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Mr. Zhang Xiquan, a Feng Shui master, suffered from pain in the left hypochondriac region between the skin and the fascia, accompanied by aversion to cold and fever. He was prescribed one qian five fen of Baijiezi (White Mustard Seed), one qian each of Chuanxiong (Szechwan Lovage Rhizome) and Chaihu (Bupleurum Root), and Jiegeng (Platycodon Root), along with half a qian each of Guizhi (Cinnamon Twig) and Gancao (Licorice Root). Decocted in water and taken orally, his condition improved by half. The next day, Bazhen Tang (Eight-Treasure Decoction) was used with Qingpi (Tangerine Peel) as the principal herb, Muxiang (Aucklandia Root) as the assistant herb, and Chaihu (Bupleurum Root) as the guiding herb. One dose resulted in complete recovery.

My clan nephew Yun Yue suffered from hernia testicularis (unilateral scrotal swelling), with distension and pain in the umbilical-abdominal region and Yaoshu (Lumbar region). His left Guan pulse was wiry, large, and forceful. He was given half a qian each of Xiaohuixiang (Fennel Fruit), Gancao (Licorice Root), Cangzhu (Atractylodes Rhizome), Yizhiren (Bitter Apricot Seed), and Fangfeng (Saposhnikovia Root); one qian each of Litchi He (Lychee Seed), Juhe (Tangerine Seed), Tangqiuzi (likely a local variant or typo for similar seed), and Chaihu (Bupleurum Root); and seven fen each of Shanzhi (Gardenia Fruit) and Qingpi (Tangerine Peel). After ingestion, the pain remained unchanged, and the pulse became rapid. Suspecting the development of Nangyong (Scrotal Abscess), urgent detoxification was employed. Five qian of Gualou (Trichosanthes Fruit), one qian each of Danggui (Angelica Sinensis Root), Gancaojie (Licorice Knuckle), and Jinyinhua (Honeysuckle Flower), along with seven fen each of Lianqiao (Forsythia Fruit), Chaihu (Bupleurum Root), and Qingpi (Tangerine Peel) were decocted in water and administered. The pain ceased, and the swelling subsided. However, due to premature consumption of chicken and fish, the umbilical-abdominal region became distended and painful again the next day, accompanied by fever and insomnia. The wiry pulse had completely disappeared after the resolution of the scrotal swelling but reappeared. The prescription was changed to two qian each of Shanzha (Hawthorn Fruit) and Gualou (Trichosanthes Fruit), eight fen each of Jinyinhua (Honeysuckle Flower), Chaihu (Bupleurum Root), and Lianqiao (Forsythia Fruit), five fen each of Gancaojie (Licorice Knuckle), Huanglian (Coptis Rhizome), and Danggui (Angelica Sinensis Root), and seven fen of Qingpi (Tangerine Peel). Two doses led to recovery.

A woman, in the prime of youth, contracted Biyuan (Nasal Sinusitis) due to exterior deficiency making her susceptible to Wind-Cold invasion. She suffered from incessant clear nasal discharge, dizziness, frequent pain in both temporal regions, and sneezing. Her Cun pulses on both sides were surging and large. Qinjiao (Gentiana Macrophylla Root), Jiuhuangqin (Scutellaria Root processed with wine), Sangbaipi (Mulberry Bark), and Madouling (Aristolochia Root) were each prescribed at eight fen; Baishao (White Peony Root) at one qian; Huashi (Talcum) and Shigao (Gypsum Fibrosum) at two qian each; Zhike (Bitter Orange Fruit) and Manjingzi (Vittex Seed) at five fen each; and Gancao (Licorice Root) at three fen. Four doses stopped the nasal discharge and cured the disease.

Mr. Cheng Liangfeng had a slight estrangement with his nephew. After drinking at his nephew's house one evening, he returned feeling abdominal fullness and restless nausea/vomiting. The next day, his eyeballs and complexion turned yellow, accompanied by aversion to cold and fever. It was mid-autumn, the season prone to malaria and dysentery epidemics. Physicians treated him for malaria, resulting in heat in the five centers (palms, soles, and chest), afternoon tidal fever, irritability, a sensation of wanting to vomit without actually doing so, epistaxis, abdominal pain, black stools like ink, and vomiting of black blood resembling rotten pig lung, approximately one bowl in volume. Some suggested that given the nature of the vomitus and the black stool, it resembled poisoning by Gu (a mythical venomous creature or toxin), leading to suspicion that the nephew had poisoned him. Just as he was about to confront his nephew, my second son Tailai happened to be at their residence. He gently spoke to the young masters of the household: "Your father's condition is curable. Yet, instead of focusing on treating the illness, you are engaged in disputes. This is neglecting the important for the trivial." The Cheng family, not initially eager to invite me, sent their trusted acquaintances to examine him. They observed golden-yellow eyeballs, an orange-skin-like complexion, an abdomen distended like a bucket, a hard stone-like mass the size of a plate within, edema below both feet, cold limbs, red urine, and loss of appetite. Everyone looked at each other in dismay and declined to prescribe medicine. Hearing this, the whole family wailed all night, ready to fight. Tailai said again: "My father may not be sharp-witted, but his knowledge is no inferior to yours. He returned from Huayang yesterday; if you invite him to diagnose, there will surely be an explanation." The family happily urged me to visit. His pulse was choppy on the left and slippery on the right. I stated: "A slippery pulse indicates Phlegm-Fluid retention, while a choppy pulse indicates Blood Stasis. The vomited and excreted materials are signs of stasis, definitely not Gu poisoning. If treated earlier, such suspicion and weeping would have been avoided." Liangfeng asked: "I have always been careful with my health; how did the stasis arise?" I replied: "The *Neijing* states: Anger injures the Liver. Severe cases lead to hematemesis; if not vomited, it accumulates. Accumulation leads to stasis in the meridians, which overflows when full." Liangfeng said: "If attributed to anger, this perfectly matches the source of my illness. I respectfully request a prescription." I prescribed three qian of Dangguiwei (Tail of Angelica Sinensis Root), one qian five fen each of Chishao (Red Peony Root) and Mudanpi (Tree Peony Bark), one qian each of Yanhusuo (Corydalis Rhizome), Wulingzhi (Trogopterus Dung), and Taoren (Peach Seed), and two qian each of Huashi (Talcum) and Qiangen (Rubia Root). Decocted in water and taken orally, a large amount of black material was excreted. Abdominal pain persisted, and the mass remained hard. The previous formula was augmented with Qingpi (Tangerine Peel), Shanzha (Hawthorn Fruit), and Jiudahuang (Rhubarb Root processed with wine). Three bowel movements occurred, expelling countless amounts of black stasis and phlegm. From then on, the abdomen gradually relaxed, the mass dissolved, the complexion slightly brightened, and the jaundice receded daily. Appetite increased, and limbs became slightly warm and vital. Only the foot edema persisted. The prescription was changed to Liujunzi Tang (Six-Gentlemen Decoction) supplemented with Paojiang (Prepared Ginger), Qiangen (Rubia Root), Huashi (Talcum), and Qinghao (Sweet Wormwood) for regulation, until black stools ceased completely. Within a month, his spirit recovered to normal. People in the village remarked that this case was not only a testament to accurate diagnosis and appropriate prescription but also to the reconciliation of the two families, dispelling suspicion and resolving conflict, a friendship of high elegance worthy of respect.