5 minutes apart

  At the entrance of the Medicine Hall, a young man wearing a yellow shirt stood guard with his hands crossed over his chest, looking at the people coming and going on the street with an arrogant expression. Because the Medicine Hall was one of the most powerful families in Zhujie County, and because the Medicine King Gang had a revered status throughout Pingzhou Prefecture, even their gatekeepers had an air of arrogance that surpassed those of smaller gangs by seven parts.

  Those county officials who act arbitrarily in the countryside, can't even fart in front of these gatekeepers. Ordinary people on the street also dare not to be reckless on the turf of the Medicine King Hall.

  Ye Qin saw that they were imposing, and he didn't dare to go over and ask about the recruitment of medicine-collecting children. He led the big cow to shrink back and hide in a corner of the street, carefully looking towards the open gate of the Medicine Collection Hall, wanting to see if they were recruiting medicine-collecting children inside.

  Suddenly, he saw a familiar donkey cart parked at the side door of the medicine hall.

  The old fellow, Lao Xiang Zheng, was leading his little chubby son and talking to a person who looked like the general manager of the Medicine Hall. He took out a full money bag from the donkey cart and handed it over, with a flattering expression on his face: "Manager Zhang, please take care of my son's matter! Just a small token of appreciation, not worth mentioning."

  At this time, Lao Xiang Shen, where can still see half a bit of arrogance in the countryside.

  The steward glanced at the corner of the bag where the silver color was exposed, weighed the money bag, and it was heavy, estimated to be no less than one or two hundred silver leaves. Converted to gold leaves, it's just one or two gold leaves. One silver leaf can be exchanged for 100 copper plates.

  Zhang Dazong's eyes showed disappointment, and he said indifferently: "Alright, alright! I will take care of him properly and not let him make any mistakes. However, whether or not he can join the Medicine Pavilion and become a Medicine Child still depends on your child's fate... Actually, if you have enough money, adding ten times more would be even better, directly sending your child into the Inner Hall to become an Inner Hall Disciple and a Medicine Child. That would be the best outcome. As the Grand Manager, my words are also worth considering."

  The old fellow was very embarrassed, he was just a small landlord with only a few hundred acres of poor and thin land, where did he get so much money? It's not easy to gather one or two hundred silver leaves. Moreover, this year's harvest is not good, and there is even less money. If it weren't for his 60-70-year-old old age having a son, whom he loved dearly, wanting to give his son a good future, he wouldn't have spent this money sending his son to the wealthy Adopting Medicine Hall in Zhujici County Town.

  The poor old fellow had never thought that the inner and outer halls of the medicine hall were different, and whether his son could bear the hardships of the outer hall's medicine child. This money is destined to be wasted.

  Seeing the old gentleman's embarrassed face, Zhang Da-zong also knew that he couldn't get more money out of him, so he impatiently took the silver and directly led the fat little boy into the medicine hall through the side door. The old gentleman happily raised his neck to see his son follow Zhang Da-zong into the mansion, and then drove the donkey cart away.

  Within half an hour, at least a dozen or so children aged eight or nine were sent into the medicine hall by some ordinary citizens in the city. However, they all entered the medicine hall through the front door and did not enter through the side door like the son of that old rural gentry.

  Ye Qin was now certain that the Medicine Pavilion was indeed recruiting people, and a lot of them. The two gatekeepers barely asked about the children's backgrounds and let them in directly. As for adults, they were all blocked outside the mansion and not allowed to enter.

  Ye Qin saw that the sky was getting dark and if he didn't go now it would be a bit late.

  He plucked up his courage, pulled the big cow, and timidly rubbed against the two gatekeepers, not daring to look up, but only said, "Is this... is this place recruiting medicine boys?"

  Those two yellow-shirted gatekeepers burst out laughing, looking down on them with disdain. "Hah, these two little beggars actually want to be medicine-picking apprentices? Do they think our Medicine Hall is a beggar's den?" "Scram and get out of here, don't dirty the steps of the Medicine Hall!" The two gatekeepers were probably afraid of getting their hands dirty and didn't even want to lift a hand to drive them away.

  They had not finished laughing when a man in his forties with a green robe walked out slowly from inside, casting a cold glance over the front of the mansion.

  The two gatekeepers' laughter suddenly stopped, and they hastily clasped their hands together in greeting. "Master Wang, why have you come out?" "With our two juniors keeping watch here, what instructions do you have for us?"

  Wang Caisheng put his hands behind his back and snorted.

  "Don't you know the rules of my Medicine Collection Hall? The Medicine Collection Hall recruits medicine collection children, and has never discriminated against their background or origin. As long as they come, we will recruit them. What are you two doing? Driving away the children who came to apply?"

  The two doorkeepers immediately broke out in a cold sweat and did not dare to argue back, only begging for mercy.

  In the pharmacy hall, the hierarchy is strict.

  The status of the pharmacist is extremely high, and there are only a few dozen people in the entire medicine hall. But it's not that two gatekeepers can afford to offend him.

  Wang Caizong ignored them and said, "Take these two little guys in and prepare for tomorrow's trial medicine!"

  "Yes, yes!"

  Two doorkeepers received the order and, without minding the dirt and stench on the two little beggars' bodies, quickly picked one up each, grabbed Ye Qin and Da Niu by the neck, and strode towards the entrance of the medicine hall.

  Ye Qin was stunned and didn't know what had happened. However, he heard clearly that the king's pharmacist was going to take them in, so he didn't struggle either. The big cow was even more frightened and didn't dare move, being carried by the neck as they walked.

  "Wait!"

  Wang Caisheng suddenly discovered something and stopped them.

  The two door guards stopped in their tracks, at a loss for what to do, and didn't know why Master Wang had called them to a halt once again.

  Wang Caisheng walked up to the front of the big ox and indifferently glanced at the two holes on its hind legs.

  "The calf muscle must have been bitten by a wild dog, it's inconvenient to walk, and in the future, it will probably be a useless waste. Throw it away! Bring the remaining one in!"

  The two doormen immediately came to their senses and secretly admired Wang's discerning eye. One of them quickly threw the injured beggar out, while the other carried Ye Qin inside.

  Ye Qin had not expected this sudden turn of events, he and Da Niu were suddenly separated, instantly panicked, struggling and shouting, without caring about anything else, fiercely kicking the gatekeeper's hand with his foot, trying to break free.

  That doorman was no ordinary person, he didn't pay any attention to his kicks and shouts, like an eagle grabbing a small chicken, he carried him on his back into the gate of the medicine hall and rushed deep into the courtyard.

  Ye Qin almost desperately shouted, "Big Cow, don't go, wait for me!"

  "Brother Qin!"

  Cheng Da Niu was thrown out of the gate of the medicine hall, crying and struggling. Under the cold gaze of the gatekeeper, he did not dare to approach the gate. He wandered around the mansion for the whole night, knowing that he would never see Ye Qin again. Finally, he limped away, not knowing where to go. Two fellow villagers who had come out together were separated, one inside the medicine hall and the other outside.

  Ye Qin was kicked and thrown into a small courtyard in the medicine collection hall by the gatekeeper, who then locked it again and left.

  There were also knife-wielding men at the entrance of the small courtyard.

  Ye Qin struggled to get up from the ground, just wanting to think of a way to escape, but when he looked at the situation in the small courtyard, he was shocked.

  In this small courtyard, there were already hundreds of children aged 7 to 12, both boys and girls. They were divided into dozens of groups, each gathering together. Judging from their clothes, the children here were either from wealthy rural families, ordinary townspeople, or poor village children.

  They looked at Ye Qin one by one with strange expressions. In their eyes, the gatekeeper of the Medicine Pavilion was already a person of great status. What kind of person would need them to personally carry in?

  Ye Qin had never been with so many strange children before, she shrank her body and slowly hid in a corner, trying to avoid attracting the attention of other children.

  Suddenly, a fat little kid in the crowd widened his eyes in disbelief, pointing at Ye Qin with a terrified shout, "Aren't you that street urchin? How did you get in here? Is this a place where someone like you can come? Watch me beat you to death!" He clenched his fist and was about to hit Ye Qin.