Death of the Herb Gatherer

One month later.

Herb Gathering Hall, stone house in the small courtyard.

"It's not nearly as dangerous as I imagined! We went into the mountains once this month and barely did anything, yet we easily got more than two hundred copper coins in rewards. The three-year training period as Herb Gathering Apprentices will pass in no time, and we can save up quite a bit of money. Once we become Herb Gathering Apprentices, we'll definitely earn more. We could even marry pretty little wives!"

Feng Xiao tossed around a bulging little money pouch, speaking cheerfully to Ye Qin.

Feng Xiao had wandered all over the place and occasionally gathered a few low-grade herbs, so he'd earned the most reward money out of the four. Yang Yicheng, Qian Ruoxiu, and Sun Ying had a little less, but still received around a hundred and fifty coins each. Ye Qin had carried the herb basket without gathering a single herb, and had only earned a little over a hundred copper coins for his hard work.

After they returned to the county town, Xie Ze distributed rewards according to their contributions.

Ye Qin smiled, a little bitterly.

It was because he practiced the Endurance Skill. During the training period as Herb Gathering Apprentices, he earned the least out of all of them. Three years from now, when they became Herb Gathering Apprentices, the result would probably be the same. The reason was simple: the internal cultivation technique he practiced wasn't particularly suited to gathering herbs. Feng Xiao practiced lightness skills, which were the best fit for the job.

With a bang, Yang Yicheng shoved open the wooden door and came in. His face was dark and grim, his gaze unfocused. Without a word, he climbed onto his bed and lay with his back to them, saying nothing.

"Hey, Senior Brother, what happened? Why are you so angry?"

Feng Xiao asked in surprise.

Ye Qin glanced at him, also wondering. He'd known Yang Yicheng for so long and had never seen him lose his temper like this. They'd only just returned two days ago and even received a hundred copper coins. Why had he gone out for a while tonight and come back in such a foul mood for no apparent reason?

Qian Ruoxiu and Sun Ying came in from outside just then.

Ye Qin and Feng Xiao couldn't help looking at the two of them.

Qian Ruoxiu's lips were a little pale.

"Two are dead. Two!"

Feng Xiao was stunned. "D-dead? What do you mean, two are dead?"

"The other teams that went out to gather herbs have already returned, but two Herb Gathering Apprentices died. One of them was an old friend of Senior Brother's. They grew up together."

Qian Ruoxiu's eyes brimmed with tears.

Zhuqi County was so small that many of the children in town knew one another. Even if they weren't close, they'd at least seen each other before.

Feng Xiao was dumbstruck, unable to come to his senses for a long while.

Ye Qin was stunned too. It had only been a month, and two of them were already dead. When the three-year training period ended, how many of the more than forty Herb Gathering Apprentices in their batch would still be alive?

Ye Qin couldn't help feeling a chill creep over him, as if the air in the stone house had grown colder.

It wasn't a rumor that Herb Gathering Apprentices had only a one-in-ten chance of surviving.

Ye Qin wasn't frightened into silence by the grim news. Instead, he calmly asked, "How did those two Herb Gathering Apprentices die?"

Qian Ruoxiu shook her head.

"I don't know. When the Herb Gathering Apprentices in those teams came back, they looked even more dejected than Senior Brother, but they wouldn't say anything. From the way they talked, it seemed they fell to their deaths while gathering some precious herbs."

Ye Qin shook his head. Even a fool could tell that they'd died gathering herbs. Otherwise, how could Herb Gathering Apprentices who'd practiced martial arts for over half a year, and were accompanied by stronger Herb Gathering Artisans, die so easily?

He said, "We have to find out exactly how they died so we can figure out how to avoid another accident. Fourth Junior Sister, Fifth Junior Sister, you're both from this county town and know the place well. Go ask the Herb Gathering Apprentices you know what exactly happened."

Yang Yicheng suddenly turned over. A few bloodshot threads stood out in his eyes. "There's no need to ask. I know how they died!"

Ye Qin looked at him in surprise.

Yang Yicheng said bitterly, "I knew the apprentices in both those teams. One team said they'd found a precious Crow Grass that was over a hundred years old on the cliff face in a secluded valley. But the spot was almost suspended in midair, and the rocks were razor-sharp. The wind cut like knives, and it was easy for the rope to get severed. Their Herb Gathering Artisan didn't want to risk it himself, so he sent an apprentice who knew lightness skills. The apprentice slipped and was blown down into the valley, losing his life. The other team found a rare herb in a river valley. Again, the Herb Gathering Artisan didn't want to risk it, so he sent my friend, who knew lightness skills, up there. He lost his footing and was swept away by the water in the blink of an eye. Those Herb Gathering Artisans are all rotten to the core, trading the lives of apprentices like us for their own safety!"

Ye Qin, Qian Ruoxiu, and Sun Ying turned in shock to look at Feng Xiao, who was standing inside the stone house.

Feng Xiao was the only one among them who knew lightness skills. If one day Xie Ze, the Herb Gathering Master, needed someone to risk gathering herbs in his place... Feng Xiao would probably be the first choice.

Feng Xiao was already deathly pale, too frightened to speak. He clutched his head and didn't dare listen any further. "How could this happen? Everything was fine. Why did people have to die?" His earlier delight at receiving two hundred copper coins was gone. What good was that money if he lost his life?

Ye Qin fell silent.

He thought of a more distant problem. If Feng Xiao died, who would be sent in his place next? Probably either Qian Ruoxiu or Sun Ying, since they were nimble and agile. After them would come Yang Yicheng, and then him, with nothing but his strength. Every time someone died, he'd be in greater danger.

So, no matter what, they had to keep Feng Xiao alive. As long as Feng Xiao didn't die, they would all be safe.

Ye Qin shared this thought with Qian Ruoxiu, Sun Ying, and Yang Yicheng. They all agreed and were willing to do everything they could to protect Feng Xiao.

They rested in the county town for two or three days.

Xie Ze was heading into the mountains to gather herbs, so the five of them naturally had to go along and set out for the deep mountains again. This time, however, they weren't in the least bit carefree. Their hearts were heavy, and now and then they secretly gave Xie Ze a strange look, as if he were a man-eating demon.

Feng Xiao in particular was terribly downcast. He couldn't bring himself to use his lightness skills to gather any herbs. He wished he didn't know lightness skills at all, so he wouldn't be the first to die.

Yang Yicheng, Qian Ruoxiu, and Sun Ying weren't in the mood to catch insects, snakes, or beasts either.

Though they were only eleven or twelve, they came from poor families and had grown up enduring hardship. In some ways, they were already quite mature. They were all extremely wary of anyone with malicious intentions.

Xie Ze had already noticed their odd expressions and knew the reason, but he didn't care in the slightest. He walked at an unhurried pace, only occasionally letting out a cold laugh to himself. So what if you're wary of me? When I need you, I'll use you. It's not as if you can fight back.

Only Ye Qin stayed five paces behind Xie Ze, his herb basket on his back, keeping a low profile.

Spring passed, winter came, and the years went by.

The three-year training period for Herb Gathering Apprentices passed in no time.

During those three years, sometimes several Herb Gathering Apprentices died in a single month, while at other times, not one died over the course of several months. It all depended on whether they came across precious herbs, whether those herbs grew in extremely dangerous locations, and whether the apprentices sent to gather them slipped up. If none of those things happened, people normally wouldn't die.

In the first year, the Herb Gathering Apprentices lacked experience, and the most died then: seven in all. In the following two years, the death toll clearly began to decline, but a few still died every year.

Ye Qin's team was a little luckier.

Over those three years, Xie Ze only made Feng Xiao take someone else's place five times.

Feng Xiao was timid. After Yang Yicheng encouraged him and he realized he couldn't escape being sent in someone else's place, he practiced lightness skills desperately out of grief and anger. He somehow managed to train Cloud Ladder Leap to the third level. Given his playful nature, it hadn't been easy for him to reach the third level.

With the full support of Ye Qin, Yang Yicheng, Qian Ruoxiu, Sun Ying, and the others, he made it through the three-year training period as an apprentice.