Arriving at the Destination, Reward and Punishment System

The morning three days later, at the medicine shop's plaza.

The sky was a hazy gray, not yet fully bright. Apprentices could be seen walking out of the building in small groups, heading toward the plaza.

Today was the departure date. The mountain where they would gather herbs was about a hundred li from Qingyang Town. With the apprentices' leg strength, they would only reach their destination by dusk.

That's why they had woken up earlier than usual today, aiming to arrive at their destination sooner. Once there, there were still some matters to arrange.

In a short while, everyone had arrived.

The medicine shop's masters and their disciples were also present. Master Zhang was among them; he would be accompanying them this time.

Shopkeeper Chen's figure was nowhere to be seen. The medicine shop organized this herb-gathering expedition twice a year, and they were already very experienced. There was no need for him to personally oversee it.

As for safety, it was the responsibility of Master Lei, another Martial Artist from the medicine shop. He managed the shop's guard team and frequently escorted medicinal ingredients to the Medicine King Gang in Qinghe City.

Every time they went up the mountain to gather herbs, he would arrange personnel to provide security.

After all, the world was chaotic, with bandits and robbers running rampant. The place where they gathered herbs was far from Qingyang Town, and the medicine shop's influence did not extend that far.

It would be one thing if the medicinal ingredients were stolen, but the herb-gathering team consisted not only of apprentices but also of the medicine shop's masters and disciples. These individuals were the pillars of the medicine shop; if anything happened to them, the shop would be crippled.

If apprentices died, they could recruit more.

But if the masters died, it would be very difficult to find suitable replacements.

Every master at the medicine shop possessed exquisite medical skills. The youngest among them had at least twenty years of medical experience. They were all treasures to the medicine shop, and the loss of even one would cause them great pain for a long time.

The medicine shop's masters were all high-level talents, requiring a significant amount of time to train.

Studying medicine was no less demanding than practicing martial arts; this field also depended on talent.

Without sufficient talent, even twenty years of study would yield no great achievements.

Shopkeeper Chen, a Blood Strengthening Martial Artist and the head of the medicine shop, maintained sufficient respect for the masters, refraining from scolding them casually.

They were the medicine shop's cash cows, responsible for generating most of its revenue.

If he offended them, leading to a decrease in the shop's profits and insufficient silver to hand over to the Medicine King Gang each quarter, Shopkeeper Chen would also face repercussions.

The shortfall would be compensated from his quarterly cultivation resources by the gang.

This would cause Shopkeeper Chen's cultivation to stagnate, something he naturally wouldn't allow to happen.

Being the shopkeeper of the medicine shop was a highly profitable position. If he displeased those above him and was removed, he would regret it immensely.

Therefore, he was very lenient with the medicine shop's masters in normal times, practically granting their every request. If some masters engaged in embezzlement, as long as it wasn't too excessive, he would turn a blind eye.

As for the masters' safety, it was of utmost importance. Every time they went out, Shopkeeper Chen would arrange for a Blood Brave Disciple to accompany them to ensure their safety.

For this herb-gathering expedition, eleven martial practitioners were responsible for security.

One Blood Strengthening Martial Artist and ten Blood Brave Disciples, all of whom were disciples in the Accumulating Qi and Blood stage.

These individuals were the security forces stationed by the Medicine King Gang in Qingyang Town, the guard team mentioned earlier, with Master Lei as their captain.

Master Wang reiterated some precautions for gathering herbs on the mountain. Seeing that everyone had no questions, he declared, "Depart!"

The group walked out of the medicine shop in a grand procession.

By this time, the sky had completely brightened. The streets were bustling with people, a lively scene.

Various food stalls were lined up neatly along the side of the road, presenting a spectacular sight.

There were steamed bun stalls, hot soy milk stalls, dessert stalls, and more – all kinds of snacks were available.

"Meat buns, buy your meat buns here."

"Fragrant meat buns, free if they're not tasty."

"Buy desserts, free if they're not sweet."

The cries of vendors were incessant, painting a vibrant picture of the bustling street.

As Yang Heng stepped onto the main street, various aromas assailed his nostrils, making his mouth water.

The medicine shop hadn't given them time to eat in the morning; each person had brought a few steamed buns to eat on the way.

Being part of the large group, Yang Heng dared not act alone. He could only suppress his drooling, constantly swallowing.

Yang Heng wasn't the only one; the other apprentices were doing the same.

Immediately, a chorus of slurping sounds filled the ranks.

The medicine shop masters couldn't bear to watch any longer and ordered, "You have fifteen minutes. If you're not back within fifteen minutes, you'll be slapped fifty times!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed. They left the group in unison and ran towards their favorite food stalls.

Yang Heng was no exception; he rushed out.

In fact, Yang Heng had also noticed the medicine shop masters swallowing their saliva. He guessed that the masters were hesitant to buy food themselves for fear of setting a bad example, which was why they acted this way.

Yang Heng glanced back and, as expected, saw several masters heading towards their preferred food stalls.

Yang Heng ate ten large meat buns, drank three bowls of dessert soup, and five bowls of hot tofu before finally feeling a little full.

Since he started practicing martial arts, his appetite had greatly increased. He needed to consume at least three to five jin of food per meal to sustain his daily energy expenditure.

And from time to time, he would even have an extra meal.

Martial arts cultivation requires proper nutrition; otherwise, it won't do.

Over the long term, this will lead to physical depletion and even slower progress in cultivation.

The fifteen minutes were up, and everyone returned to the group.

Seeing that everyone was present, Master Wang nodded and said, "Let's continue."

After a long day's journey, the group arrived at their destination before dark.

The location was at the foot of a mountain with several rows of old, dilapidated houses that looked like they had been built a long time ago.

They were likely built by the apothecary's shop when they first started collecting herbs on the mountain, serving as resting places for the shop's masters and apprentices.

This herb-collecting expedition would last for half a month. For the first three days, senior apprentices would lead the way, teaching everyone the precautions for collecting herbs and the general locations where they could be found, helping everyone get familiar with the process.

For the remaining twelve days, no one would be leading. The apprentices would collect herbs on the mountain themselves. They could form teams or act alone.

However, most people acted alone because everyone had a task to complete.

Second-time or more experienced apprentices had to collect herbs worth twenty taels of silver within fifteen days. Failure to complete the task would result in two lashes for every tael short.

New apprentices on their first trip had a slightly easier task: completing a quota of ten taels of silver within fifteen days.

Failure to complete the task would also result in two lashes for every tael short.

However, experienced apprentices who had collected herbs multiple times possessed rich knowledge of the herbs' growth habits, giving them a significant advantage over the new apprentices.

New apprentices, on the other hand, were completely clueless on their first herb-collecting trip. While their tasks seemed easier than those of the experienced apprentices, they might actually be more difficult.

Failing to complete the task would be disastrous.

The whips were specially made by the apothecary's shop and had barbs on them. A single strike could easily tear off a piece of flesh.

These whips were used by the shop specifically to punish apprentices who misbehaved.

An ordinary person would lose half their life after five lashes.

The punishments were severe, but the rewards were also substantial.

For exceeding twenty taels, in increments of five taels, the first five taels would be split equally between the apprentice and the shop. For the second five taels, the apprentice would receive sixty percent and the shop forty percent, with this ratio increasing progressively.

From the sixth five taels onwards, the apprentice would receive the entire amount.

This was why those experienced apprentices had smiles on their faces; they could make a fortune collecting herbs on the mountain.

A quota of fifteen taels of silver was not difficult for them. As long as their luck wasn't too bad, they could generally complete it.

As for the new apprentices... it was very difficult to complete the task!