Library

Scholars living in an era of decline, unable to aspire to high official positions and carriages, nor able to fulfill their desire to dwell in hills and streams, those who perhaps hide themselves to benefit the world or blend into common customs to expand the Dao, often rely on their skills to make a living. Historians included practitioners of Fangji (方伎: arts of medicine, divination, etc.) in biographies, such as Cang Gong (仓公: courtesy name of Chunyu Yi, a famous physician of the Western Han Dynasty). When Liu Xin collated the secret books of the imperial library, he included divination and medical prescriptions together in the *Qilue* (*Seven Summaries*). One determines hesitation at the subtle level, while the other saves from hardship and danger in the blink of an eye. Is it learning medicine? Or is it learning divination? I chose to learn medicine.

Between the Renwu year and the Yiyi year, I was a guest abroad for consecutive years, nearly suffering from military conflicts several times. Thus, I retreated and hung the pot (悬壶: a metaphor for practicing medicine) in the market. Was I being presumptuous? My friend Shi Ruizhang wrote a preface based on facts. However, my knowledge of Ruizhang stemmed from first knowing Hu Shenrou, who had practiced medicine while hiding among monks, and who had passed away ten years prior. I associated with him twenty years ago. Before that, the wife of my teacher, Mr. Xiong Yushan, suffered from a strange illness. Accompanying her husband on his official travels, she consulted many physicians (Qinang 青囊: a metaphor for medical knowledge), but none could help. I strongly recommended Shenrou, who indeed achieved efficacy with six doses, and after a few more doses, she was completely cured. From then on, Shenrou and I stayed as guests at Mr. Xiong's residence in Songling for one year. During this time, I benefited from morning and evening guidance and collected all the secrets from his pillow box, obtaining manuscript copies over a foot high.

In the Xinwei year, I traveled north to the Imperial Academy, carrying these books in a chest. Coincidentally, Mr. Xiong Yushan resigned from his post as Huangmen and returned home. He missed Shenrou and wished to see him, wanting to acquire all his books. I dared not keep them private, so these precious volumes (Zibian Danji 紫编丹笈: purple-bound and red-boxed books, referring to rare medical texts) moved from Wu to Yan, and then from Yan to Chu. Soon after, bandits became rampant. Mr. Xiong moved his family repeatedly. It was heard that the books had long been lost in the fires of war. Even if Shenrou had another copy, it had scattered and could no longer be traced.

In recent years, due to my friendship with Ruizhang, we often sat close together to study the principles of medicine, drawing on the strengths of various schools. Facing the vast ocean of medical knowledge, I sighed deeply. Ruizhang surpassed his predecessors, like indigo derived from the indigo plant, and completed profound works. Yet, he never forgot his origins, and his remembrance of Shenrou never ceased. Especially in the category of deficiency and weakness (Xuqie 虚怯), he held unique mastery. Therefore, he brought out Shenrou's遗书 (posthumous writings), which were exactly what I had previously received and learned. I felt both fortunate and emotional for a long time. Ruizhang then planned to carve woodblocks (zaoli 枣梨: dates and pears, referring to printing blocks) to publish them, thereby transmitting his learning and his person.

He can treat illnesses before they reach the heart and lungs (gaohuang 膏肓: the area between the heart and diaphragm, referring to incurable diseases) and drive away deep-seated ailments of the fu and zang organs. Ruizhang's practice is extensive, and his blessings are long-lasting. Ruizhang is younger than me, yet his learning probes the depths of the abyss and sea, something veteran scholars cannot achieve. Once the medicine enters the mouth, the stiff and comatose revive immediately. The space outside his door is filled with patients. His written works are very broad, and he is famous among the students. His life exists between obscurity and prominence. As for me, my heart has turned to ash; thinking that Yue Ren (Bian Que) is old, only Ruizhang can guide me. Written by Fu Yin Gu Yuanjiao.