Chapter 439 — The Experiment

He seemed to have a faint impression of it—it seemed that on the day of the birthday banquet, the hotel owner had brought a dog along with him, though at the time no one had paid any attention to the dog, nor did anyone know whether it was a German Shepherd.

"Boss Zhang? This is Xi Caitao." Divine Doctor Xi was on fairly good terms with this hotel owner. Apart from the great families, the other merchants all had decent relations with the Xi family; after all, among these businessmen, the Xi family counted as extremely successful. They might not compare to those old established houses, but they were far stronger than the rest.

"Divine Doctor Xi, hello. What business do you have with me?" The hotel owner was somewhat surprised. Why was Divine Doctor Xi calling him personally? Even when they usually kept in touch, it was always Divine Doctor Xi's eldest son, Xi Guifeng, who contacted him.

"It's like this—I heard you have a German Shepherd?" Divine Doctor Xi asked.

"Oh? I do have one..." Boss Zhang was taken aback, not knowing why Divine Doctor Xi had suddenly brought this up. "My wife has nothing to do at home and enjoys keeping dogs. That day at your birthday banquet, the one we brought along was probably that German Shepherd."

"Boss Zhang, my grandson Zhaolong is quite fond of German Shepherds. We've searched many pet shops and couldn't find one, otherwise I wouldn't have brought this up..." Divine Doctor Xi hesitated a moment. Although openly asking Boss Zhang for the dog might arouse his suspicion, the matter was urgent and there was no time for gradual maneuvering. Besides, even if Boss Zhang grew suspicious, he would never suspect that what they were after was nothing but dog shit.

"Oh? So Divine Doctor Xi's grandson likes German Shepherds? Is that all? I'll have someone send the dog over to you directly..." Boss Zhang was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected that Divine Doctor Xi had called about such a trivial matter. Was this even worth mentioning? With the Xi family's current power and wealth, what dog could they not buy?

He figured that calling to ask him for it was simply a sign that Divine Doctor Xi thought highly of him. Boss Zhang agreed without much thought, but then added a reminder: "Divine Doctor Xi, this dog of mine is a bit special. My wife has been pampered since childhood, and the dog often steals food from the house and relieves itself everywhere... If you hadn't asked, I was actually planning to sell it or give it away. But since I'm giving it to you, I should mention these things in advance. I wouldn't want to deceive you." Divine Doctor Xi thought to himself, isn't that even better? It's precisely because it relieves itself everywhere that we want it. So he said: "These are all minor issues, nothing to worry about. Thank you so much for your help, Boss Zhang. When the time comes, I'll definitely have Zhaolong come and thank you in person!"

"Haha, it's a small matter. Since Divine Doctor Xi says there's no problem, I'll have someone deliver the German Shepherd to you shortly!" Boss Zhang said.

Boss Zhang was one of those who curried favor with the Xi family, so he quickly had the German Shepherd delivered to the Xi residence. After Xi Zhaolong got the dog, he fed it a massive amount of dog food until at last he obtained a steaming pile of dog shit!

"Identical! Completely identical! Through our laboratory's analysis, we've discovered that the components of the Longevity Detox Pill are exactly the same as the components of the dog shit this dog produced. Our previous judgment was correct—the components of the Longevity Detox Pill are German Shepherd feces!" Holding the analysis report excitedly, Xi Zhaolong rushed back to the villa at the first opportunity to report this good news to Divine Doctor Xi.

"Is it really identical?" Divine Doctor Xi could not contain his excitement either, slamming his palm onto the tea table before him and nearly knocking over the teacups on it. One could well imagine how thrilled he was!

"Truly identical! We've identified the components of the Longevity Detox Pill!" Xi Zhaolong said. "The next step is to conduct clinical trials!"

"Good! Excellent! Our Xi family has hope!" Divine Doctor Xi threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Zhaolong, you and Zhaoming have done a great service this time. While you're gathering large quantities of purebred German Shepherds, quickly find someone to take these dog feces and see whether they have any effect!"

"Grandfather, this..." Xi Zhaolong shook his head. "I still wouldn't recommend having outsiders test it! Our research on the Longevity Detox Pill is still at an early stage; outsiders shouldn't know about this. Even if we don't tell them they're taking dog feces, they might still figure it out. So I suggest we test it on our own family members."

"You're right. Go and call your father and your second uncle, and Zhaoming too. We'll discuss this matter together!" Divine Doctor Xi rose and closed the window. Zhaolong was right; this was the family's top priority, and it was better not to let outsiders take part. Otherwise, if the formula leaked, the loss would be far more than a trifling matter.

In Divine Doctor Xi's study, Xi Guifeng, Xi Cuipu, Xi Zhaolong, and Xi Zhaoming sat on the sofa in order, while Divine Doctor Xi reclined in his swivel chair, eyes closed, pondering something.

The others did not dare disturb him, all sitting cautiously to one side, waiting for Divine Doctor Xi to speak. After quite a while, Divine Doctor Xi finally opened his eyes. "The matter of the dog feces is to be classified as the Xi family's Number One Secret. Only we few are to know of it, and it must not be spread outside—including to your current wives and your future wives!"

"Understood!" Xi Guifeng well knew the importance of this. Once the Longevity Detox Pill was successfully developed, the Xi family would be utterly transformed! So this formula absolutely must not be divulged.

Xi Cuipu and Xi Zhaolong nodded along, and even Xi Zhaoming knew the gravity of the matter, hastily assuring: "Grandfather, rest assured, none of us will say a word!"

"Mm, next, let's discuss the clinical trials. Previously, Zhaoming was made to suffer quite enough, so this time Zhaoming will not take part!" Divine Doctor Xi said. "This time, it will be enough for me, Guifeng, Cuipu, and Zhaolong to run the test!"

"Grandfather, I'm fine with it!" Ever since Xi Zhaoming had taken half a Longevity Detox Pill, he had been full of energy every day. Having benefited from the pill, he naturally wanted to take part this time as well.

"Since you insist, then join in as well. Dog feces are, after all, neither good nor harmful to eat." Divine Doctor Xi nodded without pressing the point. "I will take the remaining half of the Longevity Detox Pill, and the rest of you can divide this pile of dog feces among yourselves."

Divine Doctor Xi gestured toward the two boxes on the tea table. He was no fool. Although it appeared that the dog feces were the Longevity Detox Pill, he could not be certain that this was truly the case, so he had decided to take the remaining half pill himself.

Xi Zhaoming had actually wanted to take that half pill, but seeing that his grandfather had claimed it first, he could hardly argue over it, so he simply nodded in agreement.

So the whole Ji family, old and young alike, gathered around the tea table and began dividing up the spoonbill rhinoceros among themselves. A smell beyond description came drifting out of the study—so foul it could choke a person to death.