A precious Rosewood Sculpture worth millions, or even tens of millions. Should he sell it for cash, or keep it to use as a medicinal ingredient?
Li Xu didn't agonize over the decision for long.
'Of course I'll use it for medicine!'
'With the intelligence system,'
'I'll never be short on money in the future.'
'And I'm not short on money now, either.'
So there was no need to sell the wood carving.
This was 800-year-old rosewood heartwood. In a sense, it was a non-renewable resource, and exceedingly rare.
It could even save a life in a critical moment.
What was money compared to a person's life?
This was also a matter of a doctor's professional integrity.
'But… is it really as miraculous as the book says?'
Li Xu was itching with curiosity.
He decided to give it a try.
Rosewood had three uses as a medicinal ingredient.
The first was to craft it into personal accessories like bracelets or pendants. Wearing them long-term allowed the body to absorb the rosewood's medicinal energy and improve its functions.
This process was rather slow and required a lot of material, so he ruled it out for now.
The second was to slice it and boil it in a decoction with other medicinal herbs.
The third was to make it into incense to be burned and inhaled.
The *Commentary on the Art and Literature Record* had a section on this.
When combined with other aromatic herbs to create a special incense, it could treat gynecological issues like menstrual cramps.
Li Xu decided to try the third method.
He opened the *Commentary on the Art and Literature Record*, where a recipe was written: five qian of sandalwood, five qian of Clove, five qian of Agarwood, three qian of Frankincense...
In this formula, sandalwood was the "monarch" ingredient, with the other herbs acting as "ministers."
The monarch and ministers were meant to support and complement each other, with the monarch as the primary component.
Li Xu fetched a small knife and the Rosewood Sculpture of the God of Wealth.
The God of Wealth statue was originally two chi tall.
After removing the outer elmwood shell, it was still over a chi tall.
One chi is equivalent to 33 centimeters in modern units.
After measuring it, Li Xu found the carving was 52 centimeters, just over half a meter tall.
If he only used it to make incense, it would last for a very long time.
He carefully scraped the base of the statue with the small knife.
A faint fragrance wafted out.
Before long, he had scraped together a small pile of Padauk Powder.
He then took the other supplementary herbs—Clove, Agarwood, and Frankincense—from his medicine cabinet and ground them into powder.
Then, he began blending the incense.
The so-called art of incense blending involved mixing all the powdered ingredients, binding them together, then pounding and fermenting the mixture to create the final incense sticks.
The process wasn't complicated.
But it still took a full day.
So Li Xu spent the day slowly working on it in the courtyard.
...
「City People's Hospital.」
Aunt Li arrived at the hospital early in the morning. After taking a number, she sat on a bench to wait.
Ever since recovering from the flu, she had been feeling completely drained of energy. She also had night sweats and needed to urinate frequently.
She'd had Li Xu take a look, but she couldn't make sense of what he said—something about "constraining sweat and consolidating essence"...
Li Xu then explained it as a "deficiency of both qi and blood."
That, she understood.
But the medicinal herbs were too expensive.
The prescription cost over 1,000 yuan.
And it wasn't covered by insurance.
She couldn't bear to spend the money.
She decided to try and recuperate on her own. From then on, she became very particular about her diet, making either chicken or lamb soup.
But after a week of this, she saw no improvement.
In fact, her condition was getting worse.
Sometimes she would get dizzy spells while sweeping the floor. Yesterday, she nearly fell.
She knew she couldn't put it off any longer, so today she came to register at the City People's Hospital.
After waiting for over an hour, it was finally her turn.
The doctor asked a few questions about her condition, then wrote out a lab slip. "Go get these tests done first."
"What kind of tests?"
"A complete blood count, liver and kidney function tests, and a CT scan of your head."
"Oh."
Aunt Li wasn't surprised.
These tests seemed to be mandatory every time she came to the hospital.
After a great deal of running around, the test results were finally ready in the afternoon.
The doctor looked at the results and said, "It's nothing serious, you're just getting older. I'll prescribe some medicine for you to take at home."
Aunt Li quickly asked, "I saw a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and he said I had 'constraining sweat and consolidating essence' and a 'deficiency of both qi and blood.' Is that what this is?"
The doctor curled his lip impatiently. "Don't listen to that nonsense from those TCM quacks. They just spout obscure jargon that no one can understand to make themselves sound profound. Just take the medicine I'm prescribing. You'll definitely see an improvement."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Aunt Li paid the bill and went to the pharmacy to pick up her medication.
After all the running around, she had still spent over 400 yuan, even after her insurance coverage.
Although the cost made her heart ache, Aunt Li was still filled with hope.
'After I take this medicine, I should get better,' she thought.
...
After half a day of kneading and half a day of air-drying, by that evening, the incense was almost ready to use.
Li Xu let it dry for one more night.
By the next morning, the incense had completely set.
Li Xu checked the newly refreshed intelligence.
[Today's Intelligence: Sandalwood Fragrance unblocks the meridians and calms the spirit. When paired with Five-Floral Dragon Bone, it can effectively treat mental and emotional symptoms such as insomnia, excessive dreaming, palpitations, and shortness of breath.]
'Huh, so they can be used together?'
Li Xu made a mental note of it.
'But it probably won't be useful for now.'
He ate breakfast out, then bought an incense burner.
"Doctor Li."
Song Sisi walked into the clinic holding a bag of steamed buns. "Have you eaten breakfast?"
"I've eaten. You haven't?"
"Not yet. I bought some buns on my way here."
"Why didn't you get some soup to go with them?"
"I drank a whole bowl of Chinese medicine this morning. I'm already stuffed."
Song Sisi said, taking a bite of a bun.
"How's your stomach? Does it still hurt?"
"It still hurts a little."
This was to be expected.
The medicine Li Xu had prescribed wasn't a perfect match for her condition.
It could only alleviate the symptoms, not cure the root cause.
But... things were different now.
Li Xu took out the incense he had made the day before and placed it in the new burner.
Song Sisi took a bite of her bun and leaned over curiously. "Doctor Li, what kind of incense is this? It smells really nice."
Li Xu just gave a mysterious smile instead of answering, then flicked a lighter.
The moment the flame touched the tip, a wisp of smoke curled upward. A clear, profound fragrance then began to slowly diffuse throughout the clinic.
"Wow!" Song Sisi's eyes shot open. "This scent..."
She took a deep breath, a look of enchantment on her face.
"It's like walking into a deep, ancient forest, but also like..." She frowned, searching for the right words. "Like sun-warmed wood mixed with the smell of honey!"
Li Xu smiled without a word, watching the thread of smoke rise from the burner.
The smoke formed a rare spiral, shimmering with a faint golden halo in the morning light.
This was the "golden thread smoke" phenomenon, unique to top-grade rosewood. Ancient texts described it as, "When rosewood smokes, it coils like a dragon."
"Doctor Li, this incense must be expensive, right?" Song Sisi asked cautiously.
"Mm," Li Xu nodded. "This one stick costs more than your monthly salary."
Song Sisi nearly choked on her bun. "What?!"
Her eyes went wide as she stared at the unassuming stick of incense. "For just this one little stick?"
She had originally guessed it cost a few dozen yuan per stick.
She never imagined she had underestimated its value so much.
To think it could sell for over a thousand.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. This is Sandalwood Fragrance."
"Rosewood?"
Song Sisi was taken aback.
Of course, she had heard of rosewood.
Much of the furniture in the Forbidden City was made from rosewood and was priceless.
"Doctor Li, are you running a fever? Why burn such expensive incense?"
"Hehe, I'm not telling you yet. You'll find out soon enough."
"Hmph, keeping me in suspense."
Song Sisi went back to eating her bun.
The few patients who came in that morning all had minor ailments like colds and fevers.
Li Xu skillfully checked their pulses and prescribed medicine.
Another patient smelled the Sandalwood Fragrance. "Dr. Li, what incense is that? The scent is so soothing."
"Sandalwood."
"Where can I buy it?"
"I made it myself."
After a bit more small talk, it was noon before they knew it.
Li Xu and Song Sisi discussed where to go for lunch.
"How about we get some noodles?"
Mild, easily digestible foods like rice porridge, noodles, or steamed egg custard were good for menstrual cramps.
"Okay," Song Sisi agreed with a nod.
The two of them took off their white coats and changed into their street clothes.
"By the way, does your stomach still hurt?"
Li Xu asked.
The incense stick had burned out long ago.
'It should have taken effect by now, right?'
...