Chapter Six: The Nameless Mantra

Chapter Six: The Nameless Mantra

"Get up, get up!"

A distant voice, as if coming from beyond the heavens, startled Eli awake. As he opened his eyes, a huge face was right in front of him, making him jump back in shock. It took him a moment to realize that the face belonged to the other child, Zhang Iron.

"Hurry and eat something. After dinner, we have to see Old Mo," Zhang Iron handed Eli two steaming buns.

"Where did you find food?" Eli asked, surprised, as he accepted the food.

"There's a big kitchen near the valley. I saw everyone getting food there, so I went and got some too. After eating, I realized you hadn't eaten yet, so I got you two buns," Zhang Iron explained with a simple smile.

"Thank you, Zhang," Eli felt a touch of warmth, seeing that Zhang Iron looked much more mature than himself, and instinctively called him "Zhang."

"It's nothing... I'm used to doing this at home. If I don't do something for a while, I feel... a bit uneasy. If you need help with anything in the future, just tell me. I may not have much, but I'm strong," Zhang Iron seemed a bit embarrassed, his words stuttering.

Eli, who hadn't had breakfast or lunch, was quite hungry. He devoured the buns in a few bites, and in just a moment, both were gone.

"It's getting late. Let's go see Old Mo," Eli burped contentedly and glanced outside at the setting sun, calculating that it was time to meet Doctor Mo.

Zhang Iron had no objections, and they went together to Doctor Mo's room.

Inside Doctor Mo's room, rows of bookshelves lined the walls, filled with a dense array of various books.

"Old Mo!"

"Old Mo!"

...

Doctor Mo was sitting in an armchair with his back to them, engrossed in a book, seemingly oblivious to their arrival and deaf to their greetings. Eli and Zhang Iron, both still children, didn't know what to do when ignored and just stood there waiting.

It wasn't until Eli's legs began to feel numb from standing that Doctor Mo leisurely placed his book on the desk, looked them over coldly, sipped his tea a few times, and then spoke slowly:

"From today, you two are my registered disciples. I'll teach you some basic knowledge about medicine making and maybe some medical skills to save and heal people. But I won't teach you any martial arts," Doctor Mo stated flatly, putting down his tea.

"I have a set of mantras for cultivating one's body and spirit that I'll teach you. Although it won't allow you to defeat enemies, it will help you strengthen your bodies. If you really want to learn some martial arts, you can go to the instructors. I won't object, but in half a year, I'll only test you on this mantra. If you don't meet the standards, you'll still be sent to work as external disciples," Doctor Mo suddenly became very serious, showing how much he valued this mantra.

"We understand," Eli and Zhang Iron responded in unison.

"You two can go now. Come back early tomorrow morning," Doctor Mo waved them away and picked up his book again.

As Eli left, he couldn't help but glance at the book in Doctor Mo's hands. Unfortunately, he couldn't read, only knowing the book was titled with three big black characters. Regretfully, they knew him, but he didn't know them.

Leaving Doctor Mo's room, Eli breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, he had felt so tense inside that he didn't even dare to breathe deeply. Now that he was outside, he immediately felt relaxed and back to normal.

Over the next few days, Eli was continuously excited because he was finally a disciple of the Mystic Gate, albeit only a registered one. This was still better than the other children who had been sent home. Even if he didn't pass the test in half a year, he could still become an external disciple like Uncle Thomas. In Eli's eyes, Uncle Thomas was a person of significant status and position, so he didn't really worry about the test in half a year. In fact, deep down, he somewhat hoped he would fail, so he

 could leave the mountain sooner and see his parents and his beloved sister again.

In the following days, Doctor Mo taught them some medical knowledge in the mornings. In the afternoons, they went to a study hall with other children to learn to read and write, as well as basic martial arts knowledge like the twelve primary channels, the extraordinary channels, the locations of acupoints throughout the body, and basic skills like horse stance and striking straw men.

A month later, Eli and Zhang Iron's schedule changed. They no longer had time for other lessons because Doctor Mo began teaching them a nameless mantra. Practicing this mantra took up most of their time, and Doctor Mo strictly ordered them not to disclose the mantra to anyone. If they leaked it, they would be severely punished and kicked out.