Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 142: Acupuncture Prodigy

When he was finished writing, he gently pushed the paper to the center of the table. He said nothing, simply looking up at Song Qingya.

Each question described a type of illness, including the patient’s appearance and the symptoms in the early and late stages.

The first question described Cold-Dampness Trapping the Spleen. The patient had a sallow complexion, poor appetite, a thick, greasy tongue coating, an initial aversion to cold, and later, heavy limbs.

The second was Liver Qi Stagnation Transforming into Fire, with irritability, red eyes, a bitter taste in the mouth, excessive dreaming at night, and a wiry, rapid pulse.

The third described Lung and Kidney Deficiency, with a persistent cough, shortness of breath upon exertion, night sweats, and weakness in the lower back and knees.

The task wasn’t complicated: it just asked Song Qingya to write a prescription.

On the surface, the questions seemed direct, but in reality, they were full of traps.

None of the three questions provided the pulse condition, nor did they specify the patient’s age, constitution, or any pre-existing conditions.

This information is extremely crucial in TCM diagnosis.

Lacking any one of these could lead to errors in prescribing medication.

And yet, Wen Junyi had deliberately omitted all these most critical details.

TCM emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. At the very least, one had to take a pulse before prescribing medicine.

But he hadn’t even provided the pulse condition and was asking for a direct prescription. One wrong ingredient, and the entire formula would be considered a failure.

The few experts present knew what this meant.

Writing a prescription wasn’t about rote memorization; you couldn’t just copy from the classics and succeed.

Without the pulse condition, it was like a blind man trying to describe an elephant.

Using one wrong ingredient could, at best, be ineffective, and at worst, harm the body.

Wen Junyi was testing her judgment, as well as her courage.

Everyone was staring at Song Qingya. Even her biggest supporter, Yang Yingzi, felt her heart start to pound nervously.

Yang Yingzi stood in a corner, unconsciously wringing the hem of her clothes.

She believed in Song Qingya’s abilities, but the problem before her was truly too difficult.

She didn’t dare to breathe too loudly, afraid of disturbing Song Qingya’s train of thought.

"Qingya, don’t be nervous. Just treat it like a test. Write down whatever comes to mind."

Yang Yingzi finally couldn’t hold back and whispered a reminder.

"Mm."

Song Qingya responded softly without even lifting her head.

She had already picked up the pen, her fingertips holding it steady, her gaze fixed on the first question.

In her past life, she possessed the gift of a "Medical Woman." People of that era respectfully called her "Great Doctor" because she had saved countless lives.

Every time she saw patients, they would crowd the courtyard. She was busy from morning to night with almost no time to rest.

To cope with the large number of patients, she couldn’t perform pulse diagnosis on each one individually. She had to develop general prescriptions applicable to the constitutions of most people.

These prescriptions needed to be both effective and safe enough to ensure that even those with unique constitutions wouldn’t suffer adverse reactions after taking them.

And these three questions before her happened to involve the creation and adjustment of precisely this type of general formula.

’The first question is about a widespread cold caused by a wind-cold invasion, requiring the primary formula and an explanation for any modifications.’

’The second is a conditioning plan for chronic spleen and stomach weakness, which needs to account for differences in age and gender.’

’The third is even more complex, involving a comprehensive illness with intertwined symptoms. It’s necessary to both expel pathogenic factors and support the upright qi.’

These questions were precisely in her area of expertise; she could provide the standard answers almost without thinking.

She picked up her pen and sat at the desk. Her wrist was steady as the nib moved swiftly across the paper.

The function of each herb was briefly noted, and the reasoning for additions or subtractions was written with perfect clarity.

Not only that, but she also added her selection of acupuncture points and key operational details, such as which points to use, what techniques to apply, and how long to leave the needles in.

Dietary recommendations were included as well, listing foods to avoid, suitable congees and soups, and notes on daily routines.

The entire answer sheet was detailed and well-organized, leaving out almost no detail.

"Mr. Wen, I’ve finished. Please take a look."

She gently pushed the answer sheet across the desk, her hands resting naturally on her knees, her expression calm.

"So fast?"

Wen Junyi had been resting with his eyes closed in the grandmaster chair, but he immediately opened them upon hearing her voice.

A hint of doubt was on his face as he reached for the test paper, his gaze falling on the first line of text.

"When you know what you’re doing, it doesn’t take much time."

Her tone was steady, with no hint of showing off; she was simply stating a fact.

"Quite the confident tone."

Wen Junyi said this, but he had already lowered his head and begun to read carefully.

When he saw the answer to the first question, his brows twitched slightly.

’What?’

’These prescriptions...’

’Of the dozens of herbs he’d prepared, she hadn’t missed a single one. She matched them all with precision!’

It wasn’t just that the herb names were correct. She had also clearly written down the specific dosage for each, the daily frequency, and the intervals between the morning and evening doses.

Herbs that needed to be decocted first were marked separately, those to be added later were also noted, and she had even considered the method for dissolving and taking powdered medicine.

The acupuncture section mentioned key points like Zusanli, Zhongwan, and Neiguan. The technique was mainly for reinforcement, supplemented with mild moxibustion.

For diet, she recommended mainly light foods, prohibiting anything spicy or greasy, and suggested consuming yam congee and red date soup in moderation.

’This isn’t answering a question!’

’This is clearly a complete treatment plan. It goes far beyond the requirements of the test.’

His intention was only to test her grasp of fundamental knowledge. He never expected her to not only answer every question correctly but also to fill in all the supplementary content.

Every single part was rigorous and precise, with no oversights.

"Old man, how is it?"

Yuan Juan had been standing by and observing. Seeing Wen Junyi remain silent for so long, she instantly grew flustered.

She thought Song Qingya had answered incorrectly and quickly tried to smooth things over. "It’s alright if she got one or two things wrong. You can teach her slowly. She’s just starting out, she needs time to practice."

"All correct."

Wen Junyi finally looked up, his voice deep and certain.

"Huh?"

Yuan Juan froze, then her eyes widened as she stared at the test paper in disbelief.

The few other people in the room also cast their gazes over.

Only Song Qingya remained seated, a faint smile on her face.

Wen Junyi, however, frowned deeply, looking at her with a complicated expression.

"You’re still smiling? Did you know all along you could answer it?"

"You flatter me."

She shook her head slightly, her attitude modest, with no intention of defending herself.

"Mr. Wen, I’ve finished the questions. Do you think... you could accept me as your disciple?"

Everyone’s gazes fell in unison on Wen Junyi.

Everyone thought it was a done deal. After all, Song Qingya had just publicly solved a problem that had made even the several old physicians frown.

Her thinking was clear and her methods precise. Even the few disciples behind Wen Junyi were whispering among themselves, their tones filled with surprise and admiration.

Logically speaking, such a performance was more than enough for anyone to agree to take her on as a disciple.

Yuan Juan smiled and took Song Qingya’s hand. "You silly girl, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and call him Master! Come and perform the disciple ceremony."

The atmosphere in the room also relaxed. Some began to clap, others smiled and nodded, seemingly just waiting for Wen Junyi to give his consent.

But Wen Junyi’s expression was still not good.

He stood in place, hands clasped behind his back, his brow slightly furrowed. His gaze rested on Song Qingya for a moment before shifting away.

It wasn’t that he looked down on Song Qingya. Rather, he had already promised his most prized disciple, Yang Shang, that he would accept the acupuncture prodigy Yang Shang had recommended.