Seventeen years later, Qinglian Town.
The blazing sun hung high, burning like a fireball in the sky. The sorghum in the field looked decadent, with heavy ears hanging down, and the surrounding large locust trees almost smoked under the scorching sun. Only the cicadas on the trees were still chirping tenaciously, as if in protest against the ruthless heat. A yellow dog was lying in the shade of a tree, its tongue stretched out long, breathing heavily, and it had lost interest in chasing away the flies flying around. It was extremely lazy and comfortable.
Suddenly, the yellow dog's ears twitched, dust flew in the distance, and a figure came walking through the dust and smoke. The yellow dog glanced at it, then lay back on the ground and continued its lazy afternoon nap.
"Skinny Monkey, work harder, the trading company is just ahead!" The voice was a bit anxious, but also revealed a hint of striking clarity. It was a young man with shabby clothes but high spirits. He was carrying a heavy load of firewood, but as if he didn't notice anything, he turned around to urge his companions behind him.
"Wait a minute, Zhang Mo, I can't breathe." The boy who followed closely behind him, his skin tanned by the sun, was named Shouhou. He stopped under the big locust tree and stretched his waist straight, thinking to himself that although Zhang Mo's cultivation progressed slower than his own, he was always amazed by his perseverance and resilience.
Zhang Mo shook his head impatiently, "We have already had a break, skinny monkey, time waits for no one. Tomorrow is the last chance for selection. If you don't persist, there is really no hope."
After saying that, Zhang Mo didn't look back, but just quickened his pace. Shouhou knew that this time, no matter how difficult it was, he had to follow Zhang Mo's footsteps.
On a hot summer day, the sun is like fire, and the stone roads in Qinglian Town are steaming with steam. Even the wandering cats lazily find a shady spot to take a nap. People in the town also hid in their homes, enjoying the temporary coolness. But on such a lazy afternoon, Skinny Monkey and his partner Yellow Dog could only work hard outside to make a living.
Both are orphans and have been dependent on each other since childhood. The hardship of life forces them to go down the mountain to cut firewood in the scorching sun in order to exchange for mere copper coins.
"Two bundles of firewood and ten coppers." The leisurely old man from Qinglian Trading Company spoke slowly, with a somewhat sleepy yawn in his voice.
Qinglian Trading Company is located in the center of the town. Although the storefront is not spacious, it sells all kinds of daily groceries to items needed by practitioners. The store's signboard has been eroded by the years and turned into a dull green color. The lotus pattern on it is still clear, as if telling the history of this old store.
A long-lost smile appeared on Shouhou's face, and Zhang Mo beside him was sweating profusely, but he also showed a proud smile. The two of them had saved up enough coins for a long time to finally buy the Vitality Pill.
"Old Chai Tou, this time we want to buy a Vitality Pill!" Zhang Mo smiled with his voice full of expectations for the future, and the copper plates in his hand poured out on the counter like spring water.
Lao Chaitou's eyes widened in shock at the sudden generosity. He lowered his head and counted the coins. After counting five hundred coins, he looked up at the two young men with a hint of approval in his eyes.
"Hey, young people are ambitious. This is not easy, not easy." Lao Chaitou sighed, took out a small delicate porcelain bottle from a wooden drawer on the counter, and handed it to Zhang Mo's hand.
Holding the small porcelain bottle, Zhang Mo and Shouhou's eyes shone with excitement. For them, the Vitality Pill is not just a medicine, but a glimmer of hope and the key to a higher realm.
Qinglian Trading Company was once again immersed in the tranquility of the afternoon, but Shouhou and Zhang Mo's hearts were boiling like boiling water. They knew that this summer would no longer be as peaceful as usual.
Stepping out of the hot street, the two turned into a narrow and dark alley. This place was in sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle of the outside world, as if it was another side of Qinglian Town. There are overgrown grass in the corners, and the old stone road looks a little dilapidated, with hollow echoes echoing at every step.
Just as the two of them were excited about the elixir, a figure rushed toward them in panic like a frightened bird. Shouhou and Zhang Mo exchanged a flashing look, and tacitly attacked each other from front to back, blocking each other's way.
"Huang San, what good things did you steal again?" The thin monkey stepped forward with a bit of teasing and intercepted the thin figure.
Huang San is a thief of the same age as them. He is thin and has flickering eyes. He is also a child in an orphanage. But unlike Shouhou and Zhang Mo, he lacks interest in spiritual practice. Instead, he has become more sophisticated in the craft of petty theft. He backed away while stammering in defense: "You...you are talking nonsense. How can I steal anything? Get out of the way. I have business to do!"
Zhang Mo smiled calmly, knowing it well: "Huang San, we haven't been with you for a day or two. As soon as you stick your butt out, I know what the shit you are doing, and you pretend to be there! You won't show it, right? Skinny Monkey Lock live!"
As he spoke, the thin monkey was as agile as a spiritual ape and locked Huang San's struggling arms. Zhang Mo reached out and took out a colorful embroidered purse from Huang San's arms.
Huang San's face turned red. He wanted to argue but couldn't, so he could only hum. "This... I picked this up at the market. It really wasn't stolen."
The thin monkey kicked him disdainfully and scolded: "When will we change our sneaky habit? Don't drag down the reputation of our orphanage anymore. Get out of here!"
Huang San rubbed the place where he was kicked, exhaled a breath of rustic resentment, and limped away at the other end of the alley.
Skinny Monkey snatched the embroidered purse and laughed loudly: "It must have been stolen at the market. It probably belongs to some young lady." He put it to his nose and smelled it, "It smells so good! This is Scented with sandalwood.”
Zhang Mo sneered, fanned the air with his hand, and said, "What a bullshit! How do you know it's been scented with sandalwood? Have you ever smelled sandalwood?"
Shouhou hurriedly defended: "How come you haven't smelled it before? I smelled this fragrance once when I was working as a helper at Mr. Dou's wife's house. The steward who was traveling with me said that this is sandalwood and it is very expensive!" After that, he smelled it again. The face is intoxicated.
Zhang Mo saw that his intoxicated look was ridiculous, so he cursed: "Damn, why are you looking so lewd!"
Shouhou threw his wallet to Zhang Mo, unconvinced.
"Smell it, doesn't it smell so good? I've been with you all day, and you're covered in stinky sweat. When I first smelled this fragrance, I felt really dizzy."
Zhang Mo also put it to his nose and smelled it, and a fragrance went straight into his heart. It was like the cool spring water in summer, refreshing. It was also mixed with a hint of girl's body fragrance, which made people feel comfortable and comfortable. Indeed, it was the same as the smell of skinny monkeys. Comparing the smell of sweat, he was now addicted to the soul-stirring fragrance. Unknowingly, his saliva came out...
"abnormal!"
A woman's slight scolding came like ice and snow.
Zhang Mo suddenly woke up from his intoxication. As soon as he wiped his saliva, he found a young girl standing in front of him.
Zhang Mo faced her face to face, and his heart was beating wildly, but he saw this girl with a charming face, white and greasy skin, wearing an aqua satin dress, the breeze blew, and the dress was swaying lightly. In an instant, his face turned red, his ears were ringing, he felt a chill on his back, and his lips could not help but tremble a few times. It was the first time in his life that a young and beautiful woman had such a thrilling charm.
"Wei, perverted thief, return my wallet to me quickly"
The girl frowned and shouted sweetly.
Zhang Mo felt as if there were only two of him left in the world, and nothing else existed. He only felt her breathing like orchid, sending waves of delicate fragrance. The girl seemed to have said something, but his head was buzzing at the moment. , that is not acceptable at all.
"Hey, what are you talking about? We are not thieves!"
Shouhou noticed that Zhang Mo seemed to be stupid and quickly stepped forward to explain.
While they were talking, two more young men floated over. Both young men were handsome and had extraordinary bearing. One was tall and tall, wearing a white robe, and the other was powerful and dressed in a warrior uniform. Look at the costumes of the three of them. Dress up, either as a disciple of a great sect or as a queen of a famous sect.
The young man in samurai uniform grabbed the purse and shouted: "No wonder I couldn't find the thief after searching for a long time. It turned out that the two of them collaborated in the crime!" He turned around and handed the purse to the woman with a smile, "Xiaoyu, stay back. One point, watch us teach these two little thieves, Dongfang Xu, one for each."
The handsome young man in white robe named Dongfang Xu, with an arrogant expression, nodded slightly and agreed.
Zhang Mo seemed to wake up from a drunken state at this time, and he was excited.
"Who is the thief?!"
The thin monkey also shouted: "Huang San stole it and doesn't care about our business."
"You dare to quibble, you deserve a beating!" shouted the young man in warrior uniform.
Shouhou and Zhang Mo had fought countless times in the town. They were proficient in routines. When they saw that they couldn't let it go, Shouhou punched out with a cry. This is called striking first.
The young man in samurai attire sidestepped and shouted: "Good boy, you still have two more seconds!" He jumped behind him and the thin monkey turned around hastily, but he didn't know that the young man in samurai attire had struck out like lightning, grabbed his collar, and lifted him up with his arms. Gao raised it and sneered: "Fuck me like a dog!" He threw it to the ground with all his strength.
Although Shouhou and Zhang Mo studied martial arts at Qinglian Academy, they were all basic martial arts, such as Taizu Changquan and Luohan Fist. They did not learn close combat skills. Besides, they did not use many moves in street fights. This time I met a famous disciple, so I was no match for him. I tried to hold him up with my hands after being thrown by him, but it was too late. With a bang, my forehead and nose hit the ground hard, and blood started to flow.
The thin monkey just wanted to get up, but the young man in warrior uniform stepped on his back. His face was pressed to the ground, covered with mud, and his teeth were gritting like an angry lion. He couldn't stop it. Yelling and cursing.
Zhang Mo became anxious when he saw it, and was about to step forward, but was stopped by the young man in white robe.
Zhang Mo flew up and kicked with his right foot. Dongfang Xu snorted coldly and leaned back slightly to avoid his kick. He then stretched out his left hand with lightning, grabbed his right foot that had not been taken back after kicking it out, and used his strength to use it. , sent it out with all his strength, Zhang Mo was like an arrow leaving the string, and suddenly hit the wall.
In the critical moment, he hit the wall with his hands wrapped around his head. The pain was so painful that it felt like every bone was about to break. He was about to struggle to get up, but Dongfang Xu stretched out his foot to step on his back. Zhang Mo lay on the ground, eyes wide. An uncontrollable anger flashed through him, and his teeth were numb with hatred. He usually lost in fights, but the key point was different today. He experienced the charm of a beautiful woman for the first time today, and he was so embarrassed in front of her.
