Chapter Ninety-Six: Teaching by Example

So that is how it is. In that case, Doctor, can you treat it?”

“Of course. Let Doctor Su here give you acupuncture,” Lu Feng said, pointing at Su Muyu.

“I...” Su Muyu stared in surprise. Only moments ago, she had found Lu Feng’s bluffing amusing; now that he had suddenly shoved her forward, she was too stunned to react.

“Come on. First take the Yuji point on the Lung Meridian of the Hand Taiyin.” Lu Feng opened the needle case and handed a fine needle to Su Muyu.

Su Muyu was terribly nervous. It was her first time using a real person as a practice subject, and she had not even practiced before.

“Yuji point... Yuji point...” While pinching the young woman’s palm to search for the point, Su Muyu kept murmuring the name to herself.

Yuji lies at the base of the thumb in the palm. She pinched and felt for a long while; though she had found the spot, her nerves made her doubt herself.

The young woman frowned. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

Lu Feng stepped behind Su Muyu and said, “If you’ve found it, then insert the needle. The flesh there is fairly thick, so use the proper technique.”

“Right, right... needle-directing technique, needle-directing technique...” Su Muyu’s heart still pounded wildly. This was a living person.

“What is the key to the needle-directing technique?”

“The thumb nail of the left hand holds the point, and the right hand advances the needle slowly along the nail line...” Su Muyu took a deep breath and recited the method under her breath, but the moment the fine needle entered the young woman’s palm, her hand began to tremble. She had no idea how deep to insert it, and her mind went blank.

“Can you do this or not?” The young woman’s unease grew. Frowning, she pressed the question.

“I’m sorry... I’m sorry...” Su Muyu hurriedly apologized, growing even more flustered.

Lu Feng had no choice but to bend down from behind her and take her right hand, slowly guiding the needle into the Yuji point. “Half an inch in. Good. Next point, Kongzui.”

“Kongzui... Kongzui... three cun below the elbow...” Su Muyu quickly began searching for the second point.

“Once you’ve found it, insert the needle.”

“Insert the needle... insert the needle...” Su Muyu was still tense.

In the end, Lu Feng had to hold her hand and teach her how to place the needle into Kongzui.

Unnoticed, their bodies grew closer and closer, almost as though they were embracing, face to face and shoulder to shoulder, so near that they could even catch each other’s scent.

...

“The next point, Ermen...”

“Ermen... Ermen... one cun behind the corner of the eye...” Su Muyu hurried to find the point.

“For facial points, the flesh is thin. You should use the pinching-and-lifting method—raise the skin before inserting the needle,” Lu Feng explained.

One taught with utmost seriousness; the other learned with equal earnestness. Their coordination was seamless, almost tender.

The young woman being used as a teaching subject could endure no longer. Suppressing her anger, she asked, “Are you giving me acupuncture, or putting on a display of affection?”

“Of course not.”

“If it’s not a display of affection, then why are you clinging to each other in front of me? Do you think I’m blind?” the young woman said, huffing through her nose.

“This is for easing your fatigue with acupuncture,” Lu Feng explained.

“Bullshit! My hands and feet are weak and aching, and you’re sticking needles into my face—what is that supposed to be? And how many needles have you jabbed into me already? If it isn’t two hundred, it’s at least one hundred and fifty, right? Are you planning to turn me into a hedgehog?” The young woman was barely containing her rage.

Just now, while practicing acupuncture, they had been far too focused. Hearing the woman’s outburst, Su Muyu finally came to her senses—and when she looked up, she was shocked too.

From her arms to her head, the woman was densely covered in needles.

In truth, the young woman had long wanted to explode, but with needles all over her body, she did not dare move.

“I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’ll take the needles out for you right away,” Su Muyu said hastily.

Lu Feng let go of Su Muyu’s hand and sat back down. “All right, then you remove the needles for her. Take it slowly and follow the proper method.”

Su Muyu immediately and carefully began removing the needles.

Once they were out, the young woman finally felt free again. Slapping the table, she said angrily, “So you were just toying with me! I’m filing a complaint against you for sticking needles into me all recklessly! I’m going to sue you!”

Lu Feng coughed and said, “Surely you feel much better now, don’t you? Your arms shouldn’t be nearly as weak and sore anymore, right?”

The young woman paused, flexed her arms, and indeed felt much more comfortable. Still dissatisfied, she continued, “Then what was all that about sticking needles into my head? Are you supposed to jab needles into someone’s head so casually?”

“Here’s the thing. When I took your pulse, I discovered you also suffer from headaches, especially at noon and in the afternoon, so I used acupuncture to help clear the meridians in your head. Don’t you feel much more clear-minded now?” Lu Feng said with a smile.

“Really? Do I?” The young woman frowned and checked for herself. It did seem that she felt much better. Just as Lu Feng had said, she did in fact have issues with headaches and feverish discomfort, though not seriously; after acupuncture, she feared she would only feel even better.

“Don’t trick me. I reserve the right to pursue legal responsibility,” the young woman said, still uncertain.

“Of course. If you go home and feel unwell, come find me anytime,” Lu Feng nodded.

Unable to find any excuse to blow up, and because the acupuncture had genuinely made her feel far more comfortable, the young woman could only leave.

...

“Was she really ill?” Su Muyu asked in confusion after the young woman was gone.

“No. Her weakness in the limbs came from dieting to lose weight, and the headaches and feverish spells came from poor rest. If you don’t take a midday nap, of course you’ll feel headache and feverish. In short, it was a subhealthy state,” Lu Feng replied.

“You’re so坏...” Su Muyu burst out laughing.

“How am I bad? I really did help regulate her meridians. That wasn’t fake. It’s just that acupuncture can only make her feel better for three to five days. If she wants to truly recover, she’ll need plenty of rest and exercise,” Lu Feng said.

“Thank you. I really learned so much,” Su Muyu said, twisting the hem of her clothes.

“As long as you’ve learned something, that’s good.”

“Oh, right. When you first learned acupuncture, did you also insert needles into a real person?” Su Muyu asked.

“No. The first time was a pig,” Lu Feng said.

“A pig?” Su Muyu’s eyes widened.

“Yes. A family at the foot of the mountain had a sick pig. My master was drunk, leaning against the wall and directing me to give that old sow acupuncture,” Lu Feng said with the look of someone recalling an experience best left buried.

“Pfft!” Su Muyu laughed again. “Then later, did that old sow get well?”

“Of course. Three months later, she gave birth to a whole litter of piglets,” Lu Feng said.

“But are the acupuncture points of a pig the same as a human’s?”

“Heh, that’s where you’re mistaken. Among animals, a pig’s body is most similar to a human’s. Didn’t the medical journals say so? A lot of medical experiments are done on pigs. They’re even more useful than mice,” Lu Feng said.

“Seems like it,” Su Muyu said, scratching her chin as though she vaguely remembered hearing that before.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Lu Feng asked, noticing that Su Muyu’s complexion was not very good.

“A little tired.” Su Muyu had been extremely focused during the acupuncture and had expended a great deal of energy, so she was a bit worn out.

“Take off your shoes and lie on the bed,” Lu Feng said.

“Huh?”

“I’ll help you massage the acupoints,” Lu Feng said.

“Oh...” Su Muyu answered, took off her shoes, and sat on the bed. Then she added, “Could you lock the door too?”