Chapter 1

"System!"

"Whoosh!"

In the pitch-black world of consciousness, a screen of light abruptly appeared.

On the screen, square characters known as Chinese characters began to show up one by one.

Name: Mo Qiu.

Gender: Male.

Age: 14 years old.

Height: About 120 centimeters.

Weight: Unknown.

Talents: Advanced literacy, Beginner music, Beginner painting, Intermediate physics, Chemistry...

"Ah!"

In reality, Mo Qiu sighed, and with a thought, the "Advanced" after "literacy" changed to "Beginner."

With another thought, "Beginner" in painting changed to "Master."

But...

It was useless!

His system was just a facade; the things displayed on it could be changed at will.

But they had no effect in reality.

Even the words displayed were added by Mo Qiu himself, not shown automatically.

"What use do I have for this system!"

With a sigh, the screen of light disappeared, revealing a consciousness world that seemed pitch-black but had faint stars twinkling.

But like the screen, the dim stars here had no known use.

It had been half a month since he arrived in this world, and the system had been of no help at all.

Opening his eyes, he found himself in a large dormitory where about eight or nine people were sleeping, with plenty of space left.

Beneath him was a cold, hard straw mat, which had been used for a long time, with many protruding bristles that made lying on it uncomfortable.

The blanket he was under was filled with something unknown, heavy and not very warm.

Above his head were neatly arranged wooden beams, covered in spider webs, clearly lacking cleaning.

The surroundings were filled with a strong smell of male sweat and a persistent herbal scent.

He had been transported to another world!

Even after half a month, Mo Qiu still felt a bit dazed every time he woke up, taking a long time to regain his composure.

"Get up!"

"Quickly, everyone get up!"

Accompanied by the shouts, the door was pushed open rudely.

The simple door panel swayed under the push, seemingly about to fall at any moment.

"Get up, get up!"

One of the people nearby rolled over and instantly got up, quickly putting on a short brown robe and straw shoes.

Mo Qiu also lifted the blanket and followed suit, walking out of the house amidst the shouting.

At this time, the sky was just beginning to brighten, still somewhat dim outside, with rooster crows echoing from all directions.

This was the back yard of the Qingnang Pharmacy, where, besides a few people, there were many medicinal herbs that needed to be processed.

A tall man, about two meters in height, walked over with his hands behind his back, exuding an invisible pressure.

Especially for Mo Qiu, a poorly developed teenager, he instinctively curled up.

"Those who arrived yesterday, step forward."

The tall man waved his hand back and said, "First, sign the apprenticeship contract, then we'll talk about the rest."

A young man in his early twenties, who was behind him, immediately came forward with a wooden tray.

On the tray was a stack of paper, clearly the apprenticeship contract.

Five out of the nine people stepped forward and followed the instructions, signing their names and putting their fingerprints on the paper.

When Mo Qiu wrote his name, both the young man and the tall man subconsciously looked at him.

Although they were supposed to sign with fingerprints, he was the only one who signed with his name.

In other words...

The others were illiterate, while Mo Qiu at least knew how to write his own name.

The small, fat boy beside him looked back and forth, his eyes full of surprise at his companion.

Over this period, Mo Qiu seemed to have changed completely.

Although they were both beggars in the city, he had tidied himself up and even found a job today.

Even he himself had benefited, entering the Qingnang Pharmacy.

Although being an apprentice was tough, at least he wouldn't go hungry and had a place to stay, which was much better than the uncertain life of a beggar.

"Hmm!"

The tall man waved his hand, signaling the young man to put away the apprenticeship contract, then looked at everyone and said, "Now that you've signed the apprenticeship contract, you're part of the family. But let me make it clear what you'll be doing over the next three years."

"First,"

He put his hands behind his back again and said, "When the master has something to do, the disciples must serve. Whether it's serving tea, pouring water, making beds, or folding blankets, you must be alert and quick. Don't blame me if you make the masters unhappy and get kicked out!"

"Also..."

"Within three years, if you can't learn any skills from the masters, you'll have to leave!"

"So, do you understand?"

"Yes!"

The new apprentices quickly responded, with one of them even saying, "When the master has something to do, the disciples must serve."

"Learn skills, stay!"

Mo Qiu turned his head and recognized the speaker, Sun Youcai, a child from a family in the city, who seemed to be related to the pharmacy's manager.

"Hmm." The tall man nodded in satisfaction and continued:

"Our masters at the Qingnang Pharmacy are all renowned in the city. It's your good fortune to be able to learn from them."

"Even if you only learn a little, it will be enough to be a village doctor."

"But don't rush. First, get familiar with the environment and identify the herbs. It will take a year or two before you're qualified to handle prescriptions."

"Yes."

Everyone responded again.

"Also, about your clothing, food, and accommodation." The tall man glanced at the five people and said:

"Clothing: one set of winter clothes and two sets of single-layer clothes per year. Shoes depend on the situation, especially when you go into the mountains to collect herbs."

At this point, he couldn't help but frown.

It was because a few apprentices had recently gone into the mountains to collect herbs and encountered bandits, resulting in heavy losses. With the pharmacy's business doing well recently, they had to recruit new apprentices.

He hoped this batch would last; otherwise, all the time spent training them would be wasted.

But this time, it was good to have someone who could read, as he could directly identify the herbs, saving a lot of time.

"Food: two meals a day, eating with the workers here. You'll be well-fed, so feel free to eat your fill!"

"Swallow..." The small, fat boy's throat moved, and he subconsciously touched his stomach.

Even Mo Qiu swallowed his saliva.

Over the past half month, he had suffered as a beggar, often going hungry.

"Accommodation: you already know where you'll be staying."

"Alright!"

The tall man paused, his expression turning serious. "The pharmacy is not the street; we don't allow unruly people here."

"I'll only say this once, so remember it well!"

Everyone stiffened and quickly stood straight.

The tall man said, "When the masters, uncles, or seniors are present, if they don't speak first, you must not speak as apprentices. You should serve and listen to their teachings. When the masters ask you something, answer softly, not loudly, and be respectful and polite. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

Everyone shouted.

"Good." The tall man nodded and continued:

"Besides providing you with clothing, food, and accommodation, if the masters are in a good mood, they might give you some pocket money, not much, but you should save it."

"During festivals, the pharmacy will also give you bonuses, which is a benefit you won't find elsewhere."

"Cough, cough..."

At this moment, a light cough came from behind.

The tall man's expression changed, and he quickly bowed and stepped back, making way.

"Master Qin, you're here."

"Hmm." The person who arrived nodded lightly and slowly approached, saying:

"Who was the one who could read yesterday?"

"Come out and let me see."