System Bestows me with Immortality, Living on to Eventually Become Invincible

Chapter 11 – Chen Xun pays homage to his master, Niu Pipotian

Medicine is profound and vast; one cannot afford to be careless. It starts with recognizing herbs. Ning Si gave him a book on medicinal herbs, instructing Chen Xun to identify and memorize each one in the backyard.

Otherwise, Chen Xun wouldn't even qualify to do menial work at Pingtai Medical Hall. However, he considered himself quite clever, teaching Black Bull to recognize herbs while reinforcing his own knowledge.

Reality, however, dealt Chen Xun a harsh lesson. With thousands of herbs to identify, rote memorization was not enough.

At night, they lit candles in the backyard, where man and bull studied by lamplight.

"Bull, I didn't realize your brain wasn't so sharp after all," Chen Xun laughed heartily, feeling instantly balanced as they were even.

For Chen Xun, nothing was more painful than not being unable to learn, but rather that Bull would learn and he would not.

Moo! Moo!

Black Bull was angry, its eyes wide, nudging Chen Xun. It didn't recognize some obscure characters and relied on Chen Xun to interpret them.

But it had a plan in mind—to overtake Chen Xun while he was indisposed and deflate his arrogant spirit.

Time quietly slipped away as they learned to identify herbs. A year passed, and Chen Xun officially donned the assistant's uniform of Pingtai Medical Hall.

He walked with a spring in his step, a smug smile on his lips.

In that year, he had recognized most of the herbs, but Doctor Ning didn't praise his talent, only his perseverance and ability to endure loneliness.

He added his longevity points to his speed. In the martial world, speed is paramount; as long as he was fast enough, disaster would always lag behind.

"Assistant, one qian of holly, two qian of baiwei, three qian of autumn stone."@@@@

"Right away."

Chen Xun responded, adeptly gathering the herbs from various cabinets and packaging them for the customer.

After resting at night, Chen Xun, cracking sunflower seeds, continued to study the herb book with Black Bull.

But doubt crept into his eyes as he scrutinized Black Bull, murmuring, "Old Bull."

"Moo!" Black Bull shuddered, unable to hide the truth.

"Have you been secretly learning? I've been watching you for days."

Chen Xun's brow arched; the bull had crossed a line. It had been all smiles at night, but by day, while Chen Xun worked as an assistant, it had been secretly learning—a bold move!

"Moo! Moo!" Black Bull broke into a cold sweat, denying it, but its eyes betrayed the truth.

"You're banned from reading tonight."

Chen Xun turned away, resuming his snack, "Until you realize the error of your ways, I won't study with you."

"Chen Xun, what is the duty of a healer?"

"To treat the sick and save lives."

"But virtue is even more important."

Ning Si narrowed his eyes, looking at Chen Xun, "If you encounter a bandit on the road, who has committed all manner of evil but is gravely injured and seeks your help, what would you do?"

Chen Xun paused thoughtfully before answering earnestly, "Well, Teacher Ning, I'll tell you the truth."

"Go ahead."

"Since he's gravely injured, I'd surely notice him first, but I wouldn't save him."

Chen Xun hesitated, struggling slightly, "I would pass by with a headscarf to avoid future retribution."

Ning Si and his wife were taken aback by his answer, which even considered his own safety.

"Not bad, not bad."

Ning Si sipped his tea and smiled, "A healer should not commit evil; just stick to your principles. I just wanted to hear your honest answer."

"This child is indeed good, with upright character and excellent temperament."

The Mistress agreed with a smile, noting that if Chen Xun had said he would save the man to please them, they would have thought less of him for being insincere.

"Good, you are now formally my disciple. In my life, I've only taken two disciples, and you are the third."

Ning Si was serious; he had observed Chen Xun for a long time, "Though you may not be the most naturally gifted, I believe you will be the one to reach the pinnacle of medical skill."

Surprise flickered in the Mistress's eyes, as she had never heard Ning Si praise someone so highly, not even their own daughter.

"Teacher Ning flatters me."

Chen Xun remained calm, bowing respectfully, though the corner of his mouth began to twitch.

After the ceremony, Chen Xun returned to the backyard of the medical hall, cracking sunflower seeds and boasting to Black Bull about the recent events, radiating a single emotion: awesomeness.

He exaggerated about his master praising him as a future medical emperor, with purple aura extending thirty thousand li, and celestial beings congratulating the return of Emperor Chen.

"Moo moo moo!!"

Black Bull believed every word, its eyes round with excitement, running around in a frenzy, occasionally nudging him, genuinely happy for Chen Xun.

"Ha ha ha..."

The courtyard echoed with Chen Xun's laughter and Black Bull's joyful moos, as Chen Xun continued to invest all his longevity points in speed.