This was far beyond Gao Xinhua's expectations. He initially thought that no matter what, Gu Houyi would not agree, yet he consented.

The word 'agree' was written by Gu Houyi with great skill. After all, having been in a leadership position for decades, it was among the words he wrote most frequently in his life, and practice indeed makes perfect.

Xu Chunliang said, "Dean Gao, could you please go to the Traditional Chinese Medicine department and borrow some equipment for me, so I don't have to go back to get the needles?"

Gao Xinhua nodded. Since Gu Houyi himself agreed, he naturally had no reason to object, and it would be pointless to oppose anyway. One dared to try, and the other dared to act; neither of this elder nor this young one were easy to deal with.

For some reason, he began to have a bit of confidence in Xu Chunliang at this moment. There was no need to go to the TCM department either, as Zhu Mingyuan hadn't had the chance to take away his equipment box when he was hurried out, leaving all the tools intact.

Xu Chunliang asked Gu Houyi to lie down on the sofa, opened the equipment box, and his gaze became focused and confident.

Zhu Mingyuan didn't pinpoint the location of the needle wrong, but the sequence was incorrect. The human body is like a small universe, with various organs performing their roles, each part like a star in the cosmos. These stars do not exist independently; there are invisible forces at work among them.

From the perspective of modern medicine, the human body requires the coordination of multiple organs. For example, if you have a headache, the problem may not necessarily be in your head; pain in the shoulders might be referred gallbladder issues, and heel pain could possibly originate from gout.

Zhu Mingyuan's mistake was focusing merely on the local part. Judging a doctor's skill level first depends on whether they have a holistic view and whether they can think one step further than others.

The Taichong acupoint is located on the dorsum of the foot, one on each side, before the depression anterior to the junction of the first and second metatarsal bones. It's a crucial point on the foot jueyin liver meridian. The liver meridian's humidity and wind qi rush upward from this point, and with the progression of age, this rushing force diminishes daily. Traditional Chinese medicine also records a function: massaging this point can enhance male virility in men and treat menstrual irregularities in women.

Recently, Gu Houyi has been upset, with excessive liver fire that hasn't been timely vented, thereby suppressing the humidity and wind qi, causing a blockage at Taichong.

Xu Chunliang identified the acupoint accurately, inserting the fine needle half an inch, focusing on dispersion with the needle method. The fine needle was swiftly inserted into the skin, then quickly inserted deeply to reach the qi, and then gradually withdrawn to the subcutis. Upon needle withdrawal, the acupoint was gently pressed, rotating left for the left point and right for the right point, dispelling the congested liver meridian fire.

Needling techniques are never monotonous but composed of multiple techniques.

When Gao Xinhua saw Xu Chunliang insert the first needle, half of his worry was alleviated. At least it proved that this young man understood acupuncture. Being from a family with rich heritage, even if he hadn't tasted pork, he must have seen pigs run. Perhaps he truly inherited a fraction of Elder Xu's authentic technique, and just that much would be better than Zhu Mingyuan, who was merely after fame and reputation.

Gao Xinhua indeed looked down on Zhu Mingyuan's medical skills. Although he graduated from a prestigious university, he was full of empty talk, and his actual competence didn't deserve commendation. The decline of the TCM department at Changxing Hospital was related to the broader context, but mainly because Zhu Mingyuan, the head of the department, lacked capability.

Those skilled with needles draw yin from yang, and yang from yin, treat the left with the right, and the right with the left, use what they know of others, and external appearances to understand internal conditions.

The fine needle was then inserted into the Ganshu acupoint, part of the foot taiyang bladder meridian located on the back beneath the ninth thoracic vertebra spinous process and 1.5 inches beside it. The surrounding area contains the medial cutaneous branches of the posterior branches of the ninth and tenth thoracic nerves, with the deeper area containing lateral branches and the medial branches of the posterior intercostal arteries and veins. Needle insertion here must be precise and error-free, as the slightest deviation could damage surrounding nerves and blood vessels, leading to extremely serious complications.

Xu Chunliang's needling technique changed again for the Ganshu acupoint, using the three-prick draining method. The first prick reached no qi, the second reached the vessel, and the third reached the valley, dividing the skin, subcutaneous, and intermuscular spaces into three layers. These three layers are also referred to as the earth, human, and heaven divisions by the ancients.

As Gao Xinhua watched Xu Chunliang performing acupuncture on Gu Houyi's back, his heart couldn't help but race with anxiety. What if something happened to the big boss from the needling? How would they clean up the mess? He regretted not strongly opposing Xu Chunliang's needling earlier.

Gao Xinhua was, after all, an outsider. If Zhu Mingyuan were present, he would surely marvel at Xu Chunliang's needling technique.

When Xu Chunliang punctured the Ganshu acupoint, after the Golden Needle attained qi, he exerted force with his thumb in the Fengeye Technique, twisting backwards. His left thumb and index finger pinched tight on the upper end of the needle handle, while his right little finger's nail scraped upwards along the needle handle. Gu Houyi felt numbness and soreness at the needle site, followed by a faint warm sensation escaping the needle hole, quickly turning into a refreshing coolness, very comfortably soothing.

Xu Chunliang was currently using the Heaven-Piercing Cold Technique to clear heat and expel fire for Gu Houyi. The Heaven-Piercing Cold Technique is a composite of the Xujifa, Tichafa, Huxifa, and Kaifa, starting shallowly then going deep, moving one forward and retreating three, lifting heavily and inserting lightly, operating within the six yin counting.

The third needle was chosen at the Xingjian acupoint, located between the first and second toes, at the red-white junction behind the web margin. The liver meridian's humidity and wind qi transmit upward through this point. The material at this point comes from the damp water qi transmitted by the Dadun acupoint, and after reaching the Xingjian acupoint, most of the heavy dampness cools and descends, unable to become the ascending qi and blood of the liver meridian. Only a small part of the dampness absorbs heat, expands, and ascends, showing fire's upward-flaming characteristics, hence it belongs to fire.

Xu Chunliang inserted the fine needle into the Xingjian acupoint at a slight upward angle of half an inch, and Gu Houyi felt local soreness and distension radiating to the dorsum of his foot. His mind gradually felt at peace, no longer as irritable as before, due to Xu Chunliang successfully unblocking and draining the congested liver fire.

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