The nurse smiled slightly and said, "My name is Li Fang." She looked directly at A-Lai, afraid he didn't understand, and continued, "Li with the eighteen strokes, and Fang as in fragrant."
"Oh, fragrant and soothing," A-Lai thought, immediately associating her name with words like "pure" and "innocent," nodding repeatedly like a pecking chicken.
Li Fang blushed slightly, hearing A-Lai praise her, and tentatively asked, "Lei Tianlai, your name sounds familiar. When I was in elementary school at my grandmother's house, I had a classmate with the same name."
Without hesitation, A-Lai asked, "Where is your grandmother's house?"
Li Fang replied, "My grandmother lives in a poor mountain village. According to her, the village is named Lei Family Village because the Lei family settled there first. My family, the Lis, moved there later."
"Oh, I remember now," Li Fang continued, recalling, "There was a temple nearby on the mountain called Leiyin Temple, and the elementary school I went to was called Lei Family Elementary."
Hearing this, A-Lai excitedly asked, "Li Fang, do you remember a boy who often couldn't finish his homework and would ask you for the answers? You always told him to do it himself, and he got quite frustrated with you."
Li Fang was surprised. "How do you know? Could it be that you are...?"
A-Lai proudly said, "Yes, that's me. I haven't changed my name or surname. I grew up in Lei Family Village and finished elementary school at Lei Family Elementary."
Realizing it was indeed him, Li Fang began to recall her suspicions about the familiar name. It was like finding an old friend in a foreign land. The two childhood classmates had unexpectedly reunited in the hospital.
"Ha-ha..."
Seeing Li Fang's slightly embarrassed expression, A-Lai couldn't help teasing, "A bolt from the blue, and here I am, Lei Tianlai, descending from the heavens to make a dazzling appearance at the hospital. Maybe our meeting was arranged by fate."
"Sigh." Li Fang sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't expect our reunion would cause you so much trouble."
A-Lai, still proud of his new nickname, said, "But I got a new title today at the police station—Thunder God. I'm really happy; it was worth it!"
Li Fang secretly rejoiced. If A-Lai hadn't stepped in to save her, she didn't know how badly she would have been beaten. Whether from excitement or gratitude, she instinctively grabbed A-Lai's hand, only to let go quickly.
"Ha-ha..."
A-Lai grinned, "Afraid of getting shocked?"
Li Fang nodded slightly, thinking, "How could I not be? Hu San was beaten so badly. How could I not be afraid?"
Li Fang and A-Lai had grown up as neighbors, playing together as children. She had never seen him show any extraordinary skills before and was puzzled, asking him where his abilities came from and why he let Hu San hit him before finally fighting back.
A-Lai, thinking quickly, explained that he had played around in Leiyin Temple as a child and learned many skills from the masters there. His master had instructed him to keep his abilities hidden and not to use them unless absolutely necessary. This time, he had no choice but to reveal his true skills to save her.
After explaining, he clasped his hands together, softly chanting, "Amitabha, the highest good."
Li Fang, hearing A-Lai's earnest explanation and seeing his serious expression, believed him.
She recalled A-Lai's carefree childhood, often playing at Leiyin Temple and then imitating the monks back in the village, with prayer beads around his neck, chanting nonsensically. At school, his grandfather was the principal, and A-Lai was the class monitor, admired by his classmates.
Years had passed, but he was still the same. He still appeared carefree on the outside, but there was a sharpness in his eyes. The small beauty mark hidden in his left eyebrow had grown larger, and his handsome appearance and physique were undeniable.
The only flaw was his gaze—he couldn't resist looking at pretty girls, giving off a slightly mischievous vibe. It was a bit frustrating, especially when she saw how he had ogled the female officer at the police station. He was really something!
...
The two chatted in the police car and soon found themselves back at the hospital.
By this time, Hu San had been treated and was out of danger, lying in his hospital bed.
As A-Lai approached him, Hu San trembled all over, staring at A-Lai as if he were an alien.
"You, you... Your skills are so impressive. You kept holding back. It was my fault for being so reckless. I'm sorry. Which temple are you from? What was that last palm strike? It was so powerful," Hu San asked, trying to probe A-Lai.
A-Lai smiled slightly, clasped his hands together, and without hesitation said, "Amitabha, my Buddha is compassionate. I'll tell you this: Remember it well. It's the Three Heavenly Strikes—the first strike questions the heart, the second strike leaves no regrets, and the third strike bears no remorse."
Hu San nodded, thinking to himself, "This kid is asking if I have a conscience. If he had delivered all three strikes, I wouldn't be alive right now. A disciple of a master hiding his true skills—this guy must be the favored student of some reclusive master."
At that moment, the female officer, after questioning all the relevant parties, walked in with a thick stack of documents. She waved at A-Lai and Li Fang, signaling them to step aside.
The officer turned to Hu San and asked, "Are you Hu San?"
Hu San trembled with fear and nodded anxiously.
The officer began questioning Hu San.
"Are you sure what you're saying is true? Lying will only make things worse. If you're certain, sign your name here."
Hu San was confused, wondering why the police hadn't mentioned his attempt to silence A-Lai. Had A-Lai forgotten about it? But he had taken him to the villa himself, so why hadn't he mentioned it? Could it be that A-Lai had a concussion and lost his memory...?
"What are you thinking about?"
"Evidence is clear—sign!" the officer demanded.
Hu San snapped out of his thoughts, trembling as he took the statement and quickly scrawled his name, "Hu San," at the bottom.
The officer collected the statement and announced, "Hu San, you're being criminally detained for disturbing the peace, attacking others in a public place, and causing serious disruption to public order. Based on the charges from the two victims and numerous eyewitness accounts, your actions constitute illegal injury and public disorder."
"What?! Going to jail?" Hu San was shocked.
"Yes! You're being criminally detained!"
The female officer barked, cuffing Hu San.
At this moment, Hu San's wife, holding their child, fell to her knees, pleading, "Please, don't take him away. He still needs an IV. We barely scraped together enough money for our child's surgery, and now this happened."
Seeing that the officers were unmoved, Hu San's wife ran out in desperation, finding Li Fang and A-Lai and dragging them back to the hospital room.