Chapter 24: Passing the Test of the Shengjing Guild Master

"Yan Shu? Hmm, that's a good name. I'll speak to our director on your behalf—don't worry." Han Xingzhou smiled gently once more.

Yan Heru realized then that he truly was a man who smiled often. "Thank you very much," she replied.

"Han Xingzhou? Why are you standing by the door instead of helping inside?"

Just as Yan Heru finished expressing her gratitude, an aged voice sounded behind her. She turned to see a venerable elder with hair as white as frost.

The elder's eyes lingered on her with a trace of puzzlement before turning to Han Xingzhou. "Is this one of your patients?"

Han Xingzhou shook his head. "Director, this young lady wishes to meet you. She hopes to become a physician here."

The moment Han Xingzhou spoke, the air seemed to still once more.

Yan Heru found herself wondering again—was there something magical about that sentence? Why did it always make people so quiet all of a sudden?

"You say she wants to be a physician here?" The old man raised his brows, repeating the question.

"Yes." This time, Yan Heru didn't let Han Xingzhou answer for her. "Sir, do you believe a mere woman unworthy of being a physician here?"

"A mere woman is indeed unworthy of serving as a physician here. And what of it?" The old man's refusal was blunt and without the slightest courtesy.

His meaning was clear: if Yan Heru wished to become a physician here, she could abandon all hope.

Yan Heru's anger was piqued by the attitude of everyone at Shengjing Medical Hall. "And what gives you the right to deem a woman unfit for this place? Perhaps I am more skilled than you, more suited to the position you currently hold."

"You have quite the bold tongue, young lady, but I advise you to go home early. This is no place for you to play," the elder replied, unruffled by her audacity.

Yan Heru, unwilling to be outdone, pressed on, "Perhaps it is you who should return home. At your age, would it not be better to spend your days in peace? Such taxing matters ought to be left to the young like us."

Yan Heru instantly felt a hint of regret after speaking; after all, the elder before her was still a senior, and speaking so was indeed disrespectful.

But words, once spoken, cannot be taken back. She could only hasten to add, "Sir, you may test me as you wish. See for yourself whether I am qualified to stay."

This time, the elder did not respond immediately. He studied Yan Heru up and down, then, after what seemed a moment of solemn deliberation, said, "Since you are so determined to become a physician here, you must undergo the same test as the others. If you can succeed, then I will allow you to stay."

"Agreed—those are your words, sir, and you must not go back on them. Young Master Han, may I trouble you to be our witness?" Yan Heru agreed quickly, afraid the elder would retract his offer.

Han Xingzhou, though momentarily taken aback at being called upon, quickly recovered. "Of course."

"Since you are so eager, young lady, there is no time like the present. I shall test you today. Come with me." With that, the elder turned and walked into the courtyard.

Han Xingzhou, seeing the director had agreed, did not smile this time; instead, a look of concern clouded his face. "Are you truly prepared to face the director's test? In all these years, no one has ever succeeded…"

Yan Heru simply shook her head. "There is no need for you to worry. Perhaps I will be the first to pass, and a woman at that."

With a confident smile, she followed the director into the courtyard, Han Xingzhou trailing after them in silence.

Once inside, Yan Heru noticed that the director had changed into white robes, reminiscent of the lab coats worn in modern hospitals.

"Before you is a basket of medicinal herbs. Within a quarter of an hour, I want you to write down the names of each one. I'll give you some time to think, and even add an extra half of a quarter hour for you," the elder declared.

He set the basket before her. Yan Heru glanced over the contents, a hint of pride curling her lips.

"Naming all these herbs doesn't require so much time. I don't need to think; I can name them all right now, one by one."

"Qingling, Yellowleaf, Tongguang…"

Yan Heru began naming the herbs, placing each one into an empty basket as she spoke its name.

The elder listened, occasionally glancing at the herbs in her hands. Each time, the name matched the herb precisely.

Gradually, his expression grew more and more grave. Han Xingzhou, watching from the side, was visibly stunned by Yan Heru's display.

"Red Duckweed—there, that's the last one. Did I get them all right?" Yan Heru placed the final herb aside, dusted off her hands, and looked at the elder.

The old man was visibly shocked. Every name she had spoken was correct. But accuracy alone was not what had shaken him so deeply.

What truly astounded him was her speed: each time Yan Heru picked up a herb, she merely cast a fleeting glance at it and immediately named it, as though these herbs had been etched into her very soul—a knowledge ingrained into her bones.

"Have you handled herbs before? Or studied medicine under someone?" For the first time, the elder's demeanor grew earnest.

He could no longer dismiss Yan Heru.

"I've never had a teacher. I learned all of this on my own," Yan Heru replied calmly.

She spoke the truth—she had never had a master; her knowledge came solely from a medical book she had stumbled upon in the modern age.

Yet her reply left the elder speechless for a long moment. At last, he let out a deep sigh. "I did not expect you to be such a prodigy. You may remain at the Medical Hall. And not only that—I will grant you a very special position."

Seeing the gleam in the elder's eyes, Yan Heru suddenly felt as though she had stepped into a den of wolves. What strange idea had he come up with now?

The elder then sent Yan Heru away, and the special position he had mentioned was left undefined, its nature still a mystery.