16: Chapter 16 Dietary Supplements

Li Changsheng stopped and turned around, only to find Zhang Youdao standing there, watching him quietly.

"Are you calling me?"

"Yes, young man, come over here."

Hearing this, Li Changsheng sighed inwardly, but still walked over.

When Li Changsheng arrived at his side, Zhang Youdao looked carefully at his face, deliberated for a moment, and then said, "A few days ago, I saw that your Qi and blood were deficient, as if you were suffering from a severe illness. Logically speaking, that was the look of death, so I didn't intend to teach you the Vajra Iron Bridge."

Zhang Youdao paused and continued, "What I practice is the Vajra Iron Bridge. Although it is a Health-preserving Qigong, it is of no benefit if your body is not up to it. However…"

"Recently, I've noticed your condition is somewhat complex. It fluctuates between good and bad. Sometimes the look of death is fully revealed, and you look like you're not far from death. But the next day, there's a faint glimmer of vitality. Honestly, in all my years, I have never seen anyone like you."

Hearing this, Li Changsheng finally understood that the other party hadn't been unwilling to teach him, but rather unable to.

As for his fluctuating condition, it was naturally due to the tug-of-war between his cancer spreading and his practice of the Eight Brocades and other Health-preserving Qigong.

Seeing that the other party could discern his condition so accurately, Li Changsheng felt a surge of excitement.

"Old man, is there any way to save me?"

Zhang Youdao looked at Li Changsheng with a complex expression, hesitated for a moment, and then sighed deeply:

"The medical path I studied in the past was of the old school. Generally speaking, there are six types of people I do not treat, and you happen to fit one of them. However, things are different now. Given your very special situation, have you been practicing some Health-preserving Qigong recently?"

'He could even tell that?'

"Yes, recently I have been practicing the Taiji Stance, the Eight Brocades, and the Marrow Cleansing Classic."

Feeling that this old man possessed real skills, Li Changsheng told him everything.

"Hmm, no wonder your complexion fluctuates. However, the results of your practice are surprisingly good. It seems that out of these few skills, you have at least mastered one of them."

Zhang Youdao was not wrong, but in the past week, Li Changsheng had already leveled up his Taiji Stance and Marrow Cleansing Classic to LV2, while the Eight Brocades remained at LV2.

"According to my guess, you should have been lying in a hospital bed as early as last week. To be able to come out and run now, your Health-preserving Qigong has contributed significantly. You must have at least ten years of foundation, right?"

Zhang Youdao stroked his beard, looking very certain.

Li Changsheng felt a bit awkward. Counting everything, it seemed like... less than a month?

"Something like that." Li Changsheng had to be vague.

"Hmm, it's a pity to have such a foundation, but looking at your complexion, it seems you haven't been using dietary supplementation?"

"Dietary supplementation?"

"Hmm? You are a martial arts practitioner following the Internal Skill path, how do you not even know this?" Zhang Youdao looked surprised, but then he seemed to think of something and said with a look of realization, "That's true. If someone who doesn't understand tries to use dietary supplementation randomly, it won't work. You are quite cautious."

Li Changsheng felt even more awkward. He didn't know anything. Although the System had given him the memories of Health-preserving Qigong, it didn't provide memories regarding dietary supplementation herbs.

He hadn't even thought about dietary supplementation.

"How about this? I will write you a prescription for dietary supplementation. Even with the Health-preserving Qigong combined with dietary supplementation, it's hard to say how long you can hold on in your current state. You try it first, and we'll see how it works, how about that?"

"That would be greatly appreciated!"

Li Changsheng was truly grateful. He didn't want to miss any opportunity to increase his chances of survival. After all, he had already seen a glimmer of hope, and now he didn't want to give up even more.

"Practicing martial arts, whether external or internal, requires dietary supplementation. External skill dietary supplementation can remove hidden ailments, while Internal Skill dietary supplementation can be like adding wings to a tiger."

As he spoke, Zhang Youdao took out a mobile phone from his pocket, tapped it a few times, and handed it over.

"Huh?"

Li Changsheng was stunned.

"What are you staring at? Add me on WeChat. If you don't add me, how am I supposed to send you the prescription?" Zhang Youdao had an expression that said, 'Are you stupid?'

Well, Li Changsheng really hadn't expected that this old man in his nineties would be so trendy.

He quickly scanned Old Man Zhang's WeChat, and then Li Changsheng saw the old man typing rapidly on the screen.

Good grief, he was using an iPhone, and his typing speed was blazing fast, no less than a young person.

Soon, a prescription was sent over.

"The prescription I've written is called the ten-ingredient decoction. It is quite common and most suitable for symptoms of Qi and blood deficiency like yours. The medicinal ingredients are Ginseng, Atractylodes, Poria, Roasted Licorice, Rehmannia, White Peony, Angelica, Chuanxiong, Astragalus, and Cinnamon. I have clearly written down the dosages and the boiling method and time."

"However, most of the medicinal ingredients you find nowadays are farmed, and some are artificially synthesized. Wild medicinal ingredients from the past still have the best efficacy."

Zhang Youdao paused for a moment and continued, "How about this? I'll give you an address and a phone number. Go there and find a Boss Cao named Cao Youde.

His grandfather was an old Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, and this kid has some of his old man's skills in identifying medicinal properties. Just say that Zhang Youdao referred you, and he will sell you wild medicinal ingredients, though the price might be several times higher than the market price."

As he spoke, Zhang Youdao edited a segment with the address and phone number.

Seeing this, Li Changsheng nodded and hurriedly said, "Thank you, old sir. If I am still alive in the future, I will definitely prepare a generous gift!"

Li Changsheng's expression was solemn; the old man had truly helped him a great deal.

"Hey!" Zhang Youdao waved his hand. "No need for a generous gift. If you are still alive and kicking, come find me then. I have no one to pass on my skills to. Seeing that you have built a good foundation, I might as well pass them on to you then.

Of course, that's on the condition that you are still alive. Alright, if the effects of this decoction weaken after you've taken it, contact me again, and I'll write you another prescription."

As he spoke, the old man walked slowly out of the park with his hands behind his back.

Watching the old man walk away, Li Changsheng felt truly grateful.

He didn't rush home. He checked the address, which was in Longgang, quite a distance away, so Li Changsheng simply took a taxi.

After about half an hour, Li Changsheng arrived at the designated place.

What he saw was just an urban village, which looked like it had been there for quite a few years.

The address Zhang Youdao gave him was a medical clinic named "Shanrentang".

This clinic was located on the first floor of a dilapidated old tube-style apartment building in the urban village. The plaque looked quite aged, but business inside was quite good.

Entering inside, sitting behind the counter was a chubby middle-aged man wearing flip-flops and a white tank top. He was writing a prescription with one hand, while with the other, he would find the designated drawer without even looking, weigh the amount by hand to determine the dosage, and then directly place it on the paper to wrap it up efficiently.

This efficient diagnosis and the speed of gathering and wrapping the medicine were almost unbelievable; he sent off a customer in almost two or three minutes.

When Li Changsheng reached the counter, the other party just glanced at him and waved his hand in disgust.

"Go, go, go, we can't treat you here!"

Well, as expected, someone introduced by Old Man Zhang would have real skills.

Li Changsheng gave a wry smile and had to say, "Boss Cao, right? I was introduced by Old Man Zhang Youdao. I'm not here to see a doctor; I just want to get some medicine."