“Mindset is the most important thing when eating. If you think about other things while eating, your blood circulation won’t be focused on your stomach and intestines, which weakens your digestive ability. At the same time, your mind’s control over your taste buds will decrease. Over time, this can lead to mild anorexia, which, from an evolutionary perspective, is the beginning of a species being eliminated.” Richard Grant said, “In my research, even among professional athletes, those who eat without thinking about other things at each meal have much better physical fitness than those who do. Don’t underestimate this detail. True physical fitness and bodily strength come from such strict self-discipline and psychological control. The devil is often hidden in the details.”

“The devil is hidden in the details.” Hearing this, James Carter seemed to understand. He wanted to think about it, but immediately stopped and began to eat in peace, enjoying the goodness of the food.

As he ate, he actually entered a state where he felt the aroma of the food spreading throughout his body as he chewed, making him feel a bit light and airy.

Then, after thoroughly chewing the food and swallowing it into his esophagus and stomach, a sense of satisfaction naturally arose.

In this process, he felt the gift of life from nature.

Watching the changes in James Carter’s expression as he ate, Richard Grant seemed to have discovered a treasure, like a teacher seeing a student with exceptional comprehension.

After finishing the meal, James Carter habitually wanted to stand up.

“Don’t stand up yet. After eating, you should sit for a while, because your stomach and intestines are still moving to digest the food. This is a kind of inertia. If you stand up and break this inertia, your stomach and intestines might sag. But if you sit for too long without moving, it can cause bloating. At this time, you should drink something to aid digestion.” Richard Grant once again taught him about the details.

“Drink something?” James Carter didn’t find any juice or anything like that; he had eaten some fruit at the table.

“The best drink is your own saliva.” Richard Grant gently massaged his abdomen in rhythm with his breathing. “There are several acupoints on the abdomen. Acupoints are unique to Chinese medicine and are very mysterious. In our science, they are called sensitive points where neurons are concentrated. Following the sequence, gently massage Zhongwan, Daheng, Tianshu, Qihai, and Daimai acupoints. While gently massaging, let your saliva be secreted and swallow it. This will give your stomach and intestines more motivation to move and digest. It’s a small detail in Chinese kung fu and also a health-preserving technique, which is even more in line with scientific principles. Only when you feel the pleasure of eating has completely disappeared and there is no sense of bloating in your stomach and abdomen can you stop.”

James Carter learned as instructed. He hadn’t expected that something as simple as eating could contain so much knowledge. In his heart, he didn’t look down on these details at all; on the contrary, he valued them greatly and resolved to do them well.

After digestion was complete, Richard Grant finally let him stand up and move around.

They went out to the courtyard, and Richard Grant first had James Carter walk slowly around the yard. After walking in circles for an hour, the food was completely digested, and only then did he let James Carter practice the move “Hoe Swing” again.

This time, he gave careful guidance, correcting any detail that was off immediately, and didn’t stop until James Carter had practiced the move with perfect steadiness and skill.

“It’s time for a nap.”

Seeing that James Carter was a bit tired, Richard Grant taught him how to sleep.

There were side rooms in the courtyard, built in an ancient architectural style, specially prepared for guests.

Richard Grant had James Carter lie on the bed in a spread-eagle position, stretching out his head and limbs as if being pulled by horses.

“What I’m teaching you now is a combination from ancient Indian yoga and the Tantric method of severing life and death, called the Great Corpse Pose, but I’ve made a small improvement. Now, lie on the bed with your head, feet, and hands stretched out as far as possible, imagining yourself being drawn and quartered, in extreme danger. You struggle to resist, but eventually you’re powerless and torn apart. At this moment, you feel as if you’ve died, like a corpse, but in reality, you’re still alive. At this time, you are completely at peace, outwardly a corpse, but your consciousness remains. Living as a corpse, you experience your true self. After dying once and still being alive, you can let go of everything. Everything is so beautiful, everything can be let go. In this state of mind, you will find great peace, relaxing to the utmost.”

Richard Grant’s voice seemed to have a hypnotic effect. James Carter followed his rhythm, stretching his limbs and head forcefully. Suddenly, it was as if he really had died, and he fell peacefully asleep, his breathing steady and long.

“This child is the most talented and intelligent I’ve ever seen. He’s calm, not impulsive, and has a sense of justice. But to enter the state so quickly—could he really be a genius?” Seeing James Carter asleep, Richard Grant thought of the reason he valued him: that small matter of buying water.

That small matter fully revealed James Carter’s wisdom and sense of justice.

In the conversations that followed, he saw James Carter’s persistence, strong will, and comprehension.

Ordinary people, even if taught, would find it hard to persist.

Moreover, in their conversations, he felt that James Carter was a person with strong execution and planning abilities.