A thick layer of white crystals coated the ceramic wall of the old-fashioned urinal.
The crystals ford irregular, wavy patterns, their edges slightly yellowed and their luster dull.
"Advisor Li, are you really going to use this?" Gao Jiandong asked from behind, a speechless look on his face. "This... This is just too..."
Li Xu pulled on a pair of disposable gloves and took a small scraper from his pocket. "Director Gao, you must know how the Compendium of Materia dica describes human urethra, right? 'Salty, cooling, and non-toxic. It treats consumptive lung heat, vomiting blood, nosebleeds, throat obstructions, gum disease, and mouth and tongue sores.' This is good stuff."
The scraper grazed gently across the ceramic wall, making a faint, rustling sound.
The crystalline sedint rustled down, and Li Xu carefully collected it on a piece of white paper he had prepared beforehand.
As he scraped, the faint sll of ammonia began to fill the air.
Gao Jiandong subconsciously took half a step back and covered his nose. "This sll... Do you think Yoshida will be able to handle it?"
"Don't worry, it won't be so pungent after it's processed," Li Xu said without looking up, his focus entirely on collecting the grayish-white powder. "Too many people rely on pre-packaged Chinese dicinal ingredients and forget that the essence of Chinese dicine is adapting to the local environnt and the specific situation. This human urethra might look unpleasant, but it's sourced naturally and hasn't undergone any industrial processing. Its dicinal properties are actually purer."
Once he was finished scraping, Li Xu wrapped up the collected human urethra and led Gao Jiandong to the hospital's pharmacy.
He got so dried alum from the pharmacology departnt, mixed the two ingredients at a seven-to-three ratio, then placed them in a mortar and began to grind them finely.
"The Binhu Collection of Simple Recipes states: seven parts human urethra, three parts dried alum. Grind them evenly, wipe away the saliva, and apply it several tis for it to be effective."
As he ground the mixture, Li Xu explained, "Dried alum has astringent and hemostatic effects. It neutralizes the cooling nature of the human urethra, making its properties gentler."
Gao Jiandong leaned in to observe the grayish-white powder, his brow still furrowed. "That's correct in theory... but this is such an obscure formula. I've never used it in my twenty years of practice. What if..."
"There is no 'what if,'" Li Xu said, stopping his grinding and looking up at Gao Jiandong. "Yoshida's pulse is deep and slow, and his tongue is swollen. It's a clear case of Yang Qi deficiency. Waterlon Frost is cold in nature, which would only make things worse. But human urethra is cooling, and combined with the astringent properties of dried alum, it's the perfect redy for his symptoms. We might not even need 'several tis.' It could work after just one application."
The ground powder was poured into a small porcelain vial. Li Xu then took a little honey and mixed it in to create a paste that would adhere more easily.
Although the sweet aroma of the honey helped to neutralize it, if you slled closely, you could still detect the stench of urine.
Li Xu didn't try to mask it further.
That stench of urine was necessary. It was the key to the cure.
"Let's go. That guy from Japan must be getting impatient."
Li Xu picked up the porcelain vial and strode toward the examination room.
Gao Jiandong hurried to follow.
Inside the examination room, Yoshida was on his feet, pacing back and forth impatiently.
The female nurse stood by, timid and cautious, afraid of causing any trouble.
Seeing the two of them return, he said angrily, "You're finally back! I thought you were going to make wait until nightfall!"
Li Xu handed the paste to the nurse and told her to apply it for Yoshida.
"Mr. Yoshida, we've prepared a special dicine for you. Please open your mouth."
Yoshida eyed the porcelain vial in the nurse's hand suspiciously. "What's that? It's not Waterlon Frost, is it? I'm warning you, if you try to..."
"This is a dicine specially formulated for your constitution," Li Xu interrupted him. "Please cooperate with the treatnt."
Yoshida reluctantly opened his mouth. The nurse used a cotton swab to gently wipe the discharge from the surface of the ulcer, then evenly applied the prepared paste onto it.
The mont the paste touched the sore, Yoshida's body visibly stiffened. But soon, his tightly knitted brow began to relax.
"What... What is this dicine?" Yoshida's voice was filled with obvious surprise. "The pain... it's lessened so much..."
Li Xu explained from the side, "Chinese dicine emphasizes treating the pattern of disharmony. Your constitution is unique, so cold-natured dicines aren't suitable. Therefore, I specially prepared a cooling dicine for mouth sores that can treat the ailnt without harming your body."
Yoshida felt the change inside his mouth. The initial stinging sensation was indeed fading rapidly, replaced by a cool, soothing feeling.
He couldn't help but lick his lips, only to taste a strange, faint flavor.
Yoshida asked in confusion, "This dicine... why does it have such a strange taste?"
Gao Jiandong stood to the side with his hands behind his back, his gaze wandering.
Li Xu, however, was perfectly composed. He answered calmly, "Human urethra has a peculiar odor of its own, but you've already felt its therapeutic effects, haven't you?"
"'Human... urethra?'" Yoshida repeated the sowhat unfamiliar term. Suddenly, his expression changed.
An ordinary person might not have heard the technical term "human urethra."
But Yoshida worked for the Ryukakusan Company.
He had been exposed to a great deal of knowledge about dicinal ingredients.
He knew what kind of ingredient "human urethra" was.
He had even joked with his colleagues that anyone who dared to take "human urethra" was a real badass.
He found it hard to believe and tried to confirm again. "Is... is this... urine...?"
Li Xu nodded calmly. "That's right. It's a dicinal ingredient extracted from the sedint of human urine. The Compendium of Materia dica records it very clearly. You can look it up if you're interested."
Yoshida's face instantly flushed crimson with sha and anger. "Baka! How dare you make use this... this filthy thing!"
He frantically wiped his mouth with his sleeve, as if trying to scrub away all of the paste.
Gao Jiandong hurried forward to explain. "Mr. Yoshida, please calm down! Human urethra is a legitimate Chinese dicinal ingredient. It's even listed in the national Materia dica..."
"Shut up!" Yoshida roared, his suit and tie now askew. "I'm going to file a complaint against you! I'm going to report this to the consulate! This is an insult..."
The nurse in the room was so frightened she took several steps back, nearly knocking over a tray of instrunts.
But Li Xu remained perfectly calm. He picked up the remaining paste and placed it on the table. "Mr. Yoshida, does your mouth still hurt right now?"
The simple question was like a bucket of cold water poured over Yoshida's head.
He subconsciously touched his right cheek, but his hand suddenly froze. The ulcer that had tornted him for days... he could barely feel any pain from it now.
"This... This is impossible..." Yoshida's voice trailed off, his expression shifting from rage to bewildernt. "How could the pain be gone so quickly...?"
Li Xu continued to explain, "There's a saying in Chinese dicine: 'The dicine need not be refined, but the effect must be swift.' The form or source of a dicine may not align with modern aesthetics, but as long as it treats the root cause, its efficacy is what matters most. How do you feel now?"
Yoshida stood frozen in place, his expression a complex mixture of emotions.
His mind told him he should still be furious, but he couldn't deny what his body was feeling—the nagging pain was truly gone.
He slowly sat back down in his chair, his gaze uncertain.
"I... I still can't accept this..." Yoshida's voice had lost its conviction. "Using this... this kind of thing for treatnt..."
Li Xu pushed the porcelain vial toward Yoshida. "There's still so paste left in here. Take it with you and apply it once every four hours. Also..."
He typed up a prescription on his computer. "This is a prescription to warm and supplent your Yang Qi. Take one dose daily for seven consecutive days. It will regulate your Yang Qi deficient constitution and prevent a relapse."
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