Medical Sage

”Yong Jun…” Upon seeing Chen Fei’s assertiveness and how even a casual remark from Jin Bingying prompted such a strong reaction, the translator was so frightened she didn’t dare say anything unnecessary. She immediately turned and started translating for the Korean patient suffering from tinea.

”What do you do for work?”

The patient, upon hearing the translator’s question, clearly froze for a moment. A trace of panic even flashed through his eyes, though only Chen Fei noticed it. Then, the patient collected himself and chattered away at the translator.

”Doctor Chen, Yong Jun says that he usually works as a chef, and he has also been a welder before,” the translator then said to Chen Fei.

”He’s lying.”

When Chen Fei heard this, he shook his head expressionlessly. His voice even took on a note of indifference as he calmly said, ”There’s an old saying in China: ’Do not conceal your illness from your doctor.’ Personally, I don’t care for people who lie. So… please convey to Mr. Yong Jun that if he wants to cure the tinea on his body, he should tell the truth. Otherwise, I might not be willing to diagnose and treat him.”

An uproar swept through the crowd. Everyone stared at Chen Fei, completely stunned.

They couldn’t understand where on earth he was coming from. Dishonest? What part of what the Korean man had said was dishonest?

”No, Doctor Chen…” Upon hearing this, the translator’s expression changed instantly. She looked torn and embarrassed, with even a hint of anger. Even she couldn’t understand where Chen Fei was coming from. But now…

”What do you mean? Are you admitting you can’t cure Yong Jun’s tinea and can’t beat me? Is that why you’re using these deceptive, low-down tricks to try and bluff your way through? Let me tell you, I, Jin Bingying, am not so easily deceived! Our Republic of Korea is not so easily fooled either.” Jin Bingying had apparently been informed of what was happening by the translator at his side. He glared at Chen Fei, his face filled with rage and a sneer of mockery already forming.

From his perspective, Chen Fei’s actions were clearly a low-down attempt to bluff his way through, knowing he couldn’t win. Utterly shameless! How could someone as astute and intelligent as him, Jin Bingying, be so easily fooled?

”What’s up with that guy? Telling lies? What lies?”

”Didn’t he just ask the Korean what his job was? Could it be that… but that makes no sense. Why would he lie about that?”

”Let’s just watch. He can’t just be putting on an act, can he?”

”You’re overthinking it. Besides, didn’t you see his miraculous acupuncture skills just now? Would someone with such amazing medical expertise waste time on something so meaningless?”

”That’s true…”

...

Online, the comments section blew up, with no one understanding what Chen Fei was trying to accomplish.

”I’ll say it again: I am currently diagnosing and treating a patient. If you South Koreans have even a shred of self-respect or a sense of honor, then step aside. Don’t let the world’s media make a laughingstock out of you. How I treat patients is my business, and I certainly don’t need someone who hasn’t even reached Initiation to instruct me.”

Chen Fei spoke while looking askance at Jin Bingying, whose face bore a mocking and smug expression. Then Chen Fei’s gaze returned to the translator, and he said slowly, ”You will translate exactly what I say. If you feel you can’t do this job, you can step down now, and we’ll find someone who can. I’ll say it one last time: I’m the doctor here. I don’t need anyone else teaching me how to diagnose and treat patients.”

”You…” Jin Bingying’s face flushed with rage, not expecting Chen Fei to be so arrogant at an event covered by the global media. But then he clenched his teeth and, indeed, didn’t dare to question him further. Chen Fei had brought up self-respect and the honor of the Republic of Korea. If he kept pestering him, wouldn’t it make him, Jin Bingying, seem insecure and lose face in front of the world?

”Hmph! I’d like to see how a person like you plans to treat Yong Jun’s tinea,” Jin Bingying said with a heavy snort. With an angry flick of his sleeve, he stepped to the side.

Seeing this, how could the translator dare to say anything more? With a wry smile, she immediately began translating for Yong Jun.

”What do you mean? On what grounds do you say I was lying?” As expected, upon hearing the translation, Yong Jun’s expression changed instantly, and he glared at Chen Fei with profound anger. Clearly, he felt Chen Fei was deliberately provoking him and showing him disrespect.

”What do I mean? I just don’t like it when my patients spout nonsense. Do you want me to be more explicit? Fine, I’ll oblige you,” Chen Fei said, pausing briefly before continuing to speak slowly to Yong Jun. ”In the differential diagnostics of Traditional Chinese Medicine, tinea is generally thought to stem from ’blood heat.’ This can be caused by internal damage from the seven emotions, leading to stagnant Qi that eventually transforms into fire. This results in an exuberant heart fire and ’toxic heat’ hiding in the blood. Alternatively, it can be caused by dietary indiscretion, like eating too much pungent, heat-aggravating food. This creates disharmony in the spleen and stomach, impedes Qi flow, and the prolonged stagnation generates heat. If the person then encounters external wind-heat toxins, the disease manifests. Of course, this is what we commonly refer to as dermatophytosis.”

”I see an erythematous patch on your arm joint, covered in recurring layers of silvery-white, dry scales. If I’m not mistaken, the diagnosis Jin Bingying gave you was psoriasis, which in Huaxia we commonly call ’bull-hide lichen,’ correct?” Chen Fei continued.

”Is it not?”

Before the translator could even relay the information to Yong Jun and Jin Bingying, Li Binglie, Jin Bingying’s master on the expert panel, spoke up first. Frowning, he said in halting Chinese, ”You already mentioned the erythematous patches on Yong Jun, with recurring layers of silvery-white dry scales. The scales are easily scraped off, revealing a translucent thin film beneath. According to Bingying’s long-term observation of Yong Jun’s condition, his skin affliction also aligns with the pattern of ’recurring or worsening in spring and winter, with remission in summer and autumn.’ Are you trying to say this isn’t psoriasis?”

At this point, he was becoming angry. Even he, Li Binglie, had personally participated in this treatment. He had confirmed three years ago that the condition on Yong Jun was, indeed, psoriasis. For Chen Fei to question it now was a direct slap to his face.

As for the other experts on the panel, whether they practiced Chinese or Korean medicine, all of them—aside from Elder Du—were now frowning deeply. Although they hadn’t taken the Korean man’s pulse, one look at the lesions on his arm joint made the diagnosis seem obvious. Based on their experience, it was definitely psoriasis.

”Master…”

Not far away, Li Dongshen watched the scene and hesitated. He, too, believed it was psoriasis; he had treated many such cases himself. How could he have been mistaken?

But for some reason, driven by a strange impulse, he couldn’t help but ask, as if he had suddenly lost confidence in his own judgment.

Hearing him, Master Muf Longkun fell silent for a long moment before stating calmly, ”If it were psoriasis, it wouldn’t have taken three years.”

It wouldn’t have taken three years!?

Li Dongshen’s expression changed dramatically, a look of shock and doubt spreading across his face.

He wasn’t a fool; he understood exactly what his master meant.

Could it be… the Korean man’s condition really isn’t psoriasis? But if it’s not, then what is it!?

”No wonder his condition has been getting steadily worse. You misdiagnosed him, yet you speak with such certainty,” Chen Fei said evenly at that moment.

”You… you… on what basis do you say we misdiagnosed him? If this isn’t psoriasis, then what is it? Stop talking nonsense!” After hearing the translation, Jin Bingying couldn’t contain his rage. For any practitioner of Chinese or Korean medicine, what was the most severe, most shameful outcome? A misdiagnosis!

Now that Chen Fei had been so direct, how could he not be furious?

The Korean doctors in the audience exploded in anger.

”Damn it, this guy is just spouting nonsense! A misdiagnosis? How could Jin Bingying and Li Binglie possibly make such a mistake?”

”Exactly! They are the pride of our Republic of Korea, our national physicians! This kid is too presumptuous.”

”Where did this charlatan come from!? If this isn’t psoriasis, what is it?”

...

More than half of the Korean Medicine practitioners and South Korean exchange students in the audience grew angry, some even shouting curses. In their view, with such simple and obvious symptoms, how could a prodigy like Jin Bingying or a grandmaster like Li Binglie possibly make a mistake and misdiagnose the patient? This was nothing but groundless slander.

Witnessing this, Li Binglie, on the experts’ panel, darkened his face. He held up a hand to quiet his countrymen, then looked at Chen Fei and said coolly, ”Young man, it’s a good thing to dare to ask questions. However, a doctor must be responsible for his patients. You shouldn’t neglect your duties for the sake of attracting attention. This is very important, do you understand?”

”Responsibility?”

Hearing this, a smile involuntarily touched Chen Fei’s lips. He looked up, his pitch-black eyes, as clear as glass, meeting his counterpart’s. He suddenly chuckled. ”That is indeed something we doctors should always hold in our hearts. But since you’ve said as much, let’s allow the facts to speak for themselves.”

As he finished speaking, Chen Fei turned his gaze to the translator and signaled her to translate, while Jin Bingying’s face grew uglier and Li Binglie’s eyes narrowed, his expression turning grim.

”If I’m not mistaken, three years ago, this rash was on your right arm only. You likely received their treatment and seemed to recover for about two to three months. But after that, it erupted again, and it’s been uncontrollable ever since. Am I right?”

”You… you… how did you…” This time, before the translator could even begin, Li Binglie, who understood Chinese, shot up from his seat as if he had seen a ghost. His face was a mask of incredulity and shock, and his lips trembled.

Seeing this, nearly everyone present was stunned, their expressions gradually turning strange.

As for Jin Bingying and the Korean patient, Yong Jun, they froze like statues after hearing the translation.

After a long moment, they both stared at Chen Fei in amazement and exclaimed in unison.

”How did you know!?”