The master noticed at once that Lu Yan was in low spirits.
He didn't immediately point it out. Instead, he examined the dots, horizontal, vertical and hook calligraphy strokes she had done in the morning.
"How many repetitions was this?"
"I've finished 500 repetitions of these strokes over the past week."
"Good, you're making good progress. When you reach 1000 repetitions, we'll move on to the remaining four strokes."
He took a brush, dipped it in the red ink Luizhu was grinding. Swiftly, he annotated the strokes for improvement.
"You're working hard, which is a good thing. But you seem distracted during practice. In the future, I'll have someone set up a quiet room with good lighting for you to practice."
"Thank you, master." Lu Yan said respectfully.
Young master Ji glanced sideways at her. Seeing her even more respectful than before, he realized she must have heard something about his reputation.
Partly amused, he said nothing. They moved on to the daily lecture.
This week they were discussing the five elements and their nature.
She listened attentively, and was able to answer his questions. He was pleased.
At the end of the lecture, he rewarded her with a sweet cake he'd had someone bring for her.
He pointed towards the small courtyard in front of the military house. "Take a walk. Come back in a few minutes."
Moving to the window, he looked outside.
Lu Yan gave a piece of the cake to Luizhu.
The two girls, dressed as little boys, walked around the yard, holding arms and whispering with their heads close together.
Behind him, Gu Sheng, who had arrived somewhere towards the end of the lesson, appeared with a scroll and information.
Since the young master didn't say anything, Gu Sheng took the moment to start a conversation he'd been wanting to have for the past weeks, "With that lack of subterfuge skills, they'll soon be exposed."
"She's still young. No one will pay enough attention to her yet."
Gu Sheng wanted to disagree. Any disciple of young master Ji would never escape scrutiny.
Before he could, the young master continued, "But she'll adapt to acting as a boy soon. Did you notice she's already changed her walk a bit since this morning."
Gu Sheng looked carefully, "Her maid hasn't. Young master, you have so many choices. Why take in this troublesome disciple?"
The doctor laughed, "I would have been bored out of my mind these past weeks if not for her."
Turning around to look at Gu Sheng, he said, "She's clever and gutsy. It's a shame for her to waste away in that hovel."
Then he suddenly grinned, "And can you imagine the look on grandfather's face when he realizes I've chosen a girl from the Lu family as my disciple, and done it secretly?"
Gu Sheng worked hard to prevent himself from rolling his eyes.
Instead, he handed the scroll to the young master, "The spy was from your second uncle."
"As expected," the young master put in drolly.
Gu Sheng continued his report, "We've let him be for the time being in case we need to leak information in the future. But he's being watched and won't be able to make any unexpected moves."
The young master threw the scroll to the desk without opening it, "I'm bored of these little games."
He turned back to the window, "Teaching Lu Yan is much more fun. Go call her back for the next lesson."
Once his master's back was turned, Gu Sheng finally rolled his eyes.
Bowing, he went to fetch the newest dog his master had adopted.
---
Lu Yan had finished the cake in a few bites.
It was sweet and soft, melting in her mouth, leaving a sweetness on her tongue before sliding easily down her throat.
"This cake tastes so good." Luizhu said reverently.
Lu Yan nodded, thinking of all the reward snacks master gave them, "Master gets the best treats!"
"You should study hard miss," Luizhu stopped and said seriously, "Then we can get more treats like this."
Lu Yan was amused, "I thought you wanted to tell the neighbors that the master was a scoundrel taking advantage of us."
Luizhu looked away, "I was wrong. Miss always knows best."
"That's right! I made a great decision this time."
Gu Sheng emerged from the house. Luizhu immediately stopped smiling.
He gestured towards the house, "The master is waiting for you."
The two girls made their way inside while Gu Sheng went out.
Inside, the master was already seated at the table with a go board in front of him. Lu Yan sat across from him.
Without a word, he gestured for Lu Yan to place her first stone.
A gentle silence settled, broken only by the soft sounds of stones being placed into position.
Luizhi brought tea.
Before Lu Yan could reach out, master gestured for Luizhu to retreat and poured for both of them.
Lu Yan accepted the cup he offered with both hands, and took a sip before setting it aside and focusing on the game.
Occasionally, the master offered comments, analysis and suggestions. Lu Yan played accordingly.
When the game was finished, the master didn't immediately start a new one as he usually would.
Instead, he said, "Today, we'll start a new type of study."
Lu Yan was immediately interested, "What?"
With relish, the doctor pronounced, "Human nature."
Lu Yan was confused, "Aren't we studying medicine?"
"To learn medicine, you need to observe and practice," the doctor waved his hand carelessly, "Once you're used to the camp, I'll send you to shadow a physician. But, until then, we'll start something more fun."
"Alright..."
Seeing Lu Yan's unconvinced expression, the doctor said, "If you learn this well, your aunt will never again be able to defeat you."
Lu Yan immediately sat up straighter, "Really?!"
The doctor smiled, satisfied with her reaction, "Really."
"Alright, let's do it!"
"Let's start with a question. How many types of people are there in the world?"
Lu Yan thought for a moment, "Um, well, there are men, and women. And children."
"Right, let me define the problem more clearly. We want to be able to predict what a human being would do in a given situation. For example, if you attack a man and a woman with a knife, they might both fight back. Or.." he trailed off, waiting.
"Or they might try to run or hide," Lu Yan spoke up.
"What else?"
"They might become too afraid and do nothing."
"Anything else?"
Lu Yan thought for a little longer, "They might ask for mercy. Or try to bargain."
"Good! So facing in this example of conflict, there are five categories of people: the fighters, the runners, those paralyzed, those who submit, those who compromise."
Lu Yan nodded.
"Here's another situation. Let's say someone made a plan: invite a doctor to treat them, but the doctor turned out to be a thief. What would they do?"
"Force the thief doctor to treat them. Or never trust a doctor again."
The doctor laughed, "What else?"