CHAPTER 190: CHAPTER 151: A PRICELESS PRESCRIPTION

In the quiet room in the early morning hours, there came two knocks on the door.

Qi Yun stood up with a start, quickly walked to the door, leaned slightly, and pressed his ear against it, listening carefully for any noises outside.

After confirming that nothing was amiss, he slowly opened the door.

Standing outside was Chen Wei, still wearing that stern expression.

Qi Yun stepped aside to let him into the room, then poked his head out to take a look before quickly shutting the door.

"How did it go?"

Chen Wei shook his head, took off the satchel from his shoulder and handed it over, "I wasn’t detected. Check if it’s what you wanted."

Qi Yun took the satchel, unzipped it, and pulled out a thick book from inside.

The cover was old and yellowed, with slight wear and tear at the corners, clearly indicating its age.

It was exactly the "Chiyun Country’s Records of Land and People" he was looking for.

He quickly opened the cover, and sure enough, a paper was tucked between the flyleaves. The color and texture of this paper were completely different from the book, somewhat brittle.

On the paper, written in traditional characters, were the words "Main ingredients: Astragalus, ginseng each three qian, assisted by Angelica, Chuanxiong, White Peony each two qian, complemented by Poria, Atractylodes, Licorice... in all several dozen medicinal ingredients."

"Take one dose daily, and in ten days, miraculous effects will be apparent."

After reading every word, Qi Yun’s eyes were filled with delight. This was the long-lost recipe for strengthening the body from the "Inner Canon of Huangdi," a treasure countless people dreamt of.

He quickly took out his phone, snapped a picture to record it, and then cautiously flipped the page over, confirming no content on the back before closing the book again.

"This is indeed the book, thanks, Brother Wei."

Only upon hearing this did Chen Wei turn his head.

When Qi Yun had opened the book, Chen Wei had already walked to the window, looking out at the street without glancing back even once.

...

Elsewhere, the scar-faced man who had retreated to the hideout was in a rage, smashing everything within reach into tatters.

After a good bout of venting, he yelled at a few subordinates, "Send people out immediately to find and bring back those stupid Southmen pigs!"

The underlings didn’t dare utter a word, responding with a bowed head before leaving in a hurry.

Tonight’s events nearly drove the scar-faced man insane. It was bad enough for the deal to fail, but running away was one thing. Shooting at police just brought trouble on themselves.

Earlier, he reported the matter to the boss, who chewed him out, demanding those people be found within 24 hours and preparing for severe punishment.

In their strictly regulated gang, cutting off a finger was considered lenient, the word ’severe’ made him shudder...

At 9 a.m., outside the airport, Qi Yun patted Yamamoto Ichiro on the arm, thanking him.

"No need for thanks, Mr. Qi." Yamamoto Ichiro gave a slight bow, with a professional smile on his face. "Should I courier the house documents back to your country?"

"Keep the house documents with you for now; help me sell it in half a year," Qi Yun instructed.

Yamamoto Ichiro was momentarily confused—having just bought the house, took a brief tour, and now wanted to sell it?

But he asked no further, quickly nodding in agreement, "Okay, Mr. Qi, I will handle it as you said."

"Additionally, I’ll pay you an extra fee to keep tabs on the police department’s progress. I want to pursue legal accountability for the theft." Qi Yun added.

"Understood, rest assured, I’ll follow up on this matter continuously."

...

The Tuva Republic where Mendeleyev was located was part of the Da E Federation. In reality, it was similar to a province back home, and there were no direct flights to it from Tokyo, so Qi Yun and his companion had to transfer in Moscow.

When they arrived at the capital of the Tuva Republic, it was already afternoon.

As they stepped out of the airport, Qi Yun was hit by a gust of cold wind, instinctively tightening his newly donned down jacket.

Just then, a loud voice called out from the front, "Qi Yun, my good friend, you’ve finally arrived!"

Following the voice, Qi Yun saw Mendeleyev’s tall figure walking towards them, accompanied by Brother Peng, who had arrived a day earlier.

Days before Qi Yun set off, he had discussed the situation with Mendeleyev on the phone with Brother Peng.

Brother Peng also decided to come and take a look. If the conditions were favorable, the two of them planned to return and set up a trading company to specifically develop the market here.

"Haha, was your journey smooth?" Mendeleyev asked with a broad smile, stepping forward to give Qi Yun a bear hug, heartily patting him on the back.

Qi Yun returned the smile, "Fairly smooth, long time no see."

Brother Peng nodded at him too, reaching out to take the suitcase; the bond between brothers needed no words.

After releasing his hold, Mendeleyev glanced at Chen Wei beside Qi Yun, asking, "And this is?"

Qi Yun introduced, "This is my friend Chen Wei, I specifically asked him to come along for security reasons."

Mendeleyev nodded in understanding, looking curiously at the shorter Chen Wei, and extended his hand, "Hello, my friend, welcome to Da E."

Chen Wei shook hands with Mendeleyev, expressionless, nodding in response.

Mendeleyev felt the calluses on the palm and immediately put away any underestimation, realizing this person was not ordinary.

"Are you hungry? Why not have some food before heading to Tashtagol?"

Qi Yun shook his head, "Let’s head out now, we ate on the plane."

"Alright, just park the car over there."

Saying that, Mendeleyev led the group to the parking lot.

The vehicle he brought was a modified off-road vehicle, which Qi Yun couldn’t recognize, likely a Da E domestic brand.

The tires were wide, equipped with snow chains, and the chassis was higher than typical off-road vehicles. Only such a car could travel freely in the icy snow-filled expanse of Da E.

"By the way, regarding the automotive parts you mentioned last time, I’ve contacted a manufacturer here. We’re currently negotiating the price, and I expect we can sign the contract in the next couple of days," Mendeleyev said to Qi Yun while driving.

Qi Yun nodded, "Alright, as long as you’ve sorted out the contacts here. We can supply anytime from home, but we still need help with the transportation."

"No problem, I’ll handle the transportation," Mendeleyev replied.

Qi Yun glanced out at the swirling snow and continued, "Is there only one factory here that can use that specification of parts? Can we find a few more factories?"

"I wish," Mendeleyev sighed and replied, "There aren’t many factories producing spark plugs in Tuva, and not many cars currently use that specification of parts."

"Currently, they need at most about two million units a month."

Hearing this, Qi Yun couldn’t help but sigh. He had hoped that if the demand here were high, they could contact a few more factories to supply together...

But two million is still quite a lot. According to Boss Jia’s factory production in the past few months, they can produce about two million units a month. Even if Qi Yun only earns a 20% profit margin, the profit is still nearly fifty thousand USD.

That’s five million USD a year, without needing to invest too much effort, as long as the market remains stable.

But then again, the Da E market seems to lack stability the most...

The car rocked back and forth, and by nightfall, they finally arrived at their destination, Tashtagol.

Tashtagol is a small city in the Tuva Republic, similar to a county town back home, with a sparse population and hardly any pedestrians on the streets.

Mendeleyev originally wanted to invite the group to stay at his home, but Qi Yun felt it was inconvenient, not wanting to disturb since there were three of them. He politely declined.

So Mendeleyev took the group to the most luxurious hotel in the area, twelve stories high, comparable to a Han Court hotel back home.

The hotel’s interior decor was similar to some hotels in Jiang Province, with vibrant carpets covering the floors.

After completing the check-in, the group placed their luggage in the rooms and then followed Mendeleyev for dinner.

People in Da E love eating meat, and the restaurant’s menu mostly consisted of meat dishes like lamb, horse, and beef... Qi Yun almost felt like he was back in Jiang Province.

As various dishes were continuously served, the group, already famished, started to devour the food ravenously.

During the meal, Mendeleyev specifically ordered a bottle of vodka for everyone to try.

After just one drink, Qi Yun felt a bit tipsy and waved his hand in refusal.

After the feast, Qi Yun handed each person a cigarette and began to discuss business.

"Tell us about your current situation. Why did you specifically call us over and want our help?"

Mendeleyev took the cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and said slowly, "To be honest, my situation here is a bit complicated. Although there’s considerable market potential in Tuva, there’s also significant competition."

"My biggest business in Tashtagol is a supermarket. Thanks to the goods I previously brought in from your country, my supermarket business has been doing very well."

"But last month, the owners of several other supermarkets formed an alliance and started a price war against me, trying to push me out. Now the supermarket’s business has plummeted, losing money every day..."

Qi Yun listened quietly, and when the other party finished speaking, he realized that this guy was quite the business operator.

Besides the supermarket, he also had internet cafes, KTVs, hair salons, all equipped with second-hand goods purchased cheaply from back home, showing considerable business acumen.

Even second-hand goods from home, as long as they’re in decent condition, offer better quality than those produced locally in Da E, and they’re cheaper.

"So you want us to conduct market research and provide you with supplies when we return home?" Brother Peng asked.

Hearing this, Mendeleyev nodded, "That’s right, I hope our future collaboration can become even more closely-knit."

"I have businesses not only in Tashtagol but also at the capital, but without quality products, it’s difficult to penetrate the market and expand."

"Moreover, I’m being targeted brutally by those few, and it’s time to respond. You guys help me figure something out."

Qi Yun and Brother Peng listened, frowning and deep in thought, remaining silent for a long time.

Seeing this, Mendeleyev awkwardly chuckled, "I guess I’m too impatient. How about everyone goes back to rest tonight, and tomorrow I’ll take you around to understand the situation, and then we’ll discuss further."

...

Back at the hotel, Qi Yun took a shower, then lay comfortably on the bed and opened the intelligence system panel.

[Current Intelligence Points: 1]

[Today’s Intelligence 1 (White): The painting hanging on the restaurant wall where you dined last night is something the owner picked up from a flea market, worth a thousand USD]

"A thousand... not worth the effort."

[Today’s Intelligence 2 (Red): At the East City warehouse leasing center, a batch of overdue, unpaid warehouses will hold a blind auction this afternoon. Warehouse No. 68 contains a Harley FLH Electra-Glide motorcycle from the 1970s]

A Harley motorcycle?

Although Qi Yun didn’t understand much about motorcycles, he had heard of the Harley brand and immediately looked up the value of this model online.

After researching, he was genuinely shocked; this model had once sold for 250,000 USD...

However, prices in the second-hand market vary, depending on the condition. If it’s in good shape, it’s still quite valuable.

[Today’s Intelligence 3 (Blue): Underneath the ruins located 100 kilometers west of Tashtagol, a batch of Soviet-era weapons and equipment is buried. The specific coordinates are N****]