This patient clearly had problems with his lungs. Zhu Siqi sent another stream of true energy through his fingers into the middle-aged man's body and guided it to the lungs to investigate. He discovered a great deal of white dust clinging to the inner membrane of the lungs, and on the left lung lobe there was an obvious black patch. When his true energy probed into that area, he found even more dust along with many viruses. Since the true energy was already inside, he conducted a full-body check and found that the man's legs also had issues—not rheumatism, but brittle bones caused by long periods of standing, along with some abnormal bony growths.
"May I ask what profession you're in?" Zhu Siqi asked.
"I'm a teacher at the middle school nearby."
"No wonder. I see there's a problem with your lungs—you probably inhale a lot of dust regularly. Also, your leg bones aren't in great condition either. It looks like bone overgrowth, likely from standing for long periods."
"That's right. I teach every day, and when I wipe the blackboard, chalk dust inevitably gets into my lungs. I also teach for long hours, and my legs have been troubling me for years."
"I'll prescribe two formulas—one for your lungs and one for your legs. The treatment will take some time. During this period, it's best that you stop working and rest."
The middle-aged man grew anxious when he heard this. "That won't do. The high school entrance exam is in two months. Without my guidance, the students' results won't be ideal."
"Then try to shorten your class time and sit more instead of standing. You should be able to manage that, right?" Seeing him like this, Zhu Siqi was reminded of his father from his childhood memories. This man resembled his father very much. He remembered that when he had been bitten by the Crimson Centipede as a child, his father hadn't been home—he was at school tutoring students.
"That's all I can do. The students will graduate in two months anyway," the man said with a helpless smile.
Hearing this, Zhu Siqi knew the man would find it difficult to follow his advice. Clearly, he was enduring all this for the sake of his students. The resemblance to his father made Zhu Siqi want to help him more. Normally, the condition could only be treated gradually with medicine, reduced exposure to dust, and long-term recuperation. With Zhu Siqi's prescriptions, he would likely recover in about half a year.
"It seems I can only help him regulate his body with inner energy," Zhu Siqi thought. But fearing exposure of his true energy abilities, he decided to use acupuncture as a cover—after all, his acupuncture already had a good reputation.
"Then I'll first give you an acupuncture treatment. But you must still take the decoctions on time."
He inserted several needles into the man's chest, secretly sending streams of true energy into his body. The man's lungs were like roadside walls covered in thick dust from years of exposure, with the left lung especially severe, almost moldy. Zhu Siqi's true energy acted like high-pressure water, washing the dust off the lung walls, wrapping it up, and guiding it through the stomach into the intestines so it could be expelled during excretion.
As the needles went in, the man felt a warm sensation in his chest, as if years of blockage had suddenly cleared. Breathing felt easy and painless, unlike before. When the needles were removed, the warmth faded, but his breathing felt like it had before he became a teacher—a sensation he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Zhu Siqi then treated his legs with acupuncture. There was no quick solution for bone overgrowth, so he used true energy to kill some of the cells in the affected areas and smooth out some bone spurs. Though Zhu Siqi thought the effect would be limited, the man felt as if someone were massaging his legs—comfortable, without the previous swelling sensation. He realized that the young man might be using qigong, otherwise the effects wouldn't be so obvious. Seeing that Zhu Siqi didn't explain, he didn't say anything either, but felt deep gratitude.
"Young man, your acupuncture is truly effective. I feel much better now—almost like I've returned to my youth," the man said happily, laughing.
"By the way, did you use qigong to treat me?" he couldn't help asking.
"No, I don't know qigong," Zhu Siqi replied quickly. "I just stimulated your acupuncture points with needles, activating your own body's responses. That might feel like qigong, but it's actually your own energy at work."
"Oh, I see. I thought you had mastered qigong at such a young age," the man said, not thinking much more about it.
"By the way, you're still very young. Why aren't you in school? At your age, you should be sitting in a classroom," the man asked, now relaxed and chatty after years of discomfort seemed to vanish.
"I've never been to school," Zhu Siqi answered.
"What? In today's society, it's hard to get anywhere without education. Your calligraphy is good, and your speech shows decent literary cultivation. But if you don't study now, once you're older, even if you want to, you won't have the chance," the man said, slipping into his teacher's role.
Seeing Zhu Siqi's indifferent expression, the man doubled down on his educator's enthusiasm. "My surname is Liu, Liu Xuanwen. I'm a mathematics teacher for the graduating class at Santang Middle School. You may have a literary foundation, but you still need education in other fields. Master mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and you can go anywhere without fear. You should know that saying."
"Master math, physics, and chemistry, and you can go anywhere without fear? I've never heard that," Zhu Siqi said, shaking his head slowly. He had read Buddhist scriptures, medical texts, foreign languages, and miscellaneous works—but hardly anything related to math, physics, or chemistry.
Liu Xuanwen was momentarily at a loss. Could it be true that this boy had never been to school? He patiently explained, "Math is mathematics. You need it to calculate your daily income, build houses, run factories—even farming requires math. You use it when writing prescriptions too. Physics explains why people can walk, why cars move, why boats float, and why planes can fly. Chemistry explains how food and water are composed, why herbs can cure illness, and how salt is made."
Listening to Teacher Liu's explanations, Zhu Siqi became genuinely interested. These were things his master had never taught him.
"But I still need to run my stall, and my… family might not agree to me going to school."
"That's easy. Tell me where your home is, and I'll personally visit your parents to talk to them," Liu Xuanwen said, feeling encouraged by Zhu Siqi's interest.
"I'll talk it over with my family first and then come find you. Is that okay?" Zhu Siqi didn't want anyone to know that his "family" was actually his master living atop an inaccessible mountain.
"All right. If you come during the day, just go to the school and ask for Teacher Liu from the third-year class—they'll point you to my office. If it's evening, just ask around the houses behind the school; everyone knows where I live."
"Thank you, Teacher Liu," Zhu Siqi said sincerely.
"No need. And I should thank you today as well—you've almost cured my lung and leg problems. Here's the two yuan treatment fee," Liu Xuanwen said, handing him the money.
Zhu Siqi didn't want to accept it at all, but Liu Xuanwen insisted. "Treatment must be paid for. As for helping you enroll, that's my duty as a teacher."
With no other choice, Zhu Siqi accepted the money, silently resolving to fully cure Teacher Liu's illness.
After Liu Xuanwen left, Zhu Siqi packed up his stall and returned to the mountain after dark. Seeing his master about to cook, he quickly put down his bottles, took over, and prepared the meal.
After dinner, Zhu Siqi told his master everything about meeting Teacher Liu.
After a moment of silence, Fan said, "Disciple, you're growing up. I've taught you nearly everything I can. If you want to succeed in society, you'll need broader knowledge. I support you going to school. Also, you should stop running your stall."
"Master, I'll study diligently. As for the stall, I'd like to continue—it only takes time once every five days and won't interfere much. Please trust me. I won't be worse than others."
Seeing his determination, Fan didn't insist further. His disciple was clearly maturing.
The next day, Zhu Siqi was so eager that he skipped making pills and went straight down the mountain to Santang Middle School at the southern end of the market town. The school was small and simple—just one three-story teaching building with three classrooms per floor. Teacher offices were at both ends of each floor, with two additional offices built behind the classrooms.
It was recess when he arrived. After asking a student, he learned that Teacher Liu's office was on the third floor, in the middle by the corridor.
Liu Xuanwen was there, along with a young teacher. Seeing Zhu Siqi, Liu smiled. "Looks like your family agreed to let you attend school. Come in and sit. By the way, I don't know your name yet."
"My name is Zhu Siqi. 'Si' as in commander, and 'Qi' as in 'that.'"
"I discussed your situation with the principal this morning. I'll take you to see him."
"Thank you, Teacher Liu."
They went to the eastern office on the third floor, which housed the school administration. The principal, Du, was there. Liu introduced Zhu Siqi.
Principal Du was in his forties or fifties, short but solid, with thinning hair. He was a proper university graduate from the early days after liberation, whose career had stalled due to political movements.
"Welcome, Zhu Siqi," Principal Du said kindly. "Teacher Liu told me about you. The state now mandates nine years of compulsory education, so even if your guardians object, we would still investigate. Since you have a good literary foundation but lack other education, I suggest you start by auditing in the first year."
"Thank you, Principal Du," Zhu Siqi replied calmly.
Satisfied with his composure, Principal Du turned to the logistics teacher. "Teacher Zhu, calculate how much he needs to pay for enrolling."
Then he asked Zhu Siqi, "Do you have money with you? If not, you can pay tomorrow."
"I have money," Zhu Siqi said, taking out the earnings he hadn't yet handed to his master.
The logistics teacher said, "Come pay here. Book fees are 20 yuan, tuition 14 yuan, and steamed-rice fee 2 yuan. Will you be eating lunch at school?"
Seeing Zhu Siqi's confusion, he explained that students usually brought rice from home, which the cafeteria would steam at noon.
Zhu Siqi nodded, handed over 36 yuan, and received a receipt.
He then remembered his market stall and asked, "Principal Du, I still need to run my stall on market days. Is that okay?"
After some thought, the principal agreed, explaining that this meant his student status couldn't be formalized yet. He would be considered an auditing student, and by the third year he would need to enroll full-time to receive a diploma.
"I'll discuss it with my family," Zhu Siqi replied.
"Then you'll be classified as an auditing student," the principal said. "Teacher Zhu, update the records. Teacher Liu, please take him to Class One of First Year and get him his books."
Liu led Zhu Siqi to the first-floor office, where Teacher Tan, a young graduate, warmly welcomed him, distributed the textbooks, and led him into the classroom. After greeting the teacher, he found Zhu Siqi an empty seat at the back.
And so, Zhu Siqi began his life as an auditing student.