In the market town in the west of the city, the morning mist gradually dissipated. A small pancake vendor put the pancakes into the wok, and with a "sizzling" sound, a rich aroma was emitted.

The aroma drifted far away and entered a clinic with a plaque that read "Chun Tang Pai". The owner of the clinic, Doctor Li, stroked his graying beard and saw that no one had come into the shop yet. He turned inside and called out, "Xiao Xi, come out and get some of the herbs we received today."

Following an "eh" response, a handsome waiter with an oval face and wearing coarse linen clothes opened the curtain and walked out. His eyes were still a little timid, but his hands and feet were very nimble. In a blink of an eye, he had sorted out several bags of medicinal materials and stacked them in a row of medicine grids.

He counted all the herbs one by one and made sure nothing was missed. Then he let out a long sigh and seemed to remember something. He quickly rushed into the inner room and poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Doctor Li.

Doctor Li smiled and picked up the teacup, seeming to be very satisfied with his performance, but he kept muttering: "You have just arrived. Although you are smart, you still need to read and learn more, and finish your studies as soon as possible. We can't afford to keep idle people in our clinic."

Xiaoxi brought a stool and sat next to him, smiling at him sincerely, "Of course, thanks to Dr. Li for taking me in and teaching me medicine, I will definitely work hard!"

Doctor Li was dazzled by his bright smile, and seeing that his originally delicate hands were now rubbed yellow, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Such a good girl, it seems like she has never suffered, I wonder why she has ended up in this market to make a living.

He thought again, this girl looks well-educated, she must be a maid from a rich family, if she hadn't fallen on hard times she wouldn't have ended up like this. This girl is smart and studious, she will definitely make some achievements in medicine in the future, he likes her very much, and his youngest son is only 20 years old and still unmarried, he can help them get married someday.

Yuan Xi, who was dressed as a man, didn't know what he was thinking. She just looked down at the marked record of symptoms in her hand. When she was in the academy, she had read many medical books and learned many herbs, but she had never actually come into contact with patients. After studying with Doctor Li for half a month, she found that even for the same disease, there were many changes in the use of medicine. She enjoyed learning and didn't think it was hard.

Doctor Li narrowed his eyes and smiled as he thought about it. He couldn't help asking, "Speaking of which, why did you come to our clinic to be an apprentice that day? Where are your family members?"

Yuan Xi was slightly startled, her eyes moved away from the book in front of her, and her thoughts slowly drifted to the day she left the Prime Minister's Mansion.

That day she asked for the secret path and ran out from there when no one was paying attention. In order to avoid arousing Xiao Du's suspicion, she did not take anything with her when she left the house, but hid a few banknotes on her body. She originally thought that she would find an inn to stay in first, and rely on these banknotes to survive for a few days, and then find a boat to leave the capital and find a way to support herself, no matter where she went, as long as she could be as far away from him as possible.

But she still overestimated herself. She seldom went out to the street since she was a child, and she had never been to such a mixed market. It was not until she was walking alone on the street, just wanting to buy a bun, that she found that no one could make such a big banknote. She walked around for a long time with an empty stomach, and saw that many people from the mansion came to look for her, so she dodged into a clothing store and bought a men's suit. But she didn't know that someone was secretly watching her with such a large amount of banknotes.

Finally, in a dark alley, several ferocious men surrounded her and forced her to hand over the banknotes. She was so frightened that she threw the banknotes away and ran away. Fortunately, an official passed by and the men snatched the banknotes away and did not chase her.

She was afraid of being discovered by the police and being caught up by the bandits, so she ran as far as she could until she stumbled and fell to the ground, her hands bleeding from being rubbed by the rough stones. At this moment, she realized how useless she was, and she couldn't help but kneel on the ground and burst into tears.

But after crying, she still had to keep going. There was no broad chest beside her to protect her from the wind and rain. She had to stand up on her own. So she wiped her tears and tried to figure out what she should do. At this time, she saw the sign of Huichuntang hanging in front of her.

A small pharmacy is the best choice, as it can make a living without attracting attention. So Yuan Xi walked in bravely and asked if they were accepting apprentices. Doctor Li was sending a patient away at that time. He glanced at her and said coldly, "Where did you come from, little girl? Don't hinder me from seeing patients."

Yuan Xi was seen through by him at a glance, and her face immediately turned red. She lowered her head and grabbed the corner of her clothes, but she stood stubbornly in the corner and refused to leave. Doctor Li saw that she was not leaving, so he just snorted coldly and continued to do his own thing. Yuan Xi's legs were numb from standing for a long time. She hadn't eaten for a day, and she felt dizzy but still struggled to stand.

At this time, a batch of medicinal materials arrived in the store. Doctor Li asked the pharmacist to collect and classify them. Yuan Xi stared at the worker sorting them out one by one. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He rushed over and pointed at the sign on the medicine rack and said, "This medicine is wrong. This is Bai Wei, not Bai Qian. Although they look very similar, they can be distinguished by their roots."

Doctor Li looked at her in surprise and asked, "Can you identify medicinal herbs?"

Yuan Xi nodded hurriedly. Doctor Li thought for a while, then grabbed a few more medicines and placed them in front of her, saying, "Then identify them one by one for me. What are these medicines?"

Yuan Xi tried hard to identify every flavor, and Doctor Li showed an approving look, rolling his eyes and saying, "This is a small clinic, and there are not many patients on weekdays. Apprentices do not receive wages, only food and lodging are provided. Do you want to work?"

Yuan Xi held her extremely hungry stomach and nodded excitedly, "As long as I have food to eat, that's fine!"

Thinking of the embarrassing situation at that time, Yuan Xi herself also found it a little funny. Fortunately, she finally had a roof over her head and was able to learn the medical skills that she was most interested in. It was really God's blessing. She lowered her head and replied vaguely: "My family suffered a disaster. My parents are no longer here. I have no choice but to come out to make a living."

Doctor Li looked at her with pity and did not ask any more questions. At this time, the clinic gradually became lively. Patients came in in groups of three or four, and Doctor Li began to diagnose their pulses seriously. When medicine was needed, Yuan Xi went to the pharmacy to help, and the rest of the time she sat next to Doctor Li, helping him and taking notes. She loved to learn and ask questions, and Doctor Li was willing to teach her. In the past half month, her medical skills had improved greatly, but she was still unable to see patients alone.

But just when she thought her life would pass peacefully, she suddenly ran into a big trouble.

One day, a burly man pushed a woman on a cart to Huichun Hall, crying and shouting for Doctor Li to save his wife and child. Doctor Li quickly came out with medical equipment. It turned out that the woman was bleeding due to a difficult labor. At this moment, her whole body was twitching, and she could only exhale but not inhale. Doctor Li frowned and read the symptoms, but shook his head helplessly and said, "It's too late to save her. Please accept my condolences."

The man stared at Doctor Li in disbelief, then covered his face and cried desperately. Yuan Xi watched from a distance in the hall. The seven-foot-tall strong man cried like a helpless child, holding his wife who was almost dead and unwilling to let go. Her heart suddenly ached, and she suddenly remembered the appearance of another person.

She then walked to Doctor Li, twirling her clothes hesitantly and asked, "If I use gold needles to prick the acupuncture points, can it still be cured?" Doctor Li glared at her fiercely and said, "What do you know? You have no right to speak here! Go back now."

Who knew that the man had heard their conversation? He rushed to Yuan Xi, grabbed her sleeve with his bloody hand and said, "Can you cure my wife? Please, please!" After that, he knelt down and was about to kowtow to Yuan Xi.

Yuan Xi was terrified and at a loss, so she just pulled the man to get up quickly. She had only read in the classics that if a woman with a difficult delivery was treated by sealing the acupuncture points with gold needles, there might be a glimmer of hope. She felt sorry for the man who loved his wife so much, so she said it impulsively, but the look in Doctor Li's eyes just now had already told her that this method would not work.

The man was still begging, when someone in the crowd shouted, "Your wife is dead!"

The man's eyes widened, and he rushed over again. As expected, he found that the woman lying on the cart had already stopped breathing, her gray-white pupils staring straight ahead, and blood was all over the ground. His legs went limp and he knelt on the ground, crying loudly over the woman's body. Then he suddenly raised his head, staring at Doctor Li and Yuan Xi with a grim face and said, "You watched her die without rescuing her. You killed my wife. I want you to pay for it!"

After saying that, he rushed over like a ferocious beast. The other two young employees in the store quickly rushed out and grabbed him, but he struggled desperately with a distorted face and shouted, "You killed my wife. I'm going to report you to the police and have you close down!"

Doctor Li looked very unhappy, and turned around to stare at Yuan Xi in reproach. Yuan Xi felt cold under her feet, bit her lower lip and almost cried. She only knew that doctors are like parents, and should try their best to save patients as long as there is a glimmer of hope. But she did not understand how complicated and ugly people would be when they were pushed to the limit.

Just when everything was about to get out of control, a clear voice came from the crowd: "Who wants to report to the police?"

Yuan Xi was shocked. This voice...it couldn't possibly be him!

Then, a man in a green shirt walked out of the crowd. His manners were elegant and extraordinary, like a jade tree in the wind or a reflection in the clear water. People could not help but focus their attention on him. He shook his sleeves and said to the man, "I am not talented, but I am an official appointed by the court. If you have anything to say, just tell me."

Yuan Xi looked at the familiar face, and felt relieved. Tears could not stop flowing down her cheeks. She murmured gratefully in her heart: "Little Master..."