Chapter 7

Time flies.

Unconsciously, four months have quietly passed.

Now that late autumn has gone, the cold has set in.

The first snow was not heavy or dense, but it fell like willow catkins, causing many children on the street to cheer and jump for joy.

Mo Qiu reached out to catch a snowflake, watching it melt in his palm before he withdrew his hand and turned around.

Upon closer inspection, his hands were somewhat red and swollen, a sign of chilblains. Though not severe, they caused considerable discomfort.

Especially at night, the pain and itching were particularly tormenting, and there was no good remedy for it.

Sighing, he slowly turned around.

Today, the pharmacist on duty was Master He, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar with a three-inch beard.

Master He liked quiet, and he was now half-asleep, half-awake, lying on a reclining chair.

Several apprentices were organizing the herbs.

Cheng Shou and the new apprentice Cai Rui were carefully dispensing medicine, being extra cautious not to disturb Master He.

"Brother Mo."

While taking a herb, the two had a disagreement and immediately looked at Mo Qiu.

Cheng Shou said, "You take a look, should the poria in this prescription be three qian or seven qian?"

"Oh, let me see." Mo Qiu rubbed his hands to dispel the cold and walked over to them.

With a quick glance, he recognized it as a prescription for kidney yin deficiency.

The prescription was somewhat wet in places, but most of it was still legible. However, the dosage for poria was very模糊.

It looked like seven qian, but it could also be three qian.

The key was that Cheng Shou found the prescription familiar. In the past, it was always two or three qian, at most five qian, never seven qian.

Cai Rui, however, insisted that he had seen Brother Wei write seven qian, and the two were at an impasse.

The principle that "if you understand one thing, you understand all things" applies equally to medicine.

Thanks to the system, Mo Qiu's understanding of "Baoyao Shangke" (Treasure Medicine for Injuries) was at a master level, and he could easily grasp ordinary prescriptions.

He pointed and said calmly,

"This is the Anyang Dingshi prescription, which includes yam and peony bark... The dosage clearly indicates it is for a woman."

"So the poria should be three qian."

"Furthermore, even if it were for a man, unless he is a very robust and strong man, seven qian would be too much."

"If poria is used in seven qian, the other herbs would not be in such small quantities, which would lead to an imbalance in the effectiveness of the medicine, potentially harming the patient rather than helping."

He explained in detail, making it easy to understand. Cheng Shou nodded in agreement, but Cai Rui frowned.

"But..." he still insisted,

"I saw Brother Wei write seven qian!"

Mo Qiu shook his head lightly.

He naturally saw that it was indeed seven qian, but that did not mean the prescription was correct.

"What's going on?" Brother Wei, who had a slightly hunched back and a gloomy expression, had already turned around from the back.

He glanced at the three of them, his face darkening, and he scolded in a low voice,

"Why are you arguing instead of dispensing the medicine? Don't you know that Master He hates being disturbed?"

"Brother." Cheng Shou quickly spoke up,

"Just now, the prescription got wet from the snow, and some parts are unclear."

He pointed to the prescription and said, "I said the poria should be three qian, but my junior brother insisted it was seven qian."

"Brother Mo also said it should be three qian."

As he spoke, he repeated what Mo Qiu had said and made a face at Cai Rui.

"Oh?" Brother Wei, who had intended to scold them, frowned and stepped forward to examine the prescription again.

His expression immediately turned sour.

He naturally knew that Mo Qiu was right, and he had made a mistake in the dosage.

This was a prescription for the concubine of the city's Lord Wang. If it were wrong, it would cause significant trouble.

Relieved, he still felt a surge of inexplicable frustration and looked at the three of them with a scowl.

"What have you been learning these past two months?" Brother Wei glared at Cai Rui and shouted,

"You don't even know the Anyang Dingshi prescription?"

"Your brother-in-law praised your intelligence to me, but if you can't do this, you might as well go home!"

Cai Rui trembled. He was just a child in his early teens, and this was his first time away from his parents. He had never experienced such humiliation.

His eyes immediately reddened, and he lowered his head, sobbing softly.

"Crying, all you know is crying!" Brother Wei became even angrier at the sight, stepped forward, and raised his right hand to strike.

Here, it was normal for the master to hit the apprentice or for the senior to scold the junior.

The one being hit was not allowed to complain but had to be grateful for the teaching, or they would be considered disrespectful.

It had to be said that this was somewhat unreasonable.

"Brother." Mo Qiu gestured to stop him and signaled to the drowsy Master He nearby,

"Master He is sleeping, don't disturb him."

"Besides, Junior Brother Cai made a mistake, but fortunately, nothing went wrong. You should be magnanimous and not take it to heart."

"Hmph!" Brother Wei grunted, looked back, and saw Master He turn over on the reclining chair.

He immediately retracted his hand and glared at Cai Rui,

"If it happens again, get out!"

He then turned to Mo Qiu with a stern face and said, "Brother Mo, you learn quickly. It won't be long before you can graduate."

"I dare not." Mo Qiu's expression changed, and he quickly lowered his head, speaking softly,

"It's all thanks to Brother's teaching!"

Teaching my ass!

In the past few months, apart from Master Qin occasionally explaining medical principles and the use of herbs, Wei An had only treated him like an apprentice.

At least apprentices got paid, but here, not only did he not get paid, he had to be constantly on guard.

If it weren't for Mo Qiu's past experience, he would have been scolded countless times by now.

"Hmm." Brother Wei nodded, barely suppressing his anger, and said,

"Clean up and come with me out of the city."

"Out of the city?" Mo Qiu looked up, surprised,

"Right now?"

Leaving the city at this hour, it was uncertain whether they would be back before the city gates closed.

"Right now." Brother Wei frowned, also looking displeased,

"Lord Sun outside the city fell from a loft and was cut by a metal object. He can't move, so he asked us to come quickly."

"Stop talking nonsense and get ready!"

"Yes." Mo Qiu quickly responded.

Lord Sun was a herb merchant and a major customer of the pharmacy. If something happened to him, it couldn't be delayed.

After a brief preparation, the two got into Lord Sun's carriage and headed out of the city, driven by the skilled driver.

Brother Wei entered the carriage, while Mo Qiu huddled next to the driver on the carriage frame.

He was dressed in a gray winter coat, wearing a bamboo hat, and his small body curled up to avoid the cold wind.

After a few months, although life in the pharmacy was not pleasant, he was well-fed and well-clothed, and his complexion was no longer as sallow as before.

His thin body had gained some weight, and his face often had a rosy glow, even his height had increased slightly.

Of course,

The most important thing for him was the star in his mind, which was now glowing faintly again.

And it was not any less bright than before he comprehended "Baoyao Shangke."

The progress was encouraging.

Through several attempts, Mo Qiu had verified that the brightness of the star's glow was related to his mental state.

If his spirit was low, the progress would be slow, but it would not weaken.

Conversely, it would progress faster.

In the past few months, he had been well-fed and well-clothed, his body strong, and his spirit high.

In addition, he had found several herbs that could supplement his spirit, which contributed to his current progress.

He squinted, watching the gray walls and houses flash by, and sighed, huddling further into himself.

An hour later,

They arrived at Lord Sun's residence outside the city.

At the gate, two servants were anxiously waiting, but their expressions made Mo Qiu frown.

This was...

Fear?