Now that Peter Thompson had mastered the art of lightness skill, George Grant no longer paid attention to Peter Thompson, instead standing alone beneath the ancient pine tree to cultivate, while Peter Thompson continued leaping with great delight. By now, he had improved his leaps by 10% compared to the first time, and the energy and internal force consumed were far less than before. This meant that Peter Thompson could now continue leaping for a much longer period. He estimated that if he went all out, he could keep up the lightness skill for an hour before his internal force would be exhausted.

Finally, in the distance, a figure appeared halfway up the mountain, heading toward the Chuyang Terrace. Standing in the tree, Peter Thompson reluctantly leapt down to the ground, then joined George Grant in absorbing the essence of heaven and earth.

Once the hour of the rabbit had passed, George Grant and Peter Thompson finished their cultivation.

On the way down the mountain, Peter Thompson told George Grant that he was going home to visit his grandfather and wouldn’t be back at Gelin until next Monday.

George Grant knew that Peter Thompson went home once every winter and summer break, so he nodded to show he understood.

After bidding farewell to George Grant, Peter Thompson rode his bicycle back to school. By now, it was already past seven, and the city was finally beginning to show its bustling, lively side.

Cars and people came and went. Although Peter Thompson was confident he could ride swiftly through the crowded walkways without getting into an accident, he still kept his speed within normal limits—otherwise, he’d immediately be seen as a freak.

Once at school, he had breakfast. Peter Thompson then went to the library to read. This time, he specifically looked for several books on energetics, hoping to find some inspiration.

He spent the morning in the library, and after lunch, Peter Thompson left the school.

He spent half a day using the money he’d saved by living frugally to buy his grandfather a white long-sleeved shirt. Although it was summer, the elderly weren’t as robust as the young, and still needed to wear long sleeves in the mornings and evenings.

Although Peter Thompson didn’t really believe in health supplements, he still gladly spent two hundred yuan to buy his grandfather two boxes of turtle and soft-shelled turtle pills, and also bought a bottle of eye drops, since his grandfather’s eyesight wasn’t good.

After buying everything, Peter Thompson slowly made his way to the train station.

Although the train station was in the south of the city and quite far from where Peter Thompson was, he still chose to walk. Sometimes, he just enjoyed the feeling of walking alone through the busy streets, thinking about nothing at all.

But today, Peter Thompson couldn’t stop thinking about certain things. He thought of how his grandfather had worked so hard to raise him, and how he had finally graduated with his bachelor’s degree, yet hadn’t gone to work, choosing instead to continue his studies.

A sense of guilt welled up in Peter Thompson’s heart, impossible to shake off. Although as a graduate student he received a national stipend and a research allowance from his advisor—together about six or seven hundred yuan—it was obviously impossible to provide his grandfather with a comfortable and prosperous life on that amount.

“Am I being unfilial? Selfish?”

Even though Peter Thompson knew his grandfather wanted him to keep studying and bring honor to the family, Peter Thompson still couldn’t help but ask himself.

“If only I had a sum of money right now!” Peter Thompson sighed inwardly. Graduation had stirred something in him, making him crave money more than ever before.

Peter Thompson gloomily lowered his head and gently kicked a small stone in front of his foot.

Bang! Peter Thompson’s expression changed slightly—the stone he kicked had knocked over a blackboard propped against the wall of a sports lottery ticket booth. The blackboard displayed the winning numbers from the previous draw.

The ticket seller was a woman in her fifties, and she didn’t look happy—no one would be, having their sign kicked over.

Peter Thompson saw this and knew it was bad. He was most afraid of dealing with women at that age—if they started scolding, it could go on forever.

He hurried over to set the blackboard upright, then patted his pockets.

When the woman saw he was a customer, her expression finally softened. But to her surprise, after searching for a while, Peter Thompson only produced two coins and bought a single “6+1” ticket.

Peter Thompson casually stuffed the lottery ticket into his wallet and quickly left the shop.

Peter Thompson’s hometown was in a county in southern Zhejiang, Wenzhou. Although Wenzhou was a relatively wealthy area, and its trains were said to be among the best in the country—with attendants selected like flight attendants, all tall and beautiful—the railway from Hangzhou to Wenzhou was nothing to brag about. The speed couldn’t exceed eighty kilometers per hour; any faster and the train would surely derail. So, taking the night train, Peter Thompson wouldn’t arrive in Wenzhou until the next morning, several hours slower than the express bus. Then he’d have to take a bus from Wenzhou to his hometown.

Fortunately, Peter Thompson didn’t have much money, but he did have plenty of time and didn’t mind the trouble, so every time he went home, he chose the cheapest means of transportation.

In a small village in a county in southern Zhejiang, an old man with a face full of wrinkles and white hair stood by the roadside, constantly watching the passing vehicles, his face full of excitement.

From afar, Peter Thompson saw his grandfather’s aged, lonely figure, and his nose tingled with emotion—this was the kind and respectable old man who had raised him.

“Grandpa!” Peter Thompson ran toward his grandfather, who was tottering toward him.

His grandfather’s dim eyes were fixed on Peter Thompson, and his withered hands kept squeezing Peter Thompson’s arm.

“Hmm, you seem a bit stronger!” Grandpa finally broke into a wide, happy smile.