Before long, night fell.
As he came down the mountain, Yang Heng took out medicinal herbs worth one tael of silver from his stored haul and returned to camp.
Once again, Yang Heng became the center of attention. Some apprentices envied him, while others were jealous, a flash of venomous resentment appearing in their eyes.
In truth, by the eleventh day of gathering herbs, there were still several apprentices who handed in medicinal herbs worth one tael of silver each day.
But the main issue was that Yang Heng made gains every day, and they were not small. It was as though he had calculated it in advance—always close to one tael of silver, neither more nor less, astonishingly even.
Unlike the other apprentices, who might pick medicinal herbs worth two taels of silver one day, then return empty-handed the next, or only obtain herbs worth a few dozen Copper Coins.
Yang Heng's actions led the other apprentices to believe that he had found a treasure ground where many medicinal herbs grew. He picked only a little each day, which was why the value of his harvest was so evenly balanced.
Thus, some apprentices who were still far from completing their tasks set their sights on Yang Heng.
Of course, they knew about Yang Heng flinging Li Kui away with one hand. They understood that Yang Heng's strength was unfathomable and did not dare be careless.
So several of them conspired together and decided to deal with Yang Heng as a group.
After the medicinal herbs had been registered, Yang Heng headed toward the river, intending to wash up.
Seeing Yang Heng's back disappear from sight, several ill-intentioned apprentices headed in another direction to discuss a plan for dealing with him.
"Brothers, the task deadline is fast approaching, yet we are still nowhere near completing it. If we do not think of something, we may have to take the whip. When that time comes, even our lives may not be safe," one apprentice said worriedly.
"Yeah, we need to come up with something. I do not want to take the whip either. One lash and half your life is gone—it is truly terrifying," echoed a skinny apprentice.
His body was like a bamboo pole, thin and scrawny. If he took a lash, there was a high chance he would lose half his life.
The other apprentices nodded in agreement as well.
The first apprentice to speak continued, "I have been observing Yang Heng these past few days. That brat comes back loaded every day, and the medicinal herbs he picks are worth no less than one tael of silver. By now, he has handed in herbs worth nine taels of silver. One more tael, and he will have completed his task."
"Among us new apprentices, apart from that lucky fellow who found a Lingzhi Mushroom, Yang Heng has obtained the most medicinal herbs and the highest-value ones.
"We are all new apprentices, and this is our first time up the mountain gathering herbs. Why are the medicinal herbs Yang Heng gathers worth more than twice as much as ours, and why does he have a sizable harvest every single day? Think about it—why is that?"
"Yeah, why is that?"
"Yang Heng is indeed rather strange. Every day, he heads straight for secluded places."
"Could it be that Yang Heng found a treasure ground where a huge amount of medicinal herbs grows?" After pondering for a moment, one apprentice asked.
"Yeah, that is very likely the case." The other apprentices thought it over and felt that this was the most likely possibility.
At that moment, the first apprentice to speak hammered the final nail home. "That must be it. Yang Heng found a treasure ground, a treasure ground where countless medicinal herbs grow!"
"I noticed that after entering the inner mountain, Yang Heng heads in the same direction every day. If there were not a treasure ground over there with a large number of medicinal herbs growing, he would never act like this. He would definitely search for medicinal herbs in other directions."
"Yeah, that makes sense. It must be so." The other apprentices nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"We are all new apprentices. We should have been in the same boat, helping each other. Yet Yang Heng is keeping all the food for himself, not taking any of us brothers to heart. It is truly hateful.
"Whether to vent our anger or to complete our tasks, we should show Yang Heng a little color and let him know the consequences of hogging everything for himself!" The first apprentice's face turned fierce as he incited them.
Hearing this, the other apprentices looked at one another and did not dare state their position.
Yang Heng's prowess had already sunk deep into their hearts.
Seeing them like this, the first apprentice to speak immediately grew frustrated and cursed, "What are you afraid of? Yang Heng is just an ordinary man, flesh and blood, not even a martial artist."
"There are seven or eight of us, each with a woodcutter's blade. If we all rush him at once, can we not take him down?"
When everyone heard that, it seemed to make sense.
The apprentices' expressions gradually calmed, and the fear of Yang Heng in their hearts slowly faded.
Seven or eight of us surrounding Yang Heng—the advantage is ours!
Wealth and honor are sought amid danger.
Even if the siege against Yang Heng failed, Yang Heng would not kill them. At most, he would give them a vicious beating.
If seven or eight people died at once, the medicine shop would certainly investigate. Yang Heng would not be able to escape the medicine shop's punishment then.
If they could not complete their tasks, however, the medicine shop would show no mercy. Taking the whip was inevitable, and whether they lived or died afterward was uncertain.
After analyzing it all, surrounding Yang Heng still carried the least risk.
The group gradually found confidence in their hearts and decided to pull off this job.
Thus, they began discussing their countermeasures.
"Yang Heng is only one step away from completing his task. It is very possible that tomorrow, he will gather medicinal herbs worth one tael of silver. Therefore, tomorrow is our best opportunity, and also our only opportunity."
"If we miss tomorrow, Yang Heng will likely stop going up the mountain to gather herbs after completing his task and remain in camp. At that point, we will be left sitting on the wax. We cannot make a move in camp—the mountain is the best place to do it."
The first apprentice to speak said this with farsighted confidence.
After hearing him, the other apprentices nodded in agreement, believing his words made sense.
One apprentice asked, "The mountain is so vast. Where would be the best place to strike?"
"The road down the mountain."
"We will wait for Yang Heng at the mountain exit!"
The first apprentice to speak answered without hesitation.
"The road down the mountain?"
"There are countless exits from the mountain. How do we know which exit Yang Heng will use to come down?"
One apprentice questioned.
"Yeah, yeah."
"There are simply too many paths out of the mountain. How can we know which road Yang Heng will take down?"
The remaining apprentices all raised their doubts.
"You need not worry about that. I have been secretly observing Yang Heng these past few days, and he has never changed the exit he uses. We will block him there."
"When he arrives, we will all rush him at once, seize him, and force him to reveal the location of that treasure ground.
"As for whether we spare his life or not, that depends entirely on our mood."
The first apprentice to speak sneered, looking as if victory were already in his grasp. A thread of cold light flashed through his eyes.
Judging by his behavior, it seemed that he bore a deep grudge against Yang Heng.
The other apprentices looked at him in shock, a thought rising in their hearts: this man must have a feud with Yang Heng. Otherwise, why would he observe Yang Heng's every move all day long?
But even if they had their suspicions, they would not refuse to work with him.
With common interests before them, let alone Yang Heng—even if the person before them were a senior brother or senior sister from the medicine shop, or even one of the medicine shop's masters, they would dare to make a move.
Once they had settled the matter, everyone scattered.
The first person to speak was named Wu Zhi. He had joined the medicine shop only half a year earlier. Once, when he made a mistake in his work, Master Zhang wanted to punish him, but Li Kui stepped forward and resolved the matter for him.
From then on, Wu Zhi treated Li Kui as the horse's head he followed.
After Li Kui died, he wept bitterly for a while and concluded that Yang Heng was Li Kui's murderer. This was because Li Kui had told him the night before last that the next day would be Yang Heng's day of death.
Who would have thought that Yang Heng did not die the next day, while Li Kui vanished without a trace?
Only three days later did the medicine shop realize that Li Kui must have met with foul play and begin investigating the matter.
Wu Zhi had reported Yang Heng to the medicine shop, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea.
Yang Heng still bounced around lively every day, completely unaffected.
Thus, Wu Zhi had continued secretly watching Yang Heng's every move. Today, he had finally waited for his opportunity. He swore that he would kill Yang Heng and avenge Li Kui.
Deep venomous resentment filled Wu Zhi's eyes. Like a poisonous snake, he watched Yang Heng from the shadows—if he did not strike, so be it, but once he did, it would be a fatal blow.
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