Chapter 14 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Medicine Bag Of Homeless Man

The journey with Master Lieu Nguyen was completely different from what Tinh Yen had ever imagined. There was no fixed schedule, no clear destination — they simply walked, following trails, rivers, stopping wherever there was a cry for help, wherever a sick person needed their hands.

"Our profession doesn't have a home, Tinh Yen." The master spoke on the first evening of the journey, when the teacher and his students stopped by a small stream, built a fire to cook rice from the little rice left in their bags. "A physician's home is wherever there are people waiting to be saved."

Tinh Yen nodded, sitting by the fire, constantly re-classifying the pile of medicinal herbs in her bag according to the way her master instructed - completely different from the way Mrs. Khue taught, much more detailed and systematic, classified by taste, by use, by level of toxicity, requiring caution when combining.

"Master, from whom did you learn medicine?" He asked, unable to contain his curiosity that had been simmering since he met him.

"From many people." Master replied, his voice vague as if deliberately avoiding the specific question. "We learn from books, from previous masters, and learn the most from our own mistakes."

"Have you also made mistakes?"

"Whoever does this job has never made a mistake, Tinh Yen. Anyone who tells you that they have never made a mistake is either lying to you, or not brave enough to look at themselves." The master stirred the boiling pot of porridge on the stove, his eyes looking distantly at the flickering fire. "I once made a big mistake, so big that it completely changed the path of my life. But I'll tell you about that later, when the right time comes."

Tinh Yen did not ask further, even though her heart was filled with endless questions. He learned from her that some wounds take time to open, and forcing them will only make those wounds hurt more.

In the days that followed, the two teachers and students passed through many villages and refugee stations along the way, each place leaving behind new lessons in Tinh Yen. Master Lieu Nguyen has a different style of medical practice than Mrs. Khue - if she focuses on folk experience and oral remedies that have been tested over many generations, then the master combines orthodox medical theory, the principles of yin and yang and the five elements, meridians and viscera that he learned from ancient medical books.

"Disease is not just a symptom in one place, but an imbalance of the whole body." He explained while examining a farmer with severe back pain in a village they visited. "Look here, this man's back pain is not only due to heavy labor, but also because the kidney qi has weakened due to age and poor diet over a long period of time. If only acupuncture relieves local pain without nourishing the kidney qi, the disease will recur continuously."

Tinh Yen memorized every word, compared it with what she taught, and gradually realized that the two streams of knowledge were not contradictory but miraculously complemented each other - her practical experience helped him quickly recognize signs of skin diseases, while his master's profound theory helped him understand the deeper roots of each type of disease.

One afternoon, while passing a small market on the edge of a town, they encountered a crowd gathered around a man lying twitching on the ground, foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolled back. The crowd whispered, some said he was "possessed" by ghosts, some demanded to call a priest to exorcise him.

"Get out of the way." Master Lieu Nguyen pushed his way into the crowd, his majestic voice causing everyone to automatically move to the sides. He knelt down next to the man, quickly assessing the situation. "This is not demon possession, this is convulsions, possibly due to a chronic brain disease or poisoning. Tinh Yen, get me the silver hairpin from my pocket, quickly."

Tinh Yen immediately searched and gave the master a small silver brooch used to test for poison - a tool that Mrs. Khue had never had, making him curious to observe how the master used it. He carefully touched the brooch to the corner of the patient's mouth, checked the color change, and asked surrounding family members about what the man had eaten and drank recently.

"Has he eaten mushrooms of unknown origin picked in the forest recently?" Master asked loudly.

A woman in the crowd, perhaps the patient's wife, replied in surprise. "Yes! This morning my husband picked some strange mushrooms and tried them because he was so hungry..."

"Just as I thought. Poisoned by mushrooms." Master turned to Tinh Yen, his voice was urgent but still maintained the necessary composure in an emergency situation. "Hurry, we need to let him vomit it all out before the toxins seep deeper into his blood. Take licorice and green beans, crush them, mix with water and drink immediately."

The two teachers and students coordinated smoothly, one held the patient's head, one mixed medicine, and one stimulated to induce vomiting according to the correct technique. Less than half an hour later, the man regained consciousness. Although still weak, the danger was over. The surrounding crowd marveled in admiration, some people knelt down to worship, causing Master Lieu Nguyen to wave his hand to refuse any excessive worship.

"We just do our job as practitioners, there's no need to kneel and prostrate." He spoke, his voice humble but decisive, then turned to Tinh Yen, his eyes sparkling with a rare satisfaction. "I handled it quickly and accurately, not panicking even in urgent situations. My grandmother taught me very well."

Tinh Yen blushed at the compliment, but in her heart there was an indescribable joy - the feeling of being recognized by such a talented teacher, after many days of wandering alone, not knowing if she was on the right track or not.

That evening, when the teacher and his students stopped to rest at a small roadside inn thanks to the extra money donated by the people in the market, Master Lieu Nguyen sat pensively by the window looking out at the starry night sky, his expression filled with an unclear concern.

"Master, what are you thinking?" Tinh Yen asked timidly.

"I'm thinking about a lifetime ago, a place where medicine was as valuable as gold but people's hearts were cheaper than grass." He replied, his voice distant as if he was lost in some very deep, very old memory. "A place I once belonged to, but left a long time ago, and perhaps, will never be able to return."

Tinh Yen did not fully understand the meaning of those words, but she felt a deep pain hidden behind her master's usual calm voice. She didn't ask more, just quietly sat down next to him, looking out at the night sky, letting her silent presence become a small bit of comfort for what he was carrying in his heart but couldn't yet share.

After a long while, Master Lieu Nguyen stood up, took from his hand an old book, the cover was worn in many places, the paper inside was yellowed over the years but the writing was still clear and neat as if it had been copied by a hand that had been carefully trained since childhood.

"This is what I recorded during more than thirty years of medical practice." He gave the book to Tinh Yen to see, even though he had not yet given it to her. "I call it the Hundred Herbs True Sutra — not because it is perfect, but because I hope that one day, it will become a true root for future people to continue to build on. I have not shown this book in its entirety, not even the disciples before you."

"Did you ever have another disciple?" Tinh Yen asked in surprise.

"Yes, but no one went far. Some people gave up because the road was too difficult, some..." Master stopped, his eyes flashed with an indescribable sadness. "Some people are no longer alive to continue with me. That is also part of the reason why I hesitated to accept more disciples for many years, until I met you."

Tinh Yen was silent, not knowing whether to ask more or not, just bowed her head slightly, feeling the weight of the trust her master had just placed in her through each short word but containing so many layers of meaning.

"I haven't given this book to you right now." Master put the book back in his bag, his voice serious. "You need to study for many more years, need to prove your steadfastness through more challenges, before I can safely hand over everything I know. But I promise, when that time comes, you will be the first person I give this book to in its entirety."

"I will try to be worthy of it, master." Tinh Yen replied, her voice firm and full of determination, although she could not have imagined that her master's promise would be fulfilled much sooner, and in a much more heartbreaking situation, than either of them could have imagined that night.

That night, when her master fell asleep, Tinh Yen was still awake, looking up at the starry sky through the small window of the inn, her heart filled with hope for the road ahead and a vague anxiety about the secrets her new teacher was still keeping, not ready to reveal.