Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 547: Chapter 547: Of Great Value

Once the secret behind the formation of Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance was revealed, sperm whales became a primary target for fishermen.

Driven by the prospect of enormous profits, fishermen figured that since Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance was an intestinal stone found in sperm whales, they could make a fortune by killing the whales and digging it out of their guts.

And so, vast numbers of sperm whales were hunted down. After being hauled ashore, they were disemboweled, their guts searched specifically for Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance.

However, the fishermen soon discovered that this method of "killing the goose that lays the golden eggs" was completely ineffective.

For one, not all sperm whales produce Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance. It only forms in those that feed on squid and octopus over long periods and have abnormal intestinal secretions, making the probability extremely low.

Furthermore, even when Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance was found inside a sperm whale, it was always a pitch-black mass that gave off a powerful stench, completely different from the "richly fragrant" treasure of legend, and utterly worthless.

The reason behind this phenomenon is the "maturation process" of Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance.

Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance fresh from a sperm whale’s body, whether excreted or vomited, is almost always black. It contains large amounts of undecomposed impurities and emits the foul, fishy odor of the whale’s intestines.

This "raw" Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance must undergo a long "tempering" process in the ocean. Soaking in seawater gradually washes away the surface-level organic matter and impurities, while exposure to sunlight and wind erosion slowly changes its color from black to gray, and then from gray to white.

During this process, the stench slowly dissipates, while a unique fragrance gradually forms and grows richer.

The higher the quality of the Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance, the longer the "tempering" time required.

Top-grade white Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance often needs to soak and weather in the ocean for several hundred years to remove all impurities and develop its pure aroma.

The Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance that fishermen took directly from sperm whales hadn’t undergone nature’s "tempering." It was essentially still a "raw product," so naturally, it had no fragrance, only a foul smell.

...

The yacht sailed smoothly across the azure sea.

Li Xu stood steadfastly on the deck, his eyes scanning every inch of the sea’s surface.

His gaze didn’t linger on the occasional seabird flying past or the distant cargo ships, but focused instead on the nearshore waters, particularly on any inconspicuous white floating objects.

Being close to the coast, the surface was often dotted with marine debris like plastic bottles and foam boxes.

Without the precise tip from his intelligence, finding it would likely be impossible.

After all, on the vast, churning ocean, trying to find a floating object weighing dozens of kilograms was incredibly difficult.

Song Sisi watched beside Li Xu for a while but couldn’t see anything of interest.

She went back inside to rest.

A few more hours passed.

Li Xu’s eyes were getting sore from staring.

Just as he was about to take a break,

he suddenly spotted a grayish-white object about a few dozen meters ahead and to the left.

’Could it be?’

Li Xu’s heart leaped with joy.

He quickly raised his binoculars to get a closer look.

The grayish-white object bobbed with the waves.

Although he still couldn’t see it clearly, with the advance warning from his intelligence, Li Xu was one hundred percent certain it was the Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance.

He quickly turned and shouted, "President Ding, stop the boat for a moment!"

"Oh."

After stopping the boat, Ding Kaifang hurried over. "Doctor Li, what is it?"

"Look over there, what do you see?" Li Xu said happily.

"What is that thing?" Ding Kaifang squinted, trying to see.

"Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance," Li Xu said with conviction.

Hearing that, Ding Kaifang perked up immediately.

He rushed to the cockpit and urged the captain to change course.

The yacht quickly drew closer.

Song Sisi and Lin Xiaoyu came over to have a look as well.

"Li Xu, what is that? Is it a rock?"

Song Sisi asked curiously.

"It’s white. Looks like styrofoam," Lin Xiaoyu guessed, shading her eyes with her hand.

However, the moment the yacht was close enough for Li Xu to fish it out with a net and place it on the deck, an extremely unique and intense fragrance instantly washed over them.

At first, the scent had a faint, sweet, and briny note, but that was quickly replaced by a rich, deep, and potent aroma that seemed to pierce right through to the soul.

It not only dispelled the original fishy smell of the sea but also made everyone feel invigorated, as if they had just inhaled a breath of the purest oxygen.

Judging by its color and scent, it had been tempered over countless years and had clearly reached the highest possible quality.

Li Xu was grinning from ear to ear.

"What... what is this?"

Lin Xiaoyu exclaimed. She felt as if she had just breathed in a wisp of celestial air, leaving her completely refreshed and revitalized.

Song Sisi’s eyes also filled with disbelief.

Ding Kaifang’s eyes were shining.

He took the grayish-white object from Li Xu’s hands.

It weighed about twenty pounds, was hard to the touch, grayish-white in color, and had a somewhat rough surface, yet it emanated a captivating, ethereal fragrance.

"This is... Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance?"

Ding Kaifang’s voice was trembling.

He had never seen real Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance before, but its legends were so famous, how could he not know of it?

"And look at this quality, this scent... this is definitely top-grade ’gray-white fragrance’! It must be a treasure worth at least ten million, maybe even a hundred million!"

"That’s right. It’s Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance."

Li Xu nodded.

"This thing might not be as valuable as the crown, but as a medicinal ingredient, it’s a divine substance."

"It promotes qi and blood circulation, disperses stagnation to relieve pain, and helps with urination. It’s especially effective for chest and abdominal pain, coughs, and asthma. Plus, it’s the king of fragrance fixatives. If we use it to develop some top-tier perfumes or high-end skincare products, it’ll be a nuclear-level ingredient."

"Haha, Doctor Li, this trip with you has been a massive score."

Ding Kaifang laughed heartily. "Seahorses, a Pearl, a treasure trove, and now we’ve even picked up some Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance! This isn’t a vacation, we’re stocking up on inventory!"

...

Weary from their travels, the group finally returned to the familiar Feng City after a two-day journey.

Although the trip had a few hiccups along the way, the rewards were so immense they were simply staggering.

In Li Xu’s luggage, besides the priceless Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance, there was also a top-grade Pearl worthy of being called the "Shell King," and rare medicinal seahorses.

As for the crown and antique jewels recovered from the seabed, since he was the one who first discovered and excavated them, it was undisputed that Li Xu would take the largest share.

The rest was left to Ding Kaifang to handle and liquidate.

Returning to his clinic, a long-missed sense of familiarity washed over him.

While traveling let them see beautiful sights and broaden their horizons, it was also physically demanding—especially with high-intensity activities like diving and treasure hunting.

Li Xu had planned to take a full day off to rest and reopen the clinic the next day.

However, before he could even lie down, his phone rang.

It was a call from Sister Wang from the neighboring residential complex.

"Doctor Li, are you back? My Niuniu’s rash has flared up again, and it’s even worse this time. We’ve taken her to so many places, but nothing has worked. Now that the weather’s hot, the itching makes her cry constantly. Could you please take a look?"

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