Lu Chen was slightly tempted, but still shook his head: "No, no, I won't go. Those guys you said you can't stand, I definitely can't stand them either, and they definitely can't stand me. For example, that Huang Jianfeng, I absolutely hate him, and he definitely absolutely hates me too. If I go, wouldn't I just be asking for trouble?"
Xu Jiaqi persisted: "Don't worry about them, just come with me. That patient is suffering a lot. If you can cure her, Chen, you'll be doing a good deed!"
Lu Chen still shook his head: "Jiaqi, you should know that my treatment method is very strenuous. Plus, that ankylosing spondylitis is so serious. Even if I can cure it, I'll be exhausted, maybe even shortening my lifespan. I really don't want to go!"
This was true, and Xu Jiaqi knew it too.
Since ancient times, the art of projecting internal energy externally has been remarkably effective, but it is extremely taxing on the practitioner's spirit and vitality. Frequent use of this technique leads to a deficiency of vital energy and spirit, easily resulting in a shortened lifespan.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have gradually declined in popularity.
There are many kind-hearted people in the world, but few are willing to burn their lives like this.
However, Xu Jiaqi still didn't give up, looking earnestly at Lu Chen: "Then let's go take a look, okay? You don't necessarily have to treat him yourself. Just take a look, prescribe a medicine or something, it might alleviate the patient's condition, right?"
Lu Chen was still hesitant; he really didn't want to get involved.
Gong Jiu, lying on the hospital bed, pouted and spoke up: "Dean Xu, I reckon you'll have to pull him to make it work!"
A blush crept onto Xu Jiaqi's face. She gritted her teeth, actually reached out and grabbed one of Lu Chen's wrists, dragging him towards the door. While dragging him, she said, "Come on, come on! Chen, listen to your sister, be good, let's go see!"
"Hey! Hey! Sister Jiaqi, don't force me! Don't force me, don't drag me..."
Lu Chen was exhausted by Xu Jiaqi's bent-over, forceful dragging, and finally reached the door.
Then, he was dragged out.
As he was dragged out, he gave Gong Jiu the middle finger inside.
Gong Jiu shook her head and sighed, muttering to herself, "Tsk tsk, looks like it's really going to be a sibling romance! So fast? No wonder Chen said there are plenty of fish in the sea, with him, where isn't there fish? But what about me? Sigh, my Qing..."
As she spoke, she was on the verge of tears again.
In a special care ward on the fourth floor, several solemn-looking middle-aged and elderly doctors surrounded a patient's form, their eyes filled with deep helplessness, seemingly facing a very difficult situation.
Huang Jianfeng was also inside. The arrogant man from before was now behaving very docilely, smiling obsequiously at everyone. It's understandable; although he was over thirty and a chief physician and deputy director of orthopedics, those titles were mostly earned through connections. In terms of ability and skill, everyone around him was a towering figure.
On the bed lay a emaciated woman, not very old, perhaps around fifty, but looking as haggard as someone in their sixties or seventies. Her posture was strange; her body was ramrod straight, yet she couldn't lie on her back, opting for a side-lying position. She looked extremely stiff, like a stone sculpture.
Her face showed obvious pain, her mouth constantly open, making wheezing sounds.
Clearly, she was using her mouth to breathe and alleviate the pain.
She was surrounded by many assistive devices, obviously to ensure that any movement would affect her condition and to maintain her basic bodily functions.
"In this situation, all physical and mechanical treatments have failed; it's reached the late stage. Coupled with her extremely fragile constitution and other complications, it's very difficult to treat."
"Yes, when I examined Ms. Dong just now, I also found that her bones had become very fragile; the entire spine had lost its collagen. It's like a completely withered tree branch; forget about reviving it, it would break at the slightest touch..."
...
Everyone seemed to be discussing the illness, researching how to cure this poor patient, but as they spoke, they were all implying that it was very difficult to treat, very difficult to treat, even incurable, and that she was just waiting to die.
Hearing this, the elderly woman named Ms. Dong on the bed suddenly looked even more pained.
Indeed, she was already suffering enough, and now she was being displayed like an exhibit in front of these experts, listening to them discuss how incurable her illness was.
Suddenly, she couldn't help but cough twice. The force immediately vibrated the already diseased bones, causing her to let out hoarse screams of pain, screams like those of a vengeful ghost, making the surrounding experts shudder.
With each cough, a trickle of black blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
Huang Jianfeng immediately exclaimed, "This blood is hemoptysis! The patient's spinal inflammation has already caused lung damage. If it's not treated promptly, this… this…"
Then he paused, unsure how to continue, appearing somewhat embarrassed.
Just then, the door opened, and two people walked in.
The people in the ward turned to look, greeting them politely. The newcomer was none other than Xu Jiaqi, the vice president of the hospital and a beautiful physician who had published numerous orthopedic monographs.
Among the crowd was an elderly man in his fifties or sixties with graying temples. He seemed somewhat annoyed upon seeing Xu Jiaqi enter, but dared not show it too obviously, so he said in a slightly firm tone, "Dean Xu, where have you been? At such a crucial moment, you're the only one missing! What work is more important than this consultation?"
This man was Pan Wei, the dean of the hospital.
Xu Jiaqi calmly countered, "Any results from the consultation?"
Pan Wei hesitated, "Results? Uh… well, not yet."
Xu Jiaqi sighed slightly, "Everyone here is a renowned orthopedic expert with decades of experience. Although I've written a few articles, I'm still far inferior in terms of experience and technique. It's like a student meeting their teacher. I, as a student, feel it's unnecessary to come for a teacher's consultation, afraid of being laughed at."
Upon hearing this, the orthopedic experts couldn't help but smile.
Everyone knew Xu Jiaqi was a rising star in the field of orthopedics, and to be recognized as a teacher by her was considered an honor.
Pan Wei chuckled dryly, "Jiaqi, you're too modest! Even so, you can treat it as learning!"
Xu Jiaqi smiled, "Dean Pan is right. I'm sorry, everyone, I'm only just arriving."
Actually, if it weren't for discovering Lu Chunhui's internal energy projection technique, Xu Jiaqi wouldn't have come at all. She had already examined Ms. Dong's condition and knew it was so severe that even expert consultations couldn't help.
Since that was the case, it was better not to come, to avoid witnessing Ms. Dong's heartbreaking suffering.
Lu Chen had given her hope!
At this moment, Pan Wei knew that Xu Jiaqi was always proud and arrogant, and her current softening was a way of giving him a way out. He waved his hand: "Alright, alright, Jiaqi, so what are your thoughts now? Hey... who's that behind you?"
He looked at a young man behind Xu Jiaqi, who looked to be no more than twenty-three or twenty-four years old.
That was, of course, Lu Chen.
The handsome young man chuckled, raised his hand and waved to everyone with a rather imposing air. He said, "Hello everyone, thank you for your hard work! My name is Lu Chen. Sister Jiaqi asked me to come and examine this patient, to see if I can cure him."
Upon hearing this, several sneers immediately rang out around him.
Those were disdainful sounds.
This was supposed to be a gathering place for experts, and suddenly this greenhorn appeared, saying he could "see if I can cure him." Naturally, everyone scoffed.
Ankylosing spondylitis is one of the world's top ten most intractable diseases, with a very complex pathology, involving a wide range of factors, and causing numerous complications, especially in its late stages. The lung disease Huang Jianfeng mentioned is one example; other possibilities include diseases of the five senses, the nervous system, the kidneys, and the prostate, among others.
Now, this female patient seems to have almost all of these.
Frankly, these experts aren't incapable of treating the patient's ankylosing spondylitis, but if other diseases are involved, they are powerless. And if they directly target the spondylitis, it will inevitably worsen the other diseases. This is the crux of the matter; otherwise, there would be no need for expert consultation.
Expert consultation is precisely to develop a more appropriate comprehensive treatment plan.
But now, with everyone at a loss, this young man is speaking so casually.
His "Let's see if I can cure it" statement seems to imply that he can!
Huang Jianfeng even sneered: "Oh, you're that Lu Chen from earlier, right?"
This one sentence, laced with obvious contempt, made Lu Chen's face turn cold.
Huang Jianfeng sneered, turning to Pan Wei and saying, "Dean, this Lu Chen seems to be Jiaqi's adopted brother. I reckon he has some orthopedic skills, but he's not formally trained; he's more like a barefoot doctor. He must have cured Jiaqi's foot injury, so she brought him up."
He then looked at Xu Jiaqi, his tone mocking, "Jiaqi, I know your intentions are good, but curing your foot and curing ankylosing spondylitis are completely different things! As the chief physician of orthopedics, you should know how difficult this disease is to treat, especially in its late stage! So many experts are helpless; you want him to do it? Can he handle it?"
Xu Jiaqi also smiled coldly, saying calmly, "Director Huang, you're wrong to say that. First, barefoot doctors also have many effective remedies that advanced medicine can't explain; second, although Lu Chen is young, that doesn't mean he can't do it. It's actually very simple, just let him try, isn't that enough?"
That made sense, and Huang Jianfeng was momentarily stunned, but quickly shrugged:
"Actually, I have no objection. We're trying anything, right? But the problem is, Ms. Dong is in such a state right now. Treating her could easily trigger other illnesses! Even if it doesn't, her body can't withstand unconventional treatment. Her bones are practically glass; they'd shatter at the slightest touch. What if something really goes wrong?"