“Get up! Get up! Get up!…”
A faint, distant cry, as if from the edge of the sky, jolted Han Li awake from his deep slumber. As he opened his eyes, a large face was pressed close to his, startling him so much that he instinctively shrank back. It took him a moment to realize that the owner of this terrifying face was another boy—Zhang Tie.
“Hurry up and eat something. After dinner, we have to go see Elder Mo,” Zhang Tie said, handing Han Li two steamed buns still warm with steam.
“Where did you get this?” Han Li asked, taken aback for a moment before accepting the food.
“There’s a big kitchen near the valley. I saw everyone getting food there, so I went to get some too. After I finished eating, I realized you hadn’t eaten yet, so I got two more buns for you,” Zhang Tie said with a simple, honest smile.
“Thank you, Brother Zhang,” Han Li replied, feeling genuinely touched. Seeing that Zhang Tie looked much more mature than himself, the address “Brother Zhang” slipped out naturally.
“It’s… it’s nothing. I’m used to doing things like this at home. If I don’t keep busy, I feel a bit… a bit restless. If you ever need help with anything, just let me know. I may not have much else, but I do have strength,” Zhang Tie stammered, seeming a little embarrassed.
Having skipped both breakfast and lunch, Han Li was ravenous. He devoured one bun in just a few bites, and in no time, both large steamed buns were completely gone.
“It’s getting late. Let’s go see Elder Mo,” Han Li said, patting his full stomach and glancing at the setting sun outside the window. He calculated the time and felt it was about time to visit Elder Mo.
Zhang Tie had no objections and followed Han Li to Elder Mo’s room.
Inside Elder Mo’s room, rows of bookshelves lined the walls, filled to the brim with all kinds of books.
“Elder Mo!”
“Elder Mo!”
Elder Mo was leaning back in his armchair, engrossed in a book, seemingly completely unaware of their arrival or their greetings.
Being just children, Han Li and Zhang Tie were at a loss when Elder Mo ignored them. Not knowing what else to do, they could only stand to the side and wait.
It wasn’t until Han Li’s feet had almost gone numb from standing that Elder Mo leisurely placed the book on the desk beside him. He coldly scrutinized the two of them, took a few sips of tea, and then slowly spoke, “From today onward, the two of you are my nominal disciples. I will teach you some basics of herb gathering and medicine refining, and perhaps even some medical skills to save and heal people. But I will absolutely not teach you martial arts.” Elder Mo’s face was expressionless as he set down his teacup.
“I have a set of mindfulness exercises to teach you. While it won’t help you defeat enemies, it will strengthen your bodies. If you truly wish to learn some martial arts, you may go to the instructors. I won’t object. However, in six months, I will test you solely on your progress with these exercises. If you fail, you will be sent to the outer sect as outer disciples. Do you understand?” Elder Mo’s tone suddenly turned serious, indicating the importance he placed on these exercises.
“We understand,” Han Li and Zhang Tie replied in unison.
“You may leave now. Return early tomorrow morning,” Elder Mo said, waving them off before picking up his book again.
Before leaving, Han Li couldn’t help but glance at the book in Elder Mo’s hands. Unfortunately, he was illiterate and could only make out that the title consisted of three large black characters. They knew him, but he didn’t know them.
As they stepped out of Elder Mo’s room, Han Li let out a soft sigh of relief. For some reason, he had been too tense to even breathe properly inside the room, his mind on edge. Now, outside, he felt immediately lighter and back to normal.
In the days that followed, Han Li was brimming with excitement. He was finally a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect, even if only a nominal one—which was still better than being sent home like the other children. Even if he failed the test in six months, he could still become an outer disciple like his Third Uncle. In Han Li’s eyes, his Third Uncle was a man of considerable status and respect, so he wasn’t overly concerned about the upcoming assessment. In fact, he secretly hoped he would fail, so he could leave the mountains early and reunite with his parents and his beloved younger sister.
In the following days, their mornings were spent learning about medicine from Elder Mo, while their afternoons were dedicated to studying in a library room with other children. There, they learned to read and write, as well as the basics of martial arts, such as the twelve primary meridians, the eight extraordinary meridians, and the body’s acupoints. They also practiced horse stances and trained with straw dummies to build foundational skills.
A month later, Han Li and Zhang Tie were separated from the other children. They no longer had time for other activities because Elder Mo began teaching them an unnamed set of exercises. Practicing these exercises took up most of their time, and Elder Mo strictly forbade them from sharing the exercises with anyone else. Violating this rule would result severe punishment and expulsion from the sect.
During this time, Han Li learned more about the Seven Mysteries Sect and Elder Mo from others. The sect was led by a chief master named Wang Lu, who was a direct descendant of the Seven Ultimate Supreme, along with three deputy masters. The sect was divided into outer and inner sections. The outer section consisted of four halls: the Flying Bird Hall, the Treasure Gathering Hall, the Four Seas Hall, and the Outer Blade Hall. The inner section included the Hundred Refinements Hall, the Seven Ultimate Hall, the Offering Hall, and the Blood Blade Hall. There was also a Council of Elders, which held authority second only to the chief master and stood equal to the deputy masters.
“Up! Up! Up!…”
A faint, distant cry, seemingly echoing from the horizon, jolted Han Li awake from his deep slumber. As he opened his eyes, a large face was pressed close to his, startling him so much that he instinctively shrank back. It took him a moment to realize that the owner of this frightening face was another boy—Zhang Tie.
“Here, have something to eat. After dinner, we need to see Elder Mo,” Zhang Tie said, handing Han Li two steamed buns still warm with steam.
“Where did you get this?” Han Li paused for a moment before accepting the food.
“There’s a big kitchen near the valley. I saw everyone getting food there, so I went to get some too. After I finished eating, I realized you hadn’t eaten yet, so I grabbed two more buns for you.” Zhang Tie grinned at Han Li with a simple, honest smile.
“Thank you, Brother Zhang,” Han Li said, feeling genuinely touched. Seeing that Zhang Tie looked much more mature than himself, the address “Brother Zhang” slipped out naturally.
“It’s… it’s nothing. I’m used to doing things like this at home. If I don’t keep busy, I feel a bit… a bit restless. If you ever need help with anything, just let me know. I may not have much, but I do have strength.” Zhang Tie seemed a little embarrassed, his words coming out somewhat haltingly.
Having skipped both breakfast and lunch, Han Li was ravenous. He devoured one bun in just a few bites, and in no time, both large steamed buns were completely gone.
“It’s getting late. Let’s go see Elder Mo,” Han Li said, letting out a few satisfied burps. He glanced at the setting sun outside the window, mentally calculating the time, and decided it was time to visit Physician Mo.
Zhang Tie had no objections and followed Han Li to Physician Mo’s room.
Inside Physician Mo’s room, rows of bookshelves lined the walls, filled to the brim with all kinds of books.
“Elder Mo!”
“Elder Mo!”
Physician Mo was leaning back in his armchair, engrossed in a book, seemingly completely unaware of their arrival or their greetings.
Being just children, Han Li and Zhang Tie were at a loss when Physician Mo ignored them. Not knowing what else to do, they stood to the side and waited.
It wasn’t until Han Li’s feet had almost gone numb from standing that Physician Mo leisurely placed the book on the desk beside him. He coldly scrutinized the two of them, took a few sips of tea, and then slowly spoke, “From today onward, the two of you are my nominal disciples. I will teach you some basics of gathering and refining herbs, and perhaps even some medical skills to heal others. But I will absolutely not teach you martial arts.” Physician Mo’s expression remained impassive as he set down his tea.
“I have a set of meditative口诀 to teach the two of you. It won’t help you defeat enemies, but it will strengthen your bodies. If you really want to learn some martial arts, you can go to the other instructors. I won’t stop you. However, in six months, I will test you only on your progress with this口诀. If you fail, you will be sent to the outer sect to become outer disciples. Do you understand?” Physician Mo’s tone suddenly turned serious, indicating the great importance he placed on this口诀.
“We understand,” Han Li and Zhang Tie replied in unison.
“Now, leave. Come back early tomorrow morning.” Physician Mo waved his hand dismissively, signaling for them to go, and picked up his book again.
Before leaving, Han Li couldn’t help but glance at the book in Physician Mo’s hands. Unfortunately, he couldn’t read, so he only knew the title consisted of three large black characters. It was a pity—the characters knew him, but he didn’t know them.
As he stepped out of Physician Mo’s room, Han Li let out a soft sigh of relief. For some reason, he had been too nervous to even breathe properly inside, his mind tense. Now that he was outside, he felt immediately lighter and back to normal.
In the days that followed, Han Li remained excited. He was finally a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect, even if only a nominal one. This was still better than being sent home like the other children. Even if he failed the test in six months, he could still become an outer disciple like his Third Uncle. In Han Li’s eyes, his Third Uncle was already a person of considerable status and respect. Because of this, he didn’t worry much about the test six months later. In fact, he secretly hoped he would fail, so he could leave the mountains early and see his parents and his beloved younger sister.
In the following days, their mornings were spent learning about medicine from Physician Mo. In the afternoons, they joined other children in a study room to learn how to read and write, as well as the basics of martial arts, such as the twelve primary meridians, the eight extraordinary meridians, and the body’s acupoints. They also practiced horse stances and trained with straw dummies to build foundational skills.
A month later, Han Li and Zhang Tie were separated from the other children. They no longer had time to learn other things, as Physician Mo began teaching them an unnamed口诀. Practicing this口诀 took up most of their time, and Physician Mo strictly forbade them from sharing it with anyone else. If they leaked it, they would be severely punished and expelled from the sect.
During this time, Han Li learned more about the Seven Mysteries Sect and Physician Mo from others. The Seven Mysteries Sect was led by a main sect leader named Wang Lu, who was a direct descendant of the Seven Supreme Sages, along with three deputy sect leaders. The sect was divided into outer and inner sections. The outer section consisted of four halls: the Skyhawk Hall, the Treasure Gathering Hall, the Four Seas Hall, and the Outer Blade Hall. The inner section also had four halls: the Hundred Refinements Hall, the Seven Supreme Hall, the Offering Hall, and the Blood Blade Hall. Additionally, there was an Council of Elders that stood on equal footing with the deputy sect leaders, answering only to the main sect leader.
Physician Mo was not originally a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect. Several years earlier, Sect Leader Wang Lu had accidentally fallen into an enemy trap while traveling and was ambushed. He was severely injured and on the brink of death, with those around him unable to help. By chance, they encountered Physician Mo, who, with his miraculous medical skills, cured Wang Lu and saved his life. Naturally, Sect Leader Wang was immensely grateful. Later, upon discovering that Physician Mo was also skilled in martial arts, he invited him to join the sect. A small valley was carefully selected in the mountains, and this residence was built specifically for Physician Mo, allowing him to settle comfortably within the Seven Mysteries Sect. Thus, he became a member of the Offering Hall. During his time in the sect, although disciples had never seen him demonstrate his martial skills and didn’t know how strong he was, his brilliant医术 had saved many lives within the sect. Despite his often expressionless demeanor and sparse words, he was highly respected by the disciples.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage