Supreme Emperor of Mist

Chapter 267: Sorting Herbs

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"This senior brother, can I know where is Elder Gongsun's room is located?" Qin Lan asked. Two wine jars were dangling as it was held together with a hemp rope dyed in red. On the broader surface of the jar stuck a red Xuan-Paper, also dyed in red with a word (Wine) on it.

From what Mang Jiu said, this is the signature wine from the Mang Family Village. It was noticeable because no other family village nor breweries around the area would stick a precious Xuan-Paper on the wine jar.

(Xuan-Paper is usually made of grains, often rice, before crushed and mixed with potassium, lye, and ash to create a robust and high-quality paper.  Of course, since this is eastern fantasy, please assume it was made with a traditional method involving rice, which is a staple food for the villagers. Using rice to make paper instead of eating is a way to say how much pride the Mang Family Village has in its brewery.)

"Who are you, fellow disciple?" the disciple handling and sorting the medicinal grasses asked. He looked about Qin Lan's age. Judging from his sad expression, he seems a little down because he was assigned to sort the medicinal grasses on their own varieties.

"Qin Lan," Qin Lan introduced himself to the disciple properly to avoid any misunderstanding.

"Qin - Qin Lan, the Iron Heart Token Holder? I'm sorry! Please don't report me to the elder!" the disciple panicked the moment he heard Qin Lan's name. He might have no clue about how this token holder looks, but he does know one or two about the elder's biased support to this person.

Senior brother. We're all fellow disciples in this Iron Flesh Sect, and I have nothing to report to him either. What about I give you a hand on sorting these medicinal grass, so you can take me to the elder's room after we're done?" Qin Lan pulled a part of his robe to one side and kneeled beside the disciple.

Using his expertise in handling the herbs, he could easily discern the differences between the medicinal grasses on the floor.

"Monkgrass Stem, Sweet Dragon Grass, and Linglong Grass... How can the three of them get mixed together?" Qin Lan curiously asked. If he were to guess based on this disciple's mood, Qin Lan would assume that others bullied him on purpose.

"Yesterday, there's an influx of medicinal herbs into the sect. A few fellow brothers knew I was on duty today, so they purposely made it difficult for me by mixing them together. I am done with the other plants, but this stack is just too much for me to do alone." the disciple rant a little.

But after he finished speaking, he immediately noticed that he went overboard with his words. As if he knew that there was no point in taking back what he said, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"If in that case, let me teach fellow brother a trick to sort them quickly." Qin Lan put his hand into the stack of identical medicinal herbs and applied a hint of Spiritual Qi on his palm. This action of his brought out some of the redness on the dried Sweet Dragon Grass.

"This..." the disciple was a little flabbergasted by what Qin Lan just did. Qin Lan revealed many Sweet Dragon Grass from the pile by merely moving his hand across the medicinal herbs. The two quickly took this opportunity to separates as much of the Sweet Dragon Grass as possible before repeating the same process twice.

A small trick like this shortened the disciple's sorting process by at least one to two hours. His happiness was evidently shown on his face as he no longer carrying that sad expression on him.

"I had no idea that the Sweet Dragon Grass can be sorted out with such a straightforward method. But what about the Monkgrass Stem and Linglong Grass?" the disciple's face went back to slightly dull when his attention was back at the pile of medicinal grass.

"Monkgrass Stem is a root, so they're heavier. Get over there and grab the charcoal ash over here. Grab around five medicinal grass and shook the tray to see which one sank into the ash. The one that fell inside is Monkgrass Stem, and the one that remained on top would be the Linglong Grass." Qin Lan said.

Qin Lan repeated the same trick five times under the curious view of other disciples working in this medicinal pavilion to show the correct method. All the disciples doubted his practice. But eventually, settled to his way of sorting herb, which is faster and simpler.

Furthermore, this was a good trick that could turn the charcoal ashes into good use.

Under the curious gaze of all the other disciples in this medicinal pavilion, Qin Lan successfully sorted all the medicinal grass within an hour with the disciple. Without his help, this work would likely take him an entire day to complete.

While some of them were smiling and praising Qin Lan for his tips, three of the disciples gathered in a corner seem to have a different opinion of what he just did. There's a hint of disdain, hate, and anger from their facial expression.

Although they were standing far from Qin Lan, it wasn't far enough from Qin Lan's sharp gaze. But he decided to let them off for now since he had no idea who was right and who was wrong. If it was him, he might have used such a trick to train the disciples too.

But from the facial expression of the three, there's a hint of jealousy and hate from them.

After keeping the medicinal chest containing the herbs back to where they should, the disciple voluntarily walked over to Qin Lan's side and offered to guide him towards the elder's room.

"Fellow disciple Qin, please! Let this brother, Qian Shou, guide you to the elder's room." he was smiling while he pointed his palm towards where they're supposed to go.

"Please, brother Qian!" Qin Lan smiled and took the first step towards where he was pointed to go.

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