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Cao's daughter, aged seventeen, suddenly experienced amenorrhea for nine months. Her body gradually emaciated, her pulse was deep and solid (Chen Shi), her tongue coating was white, she felt thirsty with a burning sensation in the heart (Xin Shao), pain in the Zhongwan region (CV12), and pain in the lower abdomen and left hypochondrium that was aggravated by pressure (Ju An). At night, she suffered from tidal fever (Chao Re) and spontaneous sweating during sleep (Dao Han). Her stool was dry, urine was scanty and hot, she had a slight cough without phlegm, her skin was dry and rough, and her muscles resembled scales (Ji Ru Jia Cuo). None of these symptoms were not indicative of Gan Xue Lao (Dry Blood Consumption Disease). However, amenorrhea in an unmarried woman differs slightly from that in a married woman, and the treatment methods also vary; it is particularly tricky compared to women who have given birth. Therefore, one approach used the method of removing blood stasis, needling acupoints on the Liver and Spleen meridians, which gradually alleviated the abdominal pain and tenderness. Another approach used the method of nourishing new blood, stimulating vitality from acupoints such as Qimen (LR14), which also subsided the symptoms of burning sensation in the heart and tidal fever. After more than a month, menstruation resumed, and all illnesses vanished instantly.

One day, while treating a patient at Mr. Jiang's residence, there was an accompanying visitor. A woman in her thirties claimed that recently she occasionally felt poor appetite and requested a prescription to open the stomach. Upon palpating her pulse, I found it extremely abnormal. I asked if she had any other symptoms, and she said no. I did not prescribe a formula but told her family, "It seems dire." Her pulse beat twenty times before pausing once; after the pause, it could not immediately resume, and subsequent beats failed to connect with the previous rhythm. The Classics state: "If breath does not move for one respiration, the source of life is exhausted." In pulse diagnosis, this is called Dai Mai (Intermittent Pulse). Although there was no major illness currently, she would certainly not survive long. Mr. Jiang, due to my reputation, mystified my statement and did not believe it. More than ten days later, she suddenly died from Qi obstruction, which was actually Qi Collapse (Qi Tuo) rather than true physical blockage. Only then did they believe my words were correct.

The famous painter Jin Jianwu suffered from Xiao Chang Qi (Small Intestine Qi Disorder) in the spring of the Yichou year. His left scrotum was swollen and large, alternating chills and fever occurred, and he had been unable to turn over or change position for several days. Because I admired painting and knew his name, I went to diagnose him at the request of a friend. I needled the acupoints Guilai (ST29), Shenshu (BL23), and Qihai (CV6). He recovered in a few days and has not relapsed for over ten years. The disease of Xiao Chang Qi, although appearing to have a physical form, is actually caused by Qi knotting. Once the Qi disperses, the form disappears immediately. Current physicians mistakenly consider it an Excess syndrome. For diseases with physical forms, surgical excision might be considered, but how can one know that such diseases regenerate overnight after removal? Repeated growth and cutting will not cease until death. If one does not examine the root cause but only addresses the branch manifestations, it is inadvisable even in trivial matters, let alone in life-and-death diseases. How can one rashly resort to surgery, treating human lives as worthless weeds? By discussing Xiao Chang Qi, one can comprehend the treatment methods for other similar conditions.