So, to do this homework, I had to wander around the mountain, looking for different medicinal herb patches every day. Then, I would write the properties of each herb and what illnesses they could treat next to them. As for the other cultural content, it was simple—just rote memorization. With Little Samuel’s photographic memory, there was basically no need to do this homework anymore.

By the time all the homework was finished, it was almost dark, but that was when Little Samuel’s own playtime began. He put all his books away in his room, then took out two sandbags and tied them to his calves, and grabbed a small bow in one hand. It looked like he was getting ready to go hunting for fun.

Chapter Four: Learning Skills II

Little Samuel’s hunting range wasn’t large—just a few hundred meters around the mountaintop, which was a strict rule set by Franklin. Although he had been practicing martial arts for more than three years, he was still young and currently in the foundation-building stage. If he really encountered large animals like wolves, tigers, or leopards, it would still be very dangerous.

Although none had ever appeared nearby, there were some in the more distant primeval forests. It was just that this section of the mountaintop was so steep that it was hard for them to get up here.

He walked slowly through the woods. Wild rabbits would dart away ahead from time to time, but the birds and pheasants on the branches didn’t react much, probably thinking they were safe so high off the ground. When Little Samuel spotted prey, he took the small bow from his back, pulled an arrow from the quiver at his side—this set was bought by Franklin from a hunter at the foot of the mountain, worried that he’d get bored being alone up here every day. It let him practice his martial skills and also gave him some entertainment...

At that moment, a rabbit by a tree ahead saw someone approaching and looked around, trying to decide which way to run. In a flash, Little Samuel drew his bow, pulled back, and with a “whoosh,” the arrow shot out, hitting the target dead on. He ran over and saw the rabbit was already dead.

“Looks like we’ve got dinner for tonight!” He pulled out the arrow, put it back in the quiver, grabbed the rabbit, and started heading back. On the way, he shot a pheasant as well. When he reached the clearing in the middle of the mountaintop, he noticed there was light in the cave—his master was back, Little Samuel thought.

“Master, Master!” Little Samuel called out as he ran over.

A figure walked out of the cave—it was none other than the wild monk!

“Disciple, have you finished your homework today?” Franklin asked.

“It’s all done. I’m already very skilled at the Arhat Fist. Master, when will you teach me new techniques?”

“All you think about is learning martial arts. Have you copied the scriptures? How’s your acupoint diagram coming along? A true general must be both literate and skilled in martial arts!” Franklin scolded with a smile.

“I finished those too.” As he spoke, he fetched the scriptures he’d copied and the acupoint diagram from his room.

“Good. Then let me test you. Go out to the clearing and perform a set of Arhat Fist.”

They went to the clearing.

Little Samuel stood in the center and assumed the starting stance of the Arhat Fist. Then came Hun Yuan Qi, Immortal Palm Pushing Clouds, Three Plates Landing, Two Hands Holding Up the Sky, Ox Flower Supporting the Leaf, Looking Ahead, Immortal Ape Picking Fruit, Stealing the Sky and Swapping the Sun, Agile Monkey Guarding the Head, Pushing the Window to Seek the Moon, Gathering Claws and Hiding the Edge, Fierce Tiger Pouncing on Prey, Whirlwind Stirring Water, Overturning the Sea and Pushing the Mountain, Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds, Black Tiger Gathering the Heart, Single Strike Through Three Platforms, Cold Separation Walking Alone to Finish. Move after move, he performed them without panting or moving out of place, as if he hadn’t moved at all. Franklin watched with deep satisfaction. To reach this level in three years was truly rare.

“Master, how did I do?”

“Good, good, very good!” Franklin laughed heartily.

“So can you teach me something else now?”

“Disciple, you mustn’t underestimate this Arhat Fist.”

“It’s said that in the world of martial arts, Wudang is the inner school, Shaolin the outer. But the Arhat Fist is actually Shaolin’s inner school, a secret tradition. The Arhat Fist was created by the Indian monk Bodhidharma. The original Arhat Fist is different from what is called Arhat Fist today; it is the orthodox lineage of various Shaolin schools. What you are practicing now is the original Arhat Fist.”

“So that’s why it’s so hard for me to learn. When I practice the Arhat Fist, my ‘Yi Jin One Yuan Skill’ also seems to run automatically, gradually stopping as I finish the set.”

“Oh, you’ve already reached the level of Qi flowing through the six meridians? Good, not bad.” Franklin was secretly pleased. Back in his day, it took him six years to reach the level of Qi flowing through the six meridians, but this kid had done it in just over three years—truly exceptional talent.

“Master, what is Qi flowing through the six meridians?” Little Samuel asked.

“That requires talking about the history of the Arhat Fist. The Arhat Fist was created by the Indian monk Bodhidharma. In the year Dingwei of the Liang Datong era, Bodhidharma entered the Central Plains barefoot and lectured on Zen at Shaolin Temple. He saw that the monks were all sallow and thin, lacking energy, many listless, dozing off, or dying young from illness. He sighed, ‘Though monks do not value the body, they must not neglect their nature, lest the soul scatter. To understand one’s nature, one must first strengthen the body; when the body is strong, the soul is easier to comprehend.’ So he created the Eighteen Hands of the Arhat Fist and taught them to the monks. After just a few months of practice, everyone was full of energy. That was the beginning. At that time, the so-called Arhat Fist consisted only of these eighteen hands, with no distinction between innate and acquired. In the Jin and Yuan dynasties, Bai Yufeng became a monk in the mountains and obtained these eighteen hands. He then integrated and transformed them, delved into their subtleties, and expanded them to 118 hands, corresponding to the 118 Arhats. From then on, Bodhidharma’s original eighteen hands were called the Innate Arhat Fist, and Bai’s 118 hands were called the Acquired Arhat Fist.”