Elixir Supplier

Sang Guzi and Wang Yao walked back to their accommodation to rest.

Wang Yao returned to Han’s house at 3 p.m. The patient had woken up. He could move his eyes but couldn’t speak.

Wang Yao checked the patient’s pulse, which was still weak.

“He is getting better, but his condition is still critical,” he said. “I’ve brought a third decoction with me.”

The Han brothers all got excited. They had seen the changes the other two decoctions had on their youngest brother, who had finally woken up.

Apart from Sang Guzi, one of the Han brothers had secretly asked a well-known doctor in Yunnan to take a look at his youngest brother to verify he was getting better. He thought it was important to get opinions from different doctors. Eventually, all the brothers were convinced that Wang Yao’s treatment was effective.

“The third decoction is very expensive,” Wang Yao said.

“How much?” Han Xing asked.

“It is $1 million for one decoction,” Wang Yao said.

“How much?” Although Han Xing didn’t show any facial expressions, he was shocked, as were his brothers.

“This is too expensive,” Han Zhiyu said.

Wang Yao looked at them calmly.

“OK, I’ll buy it,” Han Xing said after keeping silent a moment.

“Can you please open the gauze on his arm and get me some cold water. I also need a sprinkling can,” Wang Yao said.

“OK,” Han Xing said.

Most households had these items, so they were immediately retrieved.

Wang Yao took out the Muscle Revitalizing powder and poured a small amount into the pot. He diluted the decoction with water in the small sprinkling can.

He loosened the gauze to expose the patient’s rotten skin. The skin had turned purple and black. All the muscles and skin were rotten. It was like earth destroyed by magma. It was a shocking scene.

Wang Yao gently sprayed the Muscle Revitalizing powder onto the patient’s arm.

“Change the gauze for him,” Wang Yao said after he finished the treatment.

“OK,” Han Xing said.

Wang Yao left the skin exposed to dry. He then wrap the patient’s arm with clean gauze.

“I will come back tomorrow to check him again. Continue to give him the first two decoctions,” Wang Yao said.

“OK, Dr. Wang,” Han Xing said.

Facts spoke louder than anything. The Han brothers started to have faith in Wang Yao.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Wang Yao said.

Wang Yao again declined the invitation for dinner. He really didn’t feel comfortable having dinner with a bunch of people with whom he was not familiar. He preferred to have some simple dishes and a glass of wine with Sang Guzi.

It was still early when Wang Yao left the Han house. He decided to have a walk around Dali, which was a well-known tourist city.

He had never been to Dali before. He walked slowly along the streets. He didn’t visit the hot tourist spots. Instead, he just wandered about. He soon reached a high place and saw a beautiful green lake. It was the famous Erhai Lake.

He walked quickly to reach Erhai Lake before sunset. What a nice place!

When he saw the small restaurants next to the lake, he decided to have dinner in one of them. He called Sang Guzi to meet him at Erhai Lake.

Sang Guzi arrived a moment later.

“Yo, you are fast,” Wang Yao said.

“I was nearby,” Sang Guzi said with a smile.

“Shall we order a bottle of wine?” Wang Yao suggested.

“OK,” Sang Guzi replied.

In a small boutique restaurant, Wang Yao ordered several chef’s special dishes and a bottle wine. The two of them enjoyed the meal, wine, and gentle gusts of wind.

The sun dropped, and the moon rose to the sky. It started to get dark, but the Erhai Lake Park was still full of people.

“People here look so relaxed,” Wang Yao said.

He had been observing people the whole afternoon. Dali was a slow-paced city. People looked happy and relaxed. There were very different from the residents in Beijing.

“Yes, the air here is fresh, and the weather is pleasant. This is a good place for retirees,” Sang Guzi said.

“You like this place, too?” Wang Yao asked.

“Yes,” Sang Guzi said. “However, the number of tourists has been increasing the last few years. The city is no longer as quiet.”

“That’s right,” Wang Yao said.

He and Sang Guzi chatted while eating and drinking. They didn’t leave until after 9 p.m.

“If everything goes well, I will go back tomorrow. I’ll leave the decoctions here,” Wang Yao said on his way back. “It will take a long time to cure that young man.”

“OK,” Sang Guzi said. Wang Yao had mentioned that to him before.

Wang Yao returned to the cottage and spent another night there. He got up early the next morning. He had a simple breakfast and walked around the cottage before going to see the patient at the Han house.

“Give him the first two decoctions to take,” Wang Yao said after checking the patient’s pulse.

“OK.” The servants gave the youngest brother the decoctions.

The treatment took two hours. Wang Yao checked the patient’s pulse four times.

“Open the gauze,” Wang Yao said.

The gauze was gently opened. The arm being treated still looked horrible. But, if anyone took a closer look, one would find some rotten tissues had turned into a scar and dropped. The arm looked better than it did the day before.

“It worked,” Wang Yao said. Of course, he knew his decoctions were effective. “Spray the decoction onto his arm like I did yesterday.”

“OK, I’ll do it,” Han Zhiyu said.

Compared to the other two brothers, he was closest to his youngest brother.

“Take it easy and don’t rush.” Wang Yao didn’t help Han Zhiyu. He just gave him instructions.

“Let’s call it a day. I’ll leave the decoctions to you. You just need to follow my instructions,” Wang Yao said.

“Are you leaving today?” Han Xing asked.

The Han brothers were surprised Wang Yao was leaving. Their youngest brother had just started to get better.

“Do you have something urgent to do?” Han Xing asked.

“Not really,” Wang Yao said.

“I see,” Han Xing said.

“I said I would stay here for three days,” Wang Yao said.

“That’s fine. I’ll arrange your return trip,” Han Xing said, despite the fact that his brothers didn’t want Wang Yao to leave.

“But brother,” Han Zhiyu said.

“You should all leave the room now,” Han Xing said to his brothers. The quickly left.

“Please excuse my brothers. They are just worried. I’ll arrange your trip immediately,” Han Xing said.

“That’s fine,” Wang Yao said. “By the way, you cannot show the decoctions to anyone outside your family.”

“Sure,” Han Xing said.

The Han brothers invited Wang Yao for lunch, but he declined. Again, he went to a small restaurant near Erhai Lake with Sang Guzi. They ordered a few dishes and a bottle of wine. They had a good time.

“Are you leaving this afternoon?” Sang Guzi asked.

“Yes, I’m flying back this afternoon,” Wang Yao said.

“I’ll stay here two more days,” Sang Guzi said.

“Fair enough, this is a nice place,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

“Have you left the decoctions for them?” Sang Guzi asked.

“Yes,” Wang Yao said.

Sang Guzi nodded.

The Han brothers and Sang Guzi all went to see Wang Yao off in the airport after lunch.

“Thank you for coming Dr. Wang,” Sang Guzi said.

“You are welcome. See you next time, Dr. Sang,” Wang Yao said.

“See you next time. I really appreciate that you came here to help,” Sang Guzi said.

“No worries,” Wang Yao said as he boarded the plane.

“Xing, can I have a word?” Sang Guzi asked.

“Sure, what can I do for you?” Han Xing asked with respect.

“Wang Yao left the decoctions?” Sang Guzi asked.

“Yes,” Han Xing said.

“Don’t let anyone else handle decoctions. You have to look after them yourself,” Sang Guzi said.

“Sure,” Han Xing said. He looked at Sang Guzi with a strange look. He didn’t understand why this had to be a private conversation.

“You don’t think it is important?” Sang Guzi asked.

“Since you’ve asked me to do it, I’ll do it for sure,” Han Xing said.

“You are a reliable person, just like your father. Remember, doctors can save people as well as hurt people. They can even kill people,” Sang Guzi calmly said.

“I see,” Han Xing said with surprise. He immediately got what Sang Guzi meant. “I’ll look after the decoctions with great care.”

“Good.” Sang Guzi nodded.

After seeing Wang Yao off and saying goodbye to Sang Guzi, the Han brothers went home.

“That young doctor is so arrogant. He doesn’t even want to stay for one more day. All those capable people don’t seem to be easy going,” a young man from the Han family said. “And, his decoctions are ridiculously expensive. How could a decoction could cost $1 million? What do you think, Uncle?”

“Stop talking about it,” Han Xing said. “None of you are allowed to tell anyone about this doctor. Anyone who says a word of it will be punished!”

Everyone kept silent. They didn’t want to upset Han Xing, who was normally nice.

“Off you go,” Han Xing said.

The young man left. Han Xing and his brothers stayed.

“Brother, why did you allow him to leave?” Han Zhiyu asked with confusion.

“We should keep our promise,” Han Xing said.

“But, what about our little brother?” Han Zhiyu asked.

“What do you want to do?” Han Xing asked.