Chapter Nineteen: You Disagree?

"That day, you asked why I had to be so ruthless, why I couldn't let you go... I don't even know what you saw, or who you encountered.

But now, I beg you too—please stop haunting me, let me go..."

At this moment, the voice became clearer. Chen Yushu heard every word, and an expression of contemplation appeared on his face.

It seemed that Xu Hao also knew he was being haunted.

Whether out of guilt or fear, he hadn't reported it to the pharmacy's supervisor or the shopkeeper right away, but had instead come here in secret to burn funeral paper, pleading for the spirit to leave him be.

But would it work?

Chen Yushu remained where he was, his eyes sweeping the area. His heart suddenly skipped a beat.

It appeared.

Not far behind Xu Hao, under the shadow of a tall pagoda tree, a figure stood silently.

It was the ghostly silhouette of Li Pei.

"As long as you don't trouble me anymore, every festival day I'll burn incense and send you paper money. May you live in peace and comfort below," Xu Hao continued, his gaze fixed on the burning incense on the ground. The incense burned in an unusual pattern—one short, two long sticks. His expression changed, and his tone grew fierce. "You refuse? Fine. If you won't let me live in peace, then I won't let you either. Even if it costs me dearly, I'll find someone to exorcise you..."

His words seemed to enrage the presence behind him, for the moment Xu Hao finished speaking, Chen Yushu saw black mist rise from the ghostly figure, which until now had stood quietly. If Xu Hao turned around at that moment, he might easily see it himself.

Its malice had been provoked, and an icy chill radiated from it, so tangible it seemed to affect reality—the nearby weeds withered rapidly in its wake.

Xu Hao sensed something as well, shuddering inexplicably. He glanced around in panic, then hurried away, not daring to linger.

At that moment, Chen Yushu did not move.

For just as Xu Hao shuddered and left, Chen Yushu noticed that the ghost, which had just released its malevolence, had now slowly turned to face directly in his direction.

It saw him.

Chen Yushu's heart leapt.

He quickly averted his eyes, pretending nothing was amiss, while his other hand gripped a bamboo tube tightly and quietly twisted off the lid.

Inside was the Yang attribute item he had prepared in advance.

Time seemed to stretch unbearably long.

He felt awkward and stiff just standing there.

Just as he was about to make another move, he noticed the ghost beneath the pagoda tree had vanished without a trace.

Only then did Chen Yushu let out a long breath.

"This really is..."

His pale face was full of helplessness. "Sometimes, being able to see things isn't necessarily a blessing."

He had no mood left for further practice, especially afraid that the ghost might still be lurking nearby, waiting to reveal itself again. He hurried toward the pharmacy's back courtyard.

Before leaving, his gaze swept the direction where the paper was burned. He also saw the incense.

He suddenly noticed that the stick which had been burning the fastest now slowed, while the other two burned rapidly, as if something was greedily absorbing them. Soon, all three sticks were burnt to the same length and snuffed out in quick succession...

...

Night fell swiftly.

Chen Yushu completed his daily cultivation as usual, washed himself, and slowly entered Room Three.

Fortunately, all seven people were present. Though the air was thick with the usual smell, the presence of others eased his anxiety.

The group was in lively conversation.

Their topic: Wang Yuan, the apprentice living in Room Two at the pharmacy. That morning, Wang Yuan had reported to the outer supervisor that he had achieved Small Accomplishment in the stake stance training.

After verification, he was found not only to have mastered the corresponding external strengthening method, the "King of Medicine's Strength-Locking Art," but was also told he could be promoted directly to work in the shop as a decoction apprentice.

A decoction apprentice.

Still an apprentice, still with chores—but now working inside the shop, only busy when there were patients. Most of the time could be spent resting.

The key was, they would learn real skills—and receive wages!

For apprentices like them, wages were unheard of.

"Just reaching Small Accomplishment in the stake stance is enough for promotion and a job inside the shop. First it was Zhang Ruyun, now Wang Yuan. This must be the true rule of the pharmacy: the stake stance is the real criterion. Entry-level gets you a place here doing odd jobs; Small Accomplishment gets you inside, learning real skills and maybe becoming a physician."

After a few days here, Chen Yushu had begun to understand.

Perhaps this was an open secret in the pharmacy, something everyone knew, but Wang Yuan's promotion had stirred them all anew.

"Sigh, just reaching entry-level in the stake stance is so hard. Small Accomplishment? When would that ever happen? I heard Wang Yuan's only been an apprentice two years—how did he do it?"

Someone couldn't help but ask, envy thick in their voice.

"That's nothing," another chimed in, admiration in his eyes. "Brother Hao reached entry-level in seven days, Small Accomplishment in a year—that's truly impressive."

"Brother Hao is remarkable. He's a physician's apprentice now. But there's someone even more impressive than him," someone else replied quickly.

"Who?" The others were curious.

"Chen Yushu!"

At the mention of his name, everyone fell silent, and almost instantly all eyes turned to Chen Yushu.

When he heard his name, Chen Yushu sensed trouble.

The speaker was Zhao He, one of the two apprentices who had received pointers from Master Qian that morning alongside Chen Yushu.

Zhao He had heard from Master Qian himself that Chen Yushu had reached the entry-level in the stake stance. Perhaps he hadn't had a chance to tell the others during work, or perhaps they hadn't believed him before. Now, with everyone present and the moment ripe, he couldn't help but bring it up.

"Chen Yushu, is it true? You've really reached entry-level in the stake stance?" Li Hu, sitting beside him, was the first to ask, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Yes," Chen Yushu replied simply. He knew there was no hiding it, nor had he intended to.

"Gosh... How? How did you train?" someone else gasped, pressing for details.

Li Hu, too, was shocked, half-skeptical and a little envious. He forced a smile and said, "Really? Then congratulations!"