Their persuasion proved fruitless, and Ma Guotao and the others could only silently pray for a miracle.
Although Li Heping and the others didn't support a rematch, they couldn't say much now that Zhao Yuan had made his stance clear. Still, they raised a question. "There are tens of thousands of formulas passed down from ancient times, at the very least. Writing them or reciting them from memory is extremely time-consuming. Surely this one Prescription Medicine competition can't take several days, can it?"
"Well..." Zhao Dezhu was taken aback. He hadn't actually considered that problem. He quickly turned to Zhao Chengliang and asked, "Second Uncle, do you have a suggestion?"
Zhao Chengliang thought for a moment, then said, "Professor Qiao, I recall that your Capital City Medical University compiled a *Great Dictionary of Formulas* a few years ago. It contains over twenty thousand formulas, correct?"
"That's correct," Qiao Zhixue said with a nod. "To compile the *Great Dictionary of Formulas*, our university formed a special formula compilation team. Dozens of people spent years collecting and organizing the material to produce this book. It contains a total of 21,352 formulas."
Zhao Chengliang said, "One could say that the *Great Dictionary of Formulas* includes almost every formula passed down through history. But there are still some that weren't included in it."
"That's true," Qiao Zhixue agreed. "Many uncirculated Secret Formulas weren't included in the *Great Dictionary of Formulas*. For instance, the Digestive Qi Tonic Decoction from earlier isn't in there. We had only ever seen its name in some ancient texts and knew nothing about its ingredients or composition..."
Zhao Chengliang cut off Professor Qiao's musings. "Since reciting common formulas is too time-consuming, let's add a restriction and raise the difficulty—we'll compete to see who knows more formulas that are *not* in the *Great Dictionary of Formulas and Medicines*!"
The moment he said this, the entire field erupted in an uproar once again.
The crowd's disdain for Zhao Chengliang deepened.
'Add a restriction? Raise the difficulty? This is clearly a deliberate attempt to sabotage Zhao Yuan!'
'Everyone knows your favorite pastime, Zhao Chengliang, is traveling all over the country collecting rare Secret Formulas that haven't been widely circulated. After decades of doing this, you must have eight hundred, if not a thousand, of them, right?'
'But what about Zhao Yuan?'
'He's so young; he's probably only learned the common formulas. But now you're saying that any formula recorded in the *Great Dictionary of Formulas* is disqualified? How is that not a blatant setup?'
Although most people were scornful of Zhao Chengliang's methods, they still showed him some deference, keeping their complaints to themselves. The people from West Hua Medical University, however, had no such scruples.
Yang Jingbo pointed at Zhao Chengliang and demanded, "And you call yourself the Jinling Medicine King? A senior of the medical world? It's bad enough that you're a sore loser who refuses to admit defeat, but now you resort to such dirty tricks? Have you no fear of being called utterly shameless?"
Ma Guotao's expression was grim. "Mr. Zhao, you're pushing it. Do you really think Zhao Yuan is an easy target? Or that West Hua Medical University is?"
As for Liu Zhu, Lin Xue, and the others, they started cursing outright. The man might be a senior in the medical world, but since he was acting so shamelessly, why should they bother saving face for him?
However, Zhao Yuan, the man at the center of it all, simply smiled and said, "Principal Ma, Director Yang, all you teachers and students, please, calm down. I think Mr. Zhao's proposal is actually quite good; it'll save a lot of time. We'll do this Prescription Medicine competition his way."
Ma Guotao rushed to dissuade him. "Zhao Yuan, this is unfair to you—"
Zhao Yuan waved a hand. "It's not unfair. As it happens, I've memorized plenty of rare Secret Formulas in addition to the common ones. I'm just a little worried that if Mr. Zhao loses this time, he'll refuse to accept the result and claim we should have competed on common formulas instead."
A wave of boisterous laughter instantly swept across the field.
Zhao Chengliang's face instantly flushed red. To him, the laughter felt like a series of stinging slaps.
He ground out through clenched teeth, "Don't you worry. If I lose this time, I will absolutely concede defeat!"
Zhao Dezhu, standing beside him, frowned. He felt that Zhao Chengliang's words were a bad omen, and it seemed as if his confidence was wavering. But with the competition about to start, he couldn't say anything that might affect Zhao Chengliang's performance.
Seeing Zhao Yuan's unwavering confidence and resolute attitude, Ma Guotao couldn't help but wonder, 'Could Zhao Yuan really be sure he can beat that old coot Zhao Chengliang? That's right! Zhao Yuan's teacher is the man who's aiming to become a Witch Doctor! That Great God even possesses the *Outer Canon of the Yellow Emperor*, a Medical Family classic that's been lost for millennia. Could his collection of Secret Formulas possibly be small?'
At this thought, Ma Guotao stopped trying to talk him out of it and even held back Yang Jingbo and the others.
Seeing his proposal accepted so easily, a flicker of surprise crossed Zhao Chengliang's face. He couldn't help but wonder, 'Could this kid really have memorized a large number of uncirculated Secret Formulas?' But he quickly composed himself and sneered inwardly. 'So what if he has? Could he possibly have memorized more Secret Formulas than I have?'
Little did Zhao Chengliang know that while Zhao Yuan himself hadn't memorized many Secret Formulas, he had the Information Leaf, which he could simply read from! Moreover, only Zhao Yuan could see it, so he could cheat in front of this entire crowd without anyone discovering a thing!
Following an announcement from Li Heping and the others, the rematch began.
This contest of formula memorization wasn't written; it was done through direct recitation.
They wouldn't be reciting just the medicinal ingredients, but the *Decoction Formulas*.
The *Decoction Formulas* are mnemonic rhymes used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, composed based on a formula's ingredient composition, therapeutic principles, the illnesses it treats, and other factors.
For example, the *Decoction Formula* for Ephedra sinica Decoction goes: "In Ephedra sinica Decoction, cassia twig you'll find, with apricot kernel and licorice root combined. For fever, chills, a sore head and neck, with wheezing but no sweat, it is the one to select."
These four short lines not only list the formula's ingredients but also describe the conditions it's used for. Any medical student who memorizes this *Decoction Formula* can immediately think of which formula to use and which medicine to prescribe upon encountering similar symptoms.
Zhao Chengliang was the first to begin reciting.
He wasn't afraid of Zhao Yuan trying to learn his formulas on the sly. He was going to recite a huge number of *Decoction Formulas*, and even if Zhao Yuan had an amazing memory, it would be impossible for him to learn them all after hearing them just once. If Zhao Yuan actually tried, the only result would be to confuse his own memory, perhaps even interfering with the *Decoction Formulas* he already knew.
Nor was Zhao Chengliang worried about Li Heping and the others.
With their level of expertise, they would be able to tell instantly whether the *Decoction Formulas* he recited were valid, but they wouldn't be able to memorize all of them either. They'd be lucky to steal one or two.
Zhao Chengliang recited for over forty minutes.
When he stopped, the few medical experts tasked with keeping count conferred in hushed tones. After a brief discussion with Li Heping and the others, they finally announced, "Zhao Chengliang has recited a total of six hundred and seventy-three formulas. We have confirmed that none of them are recorded in the *Great Dictionary of Formulas*. All of them are valid!"
Zhao Chengliang shot Zhao Yuan a smug smile. "Your turn, kid!"