Chapter 43: In the Jianghu, One Cannot Help Oneself

Ji Xiang told the System NPC about the doubts and takeaways from observing the surgeries today.

The System NPC listened patiently until he finished, then hunched his back and said calmly, "It is only natural that there are differences; this is also part of the different paths of the realms I told you about. By the way, you know that the domestic surgical field is divided into the North School and the South School, right?"

"I've heard people mention it, but I don't know the specifics."

"There is no definitive geographical boundary; it mainly refers to two different styles of performing surgery." The System NPC said with a smile, "I started out in the North School, then went to Shanghai in my thirties to do research on heart valves, where I came into contact with the techniques of the South School."

"How should I put it? At first, I felt the South School's surgeries were too dawdling. In some places, a bold, sweeping approach is enough, but they were like embroidering flowers; it was truly annoying to watch."

Ji Xiang smiled.

"But after a few months, I gradually realized the subtlety in the South School's techniques. It took a long time to recognize it, but that couldn't be helped; after all, the North School's surgical methods were deeply rooted in my mind."

"And then?" Ji Xiang asked.

"After about a year or two, I integrated them, and only after that did my surgery reach true mastery."

A simple sentence, yet it left Ji Xiang somewhat stirred.

Reaching true mastery—these four words are simple to say, but extremely, extremely difficult to achieve.

The System NPC had already reached true mastery in surgery in his thirties! This was simply a god-like man!

Ji Xiang's heart stirred.

"Teacher."

"Yes?"

"Did you also have a System Operating Room back then?" Ji Xiang asked.

"No." The System NPC said slowly, "I built it all in my own mind, performing simulated surgeries myself, just muddling through."

"!!!"

Ji Xiang was so shocked by the System NPC's words that he couldn't speak.

To have no system, yet be better than having one—this ability was simply heaven-defying!

Others relied on talent, purely human effort, and yet they already crushed a guy like him who was using cheats.

"Teacher, may I ask your surname?"

"Hahaha." The System NPC laughed loudly, "This parallel world of yours is not my world; I do not exist here, so even if I told you my name, you wouldn't know it."

So that was it.

"Getting back to the point, according to the few things you mentioned, Doctor Gu's approach is typical of the North School—bold and sweeping. The advantage is..."

"The disadvantage is..."

The System NPC explained the doubts Ji Xiang had seen one by one, and he didn't just stick to those doubts; he also "incidentally" brought up some points Ji Xiang hadn't thought of.

"Teacher, I have one last question." Ji Xiang had gained a lot; although these weren't reflected in skill points or Experience Points, they significantly increased Ji Xiang's understanding of Extension Surgery and would be of great help in learning surgery in the future.

"The doctors I've come into contact with, including you, have different attitudes toward Extension Surgery. What is your take on it?"

Ji Xiang asked.

"Let's put it this way." The System NPC said calmly, "The Plastic Surgery department used to be called Burn and Plastic Surgery Department. The main diseases of the patients were facial burns, and after plastic surgery, they would be no different from ordinary people, allowing them to better integrate into society."

Burn and Plastic Surgery...

Ji Xiang had absolutely no idea what this term meant.

At the Affiliated Hospital where he interned, burns and plastic surgery were two separate departments.

"But as living standards have risen, the masses' yearning for beauty has increased day by day. Some say this is because they are 'stuffed from being full,' but I don't think so."

Ji Xiang chuckled; 'stuffed from being full'—this was simple and crude, and even somewhat close to the truth.

In an era when people couldn't even get enough to eat, being strong and sturdy was beauty.

And when everyone is not only full but eating well, and even feels that this is only natural, adjectives like 'delicate' only then became terms of praise.

"What are we building the motherland for? Isn't it so that everyone can have a full meal? Being full is a good thing, and once full, of course, one must pursue more."

"Teacher, but I asked you before, and I saw that your take on Extension Surgery was rather vague."

"There are few doctors in Andrology plastic surgery, and in the past, most were charlatans." The System NPC shook his head helplessly, "Let's put it this way: because charlatans were rampant, it made the surgical procedure somewhat sensitive. Some doctors, to keep their reputations clean, made the surgical indications stricter to draw a clear line between themselves and the charlatans."

"This is a subconscious, helpless method. What do you say we should do?"

Ji Xiang knew what to do, but like the System NPC, he didn't say it out loud.

"As for whether or not to perform Extension Surgery..." The System NPC's eyes held a smile, "Do you want to go and experience it through Empathy?"

"Okay." Ji Xiang agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Although the Empathy system was slightly torturous, it allowed for a better understanding of the patient's condition and the success or failure of the surgery, so Ji Xiang had absolutely no resistance to it.

Although he said that, the System NPC hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

"Forget it." The System NPC said, "It's just an Extension Surgery, and the surgical indications are very strict; it's better not to use Empathy."

"Uh..." Ji Xiang was stunned for a moment.

He hadn't thought about turning into a '28-card' or anything; he figured experiencing it would be like the perspective in the Catfish incident, all from the doctor's point of view.

But the System NPC was hesitant and indecisive, finally negating what he had just said.

It seems there really is a problem with Extension Surgery.

"I'll just teach you the surgery directly." The System NPC said, "In the future, if you encounter patients with burns, bites, or sharp object injuries, you won't be flustered. However, I will only teach you Extension Surgery for one night; your energy should still be focused on more important points."

"Teacher, can it treat premature ejaculation?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Cutting the dorsal nerve during surgery can effectively change the state of sensitivity, and the success rate is very high." The System NPC said.

"It's not one hundred percent?"

The System NPC glanced at Ji Xiang, his eyes narrowing slightly, and his face behind the mask seemed to reveal a smile.

"Where is there anything that is one hundred percent?" The System NPC said, "All a doctor can do is try their best to strive for a probability. It can infinitely approach success, but until the surgery is finished and the patient is discharged, no one can be sure and say it will definitely work."

"So that's how it is." Ji Xiang was slightly disappointed.

"You still have to count on breakthroughs in basic sciences; those are things for the future. Doing the work in your hands well is the right path."

As he spoke, the System NPC turned to scrub his hands.

Ji Xiang followed behind him, step by step.

"By the way, Teacher," Ji Xiang suddenly remembered something.

"What is it?"

Ji Xiang recounted how Mo Chenggui and Gu Lao had insisted on doing rounds yesterday, as well as their firm refusal to allow the Nan Ke Yi Yuan to perform Baking Therapy.

Seeing Mo Jiaoshou's expression at the time, Ji Xiang could feel the severity, as if they were two enemies locked in a head-on confrontation.

He had no doubt that if anyone had performed Baking Therapy, Mo Chenggui would have fallen out with Dean Li of the Nan Ke Yi Yuan right then and there.

"Oh, in the beginning, private hospitals were rampant, and they only performed Baking Therapy on patients to earn more money. That thing, well, it has some use, but it depends on the illness," the System NPC said. "Many patients would undergo Baking Therapy after a circumcision, and because of a lack of sensitivity and poor temperature control, it led to necrosis."

Ji Xiang had heard a little about this, but it was all from many years ago, and he didn't have much memory of it.

"A lot of incidents happened, but they were all suppressed," the System NPC said. "Let me ask you, what happens when something goes wrong?"

"Go to a public hospital," Ji Xiang replied.

"Yes," the System NPC smiled, looking slightly helpless. "Back then, the deans and doctors of private hospitals had very good relationships with the doctors in public hospitals, because when something went wrong, they needed someone to clean up the mess, so they tried their best to solve the problem first."

"I imagine the Mo Jiaoshou and Gu Lao you mentioned have seen this many times and are still haunted by it, so they are determined that no similar situation can happen where they practice. Otherwise, once something goes wrong, you'll end up covered in filth even if it isn't your own."

"You see how the dean of the private hospital speaks politely now; that's because he needs something from others. If something really goes wrong and they need someone to take the blame, they won't be able to escape."

So that was it, Ji Xiang understood.

It seemed he didn't need to dwell on the idea of going to the Nan Ke Yi Yuan to perform surgeries and grind skills. Ji Xiang didn't want to be saddled with such a huge, pitch-black pot the moment he arrived at the hospital.

"Teacher, there is one more thing." Ji Xiang felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head.

"Go ahead." The System NPC didn't mind that Ji Xiang had so many questions; he looked at Ji Xiang kindly, answering everything he was asked.

"Gu Lao was invited to perform surgery, but I noticed that when he spoke, his attitude toward the dean of the Nan Ke Yi Yuan wasn't very good."

"Oh, that's normal," the System NPC said. "Even an Academician has times when they are not the master of their own fate."

"Hm? Even an Academician?"

Ji Xiang was taken aback.

In his understanding, Academicians in the medical field had a great deal of freedom; it was just a private hospital, and if they didn't want to come to earn money, they surely wouldn't.

But Gu Lao had come, and between the lines, he still looked down on Dean Li, which was a bit strange.

"Sometimes, one person, a few words, and an Academician has to go and show their support," the System NPC said helplessly. "Knowing full well it makes no sense, knowing full well that showing support will have a huge impact on their academic status and their legacy in medical history, but when you're in the world, you're not the master of your own fate."

The System NPC didn't go into too much detail, but Ji Xiang thought about the people and events he had encountered since he was a child and understood.

Indeed, when you are in the world, you are not the master of your own fate.

The medical industry is not highly valued, and its rank is quite low; this is also a fact.

"Let's go," the System NPC waved his hand. "You will encounter these things in 10-20 years; it will be in time to talk about it then. For now, focus on solidifying your foundation and improving your medical technical level."

"Understood, Teacher."

Ji Xiang followed the System NPC into the operating room, preparing to begin training.

Because of the experience bonus from the entire Urology Department, Ji Xiang directly raised the surgical level of the Extension Surgery to LV7.

This time there was no skill similar to 【Superior Doctor's Gaze】, and Ji Xiang didn't feel any regret.

That moronic skill, whoever wants to use it can use it; he certainly wouldn't.

Consuming Surgical Points wasn't the most important thing; the idea of having to beat down Mo Jiaoshou as soon as he started was something Ji Xiang couldn't accept.

(End of this chapter)