Chapter 9: Fellow Disciples

Just be careful not to choke

Yang Yicheng, Feng Xiao, Qian Ruoxiu, Sun Ying, and others immediately widened their eyes

Ye Qin explained softly: "I do not know what 'Qin' means. However, ten generations ago, there was a scholar in the Ye family who left behind a book with characters in it, which is still placed on the ancestral altar in my home. My father chose a character from that book for me, which is this 'Qin' character."

Ye Qin couldn't help but chuckle to himself. His ancestors had once produced a scholar, but that was a matter of an indeterminate time in the past. Now, they were merely a poor family of hunters living in a remote mountain valley.

A slender boy beside him, whose eyes sparkled with a hint of cleverness, also chimed in. The other two girls, holding their bowls of rice, looked at Ye Qin with cheerful smiles, almost making him feel so embarrassed that he wanted to burrow into the ground.

Qian Ruoxiu and Sun Ying have no objections; they are relatively younger.

Yang Yicheng and the others began to discuss the terrifying experiences during the drug testing. They soon realized that the five individuals residing in the stone house had all passed the tests conducted by Master Wang Caiyao and were his disciples. Consequently, they were arranged to stay in the same stone house with *Tu* *Shu* for further training under Master Wang Caiyao.

Only he came from a remote and impoverished area hundreds of miles away, emerging from deep mountains and ravines. In Ye Qin's subconscious, a sense of quiet inferiority inevitably arose. Compared to his background from a poor rural area, the four of them living in the county town already had a relatively good family situation.

Feng Xiao awkwardly touched his nose; the term "Xiao" in his name carries no special meaning. It is simply because he is the third child in his family, with the eldest being Feng Da, the second Feng Zhong, and he, the third, just happens to be designated with the character "Xiao".

Ye Qin was astonished to discover that all four of them were commoners from within the city of Zhuqi County and its surrounding ten miles, and not a single one was from the countryside

Yang Yicheng did not delve into where Ye Qin came from, laughing: "Ye Qin? Haha, what a strange name. What does the character 'Qin' mean? It's not as pleasant as my name, Yicheng, which means 'one success at a time.' Haha! My father is so talented, he gave me such a good name, and indeed I succeeded in entering the Herbal Gathering Hall on the first try."

Ye Qin was led to take a bath, discarded the tattered burlap, and changed into a new coarse cloth outfit typical of a herbal medicine apprentice. He was then arranged to stay in one of the stone houses in the southern courtyard. He fell asleep immediately and slept soundly for an entire afternoon. In the evening, when it was time for dinner, he was awakened by the enticing aroma of the food.

If your ancestors had a scholar, then this second child would belong to you

Ye Qin rarely spoke; in the town of Zhuqi County, he was still a stranger, merely listening in silence. At this moment, he had no particular thoughts, only wishing to earn a living at the herbal medicine hall.

The characters of Qian Ruoxiu and Sun Ying, however, were obtained from the county government academy.

Ye Qin is the same; just the aroma of the food can jolt him awake from his dreams

In less than half a day, the five individuals gradually became familiar with each other, losing the initial sense of strangeness. After nightfall, Yang Yicheng and the others continued to speak excitedly without pause. They discussed the impressive reputation of the Herb Gathering Hall and shared various trivial matters about Zhuqi County. Being locals of the county, they were particularly knowledgeable about many things. Young in age, they spoke without any reservations. Moreover, having now become apprentices at the Herb Gathering Hall, they felt that their future was boundless, filled with ambition, and they were eager to showcase their abilities and rise above others.

In fact, the recruitment activity for herbal gatherers at the Caoyao Hall in Zhuqi County is limited to a radius of several dozen miles around the county town, and does not extend to the more remote countryside. If Ye Qin had not accidentally heard this news from a constable at the station's shed, he probably would not have come to the county town.

The two boys were particularly eloquent, each taking turns to speak without pause.

All the children who passed the examination were sent to a small courtyard of the Herbal Gathering Hall. The courtyard contains more than ten large stone houses, specifically designated for the residence of the herbal gathering boys

Yang Yicheng shot him a glare, and Feng Xiao was immediately left speechless

The Ye family's ancestors actually had a scholar with a distinguished reputation? Although it was ten generations ago, that is still remarkable; it symbolizes status and identity, which is entirely different from those whose ancestors have been commoners for hundreds of generations. They suddenly regarded Ye Qin with new eyes, no longer daring to underestimate him in the slightest, and even their tone of speech became much more humble. They no longer dared to casually refer to him as a young lad.

Yang Yicheng is greatly pleased

With this thought in mind, he gradually fell asleep

Ye Qin heard them all announce their names, and naturally, he could not hide his own. However, he was unwilling to let them know that he came from such a remote valley, fearing that he would face their discrimination. Therefore, he deliberately spoke ambiguously, saying that ten miles could be considered nearby, and several hundred miles could also be regarded as within the vicinity of the library, all of which fell within the jurisdiction of Zhuqi County, so he was not lying.

I am clearly a few months older than A Qin, so why am I ranked third?

The tall and sturdy boy, named Yang Yicheng, is twelve years old and hails from a local blacksmith family in the county town. He has been working alongside his father in the forge since childhood, developing a strong and muscular physique.

Feng Xiao has some dissatisfaction with this ranking

Yang Yicheng asked in a casual manner

Ye Qin, eleven years old, nearby, nearby... families

Ah, speaking of which, we are indeed fellow disciples taught by the same master! I am the eldest, so I will be your senior brother from now on. A Qin is second, A Xiao is third, A Xiu is fourth, and A Ying is fifth. This is how we will be ranked, and from now on, we shall address each other as brothers!

Ye Qin then discovered that there were four other children in the stone house, consisting of two boys and two girls, who were happily eating rice. They were all dressed in coarse cloth clothing, had been groomed like Ye Qin, and their origins were indistinguishable.

A tall and sturdy boy with a tiger-like appearance, upon seeing Ye Qin's anxious expression, pointed at him and laughed heartily: "Haha, look at how anxious this kid is. No need to fight; there is plenty of food here. No more eating hard steamed buns and bland porridge that tastes like bird droppings. Now we eat brown rice and vegetables, and it's more than enough to fill us up. What status do we have? We are formal disciples of the Herb Gathering Hall, and in the future, we will surely rise to great heights. Is it worth fighting over a little food?"

On the table in the stone house, there was a rice bucket and several large plates of vegetables. There were also five sets of bowls and chopsticks, one of which was still empty. Ye Qin knew that was his set of bowls and chopsticks, so he immediately got up and ran over to grab a bowl and snatch some food. If he was late, he feared that all the food would be eaten up. After all, having stayed here for more than twenty days, almost all the children had learned to grab food to eat.

Hello, you impetuous young man, what is your name? How old are you, and where are you from?

Moreover, he is still thinking more about Daniu, and he does not know where Daniu is now. In the future, when he has time, he must go to find Daniu

The clever boy, named Feng Xiao, is eleven years old and comes from a tenant farming family near the county town. The other two girls, one named Qian Ruoxiu, also eleven years old, and the other named Sun Ying, who is ten, are also from the county town, with their families engaged in tailoring and weaving.

Soon, Ye Qin learned their names from their casual conversation

However, although Ye Qin could not maintain his composure, his subordinates did not slow down at all, shoveling food into their mouths. He had not eaten for an entire day and was already extremely hungry; even if no one was competing with him, he needed to fill his stomach as quickly as possible