Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 120: Herb Gathering

"Dr. Li, hold on to the rope!" Old Yang shouted from above.

Li Xu took a deep breath, grabbed the rope, planted his feet against the rock face, and began to lower himself, step by step.

The mountain wind howled, making his clothes whip and snap.

But the distance wasn’t too great.

Just over ten meters.

A few minutes later,

he felt solid ground beneath his feet.

He’d reached the platform.

Li Xu didn’t untie the rope from around his waist.

Below him was a hundred-meter drop, a dizzying sight.

Only the rope gave him any sense of security.

Li Xu’s gaze swept over the platform.

The platform wasn’t large, just over ten meters across.

Near the cliff face, there was some loose rock and soil that had collected in a spot sheltered from the wind.

Nestled in the rock crevices, he could faintly make out several plants with palm-shaped leaves—wild Aconite!

Li Xu moved in for a closer look, and his heart leaped. The wild Aconite before him had thick, fleshy leaves and a sturdy stalk. When he brushed away the soil, he saw that the swollen, tuberous root was a rare, purplish-black color with an oily sheen on its surface.

’So potent...’ Li Xu put on his gloves and carefully dug one up.

The tuber felt heavy in his hand. Milky-white sap oozed from the cut, giving off a pungent, acrid smell.

’Top-grade wild Aconite!’

Li Xu cautiously placed the Aconite into a bag.

He left a few seedlings behind, carefully covering them back up with soil.

He left them so they could continue to grow.

After another look around the platform, he found nothing else.

Li Xu tugged the rope. "Uncle Ma, I’m coming up."

He climbed back up the rope.

He reached the top of the cliff without incident.

Elder Ma asked curiously, "Dr. Li, what were you digging for down there?"

Li Xu took out the Aconite and smiled. "I was just going to enjoy the view, but I ended up finding some wild Aconite."

"Good heavens!" Elder Ma’s eyes went wide as saucers. "This must be a legendary Aconite King! In all my years, this is the first time I’ve seen one like this!"

After a moment of awe, Elder Ma asked, "Dr. Li, are you planning to go anywhere else?"

"No, it’s getting late. Let’s head back."

Since they were on a narrow trail, the descent was no easier than the climb.

They both proceeded with caution.

When they returned to the village entrance, Ma Jinhua was pacing anxiously.

"You’re finally back!" He grabbed Li Xu’s arm. "The car is ready. It’ll take you straight to the airport!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"There’s some Aconite in the car for you. Don’t forget to take it when you get out."

"Oh? It’s already been processed so quickly?"

"Of course not. It’s from a batch I set aside last year. Don’t worry, it’s some of the finest quality, selected from the shipment meant for export to Japan. I set some aside every year, not much, just a few pounds."

Li Xu then changed his clothes. Before he left, he warned him again, "Remember, never let that medicine out of your sight!"

Ma Jinhua nodded solemnly, watching the car disappear in a cloud of dust.

...

Sato stood in the courtyard of the village committee building, watching Li Xu’s car disappear at the end of the mountain road.

He was in no hurry to reveal his true intentions.

He spent the whole morning supervising the workers, occasionally spot-checking the quality of the Aconite.

Around noon,

as Ma Jinhua headed home, Sato leisurely followed.

"Village Chief Ma, you’ve worked hard." Sato spoke in fluent Chinese, walking side-by-side with Ma Jinhua. "I heard your son’s condition has improved? That’s truly wonderful news."

Ma Jinhua faltered, giving Sato a wary glance. "Thank you for your concern. Ma Rui is doing better."

"Oh?" Sato’s eyes widened in feigned surprise. "That’s truly a medical miracle! That young doctor is really incredible."

"Yes, he’s better than many specialists at big hospitals," Ma Jinhua remarked with a sigh.

Sato asked with feigned enthusiasm, "I remember that doctor used some kind of Calming Pill? Such a miraculous medicine, could I possibly take a look at it?"

Ma Jinhua’s heart clenched. He hadn’t expected Dr. Li’s warning to come true so soon.

’This Japanese representative wants the Calming Pills!’

’Dr. Li said he was only providing a one-month supply, not a single pill more.’

’If this Japanese representative gets his hands on even one pill... and my son ends up one pill short of a full recovery, the regret would be unbearable.’

’So, I absolutely cannot give them to Sato.’

Ma Jinhua forced a wry smile. "Alas, we’ve already used up all the medicine. Dr. Li had to go back to prepare a new batch."

"Is that so..." Sato said, his face a mask of disappointment. "What a shame."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, then Ma Jinhua made an excuse about having something to do and hurried away.

Sato stared at his retreating back, his expression slowly turning sinister.

...

In the afternoon, Sato, under the pretext of inspecting the Aconite harvest, walked around the village.

From a distance, he saw Ma Rui sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun, holding a toy. Although he was playing with it absently, his gaze was much clearer than before.

Sato’s eyes lit up. He straightened his tie and walked over, feigning a chance encounter.

"Mr. Ma, what are you playing with?" he greeted enthusiastically.

Ma Rui raised his head, gave him a vacant look, then lowered his head again to continue fiddling with the toy, not responding.

Sato was unfazed. He took out a beautifully packaged box of chocolates from his pocket. "This is a specialty I brought from Japan. A gift for you to try."

Ma Rui looked at the chocolate, then at Sato, and suddenly laughed foolishly. "...Not... supposed to eat... things from... strangers..."

Sato’s smile froze. Just as he was about to say something more, Ma Jinhua’s voice came from behind him, "Mr. Sato, is there something you need with my son?"

Sato turned and saw Ma Jinhua standing at the courtyard gate.

"I just came to check on Mr. Ma," he said, feigning concern. "He really does seem much better."

"Thank you for your concern, but Ma Rui still needs to rest, and it’s not a good time for visitors."

Ma Jinhua then called over to Aunt Wang, "When I’m not home, keep the main gate shut. Don’t let Ma Rui wander off."

"Oh, okay."

Aunt Wang nodded.

Sato took the hint and said his goodbyes. The moment he turned, the smile vanished from his face.

He realized Ma Jinhua was on his guard. Trying to get to him through Ma Rui was no longer an option.

...

Meanwhile, Li Xu was in the car heading to the airport, the scenery outside blurring past. His phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Aunt Li.

"Xiao Xu, why has your clinic been closed these past few days?" Aunt Li asked.

"Aunt Li, I was away buying some herbs," Li Xu explained. "What’s up?"

"I have a distant relative who heard about your skills and wanted to come see you, but I saw your clinic was closed, so I thought I’d ask."

Li Xu looked at the time. "Have him come tomorrow morning. I’ll be back today."

"Okay, I’ll go with him tomorrow."

...

He arrived at the airport at eleven-thirty. From there, he flew to the provincial capital of Jiang Province, then took a high-speed train to Feng City.

By the time he returned to his clinic, it was already evening.

"Find a hotel nearby for the night. Come see me tomorrow to get the medicine," Li Xu said to the young man from Anchi Village who had come with him.

"Okay, Dr. Li."

The young man left.

Without taking a moment to rest, Li Xu immediately began preparing the medicinal herbs.