Chapter 00174: Hiring a Monkey
# Hiring a Monkey
Chapter 174
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 174: Hiring a Monkey
Mao Tao interjected, "By the way, wasn't the Songyang Prefecture originally founded by a prince of a different surname? How did it become the Songyang Marquis now?"
"Oh, that's because our country changed its system midway. Without merit, titles would be downgraded in hereditary succession. There were two previous masters of Songyang Prefecture who were quite ordinary, and their titles were reduced. Until the late emperor ascended the throne and changed the system back. It's complicated, but in any case, the Songyang Marquis will be hereditary and unchangeable in the future, as long as no major incidents occur."
After resolving the issue of the broken sword repair, He Lingchuan put forward a new request to Liu Bangban:
To buy an alchemy furnace.
He would be focusing on the Ziwu Technique in the future, which required special herbs and concoctions that were hard to find ready-made, so he would mostly have to rely on himself.
He heard that alchemy furnaces came in many ranks, and a good furnace could increase the success rate by more than ten percent.
As before, Liu Bangban readily agreed, then asked He Lingchuan, "Do you know how to refine pills, or do you have a master of this art by your side?"
"Complete novice. I just plan to buy a furnace and learn as I go."
"Alchemy is difficult to learn. The names, properties of the herbs, timing, and techniques—without dedicating three to four years to practice, one cannot achieve even minor success, and in the meantime, countless herbs will be wasted," Liu Bangban chuckled, "It's quite painful."
He Lingchuan caught the implication in his words: "It's definitely not just me who finds it painful?"
"Training is a long journey, and even great figures are reluctant to spread their focus. I suggest you hire a Medicine Monkey to take back with you."
"Medicine Monkey?" He Lingchuan was taken aback, "What is that? A monster?"
Indeed, the bustling capital was full of novelties.
"Yes, there is a sect called Qianxin Flow, which is full of Fire Monkeys. They also have a branch in our country, especially famous for alchemy. Customers in need can spend a large sum to hire a Medicine Monkey to refine pills specifically for them."
"What is their skill level?"
"They are alchemy masters, often surpassing others. I heard that Master Sun had several Medicine Monkeys at home before."
He Lingchuan chuckled, "Sun Fuping is truly a golden sign; associating with him brings profit."
Liu Bangban quickly waved his hand, "You can't say that openly now."
"Then take me there."
"The price is a bit high, and the hired Medicine Monkey must be offered a tribute; it cannot be treated lightly or regarded as a mere pet, otherwise, it can leave at any time."
Mao Tao raised her chin, "Money is a small matter, as long as it is worth it."
"That 'worth' cannot directly refer to the Medicine Monkey, or it will turn against you," Liu Bangban reminded, "I have seen people anger Medicine Monkeys; it truly makes one’s face bloom with flowers in public, and then for three days afterward, they suffer from diarrhea."
So, having to raise a little monkey means one must be careful with their words? He Lingchuan and Mao Tao exchanged glances and shrugged.
The carriage turned in a different direction, heading north of the city.
Passing through the market, Mao Tao, who had been peeking through the curtain, suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, isn't that A Deng, the servant beside Chief Steward Mo? He's pasting something on the wall."
He Lingchuan leaned out to take a look; it was indeed A Deng from their household, who was pasting a notice on the bulletin board, followed by two soldiers providing support.
Liu Bangban immediately called for the carriage to stop.
In the bustling market, when officials had news to announce to the entire city, they would come to this place to post notices.
Conversely, only official documents were allowed to be posted here; no random person could come and stick things up, or they would be caught and slapped twenty times, and if the situation were worse, they would be thrown into a cell.
For a servant from the He family to post here, it certainly required official approval.
The characters on the notice were large, and the top three characters were bold and enlarged.
Mao Tao murmured aloud:
"Talent Recruitment Order?"
There weren't many words, and He Lingchuan quickly read through it.
The gist was that the newly appointed Chief Steward of Xia Prefecture, He Chunhua, was eager to recruit local talents to march north and jointly combat the rebels.
Regardless of background, as long as one had genuine skills in military affairs, grain management, combat, or internal affairs, they could come to take the exam, with generous treatment promised, and at the end, there was the official seal of the Chief Steward of Xia Prefecture.
Most commoners could barely recognize a few characters, so A Deng had to act as a spokesperson, reading the Talent Recruitment Order to the crowd and answering questions.
He Chunhua's target group was not these people; he hoped to spread the news quickly through them, as the supporting army had limited time while stationed in Shi Huan.
The crowd of onlookers grew larger; He Chunhua was an official from outside, rarely heard of before, making everyone curious and inevitably chattering.
Seeing the road getting more congested, He Lingchuan urged the carriage to move on quickly.
Mao Tao was puzzled, "Why doesn't Lord He bring some people from Heishui City over? At least they would be familiar with each other, why seek talents here?"
He Chunhua was heading north, and originally had five or six aides with him, but he only brought Mo Zhe Jingxuan.
Talents in internal affairs and logistics were even scarcer.
"A small place, few talents, right?" He Lingchuan supported his chin with his hand, "After all, this is under the emperor's feet; what kind of people are there not?"
He remembered his father often complaining about the lack of manpower, insisting on doing everything himself.
This time going to Xia Prefecture, He Chunhua needed to establish his own team in the shortest time possible; preparing talents in advance was crucial.
After all, there were enemies in the north eyeing them, and time was running out for He Chunhua and Xia Prefecture.
"I hope my father can recruit suitable talents soon."
He Lingchuan shook his head, instantly casting aside this concern.
This was none of his business; he would leave it to He Chunhua and He Yue to worry about.
Soon, the carriage ascended a small hill.
The peak was quite delicate, no more than thirty zhang high, now covered in silver, with branches swaying and snow falling.
The carriage was blocked by an archway and came to a halt.
It wasn't that the driver didn't want to drive up the mountain, but the archway was only six feet high, yet its width was considerable, occupying the entire mountain road.
This archway was truly poorly designed, as if it were meant to collect tolls.
From a distance, He Lingchuan saw several uniquely shaped stone urns standing on the stone archway.
As he got closer, he realized they were not stones, but large gray-skinned monkeys that closely resembled the color of stones!
They stood there, heads and tails tucked in, looking dazed.
When someone approached, they would croak, "Qianxin Flow residence, pedestrians walk!"
Liu Bangban got out of the carriage and handed a few pieces of candy to an old monkey with graying fur, who distributed them to the other monkeys before clasping his hands and saying, "Sugar Weng, it's been three days since we last met. This time, I wish to hire a pharmacist for the eldest son of Chief Steward He for Xia Prefecture!"
He did not refer to the monkeys as monkeys but as pharmacists.
"Do you often refine medicine?"
"Naturally," He Lingchuan replied, "About every two to three days."
Practicing the Ziwu Technique required him to take the Yin-Yang Powder as fresh as possible to maximize its efficacy.
He Lingchuan wished he could refine a batch that would last half a month, but with a helper, this requirement should be easily met.
Liu Bangban explained to him, "Controlling the fire during alchemy is an important practice for Fire Monkeys; Qianxin Flow hopes that the Fire Monkeys sent out can improve vigorously in their training."
Then he turned to the old monkey, "In the residence, which pharmacist is available?"
"You came at an unfortunate time; a large pharmacy from outside just came and hired away twelve at once," the old monkey, Sugar Weng, scratched his back, "Now only one pharmacist is left."
Mao Tao immediately whispered to Liu Bangban, "It can't be that they were the leftovers, right?"
The old monkey's fur was all white, and not only was he not hard of hearing, but he was also quite sharp; at this moment, he widened his eyes and said, "You brat, what nonsense are you spouting!"
Liu Bangban cleared his throat, "Sugar Weng, both parties in hiring must negotiate equally, without lies or deceit. What is special about this pharmacist?"
Hiring is a two-sided matter; one side wants to compete, and the other wants to take, both must understand each other.
"His alchemy skills are excellent, and he rarely fails. He is the best among all the Fire Monkeys here."
When alchemy fails, it is called a failed furnace.
The cost of high-grade pills is very high; ruining one batch could mean losing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.
Liu Bangban tentatively asked, "Is it because he eats too much?"
"No, no."
"Is it because he is unclean and has an odor?" Monkeys can smell, and if they don't bathe, they can be even smellier, which some families cannot tolerate.
"How could that be!" Sugar Weng glared, "None of those foul habits you think he has. He is the most diligent, ambitious, clever, and agile child among us; he just happened to be out and wasn't hired away."
The old monkey jumped down, "Come, I'll take you to see him."
The archway was low, and He Lingchuan couldn't just jump over in front of these Qianxin Flow monkeys, so he had to bend down to pass through.
The monkeys watched with smiles, some baring their teeth in laughter.
Humans had to bow and stoop to pass under the archway, satisfying the bad psychology of this group of monkeys.
There were only a few buildings on the mountain, large and empty.
He Lingchuan looked up and noticed several large trees had treehouses built on them, with shadows swaying on the nearby branches.
Indeed, monkeys liked to stay in trees.
Sugar Weng shouted a few times toward the trees, and soon there was a chattering response from above, followed by a monkey climbing down the tree, landing on a branch in front of everyone.
This monkey had a lighter fur color than its kind and wore a conical hat on its head.
He Lingchuan observed its small stature, agile movements, and exceptionally clean fur.
Its eyes were also very lively, not like ordinary monkeys that darted around, but after scanning the crowd, it locked onto He Lingchuan, as if it knew he was the focus.
Sugar Weng introduced He Lingchuan's identity, and the monkey immediately asked:
"Is your name Lingguang?"
The monkey nodded, not scratching its ears or fidgeting, appearing as composed as a human.
"Mr. Sugar Weng recommends you to be my Medicine Monkey. I have a few medicinal materials here; can you help me refine them into Qian Ding Pills?"
Lingguang understood this was his job interview and promptly jumped to the ground, pulling out a small furnace from somewhere, placing it on the ground.
The furnace slowly grew larger until it was level with Mao Tao's shoulder.
Then it extended its hand toward He Lingchuan.
For a monkey, its palm was very clean, without a speck of dirt or leaf debris.
After receiving the medicinal materials, it quickly grabbed a handful and tossed them into the furnace, not at all like He Lingchuan, who was careful to measure and afraid of making even the slightest mistake.
Then the monkey blew a breath toward the bottom of the furnace, and with a "whoosh," flames erupted from within.
No wonder it was called a Fire Monkey.
Next, the monkey controlled the fire throughout the process, adjusting the intensity and color of the flames, occasionally tossing in more medicinal materials, moving so quickly that onlookers could barely keep up.
(End of Chapter)