This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

But now that Du Heng asked, she had no choice but to nod, forcefully suppressing her fear.

Seeing that Gu had responded, Du Heng said one last time, ”Don’t move. If you’re scared, just close your eyes. But remember, you mustn’t move at all. This is the hospital, your dad is here, and I’m about to become a father too. I won’t harm you, understood?”

”Mm,”

Gu took a deep breath and resignedly closed her eyes.

Without further delay, Du Heng bent down, picked up the red-hot iron, and angled its base close to Gu’s sagging left cheek, bringing it to less than two centimeters away.

No way! Is he really going to iron it directly?

Instantly, the surrounding crowd gasped, their nostrils seemingly already detecting the aroma of roasting meat. Yet, at this moment, none of them dared to make a sound.

This wasn’t because of Du Heng’s earlier warning; they simply didn’t dare.

Gu’s father and aunt were even more aghast, their eyes nearly popping out. Mr. Gu, especially, had his hand raised and his mouth agape, as if his pounding heart was about to leap out of his throat.

The only one who didn’t react much, ironically, was Gu. She had been terrified before, but now her eyes were closed.

The iron was two centimeters from her left cheek. The scorching heat incessantly assailed her left cheek, but she showed no reaction at all. Only her right cheek, perhaps feeling the intense heat, twitched uncomfortably.

Still, this was good. Du Heng could worry a little less now.

Holding the iron in one hand and a piece of paper in the other, he gently fanned hot air toward Gu’s face.

Once the air around Gu’s face began to circulate, he paused, waited five or six seconds, then fanned a couple more times. When the iron started to cool, he quickly handed it to Cao Binghe to reheat it, then repeated the previous actions.

Only when Du Heng touched Gu’s cheek and his hand found it very hot did he decisively stop this incomprehensible procedure and pick up the fine needle he had prepared earlier.

This time, however, he didn’t sterilize the fine needle with alcohol but heated it directly on an electric furnace. Once it was slightly warm, he inserted the needle at the ST 4 acupoint on her left cheek, penetrating through to the ST-06 acupoint.

The ST 4 acupoint is on the Foot Yangming Stomach Channel; deep to it lies the terminal branch of the buccal nerve. The purpose of needling this acupoint is to soothe the channels and activate collaterals.

The ST-06 acupoint also belongs to the Foot Yangming Stomach Channel. It is surrounded by the great auricular nerve, facial nerve, and masseteric nerve. Its function is the same as ST 4.

Combined, they activated the entire facial nerve network with maximum efficiency.

Then, Du Heng picked up two more needles and inserted them into the GB-20 acupoints at the back of her head. However, since these acupoints were at the back of her head, Gu still felt a slight sensation after the insertion.

Seeing this, Du Heng performed Lifting, Inserting, Twisting, and Turning, amplifying the needle sensation so that it radiated over Gu’s entire head and face.

Then, he took another needle and inserted it from the GB-14 acupoint, penetrating through to the BL-57 acupoint.

These two acupoints are located above the eyes. Their main function is to stimulate the orbicularis oculi and occipitofrontalis muscles to address eyelid ptosis.

After needling all three locations, Du Heng let out a long sigh.

But it wasn’t over. He then picked up two more needles and inserted them into the ST-02 acupoint and the LI-04 acupoint.

After that, it was the rather uninteresting task of controlling the needle sensation, amplifying it, and continuously stimulating the acupoints.

Unfortunately, apart from an occasional response when the GB-20 acupoints were manipulated, Gu showed no reaction to the needling in other locations. It was as if the needles weren’t in her face or flesh at all.

She didn’t feel the slightest bit of pain, let alone any soreness or numbness. Only a continuous throbbing sensation came from the back of her head, making her right cheek feel sore and distended.

Most of the people present, being doctors at the Good Friend Hospital, could understand the acupoints targeted in the subsequent needling. Although they might not be familiar with acupuncture, they didn’t lack the necessary foundational knowledge.

But what they didn’t understand was, would needling still be effective at this point?

They all knew by now that the patient’s facial nerves and muscles on the left side were entirely in a ’dead’ state, merely awaiting gradual necrosis.

If they were already ’dead’, then would needling still work? Could it really bring them back to life?

The second thing they didn’t understand was this: since acupuncture treatment had been chosen, what was the purpose of heating with the iron?

To scare those ’dead’ nerves and muscles? To make them think they’d be roasted if they didn’t reactivate?

They didn’t get it, didn’t understand. They were very puzzled about Du Heng’s use of the iron.

But what could they do about their confusion? Du Heng had no intention of explaining it to them.

Even if Bag Day wanted to shamelessly ask, the moment he opened his mouth, Cao Binghe shot him a glare that made him choke and fall silent.

And after the acupuncture was finished, Du Heng didn’t stop there. He picked up two moxa columns, each as thick as a thumb.

These were moxa columns he had hand-rolled himself from moxa plant, not the manufactured products from a pharmaceutical company.

These hand-rolled moxa columns looked large, and when lit, they produced a lot of smoke.

Moreover, because they were hand-rolled, their internal structure was looser than that of manufactured ones, giving them excellent heat conductivity. However, they were unstable; if not handled carefully, they could tip over and directly burn the patient.

This also puzzled the onlookers.

Hand-rolled moxa columns were generally considered less effective than manufactured ones. They produced more smoke, and while their heat conduction was better, improper handling meant that even if the column didn’t tip over, the intense heat could travel down it and burn the patient.

With so many disadvantages, why would Du Heng choose hand-rolled moxa columns?

But what they didn’t know was that Du Heng’s reason for choosing hand-rolled moxa columns was the same as his reason for using the iron earlier: it was for the intense heat they produced.

The medicinal effects of the moxibustion itself were secondary.

Du Heng had Gu lie down properly. He lit moxa columns on her GB-14 and ST 4 acupoints. After five minutes, the moxa columns had burned out.

As Du Heng removed the moxa column remnants, he immediately began massaging Gu’s left face, continuing for another five minutes.

After all this was done, the nurse, who had returned with the medicine some time ago, handed it to Du Heng.

Du Heng, his forehead now slightly beaded with sweat, glanced at the medicine in his hand and passed it to Gu’s father. ”This medicine, one bag per dose. Drink it all in one go; don’t sip it intermittently.”

Gu’s father seemed lost in thought; his usually quick mind was struggling to keep up with Du Heng’s actions.

Having done all this, Du Heng let out a long breath and began helping Cao Binghe pack up. ”Gu, that’s it for now. Rest for a few minutes, then you can move around a bit.

”But you absolutely must remember one thing: avoid any drafts. Don’t let any wind blow on your face.

”Around 9 PM tonight, I’ll come to give you the second treatment.

”Hmm... It’s best if you don’t leave the hospital room. Just rest here quietly.”

After speaking, Du Heng finished packing his things and went straight back to the office through a gap in the crowd, leaving everyone behind, thoroughly bewildered.

Director Yang (Bag Day) glanced at Du Heng, then turned back to Gu. ”Do you have any sensation in your left cheek now?”

Gu, looking somewhat dazed, asked, ”What kind of sensation?”

Director Yang tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. ”Heat? A burning feeling? Anything?”

By now, Gu had grown accustomed to being stared at. She no longer cared if people saw her current appearance and shook her head frankly, ”No.”

Director Yang was a bit taken aback. ”Then can you feel any pain, soreness, distension, or numbness?”

”No.” Gu’s reply was quite direct.

This answer left Director Yang very puzzled.

The patient’s answer clearly indicated her problem: she felt nothing. It was dead.

So what was Du Heng’s purpose in doing all this? I just don’t get it.

Director Yang then looked at the patient and reached out, intending to pinch Gu’s left cheek.