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Chapter 39: The Discipleship Ceremony
Chapter 39: The Discipleship Ceremony
"Grandpa Chen, I've gathered all the herbs!" Lu Qing panted as he presented the herb basket to the elderly Doctor Chen in the courtyard halfway up the mountain.
Having just finished digging up the cow bone herb, he had rushed back, not wanting to be late.
The old doctor inspected the basket of herbs and nodded in satisfaction.
"Good, good. It wasn't easy for you to gather all these herbs, either."
"Grandpa Chen, what do you mean by that?" Lu Qing asked, puzzled.
The old doctor seemed to be hinting at something.
"Do you know why I set the assessment area near the village?" the old doctor asked.
"No," Lu Qing shook his head.
"It's because there aren't many herbs that grow near the village. Even if you count them all, there are only about a dozen varieties." The old doctor stroked his beard as he explained, "The fact that you were able to dig up all these herbs and bring them here undamaged within an hour shows that you must have paid close attention to these herbs in your daily life."
Hearing this, Lu Qing couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.
In his daily life, he hadn't really paid special attention to the herbs growing near the village.
Perhaps subconsciously, he had thought that the area near the village, with its constant flow of people, wouldn't have any precious medicinal herbs.
So, unless he came across them while out and about, he wouldn't bother to use his ability to check.
But when it came to really paying attention and knowing how many types of medicinal herbs were near the village, he hadn't done so.
It seemed that his mindset had been a little too relaxed.
Even the old doctor knew what herbs were growing near the village, yet he, with his supernatural ability, hadn't taken note of this. It was indeed something he should feel ashamed about.
Lu Qing couldn't help but reflect on his own behavior.
Seeing Lu Qing's silence, Doctor Chen thought he was tacitly admitting it.
He smiled and said, "Alright, you've passed this assessment. Now, go and invite the village elders up here."
"Invite the village elders?" Lu Qing was taken aback.
"Yes. I'm going to formally accept you as my disciple, so it's only right to have some witnesses present. Otherwise, it would be too casual."
"Yes, I'll go now!" Lu Qing's heart leaped with joy, and he ran back down the mountain.
The villagers had been aware that Lu Qing was going to undergo an assessment by Doctor Chen today, and they had been paying close attention.
Seeing Lu Qing running down from the mountain, they were delighted to learn that the old doctor was inviting the village elders up to witness the ceremony of formally accepting Lu Qing as his disciple.
"Wonderful! Now our village will finally have its own doctor!"
"Good job, Qing! You're truly our village's brightest child. You've really passed the assessment."
"Qing, go and tell Doctor Chen that we'll be there soon!"
The villagers had previously seen Lu Qing going to learn from Doctor Chen every day, and they had assumed he was already the old doctor's disciple.
But later, Lu Qing told them that he was, at most, only an apprentice to Doctor Chen and didn't yet have the qualifications to be formally accepted as his disciple.
Now that they heard that Lu Qing had finally passed the assessment and was going to be formally accepted as the old doctor's disciple, they couldn't help but be excited.
Not long after Lu Qing returned to the courtyard halfway up the mountain, the village elders arrived one by one, dressed neatly, with some even wearing their best clothes, usually reserved for the New Year.
In addition to the village elders, some of the other villagers who were at home also followed along to witness the excitement.
Some villagers even brought rice, flour, eggs, meat, and other items.
Doctor Chen had been waiting at the entrance of the small courtyard.
Seeing everyone arrive, he stepped forward and bowed.
"Thank you, fellow villagers, for honoring this old man by attending my disciple-receiving ceremony."
"Doctor Chen, you're too humble. It's us who should be thanking you," said the leading elder, Zhang, hurriedly. "Ever since you came to Jiuli Village, you've relieved us of countless ailments. We will always remember your kindness."
Chapter 39: The Discipleship Ceremony
"Grandpa Chen, I've gathered all the herbs!" Lu Qing exclaimed breathlessly as he presented the basket of herbs to Doctor Chen in the mountain courtyard. Having just dug up the final herb, he'd rushed back, not wanting to keep the elderly doctor waiting.
Doctor Chen inspected the basket with a satisfied nod. "Good, good. It wasn't easy for you to gather all these herbs either."
"What do you mean, Grandpa Chen?" Lu Qing asked, puzzled by the old doctor's hint.
"Do you know why I set the assessment area near the village?" Doctor Chen asked, stroking his beard.
Lu Qing shook his head. "No."
"It's because there aren't many herbs that grow near the village. Even if you count them all, there are only about a dozen varieties," the old doctor explained. "The fact that you were able to find and bring them all here undamaged within an hour shows that you must have paid close attention to these herbs in your daily life."
Hearing this, Lu Qing felt a twinge of shame. He hadn't really paid special attention to the herbs growing near the village in his daily life. Perhaps subconsciously, he had assumed that with the constant flow of people, there wouldn't be any precious medicinal herbs in the area.
Unless he happened to come across them, he wouldn't bother to use his ability to check. And while he had unconsciously taken note of some herbs, he hadn't truly studied and identified all the varieties growing nearby. His mindset had been too relaxed, and he realized that even Doctor Chen knew more about the local flora than he did, despite not having Lu Qing's supernatural ability.
Lu Qing's silence did not escape Doctor Chen's notice, who interpreted it as a tacit admission. "Alright, you've passed this assessment. Now, go and invite the village elders up here."
"Invite the village elders?" Lu Qing was taken aback.
"Yes. I'm going to formally accept you as my disciple, so it's only right to have some witnesses present. Otherwise, it would be too casual," the old doctor explained.
"Yes, I'll go now!" Lu Qing's heart leaped with joy, and he ran back down the mountain.
The villagers had been eagerly awaiting news of Lu Qing's assessment, and they were delighted to learn that Doctor Chen was inviting the elders to witness the discipleship ceremony.
"Wonderful! Now our village will finally have its own doctor!"
"Good job, Qing! You're truly our village's brightest child. You've really passed the assessment."
"Qing, go and tell Doctor Chen that we'll be there soon!"
While the villagers had seen Lu Qing learning from Doctor Chen every day, they had assumed he was already the old doctor's disciple. It was only later that Lu Qing clarified that he was, at most, only an apprentice and didn't yet have the qualifications to be formally accepted as a disciple.
Now that they heard he had passed the assessment, the villagers couldn't contain their excitement.
Not long after Lu Qing returned to the mountain courtyard, the village elders arrived, dressed neatly, some even in their best clothes usually reserved for special occasions. Accompanying them were other villagers who had stayed behind to witness the ceremony. Some even brought rice, flour, eggs, meat, and other items as gifts.
Doctor Chen had been waiting at the entrance of the small courtyard and stepped forward to bow respectfully. "Thank you, fellow villagers, for honoring this old man by attending my disciple-receiving ceremony."
Elder Zhang, the village leader, quickly spoke up. "Doctor Chen, you're too humble. It's us who should be thanking you. Ever since you came to Jiuli Village, you've relieved us of countless ailments. We will always remember your kindness."
Before long, Zhang produced a basket from behind his back and addressed the old doctor. "Doctor Chen, please don't see us as poor country folk. We may not have anything valuable to offer, but we hope you'll accept these eggs, cured meat, and grains as a token of our gratitude for taking Qing as your disciple."
As he finished speaking, two young men carried two bags of rice and flour, adding to the gifts.
This gesture left both Lu Qing and Doctor Chen stunned.
Elder Zhang continued, "It is true that most of us in Jiuli Village are descendants of refugees who fled here during difficult times."
"It was a challenging era, and during our escape, it was Qing's grandfather who supported and led us. Without him, we might not have survived the disasters that befell us along the way."
"In a sense, if it weren't for Qing's grandfather, there might not be a Jiuli Village today."
"Sadly, Qing's grandfather fell ill during the escape and passed away prematurely without proper treatment."
"We also failed to protect his son and daughter-in-law, who fell victim to deception and met with an unfortunate fate, leaving behind Qing and his sister, Xiao Yan, as orphans."
"Now that Qing has the good fortune of being accepted as your disciple, we ask that you consider his lonely background and show him leniency when he makes mistakes. Please give him multiple chances to learn and improve." With that, Elder Zhang bowed deeply to Doctor Chen.
The other villagers followed suit, bowing respectfully to the old doctor.
Seeing the villagers' sincere gestures, even Doctor Chen, with his decades of cultivation, felt a stir of emotion.
As for Lu Qing, he was deeply touched and shocked. First, Elder Zhang had revealed details about his grandfather that he had never known. Second, he never expected the villagers to go to such lengths for him.
After a moment of stunned silence, Doctor Chen quickly helped Elder Zhang up. "Please, everyone, there's no need for such formality. Your kindness is already overwhelming for this old man."
Then, addressing Elder Zhang, he said, "Zhang Lao, Lu Qing is a very intelligent child, and I consider myself fortunate to take him as my disciple. Rest assured, I will guide him well."
Elder Zhang's eyes lit up with emotion. "On behalf of his grandfather and parents, I thank you, Doctor Chen!" He handed over the basket, insisting, "Please accept these humble gifts."
"Zhang Lao, please, I understand your situation, and I cannot accept such generosity," Doctor Chen protested.
"Gifts are customary during discipleship ceremonies," Elder Zhang insisted. "We insist that you accept them as a token of our gratitude."
After several more exchanges, Doctor Chen finally relented and took a few eggs and a piece of cured meat from the basket as a symbolic acceptance of the villagers' gifts. However, he politely refused the rest.
Lu Qing, witnessing this exchange, made a mental note to reimburse the villagers for their gifts later. He hadn't expected the need for a discipleship gift and had only planned on bowing before the old doctor in front of the villagers. He had overlooked the fact that this world resembled ancient times.
The formal discipleship ceremony turned out to be more complex than he had imagined.
After this heartwarming interlude, Doctor Chen invited the villagers into the courtyard. With everyone gathered, Lu Qing began the formal discipleship ceremony under their watchful eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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