“Child’s mother, what do you think?”

　　Mrs. Bennett, being a rural woman, didn’t have much of an opinion. “Old Bennett, you just do as you see fit.”

　　In truth, Kevin Bennett felt miserable inside. If the county hospital couldn’t cure him, the provincial hospital might not be able to either. Even if there was a chance, he probably couldn’t afford the medical bills. Seeing Little Samuel suffering in pain, so young yet so clever—he always tried to educate him whenever he had time. Because he himself had no diploma, even though he was a good teacher, only his students knew it; it was hard to ever become a public school teacher. He had pinned his hopes on his son, but now it seemed that might not work out. Still, he thought, this monk must have some real skills, at least he’s well-read. If Little Samuel followed him for a few years, he wouldn’t become illiterate. Watching Little Samuel in pain made his heart ache, so he gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and said to the wandering monk:

　　“Master, I’ll entrust my son to you. I believe you are highly learned—please, if you could enlighten my son, I would be deeply grateful.”

　　Hearing Kevin Bennett say this, “No problem. Since Mr. Bennett puts it this way, why don’t I just take your Little Sam as my disciple? What do you think?” Master Franklin was secretly delighted.

　　“Thank you, Master.” Kevin Bennett thought to himself, this is the only way. He believed the monk wouldn’t mistreat his son. “But my son won’t have to become a monk, right? That wouldn’t be good.”

　　“A lay disciple, a lay disciple,” Franklin replied, hearing Kevin Bennett agree and fearing he might change his mind. In fact, he didn’t care—so long as his teachings had a successor, what did it matter if it was a monk or not? He himself was only half a monk; otherwise, he would have become the abbot of Shaolin.

　　“Alright then, when will my son go with you for treatment?”

　　“The sooner the better. This illness can’t be delayed. It’s best to go to the county seat now and take the night train to Sichuan.” Actually, Franklin was afraid that if they waited, something might go wrong and he’d lose his new disciple.

　　But Kevin Bennett’s family didn’t know this. When Mrs. Bennett heard they were leaving immediately, she panicked and burst into tears, hugging her son tightly and crying in pain. Little Samuel’s two older sisters, Samuel Bennett and Megan Bennett, didn’t fully understand what was happening, but they knew their little brother was leaving home for a faraway place, so they cried along with the adults.

　　Kevin Bennett immediately took out all the family’s savings and handed it to Master Franklin. “Here is 2,000 yuan, please accept it. I’ll be counting on you to take care of my son from now on!”

　　Franklin was not a greedy man. At that time, 2,000 yuan in the countryside was a small fortune—it was several years’ wages for Kevin Bennett. So he only took 500 yuan. “A monk should have no possessions, but since we’re in a hurry, this will be enough.”

　　Kevin Bennett didn’t insist, and seeing Master Franklin act this way made him feel even more at ease.

　　He comforted Mrs. Bennett, telling her not to cry, while preparing some clothes for Little Samuel. They hurried, flagged down a car on the road, and sent Little Samuel and Master Franklin to the train station that very night. There was a passing train to the provincial capital, and from there they would transfer to Sichuan.

Chapter Three: Learning the Arts (Part One)

　　Emei, Sichuan

　　More than a hundred li from the main peak of Mount Emei, there was another mountain, a bit lower than the main peak, but even more beautiful and treacherous. Most people could only make it halfway up; even the best hunters in Emei had never reached the summit, because above the halfway point the slopes were too steep—seventy or eighty degrees—and covered in primeval forest, with no paths at all. At night, the mountain echoed with the howls of wild beasts, and there were many poisonous creatures. For the sake of their lives, almost no one dared to go up.

　　At the top of the mountain was a small flat area, and at this moment, a child was practicing martial arts there. His punches were as swift as the wind, his retractions as relaxed as a pine tree, performing a set of Arhat Fist in one smooth flow.

　　That’s right, this was Little Samuel. He was now eight years old and had been here for over four years.

　　When he first arrived, Monk Franklin found a large vat for him, built a fire underneath, and every day gathered various herbs from the mountain to put in the vat, adding a certain amount of water, then put Little Samuel in to be boiled. Each batch of medicine contained eighty-two kinds of herbs, weighing at least two hundred jin. Each session lasted seven days before changing the herbs and water. Every night, he also received acupuncture and Franklin’s internal energy massage. After seven cycles of seven days—forty-nine days in total—the red scorpion centipede poison in Little Samuel’s body was completely eliminated. The medicine also contained various tonics, making his body even stronger and laying a solid foundation for his future training.

　　Once the poison was cleared, Little Samuel’s lessons increased. Every morning and evening, he meditated for two hours, practicing Master Franklin’s “Yijin One-Element Skill.” This was a secret manual, “Hunyuan Qi Gong,” that Franklin had found twenty years ago in an unnamed cave while passing through Mount Hua. At first, Franklin thought he had found another martial arts manual, but upon reading it, he realized it was actually a Daoist text, focusing on channeling the energy of heaven and earth and achieving a state of natural harmony. Although practicing it didn’t increase his martial power, it greatly enhanced his perception. He couldn’t see people or objects dozens of meters away, but he could sense them, like a human radar. Franklin was overjoyed and spent twenty years integrating Shaolin’s “Yijin Jing” with “Hunyuan Qi Gong,” creating this set of “Yijin One-Element Skill.” As one’s internal strength increased layer by layer during practice, the range of perception also grew larger and larger.