Bai Mushan suggested that they could talk while eating.

Xu Chunliang was not in a hurry to eat; he got up and stood before the rubbing. "Is this rubbing related to the batch of dragon bones our Xu Family donated?" Since Bai Mushan deliberately hung it here to catch my attention, I might as well play along with his game.

Bai Mushan looked at Xu Chunliang's back. This young man indeed came for that batch of dragon bones from the past. He got up and slowly walked behind Xu Chunliang, also gazing at the rubbing, and said, "That's right, this is the rubbing of that batch of dragon bones. It's a pity that only this piece remains; the others weren't copied before the accident, and even the photographs were destroyed in that fire."

"What a pity!" Xu Chunliang suddenly turned around, his sudden movement catching Bai Mushan off guard.

Xu Chunliang stared into his eyes and said, "Professor Bai, are you sick?"

Bai Mushan was taken aback. This question was even more abrupt than the sudden turn. Was it the brashness of youth, or was he deliberate in saying this?

Bai Mushan's face was full of confusion as he pondered the other party's motive.

Xu Chunliang said, "At first glance, your complexion appears rosy, but upon closer inspection, your forehead is greenish, indicating blocked meridians and impaired blood circulation. The cold accumulates in the blood, leading to stagnation, which causes a bluish complexion. The blueness on your face is concentrated on your forehead, indicating that your stagnation is localized. Blockage can cause pain; have you been experiencing headaches recently?"

Bai Mushan frowned. He hadn't noticed the greenish forehead until Xu Chunliang mentioned it. As for headaches, he might have had one or two occurrences, but isn't that common for someone who often works at a desk? He shook his head, indicating he did not have the conditions Xu Chunliang described.

Xu Chunliang continued to stare at his face and said, "The skin around your eyes is also distinctly bluish; when blood doesn't nourish the tendons, the root cause is usually the liver."

Bai Mushan felt a jolt in his heart. He had a family history of hepatitis B, with both his father and elder brother having died from liver cancer. Xu Changshan knew about this, as Bai Mushan originally met him for medical treatment, so Xu Chunliang probably found out his condition from him.

Thinking of this, Bai Mushan smiled and said, "I often stay up late, so having dark circles is normal. My liver function is fine, and I have no other diseases. I just had a check-up last week, and everything is normal."

Even so, Bai Mushan was affected by Xu Chunliang's words. He picked up his phone, opened the front camera, and checked his face. This kid is spouting nonsense; my complexion is clearly rosy, not greenish on the forehead. Why didn't I see it?

Xu Chunliang took his phone and snapped a photo of Bai Mushan's face. Despite being a guest, doing this without the host's permission was extremely impolite.

Bai Mushan's eyebrows furrowed again. This young man was too reckless—the camera was almost shoved into his face.

However, Xu Chunliang enlarged the photo until the pores on Bai Mushan's forehead were clearly visible. "Look carefully, isn't the skin color here different from the surrounding area?"

Bai Mushan now saw the bluish tint on his face. Xu Chunliang further enlarged the skin on his cheeks. Extremely magnified, it looked like a strawberry, with a large pink base color dotted with dark blue pores. For someone as close to sixty as Bai Mushan, even the skin of a young maiden couldn't withstand such magnification.

"Your cheeks aren't healthy red but flushed. When I saw you earlier in the morning, the flush was not apparent. Now that it's past noon, the flush has deepened. This is a typical symptom of internal heat due to Yin deficiency and Yang excess."

Bai Mushan was skeptical of Xu Chunliang's words, but there was a kernel of belief, stemming from his trust in the Huichun Hall's reputation. He started to feel uneasy inside. Could there really be so many issues with his health?

Xu Chunliang offered to check his pulse. With the setup from earlier, Bai Mushan did not refuse and extended his left hand to Xu Chunliang.

Xu Chunliang asked Bai Mushan to focus inward, calm his mind, and adjust his breathing rhythm. Only when breathing becomes slow and steady can the mind be at peace, and the pulse diagnosis achieve heart-hand synchronization.

Pulse diagnosis in Chinese medicine is not static. Many renowned doctors have their preferences. Xu Chunliang positioned his fingers at the distal edge of the pulse points, aligning three fingers, with the plane resting on the radial artery behind the ulna head. His pulse-taking was precise and on point.

The pulse is divided into three layers. Xu Chunliang pressed down with three fingers, first contacting the superficial pulse, then pressing down until no pulses were felt, then gradually easing upward. The first pulse felt was the deep pulse, and the one with half pressure was the intermediate pulse.

Normally, practitioners judge the heart, lungs, and kidneys by the superficial pulse. It's subdivided further with the index and middle finger gauging the heart, the middle and ring finger measuring both lungs, and the index and ring finger determining kidney health based on the pulse.

The intermediate pulse assesses the liver, gallbladder, and spleen; the deep pulse assesses stomach, intestines, and bladder.

Bai Mushan's issue was with the intermediate pulse. The pulse detected by the index and middle fingers was taut and long, like a string being pressed. This indicates a constrictive pulse, with the fundamental reason being Yang deficiency and substantial cold. The string pulse is closely tied to the liver, leading Xu Chunliang to surmise his condition lay in the liver.

Xu Chunliang's real intent in offering to check Bai Mushan's pulse was not to diagnose his illness but to understand Bai Mushan's nature through this method.

Although Bai Mushan had an underlying ailment, he appeared younger than he actually was. Xu Chunliang always felt there was something fishy about the destruction by fire of the oracle bones his grandfather donated. He offered to check Bai Mushan's pulse to determine from his pulse if he had any cultivation experience.

The "Tianyang" chapter can alter human meridians, reverting them to their pre-natal state. If Bai Mushan had discovered the secrets of those oracle bones and deciphered the "Tianyang" chapter, surely his pulse would have changed.

Much to Xu Chunliang's disappointment, Bai Mushan's pulse merely exhibited the characteristics of a string pulse, confirming that he had not cultivated any special techniques.

No one can resist the allure of youthful life, not even Bai Mushan.

Xu Chunliang's fingers moved away from Bai Mushan's pulse.

Bai Mushan asked, "How is it?"

"Professor Bai's pulse is complex and ever-changing. My skills are limited, so I suggest you take a trip to Dongzhou when you get the chance to have my grandfather check it for you." Actually, he had already deduced Bai Mushan's health issue from his pulse, but he was too lazy to mention it. Even if he did, Bai Mushan wouldn't believe it.

His gaze returned to the piece of oracle bone script rubbing, and Xu Chunliang curiously asked if Bai Mushan had any other rubbings.

Bai Mushan told Xu Chunliang that currently, this is the only one left, and hanging it here is both a commemoration and a warning to himself, a constant reminder not to be careless in anything he does in the future.

Xu Chunliang said with double meaning: "Professor Bai certainly benefited greatly from it."

Bai Mushan caught the underlying tone of his words and laughed, "I'm just a mere scholar, and the research here is all sponsored by others. By the way, if you like this rubbing, I'll give it to you."

Xu Chunliang shook his head and said, "A gentleman does not take what others desire. I came here only to verify a fact that has long occurred. Professor Bai, I should be leaving now!"

Bai Mushan was a bit startled. They had clearly agreed to stay for dinner; how could he just leave like that? This young man was indeed unpredictable. However, Bai Mushan didn't like to press people. He asked Xu Chunliang to wait a moment and prepared two boxes of the finest white tea and two boxes of sandalwood for Elder Xu, and gave him a copy of his newly published "Current Study of Oracle Bone Script."

The reason Xu Chunliang was reluctant to stay for dinner was that he didn't like Bai Mushan as a person. He felt that what Bai Mushan said might not be entirely truthful. The man was very guarded, and even if he stayed longer, he wouldn't be able to learn much from him. However, Xu Chunliang had his own way of dealing with Bai Mushan.

He had a bowl of beef noodles near the cultural park, rode a shared bike back to the party school. The training course at the party school would end tomorrow, and the day after, there would be an industry field trip, where the trainees would visit the Gulou Hospital. The organizers mentioned that participation in the field trip the day after tomorrow was optional, and if one didn't join, they could move freely and choose whether to stay overnight at the party school or leave.

Xu Chunliang carried the gifts Bai Mushan gave him to the bottom of the guest house, noticing a black G-Wagon in the parking lot. Having ridden in one before, he glanced at it, thinking to himself that there were indeed many wealthy people in the provincial capital, as G-Wagons were everywhere.

Unexpectedly, Mo Han stepped out of the car, still dressed in black, wearing sunglasses.

Xu Chunliang said, "Why is it you?"

"Is there a problem?" Mo Han stood in front of the car with her hands in her pockets, looking at him.

"Are you here to ask for the umbrella?"

Knowing he was intentionally jesting, Mo Han played along, "How could I not return something I borrowed from someone?"

Xu Chunliang told her to wait downstairs while he went back to get it for her.

"Not inviting me up for a bit?"

"It's too much trouble, you'd have to register your ID. Alone with a girl, if the police come to check, it might be hard to explain." Xu Chunliang joked with a smile.

Mo Han thought to herself about where his mind wandered and replied meaningfully, "It's not like you're hiding a beauty up there, right?"

"Watch what you say, this is the party school."

Xu Chunliang went upstairs, put his things aside, and brought Mo Han's umbrella back down to her. He was, of course, aware that Mo Han had something else to discuss; she wouldn't come all this way just for an umbrella.

Mo Han took the umbrella and said, "Do you have time? Let me treat you to tea?" She opened the car door, gesturing an invitation.

Xu Chunliang said, "How about you give me a ride to Longji so I can buy some things?"

Mo Han nodded readily.

Mo Han accompanied Xu Chunliang to the mall for two hours. During this time, he spent the entire 50,000 yuan shopping card given by Luan Yuchuan. Autumn had arrived, and he needed to add a few new outfits. Mo Han, having quite a flair for fashion, offered him a lot of sensible advice.

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