The moment they heard cries for help downstairs, Director Zhu wasted no time. “Excuse me,” he said, hurrying toward the commotion, “I’ll go check the situation.”

  The other traditional medicine practitioners looked at one another, startled. None of them had anticipated a sudden medical emergency.

  “Gao—” Elder Wan began to call out to Gao Yuan, but before he could finish, he saw Gao Yuan already bolting out the door, taking the stairs two steps at a time as he dashed downstairs.

  Everyone froze, momentarily stunned.

  This starkly revealed the difference between urban and rural traditional doctors. In the city, medical resources were abundant, with modern hospitals rapidly expanding, while traditional medicine clinics had gradually been consolidated and pushed to the margins. Consequently, emergencies were almost always taken to hospitals, leaving traditional doctors far removed from critical care scenarios. As such, even when faced with an emergency, they hesitated, almost instinctively deferring to the modern system.

  Gao Yuan, however, was cut from a different cloth. Growing up as a rural doctor, he had no choice but to treat every illness, face every crisis, and develop the instinct to act without hesitation. So, without a second thought, he ran straight to the scene.

  The others upstairs still weren’t sure what was happening.

  One practitioner asked with a faint smirk, “Did Doctor Gao just run off? Or is he going downstairs to show off his ‘little bit’?”

  Elder Wan scratched his head, puzzled. Wasn’t everyone just joking earlier? Why was this young man taking it so seriously? But then he remembered Gao Yuan’s earlier words: “I never joke about my work.” Still unsure of Gao Yuan’s intentions, Elder Wan said, “Well, let’s head down and see for ourselves.”

  With that, the group finally moved, hurrying downstairs.

  By the time they reached the first floor, Gao Yuan was already with Director Zhu in the hospital lobby. This particular city hospital lacked a dedicated emergency department, so on-duty physicians handled preliminary diagnoses. In critical cases, they stabilized the patient and summoned specialists for further treatment.

  Gao Yuan and Director Zhu rushed into the bustling lobby and immediately spotted the commotion—a man was clutching a woman tightly around the waist, desperately trying to keep her from collapsing. The woman’s body convulsed violently, her movements jerking uncontrollably as though she were adrift on a storm-tossed raft. Her face was contorted in terror, and foam streamed from her mouth.

  “What happened?” Director Zhu called out from a distance.

  A nurse, waving frantically, called back, “Director Zhu, come quickly! This patient is behaving very strangely.”

  Director Zhu strode closer and saw the woman still writhing uncontrollably. He gently placed his hands on her head to steady her, but when he looked into her eyes, he found them twisted askew, as though she couldn’t focus on anything properly.

  Seeing the situation worsening, Director Zhu shouted, “I need two people over here! Help me move her inside and prepare a sedative—quickly!”

  Several young medical staff rushed forward, and together they wrestled the convulsing woman into a nearby consultation room. The woman’s husband finally loosened his grip, slumping to the side, visibly drained, and gasping for breath.

  Inside the consultation room, the chaos continued. The woman’s limbs twisted uncontrollably—her fingers clamped into a claw-like position, her calves cramping and spasming violently. Even lying down proved futile, as she thrashed restlessly, unable to settle. It took all the staff’s effort to position her securely on the examination bed.

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  “Clenched Claw Madness?” Gao Yuan murmured, his eyes narrowing as he observed her hands. He stepped forward, carefully assessing the woman’s condition.

  The other traditional doctors filed into the room, taken aback by the bizarre and terrifying spectacle. Their gazes shifted to Gao Yuan, who was already examining the patient with a calm, methodical focus. Their bewilderment turned to confusion.

  “Is he trying to save face?” Elder Wan muttered under his breath.

  Director Zhu, meanwhile, turned to the patient’s husband. “What happened? How did she get like this?”

  The man, his face etched with panic, stammered, “We argued this morning—nothing serious! But she got really angry. Then… then she said she felt like something was ‘shrinking inside her.’ She said her chest felt tight, and… and down there too. I thought she was just exaggerating, but before I could say anything, she fainted!”

  “Shrinking Syndrome?” Dr. Han murmured, exchanging glances with the others.

  The other doctors were equally surprised. Shrinking Yang Syndrome was known to occur in men, but Shrinking Yin Syndrome? That was nearly unheard of.

  Director Zhu pressed on, frowning. “And then what?”

  The husband, wringing his hands anxiously, said, “I helped her to bed, thinking she just needed to rest. But when she woke up, she was like this—convulsing, delirious, like she’d been possessed. Her face—it was terrifying! You saw it yourselves!”

  Director Zhu nodded gravely. “I see.”

  The man’s voice quivered as he asked, “Doctor, what’s wrong with her? What happened?”

  “She’s suffering from hysteria,” Director Zhu replied. “Where’s the sedative?”

  “Here!” A nurse hurried forward with a syringe, looking at Gao Yuan, who was crouched beside the patient. “Doctor, excuse me—I need to administer this injection.”

  Director Zhu gestured toward Gao Yuan apologetically. “Sorry, Doctor Gao, we need the space. Please step aside for now so we can stabilize her.”

  Gao Yuan stood up, wordlessly yielding his position as the nurse administered the sedative.

  Elder Wan, watching from the side, asked, “Doctor Gao, were you really planning to intervene?”

  Gao Yuan simply shook his head, offering no explanation.

  The others exchanged amused looks, recalling his earlier remark about knowing “just a little.” They couldn’t help but smirk.

  After the sedative was administered, the woman’s violent convulsions gradually subsided. Her husband, standing nervously nearby, turned to Director Zhu. “Doctor, will this make her better?”

  Director Zhu reassured him, “Don’t worry. The sedative will calm her down. Once she’s stabilized, we’ll develop a proper treatment plan.”

  The patient’s husband finally nodded and turned to look at his wife. Seeing that she had finally quieted down, he let out a small, relieved sigh.

  Gao-Yuan, however, was still in the middle of his diagnosis. His expression remained grave as he observed the woman. Sweat streamed down her face, her expression still locked in a look of terror, and her complexion had turned ashen-grey. She swayed with dizziness, occasionally vomiting frothy saliva. When she opened her eyes, her vision split into two, unable to focus.

  Gao-Yuan carefully felt her limbs again and found them ice-cold, her breath faint and chilling, her lips and tongue tinged with a dark purplish-blue.

  The patient’s husband, watching the young doctor still checking the pulse, looked puzzled and turned to Director Zhu. “What is he…doing now?”

  Director Zhu, ever composed and confident, offered a measured response. “This doctor is an expert in traditional Chinese medicine. During the emergency, we prioritized rescue efforts, which is why Dr. Gao stepped aside to let us administer the sedative. Now that the emergency has passed, Dr. Gao is diagnosing the root of the illness. Later, we’ll combine Chinese and Western approaches to develop the most suitable treatment plan.”

  After speaking, Director Zhu nodded politely toward the Chinese medicine practitioners in the room.

  The Chinese doctors exchanged knowing looks, quietly pondering the subtle meaning behind Director Zhu’s words.

  Yuan Hai, the department head, also gave a small nod. While there was still a hint of competition in his demeanour, the atmosphere had improved significantly. At least, for now, everyone’s pride was intact, and there was a clear attitude of cooperation—or at least the appearance of it.

  The patient’s husband didn’t understand much of the exchange and said anxiously, "Then... please prescribe something quickly. If she starts convulsing again, it’ll be a real disaster.”

  Director Zhu responded with his usual confidence, “That won’t happen. We just administered a sedative.”

  But the moment the words left his mouth, the patient on the bed began to convulse violently once more.