Chapter 22: Barefoot Miracle Doctor Zhou Guangxi

Dragon-Crouching Village. This is the ancestral home of Zhou Chen.

With summer vacation having begun, Zhou Chen returned to the village by high-speed rail.

"Grandfather!"

The old Zhou residence is a wooden house that has yet to be renovated. Originally, Zhou Xiang had intended to tear down the wooden structure to build a modern rural house, but as Zhou Guangxi, the elder of the family, is a man who values tradition, no one dared to touch a single tile or brick, fearing the old man’s scolding.

Today, the sun was shining brightly. Zhou Guangxi was resting in the shade of the ginkgo tree in the courtyard, squinting his eyes and humming a little tune. Hearing Zhou Chen’s voice, he stood up at once.

"Oh, my dear grandson and granddaughter are back!"

Zhou Guangxi quickly ushered Zhou Chen and Zhou Xiaoyan into the house to ask after their well-being, then went to fetch a watermelon from the well in the courtyard. Unlike Zhou Xiang, Zhou Guangxi—being of an older generation—held stronger views regarding gender, so he was not quite as enthusiastic toward Zhou Xiaoyan. Of course, this was only relative; he still valued his granddaughter. However, Zhou Chen is the sole heir of the Zhou line, and he intended to pass on his medical knowledge entirely to him. Previously, Zhou Chen had been too playful and was distracted by romance, showing no interest in medicine. This was understandable, as the dry, tedious nature of Traditional Chinese Medicine requires an immense amount of time to master, which is often unbearable for young people.

"Come, come, it’s been a while. Let Grandfather check your pulses."

As a barefoot doctor of the village, Zhou Guangxi’s medical skills are incredibly profound. Even wealthy individuals from Hong Kong and Macau have come to visit him. If not for the fact that Zhou Guangxi refused to charge high fees, the Zhou family would have been living in a luxury villa long ago. Instead, he required those wealthy patients to pay him back with top-quality medicinal herbs.

Zhou Guangxi is over eighty years old, but his complexion is ruddy and his hair is still black, a testament to his mastery of the art of longevity. He first checked Zhou Xiaoyan’s pulse, his eyes slightly closed.

"You’ve been staying up too late lately. From today on, you must be in bed by 9:30 PM. And you’ve been picky with your food, avoiding vegetables, haven't you? Go pick some vegetables from the garden later, and Grandfather will cook for you at noon."

A moment later, Zhou Guangxi frowned slightly, as if he had discovered something unfavorable through her pulse. There is an old saying among doctors: "Do not fear the Western doctor’s smile; fear the Traditional Chinese doctor’s frown." Zhou Chen felt a tightening in his chest. "Grandfather, what is it?"

Zhou Guangxi shook his head slightly. "Nothing. It’s your turn. Give me your hand."

The moment Zhou Guangxi’s fingers touched Zhou Chen’s pulse, a sharp glint flashed in his cloudy old eyes. "Your spirit channel..." Zhou Guangxi looked disbelieving, even shocked. "Xiao Chen, come into the inner room with me."

Seeing this, Zhou Chen knew his secret had likely been discovered.

"Xiao Chen, tell me, what is going on with your spirit channel? I have practiced medicine since I was a child and have never seen such a powerful one. It is equivalent to the strength of dozens or even hundreds of ordinary people combined." Zhou Guangxi continued, "I heard from your father that you became the top scorer in the national college entrance exam; that must be related to this as well."

Zhou Chen was curious. "What is a spirit channel?"

Zhou Guangxi replied, "A spirit channel connects to a person's soul. The stronger the spirit channel, the stronger the soul. Generally, the spirit channel strength of an adult male is like a trickling stream—steady but persistent. But yours is like a vast river, far exceeding that of an ordinary person."

Zhou Chen understood. It seemed that Traditional Chinese Medicine was truly profound, capable of detecting even the soul strength of his Ninth Level Qi Refining stage through a pulse reading. This only strengthened his resolve to learn, as it would become a powerful tool for him as he navigated the city.

Zhou Chen stood up and knelt before Zhou Guangxi. "Grandfather, this is my secret. When the time is right, I will tell you."

Zhou Guangxi was stunned. "Everyone has secrets. I won't force you to tell me. Why are you kneeling? Get up!"

Zhou Chen touched his forehead to the ground. "Grandfather, I want to inherit our family’s medical arts—to carry on the treasures of Yan and Huang that my father never managed to pass down!"

Zhou Guangxi stood up, unable to stop himself from laughing heartily, with tears of joy streaming from his cloudy eyes. "Ancestors, with Chen here, the legacy of our Zhou family will not be broken!"

The older generation values legacy above all else, often viewing it as more important than their own lives. Unfortunately, Zhou Xiang lacked the aptitude, having only managed to learn orthopedics after studying with him for so long. Zhou Guangxi was confident that with his grandson’s spirit channel strength, his speed in learning would far exceed that of ordinary people. Spirit channels are directly linked to a person’s intelligence. With such power, concepts like having a photographic memory would become mere understatements.

"Good, good! Spend this summer learning medicine with me, and let’s see how much you can surprise me." Zhou Guangxi quickly helped Zhou Chen up. He was his own grandson, and he was happy to overcome the rigid, old-fashioned ideas of "passing to men but not women" or "passing to insiders but not outsiders."

Before leaving the inner room, Zhou Chen asked curiously, "Grandfather, what did you discover when you checked Xiaoyan’s pulse earlier? Is she all right?"

Zhou Guangxi stroked his beard. "That little girl has reached puberty and has been looking at some inappropriate things. As an elder, it is awkward to discuss such topics. As her older brother, you should find an opportunity to remind her through subtle hints."

Zhou Chen felt his scalp tingle. Is this the power of a top-tier Traditional Chinese doctor with the title of "Barefoot Divine Physician"? Being able to discern such things through a pulse reading was truly terrifying.

Over the next month, Zhou Chen focused on learning the theoretical knowledge in medical texts, such as the ancient classics *Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases*, *Compendium of Materia Medica*, and the *Yellow Emperor’s Inner and Outer Canons*. He also learned the basics of acupuncture and the identification of medicinal herbs. With Zhou Guangxi providing one-on-one guidance, his progress was lightning-fast.

By August, Zhou Chen had stored the vast majority of theoretical knowledge in his mind, never forgetting what he had memorized the day before. He could also identify almost all medicinal herbs, with the exception of a few extremely rare ones. Next came acupuncture. With Zhou Chen’s incredible psychological stability, he could perform needle treatments without his face reddening, his heart racing, or his hands shaking—he was rock steady. He mastered all the other basic skills of Traditional Chinese Medicine as well.

August was the time for practice. Zhou Xiaoyan had recovered her health over the past month and returned to her peak state, though she had tanned a bit, making her look even healthier. Having finished her summer homework, she was free to enjoy the rest of the month. Zhou Guangxi didn't let her stay idle, teaching her a complete set of Tai Chi so she could protect herself against troublemakers. This was necessary, as both Zhou Xiaoyan and Zhou Yuting had inherited their mother Liu Shurong’s great beauty; even if they weren't the school beauty, they were at least the class beauty.

Zhou Chen, however, inherited the look of the older Zhou family—plain and unremarkable. He didn't have fair skin, nor the stereotypical "sword-like brows and starry eyes" or sharp features. Yet, he was very pleasant to look at; the kind of person who becomes more attractive the longer you look at him.

"Xiao Chen, starting tomorrow, we will begin seeing patients in the village. Watch carefully and learn well. There might be some important figures coming, and it will be a good chance for you to make some connections."

Zhou Chen scratched his head. "Didn't you say you don't chase after fame and fortune?"

Zhou Guangxi stroked his beard. "What do you know? These important figures can source rare medicinal herbs. Where do you think the medicinal diets and herbal wines that kept you and your sister as strong as oxen came from?"

That was true. Zhou Chen had previously seen Zhou Guangxi bring out a large wooden box containing a ginseng root that was at least a thousand years old, its root hairs long and dense. They only put a small piece into a stewed chicken, and after drinking it, they were sweating and feeling warm all over, their breathing becoming deep and steady for the rest of the night. It was no wonder Zhou Guangxi was in such good health; living to be a hundred would be effortless for him.

This made Zhou Chen think of Cai Yameng’s grandfather, who was rumored to be on his deathbed. It just goes to show that power and wealth mean nothing; without a healthy body, one can only watch others enjoy life.