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Li Jijiang had suffered from coughing and phlegm production for the past two or three years, accompanied by a sensation of tightness in the chest and diaphragm. During the summer and autumn of this year, he was bedridden and faced death twice. He had accumulated considerable wealth through his own labor. Lacking an heir, he felt precarious about his future, settled his family affairs, and resigned himself to death. Suddenly, he felt slightly better, which is a sign that "when the mind dies, the body becomes healthy." Shortly after, he resumed managing family affairs, and his illness recurred. However, the symptoms came and went, leading people to suspect it was a non-fatal disease. Hearing that I was skilled at analyzing diseases, he was brought to see me by relatives and friends.

I observed dozens of small, raised nodules on both sides of his cheeks and immediately knew the location of his pathology. I asked him, "What disease do you have?" He replied, "Coughing." I then said, "Describe the specific sensations during the coughing in detail." He answered, "The internal conditions are unknown to the ignorant, which is why I seek your clarification."

I smiled and said, "Do you not know whether you are cold, hot, hungry, or thirsty? Observing your vigorous pulse and strong sinews, I deduce that you must be fond of sexual indulgence and prone to physical exertion. Such a constitution is prone to developing carbuncles and sores (Yong Ju). The reason you avoided them is that you did not consume rich and greasy foods, and whenever the ministerial fire moved, essence was discharged through the seminal aperture. Although you did not suffer from carbuncles, the damage caused by the pathological factors has now deepened. Look at your chest, back, and shoulders; the hard masses stand tall like chaotic rocks piercing the sky, dense like new bamboo shoots emerging from the ground, hollow like honeycombs or lotus pods, and sharp like thorns or burrs. Whenever the ministerial fire flares up, qi ascends, and phlegm obstructs tightly, various pains torment you simultaneously. You cannot live, nor can you die; you suffer ten times more than a criminal under torture, yet you remain unaware."

His expression changed, and he stamped his feet and wept, saying, "It is indeed so, but I cannot articulate it, nor has anyone else pointed it out. In previous years, I had carbuncles and boils on my back, fortunately without major harm. However, since those healed, the cough has persisted. It might be due to misdiagnosis and mistreatment."

I said, "Incorrect. This results from your sexual indulgence and overwork, causing qi to fail to return to its root and instead ascend vacuously into the interstices of the liver and lung leaves, and within the membrane source (Mo Yuan). Day by day, year by year, pathways gradually formed, waiting only for the kidney qi to move. Then, thousands of troops would rush in at once, entering but not exiting, like tides that do not recede, surging with the sea and sky. If the subsequent tides do not cease, countless people throughout history have died unjustly from this disease. It is only because your physique is robust and enduring that, despite the severity, you are not yet in immediate danger. Otherwise, you would long ago have 'broken through the Kunlun Pass.' You should return home, rest your mind, and quiet your spirit, as if dead. This will prevent the ministerial fire from moving recklessly, thereby stopping phlegm and qi from exacerbating the condition. Only then will there be gaps in the hard fortresses of your chest and back for treatment to penetrate. I will urgently prepare medicine to destroy their nest and batter their citadel, and you can be cured."

He was terrified, thinking he had met an immortal. He entrusted the head monk to purchase the medicine with five units of precious metal and promised ten units as remuneration before leaving. The next day, he reasoned that the disease had not killed him immediately and that he could go to the countryside to collect rents. After ten days of completing the task, buying the medicine would not be too late. Upon his return, however, the disease erupted suddenly due to fatigue, violently beyond description. Phlegm gushed like a spring, his voice sounded like sawing wood, his face swelled, his tongue enlarged, his throat stiffened, and his eyes protruded. He died in the countryside two days later. This was truly what is called 'breaking through the Kunlun Pass.' This person encountered a capable physician but failed to seize the opportunity, serving as a stark warning against caring for one's family while neglecting one's own body. The detailed treatment method is described in *Treatise on Yin Diseases*.

Mr. Hu Youchen stated: "Analyzing disease by observing external signs to perceive internal changes, and tracing the source from the flow, demonstrates precise diagnostic insight that is far from superficial or illusory."