Yoshida hung his head, his face pale, his heart filled with frustration and grievance.

’How could he have known?’

’Who could have possibly predicted this?’

’That Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory... it’s like some kind of monster that doesn’t play by the rules!’

First, they stir up the market with Watermelon Frost, and then, right after, they pull out the fatal Dragon Bone Powder!

This kind of R&D speed and product potency completely exceeded his comprehension.

When he visited, Dragon Bone Powder wasn’t even on the market yet. How could he possibly have foreseen this entire situation from a single slip of the tongue?

’This is simply asking the impossible!’

But he had no choice but to bear the president’s fury.

In the strictly hierarchical corporate culture of Japan, a subordinate has no choice but to bow their head and admit fault.

"I am terribly sorry! It was my dereliction of duty!" Yoshida bowed deeply, shouldering all the blame himself.

After venting, the fury in Fujimoto’s chest subsided slightly.

He knew this wasn’t the time to assign blame. The most important thing was how to deal with the current crisis.

He sat back down in his chair, forcing himself to calm down.

’I can’t just sit here and wait for death!’

’Absolutely not!’

Dragon Horn Powder was the two-hundred-year-old foundation he had inherited from his father’s generation; it was his life’s pride.

He would never allow it to be defeated by a company from Dragon Country under his watch!

"Immediately!" A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he ordered his secretary, "Send all the Dragon Bone Powder samples we bought to the company lab! Have the R&D department analyze its components at once! I want to know what it’s made of! And whether we can replicate it!"

"Hai!"

...

「One day later, at the company laboratory.」

A detailed component analysis report was placed before Fujimoto.

The report’s conclusion made his heart sink to the bottom of a ravine.

"President," the head of the laboratory, a professor, reported with a grave expression, "after mass spectrometry analysis and microscopic structural comparison, we can confirm with one hundred percent certainty that the core ingredient of this Dragon Bone Powder is... indeed real, high-quality fossilized remains of ancient creatures—Dragon Bone!"

"Furthermore," the old professor added, "judging by its trace element composition, the quality of this Dragon Bone is even purer and superior to what our company used two hundred years ago, according to our database records!"

Fujimoto slumped into his chair, feeling the strength drain from his entire body.

’Dragon Bone!’

’It’s actually real Dragon Bone!’

He understood better than anyone what Dragon Bone meant for this medicine.

Dragon Horn Powder was so named because its original formula used Dragon Bone as the "sovereign" ingredient and Deer Horn Frost as the "minister" ingredient, supplemented by herbs like Knotweed and Polygala Tenuifolia. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Back then, Dragon Horn Powder had a potent effect and was a true secret remedy passed down through generations.

Unfortunately... Japan is a small country with narrow lands and scarce resources.

Over time, the domestic resources of Dragon Bone and deer antler were depleted.

To maintain production, the company had to reluctantly modify the formula, replacing the long-unobtainable Dragon Bone and Deer Horn Frost with less effective herbs.

It could be said that from that moment on, the Dragon Horn Powder they produced was a mere shadow of its former self.

It was just a substitute, coasting on the halo of its ancestors, with an effect that had been weakened countless times over.

And now, the people from Dragon Country had come storming back with an authentic, original-formula Dragon Bone Powder that used real Dragon Bone!

This wasn’t imitation. This was the authentic lineage delivering a crushing blow from a completely different league!

"Is there... really no other way?" Fujimoto roared with unwilling despair, like a cornered beast.

"President, with our current technology, it is nearly impossible to achieve the effect of their Dragon Bone Powder without using Dragon Bone," the professor said frankly. "The complex organic calcium and trace elements contained in Dragon Bone cannot be replaced by any herb. Besides, traditional Chinese medicine isn’t primarily about chemical components; its core concepts are yin and yang, sinking and floating, deficiency and replenishment..."

"I don’t care!" Fujimoto slammed his hand on the table, his eyes bloodshot. "I’m ordering you! Right now! Immediately! Develop an optimized formula without Dragon Bone! Pour in all our resources, spare no expense! I will not admit defeat!"

Everyone in the office fell silent.

They all knew the president was just venting his frustration.

A Dragon Horn Powder without Dragon Bone was like a body without a soul. No matter how much they optimized it, it could never compete against an opponent that possessed a true soul.

This was a war they were destined to lose.

...

「In the Feng City Suburbs, at a quiet and verdant manor.」

This was Elder Li’s residence. At the entrance was a stone inscribed with the two characters for "Li Garden."

A black Audi drove smoothly into the manor and stopped in front of the main building.

Li Xu and Ding Aiguo got out of the car.

Li Xu was carrying a small wooden box.

Ding Aiguo, on the other hand, held a box of exquisitely packaged, top-grade Da Hong Pao tea that looked incredibly valuable.

"Haha, you’re finally here! I’ve already prepped the food, just waiting for you to arrive so I can start cooking!"

His voice arrived before he did.

Elder Li seemed to be in much better spirits than he had been recently.

He was full of vigor.

Wearing a simple coat, he came out of the house to greet them.

"Elder Li, you’re looking more and more energetic," Ding Aiguo said with a smile, stepping forward to greet him.

"And isn’t that all thanks to Doctor Li!" Elder Li said warmly, taking Li Xu’s hand. "Come, come, let’s go inside for some tea. I’ll start cooking right away."

Once inside, the three of them sat down, with the host and guests taking their respective seats.

"Elder Li, it’s just a small token of my esteem," Ding Aiguo said, handing over the tea.

"You, always bringing gifts every time you visit," Elder Li said, but he accepted it with a cheerful smile.

"Elder Li, I also brought a little something for you," Li Xu said, placing the wooden box on the table.

"Oh? Something from Doctor Li must be good, right?"

Elder Li’s interest was piqued. He opened the wooden box.

Inside, on one side, lay a pill wrapped in gold foil and tightly sealed in wax.

On the other side were several bottles of Dragon Bone Powder in rustic packaging.

"This is..."

Elder Li picked up the shimmering An Gong Bezoar Pill, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

"Elder Li, I happened to acquire some fine medicinal ingredients recently and prepared this An Gong Bezoar Pill myself," Li Xu explained. "You’re getting on in years. Keep one with you, just in case."

"An An Gong Bezoar Pill?" Hearing this, Elder Li was even more pleasantly surprised.

He had once seen a pre-1993 pill at a friend’s house and knew just how precious these things were.

He brought the pill to the tip of his nose and sniffed lightly. An overpowering yet pure medicinal aroma instantly rushed into his nostrils.

"Good medicine! Absolutely good medicine!" Elder Li was something of an expert and could tell its authenticity with a single sniff. "Doctor Li, could it be that you used Natural Bezoar, natural musk, and..."

He glanced at Li Xu and lowered his voice, "...and Natural Rhino Horn?"