Lin Mo stood before the entrance. Before he could take a close look at his surroundings, a young man in a short gray jacket hurried out of the clinic.
The man looked to be in his early twenties and wore a warm smile. Seeing a child like Lin Mo standing alone at the entrance and looking around, he asked gently:
"Hello there, is someone in your family feeling unwell and in need of a doctor?"
Hearing this, Lin Mo shook his head, took the notice out of his pocket, and handed it over.
"Hello, uncle. I'm not here to see a doctor. I saw this and wanted to ask whether your clinic is still taking apprentices."
The young man in gray paused. He took the notice and looked it over, then raised his head to examine Lin Mo carefully, clear surprise appearing on his face.
He hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Little fellow, at your age... you don't look even ten yet, do you?
"Although our clinic has no age restrictions for apprentices, children who are too young generally might not be able to endure the hardship, and they find it difficult to settle down and learn."
He paused, then suggested fairly tactfully, "If you're truly interested in medicine, why not wait another couple of years and come back when you're a little older?
"Of course..." As though remembering something, he added, "if you're already a Soul Master, that's another matter."
He was not deliberately making things difficult.
The Ye family clinic was renowned in Heaven Dou City, and its requirements for apprentices were not harsh. It accepted both ordinary people and Soul Masters.
However, most Soul Masters devoted their time and effort to improving their strength. Very few were willing to settle down and study medicine.
Most of the clinic's current apprentices were ordinary people, with pitifully few Soul Masters among them.
Lin Mo said nothing. With a slight stir of his thoughts, a trace of Soul Power fluctuation soon emanated from his body.
Although it was very faint, the young man in gray, standing so close, still sensed it clearly.
The young man's expression instantly froze. His eyes widened as he stared at Lin Mo in disbelief.
He himself had been at the clinic for several years. Despite his family's connections and what he considered fairly diligent cultivation, he had only recently obtained his first Soul Ring.
Yet the fluctuations of Soul Power coming from this child, who looked several years younger than him, were actually stronger than his own!
"You... you really are a Soul Master?" The young man in gray instinctively swallowed, his previously somewhat flippant tone vanishing at once.
"I failed to recognize you just now. Please don't take offense, little brother.
"Since you're a Soul Master, you meet our clinic's requirements for apprentices. Come inside with me!"
As he spoke, he stepped aside to clear the way and led Lin Mo through the clinic entrance.
Passing through the front hall where patients were received and prescriptions dispensed, the young man in gray brought Lin Mo to a side room in the rear courtyard.
The room was not large and was simply furnished, with only a few tables and chairs.
There were already two people inside.
One was a boy who looked fifteen or sixteen, wearing gray apprentice clothes similar to those of their guide. He sat at a table, his head bent over a thick illustrated reference book on medicinal ingredients.
The other was a slightly shorter girl who looked a little younger than the boy beside her.
Dressed in a pale blue-green dress, she sat quietly by the window, gazing outside, her thoughts unknown.
Noticing someone enter, the boy reading raised his head, glanced at Lin Mo, then lowered it again and continued reading.
The girl by the window also slowly turned her head. Her gaze was calm and unruffled, resting on Lin Mo for only an instant before shifting away.
The young man in gray pointed at the girl by the window and introduced her to Lin Mo in a low voice:
"That's Ye Lingling, Old Mr. Ye's granddaughter." He then pointed at the boy reading. "That's Li He. He came a few months before you."
Hearing this, something stirred slightly in Lin Mo's mind. Ye Lingling? That name rings a bell.
In his memory, Ye Lingling's personality in the original story seemed quite withdrawn, even to the point of keeping strangers at arm's length.
Yet although the girl before him also looked very quiet and had a cool, aloof air, she was nowhere near that extent.
If he remembered correctly, Ye Lingling's Martial Soul should be the uniquely gifted nine heart begonia. In Ning Fengzhi's words, the nine heart begonia was a miracle among Martial Souls.
Likewise, the nine heart begonia was an oddity among all Martial Souls. No matter how many Soul Rings its wielder possessed, it had only one Soul Skill.
Area-of-effect group healing.
The healing effect depended on the Soul Master's wishes. With a high-level nine heart begonia Soul Master present, even dying would be difficult.
It seemed this Ye family clinic belonged to Ye Lingling's family. With the nine heart begonia, it could not have been more reasonable for them to run a clinic.
The young man in gray looked toward Ye Lingling and said softly, "Miss Lingling, this little fellow saw the notice we posted and came to apply as an apprentice. He's already a Soul Master, too.
"What do you think...?"
Only then did Ye Lingling turn her gaze toward Lin Mo again. She stood, her voice so flat that no emotion could be discerned. "Come with me."
Without saying anything more, she walked straight toward a small door on the other side of the room.
Seeing this, Lin Mo quickly followed.
The young man in gray did not follow any farther, instead turning and leaving the side room.
Ye Lingling led Lin Mo into an even smaller room next door.
This room looked like a place specifically for consultations and questioning. Its furnishings were extremely simple: just one table and two chairs.
Ye Lingling sat behind the table and gestured for Lin Mo to sit opposite her.
She took out paper and a pen, then looked up at Lin Mo and began asking questions, still utterly calm, without the slightest fluctuation.
To Lin Mo, she seemed like a doll devoid of emotion, simply and mechanically carrying out the task she was supposed to perform:
"Name?"
"Lin Mo."
"Age?"
"Seven," Lin Mo answered truthfully.
This answer made the tip of Ye Lingling's pen pause slightly as she wrote, but she did not raise her head and continued asking, "Soul Power Level?"
"Sixteen."
This time, Ye Lingling finally raised her head and gave Lin Mo a serious look. A trace of surprise finally flashed through her eyes.
Seven years old, with level sixteen Soul Power?
This talent... Yet the surprise in her eyes lasted only an instant before quickly fading, and she returned to her bland expression.
She lowered her head and continued writing.
"Why do you want to become an apprentice at the clinic?" she asked her final question.
Lin Mo thought for a moment before answering, "I'm simply rather interested in this field and want to learn more about it."
He paused, then added, "Of course, if what I learn can help me save other people, that would be even better."