"Raise your arm. Let me take a look."
Li Xinzhu's senior slowly lifted his arm. His brows furrowed, and his body trembled. He could only lift his arm up to a spot lower than his shoulder.
"I can't… lift it anymore. It hurts."
"Alright." Dr. Zhao nodded. "I want to see the wound."
He removed the bandage and revealed the wound.
The wound was on his bicep. It was about the size of a palm. It was purple and swollen, with a scar about the size of a thumb in the middle.
"Does it hurt here?" Dr. Zhao pressed on his shoulder.
"It hurts!"
"How about here?" He gently pressed near the elbow.
"It hurts!" The senior nodded.
"No bone injuries, but the tendons and meridians are affected. It will need a long period of healing," Dr. Zhao said.
"Uncle Zhao, can my senior's arm recover?"
"We'll have to wait and see. He can take the medicine prescribed by the hospital, and I'll prescribe another one."
"Alright. Thank you, Uncle Zhao."
"My senior was investigating the death of our third senior outside and encountered the person who used the Pulse-Seizing Fist. They just exchanged glances, and then he immediately attacked him," Li Xinzhu said to Wang An.
"I'll take my senior brother back first, and we'll talk in detail later."
Not long after, Li Xinzhu came to the clinic again and told Wang An about his senior's injury in detail.
It turned out that he had disappeared for a few days to investigate the cause of the other senior's death and had gone to the nearby Hecheng City.
During the investigation, they did find some clues. Following these clues, they came across the person who had injured his senior.
"According to my senior, that person raised his hand so fast that my senior instinctively dodged. If he had been a little slower, that hit might have landed on his chest. Just from that one hit, my senior brother couldn't lift his arm, and it was painful and sore. This Pulse-Seizing Fist is really powerful!"
"It might not necessarily be the Pulse-Seizing Fist," Wang An said.
"What do you mean?"
"Is your third senior's injury similar in nature?"
"Not really. It's just a scar about the size of a thumb on the chest." Li Xinzhu gestured as he spoke. It was just one hit, and he almost crippled the entire arm. Undoubtedly, the opponent was a master. That person seems to be looking for something. My master doesn't want to continue the investigation." Li Xinzhu looked a little desolate.
"Why?"
"He's afraid that if we continue the investigation, we might be in danger too." Li Xinzhu sighed.
"I used to think that because I had practiced some martial arts, I wouldn't have to be afraid of anything. Now it seems that my skills are completely inadequate. The second senior started five years earlier than me, and he was hit with just one move in the confrontation. If it were me who found him, I might already be dead."
"You mentioned earlier that the person caught him off guard, and your senior didn't prepare much for a fight," Wang An said.
Li Xinzhu sighed and shook his head.
"Do you have plans for this afternoon?"
"Yes, I'll be learning massage techniques at the clinic."
"Come with me to the swimming pool first. Teach me how to train in the water."
"Sure."
After lunch, the two of them went straight to the swimming pool.
"Hey, it's been a long time since I last saw you," said Qi Dahe as he greeted Wang An with a smile.
"I've been busy with some things lately."
He and Li Xinzhu went into the water together.
"In the water, you need to stand firm first, walk slowly, and then practice. Let's start by trying the Three Postures in the water."
"What are you two doing?" Qi Dahe looked at the two of them in the water. He thought they were behaving somewhat intimately.
'These two might be...'
"Am I interrupting?"
"No, no. I'm just teaching him to practice in the water."
"Practice? Like the water ballet you were practicing some time ago? Can men practice this too?"
Wang An just smiled.
During the practice, Wang An noticed that Li Xinzhu was quite restless.
"Let's stop here for today."
"Why?"
"You can't calm your mind. You're too restless. The practice won't be effective."
"I'll practice a bit more." Li Xinzhu did not leave and continued to practice in the water.
He fell into the water with a splash, struggled a few times, stood up, and then continued to practice.
Wang An, on the other hand, left the pool.
"Your friend seems to be under some stress," Qi Dahe walked up to him and whispered.
"Yeah, he's not in a good mood. Let him vent a bit."
"Swimming can indeed be a way to release emotions, but not in this way," Qi Dahe said.
About an hour later, Li Xinzhu came out of the swimming pool.
"Do you have time tonight? Join me for a drink. My treat."
"Sure." Wang An nodded.
After coming out of the swimming pool, Wang An went to the clinic to continue learning from Zhao Zhiyuan.
In the afternoon, a patient with a lumbar spine issue arrived.
Zhao Zhiyuan gave the patient a massage and explained everything. After asking for the patient's consent, he let Wang An try it.
He was like a primary school student who had just learned addition and subtraction and was facing the first exam. He felt a bit nervous.
'Muscles, tendons under the muscles, bones...'
'Starting from the periphery, relax the muscles first, and then work on the tendons to promote blood circulation.'
"Young man, put in some strength. It's alright," said the elderly man and smiled.
"Okay." Wang An nodded and put a bit more strength into his hands.
During the massage, images of the human meridian chart he had seen every day flashed in his mind.
The image of the meridians in the waist area emerged one by one, as well as various acupoints.
'Governing Vessel, Belt Vessel, Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang, Huiyang point, Kidney Shu point, Gate of Life point...'
Energy and blood both flow like water. Meridians were like canals, and acupoints were like transfer stations.
Massage techniques were to stimulate and allow the energy and blood to flow smoothly in the meridians. When the meridians were clear and the energy and blood flowed smoothly, the body was healthy and less prone to illness.
[Experience in Traditional Chinese massage +10.]
[Experience in Traditional Chinese massage +5.]
Wang An also massaged the old man's back along with the waist.
The Governing Vessel Meridian ran along the spine, which was the sea of Yang in the human body and governed the body's Yang.
Along the spine, the pathologies of the spine could be treated using the Governing Vessel Meridian, such as back pain, including problems with the cervical, lumbar, and thoracic vertebrae, which could all be treated using acupoints from the Governing Vessel Meridian.
The Conception Vessel Meridian, on the other hand, was the sea of Yin in the human body and governed the body's Yin.
Yin and Yang need each other. Neither could exist alone. Only by complementing each other could there be constant growth and sustenance.
In the novels, breaking through the Conception and Governing Vessel Meridians allowed the growth of inner strength.