Master Craftsman: Starting with the Restoration of a Forbidden Ming Dynasty Book

Former botanist Lin Yan is transferred to the ancient books archive at Chaotian Palace in Nanjing after an accident. While restoring a batch of Ming-dynasty medical texts banned by the Imperial Medical Academy, he unexpectedly activates the “Paper Lasts a Thousand Years, Ink Veins Unlock the Mysteries” System. He discovers that these ancient books are not lifeless objects, but “biological rhythm programs” left behind by the ancients. To decode their medical secrets, Lin Yan must physically restore the books by removing insects, mending holes, and adjusting the ink. At first, the orthodox medical establishment dismisses him as a “quack,” while the world of ancient books considers him “a man who neglects his proper work.” But with his unique perspective of “seeing books as people and people as books,” he uses xuan paper fibers to regulate the humidity in hospital wards and cure lung diseases, and the ingredients in ancient ink to crack a bizarre poisoning case. As his restoration work progresses, he not only reconstructs the lost Illustrated Acupuncture and Moxibustion Manual, Hand-Copied by the Imperial Physicians, but also hones a golden finger for sensing the minutest details through countless sessions of “virtual acupuncture.” At last, in an era when traditional Chinese medicine is in decline, he uses the most traditional arts of paper and ink to rekindle the soul of Chinese medicine.