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墨書 Inktalez
Ye Chenfeng led Shen Binghan through a winding path until they arrived at a bathhouse.
Since he could remember, Shen Binghan only knew that he had been picked up by his master from outside and had no idea who his biological parents were. He had spent over a decade in the deep mountains, and now that he was out, his master's advice to be wary of those with ulterior motives and to remain calm when facing women (tigers) had been deeply ingrained in him.
He looked at Ye Chenfeng and thought that if he wasn't a petty person, then he must have been misled and unaware of the truth.
Thus, he could only obey Ye Chenfeng's words.
Now, standing in this seemingly upscale and lavishly decorated place bustling with people, he felt particularly good.
The entrance was filled with some quite attractive women, and he thought it would be interesting to catch one and learn a thing or two about how to navigate life.
Ye Chenfeng pointed him toward a door, and he walked inside.
The sounds of water splashing and soft voices came from within, making Shen Binghan's heart race. He was extremely nervous as he prepared to catch a "tiger" for some fun.
As Shen Binghan pushed open the door, he was greeted by a cloud of steam and the sight of various figures—some slim, some plump, and others quite thin—none of which seemed to possess any real substance. Was this what they called an "airport"?
His master had told him that an airport referred to women who lacked appeal to men. He stared in astonishment at the women in the mist who were screaming at high decibels, chuckling as he wanted to take a closer look.
However, unexpectedly, hands grabbed him from behind, pulling him away as he tried to escape.
Ye Chenfeng couldn't believe how adorably naive this seemingly clever little monk was. Just moments ago, when he casually pointed towards the women's bathhouse, Shen Binghan had actually gone in, grinning foolishly at the women who were screaming in surprise.
If it weren't for Ye Chenfeng's quick reflexes, Shen Binghan would have surely faced a serious beating this time.
Shen Binghan had many questions. Ye Chenfeng knew very well that the place was a men's forbidden zone, so why did he insist on guiding himself through that door?
Ye Chenfeng explained, "There are no tigers here. When you see a beautiful woman, just call out 'Beautiful Sister.' That way, you'll attract attention."
"Amitabha, I see now."
Ye Chenfeng suddenly realized something; in his teasing of Shen Binghan, he had overlooked Su Bei's presence.
This time, Su Bei had truly vanished from his sight.
After walking around for a while without finding Su Bei, Ye Chenfeng vented his frustration on Little Monk Shen Binghan.
"It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, my friend wouldn't have gotten lost. He has no money and a terrible memory; now he's in trouble. I can't even imagine how he'll find his way back after getting separated from me."
Shen Binghan seemed to understand the situation between him and Su Bei. Without asking any questions, he nodded confidently and said to Ye Chenfeng, "Men'er Gou."
"You think he's at Men'er Gou? How is that possible? He barely made it to the county town with me. Without any money, how could he possibly get back to Men'er Gou?"
"He should be at Men'er Gou." Shen Binghan's certainty was strange and only served to infuriate Ye Chenfeng. To him, it seemed utterly impossible; Su Bei had no money, and besides, he would rather hitch a ride than try to return to the distant Men'er Gou.
"If he's not at Men'er Gou, then let's make a bet. How much money will you owe me if you lose?"
Shen Binghan found it odd that people from the mountain always liked to talk about money. The night before coming down the mountain, his master had pulled out a black, peeling wallet from inside his shorts and taken out two large bills—exactly twenty yuan. That twenty yuan was all the money he had for his journey down the mountain; he would have to rely on begging to sustain himself along the way.
Rushing to catch the bus still required money, and unwilling to part with a large sum, the ticket was something he had exchanged for with his talismans.
"Amidst the chaos, you seem to be having a rough time," Shen Binghan said to the driver. "Your fortune is dim, and it seems you've been entangled in romantic troubles. Have you recently lost money or attracted unnecessary trouble?"
The bus driver, taken aback, realized it was true; he had lost quite a bit of money gambling lately and had almost gotten into legal trouble. Just the other day, while driving, a woman had deliberately run into his vehicle. Fortunately, he managed to brake in time, and the woman rolled on the ground a meter in front of the bus. It took the intervention of a traffic officer to drag that unreasonable woman away.
Shen Binghan's words convinced the driver completely. Adding to that, he quickly sketched an Exorcism Talisman, folding it into a triangle and placing it in a red cloth bag for the driver to carry with him.
With this gesture, Shen Binghan naturally waived the fare for the ride. The driver even offered to help him find transportation to Purple City once they reached the county town.
However, due to Ye Chenfeng's incident, he forgot all about it and left behind his belongings.
Ye Chenfeng was not satisfied with Shen Binghan's comments regarding Su Bei's situation at Men'er Gou and stubbornly insisted on going there together with Little Monk Shen Binghan to see for themselves.
Shen Binghan was more than happy that Ye Chenfeng took the initiative to return to Men'er Gou and immediately agreed to accompany him in search of transportation.
They found a vehicle, with Ye Chenfeng leading the way while Shen Binghan followed behind. As he glanced back, he noticed someone carrying his bag walking in the opposite direction. The person's furtive behavior—looking around suspiciously—made Shen Binghan snort coldly. Without time to greet Ye Chenfeng, he jumped out of the car and sprinted after the person with his bag.
Ye Chenfeng got into the car but noticed Little Monk was missing. Puzzled, he looked out the window just in time to see him running wildly and hurriedly got out to chase after him.
The person carrying the bag turned out to be a Sanitation Worker.
Shen Binghan caught up with him, snatched away his bag, and demanded to know why he was taking someone else's belongings.
The Sanitation Worker was utterly baffled. He had picked up this bundle from a trash can and had no idea who it belonged to. He was just trying to find its owner when he realized it belonged to the Little Monk.
"Are you the Little Monk?"
The Sanitation Worker asked curiously. The Little Monk's outfit was so peculiar, with a completely bald head except for a single braid at the back. He couldn't help but think that he might be an extra in a movie, but there was no film crew in sight.
Shen Binghan was busy rummaging through the contents of the bundle, worried about losing an important letter of introduction.
After searching for a while, he discovered that the two large sums of money his master had given him were missing, but the letter was still there. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled at the astonished Sanitation Worker. "Yes."
"This bundle was picked up from the trash can. Can you see if anything is missing?" The honest Sanitation Worker looked at the Little Monk and then noticed a child running over, drenched in sweat, seemingly coming for this very bundle. He kindly reminded him.
"I lost a large sum of money; everything else is fine."
A large sum? The Sanitation Worker was taken aback. Was there really a large amount of money in that shabby bundle? His jaw nearly dropped as he nervously asked, "How much? Should we call the police?"
"This much." Shen Binghan held up two fingers to indicate the amount.
"Two hundred?"
Shen Binghan shook his head.
"Two thousand?"
Ye Chenfeng widened his eyes in surprise. He never expected that the Little Monk was actually wealthy, with two thousand yuan hidden in a shabby bundle.
Shen Binghan continued to shake his head.
The Sanitation Worker Uncle furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before whispering, "Twenty thousand yuan?"
"Ah, you guessed wrong. It's just twenty yuan."
"Come on, twenty yuan is still a fortune. Are you kidding me?" The Sanitation Worker Uncle spat angrily and turned to leave.
Ye Chenfeng disdainfully raised his middle finger at Shen Binghan and said, "Fool."
"Fools have their own blessings," Shen Binghan chuckled, hugging his precious bundle. He then asked Ye Chenfeng where the car was.
"You think the car belongs to your family? It just runs off and waits for you there?"
"Why not?"
"Let me tell you, silly boy, there are only two trips for the car from Ancient River Town to Men'er Gou, and today there won't be any more. You'll have to wait until tomorrow."
"Listen here, you brat, I'm not just any silly boy; I am Shen Binghan," he said, cupping his fists in respect to Ye Chenfeng before heading towards the Snack Shop where a delicious aroma wafted through the air.
He had no money on him but still wanted to eat? Ye Chenfeng wondered to himself but had no choice but to follow. "What do you want to do?"
"After all that talking, it's time to take a break. Let's find a place to pay our respects at the Five Organs Temple!"
Ye Chenfeng was taken aback. A temple for worship? He had never heard of anyone visiting the Five Organs Temple before.
There was no temple here, just a bus station in a small county town. Moreover, they were heading in the wrong direction, straight towards the Snack Shop. Shen Binghan must have meant filling their stomachs when he mentioned paying respects at the Five Organs Temple!
Ye Chenfeng was in a dilemma. Shen Binghan's large sum of money had been snatched away, and if they really went to the Snack Shop to eat, he would likely lose the ten or so dollars he had on him. Without money, he couldn't go home!
Thus, he stood still, hesitating.
Shen Binghan walked a few steps ahead and turned back when he noticed Ye Chenfeng wasn't following. He looked at him with a strange expression and asked, "Why aren't you moving?"
"That's a restricted area; minors aren't allowed there."
"Oh? But I saw Little Tiger inside," Shen Binghan replied. The Little Tiger he mentioned was a cute little girl with sparse hair tied up in a small bow.
Seeing that Shen Binghan wasn't easily fooled, Ye Chenfeng had no choice but to muster his courage and follow behind.
Upon entering the Snack Shop, an enthusiastic server brought over the menu and asked them what they would like to eat.
Shen Binghan's finger slid across the menu, unsure of what dishes to order.
Ye Chenfeng snatched the menu and said to Shen Binghan, "The clear soup tofu is free for you, right?"
"You have to order something for that to be complimentary," the waiter explained with a forced smile, looking at the two young men who seemed like they were trying to get a free meal.
"Then I'll order a fried rice. Can I get the clear soup tofu as a bonus?"
The fried rice costs twenty yuan, and half a portion is just ten.
Ye Chenfeng ordered half a portion of fried rice, and they gave him a serving of clear soup tofu as a bonus.
The waiter left in displeasure, but soon returned with half a portion of fried rice and a bowl of watery clear soup tofu.
Shen Binghan reached out for the fried rice.
Ye Chenfeng grabbed it first and said, "You're a monk; you should stick to vegetarian food. The clear soup tofu is perfect for you."
Shen Binghan watched Ye Chenfeng eat half of the fried rice and shook his head helplessly. "After traveling such a long distance and taking so many rides, how can a bowl of clear soup suffice for worshiping at the Five Organs Temple?"
Ye Chenfeng was only half full after eating. He shrugged and replied irritably, "Food costs money. If you had money, you could eat whatever you want. This clear soup is just a bonus because I ordered fried rice; otherwise, we'd both be starving."
Shen Binghan shook his head, set down the clear soup, and walked over to the beautiful woman who was about to sit at the table across from them. Suddenly, he shouted angrily, "Don't go too far!"
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