Chapter 21: Pei Hang, the Buddha Has No Time for You

Chapter 21: Pei Heng, the Buddha Has No Time for Your Nonsense

His hand had just reached his belt when Lan He caught it.

Lan He calmly reminded him: "Though I'm a disciple and no one's around, the gods are watching from above. You can't blaspheme the Buddha again."

"Too late for that!"

Pei Yuhuai ducked his head down and bit him on the shoulder.

Lan He tilted his head slightly, and while he was distracted, quietly slipped a pill from his sleeve and fed it to him in his flustered state.

It was a little sweet.

"What did you feed me?"

"Candy. Very sweet."

"Sucking up to me? Useless! Worst case, I'll just kowtow to the Buddha a few more times in a couple days. I'm gonna indulge just this once, damn it!"

Lan He smiled, waiting for it.

But then.

When he grabbed the prayer beads around Lan He's neck, Pei Yuhuai suddenly snapped back to his senses and immediately shrank away, hesitating for a long time without so much as a peep.

Nope, nope.

Pei Yuhuai backed off a few steps and settled into a half-kneel on the cushion, his expression a bit unnatural: "Ahem, the marquis household I come from is strict as hell. I can't just mess with a damn monk at will. I still need the Buddha to watch my back."

"Don't you go telling anyone about this. I didn't do a damn thing this time. I didn't disrespect the Buddha. I respect him a lot. I can't do such a thing."

Even though he really wanted to.

But still.

Nah, forget it.

Better to turn back now.

Pei Yuhuai turned to get off the carriage. The second his foot hit the ground, Lan He jumped down right behind him.

"Too late already."

"What?"

Lan He pulled him into his arms, held his waist in a firm grip, and bent down to stroke his hair tenderly, then moved to his cheek—the skin felt amazing.

He said:

"Pei Yuhuai, the Buddha's got no time for you. I'm a monk and even I don't fear the Buddha—so what are you afraid of?"

Se-duc-tion!

Oh my god, this was straight-up seduction. With a face like that, who the hell could resist?

Pei Yuhuai swallowed hard and fell for it easily.

"You're right. There's so many people in this world; the Buddha's got no time for me. Messing with one of his followers isn't a big deal. Anyway, you made the first move."

He stepped forward, and the already gloomy sky got even gloomier, as if it were about to turn dark ahead of schedule.

The two of them tangled up together.

Splash!

Pei Yuhuai's foot slipped and he fell into the lake, with Lan He jumping in right after him.

The calm lake surface churned with violent splashes.

Pei Yuhuai looked like he was drowning, sinking straight down, soaked to the bone.

Lan He pulled him up, and he wrapped around Lan He like a water snake, terrified of sinking. His legs kicked and splashed, and before he knew it, he got jabbed by a stray stick.

"Ah!"

Pei Yuhuai yelped in pain, gritting his teeth.

There were several large rocks by the lakeshore. The two of them splashed over to one of the rocks and leaned against it, keeping going.

Their back-and-forth was especially intense.

Seemed like a fair fight, but it was really a one-sided beatdown.

The lake water was churned up like crazy, almost causing an accident.

When it was over.

Pei Yuhuai was shivering like crazy from the cold. He didn't feel it while they were at it, but now that it was over, the cold hit him.

And of course, their clothes were all soaked with lake water.

Lan He found a secluded spot out of the wind, built a fire, and still in his soaking wet underclothes, dried each piece of clothing one by one.

By the time they were done, it was dark out.

"You damn stinky monk! You dare to mess with me, your young master? This time I didn't force you or push you. You're done for—all that Buddha-chanting was a waste."

"I'm so pissed, so pissed! Just you wait. Once I've got my strength back, I'm definitely gonna get you back. You're screwed!"

Pei Yuhuai dressed while letting loose a stream of curses.

Whoosh!

An arrow came flying out of the shadows. Lan He quickly rolled aside, just barely dodging the sneak attack.

"Who's that?"

Pei Yuhuai also went on alert.

There was rustling coming from the bushes. Lan He's gaze turned icy, and he told Pei Yuhuai firmly: "Stay here and don't you move. I'll be back in a sec."

With that, Lan He took off after them.

This spot was out of the way—probably some enemy passed by and spotted him, or maybe they'd followed him here on purpose. As for why they waited until now to make a move...

Did they want to watch a live show?

Lan He's face turned ugly. With a twist of his wrist, he snapped the prayer beads apart, aimed at the shadowy figure up ahead, and hurled them hard.

The man let out a pained yelp, but he didn't slow down, sprinting off at full speed.

Lan He pursued relentlessly, flinging several prayer beads one after another. Just as he was about to catch up, everything around him suddenly fell eerily silent.

"Not good."

His murderous intent flared instantly. One prayer bead struck the man's throat dead-on, punching through and leaving a bloody gaping hole. The man, still mid-stride, hit the ground with a thud.

Lan He scanned his surroundings. "Come out."

"Didn't think you had it in you."

From all sides, masked assassins stepped out. The leader, though also masked, had a brow that looked oddly familiar.

Lan He kept his face neutral. "I'm flattered you'd go through all this trouble to hunt me down."

"Heh, that's what you get for still being alive. Blame your bad luck for being born into the wrong family—we have to wipe you out for good."

"Then don't blame me for being rude."

"Arrogant bastard!" the leader bellowed. "Kill him! Whoever takes his head will be handsomely rewarded by the master himself."

These were desperate outlaws, and at the order, they charged all at once, each wielding a large blade, closing in around Lan He.

Lan He sized them up warily before being thrown into the fight.

Blades flashed, shadows blurred, and blood sprayed through the woods.

With his prayer beads used up, Lan He snatched a blade from one of the assassins, moving through the woods like a ghost, dropping them one by one with a single strike each.

But the enemy's numbers were overwhelming—for every one he dropped, two more took their place. Against so many, he was outnumbered, and if he kept this up, he might not make it out alive.

It seemed the last assassination attempt had failed, and now the mastermind had pulled out all the stops to eliminate him in one go.

Suddenly, Lan He's face went pale. He spotted a familiar figure coming toward him, but he couldn't shout a warning.

He had to finish this fast.

His eyes hardened as he zeroed in on the leader.

He threw himself at the leader, determined to end it quickly. A blade caught him in the chest, but he didn't pause, pushing through with grim determination after his target.

"Go to hell."

A single slash sliced open the man's throat, blood spraying Lan He in the face.

With the leader gone, the remaining assassins fell into chaos, and Lan He took them out much faster.

Meanwhile, Pei Yuhuai had made it nearby.

He saw Lan He fighting for his life, and his heart clenched. A sudden, inexplicable panic seized him, making his hands and feet go cold.

"Lan He—"

Pei Yuhuai murmured, quickening his pace toward him. But as a pampered young master of a wealthy family, running through the wild underbrush was no easy feat.

He hitched up his robes, running too fast, and a small cut opened up on his cheek.

Lan He felt a mix of joy and shock, along with a wave of relief.

Thank goodness he's safe.

Lan He threw himself back into the fight, but he was already badly wounded and struggling to hold his ground. Just as a blade was about to come down on him—