"Sigh, why did I take on a disciple when I had nothing better to do!"
In the dead of night, Han Lang sat alone in his room, typing away on his computer. It was another sleepless night for him.
Having taken a disciple and received gifts meant taking on a responsibility. Therefore, he needed to quickly transcribe the 'Shen Nong Yao Dian' from Shen Nong Tian Yi's memory for Tong Tong to study.
The Shen Nong Yao Dian was a collection of traditional Chinese medicine texts passed down for thousands of years by the Shen Nong Tian Yi lineage. If fully transcribed, using the font size of a modern Chinese dictionary, it would be a quarter thicker!
Every passage within it could cause a sensation in today's traditional Chinese medicine circles.
The pharmacopoeia was divided into four parts, each covering different content.
The first part was called the 'Cao Jing' (Herb Classic); it recorded the names, effects, age identification, and origins of all medicinal herbs from ancient times to the present. It also served as the fundamental skill for the Shen Nong Tian Yi lineage.
The second part was called the 'Yao Jing' (Medicine Classic); it documented prescriptions for various diseases over thousands of years. The 49 prescriptions Han Lang compiled came from this section.
Furthermore, in the Shen Nong Tian Yi tradition, one had to have a thorough understanding of the Cao Jing before being allowed to study the Yao Jing. Otherwise, the Yao Jing was strictly forbidden!
After mastering the Yao Jing, one could proceed to the third part – the study of the 'Mai Jing' (Pulse Classic).
The Mai Jing contained records of various pulse conditions. After thousands of years of collection and summarization, this section covered almost all diseases that had appeared in human history.
Those who could master this part could essentially establish themselves as a renowned physician and become a true practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine.
The final part was called the 'Zhen Jing' (Acupuncture Classic).
As the name suggested, the Zhen Jing documented various acupuncture methods. However, these acupuncture techniques did not belong to the Shen Nong Tian Yi lineage but came from other schools.
This section was diverse, but it was also about making the most of what was available. Those who could fully comprehend this part could definitely be considered textbook-level experts in traditional Chinese medicine.
However, Han Lang disdained this part.
Compared to the more than ten thousand sets of "Shen Nong Shi Ba Zhen" (Eighteen Shen Nong Needles) techniques, the acupuncture methods from other schools were simply trash!
But due to the extreme difficulty in learning the "Shen Nong Shi Ba Zhen," mastering the content of the Zhen Jing was generally sufficient to meet the conditions for graduation. However, one could not yet be called a 'Shen Nong Tian Yi.'
Therefore, those who couldn't even master the acupuncture methods from other schools derived from Shen Nong within the 'Shen Nong Yao Dian' were not qualified to learn the "Shen Xi Shou" (Divine Xi Hand).
Let alone the "Shen Nong Shi Ba Zhen."
This interconnectedness was enough to show how difficult it was to learn the "Shen Nong Shi Ba Zhen"!
This was also the fundamental reason why Sun Liansheng's request to learn the "Shen Xi Shou" was rejected by Han Lang.
"Tong Tong is still young. Even if he has no talent, he can memorize the Cao Jing and Yao Jing through rote learning, right? At least he'll be able to protect himself then."
Han Lang muttered incessantly as he wrote.
He also began to imagine that if Tong Tong had extraordinary talent, perhaps his Tian Yi Pavilion could be managed by Tong Tong in the future, and he wouldn't have to commute to work like he did now.
The thought immediately invigorated him, and he typed with even more enthusiasm.
The next day,
Although Han Lang appeared energetic after taking the wakefulness pill, his mood was somewhat low due to the all-nighter.
As soon as he entered the Tian Yi Pavilion, he printed out a portion of the Cao Jing he had written the previous night and handed it to Wang Fang.
"Give this to Tong Tong. Make sure to supervise him to read and memorize it thoroughly. I will check his progress in a while."
Looking at the dense characters on the photocopy, Wang Fang finally understood why Han Lang had said that becoming his disciple would be very hard.
"Tong Tong doesn't recognize all the characters yet, but don't worry, I will definitely spend time with him to memorize it! Although this is a bit much, I believe it can be done!"
"This is a lot?"
Han Lang's surprised retort made Wang Fang realize. With such small characters, about one centimeter thick, wasn't that a lot?
"This is only about one-tenth."
"Ah?"
Wang Fang was stunned. This was only one-tenth, so if it were all written out, how long would it take to memorize?
"Did you memorize all of this, little divine doctor?"
Han Lang felt a bit embarrassed by the question. He had merely picked up something ready-made. However, to avoid unnecessary explanations, he finally nodded.
As a result, Wang Fang's jaw dropped in astonishment.
"No wonder you could become a divine doctor! Indeed, one must endure hardships to succeed! I can only say, little divine doctor, you are truly amazing."
Han Lang smiled.
"As long as one puts in the effort, it can be done! Moreover, children's memories are much better than adults'."
Encouraged, Wang Fang made a gesture of encouragement to herself and said.
"Yes, don't worry, I will definitely supervise Tong Tong well!"
As they were speaking, Han Lang's phone suddenly rang. He took it out and saw that it was Sun Liansheng calling.
"Hello, Elder Sun!"
"Heh heh, is Mr. Han busy lately?"
Han Lang guessed Sun Liansheng's ill intentions from his tone.
"What if I'm busy? Just tell me what you need, Elder Sun!"
Sun Liansheng chuckled again.
"Indeed, there is a very tricky patient who needs you to come over. If you have time, shall I send you the address?"
Han Lang looked back at Wang Fang and Luo Jiaying, then replied.
"I do have some time for now. However, Elder Sun, if you have nothing else, could you come and pick me up? I need to leave my car for Xiao Ying. If I'm not back by the time she gets off work, I won't feel at ease leaving her alone."
"Alright, then wait for me for a moment, I'll be right there!"
After hanging up, Han Lang took the opportunity to brief Wang Fang and Luo Jiaying. If he didn't return, the patients for today should also be handled properly.
"Don't worry, little divine doctor, leave this to us!"
With Wang Fang's promise, Han Lang finally got into Sun Liansheng's car with peace of mind.
Along the way, Han Lang inquired about the situation.
"Elder Sun, whose mansion are we going to this time?"
Han Lang's question was not without reason.
Anyone Sun Liansheng would personally visit must be from at least one of the eight great families, right?
"Mr. Han, your guess is actually correct. It is indeed a prominent figure. Do you know the Tang family of Lecheng?"
The Tang family?
Han Lang was somewhat surprised.
"Aren't they one of the four great wealthy families, on par with the Cao family?"
"To be precise, they are the foremost of the four great wealthy families."
"Oh!"
Han Lang nodded blankly.
"What's wrong? Is their patriarch also ill?"
"Tsk, Mr. Han, that's not right. Can't every wealthy family have an ailing patriarch?"
"Then why would they ask me to come?"
Sun Liansheng was rendered speechless by the question.
"There is a patient, but it's not the patriarch. It's the head of the Tang family, Tang Haoran!"