Chapter 43: 43: Starving the Tumor
Chapter Forty-Three
Before he had the Spirit Eye, Long Xiaoshan was also uncertain about performing acupuncture in the brain, after all, the brain is such a delicate organ, and any issues could lead to serious consequences.
However, now he could use Clairvoyance to see, as if his eyes were a CT scan.
Even more powerful than a scan, he could see deep inside.
So he was much more confident when inserting the needles.
He carefully severed the blood supply to the tumor, bit by bit.
Because the blood vessels were fine and numerous, he was very cautious.
Shangguan Baihe watched Long Xiaoshan insert needle after needle, his movements extremely skilled, recognizing that Long Xiaoshan indeed possessed medical skills. Unexpectedly, this little farmer could raise the finest medicinal shrimp and also have medical knowledge. Of course, she was not yet at ease.
After all, it was a tumor, and she had never heard of one being cured simply with acupuncture.
After a while, several more people entered the intensive care unit, including an elderly man in his fifties or sixties, whom everyone was calling 'Dean'.
Seeing that the dean of the People's Hospital had arrived, Shangguan Baihe stepped forward to explain.
She assured the Dean that if anything went wrong, the hospital would not be held responsible.
The Dean nodded along with Shangguan Baihe. Now that the procedure had started, it was certainly not possible to stop it, so he too watched from the sidelines. To his surprise, he found Long Xiaoshan's technique to be very impressive; he himself had a background in traditional Chinese medicine before also studying Western medicine.
The young man was only so many years old, yet his acupuncture skills were already remarkable.
However, no matter how skilled the acupuncture, it probably wouldn't be effective in treating a tumor, he thought.
As the dean of the People's Hospital, he was not optimistic about Long Xiaoshan's treatment.
Long Xiaoshan spent a full half hour before finally removing the needles from Su Wan's brain. By then, Su Wan had fallen asleep, and he, drenched in sweat, declared, "It's done, I need to rest."
This session of acupuncture was extremely draining, as he cut off every blood vessel leading to the tumor.
It exhausted him immensely.
"It's cured just like that?" The attending doctor sneered, "If the tumor is gone just like this, I might as well quit my job as a doctor."
Long Xiaoshan said, "Wait until Sister Su wakes up, then we can do an examination to see."
He was too tired to speak much, and he sat down on a chair to the side.
Shangguan Baihe, of course, hoped that Su Wan would recover, but she found it hard to believe, and could only wait. Half an hour later, Su Wan woke up, exclaiming, "I can see with my eyes!"
Her vision had been blurry due to the pressure on her optic nerve, but now she could clearly see everything around her.
"I can really see!"
Shangguan Baihe hurriedly arranged for a head CT scan.
When the exam report came out, everyone was shocked.
The tumor in Su Wan's brain had originally been the size of an egg but had now shrunk by half. Although it was too early to declare a complete recovery, it was clear to any observer that the tumor had not shrunk by half on its own; it had to be the result of Long Xiaoshan's acupuncture.
Seeing her own exam report, Su Wan was also overwhelmed with emotion. She grabbed Long Xiaoshan's hand, saying, "Xiaoshan, thank you. Without you, I really, really wouldn't know what to do?"
Tears streamed down Su Wan's face.
Her previous optimism had been forced; who wouldn't be scared facing a brain tumor and the risk of blindness?
Su Wan was no different. At only twenty-something years old and responsible for her family's livelihood, the threat of the tumor to her life, let alone blindness, would have ruined her entire life.
So now, discovering that she might recover, her inner worries and fears exploded, turning into tears of joy and excitement.
"Sister Su, there's no need for formalities with me, and I'm also at fault. If I had treated you earlier, there wouldn't have been so much trouble," said Long Xiaoshan.
"It's my fault for not believing in you, it's my own mistake," said Su Wan.
"Oh, you two, stop passing the blame back and forth," Shangguan Baihe laughed. "I can't stand watching this. But Xiaoshan, there shouldn't be any problems now, right? Half of the tumor is still there."
"No problem. According to the situation, it should shrink away within three days," Long Xiaoshan said. "I'll keep an eye on it."
"That's good, who would have thought, you, a little farmer, really have some skills."
Shangguan Baihe praised.
As they were talking, the door to the intensive care unit opened and the Dean, accompanied by several doctors, walked in.
Seeing Long Xiaoshan, the eyes of the Dean of the People's Hospital lit up. He hurried over and took Long Xiaoshan's hand, saying, "Little Genius Doctor, you've created a miracle!"
No wonder his eyes were shining. To those in the medical field, the difficulty of this is more apparent. A brain tumor that requires craniotomy was actually cured with just a needle without surgery—it's truly a miracle for medicine.
Shangguan Baihe pointed at one of the doctors and said mockingly, "Didn't you say that if he could cure it, you would no longer be a doctor?"
That doctor was the attending physician from before, who was very rude to Long Xiaoshan.
Shangguan Baihe's mockery made his face turn shades of red and white. He walked up to Long Xiaoshan and gave a deep bow, saying, "I'm sorry, Divine Doctor, I was wrong before."
"It's okay, you were being responsible, there was nothing wrong," Long Xiaoshan said nonchalantly.
He wasn't like Shangguan Baihe who liked to be confrontational.
After all, he was a little farmer at heart, still simple and unpretentious, willing to forgive when he could. But, of course, that was a different story when it came to matters of principle.
"Divine Doctor, can you explain how you treated it? This is a miracle in medicine; it could benefit humanity," the Dean said somewhat excitedly.
"I used a needle to cut off the tumor's nutrient supply, preventing it from absorbing nutrients from the body, causing the tumor to starve to death," Long Xiaoshan explained.
The Dean was left dumbfounded after hearing this.
He certainly understood the principle. Tumors rely on human nutrition to grow, but cutting off the tumor's nutrient supply was no simple matter. Even surgery couldn't achieve that; only removal could.
"You, how did you do it? The tumor is connected to so many blood vessels in the body, how could you possibly cut off its supply?" asked the Dean, in disbelief.
Long Xiaoshan just smiled and didn't say anything.
Shangguan Baihe snorted coldly, "Dean, aren't you asking too many questions?"
She didn't care about the other party's status and spoke her mind, leaving the Dean looking awkward. He then said, "I know it's rather presumptuous to ask, but this could be a major breakthrough in the history of medicine."
Long Xiaoshan wasn't sure if the Dean had an ulterior motive, but even if this Dean had no personal agenda, he couldn't disclose the secrets. It was a technique taught by Master Chang who had instructed him not to share it.
"I'm sorry, my acupuncture is proprietary," Long Xiaoshan stated.
The Dean nodded with regret, understanding that such an incredible medical technique would naturally be kept confidential.
"The lessons are not lightly passed on, I understand, truly," he said.
"However, little Genius Doctor, we have other tumor patients in our hospital. Can you treat them?" the Dean asked.
"That's a bit difficult, I don't have a medical practice license," Long Xiaoshan replied.
"Some of them are terminal cases; we can't be too picky in such circumstances. I'm just asking. If you can treat them, saving a life is more meritorious than building a Seven-tiered Pagoda. I'll just be making the connection," the Dean explained.
After hearing the Dean's words, Long Xiaoshan felt moved.
He was currently in need of merit. Last time, when he asked Zhang Yin for introductions, she brought a group of wealthy women who almost overwhelmed him. Moreover, those ladies had minor issues, and curing them didn't earn much merit. But it was different with the hospital, especially since the Dean would introduce him to tumor patients.
These were terminal illnesses; curing them would definitely bring great merit.
He felt tempted and said, "I can try, but I can't guarantee a cure, and such acupuncture drains a lot of physical strength. I can only treat one or two patients a week."