Chapter 38

Words : 1395 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

"Grandpa Chen, are you saying I don't need to study the Compendium of Materia Medica anymore?" Lu Qing was somewhat surprised."That's right. Your learning speed has surpassed my expectations. You have already thoroughly read the Compendium of Materia Medica. In the future, just review it occasionally; there's no need to study it intensively anymore." Dr. Chen stroked his beard as he spoke. Over this period, he had been extremely satisfied with Lu Qing's performance. Lu Qing's intelligence exceeded his expectations. It had only been half a month, yet Lu Qing had already mastered the Compendium of Materia Medica. Originally, Dr. Chen thought that if Lu Qing could read the Compendium of Materia Medica smoothly within a month, it would be quite good. "It's because of your excellent teaching, Grandpa Chen." Lu Qing's heart relaxed considerably. Finally, he didn't have to study the Compendium of Materia Medica anymore! Heavens knew how thoroughly he had read the Compendium of Materia Medica during this time. He could recite it backward perfectly. But he couldn't reveal that he had memorized the Compendium of Materia Medica entirely in one go. Even if he wanted to show his intelligence, there needed to be an acceptable process. Otherwise, displaying his extraordinary talent right away might backfire. Now, he had finally reached this moment. "Lu Qing, although your cleverness has exceeded my expectations, we still need to proceed with the agreed-upon assessment," Dr. Chen said. "Lu Qing understands. Please conduct the assessment, Grandpa Chen," Lu Qing replied respectfully. "You have thoroughly read the Compendium of Materia Medica, but merely remembering the text isn't enough. You must combine it with practical application to truly understand it." "My assessment is simple. You have one hour to find ten types of medicinal herbs recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica in the vicinity of the village and bring them to me." "Remember, you cannot bring the book with you, and you must not pick the wrong herbs. Also, you must not damage the herbs during the harvesting process." Lu Qing silently memorized Dr. Chen's words and only spoke after he finished, "Is that all, Grandpa Chen?" "That's right, that's all. If you can accomplish these tasks, I will officially accept you as my first disciple and my only disciple." "Rest assured, I will not let you down!" Lu Qing said confidently. "Here, take this herb basket and hoe. Remember, you only have one hour. If you exceed the time limit, even if you gather all the herbs, it won't count as passing." Dr. Chen handed two tools to Lu Qing. "Then I'll set off now!" Lu Qing took the herb basket and hoe and headed down the mountain. As soon as he reached the foot of the mountain, he found a medicinal herb. [Thunderroot Grass: Superior quality, medicinal. Clears heat and detoxifies, effective in treating heat ailments and coughs.] This Thunderroot Grass was indeed recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica. Seeing the superior quality indicated by his ability, Lu Qing immediately bent down to dig it up. The hoe given by Dr. Chen was quite sharp, so Lu Qing dug carefully, fearing he might accidentally damage the herb. After all, one of the assessment criteria was not to damage the herbs. Carefully, he dug up the Thunderroot Grass and placed it in the herb basket. After considering the time, he felt a sense of urgency. Digging just one Thunderroot Grass had taken nearly a quarter of an hour. If he continued at this pace, it would take ten quarters to dig up ten herbs. But Dr. Chen had only given him one hour for the assessment. "I can't be this slow; I need to speed up." Originally, Lu Qing thought that finding ten medicinal herbs would be simple with his special ability. But now he realized that if he was careless, he might not pass the assessment. Putting aside his relaxed attitude, Lu Qing quickened his pace and moved to other areas. Along the way, he kept scanning the bushes on both sides of the path. Whenever he saw plants resembling those in the Compendium of Materia Medica, he would immediately use his ability to check their information. Once he confirmed they were recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica, he would start digging. Dandelions, Xanthium, Plantain... One by one, the herbs recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica were dug up and placed in the herb basket. To dig up the herbs, his forehead was covered in sweat, which he wiped away with a muddy hand, leaving streaks of dirt. Villagers passing by saw Lu Qing in this state and couldn't help but laugh. "Lu Qing, what are you doing, looking like a mud monkey?" "Uncle Wang, I'm digging medicinal herbs. This is a task assigned by Grandpa Chen; I can't be careless," Lu Qing replied. "Oh, it's an assignment from Dr. Chen. You should be serious about it. Do you need my help?" Uncle Wang's expression became serious. The villagers had deep respect for Dr. Chen. Hearing it was a task from him, they didn't dare to joke anymore. "No need, no need. This is something I must do myself. It's an assessment of my learning achievements over this period," Lu Qing declined, waving his hand. "I see. Then you must do your best, Lu Qing. Don't disappoint Dr. Chen," Uncle Wang's expression became even more solemn. After all, whether Lu Qing could learn well also concerned the future medical needs of the village. "Okay, I'll do my best." Lu Qing waved, "Uncle Wang, I have to go now. Grandpa Chen only gave me one hour for the assessment, and I need to dig up more herbs." Watching Lu Qing leave, Uncle Wang immediately ran back to the village. Soon, almost everyone in the village knew that Lu Qing was completing an assessment task given by Dr. Chen. As a result, even if they saw Lu Qing, they didn't dare to disturb him. They feared that if he failed the assessment, he would be sent down the mountain. Even the little kids were ordered not to approach Lu Qing to avoid distracting him. Focused on gathering herbs, Lu Qing didn't notice the villagers' actions. He only found it odd that the village seemed quieter than usual today. Usually, at this time, the kids would be running around, causing chaos. However, this thought only flashed through Lu Qing's mind briefly before he dismissed it. At this moment, he had no time to ponder such things. He had already gathered eight herbs and needed two more, but most of the time had already passed. If he didn't hurry, he might really fail the assessment. At this moment, Lu Qing also felt a bit regretful. He hadn't paid much attention to the herbs around the village in daily life; otherwise, he wouldn't be so pressed for time now. It seemed that relying too much on his special ability wasn't always a good thing. He had thought that with his ability, he could find herbs anytime, which made him careless. Fortunately, Lu Qing's luck wasn't bad. Soon, he found another herb recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica. "Just one more herb to go." After carefully digging up the herb, Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. But he also knew that time was running out. "Where can I find the last herb?" Lu Qing thought for a moment and then suddenly slapped his forehead. "Of course, how could I forget this? It's right under my nose, the most familiar thing that I almost overlooked!" With that, he ran towards his home. A villager saw Lu Qing running and was startled. "Lu Qing, what's wrong? Did something go wrong with the assessment?" "No, my assessment is fine!" Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Nʘvᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality. Lu Qing didn't have time to wonder how the villagers knew about his assessment. He answered while running. Soon, he reached his home and smiled at the well-growing patch of plants in the corner of his yard. "It's you, Cowbone Grass."

Chapter 38

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