Chapter 10: Herbal Gathering Skills

Fortunately, Ye Qin and others are currently unaware of any of this, and they do not feel that there is much they need to learn

However, the Herb Gathering Hall is a branch under the Medicine King Gang

Seeing the excitement on their small faces, Wang Cai, the herbalist, secretly scoffed: the status of an herbalist is indeed high, but that is contingent upon your ability to survive until that day. Herbalists face life-and-death situations, and it is not merely talk. Among the thousands of disciples in the herbal gathering, there are only a mere few dozen herbalists.

After Wang Cai, the pharmacist, finished speaking, Ye Qin, Yang Yicheng, Feng Xiao, and others almost all displayed fervent expressions, clenching their fists. Such a promising future was enough to drive them to strive with all their might

He would never say these words out loud

Decades later, it is not impossible for a herbalist to be promoted to the status of a master herbalist, becoming an important figure within the herbalist hall, akin to Master Wang. It is important to understand that the position of a master herbalist is extremely high within the herbalist hall, possessing wealth, power, and status, and apart from a few individuals such as the hall master and deputy hall master, they do not need to concern themselves with the opinions of others. In Zhuqi County, they are also a person of considerable prestige. It is important to understand that the position of a master herbalist is extremely high within the herbalist hall, possessing wealth, power, and status, and apart from a few individuals such as the hall master and deputy hall master, they do not need to concern themselves with the opinions of others. In Zhuqi County, they are also a person of considerable prestige.

He discovered two prominent figures from the herbal medicine hall standing in the courtyard

During this period, the herbal medicine hall will not provide any financial support to the apprentices, only meals will be supplied. The meals will consist of brown rice, vegetables, and a small amount of meat for those who perform well. If an apprentice with a registered name performs poorly, they are likely to be dismissed.

The remaining dozens of herbalists and pharmacists are specifically responsible for mentoring apprentices, cultivating herbalists and pharmacists

The other five pharmacists each brought along a single apprentice dressed in coarse white cloth.

The entire training period for the apprentice lasts six months

Chief Steward Zhang also belongs to the senior management level; however, the matters he oversees are merely various internal chores. Many of these internal tasks are managed by him.

After seven or eight years, outstanding herbal medicine apprentices will be able to advance to the status of herbal medicine craftsmen, allowing them to take new apprentices to the mountains for herb gathering

Chief Steward Zhang introduced all the prominent figures present, and then began the entrance ceremony

The art of identifying medicinal materials requires the recognition of thousands of different toxic herbs, therapeutic herbs, and rare herbs. Whether they are toxic or non-toxic, all must be collected. This includes herbal materials, wood-based materials, insect materials, snake materials, stone materials, and even materials such as fur and bones from wild animals like tigers and wolves. One must identify the names, types, and medicinal properties of known herbs. Additionally, it is necessary to assess the grade and medicinal properties of some unknown herbs to determine their collection value. As long as they can be sold, any medicinal material is worth collecting. An experienced herbalist must be able to spot valuable herbs from a great distance.

Literacy and arithmetic—herbal medicine formulas are all recorded in writing. Without the ability to read and perform calculations, it is fundamentally impossible to document thousands of medicinal materials, just like with books

Ye Qin and the five others quickly lowered their heads to listen to the instructions

It is sufficient to know that ordinary rural herbalists can at most identify and gather herbs, and that gathering herbs in some non-dangerous wilderness areas is adequate

The Medicine King Gang is the fifth largest sect in the Jianghu within Pingzhou, possessing substantial strength. Its main hall is located in the capital of Pingzhou, with branches in all county towns. Disciples of such a large gang often find themselves embroiled in various Jianghu conflicts, making it impossible for members not to possess martial skills. Therefore, even the most junior apprentice herbalists must learn both external and internal martial arts.

The skills that the apprentice of the Herbal Gathering Hall needs to learn are surprisingly numerous: literacy, arithmetic, herbal identification, herbal gathering techniques, wilderness survival, emergency treatment in the wild, pest control and beast fighting, trapping techniques, outdoor camouflage, knife, sword, bow, and rope skills, basic external martial arts, basic internal martial arts, and so on. In total, there are no less than a dozen categories.

Deputy Hall Master Ma and Deputy Hall Master Ji did not linger for long. After the entrance ceremony concluded, they gave a few instructions to the pharmacists and then immediately departed. Chief Steward Zhang followed closely behind the two deputy hall masters as they left. A portion of the pharmacists also left shortly thereafter.

Pharmacist Wang Cai stood with his hands behind his back and said coldly

Subsequently, Master Wang, the herbalist, began to explain to them the content that a qualified herbal apprentice needs to be trained in, as well as some important points to pay attention to

Ye Qin was no exception, feeling a slight unease in his heart

Chief Zhang and dozens of herbalists and pharmacists from both the internal and external departments, including Pharmacist Wang Cai, were very reserved in front of those two prominent figures and did not dare to speak much

Each herbalist will bring along four to five apprentice herbalists

After the six-month "training period" concludes, the three-year "exercise period" begins, during which the herbal gatherers will accompany the herbalist to collect herbs in the mountains. The herbalist will teach them how to apply the skills they have learned in the wild. At this stage, if they perform well, they will receive a small monetary reward.

All the herbal gathering apprentices stepped forward, each one dripping blood into the blood basin at the front, half-kneeling beneath the banner of the Medicine King Gang, performing the most common blood oath of the martial arts community. They vowed never to betray the Medicine King Gang, never to betray the Herbal Gathering Hall, and signed a lifelong contract, pledging to serve the Medicine King Gang with all their strength for life

One of the individuals was short and quite overweight, resembling a prosperous merchant, with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling as he looked at the group of children. The other was a lean man in his forties or fifties, dressed in a blue long robe, also with his hands clasped behind his back. His expression was indifferent, and his gaze was piercing, causing no one in the vicinity to dare meet his eyes

Herb Gathering Techniques—To ensure that the maximum medicinal potency of herbs is not lost, herb gatherers must master specialized techniques. Improper methods of gathering can lead to failure in the collection of herbs. Often, some inexperienced apprentices in herbology make mistakes when collecting advanced herbs due to insufficient experience, resulting in damage to their medicinal properties

Trap techniques, outdoor camouflage skills, the use of knives, swords, bows, and ropes, as well as basic external and internal martial arts principles—these skills are entirely related to martial arts combat and have little to do with herb gathering. They are primarily aimed at ensuring personal safety and dealing with fierce wild beasts in the wilderness, as well as individuals in the martial world. Furthermore, certain precious medicinal materials are often guarded by ferocious beasts; without eliminating these beasts, it is impossible to gather them. Traps and camouflage are extremely practical. Additionally, if one successfully gathers precious medicinal materials, there is a high likelihood of being robbed by thieves and bandits along the way. In Pingzhou, there are numerous bandits, and encounters with petty thieves are inevitable. If disciples of the renowned medicinal sect, the Medicine King Gang, cannot even handle ordinary petty thieves, it would be quite embarrassing.

There is no need to look further; they are the apprentices in the inner hall of the pharmacy. In the future, they will either become pharmacists or remain in the shop to work, without the need to risk their lives gathering herbs. They are here to enjoy a comfortable life. You are the apprentices in the outer hall, required to risk your lives to gather herbs; you are here to fight for your lives. It is that simple. You are now my disciple, Wang Hong. In the future, when you encounter these disciples from the inner hall, do not cause trouble for me. Creating problems is not a trivial matter.

There are more than forty young herbalists dressed in coarse blue cloth in the outer hall, as well as five young pharmacists in white cloth in the inner hall. The children are lined up in several rows on the ground, appearing very tense

The three-year training period for the herbalist apprentice, during which the apprentice follows the herbalist to gather medicinal herbs, has concluded. At this point, there is no longer a need to accompany the herbalist for herb collection; the apprentice can independently venture out to gather herbs and earn money. The more valuable the herbs collected, the higher the rewards obtained.

Before dawn, the young herbal gatherers in the small courtyard were called up by several young men in brocade robes. They gathered in a large courtyard to participate in the initiation ceremony for joining the Herbal Gathering Hall

However, the legendary master of the Herb Gathering Hall, Li Dashanren, did not appear at the ceremony

Chief Zhang introduced to the young attendants that the well-fed merchant-like man was the Deputy Master Ma of the inner hall, holding the second seat in the Medicine Gathering Hall. The lean man was the Deputy Master Ji of the outer hall, occupying the third seat in the Medicine Gathering Hall

Ye Qin, Yang Yicheng, Feng Xiao, Qian Ruoxiu, and Sun Ying, five children, naturally followed Wang Cai, the herbalist. Ye Qin and Yang Yicheng found it somewhat strange, occasionally glancing at those boys in white robes. They felt that they were somewhat different from them, but they could not articulate what that difference was

Wilderness survival, emergency treatment in the wild, and pest control—these do not require further elaboration. When entering the mountains to gather medicinal herbs, it usually takes place in the months of the previous year. It is essential to learn how to survive long-term in the wild, prevent insect bites, and treat injuries; these aspects are indispensable.

In the venue, only ten herbalists and five pharmacists remained, officially imparting the skills of the herbal gathering hall to the young apprentices

The variety is astonishing

This bloodletting ritual excited the young boys and made them feel for the first time that they had become part of the martial world

Moreover, it is necessary to venture into perilous deep mountain gorges and cliff areas to collect medicinal materials that possess medicinal properties accumulated over decades or even centuries, which naturally requires a particularly extensive set of skills