Gathering Herbs in the Mountains

Yang Heng then rushed without stopping to the homes of other landlords in the nearby area.

By nightfall, he had visited another four households and borrowed two hundred taels of silver from them.

These four landlords had far better reputations than Wang Gui. Yang Heng did not slaughter them all, leaving them a way to live.

In a single day, he had obtained a total of four hundred and fifty taels of silver, along with a Movement Technique Manual. It was an enormous haul.

Yang Heng was overjoyed. The corners of his mouth lifted, and the furrow between his brows eased somewhat.

With this money, he would no longer have to worry about cultivation resources before breaking through to the Blood Strengthening Realm.

Even if he ate one or two hearty meals a day—or even four or five—Yang Heng would not so much as furrow his brow. He had money.

The more nutritious food he ate, the faster he could accumulate qi and blood, and the Marrow Cleansing Pearl would benefit as well.

At that thought, Yang Heng strode like the wind back to Qingyang Town. He returned to the little tavern, ordered several substantial dishes, and began feasting with great relish.

After eating, Yang Heng wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, his face brimming with a brilliant smile.

He was happy, and he was content.

Having finally come to this world, now that he had the means, it was only natural to indulge his desires in moderation.

What was more, eating and drinking heartily helped him accumulate qi and blood, greatly accelerating the growth of his cultivation.

He had worked like an ox and horse his entire previous life. Could he not enjoy himself a little in this life?

He had not even sought out the ladies of the entertainment trade for a heart-to-heart talk and deeper relations. That alone made him a man of iron will.

After eating and drinking his fill, Yang Heng returned to the place where he had hidden the fist manual. He left most of his money there, keeping only a few taels of silver on him for emergencies.

Though he was no longer the man he used to be.

He could not rest easy carrying all his silver on his person.

What if he accidentally exposed it at the pharmacy? That would be troublesome.

To be safe, it was best to hide the money here and come retrieve it whenever he needed it. There was no risk involved, aside from making a few extra trips.

Night had already fallen, and he had no time to study the Movement Technique Manual, so Yang Heng hid the manual here as well.

With everything properly arranged, Yang Heng was finally completely at ease.

However...

Before returning to the pharmacy, there was one more matter he needed to deal with.

His appearance!

He had broken through two realms in a single day and undergone Marrow Cleansing and Bone Scouring. His appearance and physique had changed drastically. If he returned to the pharmacy without concealing them—

Even with a hundred mouths, he would not be able to explain himself.

The changes his body had undergone this time were far more conspicuous than before.

Anyone with eyes could tell at a glance that he had encountered some heaven-shaking fortune—if not an immortal herb, then some miraculous pill.

Fortunately, he could use his qi and blood to draw in all the essence throughout his body, causing his physique to wither and concealing eighty or ninety percent of the changes.

As long as no martial artist examined his body face-to-face, no one would discover it.

After several breaths, Yang Heng's appearance and physique had been concealed.

To ensure nothing could go wrong, Yang Heng deliberately went to the riverbank and examined his reflection in the water. Only after confirming that there were no obvious flaws did he return to the pharmacy in peace.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, after breakfast, Yang Heng went to the counter as usual. He had intended to collect the medicine ordered by customers and head out to make deliveries, but the counter master told him there would be no deliveries today. Shopkeeper Chen would soon come to announce something.

Yang Heng arrived at a courtyard.

The courtyard was enormous, about the size of a football field.

Normally, the place was piled high with all kinds of medicinal herbs purchased from outside. The apprentices had to carry these herbs into the storeroom and sort them into categories.

His former self had worked here before.

At this moment, twenty or thirty people had already gathered in the courtyard. They all shared the same identity: pharmacy apprentices.

There were veteran apprentices who had been here for more than three years, as well as newer apprentices who had been here for less than three years—or even less than a year, like Yang Heng.

The veteran apprentices were all calm and composed, seemingly aware of why the pharmacy had gathered them here. Some even had joy written on their faces.

Seeing this, Yang Heng thought, Could something good be happening?

The new apprentices, on the other hand, were huddled together in discussion. Those who had been here less than a year looked confused, while some wore worried expressions. Not a single apprentice of less than one year showed any delight.

Several new apprentices went over to the veteran apprentices, hoping to learn what was happening, only to be harshly rebuked and cursed out from head to toe.

The pharmacy was a place where the strong prevailed and the weak were weeded out. If new apprentices performed exceptionally well, they would steal the veteran apprentices' livelihoods. Yang Heng's delivery job, for instance, had been taken from a veteran apprentice.

To protect their own interests, the veteran apprentices banded together, collectively resisting and suppressing the newcomers.

They had originally wanted to teach Yang Heng a lesson too, but after hearing that Yang Heng had flung Li Kui away with one hand, they completely abandoned that idea.

Li Kui was one of the formidable figures among the veteran apprentices. If Yang Heng could even deal with Li Kui, would dealing with them not be as easy as turning his hand over?

Now Li Kui had vanished without a trace, neither seen alive nor found dead. That night, both Yang Heng and Li Kui had failed to return, so they had every reason to suspect that Li Kui had been killed by Yang Heng.

Would they dare provoke such a ruthless man?

Yang Heng had just been about to find a veteran apprentice to ask about the situation when he saw Shopkeeper Chen, the pharmacy masters, and their disciples walking over.

Shopkeeper Chen and the others stopped in the center of the courtyard, facing the crowd.

Shopkeeper Chen stood at the very front. He cleared his throat and swept his gaze around the crowd. When his eyes reached Yang Heng, they paused slightly, his gaze filled with frustration.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Shopkeeper Chen looked at the other apprentices.

"Today, we have gathered you here to announce one matter. Three days from now, the pharmacy will take you into the mountains to gather herbs. Those who perform well will be handsomely rewarded."

"For the next three days, finish your work in the morning, then follow the masters and your senior brothers and sisters in the afternoon to learn how to identify herbs, gather herbs, and understand the growth habits of medicinal plants."

"Alright, that is all I have to say. Master Wang will now explain the specific arrangements."

With that, Shopkeeper Chen turned and left.

Everyone watched Shopkeeper Chen depart. Only after his back had disappeared from view did they withdraw their gazes.

Master Wang had a lean face and an elegant bearing. Dressed in a white robe, he looked at everyone with a kindly expression.

He stepped forward from the crowd, looked at the apprentices, and said, "Alright, I will now explain some of the specific arrangements."

"For example, the reward and punishment system, as well as which senior brother or sister each of you will be assigned to in order to study medicinal knowledge."

"..."

In the end, Yang Heng was assigned to study medicinal herbs under a senior brother surnamed Li.

Senior Brother Li was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He had been at the pharmacy for ten years and had been accepted as Master Wang's disciple five years ago, receiving instruction in medical knowledge.

Senior Brother Li had now completed his apprenticeship and was employed by the pharmacy, where he held consultations. He specialized in treating illnesses such as cold damage and rheumatism.

Perhaps because it was their first meeting, or perhaps for some other reason.

Yang Heng found Senior Brother Li to be a man of few words. Aside from explaining medicinal knowledge to him, he did not say a single word of unrelated conversation.

Master Wang had only said a few brief words about gathering herbs in the mountains, leaving Yang Heng completely baffled.

Yang Heng had wanted to ask Senior Brother Li for details, but Senior Brother Li was like a sealed gourd, unable to squeeze out a word even after half a day.

His hands, however, never stopped moving. He took medicinal herbs from the medicine drawers and explained to Yang Heng how they were gathered, the environments in which they grew, and other medicinal knowledge.

When it came to explaining medicinal herbs, Senior Brother Li was a professional.

After three days, Yang Heng had gained a great deal. He could clearly identify dozens of common medicinal herbs and understood their harvesting methods, where they grew, and much more.