The medicine hall is located in the inner courtyard and is not under the jurisdiction of the Three Capitals and Five Masters, but is directly responsible to the Abbot.

This demonstrates the importance of the medicine hall within the Sanyin Temple, and the importance that the abbot of the Sanyin Temple placed on it.

Zhang He led Bai Cang and the yellow-faced boy Jiao Fei to the inner courtyard gate. "You two stand here and don't move. I'll register you."

Having said that, he casually walked into the inner courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Only Bai Cang and Jiao Fei remained, staring at each other in front of the inner courtyard gate.

I was sixteen that year, standing like a lackey at the gate of the inner courtyard.

"Um, Brother Jiao, right?"

Bai Cang thought for a moment, then solemnly cupped his hands to Jiao Fei and said, "Thank you for your help, Brother Jiao. I will remember this favor."

An old saying goes: Make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible.

Jiao Fei has an extraordinary background and deep roots, and they are also "classmates," making him an excellent person to befriend.

However, Bai Cang did not blindly follow suit, but instead took a different approach and used the CPU method.

Q: How can I get my friends to care about me more?

A: The more money you borrow from him, the more he will care about you.

The same principle applies to cultivating relationships.

If Bai Cang were to strike up a conversation casually, Jiao Fei might not pay him any attention.

However, if Bai Cang already owes him a favor, in order to "sunk costs," Jiao Fei will naturally help him out without affecting his own interests.

After all, the better Bai Cang does, the more valuable his connections become.

Helping him is helping yourself; in this way, you'll gradually build a friendship.

As expected, Jiao Fei, whose expression was already indifferent, became much more lively upon hearing these words.

"Brother Bai, could it be...?" Jiao Fei looked at Bai Cang with a slightly inquisitive gaze.

The matter of using children as medicine test subjects was not a secret even among the upper echelons of the Sanyin Temple.

But it was certainly not something that a lowly servant like Bai Cang, who had no connections, could possibly know.

Unless someone tells you, like... Zhang He.

But why should Zhang He tell Bai Cang these things?

Bai Cang's seemingly casual greeting actually revealed a great deal of information.

This is also the most important principle of "making friends": matching social status and background.

If you have no value to others, why should they associate with you?

Backed by Zhanghe is Bai Cang's biggest, and currently only, asset.

Only in this way can he gain people's respect.

Therefore, Bai Cang did not hide anything and said frankly, "I am honored by my godfather's high regard for me and have just become his godfather."

As he spoke, Bai Cang also cast an inquiring glance at Jiao Fei.

Jiao Fei's use of the word "also" makes it hard not to overthink things.

"My father's surname is Zhao, but I took my mother's surname," Jiao Fei said frankly, without changing his expression.

Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile.

The relationship seemed to have inexplicably become a little closer.

It's like this: if one person is gay, he's a pervert, but if everyone is like that, then it's "gag literature".

We are all crows; none of us is more noble than the other.

There is also a sense of "shared suffering", which is similar to the "Together with Park Gook-chang" in the three great bonds of life.

In addition, the two were barely considered "classmates," so it was like "a turtle looking at a green bean, they hit it off."

For a moment, the two found themselves chatting happily.

Jiao Fei took the initiative to bring up many "anecdotes" within the Sanyin Temple, intentionally or unintentionally sharing some not-so-important secrets with Bai Cang.

This greatly benefited Bai Cang, giving him a preliminary understanding and plan for his own situation and future direction.

According to Jiao Fei, Taiyin County was originally part of Longhu Mountain, but for some reason it was suddenly placed under the jurisdiction of Heshan Road.

Therefore, not only the Sanyin Temple, but also the Fuhu Temple and the Chilong Temple were newly established, which was a good opportunity for both dragons and snakes to rise up and for the common people to take off.

Every year, the lower temples such as Sanyin Temple send "spirit children" to Fuhu Altar.

The same applies to the Fuhu Altar, which also offers resources such as "spiritual children" and "spiritual medicines" to the Chilong Temple.

If they perform well, they may even have the opportunity to directly become disciples of the Heshan Dao headquarters and become a noble direct disciple.

However, Bai Cang was not too concerned about this: when he entered the sect, he had already tested his aptitude and did not have "Dao root immortal seedling".

Therefore, the "spirit child" route is not feasible for him.

Bai Cang was more concerned with the path of "entering the innate realm of martial arts".

Every five years, the Sanyin Temple offers one spot to help a primordial martial artist "enter the Dao" and become a true immortal cultivator.

However, Bai Cang pondered this path and estimated that it would be difficult to succeed.

Currently, the Sanyin Temple has three capitals and five masters who are innate martial artists, but whether they have fully "entered the Dao" is still unknown.

Below the Three Capitals and Five Lords, all eighteen heads are "first-class masters" who are only one step away from the Innate Realm.

If it's done step by step, based on seniority, who knows how many years it would take before it's my turn?

In Bai Cang's view, this entry quota was like a carrot dangling in front of a donkey's nose, a pie in the sky meant to exploit everyone in the temple.

As the old master said: Money is for women to see, not for women to spend.

Therefore, Bai Cang felt that his "opportunity to enter the Dao" would most likely fall into the hands of a cheat code.

However, all of these are still too far away for him; improving his strength as soon as possible is the most urgent task.

Otherwise, even if he had the opportunity to enter the Dao, he wouldn't be able to seize it.

"Set a small goal: become a top-tier expert within three months, and advance to the Innate Realm within a year!"

Bai Cang thought to himself, and immediately reciprocated by sharing his many insights and experiences in cultivating the "Hun Yuan Zhuang" with Jiao Fei.

Jiao Fei also benefited greatly from listening and couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Bai is indeed a sincere gentleman. No wonder Steward Zhang values ​​Brother Bai so much."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cang's heart stirred. "What do you mean by that, Brother Jiao?"

Jiao Fei smiled and said, "Don't underestimate Steward Zhang just because he has a low position. He is by no means simple."

“If it weren’t for his background being disliked by the abbot, not to mention the Three Capitals and Five Masters, he would certainly have a place among the Eight Great Stewards.”

So when I casually picked it up, it turned out to be an elephant's leg?

Bai Cang thought to himself, unable to describe his feelings, only a faint sense of unease.

When he tried to ask again, Jiao Fei changed the subject.

Bai Cang didn't press the matter and immediately resumed their pleasant conversation.

When Zhang He reappeared, Bai Cang and Jiao Fei had become "superficial brothers" who would "burn yellow paper and chop chicken heads when they had free time."

Seeing this, Zhang He glanced at Bai Cang with slight surprise, "Let's go, I'll take you to the retreat to settle in."

"Three months later, the trial of medicine will officially begin. Each person will try three kinds of medicine. If their foundation remains intact, they can be transferred to the inner court and granted the 'Childhood Register'."

"The rest of the treatment is the same as that of the inner disciples. They will be given a fine room, two sets of robes per year, and five taels of silver per month. They can attend classes in the scripture hall and learn to read, and they can go to the medicine hall to study pharmacology."

"Most importantly: a bowl of medicinal food every ten days, and a small health-preserving pill every three months."

At this point, Zhang He solemnly handed the two porcelain bottles to the two men.

"I have already collected the first small health-preserving pill for you."

"This medicine is precious. Even if you want it inside the temple, it costs 100 taels of silver. If you sell it to outsiders, it costs at least 500 taels per piece."

"Go back and take it as soon as possible, lest it attract unwanted attention!"