Wang Baimu and Cao Xianjun, old friends reunited, were deep in an animated conversation.
Eventually, Li Xu couldn’t even get a word in.
He simply went into the next room and began to prepare the optimized Panlong Seven Elixirs.
Since Cao Xianjun had worked with traditional Chinese dicine for many years,
his place was fully equipped.
He had not only a mortar and a dicine grinder,
but also a stove and clay pots for brewing dicine—everything one could possibly need.
Li Xu weighed and ground the dicinal herbs one by one.
Then, following the preparation thod from the information he’d gathered, he placed the ground dicinal powder into a small clay pot, added a suitable amount of clear water, and began to brew it.
The fire in the stove roared. The dicinal liquid in the clay pot BUBBLED, and the aroma of the herbs mingled with the lingering scent of the Gastrodia chicken stew, filling the entire house.
Li Xu focused intently on controlling the heat, stirring the concoction from ti to ti to ensure the dicinal properties were fully released.
About half an hour later, the dicinal liquid gradually thickened and began to emit an even more llow and rich aroma.
Li Xu extinguished the fire and poured out the brewed liquid.
He poured a total of two bowls.
The liquid was a deep brown color, as thick as a paste.
"Village Chief Wang, the dicine is ready. You should drink it while it’s hot."
Li Xu said, handing over the dicine.
Wang Baimu took the bowl. He looked at the dark liquid and slled the rich dicinal aroma, a curious expression on his face.
Although they hadn’t interacted for long,
Li Xu’s display of his Acupuncture Technique the day before was enough to convince him that his dical skills were exceptional.
"Doctor Li, is there only this one bowl?"
"There’s another one. You can drink it tomorrow morning."
"Let’s just brew a fresh batch tomorrow. Let Old Cao have a bowl, too. He spends all year growing herbs in the mountains and suffers from rheumatic pain as well."
Wang Baimu passed the bowl in his hand to Cao Xianjun. "Old Cao, you have a bowl."
Cao Xianjun hesitated.
He was an herb farr himself and knew the properties of various dicinal ingredients like the back of his hand. He often prepared his own dicinal wines and dishes.
But he was skeptical that soone like Li Xu could modify a classic formula and produce sothing more effective than the comrcially available drugs.
"Doctor Li... is this really effective?"
Cao Xianjun asked uncertainly.
Li Xu smiled and nodded. "Please, Teacher Cao, give it a try. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed."
Wang Baimu also chid in to persuade him, "Just drink it, Old Cao. Doctor Li’s dical skill is the real deal. My old rheumatic legs felt so much better yesterday right after he treated with acupuncture."
Cao Xianjun couldn’t say no to Wang Baimu’s enthusiasm. Besides, while Li Xu’s ingredients differed slightly from those in Panlong Seven Tablets, they were largely similar.
And since he had provided the herbs himself,
their quality was guaranteed.
In the end, Cao Xianjun took the bowl and downed it in one go.
The liquid was slightly bitter at first,
but it quickly transford into a warm current that flowed down his throat and into his stomach. A warm sensation rose from his lower abdon, rapidly spreading through his entire body.
"Huh? This dicine is surprisingly potent,"
Cao Xianjun said in surprise.
He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt his legs, especially his knees, growing faintly warm. The rheumatic ache that had plagued him for years seed to have eased a bit.
Wang Baimu had also finished his dicine.
Of course, the effects weren’t imdiate.
He and Cao Xianjun continued to chat.
Half an hour passed.
He felt a warm current coursing through his body.
His knees, in particular, felt warm and indescribably comfortable.
He couldn’t help but stand up and take a few steps. His legs felt much lighter, and the heavy, aching pain had mostly vanished.
"Wow, Doctor Li, this dicine is a miracle! My legs... they’ve never felt this good!"
Wang Baimu exclaid in delight, the exhaustion on his face replaced by sheer, uncontainable excitent.
Cao Xianjun was feeling the sa changes.
He had spent years growing herbs in the mountains, and his rheumatic pain was a long-standing issue.
The pain beca especially unbearable in the winter.
Yet, a single bowl of this dicine had brought him such noticeable relief.
This completely changed his opinion of Li Xu’s dical skills.
"Doctor Li, your dicine... it’s just incredible!"
Cao Xianjun praised him from the heart, then asked curiously, "Doctor Li, how on earth did you formulate this?"
Li Xu just smiled and said nothing.
Cao Xianjun slapped his forehead. "Ah, I’ve said too much."
’A formula this effective would definitely be a closely guarded secret, not to be shared with outsiders.’
Later that evening,
they had so mushroom soup.
Cao Xianjun prepared rooms for his two guests, and they all retired for the night.
Late at night, the mountain wind howled outside, but inside, the stove fire burned strong and bright.
Li Xu lay on the warm brick bed, listening to the sounds of the wind and snow outside. He felt incredibly peaceful and comfortable.
...
Early the next morning, Wang Baimu and Cao Xianjun woke up.
Both of them stretched their legs at the sa ti, expressions of delighted surprise on their faces.
"Old Wang, how are you feeling?"
Cao Xianjun asked.
Wang Baimu roared with laughter. "Great! I’ve never felt this great. My legs feel twenty years younger."
Cao Xianjun felt the sa. "Yeah, my legs feel all warm, too. I slept like a log, and there’s no pain at all."
When Li Xu got up,
Cao Xianjun eagerly shared his experience. "Doctor Li, your dicine is miraculous! It’s so much better than the Panlong Seven Tablets."
Li Xu smiled, not taking all the credit. "Teacher Cao, the credit isn’t all mine. If it weren’t for the high-quality herbs you provided, my formula wouldn’t have been effective, no matter how good it is."
Then, Cao Xianjun rubbed his hands together sheepishly. "Doctor Li, this old problem of mine has eased up a lot after drinking your dicine. Could I trouble you to prepare a few more doses for ? I’ll provide the herbs, and I’ll pay you an extra fee on top of that."
Li Xu smiled. "No problem, Teacher Cao. I’ll prepare a few more doses for you. But I won’t accept any paynt. We’re friends, and besides, you hosted us yesterday."
"Alright."
Cao Xianjun didn’t refuse.
Then, Li Xu’s tone shifted. "However, I can only help you brew the dicine here. I can’t write out the prescription for you to keep, and I’ll have to take the dicinal dregs with when I leave. I hope you understand."
Cao Xianjun was taken aback for a mont, but then realization dawned.
He had been in the dicinal herb trade for decades and knew its inner workings well.
In today’s world, business competition is fierce, and many dicinal formulas are worth a fortune.
Li Xu’s formula was exceptionally effective.
Its comrcial value was undoubtedly imnse.
If soone with ulterior motives were to get their hands on the dregs and analyze them, they might be able to reverse-engineer the formula.
For a pharmaceutical company, that would undoubtedly be a massive loss.
"You’re right, Doctor Li. I understand, I understand."
Cao Xianjun nodded repeatedly, his estimation of Li Xu rising even higher.
’Not only is his dical skill brilliant, but he’s also so thoughtful and prudent.’
Li Xu didn’t delay, asking Cao Xianjun to fetch another batch of herbs from the storeroom.
He went into the next room and weighed the herbs by himself.
Once the herbs were ready,
Li Xu brewed them himself.
The stove fire danced and the pot BUBBLED, its rich dicinal aroma once again filling the entire house.
While waiting for the dicine to brew, Li Xu brought up another matter.
"Teacher Cao, actually, I’m not just a doctor; I’m also a shareholder in Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory. We’re also planning to produce Panlong Seven Tablets. So, I wanted to ask if dicine King Valley could supply the Panlong Seven herb to Ding’s Pharmaceutical?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers