Chapter 8: Testing the Medicine on Oneself

The middle-aged man sat on the stool, looking at him coldly

Exactly nine plants, neither more nor less

Otherwise, what use is it to merely recognize that poisonous herb

Pharmacist Wang Cai took a stick of incense, inserted it into the incense burner on the table, lit it, and then coldly observed Ye Qin's actions without urging him.

Ye Qin carefully concealed his resentment towards Master Wang Caiyao, honestly nodded in response, and exited the small wooden house

After a quarter of an hour, Ye Qin selected three detoxifying herbs and four ordinary herbs from a hundred plants. He was quite confident that consuming these seven herbs would not result in poisoning

Ye Qin racked his brains, recalling the herbal medicines he had once tried, and discovered that several of them were actually the detoxifying herbs he had previously consumed. He selected the three detoxifying herbs he had once taken and placed them on his side.

As a herbalist, one often has to venture alone into extremely dangerous places to gather precious herbs. In such perilous and solitary environments, there is no one else to assist them. While the ability to identify herbs is certainly important, mental fortitude and composure are even more crucial. If one cannot remain calm, even if they can identify the herbs, falling into panic in a desperate situation will lead to certain death

In the depths of his sorrow and anger, Ye Qin gradually forgot his fear and instead became calm, fixating on the herbs in the wooden tray

Ultimately, he is merely a child from a hunting background in his teens, who has just crossed the threshold of death to enter the Herbal Gathering Hall, becoming a young herbalist. The esteemed status of Master Wang, the herbalist, is evident from the respectful demeanor of the gatekeepers and the young men in fine clothing towards him, indicating that he poses no threat whatsoever to Master Wang.

Ye Qin recognized the two detoxifying herbs in his hand, and naturally identified their corresponding poisonous plants. Poisonous plants and detoxifying herbs are inherently paired; one must first recognize the poisonous plants in order to effectively use the detoxifying herbs.

Any random herb picked has a fifty percent chance of being poisonous

Over the past ten days, he has supervised no fewer than thirty to forty children in testing the medicine. Many of the children blindly took a plant and stuffed it into their mouths, completely gambling their lives on chance. A few children recognized some herbs, but they only chose those they had seen before and did not touch anything unfamiliar.

He has now entered the herbal medicine hall, but he is facing a life-and-death crisis, not far from death.

If one were to show even a hint of resentment, it would simply be seeking death, as it would be utterly impossible to seek any justice for the great ox

There are one hundred herbs here, of which fifty are toxic, accounting for exactly half. There are thirty ordinary non-toxic herbs and twenty herbs that are effective in treating poison

At that moment, Ye Qin suddenly froze, staring at the two detoxifying herbs in his hand

He could not guarantee that the remaining sixty to seventy herbs were absolutely non-toxic. This was because some herbs in the old forest, despite being odorless and colorless, could still be highly toxic. He desperately recalled the herbs he had seen before, selecting those ordinary non-toxic herbs that he had some impression of.

The "Herb Testing" conducted by the Herb Collection Hall superficially assesses the recognition of medicinal herbs, but what it truly tests is courage, intellect, and composure. In the face of life and death, whether one displays foolishness or wisdom, the critical question is whether one can maintain a clear and calm mind when confronted with the dangers of consuming poisonous plants, succumbing to poisoning, or finding oneself in a dire situation.

Unless he can recognize which herbs are poisonous and which are not

These children have a bowl of porridge and a few steamed buns every evening. Ye Qin is among them; he has successfully avoided the drug trial for more than ten days and has not attempted it until now. Now, as he eats the porridge and buns, he has completely forgotten the taste. Every day, he is pondering how to delay time and come up with a way to pass the drug trial.

Upon seeing Ye Qin consume a medicinal herb, Wang Caiyao immediately took out the second incense stick and lit it in the incense burner

Children participating in drug trials, as long as they possess any one of courage, intellect, or composure, will be admitted regardless of whether they have consumed the required ten doses of herbal medicine

Among the remaining children, almost all are exceptionally clever, with dodging skills that are on par with Ye Qin

Ye Qin immediately reached out and brought over the two poisonous plants. These two plants are actually common poisonous herbs found in the countryside, and their toxicity is not severe. Occasionally, livestock may consume them while grazing and suffer from poisoning and illness. Humans would also experience poisoning if they ingested them

The colorful herbs found in the dense forest, which are very vibrant, have a fishy and pungent odor; these herbs with a foul smell are highly likely to be poisonous. Furthermore, the most toxic in the deep woods are mushrooms, which can cause death the quickest; one should never consume those that are unfamiliar.

Ye Qin carefully moved two or three dozen herbs, vibrant in color and reeking with a foul, fishy odor, including several mushrooms, away from himself, regardless of whether they were toxic or not, in order to ensure safety

In this drug trial, Ye Qin consumed a total of 11 herbs. At the 11th herb, he was poisoned, but he could not find the corresponding antidote among the pile of detoxifying herbs. The trial was halted by Master Wang, who then administered the antidote to him

After consuming one more stalk, the treatment at the herbal medicine hall can be elevated by one point

Ye Qin looked up in astonishment at the incense burner. It turned out that this incense was used for timing. Unbeknownst to him, the stick of incense in the burner was nearly finished and was about to extinguish.

It is quite rare to see someone as meticulous and serious as this young man, categorizing poisonous herbs, detoxifying herbs, and ordinary non-toxic herbs separately. Although a significant portion of the herbs is misclassified, the reason likely lies in his unfamiliarity with these herbs rather than a flaw in the classification method. This is sufficient to demonstrate that his intellect is above average, not comparable to that of ordinary children

If one accidentally consumes a poisonous plant, the consequences can be dire, resulting in immediate death and abandonment of the body in the wilderness. In less severe cases, one may be expelled from the residence due to poisoning, and it is unlikely that they would have the means to seek treatment at the medical clinic or pharmacy in the county.

In the end, whether the book is poisonous or not is no longer important; the herbal medicine hall will provide treatment.

The cold voice of Wang Caiyao suddenly rang out, and she pointed at the incense burner

Amidst the swirling smoke, every time a stick of incense burned, Ye Qin was compelled to consume a herb.

But how could he recognize these peculiar herbs

is not

He shifted his gaze to the poisonous weeds that he had pushed far away.

Ye Qin immediately recognized the man in the blue attire; it was Wang Caiyao, the herbalist he had once seen at the entrance of the Herbal Gathering Hall. He was taken aback, not expecting this person to personally oversee the drug testing. A mix of anger and fear welled up within him, and he cautiously glued himself to the stool, lowering his head to gaze at the herbs on the table.

By consuming one more stalk to reach a total of ten stalks, one meets the minimum requirement to enter the herbal gathering hall and become a herbal apprentice.

He was born to an ordinary hunter in the countryside. At the age of eight or nine, he began accompanying his father into the mountains to hunt, serving as an assistant. Over the course of three years, he ventured into the deep mountains and forests at least twenty times, each time spending as long as ten days or even one to two months in the wilderness. In the mountains, when hungry, he would dig up wild vegetables to eat. If he accidentally sustained minor cuts or abrasions, he would also find some herbs to apply for stopping the bleeding.

Ye Qin felt anxious

Pharmacist Wang Cai felt a slight stir of emotion and looked at Ye Qin with profound significance

The cabin is not large, containing only a table, two stools, and a middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe. On the table, there is a wooden tray holding exactly one hundred different herbs. Additionally, there is a large incense burner on the table, filled with many burnt incense ashes

As for those who recklessly stuff herbs into their mouths, who do not regard their own lives as valuable, and who rely on luck and chance to get by, once they mistakenly consume toxic plants and suffer a psychological breakdown, they will be directly eliminated. Those children, even if they enter the herbal gathering hall, will eventually meet their demise.

Pharmacist Wang Cai was somewhat surprised

Ye Qin widened his eyes as he looked at the hundreds of herbs on the plate, carefully distinguishing them. There were several types of herbs that his father had taught him to identify, which were the same as those here in the herbs and books, but due to the long passage of time, he had forgotten some of them

However, two more plants are still needed to make a total of nine plants

It is permissible to use detoxifying herbs to counteract the poison of toxic herbs

Only a few children manage to pass the test, with perhaps one or two out of ten succeeding, which is considered quite good. Those who do not pass either die, succumb to poisoning, or are expelled from the residence. Only those children who pass are allowed to remain in the herbal medicine hall

A proud young lady in splendid attire led him to a courtyard to rest

What should I do

As Ye Qin stepped out of the cabin, he felt as if he were completely drenched, his body soaked through, and his legs felt weak and unsteady beneath him. He felt no joy at all; he only wanted to find a place to sleep immediately, to replenish the physical and mental energy he had expended over the past few hours.

He had no choice but to take a common herb that had already been identified and stuff it into his mouth. With a hint of fear in his heart, he prayed that he would not make a mistake and get poisoned

Young man, you should be aware of the rules regarding the trial of medicines, so I will not elaborate further. Choose one herb to consume. After finishing one herb, wait for the duration of a stick of incense before consuming the second one, and continue this process until you have consumed more than nine herbs. If you consume fewer than nine and experience poisoning, do not expect this pharmacist to come to your aid; you will be expelled from the premises. If you consume more than nine without poisoning, you will be considered a member of the herbal gathering.

The next child waiting to test the medicine was captured by the young men in fine clothes and, amidst their terrified cries, was sent into the small wooden house where the royal pharmacist was located to test the medicine

The old man still hoped to have him become a hunter in the future, learning the skills necessary for making a living, so he taught him to identify some herbs. If it weren't for the severe drought this year, leading to a scarcity of game in the mountains and forests, he would probably still be in the countryside as a little hunter.

In Ye Qin's heart, there inevitably lingered a sense of desolation and sorrow

Da Niu has not yet been able to enter the herbal medicine hall, and due to a leg injury, he was expelled by Master Wang, the herbalist, and has since been wandering in the county town, his life and death unknown

Pharmacist Wang Cai was secretly pleased

Ye Qin began to sweat on his forehead

Ye Qin suddenly had a thought: could it be that poisonous herbs are actually edible? The twenty medicinal herbs here can cure the poison of twenty poisonous plants, which adds up to seventy plants in total. Yes, it must be like this. Otherwise, it would be impossible for anyone to consume seventy herbs and survive.

However, Chief Steward Zhang clearly stated that there are fifty poisonous plants here that can cause poisoning. So how is it possible to consume enough seventy medicinal herbs

The apothecary Wang Cai said in a cold voice: "Well done. From now on, you will be a registered apprentice of the Apothecary Hall and also a disciple of this apothecary. After all the apprentices finish their medicinal trials tomorrow, you and the other successful apprentices will follow me for training"

Only the remaining thirty to forty children who have not yet been tested with the medication are still in the small courtyard

In the coming days, over ten days, with twenty individuals each day, already hundreds of children have been captured and taken into the small wooden house for drug testing

His mind has become a chaotic mess

The time for a stick of incense is approaching, eat a sprout immediately

On that day, Ye Qin was ambushed by a common child from the county town, who pushed him to the ground. As a result, he was caught by a brocade-clad young man, who dragged him to a high platform. In front of Chief Steward Zhang, he pressed his life-and-death contract handprint and then threw him into a small wooden house

He recalled something; he remembered that Chief Steward Zhang once said that if one consumes between 50 to 70 herbs, one could directly pay respects at the door of the deputy hall master

These two herbs, if just one of them is highly toxic, would be sufficient to cost him his life

After Ye Qin picked out the herbs he had consumed, he found that he hardly recognized the remaining ones. After a moment of hesitation, he began to categorize the leftover herbs. Although he did not recognize the vast majority of these herbs, he possessed a little bit of common knowledge.

Time is passing gradually

Regarding herbs, Ye Qin is not entirely ignorant

In the blink of an eye, five sticks of incense had already burned out in the incense burner. Ye Qin had consumed four ordinary herbs and one healing herb, leaving him with two healing herbs in hand. However, he felt increasingly anxious, as he had yet to select any non-toxic herbs from the remaining large pile of herbs that he was confident he could safely consume.