"This girl's condition is absolutely not something you can handle alone!" Li Se retorted lightly.
"What do you mean?" the old man asked, displeased. "You don't even have the qualifications to be my herbal assistant, yet you dare to question me here? Make him leave!"
"Uncle Zhao, who is this?" Song Xuehai asked curiously.
Zhao Wenqian introduced, "This is the renowned old Chinese physician from our Jiangnan Province, Dr. Wu Mingzhi."
Upon hearing the name, both Li Se and Song Xuehai were taken aback. They had clearly heard of him, and Wu Mingzhi had even applied to be an imperial physician, with his application still under review.
"I am more than enough here!" Wu Mingzhi snorted coldly.
"He's just a charlatan seeking fame," Li Se shook his head. He had heard a bit about Wu Mingzhi, who was heavily promoted in the media. Such old Chinese physicians were often fabricated through hype. While he might possess some medical skills, there was still a gap compared to Elder Huang and others.
"Who are you calling a charlatan seeking fame?" Wu Mingzhi was annoyed.
"As a doctor, if you only know how to promote yourself, aren't you a charlatan seeking fame?" Li Se said coldly.
"Enough!" Zhao Wenqian chided softly, then turned to Song Xuehai, "Xuehai, having Old Doctor Wu here is more than sufficient. You take him away."
"Uncle Zhao, Doctor Li's medical skills will not disappoint you," Song Xuehai said anxiously.
"No need!" Zhao Wenqian waved his hand. How could he believe that a young person's medical skills would be superior to Wu Mingzhi's? Even if Wu Mingzhi were truly fabricated, his skills wouldn't be poor. Moreover, when it came to Chinese medicine, young people were indeed lacking.
"Mr. Zhao, perhaps he possesses extraordinary medical skills?" Wu Mingzhi said sarcastically, then wrote a prescription and was about to hand it to Zhao Wenqian.
Li Se smiled dismissively, "If I'm not mistaken, the prescription you've written is for Guì Jiè, Lù Dǎng Shēn, Huáng Jīng, Gān Cǎo, Fú Líng, and Bái Zhú, each 20g, and Chén Pí 10g."
"How did you know?" Wu Mingzhi was shocked.
Zhao Wenqian glanced at the prescription and, indeed, it was exactly as Li Se had stated, not a gram more or less. He was somewhat surprised at this moment.
"This is a prescription to treat congenital deficiency," Li Se said to Wu Mingzhi, speaking calmly. "However, it will have little effect in treatment, merely supplementing the kidneys with the aid of spleen tonification."
"How dare you say my prescription is ineffective?" Wu Mingzhi was angered. "Then tell me, how can it be effective?"
"What, can I take her pulse now?" Li Se asked with a half-smile.
"You do it!" Wu Mingzhi was furious. He refused to believe that Li Se could diagnose something differently from him.
Li Se walked over, and before even taking the pulse, he said, "Wu Mingzhi, is it? If I'm not mistaken, you're diagnosing 'five delays' and 'five softens', aren't you?"
"How did you know?" Wu Mingzhi was shocked again.
"What are 'five delays' and 'five softens'?" Zhao Wenqian asked, confused.
Li Se explained, "The 'five delays' refer to delays in standing, walking, speaking, hair growth, and teething. The 'five softens' refer to softness of the head and neck, mouth, hands, feet, and muscles. Both are syndromes of developmental disorders in children. The 'five delays' are characterized by delayed development, while the 'five softens' are mainly characterized by weakness and flaccidity. They can appear separately or often occur together."
He paused, then continued, "In Chinese medicine, the primary cause of 'five delays' and 'five softens' is often attributed to insufficient congenital endowment. The kidneys govern the congenital, and kidney deficiency is the fundamental cause of 'five delays' and 'five softens.' The prescription Wu Mingzhi just wrote has the effect of warming and tonifying kidney yang, and benefiting qi and blood."
"Then what should be done?" Zhao Wenqian looked at his daughter on the sickbed, his heart aching.
"Just retrieve the congenital qi," Li Se said.
"What do you mean by 'just retrieve the congenital qi'?" Now it was Wu Mingzhi's turn to be confused. After hearing Li Se's words, he had to admit that this young man had some skills. However, he was still unconvinced. He refused to believe that Li Se, being a Chinese physician, would prescribe something different from himself. It was precisely because he wrote the same prescription that he could guess what he had written. Yes, that was it!
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you!" Li Se was too lazy to explain to Wu Mingzhi.
"You!" Wu Mingzhi was exasperated. "I challenge you to a medical duel!"
"You are inviting your own humiliation!" Li Se frowned.
"Aiya!" Wu Mingzhi became even more enraged, almost jumping up. "You ignorant brat, do you dare to duel me?"
"Are you sure?" Li Se looked at him.
Wu Mingzhi was completely provoked. "If you win against me, I will never practice medicine again in my life."
Li Se shook his head. "That's not necessary. If I win, you will join the Qingyun City Chinese Medicine Association and then practice at the Jishi Chinese Medicine Clinic, taking orders from me from now on."
"Fine, but if I win, you must kneel and apologize to me!" Wu Mingzhi said angrily.
"Agreed!" Li Se readily accepted.
"Since you know it's 'five softens' and 'five delays', let's see who can cure it!" Wu Mingzhi gritted his teeth.
Li Se said with ease, "Certainly, but you are bound to lose. The prescription you wrote will have no effect."
"Then just wait!" Wu Mingzhi was furious and very angry. Today, he had been belittled by a young kid. In his many years of practice, this was the first time, and he had to teach this arrogant kid a harsh lesson.
"Don't think you know a bit of superficial knowledge and dare to act presumptuously here. Young people should know humility!" Wu Mingzhi snorted coldly.
Li Se smiled, "You too. You shouldn't rely on your seniority to be arrogant."
Zhao Wenqian had gained some trust in Li Se's medical skills. "Little Doctor Li, how do you plan to treat her?"
"As I said, just retrieve the congenital deficiency," Li Se said with a slight smile.
"How do you retrieve it?" Zhao Wenqian asked, not understanding.
"Can you tell me which hospital your daughter was born in?" Li Se asked curiously.
"Ren'ai Hospital," Zhao Wenqian replied truthfully.
"Give me half a day, and I will cure your daughter," Li Se said, then left the Zhao residence.
"Can that be considered a doctor?" Wu Mingzhi laughed when he saw Li Se leave. "The patient is here, and he's running off. Can he still cure illnesses like this? I suspect he just wants to escape! He doesn't dare to duel me!"
"Old Doctor Wu, Doctor Li wouldn't do that. His medical skills are truly peerless!" Song Xuehai was somewhat disgusted with Wu Mingzhi and naturally had to speak up for Li Se.
"Hmph!" Wu Mingzhi snorted coldly, ignoring Song Xuehai.
"Then Uncle Zhao, I'll be leaving now too." Song Xuehai soon took his leave from Zhao Wenqian and caught up with Li Se. He asked curiously, "Doctor Li, are you going to Ren'ai Hospital?"
"Yes!" Li Se nodded.
"Why?" Song Xuehai asked, not understanding.
Li Se pondered for a moment and said, "Humans have three souls and seven spirits. Souls refer to the spirit that can exist independently of the body, and spirits refer to the spirit that manifests by attaching to the physical form. The reason that girl has 'five delays' and 'five softens' is because she is missing seven spirits. When she was born, the seven spirits did not gather and dispersed from her body, which led to this condition. What needs to be done now is to retrieve these seven spirits!"