Published: July 11, 2025
Chapter 6: Nameless Incantation
“Get up! Get up!”
A faint call, as if coming from beyond the heavens, woke Han Li from his deep sleep. When he opened his eyes, a huge face was pressed close to his, startling him. He shrank back slightly and only then realized that the terrifying face belonged to another boy, Zhang Tie.
“Hurry and eat something. After dinner, we have to go see Old Mo,” Zhang Tie said, handing Han Li two steaming buns.
“Where did you find food?” Han Li was momentarily stunned before taking 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 noticed you hadn’t eaten yet, so I got you two more buns,” Zhang Tie said with a simple smile.
“Thank you, Brother Zhang,” Han Li felt touched. Seeing that Zhang Tie looked much more mature than himself, the words slipped out naturally.
“No... it’s nothing. I’m used to working at home, and if I don’t do some work for a while, I feel a bit... uneasy. If you ever need help, just say the word. I may have nothing else, but I do have strength,” Zhang Tie said shyly, stammering a bit.
Han Li hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch and was quite hungry. He finished one bun in three or five bites, and within a short while, both buns were completely devoured.
“It’s getting late. Let’s go see Old Mo,” Han Li said, patting his full belly and glancing at the setting sun outside the window. He calculated the time and felt it was about time to meet Doctor Mo.
Zhang Tie had no objections and followed Han Li to the room where Doctor Mo stayed.
Inside Doctor Mo’s room, rows of bookshelves lined the walls, packed tightly with all kinds of books.
“Old Mo!”
“Old Mo!”
...
Doctor Mo was sitting in a grand armchair with his back against it, engrossed in a book. He seemed completely unaware of their arrival and did not respond to their calls. Since Han Li and Zhang Tie were still children and saw that Doctor Mo ignored them, they became awkward and unsure what to do, so they just stood quietly to the side.
Only when Han Li’s feet began to go numb did Doctor Mo slowly put the book down on a nearby desk. He glanced coldly at the two, then took up a cup of tea, sipped a few times, and finally spoke in a deep voice:
“From today onward, you two are my registered disciples. I will teach you some basics of gathering and refining herbs. Perhaps I will also teach you some healing arts to save lives, but I will not teach you martial arts.”
Doctor Mo’s expression was emotionless as he put the tea cup down again.
“I have a set of incantations for cultivating body and mind that I will teach you. While it won’t help you defeat enemies, it will strengthen your body and improve your health. If you really want to learn some martial arts, you can go to the instructors, and I won’t object. But six months from now, I will test you only on your progress with this incantation. If you fail, you will be demoted to outer sect disciples. Do you understand clearly?”
Doctor Mo’s tone suddenly became serious, showing how much he valued this incantation.
“We understand,” Han Li and Zhang Tie answered in unison.
“You may leave now. Come back early tomorrow morning,” Doctor Mo waved them off and picked up his book again.
Before leaving, Han Li couldn’t help but glance at the book Doctor Mo was reading. Unfortunately, he was illiterate and only recognized three large black characters on the cover. Although the characters understood him, he did not understand them.
Once outside Doctor Mo’s room, Han Li let out a quiet sigh of relief. Inside, he hadn’t dared to breathe deeply for fear of disturbing the solemn atmosphere. Now, outside, he immediately relaxed and returned to normal.
In the following days, Han Li was excited beyond measure because he was finally a disciple of the seven mysteries sect. Although only a registered 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 already held a prestigious position, so he didn’t worry too much about the test. In fact, deep down, he vaguely hoped to fail so he could leave the sect sooner and reunite with his parents and beloved little sister.