Only Henry Clark had once followed his father up the mountain to hunt wolves, so he was a bit wild and even dared to glare back at the little fat boy. Ben Carter, on the other hand, didn’t even dare to glare; he kept his head down the whole time, only wiping the drool from his face once the donkey cart entered the city.

After such an unlucky encounter, Henry Clark had no interest in looking at the scenery by the city gate anymore.

Blending into the crowd, Henry Clark and Big Ben slipped into the city unnoticed.

In this scorching weather, the city guards at most would question a few unfamiliar, rough-looking men from the martial world, but had no interest in dealing with a couple of ragged kids sneaking into the city.

“Henry Jr., it’s been months since we last came, but the county town is still the same—so big and beautiful.”

Big Ben exclaimed excitedly.

Two grand main streets, one running east-west and the other north-south, cut across the entire county town. The shops and stores on both sides belonged to wealthy families, many of which were herbal halls. Restaurants, teahouses, inns, martial arts schools, academies, mansions, and gardens stood side by side.

The northeast district housed the county yamen, and some local gentry, landlords, big merchants, and wealthy families lived in this area. The northwest district was home to the herbal hall and some other powerful families and small martial arts gangs. The remaining southeast and southwest districts were mainly residential areas for commoners; ordinary residents of Zhuqi County lived in these two districts.

By evening, as the weather cooled, residents came out of their homes to stroll, do business, and trade, making the city lively. The place was bustling with people, unlike the desolate countryside where you might not see a soul for half a day.

Before entering the city, Henry Clark had been just as excited as Big Ben.

But once inside, Henry Clark was not excited at all; instead, he became even more cautious. A few months ago, they had offended a gang of local thugs here. Who knew if those thugs still held a grudge against them?

Henry Clark led Big Ben, carefully avoiding anyone who looked like a ruffian or scoundrel, not even glancing at the lively streets, and hurried straight toward the northwest district. When they saw some local beggars, they didn’t dare stop, quickly jogging past to avoid being harassed or scolded.

On the way, a few ruffians started walking toward them, scaring them so much that they dashed into the northwest district, where the ruffians didn’t dare pursue them any further.

In the northwest district, there were far fewer people, and commoners were rarely seen here.

Most of the people were martial artists—dressed in tight-fitting clothes, carrying sabers and swords, riding horses, agile and burly, exuding a fierce presence. Just by looking at them, you could tell they were not to be messed with; any one of them could easily crush the two boys.

Because there were so many martial artists, there were hardly any ruffians or beggars in the northwest district.

Fortunately, these martial artists always seemed to be in a hurry, busy with important matters, and unlike ruffians, they didn’t waste time bullying beggars. They had no interest in beggars and wouldn’t spare them a second glance.

Henry Clark and his companion arrived at the entrance of the herbal hall. It was a massive mansion, covering several hectares; from the outside, you couldn’t tell how big it was inside. Two stone lions, each weighing a thousand catties, stood imposingly at the gate. On the main door, a pair of heavy bronze rings hung.

A notice was posted at the entrance, but Henry Clark couldn’t recognize a single character on it.

Chapter 5: Separation

At the entrance of the herbal hall, a young gatekeeper in a yellow shirt stood guard, arms crossed over his chest, looking arrogantly at the martial artists passing by on the street. Because the herbal hall was the most powerful and wealthy family in Zhuqi County, and because the Medicine King Gang was highly respected throughout the entire Pingzhou region, even these gatekeepers carried themselves with more pride than those of other small gangs.

Those county yamen officers who acted so tough in the countryside didn’t even dare make a peep in front of these gatekeepers. Ordinary martial artists also didn’t dare cause trouble on the herbal hall’s turf.

Seeing how imposing they were, Henry Clark didn’t dare go up and ask about the recruitment of herbal apprentices. He and Big Ben shrank back into a corner of the street, cautiously peering into the wide-open gates of the herbal hall, trying to see if they were recruiting apprentices.

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar donkey cart parked by the side entrance of the herbal hall.

The old squire was leading his chubby son, talking to someone who looked like a chief steward of the herbal hall. He took a bulging money pouch from the donkey cart and handed it over, his face full of flattery as he said, “Mr. Bolton the Steward, I’ll leave my son’s matter in your hands! Just a small token of appreciation, nothing much.”

At this moment, the old squire showed none of the arrogance he displayed in the countryside.

Mr. Bolton the Steward glanced at the silver glinting from the corner of the pouch, weighed it in his hand—it was heavy, probably no less than a hundred or two hundred silver leaves. Exchanged for gold leaves, it would be just one or two. One silver leaf could be traded for a hundred copper coins.

A look of disappointment flashed in Mr. Bolton the Steward’s eyes as he said indifferently, “Very well, very well! I’ll make sure to look after him and keep him out of trouble. But whether he can join the herbal hall and become an apprentice depends on his own luck. Actually, if the money were enough—ten times this amount—I could send your son straight into the inner hall as an inner disciple and apprentice. As chief steward, my word carries weight.”