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The courtyard became lively early the next morning.

Uncle Li was dressed in a clean blue cloth robe, his hair was neatly combed, and he sat on the armchair in the main room.

Although he didn't show it on his face, Xiao Yi and the others could tell that he was in a good mood today, with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had smoothed out a bit. He also occasionally touched his gray beard.

Tao'er and Ayan changed into clean clothes and solemnly carried the apprenticeship ceremony into the main hall.

Xiao Yi, A Chen, Dong Kui, and Qing Feng sat down below, surrounding the area and watching with smiles.

Tao'er walked up to Uncle Li, bowed respectfully, and presented the new clothes with both hands: "Uncle Li, this is a set of clothes I prepared for you. It was bought according to your size. Would you like to try it on and see if it fits?"

Xiao Yi told her the size of the clothes.

Uncle Li took it, unfolded it, and examined it. The dark blue material had a warm luster under the light, and the stitches were fine and neat, indicating excellent workmanship.

He nodded, folded the clothes neatly and placed them aside, his voice calm and even, but with a gentle warmth in his eyes: "Okay."

Ayan also stepped forward, presenting the back scratcher he had personally crafted with both hands.

The back scratcher was made from an old bamboo, with a smooth and rounded handle and a small ruyi-shaped head. Although the carving was a bit clumsy, it was made with care.

He spent most of the night making this, but Uncle Shi Qi helped him out.

"Grandpa Li, my skills aren't very good, so it's a bit rough. Please don't mind."

Ayan said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm afraid Grandpa Li will dislike it."

Uncle Li took the back scratcher, examined it for a moment, and then reached behind his back twice. The back scratcher's length and curvature were just right, making it very easy to use.

He finally couldn't help but curl up his lips into a smile, a rare occurrence: "Okay, this is good."

"Very practical, Ayan put a lot of thought into it, Grandpa is very happy."

Everyone laughed when they heard that.

Ayan scratched the back of his head and chuckled along.

Elder Li, having accepted the apprenticeship gift, naturally had to reciprocate with a gift in return.

He took two things out of his pocket and handed Tao'er a small wooden tag.

The sign was about the size of a palm and looked unremarkable at first glance. It was made of ordinary peach wood with a few lines of small characters and a strange pattern carved on it, the meaning of which was unclear.

Tao'er took it and looked at it over and over, but couldn't see anything special about it. However, she still carefully put it away.

Uncle Li handed Ayan another book.

The book wasn't thick, but it was well-preserved, with a blue cloth cover that read "Compendium of Materia Medica".

When Ayan opened it, his eyes lit up immediately. It contained a dense record of the names, forms, origins, medicinal properties, and effects of thousands of herbs. Each herb was accompanied by a hand-drawn illustration, which was lifelike and detailed.

"Ayan, this book is something I, your master, spent ten years collecting and organizing when I was young."

I have personally tested every herb listed in it.

Detailed annotations were also made below.

First, you should memorize all the herbal images in this book until they are thoroughly understood. This is the first step.

If you can't remember it, there's no point in reading the rest.

Ayan took the book with both hands and nodded solemnly: "Grandpa Li, don't worry, I will definitely study hard."

The next step is the apprenticeship ceremony.

Elder Li nodded in satisfaction: This child is calm and composed, not bad at all!

"Ayan, studying medicine is very hard. You must not give up halfway, otherwise you are not worthy to be my apprentice."

If you can't stick with it after a few days, then don't call yourself my apprentice.

Did you remember that?

Ayan nodded repeatedly, "Ayan will remember."

"Then let's begin the apprenticeship ceremony now!"

Elder Li said.

It is not considered a formal apprenticeship ceremony if no formal apprenticeship ceremony is performed.

Tao'er and Ayan stood side by side, respectfully kowtowed three times to Uncle Li, and then offered him tea.

Elder Li sat upright in his armchair, took the tea, and each of them took a sip. Then he helped them up and said a few words.

"To learn medicine, one must first learn to be a good person. A doctor's heart is benevolent; this is not just something to say."

After you have completed your studies, regardless of your medical skills, you must first have a kind and compassionate heart.

Patients entrust their lives to you, and you must live up to that trust.

Do you two remember this?

Tao'er and Ayan replied in unison, "We've got it."

Everyone present applauded, and Dongkui's eyes reddened as she quietly wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

From now on, Peach Sister and Young Master have gained another skill.

Qingfeng stood beside her. Seeing her like this, he hesitated for a moment, then took out a clean handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to her.

Dongkui took it, glanced at him, and whispered "Thank you." Qingfeng shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Elder Li then said, "Peach Girl, Ayan, although I have accepted you as my disciples, do not expose yourselves to the outside world."

Keep calling me whatever you normally call me.

If everyone knew he had taken on an apprentice, I wonder how many people would come looking for him.

He has finally managed to hide his identity, and he can't let people in the martial arts world know about it.

Tao'er nodded. "Uncle Li, we understand."

"I'll do whatever you say."

Although Ayan didn't quite understand, he nodded as if he did.

After the apprenticeship ceremony was completed, everyone dispersed to attend to their own business.

Elder Li called Tao'er and Ayan over and began to assign them their homework.

Elder Li first turned to Ayan: "You don't need to do anything now, just memorize all the herbal medicines in this book."

You must remember clearly what shape the leaves of each herb are, what color the flowers are, what the roots and stems look like, where they grow, and what season they are harvested.

I'll test you in a month. If you can't remember it, you'll get a beating.

Ayan nodded vigorously, picked up the book, sat down to the side, and began to read it carefully.

Uncle Li then turned to Tao'er, pondered for a moment, and said, "As for you..."

Peach perked up her ears and waited.

"I will teach you to recognize some poisonous plants and distinguish poisons."

Tao'er was taken aback, somewhat surprised, and instinctively paused for a moment.

She had thought that Uncle Li would teach her from the most basic herbs, just like he taught Ayan, but she never expected that he would teach her to distinguish poisons.

Uncle Li noticed her confusion and explained calmly, "Ayan is young and has no foundation, so it's suitable for her to start learning from herbs and take it one step at a time."

You are a woman, clever, meticulous, and observant. Detoxification and poison-making are perfect for you.

Poison and herbs are often separated by only a small step.

Depending on the dosage and processing method, a single herb can be a life-saving medicine or a deadly poison.

Learning to identify poisons will give you an extra layer of protection for your safety in the future.

Upon hearing this, Tao'er suddenly understood, and then became somewhat serious.

She knew that Uncle Li was teaching her this not only so that she could learn medicine, but also so that she could have more ability to protect herself in this chaotic world.

"Uncle Li, I will definitely study hard."

Tao said earnestly.

Uncle Li nodded, took out a small wooden box from the cabinet, opened it, and inside were dozens of small porcelain bottles neatly arranged, each with a note attached with a name written on it.

"Starting today, you will identify three poisons every day."

Remember their smell, color, and shape; remember their poisoning symptoms and antidotes.

Take it one step at a time; there's no rush.

Tao looked at the small porcelain bottles, took a deep breath, and her eyes sparkled with excitement and determination.

From that moment on, she and Ayan officially embarked on their medical studies.