Among the many apprentices, Lu Changsheng did not stand out.
Many did not even know him, let alone his name.
Seeing him step forward to apply for the apothecary apprentice assessment left them truly astonished.
How long had it been?
At most, it had only been about five months since they were recruited into Miaoshou Garden.
In five months, most of them could barely recognize all the basic characters, let alone become apothecary apprentices.
An apothecary apprentice had to memorize the names, properties, and growing environments of hundreds of medicinal herbs, all of which had to be learned from books.
How could anyone study without being able to read?
Even Supervisor Zhang furrowed his brows and asked skeptically, "Are you sure you want to apply for the apothecary apprentice assessment?"
"I am sure."
"And how confident are you?"
Lu Changsheng pondered for a moment. Not wanting to overstate his chances, he gave a conservative estimate. "Roughly seventy to eighty percent."
A flicker of surprise showed on Supervisor Zhang's face.
A seventy to eighty percent chance essentially meant he was almost certain to qualify.
Lu Changsheng was still young. To be confident in qualifying as an apothecary apprentice after a mere five months made him a child prodigy!
He had immense potential to become an apothecary, or even a physician!
At Miaoshou Garden, consulting physicians held extremely high status—not even the members of the guard team could compare to a physician of Miaoshou Garden.
At this thought, Supervisor Zhang's expression grew solemn. He nodded and said, "I approve. Go ahead."
Pausing briefly, Supervisor Zhang added, "Never mind. You're just a chore apprentice, and going on your own would be a hassle. I'll take you there myself."
Supervisor Zhang was plainly currying favor with Lu Changsheng.
A future physician of Miaoshou Garden had limitless prospects and was well worth befriending.
"Then I will trouble Supervisor Zhang."
Lu Changsheng cupped his hands in salute.
He then followed Supervisor Zhang away from the square.
Once Supervisor Zhang departed, the apprentices erupted.
"Is he really going to take the apothecary apprentice assessment?"
"I saw him holding those herbology books all the time, but I thought he was just putting on a show. Who knew he could actually understand them?"
"I can't even read half the words, yet Lu Changsheng is already memorizing herbology books?"
"Master Mo likes Lu Changsheng a lot and often gives him private lessons."
"Sigh. Who would've thought? Lu Changsheng may lack martial talent, but his aptitude for book learning is astounding. Once he becomes an apothecary apprentice, he'll earn wages, and his status will soar. He won't be one of us anymore..."
"No way am I falling behind. I need to study hard and learn to read so I can become an apothecary apprentice too."
The apprentices buzzed with discussion—some envious, some full of admiration, but mostly spurred to action.
With Lu Changsheng serving as an example, many of the remaining apprentices would surely redouble their efforts to become apothecary apprentices as soon as possible.
Lu Changsheng paid no heed to what the other apprentices thought.
Following behind Supervisor Zhang, he arrived at the herb storehouse of Miaoshou Garden.
This was where herbs were processed for the entire garden.
Inside, numerous apothecaries were directing apprentices in drying, sun-curing, and preparing medicinal ingredients.
"Old Wen."
Supervisor Zhang bowed respectfully to an elderly man with snow-white hair and beard who looked frail with age.
Old Wen looked up at Supervisor Zhang and asked, "What brings you here, Supervisor Zhang?"
"Old Wen, this chore apprentice has only been here for five months, but he has come specifically to apply for the apothecary apprentice assessment. I trouble you to test him."
Supervisor Zhang stated the purpose of their visit.
"Oh?"
"A chore apprentice here for only five months? He probably wasn't even literate before, yet he's already applying for the apothecary apprentice assessment?"
A glint of surprise flitted through Old Wen's cloudy eyes.
Fixing his gaze on Lu Changsheng, he asked, "What is your name?"
"Lu Changsheng."
"A good name. How many medicinal herbs do you recognize?"
"Five hundred and eighty-three kinds."
"The Classic of Herbs contains over thirty-six hundred herbs in total. To memorize over five hundred indeed meets the standard for an apothecary apprentice. However, this old man must test you first."
Old Wen stood up and led Lu Changsheng to the herb storehouse in the back courtyard.
Herbs covered the ground everywhere.
Old Wen pointed casually at several herbs and asked, "Tell me, what are these three herbs, and what are their primary effects?"
Lu Changsheng answered directly, "Chaihu, Bupleurum. Bitter and neutral in nature, non-toxic. It primarily treats knotting qi in the heart, abdomen, stomach, and intestines, and food stagnation. It disperses pathogenic chills and fevers, purges the old to usher in the new, and long-term consumption makes the body light and improves eyesight.
"Baizhu, Atractylodes. It supplements the spleen, benefits the stomach, dries dampness, harmonizes the center, and calms the fetus. It treats weak spleen and stomach qi, poor appetite, lethargy, deficiency abdominal distension, diarrhea, phlegm-fluid retention, edema, jaundice, damp bi-syndrome, dysuria, dizziness, spontaneous perspiration, and restless fetal movement.
"Huixiang, Fennel. Pungent in flavor and warm in nature. It enters the kidney and stomach meridians. It primarily treats cold in the middle burner, nausea and vomiting, and spleen-stomach qi stagnation..."
Lu Changsheng recited the details meticulously, quoting word for word from the Classic of Herbs without missing a single term.
Beside him, Old Wen nodded repeatedly as he listened.
Old Wen continued testing him for nearly an hour, during which Lu Changsheng identified dozens of herbs.
There were only a few herbs he had yet to read about in the Classic of Herbs, so he could not identify them.
Even so, Old Wen looked thoroughly satisfied.
At the very least, passing the apothecary apprentice assessment was beyond doubt.
"Very good! Identifying so many herbs cannot be achieved through rote memorization alone. It shows you truly put your knowledge into practice.
"Supervisor Zhang, you have brought me quite a promising seedling.
"Lu Changsheng, from today onward, you are an apothecary apprentice."
Normally, when an apprentice qualified as an apothecary apprentice, Old Wen would assign them to study under one of the apothecaries.
However, Old Wen considered for a moment and then asked, "Would you be willing to apprentice directly under this old man?"
"I am! Of course I am willing. Thank you, Old Wen!"
Delight surfaced on Lu Changsheng's face.
Judging by Supervisor Zhang's deferential demeanor earlier, Old Wen was clearly a figure of no small stature.
Lu Changsheng could not have asked for a better opportunity than apprenticing directly under Old Wen.
"Lu Changsheng, being able to follow Old Wen is your great fortune. Old Wen is a venerable elder of our Miaoshou Garden; the herbs he can identify exceed even those recorded in the Classic of Herbs.
"Study diligently under Old Wen. I hope that in the future, you won't just become an apothecary, but a physician—perhaps even a renowned doctor of your generation!"
Supervisor Zhang clapped Lu Changsheng on the shoulder with encouraging words before taking his leave.
Lu Changsheng began his life as an apothecary apprentice alongside Old Wen.
An apothecary apprentice enjoyed a certain degree of free time and even received days off.
One day off each month.
Furthermore, there were wages—three qian of silver per month.
Though the amount was modest, Lu Changsheng did not care.
What he cared about was that single day of rest each month.
With time off, he could go to Wuniu Mountain and retrieve his silver.
Lu Changsheng was patient.
He did not rush, waiting an entire month until his day off arrived before making an excuse to leave.
He then headed to Wuniu Mountain and located the cave.
The cave was coated in dust, with no traces left by anyone else, proving that no one had visited over the past few months.
Lu Changsheng retrieved his hidden gold and silver.
He left the jewelry behind.
He took only the gold, silver, and banknotes.
Jewelry needed to be fenced, and doing so risked leaving a trail.
After all, those pieces of jewelry were illicit goods of dubious origin.
Lu Changsheng safely returned to Miaoshou Garden with the gold and silver.
After a rough tally, excluding the jewelry, the stash was no longer over eight hundred taels, but roughly five hundred taels.
Still, five hundred taels of silver was more than enough.
He needed to do only two things next.
First, visit a martial arts hall to learn, or simply purchase a few basic martial techniques.
Second, purchase medicinal cuisine to aid in practicing the Great River Blood-Strengthening Technique.
Lu Changsheng disguised himself slightly, attaching a homemade mustache below his nose and applying herbal concoctions to make his face look sallow, giving him the appearance of a middle-aged man.
Then, Lu Changsheng stepped out the door and headed straight for the pharmacy.
Chapter 7