Chapter 38 Assessment (Requesting follow-up reads on Tuesday)
"Grandpa Chen, you're saying I don't need to study the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture' anymore?" Lu Qing was somewhat surprised.
"Correct, your learning speed has surpassed even my expectations. As for the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture,' you have already read it thoroughly. From now on, it will suffice to review it periodically; there's no need to continue dedicated studies," Old Doctor Chen said, stroking his beard.
During this period, he was extremely satisfied with Lu Qing's performance.
Lu Qing's intelligence had exceeded his expectations.
In just half a month, he had fully learned the contents of the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture.'
Initially, Old Doctor Chen thought that if Lu Qing could get a smooth grasp of the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture' in a month's time, that would have been quite impressive.
"It's thanks to Grandpa Chen's excellent instruction."
Lu Qing felt much more relaxed in his heart.
Finally, he no longer needed to study this 'Hundred Herbs Scripture'!
Heaven knows he had read the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture' so thoroughly during this time.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he knew it backwards and forwards.
But he couldn't just suddenly reveal that he had already completely memorized the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture.'
Even if he wanted to showcase his intelligence, there had to be a process that people would accept.
Otherwise, if he came off too strong and showed just how much of a 'Devil' he was, it could very well backfire.
Now, he had finally reached this moment.
"Lu Qing, although your intelligence has exceeded my expectations, the assessment we agreed upon before must still be carried out," Old Doctor Chen said.
"Lu Qing understands. Please proceed with the assessment, Grandpa Chen," Lu Qing replied respectfully.
"You may have memorized the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture,' but the Medical Book is not simply about remembering; you need to connect it with practical use to truly understand it."
"My assessment is quite simple; it is to limit you to find ten kinds of medicinal herbs recorded in the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture' within one hour in the vicinity of the village and bring them to me."
"Remember, you cannot take the book with you to search, nor can you pick the wrong ones, and you mustn't damage the herbs while harvesting."
Lu Qing silently noted the elder doctor's words, and after he finished speaking, he then asked, "Is that all, Grandpa Chen?"
"Correct, that is all. If you can accomplish these points, I will formally accept you as my Disciple, the senior and only Disciple."
"Don't worry, I definitely won't disappoint you!" Lu Qing said with full confidence.
"Take this Medicine Basket and medicine hoe with you. Remember, you only have one hour's time. If you exceed the time limit, even if you've gathered enough herbs, it would still not be considered passing," the elder doctor handed over two tools to Lu Qing.
"Then I shall set off now!"
Lu Qing took the Medicine Basket and medicine hoe and headed directly down the mountain.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, he spotted a medicinal herb.
[Thunder Root Grass: Superior quality, suitable for medicinal use.]
[Cooling and detoxifying, it's quite effective in treating heat in the lungs and cough.]
This Thunder Root Grass was precisely recorded in the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture.'
Seeing that his Superpower indicated its superior quality, Lu Qing immediately bent down to dig it out.
The medicine hoe given by Old Doctor Chen was quite sharp, so Lu Qing was very careful; he was afraid of harming the herb by accident.
After all, one of the assessment rules given by Old Doctor Chen was not to damage the herbs.
Cautiously, he dug up the Thunder Root Grass and placed it in the Medicine Basket. After estimating the time it took, Lu Qing felt a tightening in his chest.
Just digging up this single Thunder Root Grass had already taken nearly a quarter of an hour.
By this rate, wouldn't it take ten quarters to dig up ten herbs?
Old Doctor Chen had only given him one hour for the assessment.
"I can't afford to be so leisurely; I need to speed up."
Initially, Lu Qing thought that having a Superpower would make finding ten medicinal herbs quite simple.
But now, he realized that he could indeed fail the assessment if he wasn't careful.
Shelving his relaxed attitude, Lu Qing started to quicken his pace to other areas.
Along the way, his eyes constantly searched the grass on both sides of the path.
As soon as he saw any plants that resembled those in the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture,' he would immediately use his Superpower to gather information.
Once confirmed as a medicinal herb recorded in the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture,' he would start digging right away.
Dandelion, Xanthium, Plantago...
One by one, the herbs recorded in the "Hundred Herbs Scripture" were dug up by Lu Qing and placed into the medicine basket.
While digging for herbs, his forehead was covered in sweat, and a casual wipe left several streaks of mud.
Passing villagers who saw Lu Qing like this started to chuckle.
"Ah Qing, what are you up to, making yourself look like a mud monkey?"
"Uncle Wang, I'm digging up herbs. This is a task assigned by Grandpa Chen, I dare not be careless," Lu Qing responded.
"It's a task given by the elder doctor, then you must be serious. Do you need my help?"
Uncle Wang's expression immediately became serious.
The villagers' respect for the elder doctor came from the heart.
As soon as they heard the task was assigned by him, they did not dare to joke around.
"No need, no need, this is something only I can do, it's Grandpa Chen's assessment of my learning in this period," Lu Qing waved his hand to decline.
"I see, then Ah Qing, you have to work hard, you can't disappoint the elder doctor."
Upon hearing Lu Qing say this, Uncle Wang's expression became even more solemn.
After all, whether Lu Qing could learn well was also related to the future medical issues of the village.
"Alright, I will do my best," Lu Qing waved his hand, "Uncle Wang, I must go now. Grandpa Chen has only given me one hour for the assessment, and I need to go dig up herbs over there."
Watching Lu Qing's departing figure, Uncle Wang immediately ran toward the village.
Before long, almost everyone in the village knew that Lu Qing was fulfilling the assessment task assigned by the elder doctor.
As a result, everyone, even upon seeing Lu Qing, did not dare to disturb him.
Fearing that he would not be able to complete the elder doctor's assessment and might be expelled from the mountain.
Even the little rascals were ordered not to go near Lu Qing so as not to disturb his herb gathering.
The focused Lu Qing did not notice these actions of the villagers.
He only found it strange that today the village seemed much quieter than usual.
Usually, at this hour, the rascals would be running around everywhere and creating chaos, never resting until they had caused a commotion.
However, this thought only flashed through Lu Qing's mind before he cast it aside.
He did not have time to think about such things right now.
He had already dug up eight herbs and was still short by two, but a large portion of the time had already passed.
If he did not hurry, this assessment would indeed be in jeopardy.
At this time, Lu Qing also felt a twinge of regret.
During regular days, he had not paid much attention to what herbs were nearby the village; if he had, he wouldn't have made his time so tight.
It seemed that relying too much on his superpower was not always a good thing.
Wasn't it because he felt that, with his superpower at hand, he could always find herbs easily, that he had been negligent?
Fortunately, Lu Qing was in luck and quickly found another herb recorded in the "Hundred Herbs Scripture."
"Just one last herb to go."
After digging up this herb completely, Lu Qing let out a breath.
But he knew that time was running short.
"Where should I find the last herb?"
Lu Qing pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead.
"That's it, how could I forget it, it's been right under my nose all along, and I nearly missed the most obvious place!"
He said before sprinting toward his own home.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Some villagers saw Lu Qing running and immediately got startled.
"Ah Qing, what's wrong, is there a problem with the assessment?"
"No problem, my assessment is fine!"
Lu Qing didn't have time to think about why the villagers knew about his assessment, and while running, he casually replied.
Soon, he arrived at his home and then looked at the corner of the yard where a small patch of robust plants was growing and smiled.
"It's you, cow bone grass."