At dawn, A-lai woke Fangfang, and after washing up, they set out together.
The summer heat was already noticeable, and as they looked around at the verdant fields, the deep green mountains, and the scattered village outlines, it all resembled an ink painting.
The two of them headed into the lush underbrush.
A-lai set up the copper wire, installed the device he had made, and placed a tempting apple and a piece of meat as bait. He pressed the switch and, with a mysterious air, said, "Amitabha, let's hope Fangfang gets to taste some delicious food."
Fangfang giggled and said, "You're such a goof! Who knows if it will even work?"
A-lai, feigning frustration, replied, "Seriously? You have no faith in me? I've been working hard in high school for years, even if I'm not as smart as you."
Fangfang looked at him seriously, "A-lai, you have no parents, no one to rely on. Your grandfather is getting old and can't teach much longer. You need to start taking things more seriously."
A-lai nodded earnestly, replying, "I understand completely. I'll keep that in mind."
On the bank of the river, the towering trees cast their reflections into the clear pond. The sparkling water mirrored the vibrant world above. Fangfang had brought her textbooks, and the two of them read while keeping an eye on the trap, waiting quietly for some prey to take the bait.
...
Fangfang noticed that A-lai was distracted, flipping through his book absentmindedly, always glancing at the trap. She grabbed his hand and said, "You can't keep playing around at the temple. If you keep it up, you'll ruin your future. You're an adult now, and not even a real monk."
A-lai sighed and replied, "You don't understand my bond with Elder Liaokong. Can we not talk about this anymore?"
"Okay, I won't bring it up again. As long as we can focus on the college entrance exams and get into a good university, we can be together every day after that."
With that, Fangfang leaned her head on A-lai's shoulder, dreaming about their future together.
"Heh heh, how romantic. You're quite the lucky guy!"
"Little monk, not staying in the temple to chant scriptures, huh? Abandoning the precepts to sneak out in plain clothes and date a girl."
Suddenly, several burly men emerged from the nearby woods, standing right behind Fangfang.
Fangfang and A-lai turned to see the men, who were wearing sunglasses and looked somewhat familiar.
The men leered at Fangfang, their eyes filled with malice, and one of them reached out to touch Fangfang's face.
Fangfang slapped his hand away and shouted, "What do you think you're doing in broad daylight?"
"What do you think? You came all the way to this remote place to test out your little monk. Just take a look—aren't we all stronger than him?"
"Ha ha, why not test us? We guarantee you'll be satisfied."
With that, the men surrounded A-lai and Fangfang, pulling off their shirts to show off their muscles, striking poses as if they were bodybuilders.
"See? We're much stronger than the little monk. Heh heh."
"Come on, give it a try!"
One of them reached out to touch Fangfang's face again.
A-lai quickly stood up, shielding Fangfang and taking a defensive stance.
"What... what are you doing? Get... get lost!"
When A-lai heard the man stammering, he remembered something and took a closer look at their faces. With a burst of anger, he said, "I know who you are—you're the ones who attacked me at the 'Hao Zai Lai' restaurant."
"So... so what if you do?"
"Do I have any grudges against you?"
"N... no."
"Do I have any enmity with you?"
"N... no."
"Then why did you attack me so viciously when we have no history?"
"Because we heard you... you... you're full of hot air about some Heavenly Three Palms. Ha ha..."
One of the men impatiently pulled out a large machete from his rolled-up shirt and said, "Little monk, I'm warning you! Get lost! If you ruin our fun, this machete won't care who you are!"
Another man chimed in, "We'll cut you up and hand you over to the old monks at the temple."
"Ha ha..."
The thugs jeered, one after another, their laughter harsh and unsettling.
A-lai said, "Hmph, I'm not a monk."
One of the men sneered, "Oh, playing tough, huh? Just like your little girlfriend."
"Wah ha ha... ha ha."
The group of men continued to jeer, their laughter disgusting, as they closed in on A-lai and Fangfang.
The stammering man quietly moved to Fangfang's side and suddenly grabbed her chest, ripping her shirt open.
The thugs laughed wildly, their eyes fixed on Fangfang.
A-lai quickly pried the stammering man's hand away and once again shielded Fangfang with his body.
Fangfang hurriedly hid behind A-lai, pulling her shirt back up and covering her chest with her hands.
The man with the machete roared, "Little monk, if you don't leave, I'll chop you up."
With that, he swung the machete down at A-lai's head.
A-lai didn't dare dodge, as Fangfang was right behind him. Instinctively, he raised his arm to block the blow.
There was a loud "clang!"
"Ah..."
A-lai cried out in pain as blood immediately began to pour from his arm.
The man had swung too hard, and the force caused him to lose his grip. The machete fell to the ground with a thud.
Picking up the machete, the thugs gathered around to inspect it and were shocked to see a large chunk missing from the blade.
"Help! Help!"
Fangfang, now desperate, screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing through the valley.
The thugs, momentarily stunned, hesitated.
A-lai, enraged, headbutted one of the thugs. The man with the machete raised it again and swung it at A-lai's head. A-lai, unable to dodge, instinctively raised his bleeding arm to block it once more.
There was another "clang!"
The machete flew several meters away.
One of the men hurried over to retrieve the machete, and when he saw it, another large chunk was missing from the blade.
What was going on?...
Oh my god, the little monk's arm was tougher than the machete. The thugs, realizing that the monk was desperate, hesitated.
As Fangfang's cries for help continued, the thugs noticed people running toward them from the distance. Panicking, they muttered to each other before fleeing into the woods.
Fangfang quickly tore a piece of cloth from her white shirt with her teeth and began bandaging A-lai's bleeding arm. She told him not to move as she snapped two small branches from a nearby tree and used them as splints. Then she tore off another strip of cloth and secured the bandage tightly.
Fangfang, terrified, said, "A-lai, your arm must be broken again. We need to get to the hospital quickly, or it might be permanently damaged."
A-lai, despite the intense pain, moved his arm slightly and said, "It doesn't seem broken. Let's go home first. I have medicine for knife wounds at home."
Fangfang was momentarily stunned but then scolded him, "I told you not to go out these days and to stay home and study, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what happened!"
A-lai, indifferent, shot her a glance, thinking to himself, *One of these days, I'll have to sew up that mouth of yours.*
At that moment, two figures came running toward them from the distance.
A-lai saw that it was Misheng and Mile.
The two of them hurriedly asked in unison, "A-lai, are you okay?"
A-lai replied, "I'm fine."
He glanced at the fleeing thugs, noting that they were heading toward Lei Gong's cemetery. A vague sense of unease settled in his heart as he fell into deep thought.
What were these people from the big city doing in this remote mountain area? Were they connected to the theft at Leiyin Temple? Or were they here to finish what they started and finally take my life?