The medicine had been administered, but the numbers on the monitor showed no signs of improvement. Even worse, these values were continuing to drop, especially the heartbeat, which was about to fall below fifty.

Furthermore, the old man was starting to shiver uncontrollably from the cold; despite the air conditioning in the hospital room and two quilts covering him, it was of no use.

At this moment, someone nearby spoke in a low voice, "Director, this patient has taken Mirabilite and Radish Seed Decoction, which is a form of traditional Chinese medicine. Isn’t it possible that he’s having a reaction to it?"

Huh?

Director Qian’s eyes instantly sharpened like swords; he shot a fierce sidelong glance at the doctor who had spoken.

So, this damn bastard knew what medicine I was using and how I was treating this old man! Then why did he ask me earlier, saying he wanted to learn? Also, since he knows about Mirabilite and Radish Seed Decoction, he must be aware of what happened that day. So what did he mean by questioning me earlier? Is he here to laugh at me? Is he playing me for a fool?

The more Director Qian thought about it, the more a surge of anger welled up, almost making him spit out a mouthful of old blood.

However, the doctor who had spoken had no idea what his Director was thinking. He was just habitually trying to find solutions to alleviate his superior’s worries. Moreover, since Director Qian was only looking at him from the corner of his eye, not directly, the doctor was oblivious to the change in Director Qian’s expression.

So, he continued, saying to himself, "Director, regardless, it’s traditional Chinese medicine. Should we ask Director Wu from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Internal Medicine Department to come over and take a look? They would definitely know why this is happening and what should be done."

Director Qian’s chest heaved violently. Although he knew this suggestion was the most appropriate, he couldn’t suppress the fire raging within him. However, after fuming for a while, his anger subsided. Watching the constantly dropping numbers on the monitor, he felt as if his own heart was about to explode.

"Contact Director Wu immediately! Ask Director Wu to come for a consultation." In the end, Director Qian relented.

Director Wu was quite surprised. Ever since he had brought his Teacher back last month, there had been absolutely no contact between him and Director Qian, creating an atmosphere as if they would have nothing more to do with each other for the rest of_their lives.

But today, he suddenly received a notice for a consultation, specifically requesting him by name, not just asking for any available TCM practitioner to fill in.

Have they encountered a problem they can’t handle?

Although puzzled, Director Wu quickly delegated his current tasks and hurried over to the Department of Digestive. Consultations were serious matters involving human lives; there could be no delay or hesitation.

"Qian, what’s so urgent that you called me over in such a rush?" As soon as they met, Director Wu greeted him casually, as if nothing were amiss.

This attitude slightly eased the awkwardness in Director Qian’s heart. But when he thought of what he had done, his face suddenly burned fiercely with embarrassment. However, he and Director Wu were old colleagues; there was nothing that couldn’t be said. Moreover, with a life at stake, he had to speak out.

"I have a patient here with high intestinal obstruction and hernia incarceration. After non-surgical treatment methods failed, I was preparing for surgical treatment," Director Qian explained as concisely as possible. "But the patient’s family, I don’t know from where, found out about Professor Lan’s case and also requested traditional Chinese medicine treatment. Since the Radish Soup you used last time was very effective, I used it."

Director Wu couldn’t help but remind him, "That’s called Mirabilite and Radish Seed Decoction."

"Right, Mirabilite and Radish Seed Decoction." Director Qian didn’t dwell on the name, quickly correcting himself. "After the patient took the Mirabilite and Radish Seed Decoction, the effect was indeed very good. Two hours after taking it last night, the intestinal obstruction cleared, and the hernia also disappeared."

Although Director Wu had some reservations about Director Qian’s audacity, Mirabilite and Radish Seed Decoction was fundamentally a dietary therapy recipe and didn’t involve the issue of whether a traditional or Western medicine doctor prescribed it. So, he didn’t comment much on this point, merely asking in confusion, "It’s a good thing that he’s cured. So why did you call me over?"

Director Qian looked vexed. "I don’t know what happened. He was fine all night yesterday. But this morning, after the ward rounds, the patient suddenly started vomiting frequently, his limbs turned cold, and his heartbeat became alarmingly slow. I’ve tried all the methods I can think of, but I can only manage to barely control the situation. His heart rate, oxygen saturation, and other vitals are still gradually dropping. I’m out of options; I had to call you over to save the day."

As soon as Director Wu heard this, he wasted no time. "Let’s go. Take me to see him," he said hurriedly.

Upon reaching the hospital room and seeing the patient’s ashen, purplish face, Director Wu’s heart lurched. The moment he laid his hands on the patient for examination, an involuntary shiver ran through him. A weak and thready pulse, a swollen and moist tongue, cold limbs, and a cyanotic complexion—this was a collapse of Yang! In such a situation, death could be mere minutes away.

After the examination, Director Qian and Director Wu left the hospital room. As soon as they returned to the office, Director Qian couldn’t hold back and asked, "Wu, tell me quickly, what on earth is going on?"

"I can’t say for sure what’s happening yet, but the patient’s current condition strongly resembles a collapse of Yang," Director Wu said, his expression grave.

Director Qian grew anxious. "Stop throwing jargon at me! Just tell me how to treat it!"

Director Wu let out a long breath. "A collapse of Yang is a critical condition in traditional Chinese medicine. It’s the kind of symptom that can be fatal at any moment."

"My dear Director Wu, just stop explaining!" Director Qian was genuinely frantic now. "Given the patient’s current state, even without you telling me, I can see he’s truly on the verge of death. Just tell me, can you treat this condition or not?"

Hearing Director Qian’s urgency, Director Wu was about to speak but then hesitated.

"Well, spit it out!" Director Qian urged.

"If it were in the past, I might have tried," Director Wu said in a serious tone. "You know, I’ve never treated such an emergency in my department. Even if such cases came up, they were whisked away by our Emergency Room and ICU; it never fell to me. So now, I can only say I’d try, but honestly, I have no confidence whether I’d succeed or not."

"Then what was the point of saying all that!" Director Qian was truly panicking.

But Director Wu suddenly shook his head and said, "Don’t be hasty. Let me finish."

"Then hurry up and say it!"

"I can’t do it, but someone in our department can."

Director Qian was stunned for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "If even you can’t handle it in your department, who could be more capable than you? You’re not talking about Professor Lan, are you? Isn’t that old gentleman at home, preparing for retirement to enjoy his remaining years? Besides, the old man is at home now; it’ll be too late even if we call him. Forget it, I’ll contact someone else."

Director Wu grabbed Director Qian’s arm. "I told you not to panic. I may not be able to do it, but Deputy Director Du from our department certainly can."

"Who?" Director Qian asked.

"Du Heng, Deputy Director Du."

"Him?"

"Look at you, having an episode again, aren’t you?" Director Wu said helplessly. "When he was in Jinzhou, he wasn’t just famous for treating difficult and complicated diseases; he was also a top-notch emergency responder. His skill with aconite is enough to scare the daylights out of most of our colleagues, but he truly saved many patients who had been issued a Death Notice by the hospital. And don’t you disbelieve it; these things are all well-documented."

Director Qian fell silent. Round and round it went, and in the end, it all came back to Du Heng.

Seeing Director Qian’s hesitant and troubled expression, Director Wu had no choice but to press further. "Moreover, regarding this patient’s problem, I suspect it’s most likely related to the Mirabilite and Radish Seed Decoction. But this prescription was proposed by Deputy Director Du. He must have anticipated something like this, so calling him is the most appropriate course of action."

That might be true, but when Director Qian thought of what happened that day, and then considered calling Du Heng over now... wouldn’t that be like slapping his own face, left and right? Was his pride so worthless? He’d already been humiliated once that day, and now he had to voluntarily offer himself up for more? What kind of mess was this?

Now it was Director Wu’s turn to get anxious. "Qian, stop hesitating and call Deputy Director Du immediately! You can take your sweet time thinking here, but that patient... he might not last until you’ve made up your mind!"