Dendrobes!

  Fang Qiu’s eyes lit up when he heard that name.

  As a doctor of Chinese Medicine, Fang Qiu had a deep understanding of this herb.

  Dendrobes has many other names such as fairy orchid grass, grass of immortality, reviving grass, and so on. Its stems are straight and plump. And its stems are slightly flat and cylindrical in shape with a length of 10 to 60 centimeters and a thickness of 1.3 centimeters. It tastes a little sweet and kind of salty and is a kind of “cooling” herb. It has an effect on human’s stomach, kidney, and lung channels.

  It nourishes the stomach, promotes the secretion of mucus in the mouth and stomach lining, as well as nourishes the yin. It also has cooling effects.

  It is used to treat yin injuries, fluid deficiencies, dry mouth, excessive thirst, loss of appetite, retching, post-illness fever, and poor eyesight.

  According to the Collected Cases of the Great Doctors, the dendrobe is non-toxic and promotes secretion. It is effective in replenishing its consumer’s vital energy and blood. It could smoothen stomach Qi and promote muscle growth. It could chase away the heat and evilness of the skin. It could also eliminate the coldness, numbness, and weakness of the knees and feet. Long-term consumption would also have calming effects.

  Just like Tianshan Snow Lotus and Desert Cistanche, dendrobes were one of the nine magical herbs in Huaxia!

  “No wonder your medicine can help the patients,” Fang Qiu said.

  Dendrobes could nourish the internal organs with an abirritant effect. It suited the needs of the patients. So, it could play a role in curing the patients.

  All of a sudden, Fang Qiu was tempted to obtain a sample of dendrobes for himself.

  Dendrobes were great herbs. Desert Cistanche had helped him change the traditional Chinese medicine market in Huaxia. And Tianshan Snow Lotus even helped him make Chinese medicine famous in the international market. If he could find a way to harvest and cultivate dendrobes successfully, it would bring him a great deal of benefits.

  The more Fang Qiu thought about it, the more he was tempted.

  Of course, he didn’t want to make a profit with dendrobes. He was not short of money now. And he could make so much money with Desert Cistanche and Tianshan Snow Lotus that he had enough money to last several lifetimes. Therefore, as soon as he learned that there were dendrobes in this place, Fang Qiu’s first thought was to further develop Chinese Medicine.

  Although Fang Qiu really wanted to check out those wild dendrobes, he was not in a hurry. Instead, he suppressed his impulse.

  In Fang Qiu’s opinion, since Old Yang could collect them, it meant that these dendrobes were not Heaven and Earth Treasure, but pure wild dendrobes. And there was no guardian beast at all. Because there was no guardian beast, there was no possibility that they would be eaten when they matured. So Fang Qiu was not in a hurry.

  Besides, Old Yang just said that he would go up the mountain to pick some dendrobes if there were any incurable diseases in the village. This implied that there were a lot of dendrobes on the mountain that were left unpicked.

  Rather than checking out those dendrobes, which he could see at any time, Fang Qiu would rather focus on the more pressing task at hand—helping the infected patients.

  Since the Comprehensive Nourishing Pills were distributed to more than one village, and since Leprosy Village was located in the mountains, Fang Qiu didn’t visit the patients to observe the pills’ effect that night. Instead, he found a place overlooking most of the villages to observe the villages.

  At first, the lights in these villages were all quite bright.

  Obviously, the infected patients didn’t go to sleep after taking pills. But after a while, the lights in one of the villages began to go out gradually.

  Then, the lights in other villages went out too.

  In the middle of the night, all the lights in these villages went out. All the villages were quiet, without the slightest bit of chaos.

  Seeing this, Fang Qiu smiled.

  He was now certain that the Comprehensive Nourishing Pills were effective.

  If they didn’t work, the villagers wouldn’t have turned off the lights and gone to sleep; the villages wouldn’t be so quiet as well

  Fang Qiu returned to Old Yang’s room.

  Since Fang Qiu had no place to stay, Old Yang made up a bed on the floor for Fang Qiu in his room so that Fang Qiu could have a place to sleep.

  “Are the pills effective?”


  Fang Qiu heard Old Yang’s voice as soon as he entered the room.

  Fang Qiu froze momentarily. “You’re still awake, sir?”


  “I slept very well. I haven’t slept so well for a long time.”


  Old Yang chuckled and said, “I’m old. I can’t fall asleep again after a few hours of sleep. Now it’s time for me to get up and exercise.”


  Fang Qiu took out his mobile phone and found that it was already 4.30 a.m……

  This was indeed the time for him to exercise.

  Old Yang said, “Although I have felt the effect of your pills myself, I don’t know the situation outside. You’d better tell me.”


  “The pills worked.”


  Fang Qiu nodded. “The villagers at the foot of the mountain are asleep now. I’ve been watching them all night, but I didn’t hear any noises. This means that no one has shown any symptoms of the disease tonight!”


  “That’s good!”


  When Old Yang heard this, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s great news. With this medicine, the neurotropic virus is no longer a threat.”


  Fang Qiu nodded. “Indeed. However, I need to keep giving out these pills to the patients. I need to observe for a few more days before I can verify the pill’s effectiveness.”


  “The pills are effective in my opinion,” Old Yang said confidently.

  Fang Qiu continued to give pills to the patients after that. For three days, Fang Qiu monitored the patients for any symptoms.

  Every night, the lights in the villages went out earlier and earlier. As those three days passed, the signs of vitality gradually returned to the formerly lifeless villages.

  Three days later, Fang Qiu went to the village to speak to the patients at different stages of the disease.

  “Did you feel better after taking the pills?” Fang Qiu asked a patient who had shown mild symptoms prior to consuming the pills.

  “My symptoms were mild,” the patient replied. “My nightmares were gone after I took the three pills on the first day.”


  “My symptoms were quite severe,” said another patient whose symptoms had been moderate. “I still had nightmares on the first night, but I didn’t wake up startled. I had nightmares the second night too, but I felt much better than the first night. I stopped having nightmares on the third night. It seems like I’m cured.”


  “I had a nightmare the first night and when I woke up, my body was covered in cold sweat,” said a patient whose condition had been critical. “But I didn’t dream again after I fell asleep again. I had a nightmare the next night, but I didn’t wake up. I also had a nightmare on the third night, but I could feel like I was almost cured.”


  After interviewing the patients in the villages, Fang Qiu and Old Yang were rather pleased with the result.

  They didn’t expect the Comprehensive Nourishing Pills to be so effective that they cured the disease completely.

  Both Fang Qiu and Old Yang felt relieved.

  However, Fang Qiu did not stay idle. He immediately took out his phone and called Li Ji.

  “Did the pills work?” Li Ji asked.

  When he received Fang Qiu’s call, Li Ji immediately knew that Fang Qiu was calling to inform him of the Comprehensive Nourishing Pills’ effect.

  “How did things go at your end?” Fang Qiu asked instead of answering.

  “I dispatched a small team to every village that is infected with the virus,” Li Ji said with a wry smile. “The teams consisted of people you have personally trained. For now, it seems that the disease is under control. But if things don’t improve, my soldiers will probably die of exhaustion.”


  “Get ready to buy Comprehensive Nourishing Pills then,” Fang Qiu said.

  “So you’re saying that Comprehensive Nourishing Pills are effective?” said Li Ji, his voice suddenly rising in volume.

  “Yes, they are effective.

  “The patients in the villages here have all been cured,” Fang Qiu continued with a nod.

  “Really?” Li Ji cried out in surprise.

  He let out a chuckle. “The Comprehensive Nourishing Pills are produced by your company, aren’t they? Why don’t you donate more Comprehensive Nourishing Pills to the patients? You’ve already done a lot of good things, so you might as well add one more to the list.”


  “I’ve already donated 1,000 boxes to them,” Fang Qiu said. “These 1,000 boxes are worth a lot. You know as well that I’m not the sole owner of the company, so that decision isn’t mine alone to make. Even a small decision like this could affect the interests of the company’s shareholders. Besides, the Three Billion Plan is already in effect. The company’s shareholders would oppose if I donate any more Comprehensive Nourishing Pills.”


  “However,” Fang Qiu continued, “even though I can’t donate any more pills, I can guarantee that they are sold to the patients at a fair price. That way, everybody wins.”


  “Will do,” Li Ji said with a nod. “I’ll report this to my superiors right away.”


  Li Ji was aware that the Comprehensive Nourishing Pills were expensive—1,500 yuan per box. There was also a limited supply of these pills. If Fang Qiu was asked to donate money, he would’ve done it without hesitation. But donating these pills was a different story altogether.

  Of course, the state would not take advantage of the people. It was good for the state to get these pills at a fair price.

  After hanging up, Fang Qiu immediately called He Xue.

  “Hello?”


  “The state wants to buy the Comprehensive Nourishing Pills. Someone will contact the company shortly. You should prepare them as soon as possible. We’ll sell the pills at a fair price this time. Profit is not the priority right now. Just make sure that we’re not losing money, and that’s all.”


  “No problem,” He Xue said with a nod.

  He Xue knew what it meant when the state was purchasing pills from them, so she wouldn’t take this lightly.

  Fang Qiu ended the call and returned to Old Yang’s room.

  “Everything’s settled?” Old Yang asked with a smile.

  “Yes,” Fang Qiu said with a nod. “Now that we have found the cure for this disease, the state will take over and provide free treatment for all patients. I believe that it won’t be long before the disease is eradicated.”


  “That’s great,” Old Yang said, nodding happily. “That’s great news.”


  “Do you mind taking me to the mountains, sir?” Fang Qiu asked. “I’d like to see the dendrobes.”


  “You’re interested in dendrobes?” Old Yang asked.

  “I should,” said Fang Qiu with a smile, “since I’m a practitioner of Chinese Medicine.”


  Old Yang returned Fang Qiu’s smile and said, “Well said.”


  Old Yang nodded. “Well, if any other person asked me to show them the dendrobes, I would’ve turned them down. But I know you’re a good person, so I’ll take you there. Even if you discover this great herb and end up profiting from that discovery, I’ll consider that a good thing.”


  “Thank you, sir,” Fang Qiu said.

  “Follow me.”


  Old Yang walked out of the room with a smile and then led Fang Qiu all the way up the mountain.

  This was not the same mountain where Fang Qiu consumed the nutrient drink; this mountain was located on the side of the village, about 100 meters away from the village.

  Trees were scarce on this mountain, though there were a lot of shrubs. The surface of the mountain was filled with rocks, and since the summit was at a high altitude, the path to the summit was damp and slippery.

  After 40 minutes of climbing, the pair were halfway to the summit.

  Panting heavily, Old Yang pointed to the front and smiled at Fang Qiu. “Look, those are the dendrobes.”