Separation

At the entrance to the Herb Gathering Hall stood two young guards in yellow shirts, their arms crossed over their chests as they watched the passersby with haughty expressions. The Herb Gathering Hall was the most powerful and wealthy household in Zhuqi County, and the Medicine King Gang was held in the highest esteem throughout Ping Province. Even its gatekeepers carried themselves with seven parts more arrogance than those of other minor gangs.

The county yamen runners who lorded it over the countryside couldn't so much as fart in front of these gatekeepers. Ordinary people of the martial world didn't dare cause trouble on the Herb Gathering Hall's turf, either.

Seeing how imposing they were, Ye Qin hardly dared approach and ask about the recruitment of Herb Gathering Apprentices. He led Da Niu to hide far away in a corner of the street, cautiously peering toward the Herb Gathering Hall's wide-open gates to see whether they were recruiting apprentices.

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar donkey cart parked by a side gate of the Herb Gathering Hall.

The old squire was speaking with a man who looked like a steward, his chubby little son beside him. He took a bulging money pouch from the cart and slipped it over, his old face wearing a fawning smile. "Grand Steward Zhang, I'm entrusting my boy to your care! It's just a small token of my gratitude."

The old squire hardly looked like the domineering man he had been back in the countryside.

Grand Steward Zhang glanced at the silver peeking out from one corner of the pouch and weighed it in his hand. It was heavy—probably no less than a hundred or two hundred silver coins. Converted to gold, it amounted to just one or two gold coins.

Disappointment showed in Grand Steward Zhang's eyes as he said blandly, "Of course, of course! I'll see that he gets a little extra care and doesn't come to any harm. But whether he can join the Herb Gathering Hall and become an Herb Gathering Apprentice depends on your boy's fortune... Actually, if you had enough money, ten times this amount would get him straight into the inner hall as an inner-hall apprentice in medicine preparation. That would be best. What I say as Grand Steward carries weight."

The old squire was terribly embarrassed. He was only a small landowner with a few hundred acres of barren fields. Where could he find that much money? Scraping together a hundred or two hundred silver coins had already been difficult. On top of that, the harvest had been poor this year, leaving him short of money. If he hadn't fathered a son in his sixties and doted on him so much, hoping to secure him a bright future, he wouldn't have spent this money to send him to the wealthy Herb Gathering Hall in Zhuqi County.

The poor old squire had never even considered the difference between the inner and outer halls, or whether his son could endure the hardships of being an Herb Gathering Apprentice in the outer hall. The money was destined to go to waste.

Seeing the old squire's embarrassed expression, Grand Steward Zhang knew he couldn't come up with any more money. Impatiently, he pocketed the cash and led the chubby boy through the side gate into the Herb Gathering Hall. The old squire craned his neck happily as he watched his son follow Grand Steward Zhang inside, then drove off in his donkey cart.

In the space of half an hour, at least a dozen more children, all around eight or nine years old, were brought into the Herb Gathering Hall by ordinary townsfolk. Unlike the old squire's son, however, they all entered through the main gate.

Only then did Ye Qin feel certain that the Herb Gathering Hall really was recruiting—and quite a lot of people, too. The two gatekeepers barely asked about the children's origins before letting them in. As for the adults, they were all turned away and forbidden to enter.

Ye Qin saw that it was getting dark. If he didn't go now, it would be too late.

He steeled himself, took Da Niu by the hand, and timidly shuffled over to the two gatekeepers. He didn't dare look up as he stammered, "A-are you... recruiting Herb Gathering Apprentices here?"

The two guards in yellow laughed loudly, looking down on them. "Ha! Two little beggars think they can become Herb Gathering Apprentices? Do you think this Herb Gathering Hall is a beggars' den?" "Get lost! Don't dirty the steps!" The two guards apparently feared getting their hands dirty, since they didn't even want to drive the boys away themselves.

Before they had finished laughing, a man in a green robe, around forty years old, walked out at an unhurried pace and swept a cold glance across the entrance.

The two guards' laughter cut off at once. They hurriedly clasped their hands in salute. "Pharmacist Wang, what brings you out here?" "The two of us can keep watch just fine. Is there something you need us to do?"

Pharmacist Wang stood with his hands behind his back and snorted.

"Don't you know the rules of my Herb Gathering Hall? When we recruit Herb Gathering Apprentices, we never ask about their origins. If they come, we take them. What are you two doing, driving away the apprentices who came to apply?"

The two guards immediately broke out in a cold sweat. They didn't dare defend themselves and could only beg for forgiveness over and over.

Rank and status were strictly observed in the Herb Gathering Hall.

Pharmacists held an extremely high position, and there were only a few dozen in the entire Herb Gathering Hall. The two gatekeepers could hardly afford to offend one.

Pharmacist Wang didn't even look at them as he said, "Take these two little fellows inside and prepare them for tomorrow's medicine trial!"

"Yes, yes!"

Having received their orders, the two gatekeepers no longer cared about the stench and grime on the little beggars. They each grabbed one by the neck and strode through the Herb Gathering Hall's gates, carrying Ye Qin and Da Niu inside.

Ye Qin was stunned. He had no idea what was happening, but he had clearly heard Pharmacist Wang say that they would take them in, so he didn't struggle. Da Niu was so frightened he didn't dare move, either, and let himself be carried by the neck.

"Wait!"

Pharmacist Wang suddenly noticed something and shouted for them to stop.

The two gatekeepers halted, bewildered. They didn't know why Pharmacist Wang had told them to stop again.

Pharmacist Wang walked up to Da Niu and gave the two holes in his lower leg an indifferent look.

"The sinew in his lower leg was probably bitten by a wild dog. He can't walk properly, and he'll most likely be a useless cripple for the rest of his life. Toss him out! Take the other one inside!"

The two gatekeepers immediately understood and secretly admired Pharmacist Wang's sharp eyes. One hurriedly tossed the little beggar with the injured leg outside, while the other carried Ye Qin farther in.

Ye Qin had never expected this sudden turn of events. He and Da Niu were being separated! Panic surged through him. He struggled and yelled, forgetting all caution, and kicked the gatekeeper as hard as he could, trying to break free.

The gatekeeper was no pushover. He ignored Ye Qin's flailing, hoisted him onto his back like an eagle carrying a chick, and ran through the Herb Gathering Hall's gates toward the depths of the courtyard.

Nearly in despair, Ye Qin screamed, "Da Niu, don't go! Wait for me!"

"Brother Qin!"

Cheng Daniu was thrown outside the Herb Gathering Hall's gates. He cried and struggled, but under the gatekeeper's cold stare, he didn't dare go anywhere near the entrance. He lingered around the mansion all night, and when he realized there was no hope of seeing Ye Qin again, he finally limped away, heading somewhere unknown. The two boys from the same village had been torn apart—one inside the Herb Gathering Hall, the other left outside.

As Ye Qin kicked and struggled, the gatekeeper carried him on his back. He had no idea where they were going inside the Herb Gathering Hall. He was thrown into a small courtyard, then left there as the gatekeeper locked the courtyard gate again.

There were guards posted at the courtyard gate, too.

Ye Qin scrambled to his feet, ready to find a way to escape. But when he saw what the little courtyard looked like, he was stunned.

There were already several hundred children between seven and twelve years old inside, both boys and girls. They were divided into dozens of groups, gathered in little clusters. From their clothes, they seemed to come from wealthy rural households, ordinary town families, or poor villages.

They all stared at Ye Qin in puzzlement. In their eyes, the Herb Gathering Hall's gatekeepers already had plenty of status. What kind of person needed to be carried inside by one of them?

Ye Qin had never been around so many unfamiliar children. He shrank back and slowly slipped into a corner, trying not to draw anyone else's attention.

Suddenly, a chubby boy in the crowd widened his eyes in disbelief. He pointed at Ye Qin and cried out in alarm, "Aren't you that kid from the street? How did you get in here? This isn't a place for the likes of you! I'll beat you to a pulp!" He clenched his fist and came at Ye Qin.