Mountain Situation, Levitation Technique Mastery

Especially for the new apprentices going up the mountain to gather herbs for the first time, if they want to complete the task, unless they have incredible luck, they're bound to get whipped.

The senior apprentices all went through this.

After the accommodation was assigned, Master Wang told everyone to rest early, as they would start gathering herbs on the mountain first thing in the morning.

Apprentices were housed eight to a room, senior apprentices two to a room, and the apothecary masters had rooms to themselves, with accommodations far better than those of the apprentices.

The apprentices' living quarters were not much different from the apothecary shop itself, also large dormitories, spacious enough to accommodate many people.

The location was at the foot of the mountain, with a river flowing nearby, less than three hundred meters from the residences, very close.

Perhaps the apothecary shop considered everyone's washing needs when choosing the site, which is why they specifically built the houses here.

After washing up, Yang Heng returned to his room, closed his eyes tightly, and lay on the bed for a short rest, contemplating the matter of gathering herbs on the mountain tomorrow.

At this time, the other apprentices had also finished washing up and returned to their rooms, starting to discuss amongst themselves.

Apprentices like Yang Heng, who were going up the mountain to gather herbs for the first time, showed worried expressions. On the way here, they had used all their means to finally pry some inside information out of a senior apprentice.

Upon learning this inside information, much of their initial enthusiasm had cooled considerably.

Judging from the information they received, the situation was not optimistic.

According to that senior apprentice, it was extremely difficult for new apprentices going up the mountain for the first time to complete the quota of ten taels of silver, unless they had exceptional luck and found some precious medicinal herbs, such as ginseng, reishi mushrooms, and so on.

Otherwise, they would most likely be whipped.

But fortunately, there was always a way out.

That senior apprentice provided them with a shortcut: if their gathered herbs were insufficient, they could rob other apprentices, or purchase them from those who had gathered more.

However, the price would be several percent higher than the market price.

The apothecary masters were well aware of all this, but they would not interfere.

They didn't care how you acquired your herbs; all they cared about was whether the task was completed.

If the apprentices successfully completed the task, they would also receive rewards. The better the task was completed, the more generous their rewards would be.

"We're going up the mountain to gather herbs tomorrow. Do any of you brothers have a plan?" one apprentice asked with a worried look.

"A plan? What plan could there be?"

"I just hope heaven blesses me, that I find a ginseng root, complete the task smoothly, and even make a fortune in the process."

"What are you dreaming about? Ginseng?"

"It'll be good enough if we can keep our lives," another apprentice scoffed.

"Brother, what do you mean by that? Don't just curse people. Speak if you have something to say." Another apprentice, sensing the hidden meaning in his words, asked.

"Forget ginseng, even ordinary herbs are hard to find."

"This mountain looks big, but the outer areas have long been swept clean, making it difficult to find medicinal herbs.

Think about it, how many times has the apothecary shop organized herb gathering expeditions? Twice a year, and the villagers living nearby also go up the mountain to gather herbs from time to time. Can herbs still be found in the outer areas of the mountain?

Herbs aren't cabbage; they have a growth cycle and aren't endless."

"Since there are none on the outskirts, we can go into the mountains to find them," one apprentice asked, confused.

If there were none outside, then go inside.

Isn't that simple logic?

"Heh heh," the clear-headed apprentice looked at the one who asked the question as if he were an idiot.

He couldn't believe someone among them could ask such a foolish question.

He didn't want to explain.

At this moment, Yang Heng spoke up, saying, "The further into the mountains you go, the more rugged the paths become, and the more stamina it consumes. But compared to the real dangers, these are nothing.

The depths of the mountains are fraught with peril: venomous snakes, wolves, big cats, brown bears, and so on. Some areas are even covered in miasma, which renders one unconscious with a single breath. These are the true dangers of the mountains."

"The deeper you go into the mountains, the greater the chance of encountering ferocious beasts."

Yang Heng didn't want to seem like an outsider, so he explained.

Clap clap

"That's right, Brother Heng is absolutely correct. That's precisely the case."

The clear-headed apprentice applauded, his words full of praise.

Yang Heng was not surprised that this person knew his name.

The incident where he forced Li Kui to kowtow and beg for mercy, and earned the favor of Master Zhang and Shopkeeper Chen, had already spread throughout the apothecary shop. All the apprentices, disciples, and even masters recognized him, Yang Heng.

He was quite famous in the apothecary shop now.

However, Yang Heng was not keen on these things; his own strength was the most important.

On weekdays, besides work, he spent most of his other time cultivating outdoors. He knew far fewer people in the apothecary shop than knew him.

He didn't recognize this clear-headed apprentice and couldn't recall his name.

This person was also observant and proactively introduced himself.

"Brother Heng, I'm Wang Ming. I know a bit about all the news in the apothecary shop. If you need any help, Brother Heng, don't hesitate to ask."

Wang Ming said with a smile.

Yang Heng nodded and replied with a smile.

"Okay, I'll find you if I need anything."

Yang Heng felt that this person was extraordinary. As an ordinary apprentice in an apothecary shop, he knew so much, his mind was clear, and his words were well-reasoned. He was truly remarkable.

However, Yang Heng didn't want to investigate him further, as he had his own secrets.

After speaking, Yang Heng closed his eyes and pretended to take a nap.

The discussion ended here.

They had learned what they needed to know. As for the situation on the mountain and whether they could complete the mission, they could only leave it to fate.

This was the thought of most of the apprentices in the room.

Of course, Yang Heng didn't think that way; he was very optimistic.

Yang Heng wasn't worried at all about not being able to complete the mission. The fierce beasts in the mountains posed no threat to him. He could go to remote and dangerous places to gather herbs and easily earn ten taels of silver.

Places like cliffs and steep rock faces were difficult for ordinary people to climb.

As a martial artist who had also cultivated movement techniques, and had already reached the beginner level in them, it was as simple as eating and drinking for him to gather herbs in these places that were very dangerous for ordinary people.

During the past three days of studying medicinal knowledge, Yang Heng had finished his daily work in a very short time each morning. This was also related to the fact that the apothecary shop assigned fewer tasks.

The apothecary shop knew they had training in the afternoon, so they didn't assign many tasks, less than half of the usual amount.

Yang Heng was now a quasi-martial artist with great stamina, and he ran very fast. He finished his work in a flash.

For most of the remaining time, he practiced his movement techniques in the training area.

The Levitation Technique was a beginner martial art, and its cultivation difficulty was far less than that of the intermediate martial art Vajra Fist. Moreover, his talent for cultivation had undergone a qualitative breakthrough, making him proficient in cultivating the Levitation Technique without any difficulty.

In less than three days, the Levitation Technique reached the beginner level.

If he had more time, reaching the proficient level would have been no problem.

The cultivation method for the Levitation Technique was simple: hang weights on your hands and run on flat ground, then run in mountain streams once you were skilled.

When your hands no longer swayed, you had reached the beginner level.

When one day you no longer feel the weight on your hands, it means the Levitation Technique has reached Major Accomplishment.

As for how to reach Perfection, the book did not record it; it was all up to personal comprehension.

After reaching the beginner level in the Levitation Technique, Yang Heng found that his speed had increased compared to before. He was as light as a swallow, leaping twenty feet with ease.

Yang Heng was filled with anticipation for gathering herbs on the mountain tomorrow, hoping to find some precious medicinal materials for his cultivation.

Seeing that it was getting late, Yang Heng lay down and fell into a deep sleep.