The medicinal herbs from Medicine King Valley were of excellent quality.

Li Xu was tempted.

He wanted to set up a long-term purchasing agreement so Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory could produce an optimized version of the Panlong Seven Tablets.

After hearing this, Cao Xianjun looked troubled. "Doctor Li, it’s not that I don’t want to help you out, but... I’ve already signed a supply contract with Panlong Pharmaceutical. Most of the Panlong Seven we harvest each year has to go to them. I really don’t have any extra herbs to spare."

Panlong Pharmaceutical was a nationally renowned company specializing in traditional Chinese patent medicines, and its Panlong Seven Tablets were a bestseller across the country.

As a major producer of Panlong Seven, it was only natural for Medicine King Valley to have a long-term supply contract with Panlong Pharmaceutical.

Instead, Cao Xianjun tried to persuade Li Xu. "Doctor Li, your formula really is excellent. Why not sell it to Panlong Pharmaceutical? With your reputation and the formula’s effectiveness, they’d surely pay a high price for it. You could make a fortune."

Li Xu shook his head. "Teacher Cao, thank you for the suggestion. But Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory has its own development plan; we can’t sell the formula to another company. Besides, we want to produce the optimized Panlong Seven Tablets to help more patients suffering from the pain of rheumatism."

The main reason was that he didn’t trust other companies.

By producing it himself, he could guarantee the quality.

"Teacher Cao, I’m not asking you to supply all of it to us. Just half will be enough. If you incur a penalty for breach of contract, Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory can cover the cost."

Li Xu added.

Wang Baimu chimed in to help. "Old Cao, haven’t you always wanted to contract a few more gullies to grow more herbs? You could sell half to Doctor Li’s factory and the other half to Panlong Pharmaceutical. It would spread your risk. Plus, Doctor Li’s medicine is better and can help more people. This is a great opportunity."

Cao Xianjun fell into deep thought.

It was true he had always wanted to expand the cultivation scale in Medicine King Valley.

But he was hampered by a lack of stable buyers and sufficient capital.

Now, Li Xu was offering to buy his herbs and was even willing to cover the contract termination penalty. It was undoubtedly an extremely tempting offer.

Moreover, he had personally experienced the effects of Li Xu’s formula, and it was truly remarkable.

If he cooperated with Li Xu,

he wouldn’t have to worry about selling the extra Panlong Seven he grew.

After all,

although the Panlong Seven from Medicine King Valley was good,

Panlong Pharmaceutical couldn’t use that much of it.

It wasn’t that their medicine was bad. It was just that this particular drug served a niche market, its effects weren’t immediate, and no one would take Panlong Seven Tablets all year long.

This resulted in the sales volume for Panlong Seven Tablets remaining stable year after year.

If he grew more Panlong Seven,

it would inevitably drive down the price.

After thinking it over, Cao Xianjun finally made his decision. "Alright, Doctor Li, I trust you. I’ll talk to Panlong Pharmaceutical and try to arrange it so that half of my annual harvest goes to your Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory. As for the breach of contract penalty, you’ll have to take care of that."

"No problem."

Li Xu readily agreed.

Panlong Seven was the core ingredient for the optimized Panlong Seven Tablets. With Medicine King Valley as a stable supply base, they could finally begin production without worry.

He took out his phone, dialed Ding Kaifang’s number, and explained the situation in detail.

Ding Kaifang, on the other end of the line, was ecstatic. "Doctor Li, you’re a godsend to Ding’s Pharmaceutical! It’s only been a short time, and you’ve already found us another gold mine. Don’t you worry. I’ll immediately send people to Taibai Mountain to discuss the partnership and compensation with Teacher Cao. I’ll make sure this gets done right."

He had complete trust in Li Xu.

’If Li Xu says he can produce better Panlong Seven Tablets, then it must be true.’

After hanging up, Li Xu went back to brewing the medicinal decoction.

This time, he brewed a large potful.

It was enough for three days.

The weather was cold,

so it wouldn’t spoil if sealed properly.

"Teacher Cao, I’ve prepared a three-day supply of medicine for you. Be sure to take it on time."

Li Xu instructed.

"Thank you, Doctor Li," Cao Xianjun said gratefully.

Wang Baimu was also very happy.

’Doctor Li’s medicine is really effective. Maybe my rheumatic joint pain can actually be cured!’

"Doctor Li, I’m going to take some herbs back with me. A lot of people in my village suffer from rheumatic pain, and I was hoping you could take a look at them."

Wang Baimu said, his voice full of hope.

Li Xu nodded in agreement.

With so many rheumatism patients in Shangwang Village, he was happy to offer free consultations.

Wang Baimu bought a large bag of medicinal herbs there.

This time, Cao Xianjun didn’t stand on ceremony and charged him the market price.

The herbs cost a little over two thousand yuan in total.

Wang Baimu shouldered the bag of herbs, and he and Li Xu left Medicine King Valley, trudging toward Bailing Valley.

After seeing the two of them off, Cao Xianjun returned to his house. After a moment’s thought, he dialed the number for Manager Xie in Panlong Pharmaceutical’s business department.

"Manager Xie, I recently met a Doctor Li. The rheumatism formula he prescribes is even more effective than your Panlong Seven Tablets. So, I’m planning to sell half of my annual Panlong Seven harvest to his company."

He expected Manager Xie to be furious.

However, Manager Xie seemed completely unconcerned. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Manager Xie had been in this business for many years. He’d heard it all before—countless "divine physicians" and "secret formulas." Most were just hype. A formula that was genuinely better than Panlong Pharmaceutical’s classic was exceedingly rare.

"Old Cao, are you being scammed? Besides, this is no way to do business. Panlong Pharmaceutical has been working with you for years, and now you want to breach our contract for a better price? You do know that our contract clearly states you’ll have to pay a substantial penalty for that, right?"

Cao Xianjun replied calmly, "I’ve already discussed the penalty with the other party. Their company, Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory, will cover it."

"What? Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory?"

Hearing this, Manager Xie’s tone changed instantly.

The name Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory had been making major waves recently.

The patent medicines they produced, from Mao Duddu Eye Drops to Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules, were all national bestsellers with stellar reputations.

For an obscure little factory to become the industry’s most talked-about rising star in such a short time meant they had to have extraordinary capabilities and rock-solid products.

The two words Cao Xianjun had just mentioned—"Doctor Li"—suddenly flashed through Manager Xie’s mind.

He shot bolt upright, his tone urgent as he pressed, "Old Cao, this Doctor Li you mentioned... is his name Li Xu? The Li Xu who recently published a paper in *Lancet*?"

Cao Xianjun was surprised by Manager Xie’s strong reaction, but he answered honestly, "I don’t know about any published papers, but his name is indeed Li Xu."

SLAM!

Manager Xie slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet.

’It has to be him. No doubt about it.’

Right now, Li Xu’s reputation was even more renowned than that of Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory.

If Li Xu wanted to purchase Panlong Seven, this was no simple business deal.

It meant the formula Li Xu possessed was very likely more potent than Panlong Pharmaceutical’s own Panlong Seven Tablets.

The credibility of Cao Xianjun’s words skyrocketed.

When that happened, it would be a direct blow to Panlong Pharmaceutical.

How could he possibly sit still?