Upon hearing this, Song Hao nodded and said, "Since this prescription has such miraculous effects, let's keep this person here. Treat him well and let him specialize in this kind of treatment."
Chapter Twenty-Four: Mouth and Eye Correction Powder 2
What Heaven bestows upon me is virtue; what Earth bestows upon me is qi. Life arises from the flow of virtue and the thinning of qi. Therefore, the origin of life is called essence; the interaction of two essences is called spirit; that which follows the spirit is called soul; that which enters and exits with essence is called corporeal soul; that which governs all things is called heart; what the heart remembers is called intention; what intention holds is called will; change arising from will is called thought; far-reaching aspirations arising from thought are called consideration; dealing with things through consideration is called wisdom. Therefore, the wise person's way of nourishing life is to follow the four seasons and adapt to cold and heat, to harmonize joy and anger and live peacefully, to regulate yin and yang and balance strength and gentleness. In this way, evil influences will not approach, and one will live long and see far. — *The Inner Canon of Medicine, The Spiritual Pivot, The Fundamental Spirit*
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"Then I'll let this person go and tell him that Tianyitang won't do this kind of business with him." Tang Yu said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Song Hao hesitated for a moment, then called out to Tang Yu, "Can his medicine really correct facial paralysis caused by stroke in any situation within 24 hours?"
Tang Yu said, "At least that's been the case for a dozen or so patients so far. What, are you interested in this drug?"
“I’m also interested in this person,” Song Hao said. “How about this, have him come to me. It’s not a bad thing that Tianyi Hall has such a simple and effective medicine. It can save some trouble and time in treatment, and more importantly, it can relieve the patient’s suffering sooner. Although this person thinks his medicine is a rare commodity, it is truly a good medicine. Tianyi Hall would buy this secret formula for at least two million, let alone one million. We’ll keep the medicine and not the person.”
"Alright, then I'll have him come see you." Tang Yu said, then turned and left.
Not long after, someone knocked on the door.
"Please come in!" Song Hao sat up straight and said.
The door was gently pushed open, and first a head wearing a blue hat peeked in. A pair of cloudy eyes looked at Song Hao with a hint of fear.
Seeing this, Song Hao frowned and said, "Please come in and talk!"
Then, a short man entered. He looked somewhat sleazy and stood awkwardly inside the doorway, not moving forward. He wore a wrinkled, blue homespun shirt and old-fashioned leather shoes covered in dust. He appeared to be around fifty years old, though perhaps a little younger than his actual age; he was from the countryside. Song Hao had specifically instructed the recruitment department of Tianyi Hall not to judge people by their appearance. That's why this man had the opportunity to test the medicine and, consequently, to meet Song Hao.
"Please sit here!" Song Hao pointed to a chair opposite the desk and said warmly. At this moment, I couldn't help but admire this man; daring to come to Tianyi Hall to sell his little secret formula, he must have extraordinary courage and "boldness."
Seeing Song Hao's amiable attitude, the man's tense expression relaxed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he walked over and sat down opposite Song Hao.
Song Hao poured a cup of his own Tieguanyin tea for the man, pushed it in front of him, and said, "Please have some!"
The man didn't touch the tea, but instead lowered his head and secretly sized up Song Hao with a sidelong glance. He looked quite surprised, clearly taken aback by Song Hao's youth.
"What should I call you?" Song Hao asked with a smile.
"My surname is Liu, and my name is Liu Benli," Liu Benli replied. As he spoke, he straightened his back.
"Where are you from?" Song Hao asked again.
“Shandong!” Liu Benli replied.
“We’re from Shandong! We’re fellow Shandong natives!” Song Hao said with a smile.
"Oh! What a coincidence!" Liu Benli nodded and smiled. Then he said, "President Song was looking for me?"
“Yes!” Song Hao said, “I heard you have a secret formula called ‘Mouth and Eye Correction Powder’. It’s quite effective and can correct all cases of facial paralysis within 24 hours.”
"Of course!" Liu Benli's spirits lifted, and he said with a hint of pride, "This is a secret family recipe passed down through my Liu family for seventeen generations. It has cured countless people, and every single one of them has recovered. Just mix the medicine with wine and apply it to the affected side of the face, and within 24 hours, even if the mouth and eyes are crooked to the back of the head, it can straighten them. I'm not bragging, but in the world today, my 'Mouth and Eye Straightening Powder' is the most powerful treatment for this disease. No other medicine can compare to mine. Moreover, my secret recipe is highly confidential; no one can get their hands on it. There was a professor in my area who took my medicine to a major city for testing, but he couldn't find any ingredients. Because my medicine is specially processed, even if some ingredients were found, it wouldn't be useful, because no one can control the exact amount of medicinal properties after processing. Some of the ingredients are poisonous, and if the preparation is not accurate, it will harm people."
Song Hao smiled and said, "Indeed, that's good! May I ask how much you charge per patient in your area? And how many patients do you see per day?"
Liu Benli replied, “I’ll have to pay you at least 100 or 200 for each patient, sometimes 20 or 300 is fine too. We’re poor in the countryside, so the fees aren’t high. In a big hospital, they could charge 1,000 or 1,000 for a single illness, city people have money! This disease is common in the countryside, but not too many. On good days, I can see about ten people, all of whom come from far and wide because of its reputation. On slow days, there are hardly any patients. I believe my medicine is unique, the best in the world, so I might as well try it out in the big cities. I’ve heard that Tianyitang is a purely TCM hospital, and it’s packed with patients every day. So if you use my medicine there, you can expect to make a fortune. I’ve seen at least 20 or 30 people with this disease at Tianyitang every day. Even if you charge 500 per person, that’s over 10,000! We could make 5,000 or 6,000. Of course, if Tianyitang can buy out the entire prescription for 1 million, you’ll make all the money yourself, and you’ll get your principal and interest back in a year.”
"Mr. Liu is quite good at calculating costs!" Song Hao smiled and said, "However, I still want to see the exact efficacy of your Mouth and Eye Strengthening Powder with my own eyes. How about this, I'll make some arrangements, and then we'll go to the clinic to try it a few more times. If it really achieves the effect that satisfies me, then we can discuss the matter of purchasing this secret formula."
Fourteen patients with facial paralysis, temporarily recruited from various clinics, were gathered in one clinic room to further verify the effectiveness of the mouth and eye straightening powder. Song Zihe, Lin Fengyi, Wu Qiguang, and others also rushed over to watch upon hearing the news.
“Mr. Liu, please stop!” Song Hao said.
Liu Benli, now brimming with confidence, took a packet of powder from his pocket, mixed it with some wine to form a paste, and then applied it to a patient's cheek. If the mouth and eyes were crooked to the left, the ailment was on the right side, and vice versa.
Song Hao saw that the Mouth-Eye Tonifying Powder was dark brown in color and had a pungent smell, though not very strong. He pinched a little and tasted it; his tongue felt slightly numb, indicating that it contained a potent medicine. Even immortals couldn't distinguish between ointments, pills, and powders, and he himself didn't know what medicine it was made of.
At this point, Liu Benli had already administered the medicine to five patients, and three of them said that the areas on their faces where the medicine had been applied were starting to feel hot.
Liu Benli said, "My medicine is very potent. You must wash it off after half an hour, and then just wait and see the effect. I guarantee you'll all be fully recovered within 24 hours."
Lin Fengyi, who was listening nearby, nodded and said, "This medicine is powerful. If it can really restore the symptoms of these patients within a day, it can be called a miraculous prescription and medicine!"
There was a middle-aged woman whose face was distorted, with a crooked mouth and drooling uncontrollably. Song Hao had just asked her what had happened; she had caught a chill while sleeping the night before and had recently developed the condition. Because she was sitting at the back, Liu Benli hadn't been able to come over to apply medicine yet. Song Hao couldn't bear to see her in pain, so he said, "I'll treat you with acupuncture first."
The nurse brought over the acupuncture tray, and Song Hao selected several acupoints on the affected area, including Qianzheng, Xiaguan, and Chengqi, and inserted the needles in sequence, applying slight manipulation. Then, the family members who had accompanied the woman exclaimed in surprise, "It's starting to straighten!" Under the stimulation of the acupuncture, the crooked mouth and eyes were slowly returning to their original position before everyone's eyes. The effect was remarkably rapid. Liu Benli, standing to the side, was completely stunned. Wu Qiguang, Lin Fengyi, and the others exchanged nods and smiles.
"Who will work faster between us?" Song Hao asked with a smile.
"You...your needle technique is fast!" Liu Benli exclaimed in amazement.
Meanwhile, among the seven patients whose medication had been applied by Liu Benli, three had begun to see their symptoms gradually improve.
Upon seeing this, Song Hao nodded and said, "Although my acupuncture technique is fast and can take effect in a short time, it is mostly suitable for new illnesses, and the practitioner needs to have a certain level of acupuncture skill. For chronic illnesses, it also requires several days of treatment, which is still not as effective as your Fuzheng Powder, which can achieve complete cure within 24 hours. This is because your method is simple, and with the medicine, anyone can perform the technique, making it widely applicable. In treating this disease, you are better than me in this respect."
Upon hearing this, a smug look flashed in Liu Benli's eyes.
Liu Benli administered the medicine to all thirteen patients. At this point, the first two patients who had received the medicine felt a burning sensation at the application site and began to experience a searing pain. They cried out, "It's too hot and it hurts too much! I can't stand it!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Benli quickly stepped forward, wiped off the medicine, and washed it off with clean water. A red blush appeared on the patient's cheek where the medicine had been applied, clearly caused by the irritation of the medicine.
An hour later, of the thirteen patients who had received Liu Benli's Mouth and Eye Tonic Powder, four had recovered most of their symptoms, and the rest also showed improvement. However, due to the excessive potency of the medicine, one patient with skin irritation developed a small ulcer on his cheek and required further treatment.
"It really is a miraculous medicine!" Song Zihe, Lin Fengyi and others couldn't help but praise it.
"Not bad, Mr. Liu! The Mouth and Eye Strengthening Powder really does have a miraculous effect on strengthening the body. Tianyitang is preparing to acquire your secret formula," Song Hao said with a smile.
At this moment, Liu Benli saw that the people who came into the consultation room all seemed to be extraordinary, and they should all be famous doctors from Tianyitang. Having gained their approval and consent, the deal should be done. So another idea came to him, and after hesitating for a moment, he said, "President Song, I've decided, I want a higher price."
"Price increase!" Song Hao was taken aback. "How much?"