"Get up!" "Get up!"
A faint cry that seemed to drift from beyond the heavens jolted Han Li from a deep sleep. He opened his eyes to find a massive face pressed right up against his. Startled, he shrank back before finally recognizing the face's owner — another boy, Zhang Tie.
"Hurry up and eat something. We need to go see Doctor Mo after dinner." Zhang Tie handed him two steaming mantou buns.
"Where did you find food?" Han Li was 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 myself. After I ate, I realized you hadn't eaten yet, so I grabbed two more mantou for you." Zhang Tie smiled at him with simple good nature.
"Thanks, Brother Zhang." Han Li felt a touch of warmth in his heart. Seeing that Zhang Tie looked much more mature than himself, the address "Brother Zhang" slipped out before he could think.
"It's… it's nothing. I'm used to doing chores at home. If I don't do anything for a while, I feel a little… uncomfortable. If you ever need help with anything, just say the word. I may not have much, but I've got plenty of strength." Zhang Tie seemed a bit bashful, his words coming out haltingly.
Han Li hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch and was starving. He wolfed down each mantou in just a few bites, and in no time at all, both large buns were completely demolished.
"It's getting late. Let's go see Doctor Mo." Han Li belched a few times, glanced at the setting sun outside the window, and calculated the time — it felt right to go see Doctor Mo.
Zhang Tie had no objections and followed Han Li to Doctor Mo's quarters.
Inside Doctor Mo's room, rows upon rows of bookshelves lined the walls, packed densely with all manner of books.
"Doctor Mo!" "Doctor Mo!"
Doctor Mo sat with his back pressed against a grand armchair, engrossed in a book he held in his hands. He seemed completely unaware of their arrival and gave no sign of hearing their greetings. After all, Han Li and Zhang Tie were just children — seeing Doctor Mo pay them no attention, they grew flustered, at a loss for what to do, and could only stand off to the side waiting.
It wasn't until Han Li's legs had gone slightly numb from standing that Doctor Mo, without any rush, set his book down on a nearby desk, looked the two of them over with a cold gaze, picked up a cup of tea, took a few small sips, and finally spoke in a leisurely drawl:
"From this day forward, you two are my In-Name Disciples. I will teach you some basics about gathering and refining medicine, and perhaps some medical skills for saving and treating people. But I will absolutely not teach you martial arts." Doctor Mo set his tea back down, his expression blank.
"I have a set of body-cultivating and mind-nurturing secret formulas to teach you. Although they won't let you defeat enemies, they will strengthen your bodies and improve your health. If you truly want to learn some martial arts, you may go to the Instructors to study — I won't object. But in six months, I will only test you on your practice of these secret formulas. If you fail, you'll be sent to the Outer Sect to become Outer Sect Disciples just the same. Do you understand?" Doctor Mo's tone suddenly turned solemn, as if he placed great importance on these secret formulas.
"We understand." Han Li and Zhang Tie answered in unison.
"You two may leave now. Come back early tomorrow morning." Doctor Mo waved them off with a dismissive gesture, then picked up his book again and resumed reading.
Before leaving, Han Li couldn't help but steal a glance at the book in Doctor Mo's hands. Unfortunately, he couldn't read — all he knew was that the title consisted of three large black characters. They might have recognized him, but he certainly didn't recognize them.
Once outside Doctor Mo's room, Han Li couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh of relief. Inside, for some reason, he hadn't dared to breathe too loudly, and his mind had been wound tight. Now that he was out, he immediately relaxed and felt like himself again.
Over the next few days, Han Li was endlessly excited. He had finally become a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect — even if he was only an In-Name Disciple, it was still better than the other boys who had been sent home. Even if he failed the test in six months, he could still become an Outer Sect Disciple like Third Uncle. In Han Li's mind, Third Uncle was already a person of considerable status and standing, so he didn't take the six-month test all that seriously. In fact, deep down he even harbored a faint hope that he wouldn't pass — that way, he could leave the mountain sooner and reunite with his parents and his most beloved little sister.
In the days that followed, Doctor Mo spent their mornings teaching them knowledge related to medicine and pharmacology. In the afternoons, they were sent to a study hall where they joined the other boys to learn reading and writing, as well as fundamental martial arts knowledge — the Twelve Regular Meridians, the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and the locations of acupoints throughout the body — along with practical training in horse stance work and straw dummy drills to build basic skills.
A month later, Han Li and Zhang Tie were finally separated from the other boys. They no longer had time to study anything else, because Doctor Mo began teaching them the Nameless Secret Formula. Practicing this formula consumed most of their time, and Doctor Mo strictly forbade them from sharing it with anyone else — if the secret leaked, he would severely punish them both and expel them from his tutelage.
During this period, Han Li picked up a fairly detailed understanding of the Seven Mysteries Sect and Doctor Mo from what others told him. The Seven Mysteries Sect had a Sect Master named Wang Lu who was a direct descendant of the Seven Absolute Sovereign, along with three Vice Sect Masters. The sect was divided into the Outer Sect and the Inner Sect. The Outer Sect contained four halls: Flying Bird Hall, Treasure Gathering Hall, Four Seas Hall, and Outer Blade Hall. The Inner Sect contained four halls: Hundred Forging Hall, Seven Absolute Hall, Offering Hall, and Blood Blade Hall. Additionally, there was an Elder Council that ranked just below the Sect Master and stood on equal footing with the Vice Sect Masters.
Doctor Mo had not originally been a member of the Seven Mysteries Sect. It was only a few years prior that Sect Master Wang Lu, while traveling, had fallen into an enemy's trap and been ambushed by hostile forces, suffering grave injuries and hovering between life and death. Those around him were helpless. As it happened, they encountered the healer Doctor Mo, whose miraculous skills turned the tide and cured all his ailments, saving Sect Master Wang's life. The Sect Master was naturally filled with gratitude. When he later learned that Doctor Mo, in addition to his superb medical knowledge, also possessed formidable martial arts, he invited him back to the sect. A small valley deep in the mountains was carefully selected, and a residence was built specifically for him, allowing Doctor Mo to settle comfortably within the Seven Mysteries Sect — thus becoming an honored expert of the Offering Hall. During his time at the Seven Mysteries Sect, although the disciples had never seen him in action and didn't know how strong his martial arts truly were, he had used his brilliant medical skills to save the lives of many sect members. For this reason, despite his frequently expressionless face and sparse words, he was held in high regard by all the disciples.
(End of Chapter)