Facing Nicholas Mirotic's inquiry, Luo Chao finally stopped laughing.

"Mr. Nicholas Mirotic, you just said that our traditional Chinese medicine is nothing but empty talk, and that your Western medicine is the only practice that can truly be applied in reality, right?" Luo Chao suddenly asked.

"That's right, that's exactly what I mean. Do you think I am wrong?" Faced with Luo Chao's question, Nicholas Mirotic was not intimidated in the slightest; instead, he responded with a highly confrontational rhetorical question.

"Hahaha." Luo Chao laughed again, "Mr. Nicholas Mirotic, let me tell you, you are certainly wrong, and not just wrong, but profoundly mistaken, completely wrong! In my view, you don't understand our traditional Chinese medicine at all, which is why you can say such things!"

"I'm wrong?" Nicholas Mirotic pointed at himself in disbelief, "I, Nicholas Mirotic, am a world-renowned medical scientist. I can accept you saying that I don't understand Chinese medicine, but saying I am wrong is unacceptable. Although my level of understanding in Chinese medicine is lacking, the conclusion I reached was based on personal practice and extensive research. What makes you say I am wrong?"

"Alright, since you want to know, I'll make you understand exactly where you are wrong!" Faced with Nicholas Mirotic's repeated arguments, Luo Chao finally lost his patience, and even his tone became serious.

"Mr. Nicholas Mirotic, let me first ask you, do you know how our traditional Chinese medicine came to be?" Luo Chao began his exposition with a question.

"Hmph, your traditional Chinese medicine is just feudal superstition created by ancient bureaucrats to appease the common people, for example, some of those Chinese herbs. Our Western medical team has used modern scientific instruments for detection and found that they have little to no effect on diseases, much like placebos in our Western medicine, serving merely to comfort people's hearts!" Nicholas Mirotic expressed his long-standing view that traditional Chinese medicine is useless.

"Absurd, our Chinese herbal medicines need to be used in combinations and with diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine to be effective. If you test a single herb with those instruments, of course, nothing will be found!" Luo Chao stated bluntly.

"Let me tell you the truth, in fact, the origins of our Chinese medicine are not only related to these herbs but also stem from genuine practice!"

"In our Huaxia, there is such a story. In ancient times, humans relied on gathering and hunting for food to survive. To prevent people from going hungry, a god named Shennong descended to earth and taught humans how to sow the five grains, securing sufficient resources through their labor."

"Shennong was a benevolent god, with the head of a bull and the body of a man. He had immense strength and often helped poor families with farming, serving humanity diligently like an ox. Humans learned to farm from Shennong and had enough food, sparing them the fear of hunger."

"However, many people fell ill after eating their fill, and some endured illnesses for a long time without recovery, ultimately meeting their demise. When Shennong learned of these events, he felt anxious. He did not believe in the divination of witch doctors, but he also had no means to cure the diseases."

"So he consulted with many people on how to cure those diseases and relieve people from their suffering. He tried various methods, like roasting with fire, pouring with water, sun exposure, and freezing. Although they alleviated some symptoms, the results were not ideal."

"One day, Shennong arrived in the Jin Gang area near Taiyuan in Shanxi, tasted plants, and discovered that plants had various flavors such as sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. He gave bitter-tasting herbs to someone with a persistent cough, and the cough eased considerably. He gave sour-tasting herbs to someone with stomach aches, and the pain was alleviated."

"Tasting all kinds of herbs was extremely challenging for the Divine Doctor, as it required climbing mountains, walking terrain to find plants, and posed life-threatening risks. Shennong, in search of medicinal plants, had been poisoned to the edge of death, yet with his robust physique, he stood strong and continued tasting more plants."

"At that time, the earth was rich with plant species, countless in number. To increase the speed of tastings, Shennong used a tool called the Divine Whip, also known as the Red Whip, to lash at various plants. After being whipped, plants would naturally reveal their properties—whether toxic or not, bitter or sweet, hot or cold."

"Shennong used these diversified plant properties to treat diseases. On Chengyang Mountain, he used the Divine Whip to discover many herbs with significant curative effects, such as licorice for coughs, rhubarb for constipation, and coptis for reducing swelling. Thus, Chengyang Mountain became known by later generations as Shennong Plain, also called Medicinal Herb Mountain."

"The diseases humans face are many, and the medicinal plants discovered by Shennong were few. In his pursuit to treat more diseases, he continuously tasted more plants."

"Once, while tasting a vine-like plant that bloomed small yellow flowers in rocky crevices, Shennong ate the flower and stem. Soon after, he felt excruciating stomach pain as if his intestines were being torn apart. In unbearable agony, he rolled on the ground until he succumbed to the poison of the plant and died."

Upon hearing this, the Huaxia doctors who had been supporting traditional Chinese medicine were moved to tears, including Jiang Lianqing, who despite witnessing much in his life, was touched by Shennong's selflessness and couldn't contain his tears of emotion.

On the opposite side, the Western medical experts from the United States, although not understanding the emotions of the Huaxia people, listened through their interpreters and felt a deep sense of admiration for Shennong's deeds."

Seeing that everyone was moved by his story, Luo Chao continued, "Ladies and gentlemen, you need not be too sad, for although Shennong died of the poison, with his life he discovered a highly toxic plant, named the Poisonous Plant. Shennong sacrificed himself for the safety of countless ordinary people, which is the true essence of his noble spirit! And our traditional Chinese medicine inherits Shennong's selfless spirit, deriving true knowledge from practice!"

Just as everyone was about to applaud Luo Chao, an incongruous voice rang out again.

Nicholas Mirotic laughed mockingly, "Hahaha, Doctor Luo, I must admit your story is indeed well told, but it's just a story after all. Perhaps it's merely a fictional tale concocted by your Huaxia people? As for us in Western medicine, every theory is evidence-based. Who published what theory, which books, all are accurately recorded in history, whereas your traditional Chinese medicine only has stories and legends!"

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