Chapter 33: Stunned Old TCM Doctor

Jiang Feng's fingers pressed on the middle-aged man's waist, feeling the degree of stiffness in the underlying muscles.

He looked up, raised an eyebrow at him, and said, "Big brother, don't be afraid; your injury looks fierce, but it's actually not serious."

"This is an old wound that hasn't fully healed, plus a new one; the tendons are twisted together. I'll press a few times, and not only will you be able to straighten your waist today, you'll never feel pain again—completely cured."

"Is it that simple? Then thank you, youngster."

The middle-aged man leaned forward half‑incredulous, but at that moment, Hua Jing rushed over in a hurry.

"Stop, you kid, don't act recklessly!"

He shoved Jiang Feng's hand aside, pointed at the middle-aged man's waist, and said in a very serious tone.

"I've watched his waist injury for many years! He came to me last winter; back then it was fascia adhesion beside the lumbar vertebrae, and I gave him acupuncture three times before it eased."

"Now it's flared up again, the tendons are twisted into the bone gaps; with such a severe injury, how can massage alone work?"

Hua Jing said that while reaching out to press a point on the side of the middle-aged man's waist; the man immediately let out an "Ow—", grimacing in pain.

"Look! It's swollen here!"

Hua Jing glared at Jiang Feng and said unequivocally.

"We must first use acupuncture to open the meridians, loosen the adhered fascia, then apply my blood‑circulating Paste; it must be applied continuously for seven days to heal."

"If you rely only on massage, a light pressure is useless, a heavy pressure can misalign his waist, causing pain when he sits long, making his back feel like it's filled with lead on rainy days, and severe cases can lead to paralysis! This isn't treatment; it's a scheme to profit at the cost of Human Life!"

The middle-aged man's face turned pale at once, and he quickly grabbed Hua Jing's arm, his voice tinged with crying.

"Hua Lao! Please save me! I'm a laborer; I earn my living with this waist. If I become paralyzed, what will my wife and children do?"

"Please don't let that youngster try recklessly. I'll follow your advice—acupuncture! Apply the medicine! I'll pay any amount."

Hua Jing patted his hand and soothed, "Don't worry; with me here, I'll definitely cure you."

After speaking, he turned his head toward Jiang Feng, his tone bearing a hint of disappointment.

"Kid, I admit your foundation is indeed solid; you have the material to study Traditional Chinese Medicine. But treating illness isn't about being clever; it requires steady, methodical work, not lofty ambitions."

He pointed at the Medicine cabinet in the shop, and his voice lowered.

"My Ji Shi Tang has been open for over thirty years; any neighbor with a headache or fever comes to me. It's not that I'm stingy and don't want to hand the shop to you; I have to be responsible to them!"

"If you truly love Traditional Chinese Medicine, study under me; I'll teach you all the skills I've acquired in my life. After three to five years, when you can treat patients independently, I'll hand this shop to you, free of charge."

The middle-aged man also urged.

"Kid, Hua Lao is the Living Immortal of this area; learning from him is your blessing!"

Jiang Feng smiled at Hua Jing, his tone relaxed.

"Hua Lao, thank you for your kindness. Your diagnosis is correct. But I'll stick to my point: I can cure him with massage, without waiting three to five days; I can make his waist straight and let him walk right now."

"You!"

Hua Jing grew angrier, pointed at Jiang Feng's nose, and said more sternly, "I'm talking about matters of Human Life, not letting you bluster! Do you think massage is a magic trick? Saying it can cure doesn't make it so."

"If it's just bluster, won't a test tell us?"

Jiang Feng bent over to support the middle-aged man and said earnestly, "Big brother, trust me once; if after the press you still feel pain, I'll compensate you for lost wages and apologize to Hua Lao, becoming his disciple. How about that?"

"This…"

The middle-aged man hesitated as well; if he could recover without acupuncture, that would surely be best.

But is this kid really reliable?

The man looked at Jiang Feng, then at Hua Jing, and for a moment didn't know whom to listen to.

Seeing Jiang Feng so stubborn, Hua Jing's temper flared, and he placed his hands on his hips.

"Fine! I'll bet with you! If you can truly use massage to make him stand straight and walk now, and the injury doesn't recur within half a month, I'll immediately sign over this Ji Shi Tang to you, with no transfer fee at all!"

Then, his tone shifted sharply, and he said viciously.

"But if you fail to cure him, you must leave this place at once, never speak of taking over the shop again, and stop treating patients casually in Jiangcheng, lest you endanger Human Life!"

He had no intention of taking such an unreliable youngster as a disciple.

Lest he brings disaster upon the neighbors.

When those words were spoken, the middle-aged man felt a bit incredulous and urged,

"Hua Lao, this… this wager is too big, isn't it?"

"Not big!"

Hua Jing glared, "I want this kid to know that Traditional Chinese Medicine isn't child's play! It requires reverence!"

Jiang Feng didn't hold back, reached out and patted the middle-aged man's shoulder.

"Alright! Let's bet! Big brother, relax now, don't tense up, I'll start pressing."

The middle-aged man swallowed, slowly released his hand that was covering his waist, and, nervous, closed his eyes.

Hua Jing stood beside, arms crossed, his brows knit so tightly they could crush flies, staring intently at Jiang Feng's hand.

If this kid dares to act recklessly, he'll immediately drive the person out; at worst the shop finds another, but the neighbors must not be implicated.

Jiang Feng's hand pressed again on the middle-aged man's waist.

This time he didn't press casually; he pressed his fingers together, using the pads to gently circle the swollen side of the waist with very light pressure, and the middle-aged man felt only a slight itch, not pain.

"Is… is that all?"

Hua Jing watched for a moment, then couldn't help mocking, "Are you just scratching an itch? Can that cure a disease?"

Jiang Feng ignored him, sliding his fingers slowly downward.

He found an inconspicuous little hollow below the lumbar vertebrae, then suddenly increased pressure, pressing the fingertip inward!

"Ow—!"

The middle-aged man cried out, not from pain but from a sour‑numb sensation erupting from his waist, as if tiny insects were crawling.

Jiang Feng didn't stop, his fingers rapidly tapping several Acupoints.

The middle-aged man's expression shifted from tension to comfort, and he even couldn't help humming.

"Hmm… comfortable… it's Here… press again…"

Hua Jing's eyes widened more and more, because as seasoned as he is, he still cannot see what method Jiang Feng is using now.

But the old man is also stubborn; at this moment his Mouth is still forcing it.

"Hum, what's the use of being comfortable now? Later when it should hurt, it'll still hurt—just a temporary fix, not a cure!"

But before he finished speaking, Jiang Feng Suddenly stopped his hand and said to the middle-aged man, "Brother, try Standing up, take a few steps and see."

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, a bit unwilling to believe.

"Really… can really Standing up?"

He tentatively leaned on the rattan chair armrest, Slow straightening his waist.

At first he was still cautious, but when his waist was fully straightened, he exclaimed in surprise, "It doesn't hurt! It really doesn't hurt!"