As Du Heng bent down for the second time to examine the child, his face finally showed a hint of excitement and relief.

It was because the child’s instep yang, Tai Xi, and LV-03 meridians had not yet become scattered and disordered. Furthermore, judging from the time elapsed between discovering the child and entering the hospital room, it was confirmed that the child had neither vomited nor suffered from diarrhea. This reaffirmed that the child’s stomach qi had not yet reached the point of collapse. A glimmer of hope thus appeared before Du Heng.

Since there was a glimmer of hope, what should be done first?

As he slowly straightened his waist, Du Heng once again fell into deep thought.

As the alarm from the machine sounded continuously and Doctor Ma saw the child’s skyrocketing heartbeat, he began to panic.

Seeing Du Heng silent in contemplation, he couldn’t help but ask, "Dean, what should we do?"

Du Heng sighed softly and looked at Doctor Ma. "Have someone watch this place. You come with me to the office. I’ll write you a prescription."

After speaking, Du Heng immediately turned and left. Doctor Ma quickly instructed the doctors and nurses beside him and then hurried to follow.

In the office, Du Heng picked up his pen, paused briefly, and then his brush seemed to dance across the paper. Astragalus, angelica, red ginseng, ophiopogon, schisandra, scorch-fried three immortals, processed rhubarb... and other Traditional Chinese medicinal materials, sixteen in total, quickly appeared on the paper beneath his hand.

Once finished, Du Heng immediately handed the prescription to Doctor Ma. "Decoct the medicine according to this prescription immediately. Remember, it needs to be a concentrated decoction. Give the child three spoonfuls every 20 minutes."

Doctor Ma did not delay and took the prescription, his eyes habitually scanning it as he was about to leave. With just a glance, he recognized Du Heng’s prescription as a combination of Angelica Blood-Nourishing Soup and Pulse-Engendering Powder, but with an increased dosage of ginseng and astragalus, and the addition of cornus officinalis.

Doctor Ma paused for a moment. Could such a common prescription treat the child’s current critical condition?

"Dean, is this to tonify the qi and stem desertion?"

"Yes, precisely to tonify the qi and stem desertion."

Doctor Ma’s doubts deepened.

During this time, he had meticulously studied Du Heng’s disease records and prescriptions for cancer cases.

Leukemia, commonly known as blood cancer, should have a treatment process similar to that of other cancers. Even if there were differences, the approach should be analogous. However, this prescription bore no resemblance to one for treating cancer.

Perhaps sensing Doctor Ma’s skepticism, Du Heng stated directly, "The child’s vital qi has already collapsed; it’s a symptom of qi deserting with the blood. She is now hanging by a thread, on the verge of death.

Moreover, although I haven’t seen her previous treatment reports, it’s evident from her current condition that she has undergone chemotherapy, leading to the utter depletion of her qi and blood.

For this child, this is a critical life-or-death juncture. Therefore, we must prioritize tonifying the qi and stemming desertion. The most important thing right now is to keep her alive.

As for the anti-cancer, detoxifying, bitter, and cold medicines that damage the stomach qi, which you might be considering—not a single gram, not one spoonful of soup containing them, should enter this child’s mouth."

Saying this, Du Heng placed both hands on the desk and looked at Doctor Ma earnestly. "From my experience treating several critically ill patients, I’ve concluded that in such critical moments, if you can bolster a patient’s righteous qi by even one bit, they can drive out one bit of evil qi. If you can preserve one bit of their stomach qi, they gain one more bit of vitality.

In these extreme situations, curing the disease is secondary; saving the patient’s life is paramount."

With this explanation, Doctor Ma immediately understood the rationale behind this combination prescription, including why ginseng and astragalus were heavily emphasized and why cornus officinalis was added.

This was because both ginseng and astragalus have the effects of tonifying qi and uplifting yang, while cornus officinalis possesses astringent and consolidating properties.

Doctor Ma nodded quickly. "Understood, Dean. I’ll go and prepare the decoction of medicine at once."

Du Heng watched Doctor Ma depart, then leaned back in his chair.

The first life-saving prescription had been written, but the medicine had not yet been administered. Du Heng could not yet be certain of its efficacy. However, given his current understanding of medicinal ingredients and internal medicine, he was confident there was no issue with the prescription.

Since ensuring the child’s survival seemed manageable, the subsequent treatment—specifically, the choice of medicinal ingredients and the overall approach—still required careful deliberation.

Lost in these thoughts, Du Heng lost all track of time until Lu Guangying’s voice sounded beside him.

"Dean? Dean?"

Du Heng slowly returned to his senses. Looking at Lu Guangying before him, he asked somewhat absentmindedly, "What is it?"

Lu Guangying, noticing Du Heng still seemed a bit dazed, said, "Dean, I’ve already contacted the representatives from the Children’s Welfare Department of the Civil Affairs Bureau. They will arrive shortly. Staff from the Municipal Welfare Institute will also be coming with them.

Also, I’ve contacted the Hematology Department at Provincial First Hospital. Once the paperwork here is completed with the personnel from the Children’s Welfare Department, the child will be immediately transferred to their Hematology Department."

Du Heng was momentarily stunned and couldn’t help but look at Lu Guangying again, a little more closely this time. He hadn’t expected Lu Guangying to be so efficient.

This work efficiency was worlds apart from how he had been just two months ago.

Not only was he efficient, but more importantly, Lu Guangying now considered every aspect of the situation meticulously, anticipating and handling things Du Heng himself might not have even thought of. It made Du Heng feel that even if he were to be a hands-off dean, there would be no problems at all.