Qi Injection for Spicy Heartburn
"My stomach's burning and bloated." "No way!"
Cho Hyang's reaction was firm.
"I just told you! I can't eat spicy stuff!"
"Why? You said if it didn't hurt your stomach, you'd eat it every day. You like the taste itself, right?"
"Sure, but... how do you eat it without the burn?!"
Of course, if she really hated it, I wouldn't force her. That's the kind of thing jerks do. But what if I could coax her into volunteering?
"I've got a reason for this. I'm working on a new treatment idea—help me out."
"...Just straight-up?"
"Of course not. Name your terms."
"Terms, huh... Okay, how about this? You cover all my expenses while we're in Hakgyeong!"
"Everything? For ten days? That's tough..."
"Fine, three days then. But you'll pay for me to go see the white cranes too!"
Cho Hyang adjusted her conditions without a hint of regret. Was the white cranes her goal from the start?
"...I can swing that. Deal."
"Oh! One more condition."
"Huh? What now?"
"No bird talk on the way to Hakgyeong!"
"..."
Who knew Cho Hyang hated birds? Shocking. Then again, it took me three years of rural public service back home before I got hooked on birdwatching. She might not have discovered the joy of quiet observation yet.
"Too hard? Then forget it. I'll stick to bland food only."
"Fine, fine. No bird talk while we walk to Hakgyeong tomorrow... How about this dish?"
"Ugh, Suan Tang Yu! I loved it as a kid, but these days it burns too much..."
"Exactly why it's perfect for the experiment... er, trial. This one it is?"
"Sure. No, wait! Am I crazy? Why Suan Tang Yu... No, for the white cranes..."
"Decide now. Cranes or no cranes?"
"...I don't know! Fine, I'll try it once!"
Cho Hyang clenched her fist boldly. Was she scared? Her hand was shaking a bit. But her eyes sparkled. She really did like Suan Tang Yu.
"Hey, waiter!"
"Yes, sir? What'll it be?"
"Fresh tofu, wild mushroom soup, and Suan Tang Yu too, please."
"Right away! Fresh tofu, wild mushroom soup, and one Suan Tang Yu coming up!"
The waiter bellowed the order back. We sat quietly, and soon enough...
He returned with a tray piled high with food.
"Whoa..."
Cho Hyang let out a real gasp of admiration. I got it—I was impressed too.
This must be why it's a proper restaurant. The presentation alone was killer.
Grilled fresh tofu over charcoal, crispy outside and soft within at a glance. Wild mushroom soup loaded with all sorts of fungi and veggies. And the star in the middle...
"Ugh... We shouldn't have ordered this. What now..."
The Suan Tang Yu.
Broth bubbling like red-hot lava. The sharp sour-spicy aroma already filling the air. Heat radiating across the table.
For a spice wimp, that's 100% heartburn waiting to happen. Ten minutes? Nah, five tops.
"Cho Hyang, start with the mushroom soup. Eating spicy on an empty stomach is bad."
"Why're you fussing? When did I say I'd eat the Suan Tang Yu?"
"What? You said you would."
"Did I? Yeah, I did... I'm crazy. What was I thinking..."
"No backing out now. I've got dried tangerine peel powder in my bag—if it gets bad, mix it in water."
Dried tangerine peel is finely ground citrus rind. Primitive antacid.
"Sigh..."
Cho Hyang sighed at the furiously boiling Suan Tang Yu. Had she finally psyched herself up? Her spoon edged toward it.
Wow, she's actually going for it. How bad does she want those cranes?
And finally.
Gulp.
She scooped up some broth.
"How's the taste?"
"Delicious! It's always like this at first. Then after a bit..."
The body knows itself best, huh? Right around five minutes, symptoms hit. She clutched her upper belly lightly.
"Ugh, it's starting. Burning in my upper stomach, bloated too... Can't eat more."
"Hold still."
I placed my hand on her upper belly and felt her qi meridians. The Pulse-Probing Hand from the Yanluo Life-Seizing Art.
Compared to a martial artist, her qi was thread-thin, but detectable. The meridians governing the stomach were subtly disordered.
My hypothesis was simple.
If a martial artist's abundant inner power suppresses disease symptoms in their meridians, couldn't injecting inner power into a commoner's meridians do the same?
I channeled a trickle of inner power into her upper belly meridians. Focused intent at my fingertips, delicately, just a tiny bit. Commoner meridians are narrow and weak.
The effect was immediate.
"...Huh?"
Cho Hyang blinked.
"What? It doesn't hurt anymore?"
"For real?"
"That sharp pain just vanished! Well, not totally gone, but way better."
Good. Initial proof of concept achieved. But I had more questions.
"You said it was bloated too. How's that?"
"Much better! Barely feel it now."
Excellent. A few hypotheses confirmed.
First, inner power injection relieves pain. Spice is basically pain. Heartburn is stomach lining irritation—relieved, so definite analgesic effect.
The bloating relief was encouraging too. That's from sluggish gut motility. Maybe inner power kickstarts organ function?
Does inner power assist organ performance? If so, this treatment has real potential.
"No pain or discomfort anywhere?"
"Nope, none. Hey, can you do that treatment again?"
Another plus: no side effects to worry about.
Injecting into another martial artist? Endless variables.
Their inner power's yin-yang balance? Purity? Impurities? Depth? All critical to avoid clashes.
But Cho Hyang's a commoner. No dantian, no inner power. Her meridians were practically empty—zero clash risk!
"Isn't this amazing? Why don't other doctors do it?"
"Reasons, probably. Wanna keep eating?"
"Yes! Man, Suan Tang Yu after so long!"
I let her devour it happily. Wanted to warn her, but didn't want to kill the vibe.
People hate spicy food not just for heartburn.
The unspeakable agony that night or next morning is a big reason too...
Stop there. I respect her privacy.
Not that it was a "favor" or anything. I periodically injected more inner power into her belly. For a good while, until she'd nearly polished off the Suan Tang Yu.
"Ugh... Doctor..."
"Burning again?"
"Yeah... Ugh, time for mushroom soup..."
Pain lingered even after finishing. Final hypothesis: Inner power injection doesn't reverse root causes.
It manages lining damage pain but can't heal the damage itself.
Symptom control, not cure. And effects don't last long.
But so what? This is plenty good.
Patients show up with every issue imaginable. Overwhelming cases even for Namgye Clinic's limited tools? Sure.
Buy time with inner power injection for transport to better facilities? Game-changer!
But like everything, it has limits. I felt why it's not mainstream.
"Doctor, still burning. Can you do more?"
"No, my inner power's not deep enough. Getting tough..."
It guzzled a ton of inner power.
Yakwang Valley curriculum mentioned qi infusion for meridian aid.
But for martial artists, not commoners. Simple reason: inefficient.
No dantian means no storage. Infused power dissipates fast. Temporary relief only? Bad cost-benefit. A dose of herbs might beat it.
Textbooks dismissed commoner qi infusion as useless.
I disagree.
It relieves symptoms and supports organ function.
Different focus. Murim medicine ignores organ preservation.
Organ fails? Live without it. Vital organ? Die then.
Medieval murim thinking.
Modern medicine? Heart stops—CPR. Breathing fails—ventilator.
Keep patients alive until treatable. Life support.
Core of modern medicine.
Low blood pressure needs pressors. Acute respiratory distress needs mechanical ventilation. Assist circulation or respiration with inner power?
ICU medicine—the flower of internal medicine—unlocked!
Feasibility... who knows.
Huge inner power drain, obviously. Even as an antacid, it was heavy.
Full ICU? Need profound inner power. Very profound.
Can I reach that? Doubtful. Even if, trial-and-error galore.
Theoretically possible! Experiment: success. Finished the meal in high spirits.
"More fresh tofu, Cho Hyang. It'll soothe the burn."
"Oh, right, tofu too? Forgot with the soup."
"Yeah, infusing qi tired me out."
"Doctor, they say your martial arts are top-notch. All hype? What martial artist tires from a bit of qi?"
"No, it's..."
Unfair. I train Yakwang Valley's Life-Saving Art daily.
Hong Yak's body low on inner power? Or my circulation sucks? Could practice make qi injection more efficient?
Questions galore. But do I need to ponder over food?
Shoved remaining tofu and soup in my mouth. Nom.
No technique masters on first try. Needs more validation. Sample size: one Cho Hyang.
Evidence-based view? n=1. No control. No blinding. Evidence level...
"Level 4."
"Level...? What's that?"
"Means more tests needed."
"Eek!"
Level 4: case report. Bottom tier.
Weak evidence, many limits. Still, refine it, and it'll find a niche.
Especially in resource-poor Namgye Village.
The next day.
Cho Hyang and I left the Sacheon inn for Hakgyeong. A red bird swooped in like a welcome. Good omen for sure.
"Cho Hyang, look—that flying..."
"Doctor."
"Yeah? What?"
"...Remember yesterday's promise?"
Oh, right. No bird talk. Harsh condition, honestly. But a promise is a promise...
No choice. Today, chat plants instead. As an herb gatherer, she'd be into it.