Gathering Herbs on the Mountain

Immediately after, Yang Heng rushed to the homes of other landlords in the vicinity without stopping.

By the time it got dark, he had visited four more houses and borrowed two hundred taels of Silver from them.

These four landlords had a much better reputation than Wang Gui, so Yang Heng did not go all out and left them their lives.

In total, he had gained four hundred and fifty taels of Silver and a Movement Technique Manual in one day. This was a huge haul.

Yang Heng could not contain his joy, the corners of his mouth turned up, and his brows relaxed slightly.

With this money, he would not have to worry about cultivation resources before breaking through to the Blood Strengthening Realm.

Whether he ate one, two, or even four or five delicious meals a day, Yang Heng would not frown. He had money.

Eating more high-nutrient foods would also speed up the Accumulating Qi and Blood process, which would also benefit the Marrow Cleansing Pearl.

Thinking of this, Yang Heng strode back to Qingyang Town as fast as he could, went to that small tavern again, ordered several hearty dishes, and ate heartily.

After finishing his meal, Yang Heng wiped the oil from the corners of his mouth with his sleeve, his face beaming with a brilliant smile.

He was very happy and very satisfied.

After finally arriving in this world and having the means, it was only natural to satisfy his desires appropriately.

Moreover, eating and drinking heartily would help accumulate Qi and Blood, and his cultivation would grow much faster.

He had worked like a beast of burden his whole life in his previous life; couldn't he enjoy himself a little in this life?

He hadn't even sought out the artists of this world for heart-to-heart talks and deep interactions; he was already a person of strong will.

After eating his fill, Yang Heng returned to the place where he hid the fist manuals, leaving most of his money there and only a few taels of Silver for use.

Although he was no longer the same person he used to be.

He couldn't feel at ease carrying all his money on him.

If he accidentally dropped the money at the Apothecary Shop, it would be troublesome.

To be safe, hiding the money here and retrieving it when needed was the best course of action, with no real risk, other than having to make a few extra trips.

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

With everything in order, Yang Heng was completely relieved.

However...

Before returning to the Apothecary Shop, there was one more thing to deal with.

His appearance!

Having broken through two realms in one day and undergone Marrow Cleansing and Bone Scouring, his appearance and physique had changed drastically. If he returned to the Apothecary Shop without concealing it, he wouldn't be able to explain it even if he had a hundred mouths.

The changes his body had undergone this time were far more pronounced than the last time.

Anyone with discerning eyes would know that he had encountered an incredible fortuitous encounter, be it an immortal medicine or a miraculous pill.

Fortunately, he could use his Blood Essence to contract his entire body's vital energy, causing his form to wither and concealing most of the changes.

As long as no Martial Artist personally examined his body, he would not be discovered.

After a few breaths, Yang Heng's appearance and physique were concealed.

To ensure everything was foolproof, Yang Heng specifically went to the riverbank and looked at his reflection in the water. Once he confirmed there were no obvious flaws, he returned to the Apothecary Shop with peace of mind.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, after breakfast, Yang Heng went to the counter as usual, intending to retrieve the medicine pre-ordered by customers and deliver it. However, he was informed by the master at the counter that he didn't need to deliver any medicine today, as Shopkeeper Chen would be coming over to announce something.

Yang Heng went to a plaza.

The plaza was very large, equivalent to the size of a football field.

Normally, this place was piled high with various medicinal herbs acquired from outside, and the apprentices needed to move these herbs to the storeroom and sort them out.

His previous self had worked here.

At this moment, twenty to thirty people had already gathered in the plaza. These people shared a common identity: they were all apprentices at the Apothecary Shop.

There were veteran apprentices with over three years of experience, as well as new apprentices with less than three years, or even less than one year, like Yang Heng.

The veteran apprentices were all calm and composed, seemingly understanding why the Apothecary Shop had gathered them here. Some veteran apprentices even showed signs of joy on their faces.

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

The new apprentices were all whispering and discussing amongst themselves. The new apprentices with less than a year of experience looked bewildered, some showing worry, but not a single new apprentice with less than a year of experience looked happy.

A few new apprentices walked towards the veteran apprentices, wanting to understand the situation, but were berated by the veteran apprentices, who yelled at them.

The Apothecary Shop was a place of survival of the fittest. If a new apprentice performed exceptionally well, they would take the veteran apprentices' jobs. For example, Yang Heng's delivery job was taken from a veteran apprentice.

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

They had initially wanted to teach Yang Heng a lesson, but after hearing that Yang Heng had sent Li Kui flying with one hand, they completely abandoned that idea.

Li Kui was a formidable figure among their veteran apprentices. If Yang Heng could even deal with Li Kui, dealing with them would be a piece of cake.

Now Li Kui was nowhere to be seen, neither alive nor dead. Yang Heng and Li Kui had both failed to return that night, giving them reason to suspect that Yang Heng had murdered Li Kui.

Could they dare to provoke such a ruthless individual?

Just as Yang Heng was about to find an old apprentice to gather information, he saw Shopkeeper Chen, the apothecary masters, and their disciples walking towards them.

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

Shopkeeper Chen stood at the front of the group, cleared his throat, scanned the crowd, and his gaze paused slightly on Yang Heng, his eyes filled with frustration.

Immediately, Shopkeeper Chen acted as if nothing had happened and looked at the other apprentices.

"I have gathered you all here today to announce one thing. In three days, the apothecary shop will lead you up the mountain to gather herbs. Those who perform exceptionally will be richly rewarded."

"For the next three days, you will finish your work in the morning and then spend your afternoons learning about identifying and gathering herbs, as well as their growing habits, from the masters and senior brothers and sisters."

"Alright, I have finished speaking. Master Wang will now explain the specific details to you."

With that, Shopkeeper Chen turned and left.

The crowd watched Shopkeeper Chen leave until his figure was no longer visible before turning their gazes back.

Master Wang had a thin face, an elegant demeanor, and wore a white robe. He looked kindly at the crowd.

He stepped out from the crowd and addressed the apprentices, "Okay, I will now explain some specific matters."

"For example, the reward and punishment system, and which senior brother or sister you will be assigned to learn medicinal knowledge from."

"..."

Finally, Yang Heng was assigned to learn about medicinal herbs from a senior brother named Li.

Senior Brother Li was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He had been at the apothecary shop for ten years. Five years ago, he was taken in as a disciple by Master Wang, who taught him medicinal knowledge.

Now, Senior Brother Li had graduated and was employed by the apothecary shop to practice medicine, specializing in treating illnesses like cold-induced fevers and rheumatism.

Whether it was due to their first meeting or other reasons, Yang Heng found Senior Brother Li to be taciturn. Apart from explaining the medicinal herbs to him, he didn't engage in any small talk.

Master Wang only spoke a few words about the matter of going up the mountain to gather herbs, leaving Yang Heng feeling confused.

Yang Heng wanted to ask Senior Brother Li for more details, but Senior Brother Li was like a closed book, unable to utter a word for a long time.

He just kept his hands busy, taking herbs from the medicine bins and explaining to Yang Heng the methods of harvesting them, their growing environments, and other related knowledge.

Senior Brother Li was professional when it came to explaining medicinal herb knowledge.

Over the course of three days, Yang Heng gained a lot. He could clearly identify dozens of common medicinal herbs and knew their harvesting methods, growing locations, and so on.