Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 76: Stagnant Qi — Relieved

Gu Xiaoya’s white SUV was parked on the side of the road.

Li Xu helped her into the passenger seat and immediately took her pulse—it was taut and sharp like a knife’s edge, a classic sign of liver qi stagnation.

"Have you been getting angry often lately? Chest tightness? Aching in your Cloves?"

As Li Xu asked, he gently pressed the area she indicated was in pain.

Gu Xiaoya nodded weakly. "For the past two months... it’s been like this..."

She didn’t elaborate on the reason.

Li Xu understood.

It would be a miracle if she were in a good mood after her husband cheated on her.

And most breast-related issues are linked to emotions.

In layman’s terms, liver qi stagnation means that chronic anger can disrupt endocrine hormone levels, causing breast cells to become congested and swollen, which aggravates mammary hyperplasia and pain.

Gu Xiaoya had been about to explode with anger after listening to the recording.

Combined with her previous emotional distress,

her chest pain had become unbearable.

"There are painkillers in the glove compartment..."

Gu Xiaoya struggled, trying to get the painkillers.

"Wait."

Li Xu stopped her. "Painkillers won’t work that quickly, and they only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. If you trust me, I can help you."

"Hm?"

Gu Xiaoya’s chest throbbed with pain, and her mind was groggy. She didn’t think much of it. "...I trust you."

Li Xu’s spirits lifted. The massage techniques he had learned from the Commentary on the Art and Literature Record could finally be put to use.

Ever since he obtained the Commentary on the Art and Literature Record,

he had been practicing on a fake Clove.

He was already very skilled.

He just hadn’t found a real person to try it on.

Even so,

Li Xu was confident, which was why he offered to help her.

The pain caused fine beads of sweat to form on Gu Xiaoya’s forehead, and a small patch of her blouse’s collar was already soaked through.

Her mind was groggy, so she didn’t overthink it. "...I trust you."

Li Xu had been introduced by Professor Gao,

and he had helped her gather evidence.

He was someone she could trust.

Li Xu took a deep breath as the contents of the Commentary on the Art and Literature Record flashed through his mind.

The book recorded many nearly lost techniques of Chinese medicine, including a special massage method for female breast ailments.

"Let’s find a more suitable place first."

Li Xu glanced around. Cars were passing by on the road from time to time, and it would be easy for passersby to spot them.

"The park up ahead is quiet. I’ll park the car there."

Gu Xiaoya nodded weakly. Li Xu walked around to the driver’s seat and started the car.

During the short two-minute drive, he noticed Gu Xiaoya continuously pressing her left breast, her brow furrowed and her breathing rapid.

The park’s parking lot was empty. Li Xu parked the car in the shade of a large tree, and after turning off the engine, he immediately turned to Gu Xiaoya,

and reached out to unbutton her collar.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

Gu Xiaoya was stunned.

’What’s going on?’

’Is Li Xu just pretending to be a gentleman?’

’Is he actually a lecher?’

"There’s no time to explain."

Li Xu said quickly, "The Clove pertains to the Stomach Meridian, while the head of the Clove pertains to the Liver Meridian. Chronic emotional distress leads to obstructed liver qi and blockages in the Liver Meridian, which in turn affects the mammary glands. Your current situation is a classic case of liver qi stagnation—a taut and sharp pulse, breast pain and swelling, chest tightness, and shortness of breath."

"For quick relief, a massage is necessary."

"Don’t overthink it... I will do my best to be respectful."

As he spoke, Li Xu undid her collar.

He pulled it down a little.

When the cool air touched her skin, Gu Xiaoya couldn’t help but flinch.

Li Xu noticed that the area below her collarbone was already somewhat red, clearly the source of the pain.

Actually, the effect would be better with Cangzi Oil.

But he didn’t have any Cangzi Oil right now.

However, as a doctor, Gu Xiaoya always kept alcohol wipes in her car.

Li Xu quickly took out an alcohol wipe and carefully cleaned his hands.

The friction began to warm his hands.

The Commentary on the Art and Literature Record states, ’When a woman’s Cloves are obstructed, one should use three fingers to knead, employing a method of three light and seven heavy strokes.’

Li Xu gently placed his warm palm below Gu Xiaoya’s collarbone. "Three light strokes to guide the qi, seven heavy strokes to disperse the knots. The finger technique is like twisting a silk thread—neither too fast nor too slow."

The moment his palm touched her, Gu Xiaoya’s entire body tensed up. But when she felt the warmth of his hand, she was surprised to find the pain seemed to lessen slightly.

"Relax, take a deep breath." Li Xu’s voice was reassuring. "Imagine the stagnant qi slowly dissipating with my technique."

His fingers began to move. He started by gently pinching the skin with his thumb, index, and middle fingers, lifting it as delicately as if plucking a single silk thread, then pressed the surrounding acupoints with just the right amount of force.

Three light motions, followed by seven slightly heavier ones, the rhythm like an ancient ballad.

"Ah..." Gu Xiaoya let out an involuntary sigh.

The feeling of the pain receding like a tide was so wondrous that she almost forgot her shyness.

Li Xu was completely focused, his fingertips feeling the changes in the tissue. "The meridians are starting to clear... There’s a distinct nodule here."

His thumb pressed a little harder on a certain spot. Gu Xiaoya grunted softly, but immediately felt a wave of relief.

At the same time, he thought to himself,

’A fake is a fake, after all.

The texture and temperature are nothing like the real thing.’

Li Xu continued the massage, comparing the sensations to the notes in the book.

He did this to make his treatment more precise.

"Does it hurt?" Li Xu asked, immediately adjusting the pressure of his fingers.

"No... it doesn’t hurt. It’s just... very strange." Gu Xiaoya’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, her cheeks flushed. "It feels like something... is dissolving."

Li Xu breathed a sigh of relief. "That means the stagnant qi and blood have started to circulate."

His technique became smoother as he gradually worked from below her collarbone toward the outer area of her breast. Every press landed precisely on a meridian acupoint.

Gu Xiaoya felt an unprecedented sense of comfort spread from the massaged area, as if all the tension in her body was being released along with it.

She closed her eyes without realizing it, her breathing becoming deep and steady.

"In Chinese medicine, there’s a saying: ’Anger damages the liver.’ Prolonged emotional suppression will lead to blockages in the Liver Meridian," Li Xu explained as he massaged. "When the Liver Meridian is obstructed, the mammary glands will have problems. This is also why many women feel breast pain and swelling during periods of great emotional fluctuation."

Gu Xiaoya opened her eyes and met Li Xu’s focused gaze.

There wasn’t a hint of impropriety in his eyes, only the concentration and concern of a healer.

This gave her a strange sense of security, more effective than any painkiller.

"Turn a little. I need to work on the Bladder Meridian on your back," Li Xu guided her softly, his fingers already moving to the area near her shoulder blades. "Even though this is far from the mammary glands, the meridians are connected, so it’s just as important."

Gu Xiaoya obediently adjusted her position, feeling those magical hands move across her back.

Each press was like untying a tight knot inside her body, the pain gradually replaced by a warm, comfortable sensation.

"How do you feel?" Li Xu stopped and asked after ten minutes.

Gu Xiaoya was amazed to find that the excruciating pain that had been tormenting her had mostly subsided. "Much... much better. It really doesn’t hurt anymore."

She looked down and saw that the original redness and swelling had faded considerably.

However, there were now a few finger marks in their place.

She wasn’t worried.

The redness and swelling were hard to get rid of, but finger marks would fade easily.