“You don’t need this medicine? Young man, although I’ve given you acupuncture and massage, if you don’t supplement it with medicine, even if your hand recovers, its flexibility will be greatly reduced. In other words... you’ll be left with a mild disability. You’d better think carefully—this concerns your whole life.”

The old man finished speaking and added, “You’d better call your family and let them send you the money. This isn’t a small matter, and three thousand yuan isn’t a huge sum.”

Samuel Thompson was speechless.

At this moment, he fully understood what it meant to be a hero brought down by a single penny.

Chapter 10: Scholarship

“I think I’ve heard about Samuel Thompson…”

At this moment, Kelly, who was standing nearby, muttered softly, “I think his parents divorced, and his mother died in a car accident a few months ago…”

The old man overheard Kelly’s whisper and took him for a child from a poor family, sighing inwardly. “You take the medicine first, but you’ll have to write an IOU. Our clinic is just a small business—three thousand yuan is almost half a month’s profit for us. Especially since Lily is about to go to college, which is another big expense. We’re barely making ends meet.”

“I understand.”

Samuel Thompson stood up and gave the old man a slight bow. “Thank you, doctor. Please tell me your name. I will repay you someday.”

“No need for repayment. Just write it down yourself.”

As he spoke, the old man handed a small notebook to Samuel Thompson. “My name is Benjamin Kelly.”

Samuel Thompson nodded, immediately wrote the IOU in duplicate, and pressed his fingerprint on it.

The old man put away the IOU, but judging by his expression...

He didn’t hold out much hope of ever getting the money back.

“Decoction takes some skill, and I doubt you have the right tools. Since it’s still early, Kelly, since you’re classmates, help him out.”

“Okay.”

Kelly replied cheerfully.

The decoction room was a small space partitioned off behind the main hall, separated by just a wall. Samuel Thompson couldn’t just sit idly in the main hall, so he said, “Let me help.”

“Just sit down. You shouldn’t use your right hand for now.”

Said the old man, Benjamin Kelly.

After speaking, he seemed to think of something and asked, “How did you get injured by a martial artist who has mastered hidden force?”

“I take martial arts training seriously. Today, when I came out of the Rocky Mountains, I met a martial arts expert with an extraordinary presence. I invited him to spar with me to test what I’ve learned recently, but ended up injuring my right hand.”

“A sparring match?”

Benjamin Kelly was a bit surprised. “If it was just a friendly match, why would the other party go so hard? Could he be some sinister, ruthless, narrow-minded person?”

“Maybe he wanted to use hidden force to force me back, but I don’t understand hidden force and didn’t know how powerful it was, so I fell for it.”

Benjamin Kelly nodded.

He was just a doctor, not a martial artist, and his understanding of hidden force and martial arts was limited. Hearing Samuel Thompson’s explanation, he didn’t think much more of it.

…

By the time Kelly finished preparing the medicine, it was nearly ten at night. Samuel Thompson thanked her and left with the medicine.

That night, he soaked his hand in the medicine. By the next day, the swelling and redness had noticeably subsided, and his blood circulation had improved.

“The second level of martial arts allows for precise control of one’s blood flow, accelerating metabolism and promoting cell division, which speeds up recovery…”

A month ago, Samuel Thompson had reached the first level of martial arts, refining his strength to the point where light things felt heavy and heavy things felt light. He already had the foundation for advancing to the second, more subtle level. As he boarded the bus to Yaoyang City, he began to consciously control his blood flow, trying to stimulate his heart and use accelerated circulation to heal his right hand.

As for the results…

It was barely effective.

…

When Samuel Thompson went to the Rocky Mountains, he had already canceled his apartment lease; otherwise, the 1,600 yuan monthly rent would have put him in debt immediately.

Fortunately, he didn’t plan to stay long in Yaoyang City. Once he entered the city, he headed straight for Yaoyang High School and soon arrived outside the school.

At this time, the new semester hadn’t started yet. Several banners hung at the school gate, all congratulating Class 11 student Samuel Thompson for winning the provincial college entrance exam top scorer title.

Looking at these banners, Samuel Thompson was moved.

Top scorer in the college entrance exam…

There should be a scholarship, right?

He entered the school and headed straight for the academic office.

Although the semester hadn’t started, it was already late August, and the new seniors had already begun classes early. There were quite a few teachers and staff at the school.

As the first provincial top scorer in decades at Yaoyang High School, Samuel Thompson had already made a name for himself half a year ago. Before he could even find a staff member, a teacher recognized him and exclaimed in surprise, “Hey? Samuel Thompson? Samuel Thompson, you’re finally back! The school and the government have been looking everywhere for you these past few months, but no one could find you. Where have you been?”