Li Xu took Snar’s pulse.

Snar’s pulse no longer showed the dangerous signs from before.

However, it was generally deep, thready, and weak.

His chi-pulse, which corresponds to the kidneys, was particularly feeble.

This was a classic sign of "kidney essence deficiency."

"Snar," Li Xu said earnestly, withdrawing his hand. "Your body has just been through a great ordeal, and your Primordial Qi is severely damaged. The most urgent task is to rest and recuperate, to consolidate your foundation and cultivate your core energy. As for carnal matters, you must exercise restraint. Once you’ve rebuilt your body’s foundation, your other problems will naturally resolve themselves."

As for a method to boost his virility... Li Xu could only say he was powerless to help.

"It’s not that I don’t want to help you."

He spread his hands and said helplessly, "There aren’t enough medicinal herbs here. Even if I had the best formula, I can’t make bricks without straw. I have the method, but no way to implement it."

Hearing this, Snar’s face fell with disappointment.

But still unwilling to give up, he asked, "Then... Divine Physician, sir, let me ask you one more thing. Does eating loaches help?"

Snar explained that he’d heard from the village elders that the loaches in the river were a good thing for men to eat to become stronger.

That was why he had risked going to that "unclean" riverbend, hoping to dig up some loaches to nourish his body.

As a result, he was poisoned by the Yabulu.

"Loaches?"

Li Xu was taken aback.

Immediately, detailed knowledge about the medicinal properties of loaches from a TCM perspective flooded his mind.

The loach, that seemingly insignificant, slippery little creature, was truly a severely underestimated "sacred aphrodisiac" in the TCM dietary therapy system.

The famous Qing Dynasty physician Zhao Xuemin once highly summarized the loach’s effects in his work, *Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica*: "The loach tonifies the center and boosts qi, strengthens essence and invigorates yang, warms the center and stops diarrhea."

That single, simple sentence highlights three key effects: tonifying the center, strengthening essence, and warming the spleen.

Many people might subconsciously assume that since loaches live in the mud of paddy fields, they must be "heavy with dampness."

Isn’t it a fish?

Isn’t it a "cooling" food?

Wrong!

Completely and utterly wrong!

In TCM’s system of natures, flavors, and meridian tropism, the loach is actually warm in nature, leaning toward yang, and enters the liver, spleen, and kidney meridians.

It’s not cooling like crucian carp, nor is it overly "drying" and "hot" like mutton. Instead, it is a very gentle ingredient, perfect for nourishing those with a constitution of "dual yin and yang deficiency."

For those who often feel weak from qi deficiency, are bogged down by dampness, suffer from spleen and stomach deficiency-cold, or have insufficient essence and blood, the loach is like a "cozy-fitting jacket"—nourishing without being cloying, warming without being drying.

This is especially true for people who tire easily, have a sallow complexion, struggle to get out of bed in the morning, suffer from insomnia and vivid dreams at night, and are prone to irritability. For them, eating loaches regularly offers many benefits.

The loach’s "holistic conditioning ability" is no joke.

When it comes to "unblocking blood vessels," many people’s first thought is of Chinese herbs that invigorate blood and dispel stasis, such as Red Flower, Danshen, or Sanqi.

But in reality, ingredients rich in highly active proteins, like the loach, also have their place in promoting blood circulation and improving microcirculation.

For people who exercise little, sit for long periods, always feel cold in their lower limbs, or even have early-stage varicose veins, the loach’s function of warming yang and unblocking collaterals can produce a subtle and imperceptible, yet gradual, improvement.

There’s another crucial point.

The loach is also a natural "master of nourishing yin."

Don’t ever think that you can only nourish yin with cooling ingredients like lily bulb, dendrobium, or ophiopogon tuber.

The loach nourishes yin on a higher level in TCM, a concept known as "seeking yin within yang." While it gently warms your Yang Qi, it also quietly replenishes the "yin fluids" in your body that have been depleted for various reasons.

Especially for those with yin deficiency and effulgent fire—manifesting as a red tongue with little coating, night sweats, heart palpitations, and a dry mouth and throat—the loach is like a "timely rain" during a drought.

Therefore, loaches aren’t just for men; women can eat them too.

In fact, they might be even more suitable for women.

Who said "tonifying" must be equivalent to "boosting virility"?

Both men and women can suffer from yin deficiency and effulgent fire.

Not only are loaches edible, but they are particularly suitable for women—especially those suffering from postpartum deficiency of both qi and blood, irregular menstruation, a sallow and dull complexion, or perpetually cold hands and feet. For them, the loach is practically a "sacred gynecological warming tonic."

Some experienced old TCM practitioners even use it as a regular ingredient in "gynecological conditioning formulas," stewing it in a soup with qi-nourishing and blood-enriching herbs like red dates, Astragalus Root, and Danggui for outstanding results.

Furthermore, the iron content in loaches is not low either.

It provides excellent dietary support for women with chronic anemia, those in the postpartum recovery period, or those experiencing weakness due to heavy menstrual flow.

To put it bluntly, the loach is not some "exclusive tonic" for men.

It’s a "universally applicable," gentle yet powerful little nourishing helper.

Li Xu simply explained these principles to Snar.

"So, Snar," he concluded, "loaches are useful. And for your current state of severe Primordial Qi damage and kidney essence deficiency, they are extremely useful."

After hearing this, Snar beamed with joy.

Now that the harmful Yabulu had been dug up and the toxic fumes by the river had dissipated, he could go to the riverbend with the most loaches and dig to his heart’s content without any worries.

However...

His expression turned troubled as he said, "The loaches may be good, but they’re so slippery and love to burrow into the mud. They’re... really hard to catch. I spent half a day digging last time and only got two."

He asked Li Xu if there was a better way.

Li Xu smiled at his words.

"A better way? Of course there is."

Li Xu looked at the pile of black fungal chunks drying in the courtyard. "In fact, it’s the best way."

"It’s this—Ah Wei!"

Snar stared at him, confused.

Li Xu explained that Ah Wei was more than just a precious medicinal herb.

Its rich and peculiar aroma held a fatal, irresistible attraction for aquatic life, especially for creatures that like to live in silt, such as loaches and eels.

It was a top-tier, natural fish bait.

The mutated Ah Wei they had dug up—which had grown symbiotically with the Yabulu and absorbed the vital essence of countless living beings—would surely be even more effective.

Li Xu told Snar to go back and prepare a few woven bamboo cages with small openings and wide bodies. If he didn’t have cages, a fishing net would also work.

"Wait for me to rest a bit,"

Li Xu said with a smile, "and I’ll go with you to the river to catch loaches."