My name is Ling Zhi, hired at last

"Sorry for the trouble, but please go back and tell Boss Wang of Tiantian Pharmacy that I won't sell him my Pharmacy."

Seeing that the boy showed no signs of illness and still hadn't explained why he had come when asked, the man began turning him away without a second thought.

Over the past month or so, the man had seen far too many people like this, all sent by Boss Wang to persuade him to sell his Pharmacy.

Seeing that the man had misunderstood him and was about to chase him out, Duan Qingya hurriedly raised a hand to stop him.

"Wait, wait, that's not it! I don't know any Boss Wang. I wanted to ask whether your Pharmacy is taking on apprentices."

After hearing Duan Qingya's explanation, the man froze for a moment. Then anger visibly crept onto his face, and he strode up to Duan Qingya, picked him up, and carried him out the door.

"Go back and tell that Wang fellow that even a clay figure has a spark of temper! Now he's resorting to tricks like this to fool me into selling my Pharmacy!"

"I'm not like him, needing a six-year-old child to draw in customers!"

Carried out of the Pharmacy, Duan Qingya stared blankly at the man unleashing his furious tirade.

He had only come to ask whether the Pharmacy was taking apprentices. How had that turned into something like violating the laws of Heaven?

"No, Doctor, I really did come to become a pharmacy apprentice! If you don't believe me, you can test me."

The man, who was already heading back inside, faltered in his steps. Seeing this, Duan Qingya immediately pressed his advantage and continued:

"If I pass your test, you have to agree to hire me."

Seeing Duan Qingya's earnest expression, which didn't look like he was lying, the man hesitated for a while before agreeing to his request.

"Fine, but if you want to become an apprentice at my Pharmacy, you must complete the task I set for you."

Looking at the far-too-young Duan Qingya before him, the man decided to set him a task that would be utterly impossible to complete.

That way, Duan Qingya would naturally retreat in the face of difficulty. Even if he didn't, the man could still reject him when he failed.

"I'll give you a prescription for treating injury-related illness, but you'll only have until I count to thirty to memorize it."

"After memorizing the prescription, you must find the corresponding Medicinal Herbs in the cabinet and measure them out according to the prescribed amounts, all within the time it takes an incense stick to burn."

After hearing the task the man had set, Duan Qingya couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.

The conditions were so harsh that Duan Qingya wouldn't have wanted to try at all if he hadn't seen how many varieties of Medicinal Herbs this Pharmacy stocked.

Seeing Duan Qingya fall silent, the man thought his plan had succeeded. After all, whose six-year-old could recognize an entire cabinet of Medicinal Herbs?

"I can agree to that, but let's make this clear first: if I finish, you can't go back on your word or make excuses!"

"I, Ling Zhi, swear on my reputation as a physician of many years that as long as you complete the task, I'll take you on as my pharmacy apprentice."

Faced with Duan Qingya's doubts, Ling Zhi didn't hesitate at all. He didn't believe Duan Qingya could memorize a prescription requiring more than a dozen Medicinal Herbs.

"Where's the prescription?"

Even after all that, Duan Qingya still showed no intention of leaving. Ling Zhi couldn't help thinking to himself:

He really won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin.

To make Duan Qingya give up completely, Ling Zhi deliberately selected the most complicated prescription for treating injuries and illnesses and handed it to him.

Duan Qingya had barely accepted the prescription from Ling Zhi and hadn't even started reading when Ling Zhi began counting.

But none of this could stump Duan Qingya. He had spent more than ten years compounding Potions in his previous life, after all. Memorizing a dozen or so Medicinal Herbs and their dosages was easy enough.

After confirming that none of the Medicinal Herbs listed were unfamiliar to him, Duan Qingya set down the prescription and began searching the medicine cabinet for the corresponding Medicinal Herbs.

Ling Zhi had only counted to twenty when he saw Duan Qingya put down the prescription. He thought the boy had finally decided to give up, but Duan Qingya's next move caught him completely off guard.

Duan Qingya deftly took Medicinal Herbs from the cabinet and brought out the medicine scales. In no time at all, he had measured out eight kinds of ingredients.

Wait, is he really six? Why does it feel like this boy is even more practiced than I am?

Standing to one side, Ling Zhi stared open-mouthed at Duan Qingya, who was almost finished preparing the Potion.

"All done, boss. Go ahead and check!"

Duan Qingya let out a long breath and pushed the eight prepared doses toward Ling Zhi, inviting him to inspect them himself.

Only when he heard Duan Qingya announce that he was finished did Ling Zhi come back to his senses and focus his gaze on the prepared medicine.

Seeing every ingredient listed in the prescription laid out on the paper without a single one missing, Ling Zhi was utterly convinced. The child before him truly had ability.

As for whether the weight of each ingredient in the eight doses met the prescription's requirements...

Ling Zhi was no longer in the mood to verify that. Won over by Duan Qingya's skill, he bowed to him.

"A leaf blinded my eyes, and I failed to recognize Mount Tai. Little brother, your skill has won me over completely!"

"From now on, you're my Pharmacy's apprentice pharmacist. You'll receive one Gold Soul Coin a month, increasing to two after a full year of work."

This time, it was Duan Qingya's turn to be shocked. He hadn't expected such a small Pharmacy to offer such an astronomical wage!

Even at Tiantian Pharmacy, the largest pharmacy he had visited earlier, the highest wage for an apprentice was only three Gold Soul Coins a month.

"Boss, you're not fooling me, are you? You really will pay me one Gold Soul Coin every month?"

Seeing Duan Qingya's shocked expression, Ling Zhi finally regained a little confidence after spending so long being astonished himself. "Of course!" he answered confidently.

"You're the best, boss!"

Looking at Ling Zhi's glowing face, Duan Qingya hurriedly applauded and cheered.

"Um, may I ask whether Doctor Ling still has time to see a patient?"

Just then, someone appeared at the pharmacy entrance, interrupting the two of them.

Noticing the newcomer, Ling Zhi blushed and coughed twice, trying to cover up his earlier embarrassment.

"Ahem, yes! Of course I have time!"

In no more than a quarter of an hour, Ling Zhi identified the cause of the patient's illness and wrote out a prescription.

"Um, um..."

Having forgotten to ask the boy's name, Ling Zhi held the prescription and found himself at a loss for what to call Duan Qingya.

"My name is Duan Qingya. Doctor Ling, you can just call me Qingya."

"All right. Qingya, sorry for the trouble, but please prepare this patient's medicine according to the prescription."

Taking the prescription, Duan Qingya led the patient over to the medicine cabinet. With the prescription in hand this time, he took only five minutes to prepare the medicine.

Seeing how deftly Duan Qingya worked, the patient couldn't help remarking to Ling Zhi:

"Doctor Ling, your apprentice certainly works quickly! If you'd hired him sooner, you wouldn't have been so busy lately!"

"Haha, if I'd hired someone sooner, I'd never have met an apprentice like Qingya, the sort you couldn't find even if you searched with a lantern!"

Hearing the patient's teasing remark, Ling Zhi, who was reading a medical book, immediately looked up and answered with a smile.

Before they knew it, night was drawing near.

"Thanks for your hard work today! I never expected four or five patients to come in over a single afternoon."

After he and Duan Qingya finished tidying the Pharmacy, Ling Zhi stood outside the Pharmacy and spoke to him.

Duan Qingya glanced at the sun, which was about to sink behind the mountains, and replied with a smile:

"With such generous pay from you, Doctor Ling, of course I have to work hard!"

"Hahaha, you certainly know what to say. See you tomorrow, then! Of course, if you have classes, remember to send someone to let me know."

Over the course of the afternoon, Ling Zhi had learned that Duan Qingya was a new student at the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy.

"I will, but don't fire me for working too few hours, Boss Ling!"

"You work so efficiently and recognize so many medicinal ingredients. I can't wait to keep you here—how could I possibly fire you?"