God's Descent in the Magical City

Chapter 24: Trouble on the Mountain

At dawn, A-lai woke Fangfang, and after washing up, they set out together.

The summer heat was already noticeable, and as they looked around at the verdant fields, the deep green mountains, and the scattered village outlines, it all resembled an ink painting.

The two of them headed into the lush underbrush.

A-lai set up the copper wire, installed the device he had made, and placed a tempting apple and a piece of meat as bait. He pressed the switch and, with a mysterious air, said, "Amitabha, let's hope Fangfang gets to taste some delicious food."

Fangfang giggled and said, "You're such a goof! Who knows if it will even work?"

A-lai, feigning frustration, replied, "Seriously? You have no faith in me? I've been working hard in high school for years, even if I'm not as smart as you."

Fangfang looked at him seriously, "A-lai, you have no parents, no one to rely on. Your grandfather is getting old and can't teach much longer. You need to start taking things more seriously."

A-lai nodded earnestly, replying, "I understand completely. I'll keep that in mind."

On the bank of the river, the towering trees cast their reflections into the clear pond. The sparkling water mirrored the vibrant world above. Fangfang had brought her textbooks, and the two of them read while keeping an eye on the trap, waiting quietly for some prey to take the bait.

...

Fangfang noticed that A-lai was distracted, flipping through his book absentmindedly, always glancing at the trap. She grabbed his hand and said, "You can't keep playing around at the temple. If you keep it up, you'll ruin your future. You're an adult now, and not even a real monk."

A-lai sighed and replied, "You don't understand my bond with Elder Liaokong. Can we not talk about this anymore?"

"Okay, I won't bring it up again. As long as we can focus on the college entrance exams and get into a good university, we can be together every day after that."

With that, Fangfang leaned her head on A-lai's shoulder, dreaming about their future together.

"Heh heh, how romantic. You're quite the lucky guy!"

"Little monk, not staying in the temple to chant scriptures, huh? Abandoning the precepts to sneak out in plain clothes and date a girl."

Suddenly, several burly men emerged from the nearby woods, standing right behind Fangfang.

Fangfang and A-lai turned to see the men, who were wearing sunglasses and looked somewhat familiar.

The men leered at Fangfang, their eyes filled with malice, and one of them reached out to touch Fangfang's face.

Fangfang slapped his hand away and shouted, "What do you think you're doing in broad daylight?"

"What do you think? You came all the way to this remote place to test out your little monk. Just take a look—aren't we all stronger than him?"

"Ha ha, why not test us? We guarantee you'll be satisfied."

With that, the men surrounded A-lai and Fangfang, pulling off their shirts to show off their muscles, striking poses as if they were bodybuilders.

"See? We're much stronger than the little monk. Heh heh."

"Come on, give it a try!"

One of them reached out to touch Fangfang's face again.