Library

When medicinal efficacy is insufficient, acupuncture can be employed; if it hits the critical point (Zhongkenqing, key anatomical or energetic junction), what harm is there in inserting it deeply?

It is widely transmitted that Fu Weng (Old Man of the Fu River) was skilled in acupuncture and authored the *Zhen Jing* (Classic of Acupuncture). His disciple, Cheng Gao, sought instruction for many years before Fu Weng finally taught him. Guo Yu studied under Cheng Gao and also gained fame for his acupuncture skills. However, when treating noble persons, he often failed to achieve a cure. Emperor He of Han asked him the reason. Guo Yu replied, "The couli (skin texture and interstitial spaces) are extremely subtle; one must adapt to the flow of Qi and employ skill. Between the needle and stone, even a hair's breadth error can lead to failure. The spirit resides between the mind and hand; it can be understood but not fully expressed in words." He further stated, "Acupuncture has its measurements and limits, and timing may involve misses or leaks; thus, the difficulty of using needles is evident." It is unknown whether the Master (Hua Tuo), having attained immortality and received heavenly transmission, was also proficient in this art. His disciple Fan A from Pengcheng was also skilled in acupuncture. All physicians claimed that the back and the area between the chest and viscera should not be needled recklessly, and depth should not exceed four fen. Yet, Fan A inserted needles into the back one or two cun deep, and into the chest and viscera as deep as five or six cun, yet all diseases were cured. This demonstrates that the Master's acupuncture skills, derived from immortal transmission, surpassed those of Fu Weng and others. (Commentary by Sun Simiao)

When herbs are ineffective, Mafei San (Hemp Boiling Powder) can be used to allow for the cutting of viscera; once severed and amputated, suturing is not difficult.

Note: Abscesses and ulcers forming within the internal organs render both acupuncture and herbal medicine useless. When treating such critical conditions, the Master usually first administered Mafei San until the patient was unconscious and unaware. Then, he would incise the abdomen and back, extracting and cutting away accumulated pathogenic masses. If the pathology was in the intestines or stomach, he would sever, wash clean, remove the diseased filth, and then suture the wound. The wound would heal in five or six days, and the patient would recover fully within a month. (Commentary by Sun Simiao)

Mastering the techniques regarding women leads to longevity; consuming Ephedrae Herba (Mahuang, 麻黄) and Atractylodis Rhizoma (Baizhu, 白术) allows one to become like an immortal.

"Jin Tong Yu" refers to resisting sexual intercourse, specifically the practice of clenching the fists (Wogu, 握固) to prevent ejaculation, thereby conserving essence to nourish the brain. The *Lie Xian Zhuan* (Biographies of Immortals) states: "Rong Cheng Gong was adept at tonifying and guiding Daoist practices, extracting essence from the 'Xuan Pin' (mysterious female principle, here referring to ingesting cinnabar and lead pills). The key lies in keeping the 'Gu Shen' (Valley Spirit, i.e., the primordial spirit of the Kidneys) alive, guarding life and nurturing Qi." Therefore, when discussing techniques regarding women, people mostly revere Rong Cheng Gong as the founder. In reality, this technique was not created by Rong Cheng Gong, but by the Master (Hua Tuo). The Master merely used Rong Cheng's name as a pseudonym.

Note: During the Later Han Dynasty, there was a man named Leng Shouguang who lived at the same time as Master Hua. He frequently studied under the Master and received secret transmission of the techniques regarding women. Shouguang was approximately 150-160 years old. Whenever he bent his neck and panted, his beard and hair would turn completely white. Yet, his skin and complexion resembled those of a person in their thirties or forties. At the same time, there was a woman named Nv Sheng from Changle. Initially, she consumed Sesamum indicum (Huma, 胡麻) and Atractylodis Rhizoma (Baizhu, 白术), abstaining from grains for over eighty years. She grew younger daily, her complexion rosy like peach blossoms, capable of walking three hundred li per day and running as fast as roe deer. She often gathered herbs in Mount Song. There, she met a woman who claimed to be an attendant of the Supreme Lord of the Three Heavens. This woman gave her the True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains and taught her the methods of practice. After Nv Sheng completed her Daoist cultivation, she bid farewell to close friends one day, stating she would enter Mount Hua. Fifty years later, acquaintances from her previous era encountered Nv Sheng in front of the Mount Hua temple. She was riding a white deer, accompanied by thirty jade maidens, and sent greetings to her hometown relatives and old friends.