Bai Jingfei was currently in a large field, picking some unknown herb.
A muddy green cloth was tied around her long, silky hair and her clothes were splattered with little bits of mud in a random pattern.
She basically looked like both a murderer and a murder scene at once, if the one murdered had mud in their blood.
As soon as Bai Jingfei joined medicine under heavenly doctor Ming's tutelage last week, she realized that she did not want to work after all. There was a reason she had been lazy all these years.
She thought she was better off marking up prices without any knowledge, as a fraud instead of spending, as quoted by heavenly doctor Ming, four to six years minimum, studying medicine.
Behind her ran an adorably dumb looking dog that Bai Jingfei proceeded to ignore.
She had never liked animals, and in her mind, the only thing worth calling cute was herself. But Bai Jingfei did have a weak spot for old fragile looking people that stemmed from her fear of death and pity for them.
Bai Jingfei plucked out the tender looking leaves at the top of the plant carelessly but delicately. She was quite good at this.
If you ignored the dozens of plants left half dead because of her carelessly stomping on them.
But Bai Jingfei was ever so slightly motivated.
If she did well in the Jade medicine hall she would probably be able to mark up her prices by 200%. After all, a famous doctor gets to treat nobles and nobles are easier to con.
That was her only motivation at this point.
In the Wang Kingdom there were two ways to become a doctor. Either to study in one of the three prestigious schools of the kingdom or to study under one of the seven heavenly doctors.
Bai Jingfei, as a pupil of a heavenly doctor, got to skip formal studies and take on a hands-on approach, that in this case was plucking leaves.
Bai Jingfei felt the urge to kick the basket she was putting the leaves into before stopping herself and taking deep breaths.
She decided to think of pleasant things instead.
Like her new friend Ladder who owned the dumb dog running behind her.
Heavenly doctor Ming had another pupil who he had "picked up from the roadside" who was in his thirties now. Bai Jingfei didn't know the pupil's name, and heavenly doctor Ming called him ladder so she did too.
Ladder had even introduced himself as Ladder, so it was obvious he was quite used to this.
Ladder because he was quite tall, of course.
In the Jade Mountain on which heavenly doctor Ming resided, there were only servants, guards, a butler, ladder, and her. Bai Jingfei had thought it would be lonely up there but heavenly doctor Ming really understood how life should be lived.
Every luxury in the capital was available on the desolate mountain.
The heavenly doctor went to the noble's market five times a week so if Bai Jingfei ever wanted to visit home she could easily do so. She was basically on a field trip of some sort.
Bai Jingfei didn't really find plucking leaves off of a tiny plant hard, especially because she was quite short herself. She still didn't like labour though, unless it was someone else doing the work.
Bai Jingfei picked up the muddy basket and walked back to the residence that was a few meters away.
She thanked the heavens that her body was healthy because if it hadn't been she would've collapsed by now.
She still wasn't as strong as a normal person, and definitely couldn't run a marathon, but she had the strength to carry a bunch of leaves that she had picked to a mansion.
It was easy for her to run around but she was extremely slow and had the tendency to fall because of how incredibly unathletic she was.
Bai Jingfei waddled back like a penguin, waving at every servant she saw plucking leaves on the way with an adorable smile on her face.
Bai Jingfei was developing sympathy which was quite out of character for her.
Usually she would've ignored everyone around her but instead she was learning to go out of her way to smile at the people around her. A little more and she might just become a kind loli instead of an evil one.
By the time Bai Jingfei had gotten back to the residence she was sweating a good bit and feeling hot. She put down her basket and fanned herself a little, feeling the urge to kick the basket yet again.
Reining herself in, she lifted the basket and knocked on a door.
Inside was heavenly doctor Ming and ladder, both of who were counting leaves inside the room.
It was a sunny room and Bai Jingfei's first instinct was to cover her face and hiss but she surprisingly found that she didn't really feel as disturbed by the sun as she did before.
An adaptable cave creature was a good cave creature.
Bai Jingfei scurried up to the desk heavenly doctor Ming and Ladder were sitting at, stuck her head between them and peeked at what they were doing.
Ladder turned towards her and patted her head with a grin and then turned back to his work.
The atmosphere was peaceful for a whole three minutes before Bai Jingfei tripped over the basket she had brought in.
She chuckled awkwardly and bent down to pick up the herbs and dump them back in the basket as heavenly doctor Ming glanced at her with post concern and disbelief lacing his expression.
"How many times has that happened already, Ladder?"
"Six times, master Ming"
Heavenly doctor Ming poured himself a cup of tea from an ornate ceramic kettle and blew on it to cool it slightly. Then as he took a small sip, savoring the taste of the fresh tea he whispered to Ladder as Bai Jingfei searched for any leaves she might have missed.
"Ladder, keep that child away from the patients please."