Chapter 5: Finnley's Skills

Chief examiner Xavier glanced at the giant screen, then swung back to fix his gaze on Finnley. From the moment Finnley stepped in and volunteered a demonstration of Body Diagnosis, Xavier knew he understood the unspoken rule. Once the medical license was revoked, one could retake the exam, but one'd never be allowed to pass. Finnley had come to break that rule. Unspoken rules don't break easily. If Finnley wanted to overturn one, he had to show his skills so that no one could argue against it. Xavier had set an extremely high hurdle for Finnley, but it was also a chance to prove Finnley was extraordinary.  Xavier couldn't bring himself to crush Finnleyn's future by sticking strictly to the regulations, nor could he bend the rules just because he valued talent.  All he could do was this much. The other four examiners stared at the big screen, left speechless.  They looked back at Finnley, a flicker of sympathy in their eyes. This question was brutally hard. It was impossible to treat erectile dysfunction in two weeks with a prescription containing no more than five ingredients. Was this what a national medical expert can do? Since a national medical expert had set the question, it meant the expert had cured the patient within two weeks. Finnley took in every shift in their expressions, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. It seemed that if he wanted his medical license back, all he had to do was clear this one hurdle. He skimmed the case file on the big screen.  When he registered the requirement of a two-week cure, his brow furrowed. "This isn't the difficulty level for a medical license exam, right?" "It's a question from the test bank," Xavier replied without engaging the point.  He added, "Your prescription probably can't cure the patient within two weeks. It may take more than five ingredients. We'll grade you on overall performance." "No need." Finnley waved it off.  "I can cure the patient in seven days." Huh? Seven days?! All five examiners froze. "I only need two ingredients." The words hit their ears like a thunderclap.  Two ingredients?  The national medical expert used a two-week cure, and Finnley could do it in seven days.  Moreover, he only used two ingredients for the prescription. The air in the room seemed to congeal.  Xavier and the other examiners fixed their eyes on Finnley.  The exam hall went dead quiet. Only the digits on the timekeeper's display continued to blink. "Which two ingredients?" Xavier asked, never looking away. He had never seen this case before, nor had he even heard of it.  He'd thought it through carefully just now.  Given two weeks, he might be able to cure it. "One ounce of leech, and 1.8 ounces of processed placenta," Finnley said, his tone even. "These two are to be ground into a fine powder and formed into pills. Take one pill per dose, twice daily, with warm water. He'll be cured within a week." "Any adjustments?" Xavier asked again. "No." "Good." Xavier gave the timekeeper a nod.  The timekeeper nodded back and tapped at the keyboard.  The correct answer from the national medical expert appeared on the big screen. "One ounce of leech, and 1.8 ounces of processed placenta. Grind to powder and form pills. Take one pill per dose, twice daily, with warm water. Cured in seven days." The hall fell utterly silent. Every eye stared at the screen in disbelief. Finnley's answer was the same as that of the national medical expert. "Your reasoning?" Xavier tore his gaze from the screen.  He forced his voice steady and looked at Finnley. The words rasped out of his throat. No one should have seen this case before.  He didn't believe Finnley had seen it.  He thought even less that Finnley had the answer from skills alone. "The reason is simple," Finnley said with a smile. He glanced at the five examiners. It felt like he had broken the stalemate. His words struck all five examiners as almost absurd. There are more than five thousand herbs. How could pinpointing exactly two be simple?  How could matching not only the same pair of herbs but also the exact doses be simple?  How could stating that seven days would cure the illness be simple? "In this case, the erectile dysfunction began after the penis was kicked," Finnley said.  "Normal prescriptions and Viagra were ineffective. That indicates the penis sustained damage, and internal blood stasis obstructed the flow of energy and blood." "So the correct approach is to break up stasis and disperse congealed blood while replenishing the blood." Finnley's voice wasn't loud, but every word reached the examiners clearly. "For moving blood and resolving stasis, the strongest herb is insect. The penis is where the Penile Meridian converges, and the liver governs the Penile Meridian. Therefore, the herb should enter the Liver Meridian." "Once you satisfy those two conditions, the choice of herbs becomes straightforward." "For an insect-type herb that moves blood and enters the Liver Meridian, the leech is most suitable. It breaks up stagnant blood without harming the new blood. Its force is fierce, yet it doesn't damage vital energy. It can make stasis vanish without a trace." "As for replenishing blood, the strongest medicines are animal-derived. Replenishing blood means tonifying the kidney, so processed placenta is suitable for the Kidney Meridian." "It excels at powerfully replenishing primordial energy and blood." "A prescription of leech and processed placenta aims to replenish deficient essence and blood, shoring up weakness in the lung and kidneys." "At the same time, it disperses blood stasis to get the energy and blood flowing again. With that, the medicine does its job and the condition resolves." When Finnley finished, the hall grew even quieter. Even breathing seemed to fade until it was almost inaudible. The timekeeper and the proctor stared at Finnley. They were general teachers at the school, not medical practitioners, and didn't understand it.  They had always felt traditional medicine was obscure and abstract.  Today, for the first time, Finnley had explained with such logic that they could follow.  For the first time, traditional medicine didn't feel impossibly hard. Xavier and the other examiners didn't speak. They only looked at Finnley.  Their hearts hammered. No one could find words. Finnley's pattern differentiation was precise.  His therapeutic reasoning was sound. His herb selection was rigorous. His doses were reasonable. It sounded simple, and the logic was crystal clear, but only a practitioner knew it was hard.  In a tangle of symptoms, Finnley had found the crux within seconds.  Then he had selected the right medicines with speed and precision.  Next, he had given exact doses and stated how long the cure would take. That wasn't even the main point.  The main point was that Finnley's answer matched the national medical expert's treatment. To reach this level required not only extensive clinical experience but also a deep understanding of medicinal properties and effects, as well as a razor-sharp mind. Finnley's skill didn't end there.  He was also highly accomplished in Body Diagnosis. The examiners were in a dilemma.  Should they let Finnley pass the exam? The four examiners quickly looked to Xavier.  Xavier turned to meet their eyes. In that quick exchange, he saw the same astonishment on every face. He looked back at Finnley and asked one final question. "Anything to add?" "If the symptoms disappear within seven days and you want the penis to regain function faster, you can reduce the leeches by half and add 2 ounces of Epimedium," Finnley said.  "But the first prescription will fully cure the problem." At that moment, the timekeeper absentmindedly clicked the mouse. On the big screen, a new line appeared beneath the national medical expert's answer. "After three days on the medicine, the patient's confidence rose. His erectile dysfunction hadn't resolved yet, but his other symptoms had greatly improved. I reduced the leech to half an ounce and added two ounces of Epimedium. Three days later, the patient had an erection."