Traditional Chinese Medicine College. The general manager just wanted to use his degree to boost the reputation of their establishment; regardless of academic performance in school, as long as they ha...Chapter 95: Renhetang (Requesting Recommendations and Votes)

"Brother Jun, stop the car for a moment. I feel dizzy and need to get out for some fresh air!" Xiao Yu felt very strange about what was happening here and wanted to take a look, so he told Wei Jun who was driving.

“Alright, hurry up!” As Wei Jun said that, he parked the car not far from where the traffic police had set up barriers. Behind them was the scene of the accident, so there were no cars passing by temporarily here.

After getting out of the car, Xiao Yu opened his Yin-Yang Eyes and looked around carefully. Not only did this place lack any presence of malevolent energies, but it also lacked any trace of ghostly entities. Xiao Yu squinted into the distance towards the forest belt far away but saw nothing unusual. At that moment, Xiao Yu was filled with confusion. Could it be that a wave of malevolent energy drifted here by mere coincidence Was there no human involvement or influence from spirits

As he pondered over this thought, Xiao Yu shook his head and thought to himself that perhaps he had been too sensitive today! He seemed to attribute everything to ghostly entities!

"Brother Jun, let's go!" After saying that, Xiao Yu got back into the car.

Right as Xiao Yu was about to get in, his peripheral vision caught a black shadow darting past by the roadside railing. Quickly turning around to look, he saw nothing but chuckled inwardly—what on earth was wrong with him today

The two drove into Shenzhen City and when they passed Renhetang, Xiao Yu asked Wei Jun to stop the car, and together they entered Renhetang. The area of Shenzhen's Renhetang wasn’t particularly large, only around 500 square meters. Upon entering the main gate of Renhetang, there were counters selling Western medicine everywhere. After bypassing these counters, they arrived at the innermost part where it was designed in a Ming and Qing dynasty apothecary style.

A long row of medicine cabinets along the wall resembled a dragon lying down, and as soon as Xiao Yu stepped into this area, he could smell the fragrant scent of herbs wafting towards him. The counters were bustling with people getting their traditional Chinese medicines prescribed; so much so that the staff preparing prescriptions weren’t enough to meet the demand. Unwillingly, Xiao Yu and Wei Jun had no choice but to wait in line.

Looking at the long row of medicine cabinets, Xiao Yu nodded involuntarily. Renhetang was indeed known as one of the most comprehensive traditional Chinese medicine stores nationwide; this could be seen from their wide range of herbal medicines displayed on the shelves, including many precious herbs.

"Young man, what kind of medicine are you looking for" Just as Xiao Yu was observing around him, an elderly but loud voice spoke out beside him.

When Xiao Yu heard this, he turned to look and saw an elderly man walking over from the counter. The old man was completely grey-haired, looking about seventy years old from a distance, but up close, his face radiated health with a ruddy complexion and robust vitality, making him seem more like someone in their sixties. It was clear that this old man had mastered the essence of養生 (nursing one's health).

Upon hearing the elderly man’s inquiry, Xiao Yu pondered for a moment. He noticed a consultation desk beside the counter with the four treasures of the study—brushes, ink sticks, paper, and ink stones—laid out on it. Xiao Yu was secretly puzzled by this setup and turned to look elsewhere, only to find that even the employees of Renhetang used brushes to write as well. This must be a unique feature of Renhetang!

As Xiao Yu approached the consultation desk and looked at the brush on it, pointing with his finger, he asked, "Can I use this" The young apprentice beside him immediately replied, "No, that’s Dr. Yue’s personal stationery set; if you need to write something, please go over there!" As he spoke, he pointed to another corner of the counter.

Dr. Yue was an expert from Renhetang's Beijing headquarters who came here to sit and diagnose patients. He had a high level of medical expertise and was also very approachable in his dealings with others. He always answered questions posed by employees, never shirking responsibilities. Moreover, he didn’t put on airs towards the leadership at Renhetang as some specially hired experts might do. Therefore, everyone in the Renhetang clinic—from top to bottom—held Dr. Yue in deep respect, half of which was due to his medical skills and half due to his character.

When Dr. Yue saw Xiao Yu heading towards the consultation desk earlier on, he found it strange and couldn’t help but look at him curiously when Xiao Yu asked for writing tools. Nowadays, few young people knew how to use a brush; thus, Dr. Yue wanted to see what kind of calligraphy skills this young man had. Just as he was about to speak, the apprentice interrupted.

"No need! Young man, please go ahead and use it—stationery is meant for use!" At that moment, the elderly man also walked over from his position at the counter.

"Dr. Yue," one of the apprentices greeted him with respect.

Xiao Yu didn’t hesitate, picking up a brush and dipping it in the inkstone. He suddenly paused, having noticed how smooth and fine the tip of this particular brush was when he picked it up for the first time. He brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully—it had an exceptionally long and robust tip, turning out to be a genuine rat-hair brush.

It’s worth noting that although rat-hair brushes can still be found in domestic markets today, Xiao Yu knew they were all fake because there are hardly any rats big enough in China these days, let alone with whiskers long enough to make a brush. The so-called ‘rat-hair’ brushes currently available in the market are mostly made from foreign materials mixed with other animal hairs.

"What an excellent brush!" Xiao Yu couldn’t help but exclaim before he began writing out his prescription on paper.

The elderly man, upon seeing Xiao Yu’s demeanor and hearing these words, wore a look of self-satisfaction. He hadn’t expected that this young man would recognize the value of such a fine brush. This particular rat-hair brush was something Dr. Yue had obtained with great difficulty and considered his cherished possession; he even brought it here to Shenzhen specifically for use.

When Xiao Yu wrote the prescription, it was as smooth and fluid as flowing clouds and running water. Master Yao shook his head when he saw how fast Xiao Yu could write with a brush pen. The posture for writing with a brush pen, along with the grip on the brush and the amount of force used were all very important; therefore, writing with a brush pen was usually slow and required years of diligent practice to do well.

At first, he had thought that Xiao Yu would give him a pleasant surprise. But when he saw Xiao Yu using a brush pen, even though the apprentice tried to stop him, Master Yao still allowed it because people like meeting someone who is on the same path as them. However, looking at how fast Xiao Yu was writing, he knew this young man was simply skilled with a brush and that the script wouldn’t be particularly good.

After all, for one to write well and quickly using a brush pen required decades of experience; therefore, when Master Yao saw how young Xiao Yu was while writing so fast, his instinctive response was to think that Xiao Yu wasn't fully proficient in this area.

Afther finishing the writing, Xiao Yu blew on it twice to dry the ink and handed the prescription to a nearby apprentice. "Just prepare medicine according to this," he said.

“Little Liu, hand me that prescription! I’ll get the herbs myself!” Master Yao reached out for the prescription from one of the apprentices, saying, “If I don’t grab some medicine every day, my hands will become rusty.”

This was an old habit of his: No matter how busy he was in a day, there were three things that were indispensable. First, grabbing a few doses of herbs each day to maintain his dexterity and familiarity with the materials; if Master Yao did not handle any medicine for two days, when he came into contact with them again, it would feel unfamiliar.

Secondly, practicing calligraphy for an hour every day. In his own words, "If I don’t practice one day, I’ll be like sitting on pins and needles."

Thirdly, reading medical books or case studies for two hours a day.

Master Yao had been doing these three things for thirty years without interruption except when unavoidable circumstances prevented him from doing so.

When he received the prescription handed to him by an apprentice and glanced at it, Master Yao suddenly froze. He then looked at the prescription in shock before looking back at Xiao Yu.

The look in his eyes showed disbelief as he stared at Xiao Yu, mumbling to himself, "What beautiful handwriting! What beautiful handwriting!" A traditional Chinese physician, especially an elderly one, would have excellent brush pen writing skills because when they first started learning medicine, ballpoint pens and fountain pens were rare commodities. Even if there was a teacher available, the students were not allowed to use them; instead, only brushes were used.

So, over the decades, almost all elderly traditional Chinese medicine practitioners would write with a brush pen. Especially those who have inherited famous names in their field; writing well with a brush pen is an essential part of their training. But even Old Yue, one of the best at this skill, was genuinely impressed by Xiao Yu's handwriting.

Since inheriting Zhong Kui’s legacy, Xiao Yu's calligraphy has completely shed influences from predecessors and developed his unique style and spirit. It has become a distinctive school on its own.

Note that Old Yue only achieved this level of independence last year after years of practice.

Xiao Yu is so young, not even thirty yet! Yet, he’s better than someone who practices tirelessly all their life. This makes the usually proud Old Yue, whose brush pen writing skills are his pride and joy, feel bitter.

Old Yue was already in his seventies; long past the age of competing with others for supremacy. After being initially shocked, he felt admiration for Xiao Yu's accomplishment. To reach this level before thirty requires both talent and diligence.

Old Yue looked deeply into Xiao Yu’s eyes, then when examining Fang Zi, he no longer focused on the handwriting but rather the prescription itself.

The more Old Yue examined it, the more amazed he became. The formula was exquisite; even his own prescriptions wouldn't surpass this one. Various tonic herbs were well-matched in the recipe, although they are all strong tonics, yet through the adjustment by various medicinal materials in the prescription, these herbs with fierce nature turned into mild warm tonics, boosting energy without causing excessive nourishment.

Looking at the prescription, Old Yue’s brows gradually furrowed. He felt that something was missing from this formula—a main ingredient of a gentle yet potent tonic. The so-called principal herb is absent.

Old Yue asked Xiao Yu: "Whose master prescribed this medicine"

"Of course, it's my brother’s prescription," Wei Jun replied smugly on the side after hearing Old Yue's question; he had seen all of Old Yue's expressions and felt proud to have a brother like Xiao Yu.

The old man asked again: "Young man, where did you get this prescription This prescription is incomplete, lacking a main ingredient. Fortunately, we just got some high-quality wild ginseng in the store; would you consider getting it"

When Old Yue heard that Xiao Yu had written it himself, he didn't think much of it and kindly suggested adding the missing herb.

"No need, sir. We have ginseng, we just lack these auxiliary herbs!" Xiao Yu picked up on Old Yue's good intentions and responded with a smile.es, but he quickly recovered. At this moment, he remembered another identity of Xiao Yu.“Musashi, if you tell me about Zhao Lingyun, I will spare your life!!!”The ghostly presence of Xiao Yu looked at...