Chapter 38: Assessment
Chapter 38: Assessment
"Grandpa Chen, am I done studying the Hundred Herb Classic?" Lu Qing asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Indeed. Your learning speed has exceeded my expectations. You've already committed the Hundred Herb Classic to memory, so from now on, you just need to review it occasionally. There's no need to study it intensively anymore." The elderly Doctor Chen stroked his beard as he spoke.
He had been extremely pleased with Lu Qing's performance lately.
Lu Qing's intelligence far surpassed his expectations.
In just over half a month, Lu Qing had already memorized the entire Hundred Herb Classic.
Initially, Doctor Chen had thought that if Lu Qing could read through the book fluently within a month, it would be quite an accomplishment.
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Grandpa Chen," Lu Qing said, feeling relieved.
Finally, he didn't have to study that Hundred Herb Classic anymore!
He had practically memorized every word of the book during this period.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could recite it backward.
However, he couldn't just reveal that he had already committed the book to memory.
Even if he wanted to display his intelligence, he had to do it gradually in a way that others could accept.
Otherwise, if he showed off his prodigious abilities all at once, it might backfire and create a bad impression.
Now, the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
"Lu Qing, your intelligence has surpassed my expectations, but we still need to proceed with the assessment we agreed upon," Doctor Chen said.
"I understand, Grandpa Chen. Please go ahead with the assessment," Lu Qing said respectfully.
"You've already memorized the Hundred Herb Classic, but simply memorizing a book isn't enough. You also need to apply that knowledge in practice to truly understand it."
"My assessment is simple. Within one hour, I want you to find ten types of medicinal herbs mentioned in the Hundred Herb Classic near the village and bring them back to me."
"Remember, you can't bring the book with you, you mustn't make any mistakes in identifying the herbs, and you mustn't damage any of the herbs during the collection process."
Lu Qing silently memorized the instructions given by the old doctor. After he finished speaking, Lu Qing asked, "Is that all, Grandpa Chen?"
"Yes, that's it. If you can do these things, I will formally accept you as my disciple—my first and only disciple," Doctor Chen said.
"Rest assured, I won't let you down!" Lu Qing said confidently.
"Take this herb basket and digging tool. Remember, you only have one hour. If you exceed the time limit, even if you bring back all the herbs, you won't pass the assessment," the old doctor said as he handed Lu Qing the tools.
"Then I'm off!"
Lu Qing took the basket and digging tool and headed downhill.
As soon as he reached the foot of the mountain, he spotted a herb.
[Thunder Root: High-quality herb with medicinal properties.]
[Cures heat-induced ailments and is effective against coughs.]
The Thunder Root was indeed mentioned in the Hundred Herb Classic.
When Lu Qing's ability showed him that it was of high quality, he immediately bent down and started digging it up carefully.
The digging tool provided by the old doctor was very sharp, so Lu Qing dug with caution, afraid that he might accidentally damage the herb.
After all, one of the assessment criteria was not to harm any herbs during the collection process.
He carefully dug up the Thunder Root and placed it in the basket. Lu Qing then calculated the time and felt a sense of urgency.
It had taken him almost a quarter of the allotted time to dig up just one herb.
At this rate, it would take him ten quarters to collect all ten herbs, but the old doctor had only given him one hour for the assessment.
"I can't afford to be so slow. I need to speed up," Lu Qing thought to himself.
Initially, Lu Qing had assumed that with his ability, finding ten types of medicinal herbs would be a breeze.
But now, he realized that if he wasn't careful, he might actually fail the assessment.
Putting aside his casual attitude, Lu Qing started to move faster as he searched for the remaining herbs in other areas.
Along the way, his eyes scanned the grass and bushes on both sides of the road intently.
Chapter 38: Assessment
"I'll have to rely on my ability to identify them." Lu Qing decided.
As soon as he saw a plant that resembled one from the Hundred Herb Classic, he would activate his ability to check its information.
Upon confirming that it was indeed a medicinal herb mentioned in the book, he would start digging it up.
Dandelion, Cocklebur, Plantain...
One by one, Lu Qing dug up the herbs mentioned in the Hundred Herb Classic and placed them into his basket.
His forehead was covered in sweat from the exertion, and when he wiped it, streaks of mud marked his skin.
A villager passing by saw Lu Qing's state and found it amusing.
"Ah Qing, what are you doing there? You look like a muddy monkey," the villager, Wang Bo, said with a chuckle.
"Wang Bo, I'm digging for herbs. It's a task Grandpa Chen assigned me, so I can't afford to be careless," Lu Qing replied.
"Grandpa Chen assigned it? Then you must be serious about it. Do you need my help?" Wang Bo's expression turned solemn.
The villagers genuinely respected Doctor Chen, and the mention of his task immediately changed the atmosphere.
"No, no, I have to do this myself. It's Grandpa Chen's assessment of my learning progress," Lu Qing waved his hand to decline.
"In that case, Ah Qing, you'd better hurry up and not let Grandpa Chen down."
Hearing Lu Qing's words, Wang Bo's expression became even more earnest.
After all, whether Lu Qing succeeded in his studies would affect the village's access to medical care in the future.
"Don't worry, I'll do my best." Lu Qing waved and said, "Wang Bo, I have to go now. Grandpa Chen only gave me an hour for this assessment, and I still need to dig up the herbs over there."
Watching Lu Qing's departing figure, Wang Bo immediately ran towards the village.
Soon, almost everyone in the village knew that Lu Qing was in the midst of completing an assessment task given by Doctor Chen.
As a result, no one dared to disturb him, not even the mischievous children who were usually running amok.
They were afraid that their antics might cause Lu Qing to fail his assessment and be sent away from the village.
Even the village dogs were kept away from him, lest they distract him from his task.
Lu Qing, who was focused on his herb-digging mission, was oblivious to the villagers' reactions.
He only found it strange that the village seemed much quieter than usual.
Normally, by this time, the children would be running and playing noisily all over the place.
However, this thought merely flashed through Lu Qing's mind and was quickly dismissed.
He had more pressing matters to worry about at the moment.
He had already dug up eight herbs and only needed two more, but time was running out.
If he didn't hurry, he would likely fail this assessment.
At this point, Lu Qing felt a twinge of regret.
He hadn't paid much attention to the types of herbs growing near the village, and now he was paying the price for his negligence.
Perhaps over-relying on his ability wasn't such a good idea after all.
He had become complacent, thinking that he could always use his ability to identify herbs whenever he needed to.
Fortunately, luck was on Lu Qing's side, and he soon found another herb mentioned in the Hundred Herb Classic.
"Just one more to go," he muttered to himself.
After carefully digging up this herb, Lu Qing paused to catch his breath.
However, he knew that time was not on his side.
"Where can I find the last herb?" he wondered aloud.
Then, suddenly, he smacked his forehead.
"Of course! How could I forget? I was so focused on searching elsewhere that I almost overlooked what was right under my nose!"
With that realization, he sprinted towards his own home.
A villager who saw him running looked startled and called out, "Ah Qing, what's wrong? Did something go wrong with your assessment?"
"No, my assessment is going fine!" Lu Qing replied without stopping, his mind fully occupied with the task at hand.
Soon, he reached his home and smiled as he spotted the healthy growth of a particular plant in the corner of the yard.
"You're the one, Ox-Knee Grass!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
