Simply Trading

The first thing that the old man did, the moment that the boy was dressed in a plain grey robe, was to introduce himself:

"I am called Chen Xing, Xing with the character for new. What is your name, boy?"

"I am Qin Feng. Feng, as in wind."

For some reason, that made the old man laugh again. "Good. Good! It is a new wind, I think, that will shake the Medicine Gardens of the School. Come with me!"

Then they had left, by a side door that Qin Feng had not known about, out onto a footpath that led away from the Hall, and up into the hills to the rear of the same. The old man set a rather brisk pace, but he managed to follow him without falling too far behind.

It took a while, before old Chen Xing realized that he had almost lost his newest addition to the medicine gardens, and slowed down to match the young man's pace.

"How old are you, Qin Feng? You have heard about our rules, about having to make a choice when you reach sixteen, haven't you?"

"Yes," the boy gasped, somehow managing to answer the question, although he felt as if his lungs were already on fire. "I am still thirteen, but I was born in the middle of Spring. So it would be another moon before I reach fourteen now."

"Only two years then. Well, you will have to make your choice yourself."

Qin Feng thought for a while, before he made a response to that. But Chen Xing did not rush him. It seemed that the old man had already made his own conclusions about the boy.

"It is said that one can remain here, after one reaches the age of sixteen, if one is accepted into the Inner School. Or if one decides to join the School permanently, as a custodian. Is that true?"

"It is. And I am one of those custodians that you are talking about."

"But I do not need to make that decision now, do I? I mean, there is still a chance that I might pass the tests, and become an Inner School disciple. Isn't there?"

Chen Xing nodded, but there was a sad look on his face as he did so. "That is true. But since you have not even begun to cultivate your inner qi, or learn the sword, it isn't very likely that you can do it quickly. And you only have two years. It will be a little ... unrealistic, if you are hoping to join the Inner School before you reach sixteen.

"So I would suggest that you consider that carefully, once you have settled into your job."

Qin Feng seemed to accept that advice from the older man, and quickly turned the conversation to what was expected of him, once he became an acolyte of the medicine gardens.

"Oh, it is a simple thing, really. You will be responsible for your own little garden, which you can plant with a variety of herbs. There is a list of those at the Medicine Hall here, so you can have a look later. There are different demands for these, and you will get points for any excess that you can grow. Those Merit Points can then be exchanged for training resources and technique manuals."

"Any excess? What do you mean by that?"

Chen Xing smiled as he replied. "Basically, you are given a specific quota to meet. That needs to be handed in without fail, or there would be stiff penalties. But anything that you can harvest in excess of that is entirely yours to do with, as you will. Most exchange that for points which can then be used, as I have said."

Qin Feng nodded. "There is no restriction as to what I chose to do with the excess then? Or what I choose to grow?"

"So long as it is not a dangerous or poisonous plant, there are no restrictions. Some of the disciples have even ventured into the forest to the South, to pick up odd strains and unusual plants. Those are largely hit or miss. That being said, some have gained tremendous success because of them though."

The old man came to a stop as soon as he said that. And for a moment, Qin Feng thought that there was some point that he wished to emphasize. But Chen Xing merely pointed further up the trail, and the young man could see that they had almost reached the end of the trail.

There was a sheer face of rock in front of them, with what looked like a large cave entrance in the same. That, he realized, was what Chen Xing was drawing his attention to.

"That is the Entrance into the Main School. And we shall need to go through that to reach the rear mountains where the medicine gardens are located. That is called the Lower Entrance, and it separates the Lower Hall, which we have just come from, to the Main School."

Then he turned around, and gestured for Qin Feng to do the same. Before he pointed back down the trail, and Qin Feng turned to look in the direction that the old man was indicating. The Lower Hall where he was given drink and his new uniform could be clearly seen, surrounded by a number of small buildings, most likely residences and such, to cater to the disciples that lived around the same.

"Take a good look there. This may be your last time looking upon the Lower Hall. After we head deeper into the rear mountains, you will not be coming around this way again. Any reports that we make shall be to the Elders responsible for the gardens, at the Main Hall, further up the Sword Mountain."

Then he turned around, and gestured back at the archway ahead, that had been carved into the rear of the cave. "Once you are through this, you will be responsible for your own little medicine garden. I will explain the rules to you when we arrive. But your path will be a little different from the rest of the Outer School disciples here.

"You had best be aware of this."

"So long as I can learn the sword."

The old man sighed, and gave Qin Feng a smile. "I will get you a manual for the basic sword style that everyone here, in the Heaven Sword School, practices. But what progress you can make in it, is entirely up to you. In addition to that, you will need to learn the basic fist and palm technique that all of us medicine gardens disciples need to know. I will explain more about that later.

"In that case, let me be the first to welcome you to the medicine gardens."

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