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In the mid-autumn of the Ren-Shen year, I traveled east to Li, accompanied by Wang Songquan and Wu Xiaofeng. Xiaofeng said to me: "The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. There is a prostitute surnamed Li here, ranked seventh, who is very pleasing. We should visit her." That evening, she was invited to accompany us in drinking. Upon seeing her, I found her demeanor elegant and refined. After sitting for a while, she coughed twice. Xiaofeng inquired about her illness, and she replied, "It is just occasional." Xiaofeng said, "Do not lie. Master Sun can discern life and death, akin to Bian Que. You may ask him for a pulse diagnosis." Upon examining the pulse, I found both Cun (inch) positions short and choppy, both Chi (cubit) positions surging and slippery, and the Guan (bar) position wiry. Before I could speak, Xiaofeng asked about the pulse. I said, "The pulse is very strange. You may ask if her menstruation has started." She answered, "It started only one day ago, and there is only scant spotting." I said, "This pulse pattern indicates nocturnal emission in women of good standing, which should not be present here." The prostitute said, "Indeed. Even during intercourse with clients, I sometimes experience emission. When it happens, cold sweat pours down, and my body is too exhausted to support itself." Xiaofeng requested medicine from me. I said, "Let us leave it aside for now." Xiaofeng asked why. I said, "Metal overcomes Wood; the Heart Spirit lacks mastery. According to medical principles, this is incurable." Xiaofeng said, "She is still alive; how can it be so dire?" I said, "The wiry pulse corresponds to Spring. In the season when Metal is prosperous (Autumn), the pathogenic factor remains rampant. If we reach the Mao month (lunar February), when Wood is prosperous and Fire is assisting, Lung Metal will wither. The upper source of Kidney Water will be exhausted. Furthermore, the Chi pulse is surging and slippery. Due to excessive sexual desire, Yin Blood is depleted, and defluxion fire becomes more intense. Medical texts state: 'Yin deficiency leads to disease; Yin exhaustion leads to death.' Now that she has developed coughing, the signs are manifest. Can it be treated?" Indeed, she died in the second month of the following year.

An elderly prostitute surnamed Jin reported that her sister-in-law suffered from headache, fever, thirst, and incessant diarrhea in the third month. Her body felt heavy, making it impossible to turn over or change sides. She became increasingly lethargic, deaf, eyes closed, prone to dreams, and spoke confusedly. Local physician Jiaxiu tried various treatments without success and deemed it fatal. I had just returned from Wujiang and passed through Li on my way to visit Brothers Nanxi and Jiquan. Brother Jiquan consulted me regarding this case, stating that some physicians had administered Buzhong Yiqi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction) and others Fuzi Lizhong Tang (Aconite Regulate the Middle Decoction). These medicines were already decocted but not yet taken. Fortunately, I had arrived, and he begged me to diagnose. The six pulses were surging and large. Observing her complexion, the interior appeared red while the exterior appeared black; her lips were dry, the center of her tongue had a black coating, and she was unconscious. I said, "This is an epidemic condition. The method should be clearing and resolving. Administer Xiaobai Tang urgently, and she may survive. If Fuzi Lizhong Tang is used, it will kill her. How can such a prescription be used!" Brother Nanxi asked, "What is Xiaobai Tang?" I said, "It is a combination of Xiao Chaihu Tang (Minor Bupleurum Decoction) and Baihu Tang (White Tiger Decoction)." Brother Nanxi said, "With such severe diarrhea and lethargy, I fear Gypsum (Shigao) cannot be used." I said, "This is dysentery/diarrhea with attached heat. As long as clear Yang ascends, the diarrhea will stop, heat will recede, and the spirit will naturally clarify." After taking the medicine, her spirit revived at midnight, but urination remained difficult, and the fever and thirst persisted. Recalling Zhang Zhongjing's principle: "For thirst with persistent fever and difficulty in urination, one should promote urination." Therefore, I used Chen Sha Liuyi San (Cinnabar Six-to-One Powder) one tael, mixed with Dengxin Tang (Juncus Decoction) for administration. After two doses, she recovered. Brother Nanxi said, "Life and death are indeed determined by fate. Had you arrived a moment later, she would certainly have taken Lizhong Tang. Would this woman not have become a person under the springs (dead)!"