True healers do not fear difficulty. Only those lacking confidence dread increased challenges. Thus, Ma Bo’s words brought Zhu Yanyi great joy.
Zhu Yanyi smiled. "The term 'parasitic herb' implies sacrifice. One life supports another. Simply put, it is a one-for-one exchange.
In medicine, parasitic herbs are divided into benign and malignant types. The 'Fuzi' herb you mentioned earlier is malignant. It requires a life for a life. Another malignant type is the 'Fumu' herb, also called 'Zifu'. This one is the opposite. It uses the energy and life force of an unborn child to strengthen the mother. When the child is born, the mother is very healthy, but the baby is stillborn.
There is also the 'Bone and Flesh Life-Exchange Herb'. This one borrows the life of a sibling to save oneself. For example, if a brother or sister is sick, they brew this herb and trick the sibling into drinking it. Then, through blood exchange, they draw the sibling’s energy into their own body. The sibling dies, and the user survives. This is also malignant.
Benign parasitic herbs use the power of herbs to enhance each other. It is similar to the 'mutual enhancement' principle in traditional Chinese medicine. One herb brings out the full potency of another, achieving the best effect."
Ma Bo nodded slightly. "Can you give an example?"
Zhu Yanyi looked at Ma Bo and nodded. "The simplest example is the combination of Astragalus and Poria. I believe you know the effects of these two."
Ma Bo smiled in agreement. "Good. You have passed the first question."
Zhu Yanyi nodded slightly. "Please present the second question."
Ma Bo pondered for a moment. "If a person has been dead for three days, but their blood is still fresh, can they be saved?"
"What a strange question," Feng Miaoling whispered from the side.
"Be quiet and listen," Jian Feiyan urged. She also wanted to know the answer.
Although the others were curious, they listened carefully, just as Jian Feiyan said.
Zhu Yanyi laughed. "It depends. If the blood is still dripping slowly, they can be saved. The most famous case is 'birth in the coffin.' Zhu Yanyi spoke calmly.
"I heard a story. In ancient times, a traveling doctor attended a funeral. He noticed blood dripping from under the coffin. He asked around and learned that a woman had died in childbirth. However, he believed the child was still alive. He had the coffin opened. Indeed, the child was alive after a cesarean section. The woman had been dead for nearly four days."
"What if it is the person themselves, with no child?" Ma Bo asked again.
"Then we must determine if they were poisoned or if their natural lifespan had ended," Zhu Yanyi continued.
"If poisoned, the toxin might have preserved their life. With the right antidote, they can be saved. But if their lifespan had naturally ended, there is nothing we can do. Neither you nor I are Venerable Yanluo. We cannot bring the dead back to life."
Ma Bo raised an eyebrow. "Your answer is too clever. But I will count it as passed."
"You cannot speak like that," Zhu Yanyi shook her head, dissatisfied. "Passed means passed. Why add the word 'count'? If my answer were wrong, you would point it out directly. I came to the Medical Realm to learn, not to play. The word 'count' is inappropriate. Human life does not allow for 'counting'. People live to be healthy and happy. Using such a word is disrespectful."
Zhu Yanyi looked seriously at Ma Bo. She never accepted a mere "count" as an answer.
Ma Bo looked at Zhu Yanyi and nodded with a smile. "You are right. I spoke incorrectly. It should not be 'count'. You have indeed qualified and passed."
Zhu Yanyi nodded slightly. "Let us continue."
Continue. Zhu Yanyi demanded to continue. From the fourth question to the fifth, and all the way to the tenth. Ma Bo and Bai Chaihu realized that Zhu Yanyi’s medical knowledge was vast. She did not just study pure medicine. She also studied related fields, such as poison, using flowers in medicine, and healing through shamanistic chants.
In short, besides formal pharmacology and medicine, she knew poison medicine, flower medicine, and shamanic medicine.
Ma Bo became interested. After ten questions, he continued asking. Mu Rongyin and others, besides waiting patiently, listened intently to their conversation.
They were also medical students. But they realized they had not learned enough. Zhu Yanyi had already provided them with countless answers.
Zhu Yanyi’s ability was evident. Mu Rongyin and Bai Haochen had only heard rumors before. They had not witnessed it directly, so they remained skeptical. But now, seeing Zhu Yanyi’s deep understanding of medicine, they realized that such a genius truly existed.
Medical knowledge in the Medical Realm was indeed extensive. Much of it overlapped with the inheritance of the Azure Sovereign Qingdi. Therefore, Zhu Yanyi did not mind how many questions Ma Bo asked. Instead, she wanted to test her own understanding of the Azure Sovereign Qingdi’s teachings.
Later, each question became a discussion between Zhu Yanyi and Ma Bo. The final discussion lasted three days and three nights. This shocked the high-ranking officials of the Medical Realm.
When the officials arrived, Zhu Yanyi and Ma Bo were still discussing.
"In pill refinement, one relies more on the alchemist’s intuition than on observing the pill’s formation. Currently, alchemists usually condense pills when the medicinal essence is at its peak. But I prefer to condense when the medicinal potency is at ninety percent. At ninety percent, there is a buffering process. This process allows the pill’s potency to reach its extreme. When the pill is successfully condensed, its quality rises by one stage," Zhu Yanyi told Ma Bo.
Ma Bo’s eyes lit up. "This is a wonderful viewpoint. I have never thought of this. Our alchemists wait until the medicinal effect is at its peak to condense. No wonder we cannot always refine top-grade pills."
"You can try it when you return. At least, I have always done this. The pills I condense are always top-grade," Zhu Yanyi said, not withholding her experience.