Little Shitou was filled with deep respect.
"Yang Guo."
"You really worry yourself on the Buddha's behalf."
"As I should." Yang Guo didn't even blush.
Pretending to kick a pebble, he stumbled and tottered forward.
Just three paces from the old monk's side, his posture suddenly lurched. Pretending to fall, he lunged sideways toward him.
It was that same tried-and-true evasive footwork, leveraging momentum.
His shoulder brushed past without making full contact, his sleeve swaying in the wind. Two fingers darted out swift as chopsticks picking up food, his cuff grazing the old monk's waist.
"Ouch!" Yang Guo gave the old monk an exaggerated hand to support him.
"Master monk, this muddy road is slicker than pig lard. At your age, you should walk extra carefully in a bit."
The old monk slightly raised his eyelids and looked at Yang Guo with a smile.
"Little benefactor, you almost slipped yourself, yet you're telling this poor monk to be careful?"
Yang Guo didn't bat an eye, patting his pant legs as he straightened up.
"I'm thick-skinned and tough-boned. Taking three falls won't hurt me."
"But at your age, if you crack a hip bone, that's no small matter."
The old monk smiled and nodded.
"Then I thank you for the warning, little benefactor."
Yang Guo immediately pressed his palms together, pretended to chant a Buddhist prayer, and dragged Little Shitou along as he ran.
They slipped down two streets in one breath.
Only after ducking into a wind-sheltered alleyway did Yang Guo pull out the pouch hidden in his sleeve.
He untied the pouch and peeked inside.
Yang Guo's pupils constricted sharply.
Broken silver!
Besides a string of copper coins, two pieces of chopped silver lay right at the bottom, heavy in his hand.
Little Shitou's eyes nearly popped out into the bag, his breathing turning heavy.
"Yang Guo... can we buy out all the meat buns on the entire street now?"
Yang Guo quickly tied the pouch shut, stuffed it into the deepest part of his shirt, and slapped the kid's forehead.
"Buy out my ass! Aniu's about to turn to ash back at the temple! Hurry up and get back to brew the medicine!"
The two young boys bolted like mad back toward the ruined temple.
They didn't notice that at the entrance of an alley a hundred meters away, the old monk in gray robes was already standing in the wind.
The old monk looked down at his empty waist. Far from being angry, a peculiar smile appeared on his face.
Carrying his wine jar, he unhurriedly followed after them.
...
As the sun set, cold wind howled inside the ruined temple.
Just as Yang Guo set the medicine pot over two broken bricks, an unnaturally sarcastic sneer rang out at the temple entrance.
"Yo, did you go to the market today? Fancy meal you got here, even brewing something up."
The temple door creaked loudly under a heavy kick.
Three heavily built beggars blocked the doorway.
The leader was named Magan. Sixteen or seventeen years old, he towered a full head over Yang Guo, followed by two companions—Heipi and Dagou.
Almost all the young beggars in this area had been robbed by them.
Magan in particular.
Relying on his height, he specialized in robbing younger kids.
Magan had a sharp nose. Spotting the bag of rice on the ground, he reached right out to snatch it.
"Just in time. We brothers are starving here, hand it over!"
Bang!
A foot in a straw sandal stomped heavily onto the rice bag.
Yang Guo raised his head, his eyes cold as stones from an ice hole.
"Try touching it and see what happens."
Stung by that glare, Magan flew into a rage from embarrassment. His palm, wide as a palm-leaf fan, whipped toward Yang Guo's face with a gust of wind.
"Little bastard, giving you face and you don't take it!"
Before the palm could hit, Yang Guo ducked to avoid it.
With a slip of his foot, he used the close-quarters evasive footwork of the Carefree Stroll Palm to close the gap instantly, shifting his left hand into a palm strike aimed straight at Magan's ribs.
Thump!
Magan howled in pain, doubling over completely.
"Kill him!" Seeing this, Heipi and Dagou bellowed and lunged from both sides.
Yang Guo turned and ran outside.
Not out of fear.
The place was too narrow.
The space inside the temple was small.
If three guys bigger than him actually managed to pin him down...
No amount of Carefree Strolling would work; he'd just be a helpless turtle.
Little Shitou panicked. "Yang Guo!"
Without looking back, Yang Guo shouted, "Stay inside!"
He ran outside the ruined temple.
Next, Heipi threw a punch right at him.
Yang Guo tilted his neck to dodge the fist, then hooked his foot to trip him. Unable to stop his momentum, Heipi ate a faceful of mud.
Before Yang Guo could catch his breath, his back suddenly grew heavy—Dagou pinned his arms firmly from behind.
"I got him! Brother Magan, get over here!"
Yang Guo struggled twice, but couldn't break free. He stopped struggling altogether.
A fierce gleam flashed in his eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he slammed the back of his head hard into the bridge of Dagou's nose!
The dull sound of bone striking bone made one shudder.
"Ah!" Dagou clutched his nose, blood streaming out on the spot.
Yang Guo turned around and kicked him away.
Magan, having recovered, rushed up with bloodshot eyes and landed a punch right on Yang Guo's shoulder socket.
A burst of sharp pain shot through him, sending Yang Guo stumbling back a few steps.
Heipi, who had scrambled back up, delivered a flying kick from the side, landing square on Yang Guo's lower abdomen.
Yang Guo crashed heavily into the mud.
"Yang Guo!" Little Shitou grabbed a rotten wooden stick and was about to charge forward.
"Get the hell back!" Yang Guo spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and roared, eyes wide with fury.
"Watch the rice and medicine! If you dare come over, I'll whip you later!"
Magan strode over and savagely grabbed Yang Guo by the hair, yanking his face up out of the mud.
"Come on, keep going! Weren't you acting so tough?!"
He raised his fist high and slammed it down with a vicious gust of wind.
Looking at the descending fist, Yang Guo's lips suddenly parted into a grin, revealing a row of bloody white teeth.
The next instant, he tilted his head to dodge, wrapping his arms tightly around Magan's forearm.
Opening his mouth, he bit down hard on the tendon of Magan's wrist!
"AAAAHHH—!!" An agonizing scream shattered the air.
Magan went wild, pounding on Yang Guo with his other fist in heavy, thumping blows.
Yang Guo bit down on that flesh like a vise, his eyes ruthless. He let the fists rain down on him without loosening his grip one bit.
Heipi rushed up and kicked savagely at Yang Guo's ribs.
Enduring two kicks, Yang Guo snapped his legs out like scissors, locking onto Heipi's calf and twisting violently with his core.
The three of them tumbled into a heap, mud, blood, and fists blurring together.
In terms of size, twelve-year-old Yang Guo was at a massive disadvantage.
In terms of raw ferocity, all three of these half-baked thugs combined couldn't hold a candle to him.
Magan and his two lackeys soon discovered something that made their scalps tingle with dread.
This kid was genuinely ready to fight to the death.
Kick him once, and he'd grab your leg just to sink his teeth into you.
Punch him once, and even as he took the hit, his other fist would go straight for the bridge of your nose.
There was no need to care whether a move looked good or not.
If he could use his teeth, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.
Martial arts experts cared about form when fighting, but Yang Guo didn't have that luxury right now.
He had to focus on efficiency.
Before long...
Yang Guo's lip was split, and he had taken several blows to the body.
Dagou clutched his caved-in nose, groaning on the ground.
Heipi had a blackened eye and gasped from the sharp pain while clutching his sprained ankle.
Magan's wrist had been bitten raw, blood dripping through his fingers. The look he cast at Yang Guo was now filled with genuine fear.
That mud-covered boy wobbled as he stood back up from the ground.
Yang Guo raised his arm and wiped the blood from his lip with his sleeve. He held out two fingers toward Magan and hooked them provocatively:
"Come on."
"Keep going!"
Magan clutched his wrist tightly, his voice trembling:
"You motherfucker... are you really trying to die?!"
Yang Guo parted his bloody mouth into a grim, chilling smile:
"Want my life? Three rotten dogs like you aren't worthy!"
Intimidated to the core by that desperate, suicidal ferocity, Magan involuntarily took two steps back.
"You've got guts... Let's go! Just you wait until next time!"
Leaving behind a weak threat, the three of them supported each other as they scrambled and crawled away.
Yang Guo swayed, his knees giving out as he sat down heavily right on the threshold.
Little Shitou dropped his wooden stick and rushed over, tears streaming down his face.
"Yang Guo! Are you okay? Where does it hurt?"
Yang Guo winced as he sucked in a cold breath, raising a trembling arm:
"Great question. Don't ask again next time. There isn't a single spot on my body that doesn't hurt."
"Stop wailing. Help me up first. Even sitting down makes my waist hurt..."
...
A fire of dry firewood was lit inside the ruined temple.
Thick, bitter black liquid bubbled and roiled in the broken clay pot.
Holding a chipped, broken bowl, Yang Guo blew on the hot steam as he walked over to the pile of straw.
Aniu was delirious with fever.
Little Shitou held his head up.
Yang Guo held the broken bowl, preparing to feed it into his mouth.
"Come on, open wide and drink your medicine."
Aniu took a sip, his whole face scrunched up.
"So bitter... I can't swallow it..."
"Is medicine supposed to be sweet if it's not bitter?" Yang Guo said with a laugh.
"Your life sure is precious, kid."
"For this bowl of medicine, I took five punches and six kicks today."
"If you dare spit out a single mouthful today..."
"...I'll string you up and pour it down your throat."
Aniu shuddered in fear, closing his eyes as he gulped down the bitter medicinal soup in huge mouthfuls.
Halfway through, Aniu opened his eyes halfway, blearily spotting the injuries on Yang Guo's face.
"Yang Guo... who beat you up like this?"
Yang Guo said nonchalantly:
"Just those three stray dogs."
Aniu's voice was hoarse, his eyes brimming with tears:
"Yang Guo, once I get better..."
"...I'll help you beat them back."
Rate on N.U.
