Going Back to School (sort of)

I got back to base camp and flat-out crashed, I was so tired. Unfortunately, I was awakened by my cell phone.

Lee Yao (remember him?) was now paying for my martial-arts instruction and wanted me to get my buns down to the Phoenix Martial-Arts Academy to watch some boards being broken by a master of the craft.

So I went downstairs, fixed some pancakes (that I didn't burn this time) and overheard two French explorers talking about me. I didn't hear much else they said (after all they were speaking French) but I did hear the name "Dr. Plumb" several times in their conversation.

So in my best French I said, "Je suis Doctor Plumb. Est-ce que je peux vous aider?" I realize my French isn't that great, but I took six years of it in school, so it ought to be used for something.

Jean-Pierre, the one guy with the dirty-blond hair, looked at me and replied, "No, madame, vous devez etre un imposteur."

"You think I'm an impostor?" I screamed. "Nonsense!"

I was so angry I left the base camp and went straight for the Martial-Arts Academy. There was this guy in a blue suit, about my father's age, breaking wooden boards with his bare hands like they were pieces of flypaper.

I was in awe as the boards broke one by one by one. I wanted to learn how to do that.

My cell phone rang again a couple moments later. Lee Yao was sending me to the Scholar's Garden to spar twice with a gentleman named Zhan Su.

Oh boy...