"Mister, how much are you selling this Daqing Leaf for?"
Li Xu walked over and grabbed a handful of Daqing Leaf.
Just as the intelligence had indicated.
The quality of the leaves was very poor.
Not only were they smaller than normal Daqing Leaf, but nearly every leaf had traces of insect bites.
'This kind of Daqing Leaf can treat the flu?'
'What's the principle behind it?'
Li Xu had been pondering this on his way over.
Now, a guess formed in his mind.
In traditional Chinese medicine, there's a saying: "Where a venomous snake is found, its antidote will be within seven steps."
The meaning is that all things in nature generate and restrain one another.
These Daqing Leaves before him had suffered from a pest infestation. Those insects must have carried a virus.
The *Solanum nigrum* plants were stimulated, and the leaves they grew developed antiviral properties.
The probability of this happening was extremely low.
Otherwise, with so many medicinal herbs suffering from pest infestations each year, if they all developed antiviral properties, someone would have researched and discovered it long ago.
Hearing someone ask the price, Wang the Third said hurriedly, "I won't hide it from you. My *Solanum nigrum* crop suffered from pests this year. As you can see, the Daqing Leaf that grew is poor quality. The normal market price is ten yuan a jin, so how about I sell it to you for eight?"
In reality, the price the herb merchants had offered him was three yuan a jin.
It wasn't even enough to cover his costs.
That's why, in a fit of anger, he had come to the herb market to try his luck.
"Eight yuan..."
Li Xu feigned hesitation. "This quality is just too poor. Look at these insect bites... The medicinal efficacy is probably affected."
"Seven yuan! How about seven yuan?"
Wang the Third voluntarily dropped the price by a yuan.
"Alright."
Li Xu didn't continue to haggle.
'This Daqing Leaf is genuinely precious medicinal material.'
'The haggling was just to avoid arousing suspicion.'
'No need to push it down to the absolute lowest price.'
"How much do you want?"
Wang the Third was very happy.
He hadn't expected to get a customer so soon after arriving at the market.
"How much do you have?"
"This bag has over twenty jin."
"No, I'm asking if you have more at home."
"Huh? Yes, yes, yes... I planted ten mu of land. Even though the yield was reduced, I still harvested over nine hundred jin."
"I'll take it all."
Wang the Third was both shocked and overjoyed.
He had thought this young man would only buy a few jin.
He never expected him to be a major client.
"Boss, where should I deliver it?"
"Do you know of Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic in the west of the city?"
"Never heard of it."
"It's on Construction Road. From the intersection of Construction Road and Auspicious Road, head north for about one kilometer. Here's my phone number. If you can't find it, give me a call."
"No problem. I'll head home right away and drive it over to you this afternoon."
...
Wang the Third scampered off happily.
Li Xu took the bag of Daqing Leaf that Wang the Third had brought with him, but he didn't leave just yet.
He still needed to buy another medicinal herb.
Although today's intelligence said Daqing Leaf could effectively treat the flu, he couldn't rely on just this one herb.
He needed to buy one more.
Daqing Leaf is best paired with Huang Qin.
Daqing Leaf clears heat-toxins from the nutritive level, while Huang Qin purges excess fire from the lung meridian.
The heat-clearing and detoxifying effects of this combination are exceptionally potent.
It can effectively treat flu symptoms like fever, restlessness, and a swollen, painful throat.
Dragging the bag of Daqing Leaf, Li Xu arrived at Lingzhi Hall once again.
Compared to the other herb shops, Lingzhi Hall was at least somewhat conscientious.
"Sir, what would you like to buy?"
The female salesperson still recognized Li Xu.
"I'd like to buy some Huang Qin."
"How much do you need?"
"Five hundred jin."
Li Xu said.
He planned to prepare the medicine according to a 2:1 ratio of Daqing Leaf to Huang Qin.
Wang the Third had over nine hundred jin of Daqing Leaf.
That meant he needed to buy around five hundred jin of Huang Qin.
"You got it."
The salesperson's eyes lit up.
Although the transaction wasn't worth a huge amount, the quantity was considerable.
"This way, please, sir."
The salesperson led Li Xu to the warehouse in the back.
The warehouse was piled high with all sorts of medicinal herbs.
Among them was a large quantity of Huang Qin.
"Sir, would you like to inspect it?"
"Let me see."
Li Xu randomly picked a bag, reached his hand inside, pulled some out, and examined it under the light. The quality was quite good.
In truth, there wasn't much to inspect when it came to Huang Qin.
Because there's a saying in the Chinese medicine trade: "There is no fake Huang Qin, and no real Ah Wei."
It refers to two herbs, Huang Qin and Ah Wei.
Huang Qin is grown all over Jiangnan and beyond, and its yield is extremely high.
So it's very common, and the price is also very cheap.
Its medicinal value is also very stable.
The cost of faking it is higher than buying the real thing directly.
Therefore, in the herb market, Huang Qin has practically become synonymous with "true gold fears no fire." This is the origin of "no fake Huang Qin."
The opposite is true for "no real Ah Wei."
Ah Wei is an extremely rare medicinal herb.
It has all but vanished from the market.
There are two stories about the origin of Ah Wei. One is that it comes from the distant West, prized for its unique aroma and extremely high medicinal value.
Another story claims that Ah Wei is a fungus that grows from the coffin lids of the dead, its roots originating from the deceased's mouth, and that the person must have been wealthy in life.
Because of its rarity and mystery, Ah Wei has become a priceless treasure in the herb market.
For this very reason, there is almost no genuine Ah Wei to be found in the market.
Hence the saying, "no real Ah Wei."
"It's fine. Can you deliver it for me?"
"Of course. Where to? If it's outside the city district, there's an extra charge."
"It's in the city, in the western district. Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic."
"Alright, I'll arrange for a box truck right away."
The cheapness of Huang Qin was relative.
Lingzhi Hall's asking price was twenty-two yuan a jin.
It was even more expensive than the Daqing Leaf.
Li Xu bought five hundred jin, spending 11,000 yuan.
His pitiful savings were instantly cut in half.
After paying for the Daqing Leaf, he would have almost nothing left.
'So, I have to make a name for myself as quickly as possible...'
Li Xu returned to the clinic with the delivery truck.
"Take care, driver."
After seeing the truck driver off, Li Xu was about to take a rest when he saw Aunt Li, the cleaner, walking over while coughing.
"Aunt Li, where are you headed?"
"To the Weimin Clinic. There are fewer people there at this hour."
"Aunt Li, don't go there. Come to my place, I'll prescribe you some medicine."
"Forget it, forget it. My old bones can't handle you experimenting on me."
Aunt Li was blunt and didn't mince her words.
"Aunt Li, I've been studying the formulas my father left behind and came up with a new one. It's definitely effective for the flu. If it doesn't work, how about I don't charge you?"
Li Xu coaxed.
Aunt Li worked as a cleaner, didn't earn much, and was always pinching pennies.
Faced with Li Xu's guarantee, she pressed, "You really won't charge me if it doesn't work?"
"Of course."
Li Xu sweetened the deal. "Think about it, getting an IV drip isn't cheap. It's at least three bags at a time, right? That's almost fifty or sixty yuan. And one day's treatment doesn't do much; you need at least two or three days. That's several hundred yuan right there. But the medicine I prescribe is twenty yuan per dose at most. Three doses will only be sixty yuan."
"Alright, you can take a look at me then."
Aunt Li was tempted and followed Li Xu into the clinic.