Chapter 695: Writing

Chapter 695: Chapter 695: Writing

Li Xu changed into his street clothes and walked out of the hospital entrance, spotting Cui Guanghui’s black Maybach at a glance.

As he got closer, the window rolled down to reveal Ding Kaifang sitting in the back seat. He smiled and waved. "Doctor Li."

"President Ding, you’re here too?"

Li Xu greeted him.

Ding Kaifang swiftly pushed open his door, got out, and opened the front passenger door for Li Xu. "Of course I had to come. I’m the one who arranged this meeting, how could I miss it?"

Once he was in, Cui Guanghui drove off smoothly, heading for the restaurant they had booked.

The restaurant today was just as high-end, a private kitchen hidden away in an old Western-style villa.

"The food here is excellent," Cui Guanghui explained to Li Xu as he skillfully reversed into a parking spot. "They specialize in Huaiyang cuisine, so it’s fairly light and easy on the stomach. Brother Li, you work so hard, so this should be a good way to recharge."

As was their custom, the three of them ate first.

Over dinner, they all had a tacit understanding not to discuss the illness or any serious business. Instead, they chatted about the local culture of Feng City and the recent economic climate, keeping the atmosphere light and pleasant.

After dinner, they didn’t linger at the restaurant. Cui Guanghui led the two of them to a quiet and elegant teahouse.

Inside the private room, the faint scent of sandalwood incense hung in the air, accompanied by the melodious strains of a guqin.

The three of them gathered around the tea table. Cui Guanghui personally brewed a pot of fine Da Hong Pao, poured them each a cup, and only then did he get down to business.

"Brother Li, you mentioned on WeChat this morning that you’ve found a way to treat my mother?"

Cui Guanghui asked.

’Actually, his greatest fear was that Li Xu, despite having figured out the root of the problem, would propose a course of traditional Chinese medicine.’

’He knew his mother all too well.’

’With her deep-seated aversion to Chinese medicine, if someone actually placed a bowl of dark, murky herbal soup in front of her, she would absolutely rather suffer from insomnia and nightmares than take a single sip.’

’If there was no other option, then so be it; at least he could say he had done everything he could.’

’But for there to be a life-saving solution that his mother stubbornly refused to accept—that would be the greatest torment for a son.’

Li Xu lifted his teacup, took a gentle sip, and spoke slowly. "As I said this morning, the root of Aunt Shen’s illness is a sudden fright that caused her spirit to become unsettled. Combined with her heavy heart and what we call ’liver depression with exuberant fire,’ she’s become dazed and paranoid."

"Therefore, to treat Aunt Shen’s ’sickness of the heart,’ simply prescribing medicine won’t be very effective. Even if she were willing to take it, the medicinal effects would struggle to penetrate her psychological defenses."

"Brother Li, are you saying... she won’t need to take any medicine?"

Cui Guanghui’s eyes lit up.

Ding Kaifang looked just as surprised.

’No medicine?’

’No acupuncture?’

’Then how do you treat it?’

’Are we really going to have to hold a ritual and call in a shaman?’

"That’s right. No medicine."

Li Xu nodded. "To treat Aunt Shen’s illness, the best method is to ’gather her spirit.’ The *Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor* mentions a method of ’shifting one’s focus to transform one’s vital energy,’ which is essentially the same idea."

"In layman’s terms, it’s a method of redirecting her focus."

Li Xu patiently explained, "The reason Aunt Shen is so paranoid and suffers from nightmares is that the horrific images of the car accident are now deeply embedded in her subconscious. The fear and trauma are constantly swirling in her mind. She’s reminded of it from time to time, and these ’reminders’ aren’t a conscious act of recollection, but rather involuntary, uncontrollable flashbacks."

"It’s like when you desperately miss someone or are terrified of something. Sometimes, the more you force yourself not to think about it, the more vividly it pops into your head to torment you. In those moments, the best solution isn’t to suppress the thought, but to find something to do—something you’re genuinely interested in that requires your complete concentration. Once you’re busy and fully absorbed, you naturally won’t have the capacity to dwell on those fears."

Cui Guanghui sighed in complete agreement. "But Brother Li, my mother’s mental state is very poor right now; she has no interest in anything. Even if she forces herself to do something during the day, the moment she has free time—especially at night, when it’s dark and quiet—she can’t stop herself from thinking about it again. How do we break that cycle?"

"That’s why we need a rather unique approach. We need to artificially create a powerful ’anchor of belief’ for her, helping her cultivate a habit of focus to get her through this initial treatment phase. Once she gets past this period and her mind stabilizes, the fearful memories will gradually fade, and she will recover."

Li Xu said.

"What’s the specific method?" Cui Guanghui pressed.

"That brings me back to the question I asked you this morning."

Li Xu said with a smile, "Aunt Shen constantly holds Buddhist prayer beads. This indicates that, subconsciously, she feels a sense of reverence and reliance on the principles of Buddhism. At the very least, she believes they can bring her a sense of security. She might not be deeply devout, but it shows she does have ’faith.’"

"You also told me that Aunt Shen enjoys calligraphy and has a decent eye for it. That makes things much easier. We can just ’create a piece of calligraphy.’"

"Create a piece of calligraphy?"

Cui Guanghui and Ding Kaifang were both stunned.

’A piece of calligraphy can cure an illness?’

’That sounds way too far-fetched.’

"I imagine that with your connections, Guanghui, you must know a Buddhist master in the province with considerable calligraphic skill, right?"

Li Xu didn’t answer directly, asking a question of his own instead.

Generally speaking, the more renowned Buddhist abbots and Daoist masters often have considerable calligraphic skill, which they develop to cultivate their minds and character.

Ordinary people might have no way to reach them, but for the scion of a top-tier wealthy family like Cui Guanghui, it would be no trouble at all.

Ding Kaifang slapped his thigh. "What about Master Huiyuan of Golden Ray Monastery? Isn’t he an enlightened monk? His calligraphy is worth a fortune and almost impossible to acquire!"

"Yes, Brother Ding is right."

Cui Guanghui nodded eagerly and said to Li Xu, "Master Huiyuan of Golden Ray Monastery is a man of profound Buddhist wisdom and the honorary chairman of our provincial Buddhist Association. His calligraphic skill is superb—he’s even published his own collection of works. He’s a very famous monk in our province. In fact, my father once funded the renovation of the main hall at Golden Ray Monastery, so he has a bit of a relationship with Master Huiyuan."

"That’s perfect. Guanghui, I want you to go and ask Master Huiyuan to create a piece of calligraphy for Aunt Shen."

Li Xu’s smile faded, his expression turning serious. "You don’t need him to write a long piece like the Heart Sutra or the Diamond Sutra. Just have him use the most simple and dignified script to write the character for ’Buddha’ one hundred times, in various sizes, to form a ’Hundred Buddha Painting.’"

"After it’s finished, you must have Master Huiyuan personally ’consecrate’ the calligraphy! Moreover, the consecration ceremony needs to be grand and solemn—it would be best if there were bells and drums sounding in unison and a congregation of monks chanting sutras. Most importantly, you must have Aunt Shen attend in person and witness the entire consecration process with her own eyes."

"Okay, that can be done. I’ll make the arrangements tomorrow."

Cui Guanghui nodded, waiting for Li Xu to continue.