One day, Pang Miao ran into a local ruffian on the street. To call him a ruffian was partly Pang Miao's own f…
One day, Pang Miao ran into a local ruffian on the street.
To call him a ruffian was partly Pang Miao's own fault.
The ruffian's name was Gao Er. That day, Gao Er was chasing chickens and dogs down the street, causing quite a racket. Only because Pang Miao glanced at Gao Er in the crowd did he happen to see Gao Er execute a perfect hawk flip down from a wall several yards high.
That one glance convinced him: this was his new master.
Gao Er impatiently chewed on a grass stalk, listening to Pang Miao's rambling. Gao Er had initially wanted to spit and leave, but then he heard Pang Miao promise ten taels of silver. So his eyes shifted, and he said, "For someone as mediocre as you, how could you be worthy of the name 'disciple of Gao Er'..."
Pang Miao flushed red. "Yes, yes... Master, you are right."
"But seeing your kind heart... fine. Complete three trials for me, and I'll accept you as my disciple."
Overjoyed, Pang Miao agreed repeatedly.
Next, Pang Miao repaired Gao Er's roof for him, carried his manure buckets, and bought over ten roast chickens.
What awaited him, however, was a sudden kick to the chest from a now-hostile Gao Er, and the sound of mocking laughter fading into the distance.
Gao Er had never found anything so funny. Just as he was heartily laughing at Pang Miao for being an idiot, a wooden mallet slammed hard into his shoulder.
The carpenter, Old Li, roared, "How dare you bully my apprentice!"
"And me!" The embroiderer, Third Lady Shen, grabbed her scissors and jabbed at Gao Er.
"My apprentice is not someone you can make a fool of!" A huge abacus smacked him in the face. Gao Er saw stars.
The wok-tosser, the fortune-teller, the bodyguard... Gao Er was beaten until he lay on the ground, begging for mercy.
"Come, good disciple, get up. Let me have a look!"
"Are you hurt? Come to my pharmacy. I have plenty of medicine."
"My silly disciple, you mustn't be so trusting again!"
Looking at the dozen or so masters gathered around him, Pang Miao smiled foolishly. In that moment, he finally understood what it truly meant to have "masters all under heaven."