Chapter 363: The top acupuncturist actually gave me a certificate

After half an hour of acupuncture, I put Cruz to sleep.

At my signal, everyone walked out of the room and came to the reception room.

Crook and his family all looked at me. I knew they were waiting for my verdict on Cruz—whether he could be fully cured.

I said, "Professor Cruz is in a very serious condition. He's been poisoned by a strange poison. I can save him."

Here I stopped abruptly.

The Crook family exchanged views and expressed their gratitude to me through Mr. Zheng. They also asked about the specific treatment method and how they could cooperate.

I said, "Because his current constitution is very weak, he cannot be detoxified suddenly. He cannot withstand the impact of the antidote. Now, we should nourish his body, cultivate his vital energy, and let him gradually become stronger.

This process is longer than I expected, so I need to buy some Chinese medicine to nourish myself.

Secondly, I will use cupping to remove some of the toxins. I wonder if there are cupping jars for sale in the Philippines, and where the best Chinese medicine stores are.

After Mr. Zheng discussed with Crook and others, he said to me:

"They fully agree with your treatment plan and said a Filipino proverb - whoever has the best idea should be followed - which, if accurately translated into Chinese, means 'Ask a teacher, the teacher is the master.' So your opinion shall prevail.

As for Chinese medicine, they don't understand it, but I do. In the capital, Manila, members of the Chinese Medicine Merchants Association own 26 pharmacies. They carry a wide range of medicines; any Chinese medicine available in China can be purchased in Manila.

As for cupping, that's no problem. You can buy it at Mr. Liu Qiming's acupuncture shop. I also conveyed this to Crook, and they were very happy.

"I have to go shopping myself because traditional Chinese medicine has strict regulations. For example, white ginseng nourishes the lungs, while red ginseng nourishes the blood. Some medicines must be prepared with honey. Even some pharmacies in China are perfunctory and don't strictly follow prescriptions, let alone those abroad."

Mr. Zheng grew up abroad after all, so he asked, "So strict?"

I said, "I can't be perfunctory at all."

After Mr. Zheng translated this conversation, the Crook family members had another conversation. Then, through Mr. Zheng, Crook expressed the following to me:

Tomorrow morning, they'll fly me to Cebu by helicopter, and then from Cebu, they'll fly me to Manila on their private plane. Secondly, Mr. Zheng is still asking for someone to accompany me as an interpreter; they'll send Phil.

The matter was settled, and President Zheng and I said goodbye.

Back in the room, Mr. Zheng said, "Tomorrow, I will personally accompany you there."

Then he introduced me to Liu Qiming, a famous acupuncturist and president of the Philippine Acupuncture Association. He is from Fujian and has been in the Philippines for more than 20 years.

He has trained many apprentices here. All the "Acupuncture Certificates" approved and issued by him are also recognized by the Philippine Health Department.

An idea suddenly occurred to me, and I said, "Is it possible that President Liu could pass my assessment and give me an acupuncturist certificate?"

Mr. Zheng thought for a moment and said, "That's a really good idea. If you pass his assessment, he'll issue you a certificate. It will make it much more convenient for you to practice medicine here."

"Then please give us more recommendations. We must visit him tomorrow."

…

The next day, accompanied by Mr. Zheng and Phil, we first took a helicopter to Cebu, and then took the Cebu family's private plane from Cebu Airport to Manila.

After 1 hour and 20 minutes, we arrived in Manila.

Phil dispatched a vehicle from their Manila branch to take us all the way to Yihua Mall. After purchasing the Chinese medicine, he then took us to the China-Philippines Acupuncture Center in downtown Manila.

It was the first time I met a Chinese doctor practicing medicine in the Philippines. Mr. Zheng introduced us to the doctor, and Mr. Liu Qiming was very enthusiastic and took us to his office.

I can only say that in this place where every inch of land is valuable, even the office of a famous acupuncturist like Liu Qiming seems cramped.

One side was filled with various materials and equipment. The other side was only about 20 square meters, with a desk, a sofa and a table.

Mr. Zheng introduced my situation to Liu Qiming and the reasons why he recommended me to Cruz for treatment.

Liu Qiming expressed his admiration for my excellent medical skills.

I also told him about my predicament, as I wasn't a medical student and could only treat patients with single prescriptions. However, I did have some knowledge of detoxification from a teacher.

Even so, practicing medicine is not allowed in China. Therefore, in order to treat Cruz, a special contract was signed.

I have studied acupuncture in the past. Could you please assess me and issue me an acupuncture certificate so that I can practice medicine here more legally?

Mr. Zheng added: "Mr. Wan used Chinese medicine, passed down from his teacher, to detoxify. However, many people in the Philippines do not believe in Chinese medicine. So, he switched to acupuncture. He named the Chinese medicine a supplementary drink. In fact, it is still the Chinese medicine that works."

After hearing this, Mr. Liu did not immediately express his opinion. Instead, he said, "The certification process for Traditional Chinese Medicine is too cumbersome. I heard the requirements are stricter now than before. Only graduates from a regular medical school are eligible to take the license exam. This negates our thousands of years of master-apprentice tradition."

Then, it will be more difficult for Chinese medicine to go global. Some practitioners with unique skills will not be able to practice medicine because they do not have a medical license. The overall level of the Chinese medicine industry will decline.

While the Philippines recognizes Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it often closes businesses when customers complain that the medicine isn't working, with several already closed a few days ago. However, acupuncture and massage remain popular here.

As for me issuing you an acupuncturist certificate, that's easy, but this is my first time meeting Mr. Wan. I must test your skills."

"How to test it?" Mr. Zheng asked on my behalf.

Liu Qiming didn't answer. He said, "Wait a moment."

I was a little nervous. After all, my time with Shu was limited, and I didn't know what Liu Qiming would test me on. Besides, my treatment for Cruz was primarily with Chinese medicine; acupuncture was just a cover.

Liu Qiming came in again a while later. He took out a box of disposable acupuncture needles and said:

"Give me a needle at the Baihui and Yongquan acupoints. Then I'll know how profound your Kung Fu is."

After saying this, he lay flat on the table where he gave acupuncture to patients.

God helped me, and Master Shu had praised me for my steady, accurate, and ruthless acupuncture. I walked over and skillfully inserted the needle into his Baihui acupoint.

Insert the needle once, twist it slowly, then insert it again, twist it slowly.

Another needle was inserted into the Yongquan point on the bottom of his foot. This needle should not be inserted too deep, but I was very fast and the insertion was neither too deep nor too shallow, just right.

"Pull out the needle." Liu Qiming said.

I pulled it out for him. He sat up, got off the desk, and pulled out a certificate from a drawer. He wrote my name on it first. Then he stamped it with his personal seal, then an official seal, and handed it to me, saying, "You are fully qualified and your technique is excellent."

I took it with both hands, looked at it carefully, and felt very excited.

He said, "With this certificate, I will definitely have no problem working in the acupuncture field in Southeast Asia."

Even though he gave me the certificate, I still felt a little uneasy. It seemed I had to study seriously with Professor Shu for a year after returning to China.

(There will be another update tomorrow morning.)