PCJ – Chapter 391 Becoming a Disciple

At Yidushui Middle School.

In the afternoon, Zhang Jiaohua and a few friends arrived at the basketball court, only to find a curly-haired boy sneaking around the field.

Zhang Yuanbao immediately rushed over and grabbed the boy by the collar. “You dare come to our school again? Didn’t I make myself clear that day?”

“No, no! I’m not here to cause trouble, really. Look, I came alone,” the curly-haired boy, Xie Mingyuan, explained anxiously.

“Who knows what mischief you’re planning? Jiaohua, this curly-haired kid is back again. Want me to teach him a lesson?” Zhang Yuanbao said, but when he noticed Xie Mingyuan didn’t resist, like a dead fish, he lost interest. If the boy had fought back, Yuanbao wouldn’t have held back.

“What do you want?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, walking up to Xie Mingyuan.

“I… I want to learn martial arts from you,” Xie stuttered.

“What? You want to learn martial arts from us? So you can become a thug later?” Yuanbao shouted.

Xie Mingyuan quickly shook his head. “No, no! I swear, I won’t become a thug. Sure, we’ve bullied some kids before, but we’ve never done anything truly bad.”

“That’s just because you don’t have the skills! If you were stronger, bullying kids wouldn’t be enough; you’d be on the streets causing real trouble. Everyone knows thugs start off as small-time bullies. Get lost, or I’ll teach you a real lesson!” Yuanbao tightened his grip on Xie’s collar and shoved him hard, sending him rolling across the dirt field, covering him in yellow mud.

But instead of getting up, Xie knelt on the ground. “I want to be your disciple!”

“Me?” Yuanbao pointed to himself in disbelief.

“Yes! Master, please take me as your student! I want to learn real skills from you.” Xie thought Yuanbao must be the best fighter among them. After all, Yuanbao was the tallest.

“Jiaohua, is he out of his mind?” Dumb, one of their friends, whispered.

“You talk too much. No wonder you’re better off staying silent,” Jiaohua scolded. He didn’t want to get tangled up with Xie.

“Come on, Jiaohua. I’ll keep quiet from now on, I promise,” Dumb pleaded.

Xie’s kneeling left Yuanbao at a loss. He wasn’t exactly a martial arts expert himself—he only stuck with training because Jiaohua had forced him into it. Yuanbao still practiced, but he knew deep down that he wasn’t cut out for it. He felt his future lay more in intellectual pursuits. Physical labor was best left to someone like Dumb. But he never expected someone to kneel before him, begging to be his disciple.

“Just leave me alone. I get annoyed just looking at you!” Yuanbao said, though secretly, he was a little tempted. In the movies, wouldn’t the master eventually accept the disciple after some persistent kneeling? But then again, he felt conflicted.

“Even if you kneel here all day, I won’t accept you,” Yuanbao muttered, feeling uneasy.

Xie stood up, dusted himself off, and said, “I understand, Master. You don’t believe in my sincerity yet, but I won’t give up so easily. I’ll come back.”

He bowed to Yuanbao and walked toward the school gate.

“That little punk!” Yuanbao clenched his fists. “What kind of game is he playing? He’s supposed to keep kneeling until I give in!”

“Wow, Yuanbao, someone actually wants to be your disciple! Looks like your reputation’s really rising!” Dumb teased.

“Dumb, it’s just because I’m tall. Look at you. You’re not bad either—decent skills, just a bit short. But don’t worry. In a few years, you might grow as tall as me. And even if you don’t, we’re still friends. We’d never look down on you,” Yuanbao said with a grin.

Dumb clenched his fists. “You jerk! That is looking down on me!” But seeing the height difference between them, Dumb let it go. “Let’s just play basketball.”

After their game, Xie showed up again, holding several popsicles.

“Master, uncles, have some popsicles! They’ll cool you off and quench your thirst,” Xie said cheerfully, offering them to Yuanbao and his friends.

“Curly, becoming Yuanbao’s disciple is the right choice. But don’t call me ‘uncle.’ I’m not his senior,” Dumb said as he grabbed a popsicle and handed one to Jiaohua.

“Help yourselves. Don’t be shy! It’d be rude to make him call us ‘uncle’ for nothing, right?” Dumb joked, handing popsicles to Qi Xia and Nie Tong as well.

Yuanbao glared at Dumb. “You’re really pushing it!”

Dumb grinned. “Honestly, Yuanbao, having a disciple isn’t such a bad thing. You’ll have someone to run errands for you. And if you can guide him to change his ways, you’d be doing a good deed. A true public service! You’ve got this, Yuanbao. We all support you!”

Xie nodded eagerly. “Yes, Master! I know I’ve made mistakes in the past, but I’ve cut ties with my bad friends. From now on, I’ll follow your guidance. I’ll do whatever it takes to change!”

“Curly, don’t think you can bribe me with popsicles. Get lost before I lose my temper,” Yuanbao said, raising his fist.

“Don’t be mad, Master. I’ll come back tomorrow,” Xie said as he hurried away, forgetting to give Yuanbao his popsicle. Everyone else had one except Yuanbao, who stood there stunned.

Jiaohua laughed, biting into his popsicle. “Hey, Yuanbao, want the rest of mine?”

“I don’t want it!” Yuanbao pouted and stormed off.

Jiaohua and the others burst into laughter.

The next morning, Xie showed up again with a basket of steaming hot buns, blocking Yuanbao’s path.

“Master, have some buns.”

Still angry from the day before, Yuanbao snapped, “Get away from me, or I’ll make you regret it!”

Feeling dejected, Xie stepped aside with his basket of buns.

“Hey, Curly,” Jiaohua called out. “What’s with the basket?”

“I brought buns for Master, but he doesn’t seem to like me,” Xie said sadly.

“Don’t waste them! We’ll help you finish them,” Jiaohua said, grabbing two buns and handing some to the others.

“These are meat and celery buns—Yuanbao’s favorite,” Jiaohua said as he ate, making sure Yuanbao overheard.

Yuanbao, not far away, clenched his fists. “That little punk brought my favorite buns!”

In the cafeteria, Dumb sat down with his food tray, holding two buns.

“Yuanbao, your disciple’s pretty impressive. If I had someone bringing me food every day, I wouldn’t mind being their disciple,” Dumb said, just as Yuanbao snatched a bun from his hand and stuffed it in his mouth.

“Hey! That’s mine!” Dumb cried.

“Hmmph,” Yuanbao grunted, chewing the bun quickly before walking away, eyeing the other bun Dumb had.

Dumb, however, wasn’t about to let Yuanbao get away with it again. He quickly took a bite of the second bun before Yuanbao could snatch it.

As Yuanbao left the cafeteria, Xie reappeared with the now-empty basket. Yuanbao shot him a glare.

“I’ll be back this afternoon, Master,” Xie said cheerfully.

“Hey, bun seller! Bring more tomorrow. I’ll buy them,” a student called out.

Xie thought about scolding him but quickly changed his mind. “Sure, but my buns are premium quality, so they’ll cost more than the ones in town.”