Ye Qin spotted the little fatty instantly—the same brat who had spat at him at the city gate. He immediately took off, scrambling toward the densest part of the crowd. Weak as he was, he knew he stood no chance against the fat boy and decided flight was the only option.

The courtyard was small, and the little fatty, though bulky, was carrying a weak, puffy sort of fat. He couldn't keep up with Ye Qin’s small frame for long. After a brief chase, he was left gasping for air, finally giving up the pursuit only to shout curses incessantly. He seemed infuriated that Ye Qin had also managed to enter the Herb Gathering Hall and, worse, ended up in the same small yard.

Fortunately, the other children weren't keen on causing trouble. Seeing Ye Qin's utterly ragged, torn hemp clothes, they quickly lost interest. The children from better-off families wore rough-spun cloth, and even those less fortunate could afford clean hemp garments. Few wore hemp rags as riddled with holes as Ye Qin’s.

Ye Qin stealthily surveyed the small yard, locating a safe corner far from the little fatty. He hated the boy intensely. Setting aside the spitting incident, the boy was now chasing him without provocation. He vowed that once he regained his strength, he would beat the kid soundly, regardless of whether the boy was the son of a local squire.

That evening, the Herb Gathering Hall servants delivered over a dozen large buckets of thin porridge and just as many huge basins of steamed buns to the small yard. A servant chuckled, "Eat your fill tonight. Tomorrow, you'll be tested in the main courtyard. If you don't have the energy tomorrow, you won't eat for the entire day!"

All the children were famished and descended upon the food in a swarm, dividing everything in moments.

Ye Qin was relatively older than the other children, but his weak constitution meant he couldn't compete with even the younger ones. He desperately pushed his way forward, managing to secure one bowl of thin porridge and one steamed bun, which he crammed down his throat hastily. To him, this meager offering was the most delicious feast in the world.

It had been over half a year since Ye Qin had last eaten a full meal.

Yet, the thought of Da Niu waiting outside the main courtyard filled him with overwhelming grief and indignation. How could Da Niu survive alone in the county town? If Da Niu perished, of all the companions who had come seeking sustenance from the local area, Ye Qin would be left utterly alone.

Though the small yard contained a few crude structures, they couldn't possibly house all these children; they could hold perhaps a few dozen at most.

Despite knowing each other for less than a day, the children were already beginning to form cliques, creating dozens of small and large gangs.

Ye Qin observed carefully. These cliques showed distinct divisions.

Naturally, the children from wealthy households clustered together. The commoners grouped separately, and the poor children from the countryside formed their own separate clusters. Judging by their accents and clothing, one could clearly distinguish the locals from the county town, those from the same nearby town, and those hailing from some rural village. The segregation was absolute; they never mingled. As for him, dressed like a beggar, he had no group. He understood clearly that no other street urchin would dare apply to be a Herb Gathering Apprentice at this Hall, and naturally, no one wanted to associate with him.

The few children of squires within the crowd, including the little fatty, were the smallest in number, but their demeanor was the most domineering and aggressive. Ignoring everyone else, they simply monopolized the best room in the small yard.

The few commoner groups from the county town dared not provoke the squire children, so they occupied the remaining rooms.

The vast majority of the remaining children, those who came from the townships, appeared utterly frail and kept silent, forced to sleep directly in the open courtyard. Although sleeping outdoors at night was somewhat chilly, with so many people huddled together, they generated enough warmth.

Ye Qin curled up in a corner of the yard and drifted into a heavy sleep. That night, he had a terrible nightmare featuring the grim face of Apothecary Wang. He had firmly etched the "culprit and main instigator" who drove Da Niu away into his memory. If anything untoward happened to Da Niu outside, Apothecary Wang would be held accountable.

The next morning, at dawn.

In the largest open area of the Herb Gathering Hall’s main courtyard, a tall platform had been hastily erected, along with ten small wooden huts. Hundreds of children, aged between seven and twelve, stood randomly scattered across the flat ground. Having been rushed there first thing in the morning without eating, they waited to undergo the drug trials.

None of the children truly understood how this "testing" process would unfold, but they vaguely sensed great peril.

Surrounding the flat ground were dozens of teenagers, around fourteen or fifteen years old, their expressions cold and aloof. They wore identical, luxurious robes and carried wooden swords, maintaining order at the site. Anyone attempting to run off would surely receive several sharp strikes.

The children yelped in pain, instantly learning their lesson, daring not to stray. They obediently followed whatever instructions these youths gave them.

The children speculated on the identities of these older boys and girls, assuming they were apprentices from earlier recruitment batches or disciples from the Inner Hall. They secretly envied them, thinking the Herb Gathering Hall truly was promising—in a few years, they too might wear magnificent clothes and learn some martial skills worth boasting about.

Once order was roughly established on the flat ground, one of the arrogant youths leaped onto the several-meter-high platform and bowed toward a portly middle-aged man dressed in silk robes. "Chief Steward Zhang, everything is arranged. The drug testing may commence!"

Though addressing him as Chief Steward Zhang, the richly clad youth's tone held a degree of disdain. He was a core disciple of the Inner Hall, apprenticed under one of the Hall's Deputy Masters. This Chief Steward merely managed miscellaneous affairs and had no martial arts skill, rendering him insignificant in the youth's eyes. Only out of deference to rank did he offer the title.

Chief Steward Zhang paid no mind, instead nodding with evident satisfaction. He stood on the platform, puffing out his belly, and addressed the assembled children in the great courtyard with grand airs.

"Line up, line up! Don't crowd! Follow my instructions. Everyone is to divide into ten groups and enter the wooden huts one by one for the test. Whether you can become a Herb Gathering Apprentice of our Hall and live a comfortable life depends on passing this trial.

The rules for the testing are as follows:

Each wooden hut contains one hundred different medicinal herbs. Fifty of these are toxic, varying in severity—the mildest will cause slight itching across the body, while the deadliest can cause death within half an hour. Another thirty are non-toxic herbs; consuming them causes no harm. And twenty are detoxifying herbs that can counteract poisons.

If you consume nine or fewer herbs and become poisoned, you are immediately expelled from the Herb Gathering Hall and will not be hired. If you consume ten or more, you become a probationary Apprentice in the Outer Hall, subject to observation for half a year. If you consume twenty or more, you become a formal Apprentice of the Outer Hall. If you consume thirty or more, you can become a Pill-Refining Apprentice in the Inner Hall. The more you consume, the higher your status and treatment within the sect will be. Should anyone consume between fifty and seventy herbs, they may directly apprentice under a Deputy Master and become a core disciple of the Outer Hall.

However, before the trial, everyone must sign a Life and Death Agreement here with me, stating that this test is entirely voluntary, taken without coercion, and that any accidents will be borne by the individual alone, with no liability to others. Only after affixing your fingerprint may you proceed to the trial. Who wishes to go first?"