That evening, Zhu Siqi fiddled with the tape recorder again and discovered from the manual that it also had a radio function. He switched it to radio mode and slowly turned the tuning knob. At first, all that came out was a crackling sha-sha-sha of static, but suddenly a clear, standard Mandarin voice emerged:
"This is China National Radio, China National Radio. Now broadcasting the News Simulcast."
Hearing the sound, Zhu Siqi listened carefully. The broadcast reported major events happening across the country as well as international news. It was the first time he had ever heard news from the outside world, and he felt both excited and curious. He tried tuning again, but there were no other stations—on the mountain, only this one signal could be received.
That night, he listened until the announcer wished the listeners good night before going to sleep. From then on, listening to the radio became his fixed nightly routine. Through it, he learned about all kinds of events happening in society, greatly broadening his horizons.
On Monday, he went to school. Since he had finished reading all the middle school textbooks at home the day before, he stopped by the Xinhua Bookstore at the market that morning to check. They didn't have high school textbooks. The shop assistant told him that only the county's Xinhua Bookstore sold high school materials. So there wasn't much for him to do at school that day.
There were two math classes in the morning. Although he already knew the methods Teacher Tan explained for solving certain problems, he still listened with great interest. After all, no one had ever taught him before—everything he knew came from self-study. Comparing his own learning approach with the teacher's instruction, he discovered several shortcuts. His own method had been rather primitive: memorizing everything in the textbook without extracting key points. The teachers, however, summarized learning methods and frameworks. This realization made him confident that he could read other textbooks even faster in the future.
There were also two English classes that morning. Now, when Teacher Wang spoke English, Zhu Siqi could understand it all. Sometimes, when Teacher Wang asked questions in English, Zhu Siqi answered silently in his mind, carrying on a quiet exchange with the teacher. He liked this feeling and saw no need to show off in front of the whole class.
After lunch, he went to Teacher Tan's office. He wanted to ask for a day off tomorrow to go to the county bookstore. That morning at the market, he had learned there was only one bus to the county each day—leaving at six in the morning, taking two hours to arrive, and returning at four in the afternoon.
When he reached the office, Teacher Tan wasn't there. He thought about looking for him, then realized using perception would be easier. With a single sweep, he sensed that Teacher Tan was playing basketball on the school playground with other teachers.
At the court, they were playing half-court three-on-three basketball—no referee, three players per side. Zhu Siqi had read the rules in his PE textbook but had never played before. He stood quietly on the sidelines watching, not approaching Teacher Tan to ask for leave. The teachers were all fairly young and played enthusiastically. The court wasn't cement, the ground was uneven, and the hoop had no net—just a bare iron ring.
By the time they finished, it was almost time for the fifth period. Seeing Teacher Tan heading back to his office, Zhu Siqi followed him and said:
"Teacher Tan, I'd like to ask for a day off tomorrow."
"A day off? Yesterday was just Sunday. What's going on tomorrow?" Teacher Tan asked when he saw it was Zhu Siqi.
"I want to go to the county to buy some things."
"Oh." Teacher Tan found it strange—children from the mountains rarely went to the county. Most only went for the first time in third year, organized by the school for entrance exams. But remembering Zhu Siqi was only auditing classes and already running a stall at the market, he quickly accepted it.
"Alright. Write a leave note this afternoon and submit it to me."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Tan."
After getting permission, Zhu Siqi headed back to the classroom.
In the afternoon, there was a PE class. When the class was dismissed, Zhu Siqi didn't return to the classroom but stayed on the playground.
Seeing classmates go to the sports monitor to collect equipment, he didn't move. He had seen the teachers playing basketball at noon and wanted to try it himself. There was only one basketball anyway—it didn't matter who fetched it.
When a classmate got the ball, Zhu Siqi slowly walked toward the court, but when he saw how they were playing, he stopped. Hardly any first-year students actually knew how to play basketball. Their "game" involved everyone crowding under the hoop. Whoever got the ball dribbled twice and threw it at the hoop, then chased the rebound, ran back out, dribbled a couple of times, and threw again. There was no real matchup—just a free-for-all. The advantage was that anyone could join, no matter how many players there were.
He could only smile wryly. Spotting his deskmate Zhu Aiguo playing volleyball, he walked over. Zhu Aiguo noticed him and shouted:
"Zhu Siqi, come play volleyball!"
Their volleyball game wasn't formal either. They split into two sides, with however many people wanted to join. As long as the ball was hit back over the net, it counted. The net itself was old and tattered.
Zhu Siqi joined Zhu Aiguo's side. There were eight or nine people on their side, each standing in a rough area. When the ball came to your area, you received it—no need to move much. The other side was similar.
When the volleyball came his way, Zhu Siqi recalled what he'd read in the book: clasp both hands together, keep the arms straight, and strike with both arms at once. The ball flew back to the other side. To him, this felt like a game. Since his master had taken him to the mountains, he had never played games—only practiced martial arts, read books, wrote calligraphy, or hunted for amusement. Playing with so many peers was something he'd never experienced before. Though simple, he quickly grasped the technique after a few attempts and could accurately return the ball each time. He enjoyed it immensely.
There were no real rules in this volleyball game. As long as the ball entered their side, it didn't matter how many times it was touched—sometimes it passed through seven or eight people before going back over. Some dove for it, some grabbed it, some even kicked it when it was about to hit the ground. No matter how, as long as it crossed the net, it counted.
Soon the bell rang to end class. The students didn't want to stop and played for a few more minutes before finally returning the volleyball to the sports monitor.
Zhu Siqi felt genuinely happy during this class. His childhood had been filled with nonstop martial practice and study, but this class gave him a glimpse of what childhood fun felt like. With only two PE classes a week, it was never enough. He thought that when he went to the county tomorrow, he might as well buy a ball to play with classmates. But since the school only had one volleyball net, buying more volleyballs wouldn't help much. It would be better to buy two table tennis paddles and badminton rackets instead—after all, he had earned money selling medicine a few days ago.
Walking back to the classroom, he caught up with Zhu Aiguo and asked:
"Zhu Aiguo, do you know how to play table tennis and badminton?"
"Of course. Don't you?" Zhu Aiguo replied, turning around. "It's fine—even if you don't, you'll learn after playing a few times in PE class. It's easy."
Zhu Aiguo was about the same height as Zhu Siqi. His father was a hunter who often took him into the mountains, making him agile and quick—something Zhu Siqi had already noticed during volleyball.
"I'm going to the county tomorrow and want to buy two sets of rackets. If you know how to play, we can play together then."
"You're going to the county? What for?" Zhu Aiguo had never been to the county and was shocked.
"Yes. I already asked Teacher Tan at noon, and he agreed."
"Then when you come back, you have to tell me all about the county. I've never been there," Zhu Aiguo said eagerly.
"Sure. It'll be my first time too."
After school, Zhu Siqi submitted his leave note to Teacher Tan, then went to the principal's office on the third floor. The teachers were still there. He walked up to Principal Du and said:
"Principal Du, I'm here to give you acupuncture."
After the previous treatment, Principal Du had felt much better. Seeing Zhu Siqi, he smiled and said:
"I've felt much better these past two days. Looks like you really live up to your reputation—our school has a little miracle doctor now."
Zhu Siqi smiled shyly, took out the needles, and asked, "Is it okay to do it here today?"
"That's fine. Just wait a bit—let the students finish cleaning and leave first."
"Okay."
Meanwhile, back on the mountain, Lefan was also listening to the radio. He had used tape recorders before but hadn't bought one back then, fearing Zhu Siqi would be distracted from martial training. Now, seeing his disciple buy one himself and study independently, he felt deeply gratified—his efforts hadn't been wasted. His disciple had grown up.
That day, he heard news about a national food festival being held in Hangzhou, where famous chefs and dishes from all over the country would gather for a whole month. Lefan's mouth watered. He had always loved fine food, seeking out local specialties wherever he went. He had even come to Zhu Siqi's hometown because it produced nationally famous chili sauce—especially the homemade kind from rural households.
He had stayed here for over ten years now. In the past, except during his youth when learning skills, he had never stayed in one place for more than two years. This time, without realizing it, so many years had passed—because his disciple was too outstanding. Now the eagle's wings had fully grown; it was time for it to soar. And he, too, could go enjoy delicacies again.
After finishing Principal Du's acupuncture, Zhu Siqi sensed that his stomach and liver had begun repairing themselves. As long as he recuperated slowly, the illness should disappear. His true qi could only stimulate the cells and speed up recovery slightly—too fast would affect stability. So this would be the last treatment. He explained this to Principal Du, advising him to control his diet and finish the health-preserving pills.
Back on the mountain, after dinner, Zhu Siqi prepared to return to his room. Seeing that his master hadn't gone back to his own room right away, he felt it was strange and asked:
"Master, is something the matter today?"
"Disciple, how many years have you been on this mountain?" Lefan asked instead of answering.
"Twelve years. What's wrong, Master?" Zhu Siqi sensed something unusual and grew anxious.
"It's nothing," Lefan said. "I'm just happy to see you've grown up. You can earn money, learn knowledge from books. Seeing what you've done recently makes me very happy. It's time for you to venture out on your own. And it's time for me to leave."
Hearing this, Zhu Siqi nearly burst into tears. "Master, did I do something wrong? Are you abandoning me? Tell me—I'll change, I swear I will!"
"Silly child," Lefan said gently. "Didn't I just say you've done very well? An eagle must grow up one day, and when it does, it flies. You're the same. Now that you've grown up, you should use what you've learned—for yourself, for society, for the country. That's what I hope for."
"At least wait until after the New Year before leaving," Zhu Siqi pleaded. "There are only a little over three months left."
"No," Lefan replied. "I'm leaving tomorrow. I heard on the news today that Hangzhou is holding a food festival. I want to try all kinds of delicacies. I waited for you to come back tonight because I still had things to tell you. Don't say anything more—are you not even going to listen to your master now?"
"Disciple wouldn't dare."
"I've never told you about matters of our sect. Today, I'll tell you everything," Lefan said after a pause, reminiscing about his past.
"When I was young, I became a disciple of Master Zhinen, a great martial arts master of the Shaolin generation. I had two fellow disciples: my eldest brother Liao Ru and my youngest brother Liao Ping. I was the second. After mastering their skills, both stayed at Shaolin Temple. Only I wandered the world, all because of my love for food, and never returned for decades. Back then, our master had already become the abbot of Shaolin. Whether he still is now, I don't know.
"Over a hundred years ago, Shaolin was divided into the Inner Temple and the Outer Temple. The Outer Temple handled ordinary visitors and was managed by an abbot sent from the Inner Temple. The Inner Temple was the true core, where internal martial arts were practiced, and its members rarely left. I was an exception."
"During this time, I've organized the Pre-Heaven Arhat Fist and the Bodhidharma Sword Technique, writing them into these two manuscripts. When you go out in the future, take them to Shaolin and give them to your grandmaster. I obtained them through a chance encounter outside."
He handed Zhu Siqi two handwritten books.
"You also have two senior brothers I accepted forty years ago—Zhang Yuanchao and Li Shouyi. They should be around fifty now. I only taught them for a little over a year and passed on just the first five layers of the Yi Jin Jing. If you meet them, you may give them the later methods. As for the Yi Jin Yiyuan Art, there's no need—they can't practice it anymore. After leaving them, I never saw them again. Zhang Yuanchao's father was a general who returned from the Korean War, and Li Shouyi's father worked in government, holding a fairly high position. If it weren't for their families' chefs cooking such good food, I wouldn't have stayed so long."
At this, Lefan sighed. It seemed that preserving his legacy now depended solely on this final disciple.
"Yes, Master," Zhu Siqi said firmly. "I will do as you say. I will ensure that Shaolin's supreme arts flourish in my hands, to repay the sect."
Hearing this, Lefan felt at ease. From now on, he could devote himself wholeheartedly to enjoying fine food.