The incident involving Tong Meili became widely known, even catching the attention of Xu Changshan, who usually didn't follow social news. He learned about the dispute through casual conversations with his patients, particularly since his treasured grandson worked in the hospital's medical office, prompting Xu Changshan to pay special attention.

"Chunliang, the issue in your hospital's cosmetic department isn't anything to do with you, right?"

"No, I'm not responsible."

"That's good. The medical office is a place filled with disputes, constantly dealing with disgruntled patients. If you feel too stressed, I can have a word with your Uncle Gao and have him help you switch positions." The old man always wanted to take the opportunity to steer his grandson back toward traditional Chinese medicine.

Xu Chunliang replied, "Don't worry about my work. If I'm really unhappy with it, I'll let Uncle Gao know myself."

Xu Changshan realized that he might be meddling too much. Young people today valued independence, and too much interference from elders could easily annoy them. He should be content; at least he had his grandson's company.

Xu Changshan took a sip of tea: "I've sorted out some prescriptions, and I'd like you to copy them later."

"Sure, I'll do it tonight."

"No rush." Xu Changshan put down his teacup and stretched his arms: "I'm planning a trip to Hai Zhou tomorrow."

Xu Chunliang hadn't heard about it from his grandfather before: "What are you going there for?"

"To visit an old friend, it'll take about three days round trip."

"How about I take some time off to accompany you?"

Xu Changshan laughed: "What? You don't trust me? I'm old, but my body is still in good shape."

Xu Chunliang had no objection to this; the old man took good care of his health. Although he was well into his seventies, he was upright and sturdy.

Almost every day, Xu Chunliang would help his grandfather copy prescriptions when he returned home. He understood his grandfather was training him this way, helping him memorize the formulas subconsciously. The old man went to great lengths to ensure he learned medicine.

After finishing the day's prescriptions, it was already eleven at night. Xu Chunliang returned the things to their place and casually picked a book from the shelf, intending to read before going to sleep.

When he pulled out the book, something fell out and onto the floor.

He thought it was a bookmark, so he bent down to pick it up, only to find a thin piece of bone with holes and a faded red cord tied around it, indicating its age.

This item was common in traditional medicine shops, a bone from ancient creatures, known as "dragon bone," a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient used for calming the mind and soothing the liver.

It seemed that when Xu Changshan read this book, he casually used a piece of dragon bone as a bookmark.

As Xu Chunliang was about to insert the dragon bone back into the book, he felt the surface of the bone was uneven. Despite his usual perception not being what it was, this distinct touch caught his attention.

Under the lamp, he saw that the surface of the dragon bone was covered with writing—Oracle bone script.

It was first discovered by the epigrapher Wang Yirong when he was prescribing medicine from dragon bones. Before that, it had gone unnoticed, treated by many as mere medicinal materials.

Due to its age, deciphering Oracle bone script has become a specialized field. To date, about 4,500 characters have been discovered, with over 2,000 still undeciphered. There are monetary rewards for each character deciphered, reaching up to 100,000.

What truly caught Xu Chunliang's attention was the content of the writing. Though incomplete, he could tell it pertained to cultivation techniques.

Curious, Xu Chunliang examined other books on the shelf but found nothing similar after going through several volumes.

"Chunliang, still not asleep?" Xu Changshan noticed the study's light was on and came to check, thinking of Xu Chunliang still as a child. It's never good for young people to stay up late.

Xu Chunliang laughed, "I'm just going to sleep. By the way, Grandpa, I found this in a book." He handed over the piece of dragon bone.

After taking a glance, Xu Changshan remarked, "A dragon bone!"

"There's Oracle bone script on it."

Xu Changshan nodded. He actually noticed the script years ago, as these dragon bones were heirlooms. Upon discovering the script, he reported it to the cultural relics management department and donated over a thousand Oracle inscribed pieces, earning an honorary certificate. The dragon bone in the book was likely an oversight.

"Grandpa, can you read the characters?"

Xu Changshan shook his head, saying, "I'm not an archaeologist and have no research in Oracle bone script. When I discovered these characters, I wasn't sure they were Oracle script, so I made rubbings and consulted experts."

"Do you have rubbings?"

"Yes, a few. The purpose was to keep them as a memory. If you hadn't mentioned this, I would have almost forgotten."

After searching the shelves for a while, he found some yellowing rubbings of about a hundred characters. Xu Chunliang unfolded them and, as expected, they confirmed his suspicions. The dragon bones recorded sections of the "Inner Canon of Huangdi."

The existing "Inner Canon of Huangdi" comprises "Suwen" and "Lingshu." Xu Chunliang's previous era acknowledged this, with the consensus that "Inner Canon of Huangdi" was compiled over time by multiple authors. Its initial composition stems from the Warring States period, with later chapters formed during the Han dynasty.

Xu Chunliang knew that the complete "Inner Canon of Huangdi" should consist of three parts. Besides "Suwen" and "Lingshu," there was the "Tianyuan" chapter, which detailed methods for disease prevention and body strengthening, dating back to pre-Spring and Autumn when the concept of Huaxia didn't exist.

Rumor has it that the "Tianyuan" chapter enabled the cultivation of the body's meridians to optimal states. It's said that a medical expert destroyed the "Tianyuan" chapter, fearing that if everyone practiced it, there would be no need for doctors, thus relegating "Suwen" and "Lingshu" to their proper roles.

Tianyuan provided unique cultivation methods, like "Returning to the Source," which could revert the body's meridians to a newborn state, analogous to a system restart, attracting practitioners of martial arts who often spoke of training from the womb as the ideal state, with "Tianyuan" achieving similar effects.

Currently, the slow progress Xu Chunliang faces in cultivating the "Tianjing Treasure" is due to his body's meridians having matured over twenty-two years affected by the surrounding environment.

Unfortunately, there were only three rubbings, totaling 137 characters, insufficient for a full picture. When inquiring about the remaining oracle bones, Xu Changshan was uncertain. He contacted the cultural relics department through an expert, Bai Mushan, who was a history professor at Dongzhou Normal University at the time.

The donation occurred over twenty years ago, and Xu Changshan hadn't contacted Bai Mushan for a long time and didn't know if he still taught at the university.

Elder Xu wasn't aware of the bones' significant value. If he had known they contained the "Tianyuan" chapter of the "Inner Canon of Huangdi," he might have reconsidered the donation, or at least made full copies of the engraved text.

Approaching midnight, the elder urged him to rest up for work the next day.

Xu Chunliang lay in bed, still pondering the issue. "Tianyuan" was essentially the origin of all Qi cultivation, vital to his mastery of the "Tianjing Treasure."

He picked up his phone to search Bai Mushan. With the internet, researching someone is easy.

Information showed Bai Mushan, male, 55 years old, a famous historian and ancient linguist, presently at Nanjiang Normal University's history department.

Pictures online showed Bai Mushan appearing much younger than his actual age, with an elegant and refined demeanor. Xu Chunliang resolved to visit him in the provincial capital soon.

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