In ancient Alchemy, potassium nitrate was often used for "Hidden Fire," which meant reducing the volatility of metallic minerals during calcination. Extending this to medicine, the ancients deduced a bold conclusion based on this principle: potassium nitrate might be able to soften or alter the properties of iron objects, making them less hard and harmful.

This might seem a bit mystical,

but behind it lay a simple philosophy of the interplay and balance between substances.

And it was based on this ancient theory, combined with modern pharmacology, that the intelligence system provided Li Xu with a treatment plan that was seemingly simple, yet incredibly ingenious.

The pharmacy quickly brought the two medicinal ingredients.

Li Xu then asked a nurse for a mortar and pestle, a small piece of lard, and a spoonful of honey.

He placed one measure of the black Living Magnet Stone and two measures of the white potassium nitrate crystals into the mortar, then carefully ground them into the finest possible powder with the pestle.

Next, he poured the powder into a bowl, added the lard and honey, and used a small wooden stick to stir the three ingredients together until they formed a dark, thick, viscous paste that gave off a faint, sweet smell.

"It’s ready."

Li Xu handed the bowl of paste to the child’s mother. "Find a way to get the child to eat this. You can do it in several parts, feeding it to him bit by bit with a small spoon."

Staring at the dark, gooey, unidentifiable substance in the bowl,

it wasn’t just Wang Jianhao and his wife;

even the Western-trained doctors and nurses around them were utterly baffled, their minds filled with doubt.

’This is what he called "administering medicine"?’

’Could a glob of dark paste like this really get a nail out of a stomach?’

’This... is just child’s play, isn’t it?’

However, the few Traditional Chinese Medicine experts present—Xue Shuheng, Lin Guorui, and Zhu Quanxin—all fell into deep thought as they watched Li Xu’s process, their expressions pensive.

Although they couldn’t figure out the exact principle behind it,

their profound knowledge of TCM gave them a faint sense that this combination of ingredients held a hidden depth and was by no means a random concoction.

Hu Qiming, standing to the side, once again took on the role of "war correspondent." He secretly snapped a photo of the bowl of paste and sent it, along with Li Xu’s treatment plan, to their old classmates’ group chat.

[Hu Qiming: Latest update from the front lines. Li Xu didn’t use acupuncture or anything else. He just used two ingredients: Living Magnet Stone and potassium nitrate, mixed with lard and honey to make a bowl of Black Ointment, and had the kid eat it... I don’t get it, but I’m completely blown away.]

[Li Baojie: Living Magnet Stone? Potassium nitrate? What the hell is that? I know Magnet attracts iron. Isn’t potassium nitrate a laxative? What can you possibly do by mixing those two and eating them?]

[Jiang Peng: This... I think I’ve read about a similar formula in some ancient text, called something like "Magnet-Nitrate Powder." It was supposedly for treating the accidental ingestion of gold or silver. But that’s just a legend, who knows if it’s real? Li Xu is playing with fire!]

[Miaoli: It’s over, it’s over, this feels even more unreliable now. Won’t he get poisoned from eating that dark glob? Hu Qiming, you better keep a close eye on things. Don’t let anything bad happen!]

...

At the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Miaoli stared at the group chat discussion, her heart in her throat.

She took her phone and found Director Guo Yu.

"Director Guo, look! Li Xu gave that child who swallowed the nail a mixture of Magnet and potassium nitrate to eat!"

Guo Yu took the phone and carefully examined the photo and text from Hu Qiming, his brow furrowing deeply.

Unlike the young students in the group chat, he had practiced medicine for many years and was exceptionally well-read.

When he saw the combination of "Living Magnet Stone," "potassium nitrate," "lard," and "honey,"

the shadow of an ancient, almost forgotten classical formula flickered in his mind.

But he couldn’t be certain.

Because that formula was too dangerous, and too legendary.

In the past century, he had never heard of anyone daring to use it in a clinical setting.

"This Li Xu..."

Guo Yu muttered to himself, "Where on earth did he learn these long-lost, potent and dangerous arts?"

He instructed Miaoli to keep a close watch on the group chat and see how the child responded after taking the medicine.

...

The emergency department of the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

After some coaxing and cajoling from his mother, Xiao Momo finally ate the entire bowl of the strange-tasting paste.

After he took the medicine, the child’s condition didn’t seem to change immediately.

But his constantly tense little body gradually relaxed, and his breathing became much calmer. He stopped crying and simply lay quietly on the hospital bed, as if he had fallen asleep.

Time once again slowed to a crawl.

Everyone in the resuscitation room held their breath, waiting for the final outcome.

Wang Jianhao and Liu Lanlan were on an emotional rollercoaster. One moment, they would look at their son’s peaceful, sleeping face and feel a surge of hope; the next, they would remember the terrifying nail, and their hearts would sink into despair.

Xue Shuheng stood in a corner with his arms crossed, a smirk on his face, ready to watch Li Xu make a fool of himself at any moment.

More than ten minutes passed in this suffocating wait.

Xiao Momo, who had been sleeping quietly, suddenly began to squirm restlessly. His little face flushed slightly, and he started making soft grunting sounds.

"What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"

Liu Lanlan instantly grew tense.

An experienced pediatric nurse nearby saw what was happening and quickly advised, "Quick, when a child does that, it means he needs to have a bowel movement!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Hearing this, Liu Lanlan hastily fumbled with her son’s diaper.

The next second,

everyone present gasped in shock at the sight before them!

There in the diaper lay a dark, taro-sized mass of excrement, coated in a shiny, slick, and slippery substance.

The surface of the mass was exceptionally smooth, with no sharp edges.

A nurse put on gloves and carefully used a pair of tweezers to separate the dark, coated object from the feces.

The tweezers peeled back the slippery surface of the coating.

Inside,

a nail was clearly visible!

Success!

It actually worked!

After a moment of stunned silence, the entire resuscitation room erupted in cries of disbelief.

"Oh my god, it really came out!"

"Good heavens, this is a miracle."

"This is unbelievable! Traditional Chinese Medicine... it’s actually this magical!"

Wang Jianhao and Liu Lanlan stared at the nail, perfectly encased and having caused their son no harm whatsoever. They could no longer contain their overwhelming joy and relief.

With a THUD, the couple dropped to their knees before Li Xu, kowtowing desperately and sobbing uncontrollably.

Director Han, Lin Guorui, Zhu Quanxin, and the others gathered around the nail, examining it over and over, the shock on their faces not subsiding for a long time.

The way they looked at Li Xu was no longer simple admiration; it was a look of utter and complete reverence.

In the corner, Xue Shuheng was completely petrified.

He stared blankly at the nail, feeling as if his brain was completely unable to process the surreal scene before him.

All his knowledge, all his pride, all his authority—at that moment, it was all shattered to pieces!