Conflict Between Fellow Disciples

Such a grand medicinal event is rarely seen within Ping Province in a decade or two; only a large organization like the Medicine King Gang has the qualifications to host such a spectacle.

In the past, the Medicine King Gang always held these events in the provincial capital of Ping Province, but for some unknown reason, they decided to hold it this year in the most remote county—Zhuqi County.

It is said that Hall Master Philanthropist Li fought hard to secure this from the leader of the Medicine King Gang. If such a grand event could be held in Zhuqi County, it would undoubtedly greatly elevate the status of the Herb Gathering Hall in the pugilistic world.

This medicinal herb trading convention naturally caused a sensation among the martial artists of Ping Province, drawing them in from all directions.

Secret manuals, precious weapons and armor, and medicinal drugs have always been the three essential items for those in the pugilistic world.

Secret manuals are usually kept as private treasures; unless one is in dire straits, few would ever sell them. Precious weapons and armor are rare and hard to come by, requiring a master blacksmith to forge them, so the trading volume is low. Only medicinal drugs have a massive demand, as every large and small gang requires them.

Walking the pugilistic path, who doesn't risk getting cut? Once cut, one must rely on medicine to save their life. Beyond life-saving, there are also miraculous drugs that can enhance internal cultivation, which are treasures that martial artists flock to.

It is not at all strange that a large number of martial artists from other parts of Ping Province have recently arrived in Zhuqi County.

With the convention still three or four months away, most of those currently in Zhuqi County are logistics personnel from various gangs, arriving early to secure lodging and food. The true high-ranking figures of these major gangs have yet to arrive.

The true peak of arrivals for the martial artists will occur about half a month before the trading convention begins.

The Herb Gathering Hall in Zhuqi County, as the local branch of the Medicine King Gang, has already begun preparations for this rare event that hasn't been seen in over a decade.

Many of the Herb Gathering Hall's senior Herb Gathering Artisans are still out and have not yet returned, leaving the hall short-handed. Hall Master Li decided to have the Herb Gathering Apprentices pause their outings to gather herbs, pulling as many people as possible to maintain order within the county.

Herbalist Wang told Ye Qin that he did not need to go out to gather herbs for the time being, instructing him to stay in the hall to handle chores and await further orders.

Ye Qin nodded immediately to signify his compliance, then exited Herbalist Wang's residence with a respectful expression.

Regarding this Herbalist Wang, he felt only superficial respect, with no sense of closeness in his heart. Their relationship was less like that of a master and apprentice, and more like that of an employer and a laborer—one selling their life to work, the other sitting back to collect the money.

Having been at the Herb Gathering Hall for three or four years, Ye Qin had long understood that there was no sentiment between the upper and lower levels of the hall; almost everything was measured by money. If he failed to gather herbs and earn money, the most severe punishments awaited him. In the Herb Gathering Hall, unless they were disciples taught by the same master or were close acquaintances, there was generally no room for sentiment.

No longer busy with trekking into the mountains to gather herbs, the burden on Ye Qin's shoulders felt temporarily lighter as he returned to the small stone house in the courtyard where he lived.

As an Herb Gathering Apprentice, he was not qualified to have a room to himself, so he still lived with Yang Yicheng and Feng Xiao. However, the male and female apprentices had long been separated; Qian Ruoxiu and Sun Ying were already living in a stone house next door. Because many Herb Gathering Apprentices had died over the past few years, the stone houses in the courtyard were more than enough, and it did not feel crowded.

When Ye Qin returned to the courtyard, he felt a wave of emotion; having not returned for over half a year, it felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of an argument coming from ahead.

He saw four people—two men and two women—standing in the courtyard, seemingly arguing about something.

A seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth with muscles like iron knots stood there, his eyes filled with rage, his iron palms constantly clenching into fists as he shouted something, looking as if he were angry enough to smash someone.

Beside him was a short, nimble-eyed youth of sixteen or seventeen, his tone hesitant and indecisive.

A sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl in a green shirt had a frosty expression and a firm attitude.

The last was a petite fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl in a yellow shirt, carrying a sharp sword on her back. Her eyes were red and swollen, and tears hung on her small face, filled with grievance.

Ye Qin was slightly stunned; weren't those Yang Yicheng, Feng Xiao, Qian Ruoxiu, and Sun Ying? What a coincidence to run into them the moment he returned. Half a year later, Yang Yicheng and Feng Xiao had grown much taller, and the two young girls, Qian Ruoxiu and Sun Ying, already possessed the demeanor of pugilistic heroines.

However, what had happened to them?

Ye Qin walked over calmly.

Sun Ying was sobbing, but upon seeing Ye Qin, a look of unexpected surprise appeared on her face. "Second Senior Brother?! It's Second Senior Brother who has returned, that's great! We have one more person now. Second Senior Brother, you must help me!"

Yang Yicheng, Feng Xiao, and Qian Ruoxiu also noticed him.

However, only Qian Ruoxiu nodded to Ye Qin in greeting.

"So what if the Second Senior Brother is back? With his cultivation, can he beat those disciples from the Inner Hall? What difference does it make if we have four people or five? Having one less person might even mean one less burden. If we can't win and have to run, we might be able to run faster."

Feng Xiao shrugged with a hint of disdain.

"Third, how can you talk to the Second like that!" Yang Yicheng glared at Feng Xiao, then said loudly to Ye Qin, "It's good that you're back, Second. With one more person, we'll have a bit more strength when the time comes."

Ye Qin nodded at him and turned to ask Sun Ying.

"Fifth Junior Sister, what exactly happened?"

"It's those bastards from the Inner Hall! Yesterday, when Fifth Junior Sister and some other junior sisters from the Outer Hall were out, they ran into some Inner Hall disciples. They actually took advantage of their numbers to harass Fifth Junior Sister. If I had been there, I would have smashed those bastards to death with my fists!"

Yang Yicheng explained indignantly on Sun Ying's behalf.

"Oh? There is such a thing?"

A cold glint appeared in Ye Qin's eyes, and his tone turned three degrees colder: "Then what is there to consider? Find an opportunity to teach them a lesson! Do they think we disciples of the Outer Hall are pushovers?"

He was not a person who liked to stir up trouble; often, even when trouble came his way, he would endure it and avoid making overly intense reactions. But when his fellow apprentices were in trouble, he could not ignore it.

In the entire Zhuqi County, these were the only few people he could count as his companions. Even if there had been conflicts between the five of them in the past, that was a matter between fellow apprentices, not something to be bullied by outsiders. He could not tolerate his companions being bullied by outsiders.

"Second Senior Brother, you know the martial arts of those Inner Hall disciples. They have learned more martial arts than us since they were young. We learn one technique, they learn two. When we were learning basic martial arts, they were already learning intermediate ones—how are we supposed to fight? Look at the five of us: First Senior Brother, Fourth Junior Sister, and Fifth Junior Sister learn external arts and swordsmanship, so that's a bit better. But the two of us—one learns light-body techniques and the other learns techniques that aren't meant for fighting—we simply can't beat them. If the five of us go knocking on their door, we'll just be going to get a beating for nothing," Feng Xiao couldn't help but say.