Back to School Soon

The June sunlight was glaring and bright, and even in the American climate, a stifling heat was hard to avoid.

Since his first day of formal work, Lin Hai woke up promptly at half past eight every morning and arrived at the clinic between nine-thirty and ten o'clock. First he would go find Dr. Chen to say good morning, then carry a large earthenware jar to the backyard to fetch water.

The Fo-ti was picky, drinking only "sun water" exposed to the sun for sufficient hours, so he had to draw the water before practicing Tai Chi and place it in a sunny spot in the backyard, letting the sun slowly steam out the turbid Qi in the water.

After drawing the water, he would go to the open space in the backyard of the clinic to practice Tai Chi, coordinating his breathing and intent while trying hard to guide the energy flow within his body that resonated with plants. Aside from taking the initiative to consult Chen Bing when he encountered problems, Chen Bing would also occasionally voice instructions from the sidelines.

During the opening posture, his palms grew slightly warm, his breath sank, and his movements were like flowing water, the warm current within his body slowly circulating along with them. After finishing two rounds of the form, light sweat had already beaded on his forehead, but his spirit was exceptionally clear, as if every inch of flesh and blood had been washed over by energy.

At noon, Chen Bing would boil a pot of medicinal diet, sometimes Poria and Chinese yam porridge, sometimes angelica-stewed chicken, always carrying a faint fragrance of herbs and trees. The two of them sat by the old elm table in the backyard, eating while chatting about the habits of medicinal herbs, or things Chen Bing had seen and heard when practicing medicine in his youth or exchanging pointers with other martial artists.

Lin Hai liked moments like this—sunlight dappling through the leaves onto the table, a breeze blowing into the backyard carrying the fresh scent of mint and mugwort, time itself seeming to slow down.

In the afternoon, he began officially tending to the shop's potted medicinal plants. Through daily and continuous practice, he was now fully able to perceive the state of each plant and adjust his own energy transmission.

The Dendrobium Orchid liked gentle, lingering nourishment, while the Fo-ti was like a greedy child, always proactively drawing energy from his body and feeding back an even purer life force.

The Datura remained guarded; every time he drew near, he could feel that faint sense of repulsion, but he gradually learned how to prune its dead branches and replenish its nutrients without angering it.

Days passed like this, waking to sun water, practicing fists, cultivating, and tending to plants, repeating in an endless cycle.

Aside from his daily life here, Lin Hai sometimes called home when he returned to his apartment at night. Even though his parents were very open-minded elders, a child alone far away still had many worries that could not be laid down.

Fortunately, however, Lin Hai had met an elder here who could teach him and had also established a regular routine. This left the older couple feeling deeply comforted while also finding it somewhat incredible, since Lin Hai was usually somewhat restless and even rebellious, or else he wouldn't have applied alone to attend high school in the United States.

The heavy rainstorms of July came and went, the cicadas of August gradually grew sparse, and one early morning Lin Hai suddenly discovered a few tender little fruits growing on the Fo-ti vines—Chen Bing said this was a sign that it was in an exceptionally good mood.

One dusk in late August, Lin Hai stood at the shop entrance, gazing blankly at the sunset glow on the horizon. September was approaching, and he could no longer spend the whole day immersed in the herbal shop like this.

The power of habit was terrifying; over these past two months and more, Lin Hai had grown accustomed to this kind of life. A teenager in his teens inevitably had many thoughts, and at this moment his heart was filled with a deep reluctance to leave.

Chen Bing seemed to see through his thoughts and patted his shoulder. "There is no banquet in this world that never ends. You are still young and have your own path to walk; what's more, you can still come to the shop every day after school and on Saturdays and Sundays, so you don't need to feel so sad."

Lin Hai looked at Chen Bing and scratched his head. Indeed, he would still be able to come over every day. And so he happily bid his farewell for the day to Dr. Chen.

Chen Bing smiled and said, "Then we'll see you tomorrow."

Lin Hai smiled too, looking toward those green plants swaying gently in the evening breeze. Summer's cultivation was about to end, but the path belonging to his own life was perhaps only just beginning.

Early the next morning, Lin Hai arrived at the clinic as usual. On an early morning in late August, the wind already carried the chill of early autumn.

Lin Hai had just finished his first round of Tai Chi, his breath lingering and long and his hands and feet warm as he closed the form. The energy within his body had grown through these two-plus months of cultivation; although it was still very weak, it could already circulate smoothly inside him.

Furthermore, his physical fitness had also been reinforced. Even if it couldn't compare to those enhanced warriors in the Marvel Universe, looking at physical fitness alone, it was more than enough to make him an outstanding special forces soldier.

He wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, only to see that Dr. Chen had somehow appeared standing nearby, holding a celadon teacup and gazing at him with calm eyes.

"Lin Hai." Dr. Chen called to him, his voice more solemn than usual. Lin Hai's heart skipped a beat, dimly sensing that today seemed out of the ordinary.

"Yes, Dr. Chen?" Lin Hai replied. Chen Bing nodded and placed the teacup on the stone table. "Do you remember what I told you before I started teaching you boxing?"

Lin Hai certainly remembered. Chen Bing had said he had a test, and if he passed it, Chen Bing would take Lin Hai as his formal disciple and his very first foundational disciple.

"I remember, Dr. Chen." "Good! Then today I will test you."

The test was not complicated. Chen Bing had Lin Hai perform the Old Frame Form One completely from start to finish while he observed from the side.

Lin Hai took a deep breath, dropped his shoulders to start, and moved like flowing water. His daily cultivation over these past two months had given his boxing frame a sense of composure, stripping away the awkwardness of his early days as a beginner. Especially during the transition from "Single Whip" to "White Crane Spreads Its Wings," his waist and hips rotated naturally, his power connected seamlessly, and it even faintly produced the sound of tearing through the air.

As the final "closing posture" was completed, Lin Hai's breath came slightly faster, but his gaze was clear and bright. Chen Bing circled him with his hands behind his back, then suddenly reached out and pressed down on his Jianjing acupoint.

This press carried no small amount of force; if his lower stance had been unstable, he would have staggered immediately. But Lin Hai's legs were rooted like trees in the ground, and after merely sinking slightly, he steadily absorbed the press.

"Mm." Chen Bing finally revealed a trace of satisfaction. "Your natural talent is passable, and you are diligent enough. I am very satisfied."

Just as Lin Hai relaxed his shoulders, he saw Chen Bing turn and walk into the inner room, returning a moment later holding a rosewood tray. On it rested a neatly folded set of dark blue practice clothes, along with an antique bronze teapot.

"Kneel," Chen Bing said.

Lin Hai started, then understood immediately as a wave of heat surged into his chest. He straightened his collar and knelt properly before Chen Bing.

Chen Bing handed him the teapot. "Apprentice tea." Lin Hai received it with both hands, raising it high above his head respectfully. "Master, please drink the tea."

With this utterance of "Master," the trivial moments of the past two months—the morning sun water, the afternoon branch-pruning, the morning practice of repeatedly pondering every movement and posture, the casual chats about herbal properties and boxing theory—suddenly all found their proper home.

Chen Bing took the teacup, took a sip, and put it back on the tray before reaching out to help Lin Hai to his feet.

"Starting today, you are the foundational disciple of me, Chen Bing." Chen Bing's voice carried a hint of warmth before he admonished him: "The path of Tai Chi values virtue and conduct above all. I hope you cultivate diligently without cease, and do not fail this physique of yours, nor the plants that recognize you and whom you recognize."

Lin Hai suddenly felt his eye sockets grow hot, and he nodded heavily. "Yes, Master!"

The morning light was just right, and the greenery in the courtyard rustled in the breeze, as if witnessing this moment as well.

Holding the set of brand-new practice clothes, Lin Hai looked up at his master's retreating back. He understood now that his master had prepared for this apprenticeship ceremony a very long time ago.

Although he had officially taken his master, Lin Hai's daily life did not change much. He merely changed "Dr. Chen" in his daily address to "Master," and the clothes he wore for morning practice each day were replaced with the practice uniform his master had gifted him.

On the morning of the day before school started, Lin Hai arrived even earlier than usual. When he pushed open the clinic doors, morning dew still hung on the mugwort leaves before the threshold, catching the glimmer of light.

He familiarly picked up the earthenware jar and went to the backyard to fetch water. His movements were much more proficient than they had been in June, the stream of water tracing a graceful arc before filling the jar to the brim just in time.

"Today's water only needs to be left in the sun until noon," Chen Bing's voice came from behind Lin Hai. "Tomorrow you go to school, and the Fo-ti will have to learn to get used to a new routine."

Lin Hai smiled, placed the earthenware jar in the sunniest spot, and began his morning practice.

Today's Tai Chi was practiced exceptionally slowly, every movement seeming to carve the memory deeper into his bones and muscles. When he closed the form, the energy circulating within his body was even more harmonious than before, and he could clearly feel his palms growing slightly warm.

At lunch, Chen Bing stewed astragalus and goji berry black chicken soup, clear in color and rich in aroma. The two of them sat in their usual spots, neither mentioning tomorrow's events, chatting instead about the Dendrobium Orchid's newly sprouted tender shoots and the Datura that had finally been willing to drop its guard around Lin Hai.

"It doesn't even shrink its leaves when it sees you now," Chen Bing said, placing a piece of chicken into Lin Hai's bowl. "It's even more affectionate with you than with me."

In the afternoon, Lin Hai carefully inspected every single plant. He channeled a bit extra energy into the Fo-ti so it wouldn't throw a temper tantrum, adjusted the hanging angle for the Dendrobium Orchid, and finally squatted before the pot of Seven-Leaf Lotus, gently tapping the tip of its newest leaf with his finger.

"Be good, now," he whispered. "I'll be back to see you right after school tomorrow."

Just as he was about to head back at dusk, his master suddenly shoved an oiled-paper package into his arms. "Dried spikenard. Smell it when you get sleepy in class." Pausing, he added, "You can also bring some mint or lemon balm; they can all help refresh your mind and wake you up."

Before dawn the next day, Lin Hai slipped lightly and quietly into the shop. In the morning light, the potted plants stood as silent as ever, except for the Fo-ti vine, which quietly stretched out an inch, hooked his school uniform sleeve, and then let go.

As the sun gradually climbed into the sky, Lin Hai knew it was time for him to set off for school. He packed up, stood at the clinic doorway, and looked back—there was the lingering mist from his finished morning boxing, and his master waving goodbye to him. The wind brushed past his ears, carrying a familiar herbal fragrance like summer making its final farewell.

And as he turned to walk toward school, the newborn morning sun cast its golden brilliance without stint, as if welcoming him to join the autumn harvest celebration. The story of Spider-Man was about to begin at Midtown High School; yes, Lin Hai certainly knew he would become a schoolmate of Peter Parker, and he believed this tale was still waiting for him, the reserve second male lead, to step inside and write an origin story for Spider-Man that included his own participation.