"Did you see? Professor Qi can walk now, isn’t that great?" Yan Fei continued to play dumb.
"Great, indeed! But it’s not so great for those so-called experts now! Half a month ago, they projected that one couldn’t survive beyond half a month, but now that the time has come, one can already walk! Now, they are all after me, demanding for the medicinal wine. To prevent them from getting it, I’ve been serving the wine myself, not daring to use any of their utensils." Professor He said jokingly, although it was clear that he was actually annoyed.
"Tell me honestly - what exactly does this stuff contain? Does it need to avoid sunlight? I’ve lived a long life and even the best ginseng isn’t a stranger to me. But this thing can not only save people from death but also literally pull people back from the door of hell, Yama’s Palace! There’s no one else here now, can you tell me if it can be exposed to sunlight?"
Seeing his reaction, Yan Fei sighed helplessly, "What changes after exposure to light? And without it?"
"If it can be exposed to light, why not just pour it out for them to research? If not, then I’ll keep doing this, waiting until Old Qi gets better before discussing anything else. Anyway, the remaining wine is all boxed up and secretly stored at my daughter’s place!" Professor He said. "And what about the honey? You must tell me about it. I wasn’t paying attention, and they took some for testing, saying that there’s some sort of unknown active ingredient in it. Can you trace the origin of this stuff?"
Yan Fei thought for a bit and gritted his teeth: "No problem, I can confirm that the wine contains turtle shell, which they can go ahead with researching. They have not done enough research on this honey. What else is bothering you?"
"There’s a big problem! They’re like leeches, once they see something good, they just latch onto it. Your magical medicine will surely urge them to conduct extensive research. Whether they’ll yield results or not is uncertain, but I reckon that you won’t get many benefits. Same goes for honey. You said it’s from the valley, didn’t you? Whether it’s true or not, I believe you for the moment, but they definitely want to get to the bottom of this." Professor He replied.
Yan Fei reflected and nodded: "Let them do their thing, and if they want to know which valley, I’ll gladly take them there. But, I suspect they’d need an airplane to get to the places I can."
Other than turtle shells, the medicinal wine had common nourishing ingredients in it. Although the turtle shells came from the dinosaur world and slightly varied from those of modern society, the taste, overall, wasn’t different.
As for the unidentified active substance, it was just a matter of time before they’d be able to identify it. Yan Fei thought to himself, playing dumb under questioning, he wouldn’t be scared of anyone.
"I don’t think they will have you guide them. They’ve taken things for testing; if they can’t come up with results, they’d be too embarrassed to have you guide them." Seeing Yan Fei so relaxed made Professor He relieved. "Can these things be mass-produced?" He asked.
"Is it better to be able to mass-produce, or not?" Yan Fei asked back.
He noticed that even though the old man sometimes came across as child-like, he was always sincere and had no ill intentions. Plus, Yan Fei didn’t have a clear idea regarding this matter, so he decided to ask outright.
Immediately, He laughed: "Clever boy, you aren’t stupid! Hmmm, let me think... Do you want to be famous?"
"How famous?" asked Yan Fei. "If it’s only in Sancha River village and Tanghe County, then yes, that would make buying and selling cattle easier. But if it’s too much fame, I still know the logic of attracting wind by being tall. In that case, I don’t want the fame."
"Well said!" Professor He nodded satisfactorily. "As long as you’re clear-headed and you don’t get overwhelmed by these fancies, you’re good! Tell me, if I asked you to supply the wine and honey, how much can you provide?"
Yan Fei thought for a moment and straightforwardly said, "None! That batch was for my wife and family. If you ask for more, there’s none left."
"Really nothing?"Professor He asked."If you just don’t want to be famous, I and Old Qi can shield you on that. This thing can save lives, it’s nothing short of a miracle! Even though we might not want to get involved with those people, doing what we can would still be noble."
"I really don’t have a large quantity," Yan Fei replied. "To put it simply, I don’t even know how this thing came about. It was just something I stumbled upon. I might find some more in the future, but it certainly can’t be mass-produced."
He then added, "I like to wander around, climbing mountains and crossing rivers is simple for me. I’ve been practicing martial arts since I was a kid. Think of me as a martial arts master from the novels if you want. Do you know how I made my wealth? Initially, I made my money by hunting rabbits and chickens barehanded, using that money to buy cattle. I was just twelve then. Not boasting, but there’s no mountain or river on this planet that I can’t get to. That’s how I got these things."
"I think I understand now," Professor He nodded. "Let me see if I’ve got this right, okay?"
After Yan Fei nodded, he continued, "You mean, you don’t mind others researching these things because you obtained them through your own skills. However, there’s a little secret involved. But don’t worry, I’m not digging into it. You saved Old Qi - that makes you a savior to us two old men. If I were to do anything that betrays you, it’d be against my conscience."