In the Great Yue Dynasty, in the city of Pingnan.
The scorching sun hung high in the sky, and the stench filled the air.
In the narrow alleys, people huddled together in the corners, emaciated and ragged, their bodies swaying in the wind.
On the right side of the alley, there was a narrow ditch, where putrid water and muddy yellow water mixed together. There were also a few open-air latrines with a strong stench, making the smell in the alley even more unbearable.
But no one paid attention, casually scooping water to cook rice, wash themselves, and clean farming tools...
Among the crowd, there was a small figure, with dark skin, bare arms, a short brown cloth wrapped around the lower body, and a pair of straw shoes on the feet. The only difference between him and the people around him was the light in his eyes, which shone brightly.
Qin Huai tried to reduce his breathing.
Although he had been here for half a month, he still couldn't accept this smell.
It was not about being pretentious, but rather the foul odor that his body strongly rejected.
At the end of the alley, there was a notice hanging in front of Liu's Medicine Shop, recruiting apprentices.
A long line of people crowded the street, jostling to be the first.
Qin Huai licked his chapped lips, feeling restless.
"I've been in this world for more than half a month, and I finally found a place."
He was a traveler from another world, a white-collar worker who had just graduated from college in his previous life.
His boss made promises, saying, "Once you finish this project, you'll be promoted," which made Qin Huai work overtime for twenty-nine days. On the day he was supposed to be promoted, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then he arrived here.
In this world, martial arts reigned supreme, with demons running rampant and powerful individuals everywhere.
Those who couldn't cultivate martial arts were like floating duckweed, their lives as insignificant as weeds.
Qin Huai became a refugee in Pingnan City because of the calamity caused by demons in his hometown.
On the way of his escape, he witnessed too many human tragedies caused by the lack of strength, where people resorted to robbery to survive and families were destroyed.
This made Qin Huai firmly believe that he had to cultivate martial arts in order to live well in this world.
Coincidentally, Liu's Medicine Shop was currently recruiting apprentices, and there was a chance to learn martial arts without having to pay a registration fee.
This made the line for registration stretch for a whole street.
Qin Huai also came to try his luck.
"There are already thirty or forty people in front of me, and none of them have been chosen..."
"Is the owner of Liu's Medicine Shop handpicking a son-in-law?"
The crowd was restless and anxious.
Qin Huai was also anxious.
In the city of Pingnan, the martial arts schools that could teach martial arts charged dozens of taels of silver just for the registration fee.
As a refugee like him, he couldn't afford that kind of money at all.
The medicine shop was recruiting apprentices without charging money, and yet they could learn martial arts... Could it be because they were looking for someone with special talents?
Finally, the line reached the front, and in front of them stood a young girl who appeared young but had a mature demeanor.
"Do you have any special skills?" the girl looked up, her face clean and her clothes changed... she looked quite good.
"Does literacy count?" Qin Huai asked earnestly.
In this world, the characters and Chinese characters are almost the same, so Qin Huai, who has gone through nine years of compulsory education, is very confident.
Especially in this world where prenatal education and lifelong learning are the norm, literate people are a significant advantage over others.
Except for the town where he took refuge...
Whether they knew how to read or not had no impact at all, as long as they could contribute.
So Qin Huai, who couldn't find any opportunities to show his skills, had accomplished nothing in the first half of the month.
"Oh?" The girl was surprised and took out a medical book, placing it in front of Qin Huai and pointing at it.
"Danggui, gouqi, rensen, shedan, tenghuang, bajiulian..." Qin Huai flipped through the table of contents and read out the names as the girl casually pointed to them.
Qin Huai was already quite confident, realizing that Pingnan City was indeed a big city.
"You can actually read!" The girl was shocked, and a bright smile instantly appeared on her face.
The people behind her were even more incredulous, looking at Qin Huai with surprise, as he looked almost the same as them.
"No need to line up anymore, the apprenticeship is full!" The girl shouted.
The people behind quickly dispersed faster than the girl's shout. Upon hearing that Qin Huai could read, they cursed and left.
"No matter which world it is, having culture is still a good thing," Qin Huai sighed as he saw how easily he stood out.
...
The girl led the three apprentices to the backyard.
A middle-aged man with a goatee sat at a stone table in a slim and elegant figure, wearing a gray-black pinstriped robe, savoring tea.
This was Liu Changyue, the owner of the Liu Family Pharmacy.
"In the future, the three of you will be apprentices in my pharmacy. You will assist me in recording prescriptions, picking and purchasing medicinal ingredients, and doing miscellaneous tasks such as cleaning the pharmacy," Liu Changyue said, preparing both work and pancakes.
"If you learn well, I will also teach you a martial art technique." Liu Changyue rolled up his sleeves, ready for both work and a feast.
The three of them became excited. The reason why there was such a long line in front of the pharmacy was that they taught martial arts techniques here, and it was free.
"What does it mean to learn well?" the first one to arrive, Gao Cheng, asked curiously.
"We have two types of apprentices in our pharmacy: general apprentices and internal apprentices," the girl explained to the three of them.
"General apprentices are responsible for various tasks such as grinding medicine, buying meat, transporting medicinal ingredients, and collecting herbs on the mountain, etc. They receive two meals a day and are provided with food and lodging, but they do not receive wages. After two years of service, they can become internal apprentices."
"General apprentices are responsible for various tasks such as grinding medicine, buying meat, transporting medicinal ingredients, and collecting herbs on the mountain, etc. They receive two meals a day and are provided with food and lodging, but they do not receive wages. After two years of service, they can become internal apprentices."
"Internal apprentices are involved in refining medicine, writing prescriptions in the front hall, and attending to patients. They receive three meals a day, half a pound of meat, and a monthly stipend of 500 wen. They can also learn the pharmacy's Qi cultivation technique."
The three listened carefully and nodded frequently.
"Then... is there any way to quickly promote to an internal apprentice?" Gao Cheng flattered, thinking that two years was too long.
Qin Huai was in a similar situation, but now he had no other options and could only endure for the time being.
"There will be a weekly assessment, and if the results are unsatisfactory, I will dismiss them from the pharmacy," Liu Changyue added after giving a brief explanation. "Don't be lazy and do your work diligently."
Liu Changyue didn't have many rules when it came to apprenticeship. The three of them followed the order of their recruitment and respectfully served tea, officially becoming apprentices.
Qin Huai became the youngest apprentice. The girl, who was even shorter than him, was named Liu Xiaomei. She was Liu Changyue's only daughter and the senior apprentice sister of the three.
After the apprenticeship ceremony, they were taken to their respective lodgings in the backyard.
The courtyard of the Liu Family Pharmacy was extremely large, with an area of up to two thousand square meters, and there were five medicinal storage rooms alone.
Qin Huai and the other two apprentices were not the only apprentices in the pharmacy. The pharmacy recruited new apprentices every month.
"Yes, if you can learn to identify medicines, understand the properties of more than fifty types of medicinal ingredients, and create prescriptions that differ in at least three medicinal ingredients but have similar effectsto the pharmacy's prescriptions, you can be promoted."
Just listening to this long list of requirements, Gao Cheng already felt a headache.
Qin Huai was in a similar situation, but now he had no other options and could only endure for the time being.
"There will be a weekly assessment, and if the results are unsatisfactory, I will dismiss them from the pharmacy," Liu Changyue added after giving a brief explanation. "Don't be lazy and do your work diligently."
Liu Changyue didn't have many rules when it came to apprenticeship. The three of them followed the order of their recruitment and respectfully served tea, officially becoming apprentices.
Qin Huai became the youngest apprentice. The girl, who was even shorter than him, was named Liu Xiaomei. She was Liu Changyue's only daughter and the senior apprentice sister of the three.
After the apprenticeship ceremony, they were taken to their respective lodgings in the backyard.
The courtyard of the Liu Family Pharmacy was extremely large, with an area of up to two thousand square meters, and there were five medicinal storage rooms alone.
Qin Huai and the other two apprentices were not the only apprentices in the pharmacy. The pharmacy recruited new apprentices every month.
In the backyard, Qin Huai observed that there were about thirty to forty beds, but he couldn't tell how many of them belonged to the internal apprentices and how many were for the miscellaneous apprentices.
...
The next morning, Qin Huai and the other two apprentices changed into short brown robes embroidered with the character "Liu" on the chest, along with long pants.
After half a month in this world, Qin Huai finally had his first pair of pants.
"I finally have pants," Qin Huai sighed with emotion. He felt a sense of security without the feeling of wind and rain pouring in from below.
Soon after, they were called to the alchemy room.
Inside the alchemy room, several teenagers dressed similarly were already bustling about, passionately engaged in their tasks.
The sound of wooden sticks hitting wooden bowls echoed in the alchemy room, creating a rhythmic pattern.
"The Danshen herb, grind it into powder like this," a tall man pointed to the nearby jars.
"Twenty jars per person."
Qin Huai glanced at the fist-sized brown clay jars and remained silent.
Rolling up his sleeves, he silently began grinding.
After just two strikes, Qin Huai noticed a white light sphere falling out of Gao Cheng's body beside him.
Qin Huai shook his head and rubbed his eyes vigorously.
He wasn't mistaken; it was indeed a light sphere.
And it seemed like the others couldn't see it.
He reached out his hand towards the white light sphere, and it flew towards him on its own.
"Ding! You have obtained a [Pharmaceutical Essence (White)], Pharmaceutical Skill experience +1."
Qin Huai's vision darkened, and something suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Danshen, a medicinal herb derived from the root, known for its effects in dispelling stasis, promoting generation of new tissues, improving blood circulation, and regulating menstruation..." Qin Huai silently recited in his mind.
"The experience points are not just vague numbers or progress bars; they represent tangible knowledge. When I accumulate enough experience points, it means that my pharmaceutical skills have truly reached a certain level of progress."
In the next instant, a panel appeared before Qin Huai's eyes.
[Name]: Qin Huai
[Cultivation Technique]: None
[Skills]: [Pharmaceutical Skill (Not Learned, 1/100)]
[Realm]: None
Finally, the golden finger has arrived.
Qin Huai looked at his personal panel with great joy.
In his thoughts, white light spheres started falling from the bodies of the people around him.