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Dairen passed through Caonan to visit relatives. An uncle by marriage (cousin on the mother's side) suffered from dry and obstructed defecation, with no other symptoms. He usually dared not eat until full; if he did, his stool became extremely difficult to pass, hard as needles or stones, and he might only defecate once every three to five days. His vision would be filled with floating spots (asthenopia), blood would flow from his nose, and pain would radiate from the anus to the large intestine. When the pain reached its peak, he would faint. Taking medicine made the condition worse. He had used harsh purgatives such as Crotonis Fructus (Badou), Genkwa Flos (Yuanhua), and Kansui Radix (Gansui). Overuse left him exhausted, and when the diarrhea stopped, the dryness returned. This persisted for years, so he feared the violent nature of the medicines and refused to take them, lying in bed waiting for death. Dairen examined his pulses at both wrists and found them slippery, solid, and forceful. He administered Da Cheng Qi Tang (Major Order the Qi Decoction) to purge the bowels, followed by Shen Gong Wan (Divine Efficacy Pill) and Ma Ren Wan (Hemp Seed Pill). He advised the patient to consume spinach, Okra leaves (Malva verticillata), and soups made from pig and sheep blood. Within a hundred-plus days, the patient regained robust health. Relatives and acquaintances were astonished. Alas! Incompetent physicians do not know that dryness is divided into four types: dryness on the exterior causes skin wrinkling and scaling; dryness in the interior causes depletion of essence and blood; dryness in the upper jiao causes scorching dryness of the throat and nose; dryness in the lower jiao causes obstruction of urination and defecation. Diseases caused by dryness are transformations of the Yangming channel. Due to cold water and scant fluids, such conditions arise. However, purgation can be used, provided one selects appropriate herbs. Crotonis Fructus (Badou) can purge cold accumulation; Kansui Radix (Gansui) and Genkwa Flos (Yuanhua) can purge damp accumulation; Rhizoma Rhei (Dahuang) and Natrii Sulfas (Puxiao) can purge dry accumulation. The Neijing states: "Acrid flavors moisten, salty flavors soften." The Zhouli states: "Use slippery substances to nourish the orifices."

Dairen passed through Dongqi, where a woman suffered from dry and obstructed defecation and dribbling, painful urination. She had been unable to conceive for half her life. Only by regularly taking herbs to promote bowel movement could she defecate freely; stopping the medication led to immediate constipation. She suddenly became pregnant, but between the fourth and fifth months, doctors prohibited the use of laxatives. Her defecation became difficult as usual. Straining during defecation caused miscarriage. This happened three times. On her next pregnancy, after three or four months, around the new moon or full moon, her urination became obstructed and painful, and the fetus was lost again. She then sought out Dairen. Dairen examined her pulses at both wrists and found them slippery and large. Although the pulses were slippery and large, because she was pregnant, he dared not use aggressive purgation abruptly. Instead, he treated her with dietary therapy, using alkali (specifically flower ash/alkali) to boil spinach and okra leaves, preparing vegetables from Plantaginis Semen Sprout (Cheqianzi miao), and making soup with pig and sheep blood. After eating this regimen for half a year, she successfully delivered a child, and her dryness disease was cured. Dairen said, "I have often seen pregnant women suffering from tenesmus and straining due to constipation, which severely damages the fetus. Those cured by the aforementioned methods are countless. Physicians who are bound by conventional prohibitions and cannot adapt are not true physicians, nor have they truly studied medicine. Few people understand medicine; this is difficult to explain."