Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 215: A Mute Eating Huang Lian

Yoshida was extremely uncomfortable.

The thought of smearing urine sediment in his mouth made a nameless rage well up inside him.

He shot Li Xu a resentful glare.

'This guy is a fucking monster.'

But he was at a loss for words.

Because human urethra was, indeed, a traditional Chinese medicine.

It was clearly documented not only in the Dragon Country, but even in their own Japan.

And besides, the current effect was quite good.

It left him completely speechless.

What's more, he was on a mission.

He had originally planned to give the other party a hard time,

and then propose buying the formula for the Watermelon Frost.

Now, he had to change his strategy.

Yoshida took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, and plastered a fake smile on his face. "Dr. Li, could I talk with you for a moment?"

"About what?"

Li Xu was confused. "Your ailment has already been diagnosed. You just need to go to the pharmacy, get your medicine, and go home."

Yoshida said hurriedly, "Dr. Li, I'm from Ryukakusan Co., Ltd. in Japan. Our president heard that the Watermelon Frost you developed is very effective, so he specifically sent me to talk with you."

"Oh?"

Li Xu glanced at Yoshida, already having his suspicions.

'No wonder he was deliberately picking a fight earlier.'

'So he had an ulterior motive.'

"Talk about what?"

Li Xu asked again.

Yoshida looked around the consultation room. Outside, there were still patients who had taken a number and were waiting to be seen. "Right here?"

"Follow me."

Li Xu led Yoshida to a small meeting room in the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The door to the meeting room closed, shutting out the noise from the hallway.

Li Xu pulled out a chair and sat down, gesturing for Yoshida to sit as well.

Yoshida straightened his suit and tie, took a gold-embossed business card from his briefcase, and handed it to Li Xu with both hands. "Dr. Li, allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Yoshida Ichiro, from the China Liaison Department of Ryukakusan Co., Ltd."

Li Xu took the card, glanced at it, and placed it on the table. "So, Mr. Yoshida, your trip to the Dragon Country wasn't really to see a doctor, but to talk business?"

A flash of embarrassment crossed Yoshida's face, but he quickly recovered his professional smile. "Dr. Li, you misunderstand. The canker sore is real. It's just that, coincidentally... our president is very interested in your factory's Watermelon Frost."

"How interested?" Li Xu leaned back in his chair, watching him with a faint, knowing smile.

Yoshida didn't beat around the bush. "Five million, for the detailed formula and production process of the Watermelon Frost."

The meeting room suddenly fell silent, with only the soft hum of the air conditioner running.

Li Xu laughed. "Five million?"

"That's just an initial offer." Yoshida, thinking Li Xu found the amount too low, quickly added, "If our cooperation goes smoothly, we can still..."

Li Xu suddenly burst out laughing. "Mr. Yoshida, do you know what the annual sales of our Watermelon Frost will be once it's fully launched? At least one hundred million. And you're offering me five million?"

Yoshida's expression faltered slightly, but he quickly composed himself. "Eight million! This price is already very generous. And after you sell us the formula, your factory can still continue to produce and sell it in the Dragon Country. You just won't be able to sell it on the international market..."

Just as Li Xu was about to refuse,

a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

'The Watermelon Frost I developed isn't fundamentally different from the traditional formula. The key lies in the raw material—I use a specially cultivated watermelon variety.'

'If I only sell the formula, I could make eight million for free...'

"Mr. Yoshida," Li Xu asked, "you only want the formula?"

A glint of delight flashed in Yoshida's eyes. "No, we also want the complete production process... If there are special requirements for the raw materials, such as a special variety of watermelon, that needs to be provided as well."

Li Xu sighed inwardly. 'This little devil is as shrewd as they say, not leaving any loopholes.'

He leaned back in his chair again and shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"The price is negotiable!" Yoshida said eagerly.

Li Xu waved his hand. "It's not about the money. How about this? I have a proposal—a one-for-one trade."

"A one-for-one trade?"

"The formula for Watermelon Frost in exchange for your formula and production patent for Dragon Horn Powder." Li Xu looked directly into Yoshida's eyes. "A fair trade."

Yoshida's face instantly turned ugly. "That's impossible! Dragon Horn Powder is our company's core secret, passed down for over two hundred years..."

"Our Watermelon Frost has also been passed down for over two hundred years," Li Xu interrupted him. "So it's a one-for-one trade. Neither side loses."

Yoshida frowned. "But the formula and production method for Watermelon Frost are recorded in many classic texts. There's nothing special about it."

Li Xu sneered. "If we're talking like that, then your Dragon Horn Powder's main ingredients are just Knotweed, almond, and licorice. Nothing special about that, either."

Yoshida's face flushed red with anger. He suppressed his rage and said, "Dr. Li, business cooperation is about mutual benefit. An attitude like yours..."

"My attitude is very clear." Li Xu pulled open the meeting room door. "The Watermelon Frost formula is not for sale. If your company is truly interested in traditional Chinese medicine, you can go through official channels to apply for technical cooperation or drug importation. Now, please leave."

Yoshida straightened his suit, clinging to his last shred of dignity. "Dr. Li, you should know that Japan's intelligence capabilities are very strong. We've never failed to obtain something we want. If you cooperate with us now, you can still get eight million. Once we find the formula on our own, heh heh..."

"Mr. Yoshida," Li Xu said coldly, "don't forget to apply your human urethra ointment on time. Otherwise, if your ulcer returns, don't come back to the hospital to cause trouble."

Yoshida's face went from red to ashen. He grabbed his briefcase and strode quickly out of the meeting room.

Li Xu watched Yoshida's retreating figure, his brows furrowed.

Yoshida's words were harsh, but they couldn't be ignored.

Japan's intelligence network was formidable.

If they really managed to dig something up... especially about the watermelon cultivation base in Zhouzhuang... If they caused trouble, it would likely affect the production volume of Watermelon Frost.

"I need to let Ding Kaifang know..."

Li Xu left the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, but instead of returning to his clinic, he headed for Ding's Pharmaceutical Factory.

He planned to speak with Ding Kaifang face-to-face and explain the situation in detail.

But he found that Ding Kaifang wasn't there.

"Where's your President Ding?"

"He didn't come in today."

Li Xu called Ding Kaifang. "President Ding, where are you?"

"Oh, I'm in Shanyang County, inspecting a project. Is there something you need, Doctor Li?"

The Ding Group was a large conglomerate.

Its business was extensive, covering real estate, food and beverage, healthcare, tourism, and more.

Ding's Pharmaceutical Factory was just a small division within the Ding Group.

"Shanyang County?"

Li Xu was curious. What was he doing there?

Li Xu had been to Shanyang County once before. There had been a tip that Dragon Bone had appeared in a quarry there, and he had managed to score two large pieces of top-quality Five-Floral Dragon Bone. The memory was a vivid one.

"Environmental policies have gotten stricter recently. The mining in Shanyang County is polluting the environment, so the city plans to shut it down and restore the mountain forests. The relevant leaders approached me, hoping our Ding Group would develop it, to see if it could be turned into a retirement and leisure area. I came over to inspect it..."

Ding Kaifang explained.

"Oh, how's the inspection going?" Li Xu asked.

Ding Kaifang sighed. "Sigh, the mountains here have been severely quarried. To build a retirement, leisure, and tourism resort, the investment would be huge. You could sink a billion in and not even see a ripple. Plus, Shanyang County is a subordinate county of Feng City with an average economy and it's far from the city center. Even if we built it, there's no guarantee of a return on investment. I'm just worrying about how to go back and tell the city leaders to give up on the idea."