Long Xiao informed Xiao Ming about the trip to the southwest region. As he was busy with exams and had no time to prepare, he asked Xiao Ming to get things ready and drive Xiao Ming's extended Lincoln.
Xiao Ming readily agreed. Long Xiao didn't tell him what to prepare, assuming that since Xiao Ming often traveled, he would know what was needed.
During the second exam, Long Xiao's morning session went very smoothly. By restraining himself and answering questions based solely on his textbook knowledge, he didn't appear particularly special.
President Long brought people again for the second exam. He paid close attention to Long Xiao but found nothing out of the ordinary, feeling a bit disappointed. He had thought he had discovered a medical prodigy, but Long Xiao showed no exceptional talent in drug compounding and preparation.
The afternoon was for diagnosis. After three rounds of elimination, fewer than fifty people remained. A significant portion of those who had been screened out gathered to see who would qualify for the competition in the capital.
This competition, organized by the Hua Xia Pharmaceutical Association, was similar to the Martial Alliance's contests. First, talent was selected from various regions, then re-selected in the capital, and finally, the top ten would proceed to the finals.
Only the top three would be awarded, but even reaching the top ten and participating in the finals offered benefits immeasurable by money.
Making it into the top ten would make one a true master physician. They would be showered with praise and invitations, and would earn a fortune regardless of where they practiced.
The exhibition hall was packed. The selected forty-plus individuals stood before the exhibition platform, and ten patients, chosen by the Pharmaceutical Association from major hospitals, were brought onto the stage in wheelchairs.
These patients were not all immobile, but they were all in wheelchairs. This tested the doctors' abilities; those lacking skill might not even discern if a patient could stand and walk.
Ten examiners sat on the platform. Candidates stepped forward one by one to examine the ten patients and then write down their diagnoses on white paper.
Zheng Huijuan was the first to go. She approached the first patient, observed their complexion, and took their pulse before writing down the diagnosis.
After Zheng Huijuan finished with the first patient, the next candidate stepped up to examine them. After seeing all ten patients, Zheng Huijuan submitted her diagnoses to the examiner on the far left.
The examiner on the far left was Doctor Huang. He looked at Zheng Huijuan's diagnoses and sighed before passing them to the next examiner.
Zheng Huijuan's performance was mediocre; she barely passed.
Long Xiao was the eighteenth to be called. He also pretended to take pulses before writing down the patients' conditions.
As it was an exam, Long Xiao wrote in great detail, even including past illnesses.
Doctor Huang received Long Xiao's paper and was about to discard it when he remembered President Long was watching from nearby. He quickly retracted his hand.
"Doctor Huang, what's wrong?" asked the next examiner, seeing Doctor Huang holding Long Xiao's paper without passing it on or saying anything.
"Look at this answer sheet. He can even tell if a patient has hemorrhoids. This is nonsense," Doctor Huang said, pointing to Long Xiao's paper.
Another examiner took the paper, looked at it, and sighed. "Impossible. Even in large hospitals with equipment, the diagnosis wouldn't be this detailed. He must have seen the answers."
After all ten examiners had reviewed Long Xiao's paper, someone suggested comparing it with the standard answers.
The comparison revealed a shocking fact: Long Xiao's answers included more conditions than those in the standard answer key.
"How is this possible? The standard answers are the results obtained from equipment checks. How did he diagnose what the equipment couldn't detect?" one examiner asked, holding both the standard answers and Long Xiao's paper.
President Long noticed the examiners in a heated discussion and stood up to approach them. "What's going on?"
The examiners explained the situation to President Long.
President Long also looked at Long Xiao's answers and was greatly surprised. He glanced at Long Xiao, who was standing not far away, and asked, "Long Xiao, how did you diagnose these conditions?"
Long Xiao smiled and walked forward. "In traditional Chinese medicine, we use observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. I am no exception."
President Long's expression turned cold. "Long Xiao, I suspect you don't understand observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. You can see through patients and into their bodies."
"X-ray vision, hehe. President Long, have you been reading too many online novels?" Long Xiao said with a smile.
President Long pointed to the second patient. "Tell me, how did you know he had hemorrhoids?"
President Long knew that one could ask a patient about hemorrhoids, but this exam required both patients and candidates to remain silent.
Long Xiao walked over to the second patient and said, "Stand up and tell everyone, do you have hemorrhoids?"
"I can't stand up," the patient replied.
Long Xiao shook his head. "You can stand up. You've not only deceived the hospital but also your family."
A middle-aged couple from below the platform rushed forward. "What nonsense are you talking about? How could our son deceive us?"
Long Xiao smiled. "How would I know how he deceived you? I only know that the hospital diagnosed him with paralysis of the lower limbs, yet he can stand up."
"Impossible, he's been paralyzed for three years."
"Do you know your son has hemorrhoids?" Long Xiao asked.
The man looked at his wife, and both shook their heads. The man said, "We don't know."
"People with paralyzed lower limbs don't use the toilet themselves. You can ask other patients with paralyzed lower limbs about their situation."
"We lift him and place him on the toilet seat..."
Midway through his sentence, the man realized something was amiss. A person with paralyzed lower limbs would not be able to clean themselves properly.
Doctor Huang said, "President Long is asking you how you diagnosed his hemorrhoids."
"Isn't it obvious? While he was sitting, he kept shifting his backside. This indicates discomfort and a problem with his buttocks."
A healthy person faking paralysis of the lower limbs would eventually become uncomfortable, and with hemorrhoids, it would be even worse, compelling them to shift.
This was common sense, yet no one had paid attention, causing everyone to overlook it.
In truth, the reasoning Long Xiao presented was fabricated. Regardless of the logic, as long as it convinced the majority, it would be considered true. Logic that the majority disbelieved would be dismissed as false, even if it were true.
Everyone turned to look at the young man in the wheelchair. Long Xiao casually kicked the young man's leg, and the young man instinctively flinched.
Seeing the young man's reaction, President Long chuckled. "Long Xiao, you're truly something. This young man was faking paralysis of his lower limbs, and I didn't even notice."
Long Xiao's medical skills earned a standing ovation from the entire audience. Even Doctor Huang, who had been targeting Long Xiao, dared not say anything further. Long Xiao had legitimately secured the first place.