Chapter 35: I Won’t Leave Until I See Him

Chapter 35: I Won't Leave Until I See Him

"Boss, these look like Pei family men from Yin Country. Should we kill them?"

"Of course we should! Anyone who can be with that bastard is a menace. Take care of them cleanly and leave no evidence."

"Yes!"

The man raised his blade, sneering as he approached Pei Yuhuai: "Die!" The bloody blade came down without a moment's hesitation.

So this was it—the end of the line.

Knowing he couldn't escape, Pei Yuhuai silently closed his eyes, waiting for death.

The pain never came. A clang rang out, and the man's hand went flying, chopped off by a sword. He squealed like a stuck pig.

The sound alone was enough to make you shake.

Pei Yuhuai opened his eyes and saw Lan He, covered in blood, standing in front of him, shouting with all his might: "Run!"

Pei Yuhuai had never regretted anything more than this moment—regretting that he only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun, accomplished in neither letters nor martial arts, didn't know a lick of martial arts. Not only could he not protect himself, but he was just dead weight dragging everyone down.

He staggered to his feet.

Lan He was surrounded on three sides, blades swinging at him from every side. How the hell could Pei Yuhuai just run off on his own? In that moment, fear vanished, and pure panic took over.

He was scared out of his mind—scared Lan He would die right in front of him.

A sword was about to stab into Lan He's heart when a familiar scene flashed before his eyes. A wave of grief and regret crashed over him.

Pei Yuhuai, terrified out of his wits, screamed frantically at him: "No! Don't!"

He lunged and wrapped his arms around Lan He with everything he had. The sword didn't hit Lan He—it hit him instead.

The sickening sound of the blade sinking into flesh echoed right next to his ear.

As if he couldn't feel a thing, he just smiled at Lan He: "Thank god, you're okay. You're okay."

The attackers were probably dumbstruck, never expecting some runaway noble brat to have the guts to charge in. Once they snapped out of it, more blades came at him.

Lan He caught Pei Yuhuai, his whole body shaking in shock.

"Pei Heng, Pei Heng!"

Pei Yuhuai spat out mouthful after mouthful of blood. Spotting the danger closing in behind Lan He, he still dug deep and shoved him away with the last of his strength: "Go. Run."

He didn't want Lan He to get hurt—not on his watch.

He had no idea why, but he'd rather die himself than watch Lan He die.

But looking at the odds—

There were way too many of them. Lan He probably wasn't gonna make it out either.

Well, that was fine too.

See you in the next life.

Pei Yuhuai didn't even realize his own feelings had shifted. He hit the ground, and just before his eyes shut, he saw Lan He sprinting like a madman toward him, taking a sword to the chest without even flinching.

What a foolish monk.

They're all ganging up on you, and you still run to me? Don't you feel the pain?

Pei Yuhuai blacked out completely.

Lan He knelt before him, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles cracked. The murderous rage in his bloodshot eyes was straight out of hell. When he glanced back at them, the attackers stumbled backward on their own.

Black mist started swirling around him, swallowing him whole as his body blackened inch by inch.

His pale face was like a vengeful ghost.

One guy's legs were knocking together: "Is... is he a ghost?"

"He's not human anymore. Run, run!"

Lan He turned his neck with a stiff, jerky motion, raised his hand, then in a blink, he was right in front of the guy, grabbing him by the throat.

A vicious twist.

The crack of breaking bones echoed eerily through the desolate valley.

Within moments, the valley was strewn with corpses.

The thick, suffocating stench of blood spread everywhere.

"Warning! Warning! The male lead's behavior has gone way off script. Way off script. The system will initiate forced correction. Host, please receive the plot update now."

"Received, received."

A weird, otherworldly voice—and hey, that sounded like Princess Quying. Why was it coming from the sky?

Lan He glanced around, then stumbled back toward Pei Yuhuai.

Suddenly.

His mind went blank, and he keeled over.

-

When he woke again,

Pei Yuhuai found himself back at the temple, with Venerable Nun Nianzhen tending to him. Lan He was nowhere to be seen.

He sat up immediately: "Venerable Nun?"

Venerable Nun Nianzhen saw he was awake and hurriedly put down what she was holding: "You're awake. You were badly wounded. How do you feel now?"

Pei Yuhuai panicked: "Where's Lan He? Where did he go?"

Nianzhen's face looked off, like she was purposely dodging his eyes: "Chan Master Lan He is also at the temple. You need to rest up first. This afternoon, the marquis's estate is sending someone to take you home."

Pei Yuhuai couldn't care about that now. He hurriedly got out of bed: "Venerable Nun, please take me to see him. I'm worried."

"Well..."

"Venerable Nun! If you don't take me to see him, I won't leave!"

"It's not that I won't take you, but Chan Master Lan He said he wants to be alone. He told me to make sure you got back to the estate. Please go home for now."

"I'm not leaving."

Pei Yuhuai, recalling Lan He covered in blood before he lost consciousness, felt his heart clench as dread, fear, panic, and pain consumed him.

He was afraid.

Afraid something had happened to Lan He.

Nianzhen still shook her head: "The Zen Master is protected by the Buddha's teachings; the young master need not worry."

"Venerable Nun, if you don't tell me where he is, I'll search room by room. I won't leave until I find him, unless you kick me out."

Pei Yuhuai was so agitated that he aggravated his wound, and blood soaked through the bandages again.

Nianzhen said helplessly, "Don't rush. Rest up and heal properly. I'll take you to see National Master Lanhe later. Let's treat your wound first."

She was a highly skilled healer who sometimes went down the mountain to offer free medical care, so she also handled Pei Yuhuai's treatment.

"Thank you, Venerable Nun."

Pei Yuhuai obediently sat down.

After his wound was re-bandaged, he sat and waited. Pei Rongjing came to pick him up, but he still hadn't been allowed to see Lan He.

He refused to budge.

Pei Rongjing was equally helpless and could only turn to Venerable Nun Nianzhen for help: "My elder brother has been through this ordeal, but now he refuses to come home. Do you know why, Venerable Nun?"

Nianzhen quietly led Pei Rongjing away from the courtyard before telling him, "The young master was fine at first, but he was ambushed while coming down the mountain with Zen Master Lan He, and that's how he got injured. The Zen Master is badly hurt and has refused the young master's visits. The young master is deeply loyal and too worried to leave."

She then recounted the entire incident, including how Lan He had brought the unconscious Pei Yuhuai to seek help there.

Pei Rongjing was shocked.

He had received a letter and come to pick him up, but he knew nothing about the ambush or that Pei Yuhuai had been injured.

Nianzhen continued, "Now that you're here, if he truly refuses to leave, he may stay at the temple for a few days. Once National Master Lanhe's injuries improve, he will see him."

"Venerable Nun, is the National Master... injured very severely? Why can't he see anyone?"

"I don't know. I suppose the Zen Master has his own arrangements, but his life is not in danger."

"That's good."

"Then I'll leave the young master to you. I'll take my leave now."

"Wait."