Chapter 70: Skill for Skill

"Sigh, I originally wanted to interact with you as an ordinary person."

"But you, kid, don't recognize talent—listen up, my name is Hua Zixian!" This book is originally published on Tiantian Kan Xiaoshuo, Zangshu Guang, ttks. tw, providing you with error-free, properly ordered chapters.

Just as Zhang Xian was excited, the fisherman with sun-browned skin sighed, then puffed out his chest and introduced himself.

"What?"

"You're called Hua Zi?"

"I'm also called Yuxi!"

Zhang Xian laughed at this fisherman—what kind of name was that?

"Not 'Hua Zi'!"

"Hua Zixian!"

"Contemporary Medical God Hua Zixian—haven't you heard of me?"

Hua Zixian glared with bulging eyes, furious.

"Oh, there's an 'Xian' after it!"

Overcome with excitement, Zhang Xian had missed one character, but after the man emphasized "Contemporary Medical God," Zhang Xian suddenly remembered—Beijing did indeed have such a figure, said to be the 66th-generation descendant of Medical Saint Hua Tuo.

A few years ago, Zhang Dongshan had taken Zhang Zhaodi all over seeking medical help, hoping to find this Contemporary Medical God, but the man only saw patients two days a week, and appointments were impossible to get; later, Zhang Dongshan paid five thousand yuan to a scalper for a slot, only for the scalper to be utterly deceitful, leading Zhang Dongshan to a fake doctor.

At the time, Hua Zixian was so famous that some people hatched schemes to counterfeit his clinic; scalpers, eager to profit, directed people to these fake healers, since few had actually seen the real one, and many patients were outsiders drawn by reputation alone.

Zhang Dongshan hadn't even realized he'd been scammed until news broke about the fake healer gang being legally punished—he only then learned the man he'd paid five thousand yuan to see was a fraud.

Every time Zhang Dongshan thought of this mess, he cursed; he never imagined Zhang Xian would today meet the real thing.

"You're really the Contemporary Medical God?"

Zhang Xian was skeptical—out in the world, identities were self-proclaimed, and this sun-browned old man didn't look like someone skilled in medicine.

"Can an identity be fake?"

Hua Zixian's beard bristled with anger: "If you don't believe me, check online—I've won the Medical Science Award, the Bethune Award, the Huaguo Physician Award; photos are online."

Hearing this, Zhang Xian immediately searched "Hua Zixian" online—the news reports and photos popped up instantly.

Zhang Xian compared a front-facing photo with the old man before him: "Hmm, the skin tone doesn't match."

"The reporters used beauty filters when they took those photos!"

Hua Zixian rolled his eyes.

"Ah, I see..."

In truth, apart from the skin tone, the old man before him matched the photos Zhang Xian found almost exactly—he could confidently conclude this was indeed the so-called "Contemporary Medical God," Hua Zixian.

"Now do you believe me?"

"Kid, let me tell you, people wanting to learn medicine from me could line up all the way to Daxing Airport—you're getting a huge deal with this skill-for-skill exchange!"

Hua Zixian sneered; due to the uniqueness of his profession and his exalted status in the field, people always treated him with utmost respect—even high-ranking officials.

Yet this brash kid had "failed to recognize a true master."

"Fine, let's do this skill-for-skill exchange."

Zhang Xian had been worrying about how to explain why he suddenly knew acupuncture—this was like someone handing him a pillow just as he dozed off.

With Hua Zixian as his shield, he could now claim to be Hua Tuo's 67th-generation descendant—knowing a bit of acupuncture wouldn't be unreasonable!

"But let's be clear—I specialize in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is far harder than Western medicine, requiring vast and varied foundational knowledge; mastering it takes at least several years, a serious test of your perseverance—if you quit halfway, it's not my problem!"

Hua Zixian was shrewd—what skill-for-skill exchange?

To learn medicine from him, first memorize every word of Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Diagnostics of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese Materia Medica, Huangdi Neijing, Nanjing, Shanghan Zabing Lun, and Shennong Bencao Jing.

Just this foundational step causes most people to quit automatically—this is one reason why there are relatively few Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors.

And those who truly digest and skillfully apply these medical classics are even rarer—hence the phenomenon: everyone knows Traditional Chinese Medicine is good, amazing, but good Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors are scarce.

"Just now you said you're skilled in acupuncture—I want to learn acupuncture."

"Even to learn acupuncture, you must first build a solid foundation—I'll send you a reading list; study it yourself, and ask me if you have questions."

Saying this, Hua Zixian pulled out a phone and added Zhang Xian as a WeChat friend.

"Alright, I'll send you a reading list too—start reading!"

Zhang Xian knew exactly what Hua Zixian was up to—he immediately drafted his own reading list and sent it over.

"You need to read books to learn fishing?"

Hua Zixian was stunned—he opened Zhang Xian's reading list.

Introduction to Fishing and Techniques, Fish Behavior and Fishing Techniques, Complete Guide to Fishing Bait Formulations and Preparation, Platform Fishing Practical Techniques, Black Pit Fishing Practical Manual, Reservoir Fishing Techniques...

The books Zhang Xian sent him were even more numerous than the ones he'd sent Zhang Xian!

"Old Hua, every trade has its own secrets—fishing is a sport blending natural science, physical skill, and strategic thinking; if you want to catch fish every day like me, you must learn comprehensively—from foundational theory, specialized techniques, fish behavior, equipment science, to scenario application!"

"Enough talk—another fish is biting!"

As he spoke, the float plunged rapidly—Zhang Xian reeled in quickly; the fish wasn't large, but weighed five or six jin.

Watching the carp leap and splash on the water's surface, Hua Zixian grew envious—he picked up the landing net and helped haul it in.

"You said you catch fish every day—aren't you just bragging?"

Hua Zixian was skeptical—how could he know if the kid was just lucky today?

"What's there to brag about? If you don't believe me, sit here and watch—I'll take you somewhere later; then you'll see whether my claim of catching fish every day is true or not."

Zhang Xian planned to show this Medical God a thing or two—and have him help distribute the fish, so Zhang Xian could focus more on chatting with young women and married ladies.

Then, besides admiring silk-stockinged legs, he could also casually count how many red threads were above their heads.

"Fine, I'll fish with you all day!"

Hua Zixian wanted to see if this young man was bluffing—if he truly caught fish every day, Hua Zixian would buy every book he recommended.

So Hua Zixian sat down beside Zhang Xian, occasionally helping him with the landing net.

By the time evening came, both fish boxes Zhang Xian had brought were completely full. Hua Zixian counted them — there were 38 fish in total, and the biggest one weighed 16.4 jin.

Whether it was an everyday rod-breaking bonanza Hua Zixian couldn't yet confirm, but Zhang Xian's haul today exceeded his catch over the past two months combined — especially considering the two of them were fishing in the very same river.

This was just too bizarre!