Qinghe held the stabilizer bottle against the window while Jessa turned the lamp so its light reached the bottom. The liquid looked clear from above. At the glass’s base, a dark sediment had gathered in a thin crescent.
“Three herbs and a mineral salt,” Qinghe read from the paper label. “The seller’s mark is here. There is no note about settling.”
Jessa slid the magnifying lens closer. “That sediment is not one of the listed ingredients.”
Tessa leaned over the bench. “I’ve seen it before, in the restricted rehabilitation mixtures. It’s an additive that settles qi quickly.”
Qinghe lowered the bottle. “Can you identify it?”
“Not precisely from this much. I recognize the color and the way it gathers at the bottom. The treatment books say it can strain the liver if used for too long.”
“Then we mark that as the likely identity, not a certainty.” Qinghe took a brush and wrote a new tag: UNLISTED SEDIMENT—LIKELY RESTRICTED ADDITIVE. “Keep the seller’s label attached. We need both records.”
The sample remained on the separate bench. Tessa tied a red cord around its neck and copied the lot number into the ledger. Jessa sketched the sediment’s shape beside the description. The added note did not cover the original label or erase the name of the supplier.
