"Going to see her as soon as you get back, really!" Luo Feiying said unhappily.
“It’s right for Song Hao to visit them first; it’s polite. Besides, he needs to check on the progress of the work there. Alright, we need to get back to work. Didn’t you once claim to be a computer expert? I’m planning to set up a ‘Tianyitang website’ and post recruitment information online, inviting folk TCM masters to join Tianyitang. We also need to share some of the work with Song Hao; things will be better after this busy period,” Tang Yu said.
"Song Hao is making progress at Lingtian Medical Hall way too fast. In less than a year, he has already expanded to such a large scale. At this rate, it will be exhausting for everyone," Luo Feiying sighed.
"Let's get to work. Don't let it become a mess, otherwise all our previous efforts will be wasted," Tang Yu said with a smile.
Wansongling.
Song Hao stared at the scene before him, utterly astonished. A building under construction, several large tracts of reclaimed land, a greenhouse, and several large ponds of unknown purpose. Further away, several other sites were also under construction. The entire Wansongling area had been transformed, resembling a large farm with various operational models.
"Qiu Ru is going to turn the entire Wansong Ridge into a herb garden!" Song Hao exclaimed in surprise.
"Master!" A joyful shout rang out.
When Song Hao turned around, it was Qiu Wei.
“I saw the image of Master from afar, and it really is him! When did he come back?” Qiu Wei ran over happily.
"You came back last night. How are you and your sister?" Song Hao asked with a smile.
"Excellent! I've never seen my sister so happy since we arrived here. She said this place is the place she dreamed of, the place where the glory of the Medicine King Sect will be restored!" Qiu Wei said excitedly.
"I'm glad it satisfies you." Song Hao smiled and said.
In a newly built building, Song Hao met Qiu Ru, who was busy at work.
"Brother Song, you're back!" Qiu Ru exclaimed in surprise.
"How are you doing? Getting used to it here? Is work going smoothly?" Song Hao asked with a smile.
"It's even better than I imagined! And your friends are fully supportive of my work here, always ready to help. Thank you for providing such a wonderful environment; all my life's learning finally has a place to be put to use," Qiu Ru said gratefully.
"I should be the one thanking you. It's an honor for Tianyitang to have an expert like you. I just took a quick look, and the project is quite large!" Song Hao said with a smile.
Qiu Ru said, "They're not fully formed yet, so we can't really tell what they look like. I have some design drawings here, Brother Song, you can take a look at them first. They're all planned according to my ideas, I don't know if they'll meet your requirements."
As Qiu Ru spoke, she unfolded a blueprint, pointed to the markings on it, and said, "This is the plan for the first year. To ensure the quality of the Chinese herbal medicines, we will first plant more than a hundred kinds of commonly used herbs to supply Tianyi Hall. In the future, the Chinese herbal medicines produced here will have a potency several times greater than those of the same varieties from other producing areas. Also, the breeding of medicinal animals will first be in the experimental stage. Snake ponds, scorpion ponds, and centipede ponds have already been built here. On the south slope, a bee farm has also been built. We plan to raise several kinds of bees. In addition to providing bee products for medicinal use, at the request of Teacher Wu Qiguang, we will also provide special bees for his acupuncture department to use as 'bee needles'. Using 'bee needles' to sting the affected areas has a unique effect on treating rheumatism."
"That's wonderful! Your plan is much more comprehensive than I imagined!" Song Hao exclaimed in delight.
Qiu Ru smiled upon hearing this and said, "Although the Wansongling Herb Garden may not be able to produce all the medicines in the world, the quality of all medicines produced here will be the best in the world. I can guarantee that. In addition, the 'Medicine King's Divine Book' contains secret methods for grafting and transplanting different herbs. If the experiment is successful in the future, a new medicine can have several different medicinal effects, and may even be able to produce new medicinal effects."
Upon hearing this, Song Hao asked in surprise, "Is that possible?"
Qiu Ru said, "Nothing is impossible in this world. There is a legend in the Medicine King Sect, which is 'One Medicine Creates a Formula.' It is different from treating diseases with a single herb. Instead, it is a single herb that contains the medicinal power of several herbs in a prescription. In other words, it is a grafting and transplantation of the combination of ancient famous prescriptions, combining the medicinal power of several herbs into a new herb. Although it is a legend, the Medicine King Sect has records of successful cases. Of course, it is only possible if the herbs in the prescription are all plant-based and of similar species. However, if the 'One Medicine Creates a Formula' is successfully tested, its newly generated medicinal power can make up for the deficiencies of any mineral or animal-based herbs in the original prescription."
"That's amazing! It seems theoretically plausible. I look forward to the success of your 'one-drug-formula'!" Song Hao said excitedly.
Qiu Ru laughed and said, "Wansongling is the perfect place to grow medicinal herbs. It's also thanks to your friend Liu Tian that you're so capable. When I first arrived, he told me that the forestry department had approved a plot of land in Wansongling for Tianyitang to cultivate medicinal herbs. But I told him that the plot wasn't enough, and it would be best to include the entire Wansongling area to make it Tianyitang's medicinal herb base. As a result, half a month later, he actually obtained the official approval document from the State Forestry Administration and indeed acquired the entire Wansongling area."
"Does Liu Tian have such extraordinary abilities? It's already difficult enough to acquire a piece of land, but he actually managed to secure several mountains in Wansongling for Tianyitang?" Song Hao was astonished.
"In addition, some farmland on Wansong Ridge was also requisitioned by Tianyitang through Liu Tian and his team. As of now, Tianyitang's investment in Wansong Ridge is no less than that of the new Tianyitang building under construction. It seems that your source of funds is really strong!" Qiu Ru added.
The more Song Hao listened, the more confused he became. He knew that all of this was beyond the capabilities of Liu Tian, Ma Ji, and Zhang Baolun. Even if they combined their companies and willingly went bankrupt to build Tianyi Hall for him, they simply didn't have the resources to operate it, and it was impossible for them to do so. There was only one truth: a powerful conglomerate was providing them with funding. Otherwise, the three wouldn't have readily agreed to build the new Tianyi Hall without any hesitation when he first proposed it. Especially now that they had actually taken over the entire Wansong Ridge, this was something no ordinary person could do. Liu Tian and his group didn't have the strength or ability to operate this.
Qiu Ru, oblivious to Song Hao's change in expression, continued, "Brother Song, I guarantee that even without Tianyi Hall, the economic benefits of Wansongling Herb Garden will be enough to support the local population within a year. In less than three years, Wansongling will become the world's largest base for the cultivation and breeding of Chinese medicinal herbs."
"Brother Song, what's wrong with you?" Qiu Ru looked up unintentionally and noticed that Song Hao's expression was off. She asked in surprise, "If there are any unreasonable aspects to my plan, please point them out and I can make improvements."
"No, no! Your plan is excellent, let's proceed accordingly. I'm fine, I probably just walked too fast up the mountain," Song Hao quickly explained.
"You should rest for a while," Qiu Ru said with concern.
"No need, I haven't heard enough about your plan yet, please continue," Song Hao said.
"You're quite impatient. There'll be plenty of time later, and I'll explain it to you slowly," Qiu Ru said with a smile.
Chapter Fifty-Four Mysterious Funds
Medicines are classified as cold, hot, warm, or cool, which are their qi (vital energy); sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, or salty, which are their flavors. Qi is yang, and flavor is yin.
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Just then, the sound of a car horn came from down the mountain. Qiu Wei came in and said, "That's Mr. Liu's car. He must be here to pick up Master."
Song Hao said, "They probably heard I was back and came to pick me up. I'll be going now, I'll come see you another day."
"No need. Tianyi Hall is under construction and we're very busy, so please don't worry about me. I'll contact you if I need anything," Qiu Ru said.
“Qiuwei, I’m busy right now. You should learn acupuncture from Teacher Wu Qiguang first. I’ll teach you when I have the chance,” Song Hao said.
"No need, Master, we can talk about it later. My sister needs my help too. I haven't been to Tianyi Hall for several days," Qiu Wei said.
"Then I'll have to trouble you two siblings." After saying that, Song Hao nodded to Qiu Ru and turned to leave.
Qiu Ru watched Song Hao leave, standing there lost in thought.
"Song Hao, I heard you came back last night, why didn't you say hello!" Liu Tian said with a smile as soon as he saw Song Hao.
Song Hao stood in front of Liu Tian, looking at him with a serious expression, without saying a word.
"What's wrong? Why so serious! You've seen your Qiu family girl, haven't you? You should be happy. I know, you've run into a problem, and you don't know how to deal with it this time. You can barely manage two boats, but it's not easy to keep a balance on three." Liu Tian smiled and patted Song Hao on the shoulder.
"Liu Tian, can you tell me the truth?" Song Hao said.
"Of course you can! Your brother is now enjoying the best of everything, it's so enviable! We thought we might have a chance with Qiu Ru, but she doesn't even give us a second glance. She only talks to us when she's giving us orders. Song Hao! What incredible luck you've had! All the good things seem to happen to you." Liu Tian said with a grin.