In a pitch-dark little room, two silhouettes whispered to each other.
"Kid, don't even think about getting a new cell phone unless you agree to my terms!"
"Old lecher, don't push me too far, your demands are too unreasonable!"
"Don't play innocent with me, boy, I raised you myself. I know exactly what you're like, so there's no room for negotiation. If you want a smartphone, you have to meet my conditions, or forget about it."
"You're ruthless!" Ye Qiu stormed out of the room, succumbing to the old lecher's demands, while in the darkness, the old man revealed a triumphant smirk.
...
The next day, Qin'an Temple was in uproar from the crack of dawn!
Overnight, all the nuns' undergarments in Qin'an Temple had disappeared, and not even the abbess had been spared the demon's grasp!
The nuns, their eyes blazing with fury, were determined to catch the shameless thief who stole their undergarments the night before, tirelessly searching every corner.
Ye Qiu's method was neat and clean; in the shameful theft of the previous night, he left not a single trace.
In truth, Ye Qiu despised the old lecher's shameless demands as well, but since he was caught in a tight spot, he had to relent and acted against his conscience towards the nuns.
From a cluster of trees not far from Qin'an Temple, he looked out over the entire complex, feeling a great sense of guilt. He certainly hadn't meant for this to happen, "Don't blame me, this was all the old lecher's doing."
After watching the state of Qin'an Temple from the mountaintop for a while, Ye Qiu lay down on a branch to sleep, until he returned to the dilapidated hut around dusk.
Ye Qiu stepped on the green stones, gradually climbing to the mountaintop. Just as he was about to call out to the old lecher, he was stunned to discover a crowd standing in front of him.
Dressed in plain robes and with shining heads, who else could they be but the nuns of Qin'an Temple?
"Was it you who did it?" asked the abbess of Qin'an Temple, her gaze so accusing that the old lecher couldn't look her in the eye and hedged, "Impossible, it can't be me. Jingxin, you know my heart, and you know me even better. How could I commit such a vile act?"
"Abbess, don't listen to his nonsense. Apart from our Qin'an Temple, this is the only place inhabited on the mountain. Who else could it be but him?" A nun interjected.
"Hey, hey, young girl, don't talk nonsense. I was quite the handsome man in my youth; how could I do such tasteless things? But what you said is true; on this mountain, there are only you from Qin'an Temple and the people living here." The old lecher caught a glimpse of me appearing from behind and smiled at me. What was the old man up to?
Then the old lecher's tone changed dramatically, "But, Jingxin, it's not just me living here. I'm a man of integrity, beyond doubt. If there was someone else, then it could only be my ungrateful disciple. Disciple, you've returned at just the right time. Elder Jingxin has questions for you."
Ye Qiu froze, suddenly getting a bad feeling. The old lecher gestured to him, and at this point, he couldn't just walk away, or it would seem even more certain that he was involved in the theft of the undergarments the night before.
Ye Qiu forced a faint smile and stepped forward to greet Elder Jingxin with a bow, "I pay my respects to Master Jingxin."
Elder Jingxin naturally had seen Ye Qiu before and had a rather good impression of him, but with all the disciples of the temple standing there, and even though she didn't believe it was Ye Qiu who was responsible, she nonetheless had to ask, "Ye Qiu, did you know about the theft at Qin'an Temple yesterday?"
Although Ye Qiu knew what Elder Jingxin was suggesting, he pretended ignorance and shook his head, "I had no idea, Elder. Surely you're not suspecting me, are you?"
"Sister Jingxin, I can guarantee it's not the doing of my beloved disciple. If you don't believe it, you can search his room. If anything is found, I'll punish this boy immediately!" The previously silent old lecher suddenly chimed in.
Ye Qiu frowned, feeling that there was something different about the old lecher today. He seemed in a good mood; why did he look so cheerful?
"This old lecher is definitely still fantasizing about hitting on Quiet Heart Sister!" Ye Qiu muttered to himself, glancing at the old lecher. Suddenly, he felt that something was amiss. Today, the old lecher was speaking differently; he would never refer to his disciples as his treasures in the usual course of things. Could it be...
Just as Ye Qiu realized the old lecher had ulterior motives, a nun quickly emerged from a thatched hut beside them, holding a large parcel in her hands.
"Abbot, we found this in Ye Qiu's room." The handsome nun said. As she opened the parcel, revealing item after item of personal clothing, Ye Qiu was stunned! He slowly turned his head to look at the old lecher, intending to ask what was going on. However, to his surprise, the old lecher had turned his head away with an air of indifference, as if deliberately ignoring him.
Ye Qiu knew he had been set up by the old lecher!
"Ye Qiu, how do you explain this?" Quiet Heart Sister's face looked terrible, and the nuns behind her were also looking furious as if they wanted to tear him apart.
"This... it wasn't me... it's a misunderstanding..." Ye Qiu explained feebly, feeling that anything he said sounded like a cover-up.
"Hmph, you scoundrel, why would you do such a thing, you have shamed me," the old lecher stood out at that moment and rebuked Ye Qiu. Then, with a grin, he turned to Quiet Heart Sister and said apologetically, "Sister Quiet Heart, it's my lack of discipline that this has happened. I will ensure to give you an explanation. Please be magnanimous, Sister Quiet Heart. I will surely visit to apologize another day."
Seeing the old lecher taking a stance, Quiet Heart Sister nodded. They were old neighbors after all; she couldn't go too far, after leaving a comment, she led the nuns away. Although she left, the old lecher knew he would have to give an explanation to Qin'an Temple sooner or later.
Once all the nuns were out of sight, Ye Qiu, with a dark expression, said, "Old lecher, you framed me on purpose."
"Disciple, don't blame your master. I also didn't expect Sister Quiet Heart to come knocking so soon. If she caught me, my lifetime of happiness would be ruined. Is that what you want to see?" the old lecher started to play the sympathy card again.
"So, you decided to set me up?" Ye Qiu remained unmoved.
"Disciple, let me make it up to you. Look, this is the smartphone you wanted, with really good internet speed. You can watch high-definition movies, and it has a large storage capacity—you can download hundreds of movies!" the old lecher said as he took out a black smartphone and handed it to Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu fiddled with it for a bit, indeed, this smartphone was much better than the ones with physical keyboards and was exactly the style he had wanted.
"Old lecher, you gave me the phone so easily, it's not just because of this incident, right? Spit it out, what else do you want me to do?" Ye Qiu casually slipped the phone into his pocket, his bright eyes intently staring at the old lecher.
The old lecher chuckled, "I knew I couldn't keep anything from you, lad. Indeed, there is something I want you to do."
Ye Qiu remained silent, signaling the old lecher to continue.
"Ahem, it's like this, I have an old friend, he asked me to help protect someone. He once did me a favor, and I need to repay that debt. I'm old now and no good in a fight, so after much thought, you're the only one who can take my place," the old lecher said earnestly.
"Considering the current situation, if you stay here, those nuns won't let up. It's better for you to just leave the monastery."
Ye Qiu remained silent, contemplating that the situation was indeed as described. If he stayed, he would inevitably face ridicule from the nuns. As he watched the old lecher go on and on, analyzing the situation, he even suspected that this might have all been a scheme by the old lecher, designed to get him to leave the monastery.
"Alright, I agree," Ye Qiu consented. After many years in the mountains, he too was weary. Leaving wasn't so bad, especially since it meant he might finally meet his female online friend.
"Here, this is the man's contact information. Pack your things and set out."
The next day, Ye Qiu left the mountain, finally departing from the deep woods where he had lived for over a decade.
"When you're in the big city, do not misuse your eyes," the old lecher warned.
"I know, my eyes are meant to appreciate beautiful things; I won't use them for ill deeds," Ye Qiu waved his hand, gradually disappearing from the old lecher's view.