, "That feels quite comfortable, keep pressing. It’s really strange. When you press, I don’t feel any pain. Dr. Xu, what exactly is my ailment?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "It’s not really an ailment. Mainly, it’s because you’re getting older, and your body’s Qi and blood are declining. Plus, the temperature has fluctuated greatly these past few days, allowing cold to invade the Sanjiao Meridian. By massaging the acupoints, I can promote the circulation of your Qi and blood. When the circulation speeds up, the cold within the meridians is carried away in time, preventing it from accumulating, which relieves your headache."

"Dr. Xu explains it clearly. I went to several hospitals, and I couldn’t understand what they said."

Xu Chunliang released his hands and asked, "Do you still feel any pain now?"

Mrs. Zhou shook her neck, then stood up and walked a few steps: "No pain, not at all."

Zhang Song watched from the side, secretly admiring. No wonder Secretary Zhou asked him to come over. This young man just pressed a few times and it worked. He’s practically a miracle doctor from the legends.

Xu Chunliang said, "In a couple of days, I’ll bring you some Eight Treasures Pill to help nourish your Qi and blood."

Mrs. Zhou asked, "Do I still need to take the Western medicine?"

Xu Chunliang said, "No need." He had just used Inner Strength to help Mrs. Zhou unblock the Sanjiao Meridian, so the migraine wouldn’t return in the short term. Although many people in the world can master massage techniques, very few can use Inner Strength to help others unblock their meridians. This is exactly the biggest difference between Xu Chunliang and other traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Xu Chunliang completed his task and took his leave of Mrs. Zhou.

Mrs. Zhou tried to keep him: "Don’t go just yet; it’s already noon. Stay and have lunch."

Xu Chunliang expressed that he had other matters to attend to at home.

Mrs. Zhou insisted that no matter how busy he was, he must eat, and she just happened to have a few questions to ask. Mainly, she felt indebted and wanted to thank Xu Chunliang.

Just then, Secretary Zhou came over and also urged Xu Chunliang to stay for lunch. Unable to refuse their warm hospitality, Xu Chunliang stayed. Zhang Song’s home was in the same compound, so he returned home for lunch and told Xu Chunliang to call him when he was ready to leave.

The maid prepared authentic Anhui cuisine, and only then did Xu Chunliang realize that Secretary Zhou was from Huizhou.

Whenever Secretary Zhou had time, he would come over to have lunch with his mother. He originally wanted to live with his mother, but the old lady didn’t like his wife and preferred living alone. Despite Secretary Zhou’s ability to manage a city, household affairs are often beyond the reach of a government official.

Secretary Zhou rarely invited people to eat at home, and having guests over for lunch at his mother’s place was even more rare.

Although there were only four dishes for lunch, in Dongzhou, this would definitely be considered the highest level of hospitality.

Secretary Zhou said, "I don’t drink, but if you want to, help yourself to a drink." He pointed to the liquor cabinet.

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "I never drink at noon."

Mrs. Zhou said, "You’re making Xiaoxu feel restrained here. Please don’t be formal. Just treat this like your own home."

Xu Chunliang said, "Auntie, I won’t be formal." He picked up his bowl of rice and started eating.

Secretary Zhou said, "Mom, isn’t the doctor I found for you great?"

Mrs. Zhou smiled, "When I first saw Xiaoxu, I was still skeptical. I always thought that the older a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, the better they are."

Secretary Zhou laughed, "Your mindset should change. Xiaoxu’s family has a rich heritage. He’s an authentic successor of Huichun Hall, and his ancestors served as Imperial Physicians."

Mrs. Zhou asked, "Xiaoxu, how old are you?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "Twenty-three."

Mrs. Zhou said, "The same age as Deming." She was referring to her grandson, who was currently in the Capital City pursuing postgraduate studies.

Secretary Zhou said, "Xiaoxu is much more mature than Deming."

Mrs. Zhou sighed, "I have to say, the two of them even look a bit alike."

Secretary Zhou didn’t notice, but the old lady was pining for her grandson.

Mrs. Zhou inquired if Xu Chunliang was seeing someone.

Xu Chunliang nodded.

Mrs. Zhou said, "Look at him, already in a relationship, while our Deming is only focused on studying."

Secretary Zhou laughed, "No rush. These days, young people generally marry later."

Mrs. Zhou said, "Don’t always listen to Shu Yao. Whatever she says, you follow. Twenty-three years old is still young? You were married at twenty-three." Her tone made it clear that she had quite a few grievances against her daughter-in-law.