Chapter 82: Rehabilitative Massage
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"The manipulation rehabilitation only works for people who are injured. If Feixiang Lin has already recovered, and it is a waste of time to do the Manipulation Rehabilitation for him, and my empirical value will not increase. However, if he has not fully recovered yet, my empirical value will increase by performing the Manipulation Rehabilitation. Besides, this way I can know whether he really has not recovered or if he is just trying to get out of training."
Thinking of this, Dai Li directly asked Feixiang Lin, "Which leg and which area is injured?"
"The Achilles tendon on my right leg. Why are you even asking? You do not believe what I have just said? How about I show you the scar?" Feixiang Lin said ironically.
"Good. Take off your right shoe, and give me your right leg," Dai Li said.
"What are you going to do?" Feixiang Lin began feeling suspicious.
"Manipulation!" Dai Li replied.
"You can do Manipulation?" Feixiang Lin looked at Dai Li and teased him. Clearly he was not buying it.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Dai Li said. He immediately pulled his right leg over and took off his right shoe.
"Ah, you really mean it! Do not do the manipulation carelessly or you will make it even worse!" Feixiang Lin was rather anxious.
"You have already said that your right leg is wasted. If that is the case, what are you afraid of?!" Dai Li asked. He began to perform the Manipulation Rehabilitation.
The manipulation of traditional Chinese medicine was based on the Meridian-Collateral Theory. Modern manipulation was actually a very complex subject that was based off the anatomy and pathology of western medicine. Many medical masseuses in the hospital, especially those who had been doing the manipulation for over a decade or two, were almost as good as the heads of the department. In fact, the manipulation and massage belonged in the same category, The skills were quite similar: pressing, massaging, pushing, taking, kneading, pinching, trembling, and hitting.
Dai Li had massaged every member of the weightlifting team everyday, so he was extremely skilled in this regard. He was doing the manipulation rehabilitation for Feixiang Lin like a professional.
Feixiang Lin was also someone who knew what was what. As soon as Dai Li began to massage him, he realized that Dai Li had not been joking with him earlier. He was doing everything very well.
"It never occurred to me that you would be able to do the manipulation. Ouch, be gentle, it hurts!" Feixiang Lin shouted.
However, after feeling pain for only a few seconds, Feixiang Lin felt his whole leg relax.
"Relax, do not be tense. Relax your muscles," Dai Li said as he did the manipulation rehabilitation.
"Ouch!" Feixiang Lin shouted again. Clearly Dai Li had touched his sore spot. Feixiang Lin had figured this would happen again, but he realized that the pain he was feeling now was completely different from the pain he usually felt. The pain he felt now did not last long. It always started out sharp, like a release of pressure, and later felt eased and relaxed.
Feixiang Lin stopped talking. He completely relaxed his body just as Dai Li had told him to. The pain started again, but this time Feixiang Lin clenched his teeth and did not make a sound. He closed his eyes and began to feel the changes in his leg.
Feixiang Lin felt as if his injured Achilles tendon was being given new life. He began to move actively, and the feeling of stabbing pain and burning disappeared. There was also a picture gradually forming in his mind: a flower began growing on the branch of a withered tree. Then, more and more flowers began to grow, and soon spread all over the withered tree. The tree was now revived, and began to absorb the nutrition and water from the ground.
Feixiang Lin suddenly had a strange idea: the vision in his mind exactly reflected the situation he was in. His injured leg was being revived again, just as the withered tree was.
Gradually, Feixiang Lin began to realize he was addicted to this feeling, and even began to hope for the pain to begin sooner. Every time he felt pain, he would feel quite relaxed soon after, as if he had been freed from a prison.
Dai Li was doing the manipulation rehabilitation while keeping an eye on his empirical value.
"My empirical value has increased!" Dai Li finally saw his empirical value increase, which meant that Feixiang Lin was telling the truth. Maybe his operation had been successful, but he had not completely recovered, and could not be explain it with medical theories. Dai Li stopped massaging Feixiang Lin.
"Why did you stop?" Feixiang Lin asked.
"You are telling the truth. Your leg has not totally recovered." Dai Li said.
"So you believe me?" Feixiang Lin pulled his leg back and asked, "You have only massaged me once and you already believe me?"
"I could feel that you have not recovered while I was massaging you," Dai Li nodded earnestly.
"You are just playing around. I have been checked by tons of advanced medical instruments, and the doctor still cannot come to a conclusion. Yet you are sure that I have not recovered yet simply by massaging me?" Obviously Feixiang Lin did not believe Dai Li.
"Feel it for yourself, then. Are you feeling better now?" Dai Li asked.
Earlier, both the slimming workout and the massage had produced an immediate effect. Because of this, Dai Li believed that the manipulation rehabilitation would have an immediate effect as well.
Feixiang Lin did not reply. When Dai Li was massaging him, he could already tell that his right leg felt much better, especially his Achilles tendon. More importantly, he realized that he had regained control of his leg.
"It does work! And it works immediately! The pain I have been suffering from for two years has been greatly relieved!" Feixiang Lin took a deep breathe. He had not felt like this in a long time. He was completely stunned and speechless.
"I remember that you said earlier that you could only be as good as you were before if there was a miracle. Do you still feel it like it is impossible for a miracle to happen?" Dai Li shook his head. "I do not think it is that difficult for you to create a miracle. You are Asian. It is already a miracle that you broke the world record! You have already created a miracle, why not try to create another one?!"
Feixiang Lin did not speak, but his eyes gave away that he was worried and struggling.
"You are an athlete. An athlete belongs on the field. You should fight and work hard to achieve your goal instead of giving up easily like you have been doing! You are like a man lost in a desert who clearly has the energy to walk, but chooses to lie on the ground and wait to die!" Dai Li said. His words struck Feixiang Lin like a hammer.
Feixiang Lin was silent for a minute, then finally said, "Can you help me?"
"It is not important whether I am going to help you or not. The important part is that you save yourself." While pointing at his chest, Dai Li said, "if your leg is injured, I may be able to help you. But if you have lost faith in yourself, no one will be able to help you. Not even God!"