Not long after Mu Xueqing and the others stepped out of the classroom, Zhang Xuan left as well.
To raise Lu Chong’s cultivation in the shortest time possible, he had to purchase sufficient medicinal herbs to concoct the poison. It was impossible for him to obtain these herbs just by waiting in the academy.
“There are only two sources where one can obtain medicinal herbs. The herb kings and the Physician Guild!”
Zhang Xuan contemplated as he proceeded forward.
Herb kings referred to wholesaler of medicinal herbs, and the Great Herb King of the Red Lotus City was the largest wholesaler in the thirteen surrounding kingdoms.
“If Tianwu Royal City has a herb king, Bai Chan and the others wouldn’t have to go through so much effort to travel to Red Lotus City to purchase medicine… I better head to the Physician Guild!”
Given how Bai Chan and the other physicians traveled all the way to Red Lotus City to purchase medicinal herbs, it was clear that there was no herb king in Tianwu Royal City. Even if there was, it was unlikely for him to have a wide variety of herbs.
Since that was the case, Zhang Xuan decided to head for the Physician Guild straight.
The Apothecary Guild and the Physician Guild both expended huge quantities of herbs on a daily basis. The pills the former forged were mostly related to raising one’s cultivation, and thus, the medicinal herbs they possessed were mostly tonics and Spirit medicinal herbs. On the other hand, the latter concocted medicine with the purpose of saving and treating others, and poisonous herbs frequently appeared in their prescriptions. Therefore, it was more likely that latter would possess the poisonous herbs that Zhang Xuan was looking for.
After asking around in the academy, Zhang Xuan soon found out where the Physician Guild was located.
It wasn’t too far from Tianwu Academy, and he arrived at its doorstep within an hour.
The Physician Guild wasn’t as grand as the Master Teacher Pavilion, but still, it was larger and more imposing than the Painter Guild.
Upon walking into the lounge, Zhang Xuan immediately saw a group of people lining up neatly within. There were apprentices seated at the front diagnosing the patient. It was quite similar to the hospitals in his previous life.
Walking around the crowd, Zhang Xuan walked up to the reception and a young lady in her twenties walked up to welcome him with a sweet smile.
“May I know what gongzi hopes to enquire…”
“I wish to buy some medicinal herbs!” Zhang Xuan said.
“You wish to buy some herbs?” The lady hesitated for a moment before asking politely, “Can you show me your prescription?”
“Prescription?”
He was just here to buy medicinal herbs, so how could he possibly have something like that?
“You can only buy medicinal herbs with a prescription…” Seeing the confused look on the other party’s face, the lady frowned.
“Where can I obtain a prescription?” Zhang Xuan asked.
“Physicians and apprentices have the right to issue a prescription!”
The lady looked at Zhang Xuan with a bizarre gaze, “However, apprentices can only issue prescriptions consisting of low-tier medicinal herbs. If you wish to purchase high-tier medicinal herbs, you will have to look for a physician!”
To dare to come up here to buy medicinal herbs when you don’t even know where to get a prescription from… It is fortunate for you that my temper is good, otherwise you would have already been kicked out as a troublemaker!
“Oh, the medicinal herbs I want to buy can’t be considered as high-tier but they are still quite rare. I will recite them for you, so can you tell me whether I should look for an apprentice or a physician to issue a prescription?”
Seeing the long queue before the apprentices and a longer one before the physicians, Zhang Xuan decided to clarify everything properly before deciding on a course of action.
He didn’t want to leave in disappointment after lining up for several hours at the apprentice queue only to realize that the other party was unable to issue the prescription.
“Alright!”
The lady nodded.
“I want to buy White Angelica Flower, Crimson-edged Leaf, Wolf Venom Grass…” After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xuan listed out over a dozen medicinal herbs.
Before he could finish his words, the lady’s eyes widened into large circles. Alarmed, she took a step back and knocked a bronze gong. “Guards, someone is causing trouble…”
“…” Zhang Xuan.
Hualala!
A few armored guards rushed over.
“Ya Rou xiaojie, what’s wrong?”
The guard leader was a tall and bulky man. With a physique as though a steel tower, his presence exerted a huge pressure on those around him.
Tongxuan realm expert!
“That man is causing trouble…”
Receptionist Ya Rou pointed.
“Cough cough…” Zhang Xuan didn’t expect that he would be taken for a troublemaker when he only intended to purchase medicine. Shaking his head, he said, “I am a teacher of Tianwu Academy, I am really here to buy medicinal herbs!”
After which, he flashed an emblem indicating his identity as a teacher.
He didn’t want to be thrown out from the guild despite having only entered a moment ago.
“Oh, so it’s Liu laoshi. Pardon our disrespect!” After taking a glance at the emblem, the guard leader clasped his fist. He then turned to Ya Rou and asked doubtfully, “What is going on?”
Tianwu Academy was known as the sacred land for cultivators, and the teachers possessed immense prestige in the capital. No one dared to look down on them.
Since the other party was a teacher, it was unlikely that he would cause trouble here given his esteemed standing.
“He… Despite not having a prescription, he said that he wanted to buy prohibited medicinal herbs like White Angelica Flower, Crimson-edged Leaf, and Wolf Venom Grass. If this isn’t causing trouble, what else is…?”
Not expecting that this ignorant fellow to be a teacher of Tianwu Academy, Ya Rou was taken aback for a moment. However, she soon recovered and explained the situation.
“Buying prohibited medicinal herbs?”
After hearing the reason, the guard leader turned to Zhang Xuan, “Liu laoshi, medicinal herbs like the Wolf Venom Grass possess lethal poison, and thus, the guild deems them as prohibited herbs. Even with a prescription, we aren’t allowed to sell them to you. Unless… Unless a physician vouches for you personally, otherwise it will be impossible to purchase those herbs!”
“I’m unable to purchase those herbs even with a prescription?”
“Yes! These prohibited medicinal herbs possess lethal poison, and in order to prevent people from abusing these medicinal herbs to conduct vile deeds, the guild decided to impose strict rules on their distribution. I seek your understanding on this matter.” The guard clasped his fist and explained respectfully.
If not for the fact that the other party was a teacher of Tianwu Academy, he would have thought that he was here to cause trouble as well.
Despite knowing nothing at all, to head to the guild to purchase prohibited medicinal herbs… He sure was brazen!
“Oh!” Zhang Xuan nodded.
He could understand the rationale behind their actions. In his previous life, some of the more potent medicine, such as sleeping pills, weren’t available to the general public even with a prescription.
They were simply trying to prevent widespread use of these lethal medicinal herbs, which could potentially cause unrest in the city.
“Since Liu laoshi understands this matter, I have to ask you to leave and not make things difficult for us…” Seeing that the other party comprehended their plight, the guard leader continued.
However, before he could finish his words, the young man before him knitted his eyebrows tightly together. With a helpless expression, the other party shook his head, “Seems like… I have to try taking the physician examination then. Sigh, to think that even purchasing medicinal herbs would be such a hassle…”
“Taking the physician examination?”
“Purchasing medicinal herbs would be such a hassle?
Upon hearing those words, Ya Rou and the guards nearly keeled over.
Physician was one of the higher ranked occupations of the Upper Nine Paths. As such, the difficulty of the examination was extraordinary.
Despite not even being an apprentice, not to mention how you didn’t even know that a prescription was required to purchase medicinal herbs, how could you boast so arrogantly that you are going to take the physician examination? Furthermore, for you to do so just to purchase medicinal herbs…
Brother, will you die if you act a little humbler?
Ya Rou’s complexion immediately turned awful.
She had seen many braggarts before, but she had never seen one who was capable of bragging to the stars.
Even if you don’t know that a prescription is required to purchase medicinal herbs, you should at least know that taking the physician examination requires an in-depth knowledge of medicinal herbs!
To not even know that the White Angelica Flower, Crimson-edged Leaf, and Wolf Venom Grass are prohibited medicinal herbs… and you still wish to take the physician examination? You must be joking!
“Liu laoshi, the physician examination isn’t as easy as you think…”
The guard leader was infuriated by how lightly the other party was taking the occupation, but in consideration of his identity as a teacher of Tianwu Academy, he suppressed his anger and tried to explain the matter to him.
“Un, I understand! How can becoming a member of an occupation of the Upper Nine Paths be easy?” Zhang Xuan nodded.
Hearing the other party’s words, the guard leader nodded, thinking that the other party had given up on the idea. However, upon hearing the words that followed behind it, he staggered and nearly spurted blood.
The young man looked at him with a serious face and asked, “So… may I know where the physician examination is held?”
To not even know where the physician examination is held… and you still want to take the examination?
“It’s at the Physician Hall over there…” The guard leader was seething with rage, but he still managed to hold himself back. Pointing to the front, he replied with a trembling voice.
Looking toward where the other party’s finger was pointed, Zhang Xuan saw a huge hall, and a plaque placed on top of the entrance that wrote ‘Physician Hall’!
“Alright, thank you. May I trouble you to prepare the medicinal herbs that I just spoke of? I will come and claim them after I’m done with the physician examination!”
Upon knowing the location, Zhang Xuan instructed the receptionist, Ya Rou, before heading over.
“Braggart!”
Upon seeing the other party leave, Ya Rou could no longer hold herself back and harrumphed with clear disdain in her voice.
She was already absolutely certain that this fellow was here to wreak havoc.
Otherwise, who would attempt the physician examination despite knowing nothing at all?
“He does seem somewhat unreliable. Given the prestige associated with being a physician, how can it possible for anyone to pass the examination that easily?” The guard leader shook his head as well.
It is one thing if you have studied the Way of Medicine before, but to not even know where the physician examination is held and that a prescription is required to purchase medicinal herbs, it can’t be clearer to see that you are a newbie! And yet, you still want to take the examination…
Aren’t you underestimating this occupation a little way too much?
“That may not necessarily be so. I recall that there’s a person in our guild who managed to pass the 1-star physician examination despite not being an apprentice!”
A guard spoke up.
“Oh, you’re speaking of 3-star Physician Mu Hong? He is an exception. Having come from a lineage of physicians, he has been learning the Way of Medicine since young. He possesses true ability, that’s why he’s able to pass the 1-star physician examination straight!”
The guard leader said.
The other party was right, there was indeed an exception in the guild.
It was the famous Physician Mu Hong.
Even though Physician Mu Hong had never taken any examination prior to passing his 1-star physician examination such that he wasn’t even an apprentice then, he had been accompanying his father on diagnosis and treatment runs and he was already famous by then.
“He is just an arrogant lad, how can he be compared to Physician Mu Hong?” Ya Rou harrumphed coldly.
Physician Mu Hong had begun learning Way of Medicine from young, and by the age of thirteen, he was already treating patients by himself. Even though he had never taken the examination prior to that, he practically grew up in the Physician Guild and he was well aware of everything here.
On the other hand, that fellow clearly knew nothing at all. Given the foolish and ignorant look on his face, and how he didn’t even know of the prohibited medicinal herbs… how could the two of them possibly be the same?
“But no matter what, the other party is a teacher of Tianwu Academy. I don’t think that he will complete not care for his reputation like that!”
The guard leader said.
“This…”
Ya Rou fell speechless.
The standing of a teacher was beneath that of a physician, but due to their relationship with master teachers, it was an esteemed occupation as well. As an official teacher of Tianwu Academy, it was unlikely for him to abandon his pride to cause trouble at the Physician Guild.
“He might really possess true ability!”
“Indeed, it’s possible that he might, like Physician Mu Hong, pass the 1-star physician examination straight and amaze everyone!”
The two guards held deep respect for teachers.
“Now that you speak of it, it isn’t entirely impossible…” Hearing the analysis of the others, Ya Rou hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. Just as she was about to continue speaking, the young man who just left a moment ago returned and asked sheepishly.
“May I know… what procedures are there to the physician examination? Also, what books do I have to read?”
“…” Ya Rou.
“…” The guards.
I have one extra edited chapter at hand so I’ll launch a challenge. Post a phrase commonly used in the series that you find interesting, and if one of them receives a hundred likes by today, I’ll post another chapter.
