94 Divine Physician Bian Que

Among the names Luanyi had drawn up, Hua Tuo was the hardest to recruit. The very fact that the old man roamed the world without a fixed dwelling gave Li Zhuang no small headache.

After great trouble and the mobilization of more than a hundred believers to search far and wide, they finally found him in Xinyang County, Runan Commandery, Yuzhou. Li Zhuang then went there in person, wearing out his tongue with every persuasion he could think of: the summons of the Holy Mother, the call of the King of Jinan, an invitation to a savior of the age. He tried every method under heaven, but that stubborn old man refused all offers, saying he was used to a wandering life and had no wish to remain long in any one place, and no matter what, he would not come to Jinan with Li Zhuang.

Li Zhuang grew frantic. In the end, he simply threw caution to the winds, bound Hua Tuo hand and foot, and dragged him forcibly to Jinan. He was now being held under house arrest in the Great Cathedral of Saint Nuwa.

When Luanyi heard that the great divine physician Hua was still imprisoned by his own men, he could not help but be startled, and worry quietly rose in his heart: if this matter offended the old physician and aroused his dislike for the Church, that would be most unfortunate.

He hurriedly took leave of Wu Tian, then led Xu Shu, Dian Wei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, and their families at full gallop to Licheng.

Within half a day they reached the foot of Mount Li, the central temple of the Holy Mother Church, the Great Cathedral of Saint Nuwa. After instructing Dian Wei to see to the proper lodging of Xu Shu and his mother, as well as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, and their families, he rushed straight to the rear courtyard. Guided by a believer, he came to the large chamber where Hua Tuo was confined. He straightened his clothes, lightly wiped the dust from his face with a fine silk handkerchief, and pushed the door open.

The spacious room was utterly silent. A man in gray robes, with a head of black hair, sat cross-legged with his back to the door. No doubt, this was the divine physician Hua Tuo.

From his appearance, Hua Tuo seemed to be only around forty, much younger than Luanyi had imagined. Seated in the chair, he narrowed his eyes to a slit and was resting them in meditation.

Luanyi stepped forward, bowed with composed dignity, and said respectfully, "I am Luanyi of Yingchuan. I greet Master Hua Tuo!"

When the greeting was done, silence stretched on for a long while, and the other man gave no response, instead mounting a wordless protest.

The corners of Luanyi's mouth lifted. He understood that with someone like this, the more one talked, the more stubborn the other side became. So he said no more. He pulled over a chair, sat down brazenly opposite Hua Tuo, and, copying him, folded his legs on the seat, brought the tips of his fingers together, formed a hollow circle with his thumbs and forefingers, and closed his eyes in thought in the manner of a little monk at prayer.

This tactic of answering silence with silence truly worked. Half an hour later, Hua Tuo finally could not hold out any longer. He opened his eyes, studied Luanyi for a while, and questioned him sharply. "Bound with ropes, imprisoned within four walls, is this how Mr. Ziqi treats a guest?"

Luanyi slowly opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting, his white teeth showing. He rose, bowed deeply, and apologized. "Binding Master Hua and bringing you to Jinan was not my intention. My subordinates acted on impulse. I beg your indulgence, Master Hua!"

"Indulgence?" Hua Tuo snorted and asked again in displeasure, "Mr. Ziqi went to so much trouble to bring me here. What exactly is your purpose?"

"To seek medical treatment!"

"Oh?" Hua Tuo gave a cold laugh. To help someone get medical care, he had mobilized so many people and committed such an insolent deed. So Luanyi was nothing special after all. What was he different from the many overbearing warlords of the Han? "Which member of your family is ill?"

"Not one of my family members!"

"Then who is it?" Hua Tuo was still baffled when Luanyi said solemnly, "I am not asking for one person. I implore Master Hua Tuo to treat the ailments of all living beings under heaven."

Hua Tuo's expression sobered slightly. "What do you mean by that, Mr. Ziqi?"

"Let me ask Master Hua this: among the common people of the Han, are many dying every year from illness?"

Hua Tuo replied, "Of course there are countless such deaths. In Yuzhou alone, nearly three thousand people died last year from colds, fevers, and other ailments."

Luanyi said, "Then by that calculation, if Yuzhou has three thousand such deaths, the Nine Provinces of the Han would have twenty-seven thousand!"

Of course, the figure of twenty-seven thousand annual deaths from illness was only an approximate parameter. After all, Yuzhou was a core region of the Han, and its population was far denser than that of the more remote provinces such as You, Bing, Liang, and Yang. In other words, the twenty-seven thousand figure was somewhat higher than the actual number. Still, even if it was inflated, it would not be by much. If one were to tally it carefully, at least twenty thousand people in the Han empire died of disease every year. For a total population of more than thirty million, that proportion could hardly be called small.

"I ask you again, Master! Why are the common people so easily killed by disease?"

"This..." Before Hua Tuo could answer, Luanyi answered his own question and cut in, "I believe there are three reasons. First, the common people are mostly poor. When they suffer minor illnesses, they have no money for doctors or medicine. As the delay drags on, a small ailment becomes a grave one, and by the time the disease reaches a hopeless stage, even if Bianque himself were reborn, there would be nothing he could do. Thus do child deaths and premature deaths arise. Second, quack doctors abound in this age, and misdiagnoses are common, causing many patients to miss the best time for treatment and die unjustly from delayed care. Third, although medicine in the Han has advanced beyond what came before, there are still many difficult and unusual illnesses for which no cure exists, and people die from them." Luanyi fixed his gaze on Hua Tuo and asked, "Am I right or not?"

Hua Tuo's anger had vanished, replaced by a worried expression. "Indeed, that is so!"

"I know the sufferings of the people all too well. That is why I have founded the Church upon the Holy Mother Faith and spread churches throughout all four directions of Jinan Kingdom. I have specially invited physicians to provide free consultations and free medicine in the churches for those from poor families, in the hope of reducing the number of deaths caused by poverty and an inability to seek treatment. But Jinan is, after all, only a small place. In the entire realm there are only a dozen or so well-known physicians, and they can hardly even cope with the people of Jinan Kingdom, let alone bring relief to the common folk of the whole Han. Therefore, I have established a medical faculty within the academy founded by the Church, for the purpose of training more physicians, so that in the future more people may enjoy the Holy Mother's free care..." Before Luanyi could finish, Hua Tuo interrupted.

"Wait..." Hua Tuo stared wide-eyed and asked blankly, "Did you just say that believers can receive free consultations and medicine in the churches?"

"Yes indeed!" Luanyi nodded with a simple smile.

Hua Tuo was astonished. "The cost of that... would not be a small sum... and you are willing to bear it?"

"Why would I be unwilling? What could be more precious than preserving a single life? To ensure that people may live long and well, I would gladly give everything I have."

At these words, the anger on Hua Tuo's face and in his heart vanished at once. He stood and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Ziqi, your righteousness is beyond me. I am deeply ashamed."

Luanyi added, "Of course, not everyone receives it for free."

"Hm?" Hua Tuo's expression froze.

Luanyi continued, "To enjoy free medical care in the Church, there are naturally conditions. First, only believers in the Holy Mother Faith may receive free consultations in the church."

"Oh." The corners of Hua Tuo's mouth lifted slightly as he weighed the matter in his mind. Compared with the huge expense of seeking doctors and medicine, the condition of becoming a believer was hardly a condition at all. If one wanted to be healed, what was so strange about taking up the faith? Besides, after several days of observation while imprisoned in the Great Cathedral of Saint Nuwa, Hua Tuo had also come to understand the Holy Mother Church. He knew that it urged people toward goodness, and that believing in it would not harm the world but instead benefit it. The benefits were not merely social; they were also great for patients suffering from stubborn illnesses. By drawing on divine power, one could kindle the will to live in the hopeless, and with such a joyful, optimistic frame of mind, the flow of qi and blood would be smooth, and when the qi and blood moved freely, disease could be driven away. "Mr. Ziqi's actions are entirely reasonable!"

Luanyi went on, "Moreover, the Church only provides free treatment to poor believers. Those of wealth and rank will not receive it for free; in fact, the fees charged will be somewhat higher than those of ordinary physicians."

"Ah?" Hua Tuo was puzzled. "Higher fees? Then would the rich not choose to go elsewhere for treatment? Why would they still come to the church?"

Luanyi was delighted. "They have no choice but to come! The physicians of the church are superbly skilled, far beyond ordinary doctors and quacks. Their diagnoses are thus more accurate, and patients recover more quickly. In addition, the church is fully equipped and fully staffed. Beyond consultation, it provides a whole series of medical and health services that ordinary doctors cannot offer. Thus, although wealthy households pay more for treatment in the Church, they receive more follow-up services, and overall it is well worth the price. And there is another crucial point: believers of the Holy Mother Faith are not permitted to seek treatment from village doctors. They may only see doctors in the church infirmaries. Anyone who violates this rule is violating church law and will be expelled from the faith!"

"So that is it!" Hua Tuo nodded repeatedly. After a long silence, he suddenly raised his head and exclaimed, "I understand!"

"What have you understood, Master?" Luanyi asked.

Hua Tuo said excitedly, "Mr. Ziqi charges the rich a high consultation fee while treating the poor for free. That means you are using the rich man's money to treat the poor."

"Indeed. This is the way of balance." Luanyi nodded in confirmation. "According to my plan, within the next few years churches will be established in every major city throughout the Nine Provinces of the Han, and skilled divine attendants will be stationed there to treat the illnesses of all believers of the Holy Mother across the empire."

"If that truly comes to pass, it will be a deed without precedent!" After saying this, Hua Tuo unexpectedly burst into tears of excitement.

For more than a thousand years, the names of Shennong and Bianque had been passed down from generation to generation, and people had hailed them as the Sacred Physician, the Divine Doctor. Hua Tuo too had followed in the footsteps of the sages, earning the title of divine physician through healing the sick and saving lives. Praise for him was as abundant as carts and loads could carry, and his reputation seemed boundless. Yet what of reality? The status of physicians was so low that it was scarcely better than that of a carpenter, and only a little higher than that of a courtesan. When he visited the homes of nobles and ministers to treat illness, even the lowest servants would not spare him a pleasant look; their faces were written through and through with disdain. Hua Tuo knew that in this world, a physician was no more than an ant, something anyone could trample and ignore.

As the years of practice wore on, Hua Tuo increasingly felt the cruel imbalance between the physician's duty to save lives and the scant respect the world showed his profession. After time and again saving lives only to receive bags of silver and cold stares, he had once even felt that he could not continue like this and might as well abandon medicine for letters. Yet whenever he heard the suffering cries of patients, he would cast aside that thought, shoulder his medicine chest once more, and set out again on the road to treat the sick.

Thus, Hua Tuo had long been torn by the identity of a physician. He could not abandon the people who were gravely ill, yet he also hated the lowly status of doctors with all his heart.

And now, before him stood Luanyi, this man hailed as a divine savior and the leader of the Holy Mother Church, who not only looked down on physicians but intended to establish clinics everywhere across the realm under the banner of the Holy Mother Faith. The outcome of this was obvious: once the Church had spread throughout the Nine Provinces, churches would stand in every region of the Han. Physicians serving in those churches would become religious personnel. And in the eyes of believers, all clergy were chosen by the Holy Mother and favored by her. By extension, the physicians in the churches would also be chosen by the Holy Mother, and by further extension, the entire physician class would be regarded as favored by her. In this way, doctors would shed their humble status and become noble figures in the eyes of believers throughout the Nine Provinces.

Raising the status of physicians was precisely Hua Tuo's greatest lifelong ambition.