"Yeah, I made a friend in prison who taught me techniques for cultivating medicinal herbs."
"Really? That's great! Us farmers have been growing regular crops for generations, but I've never seen anyone get rich that way. The ones who made it big are always the ones with ideas and who did something different. Like Old Man Wang—he used to run a brick factory. Li Ming? He owns a construction company. They didn't grow crops, and now they're rich. Wang Xu, if you really start growing medicinal herbs, you're definitely going to make it big."
Wang Na's simple, down-to-earth words gave Wang Xu a huge boost of confidence.
He thought, If it were anyone else, and they heard I planned to grow medicinal herbs and open a clinic, they'd either laugh at me or try to discourage me.
"Wang Na, would you be willing to grow medicinal herbs with your brother?" Wang Xu looked at her seriously and asked.
"Me? Oh, I know how to grow crops, but I don't know the first thing about medicinal herbs!"
Wang Na shook her head like a rattle drum.
"That's okay—I can teach you. I can't do this alone."
In truth, Wang Xu had already mapped out his future while he was still in prison.
Growing medicinal herbs was the easiest and most reliable way to make money. Lihua Village was surrounded by mountains, and the abundance of wild herbs growing there proved that the local soil and climate were perfect for cultivation. What's more, high-quality Chinese herbs were in short supply on the market—meaning great business potential.
Even more importantly, Master Zhao Tian had taught him a unique method for cultivating herbs. While Wang Xu couldn't practice it in prison, he firmly believed in his teacher's methods.
But herb farming was tough work, and Wang Xu needed a reliable partner. Hardworking and resilient, Wang Na was the perfect choice.
"Well, I don't have the money. Doesn't growing medicinal herbs take a lot of investment?" Wang Na asked, tempted.
She hadn't gone to school, but deep down, she longed to improve her life and escape poverty.
"Don't worry about the skills or investment. If you're willing to do this with me, we'll work together."
"Don't worry, Wang Na. Growing herbs is definitely more profitable than growing regular crops. But…" Wang Xu hesitated.
"But what?"
"I don't have any land. So I need to use your family's plot to set up a herb garden."
"Oh, Wang Xu, I'll talk to Grandma about it. Actually… I really want to do something with you. I don't want to stay poor for the rest of my life," Wang Na said honestly.
"Mm, I'll wait for your news then. I'm planning to dig up some medicinal plants in the mountains and do a trial run in the courtyard first. If it works out, then we'll officially start!"
Wang Xu looked full of ambition.
"Alright, I'll do my best to convince Grandma too," Wang Na replied, her eyes filled with expectation.
Just then, someone shouted outside:
"Wang Xu, come quick! Liu Li fainted! Your uncle isn't home. I called him and he said you know medicine—he told me to come get you!"
Wang Xu was just coming out of the house carrying a hoe and a bamboo basket when he saw Chairman Luo Ming rushing toward him in a panic.
Without hesitation, Wang Xu dropped the basket and hoe, went back inside to grab his silver needle kit, and followed Luo Ming back to his house.
He didn't need to guess—Liu Li must have fainted because of her illness.
Her condition—late-stage brain tumor—commonly caused sudden blackouts.
Luo Ming explained that Liu Li had collapsed during class and fractured her jaw when she hit the ground.
Most of the working-age villagers were either in the city or working at one of the local factories run by the town bullies. There was no one around to take Liu Li to the hospital.
Luo Ming himself was in his sixties and suffered from severe lumbar disc herniation—he couldn't lift anyone.
In the end, a few sixth-grade boys had carried Liu Li to the chairman's house.
When Wang Xu arrived, he saw Liu Li lying motionless on the kang bed.
Luo Ming's wife, drenched in sweat, was pressing a towel against Liu Li's broken jaw, but the blood kept seeping through, dripping onto the floor.
"Grandma, take the towel away. Let me handle it."
Wang Xu walked to the edge of the bed, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, shredded the tobacco, and applied it to the wound before wrapping it in cloth.
In the absence of better hemostatic herbs like Sanqi (pseudoginseng) or Ji Xue Teng, tobacco was the best emergency option.
Fortunately, the wound wasn't too large. Otherwise, even tobacco wouldn't have been enough.
In that case, Wang Xu would've had to use his precious spiritual energy to stop the bleeding.
He had cultivated a mysterious ancient technique taught by Master Zhao Tian for three years, finally managing to gather a trace of spiritual energy in his Dantian (energy center). It was the true source of his superhuman strength.
But spiritual energy was difficult to cultivate and drained quickly. Wang Xu would never use it unless absolutely necessary—because it could cure diseases, heal wounds, and had many other miraculous effects.
Without this power, he would've never dared tell Liu Li that he could cure her terminal illness.
Master Zhao Tian had told Wang Xu that the technique could absorb unique energies from the natural world—like evil energy—and refine it into primordial spirit, condensing it in the Zhongshan Point in the lower abdomen, then further refining it into true essence in the Dantian.
But despite treating patients in prison, Wang Xu had never succeeded in transforming illness energy into spiritual essence.
At one point, he even began to doubt whether his master's talk of "cultivation power" was too far-fetched.
After treating Liu Li's wound, Wang Xu began acupuncture.
Luo Ming and his wife stood nearby, watching in disbelief.
If Wang Wei hadn't told them that Wang Xu knew medicine, they never would've dared let him treat Liu Li.
This wasn't just regular acupuncture. Wang Xu was going to channel his precious spiritual energy from the Dantian. This would be Liu Li's first real treatment.
Before the next needle, he focused, calming his mind. He slowly guided a trace of spiritual energy along his Ren meridian to the Lao Gong point in his right palm, and with the next needle, began to gently feed the energy into Liu Li's meridians.
"Wang Xu, are… are you alright? If not, we'd better get Liu to the hospital right now! If we delay any longer, it could be serious!"
To Luo Ming, Wang Xu's intense focus looked like hesitation—like he didn't dare treat her.
Wang Xu didn't respond. Right now, he couldn't afford to be distracted.
He first targeted two major acupuncture points—Dazhui on the back and Shenzhu on the center line. With two quick insertions, the energy surged through the body's primary "highways."
These two points could clear the body's circulation, align internal energy, awaken the soul, and even bring someone back from the brink.
In most cases of fainting, precise acupuncture to these two points could revive the person.
And with the added power of his spiritual energy, the results would be immediate.
"Cough, cough! Ugh…"
Sure enough, as soon as the two needles went in, Liu Li coughed twice, furrowed her brows, and slowly opened her eyes.
"She's awake! She's really awake! Wang Xu, this kid—he's amazing! Just two needles and he saved her life!"
Luo Ming's wife exclaimed in awe. Luo Ming, who had been frowning, relaxed completely—his doubts about Wang Xu vanished.
But Liu Li, upon waking and seeing this "filthy ex-con" standing next to her, immediately changed her expression. She tried to sit up, only to find her head spinning and her body weak.