Young Master Buddha

Jiangnan misty rain. A few streaks of white occasionally appeared in the pale gray sky, which were the midday summer sun hidden by clouds and rain. The rain was extremely light and dense, falling diagonally, and the lakeside, where it intertwined with the blooming lotuses, was no longer quiet. The fine rain pattered "dong dong da da" on the round leaves and the jade-white petals. When the large round leaves gathered too much rainwater and couldn't bear the weight, the center of the leaf tilted inadvertently, and the large raindrops rolled off. They splashed onto the already rippling lake surface, creating several more ripples. In the misty scenery, the purple building built by the lake was like an unintentional dot from a painter's brush, as if the pigment was too watery, and it spread out as soon as it landed on the drawing paper. The shape was not clear, but it was vaguely known that the building was quite tall, about three or four stories. Fine wind and fine rain, carrying a soft and moist scent, blew into the purple building. On the highest floor, the entire bamboo curtain was rolled up high, and someone was leaning on the railing alone. The young man was wearing a light green summer shirt, his black hair neatly tied up, and a jade crown on his head. Two black silk ribbons hung down from behind the crown, sticking to the back of his sun-tanned, lustrous neck. A blue-purple belt encircled his waist, which was bare without any accessories. However, the embroidery on the blue-purple belt was varied, and the silk thread and embroidery were of the highest quality, showing a bit of luxury. His ears were filled with the atmosphere of the Xiao Xiang region. The entire purple building blended into the misty rain of Jiangnan. Half of his face and body were slightly chilled and damp from the oblique wind and fine rain, but he still sat in his original position, unwilling to move at all. "Young master, it's raining. Could you lower the bamboo curtain?" The handsome young servant couldn't help but approach and ask in a low voice. "No need. This is fine." The man's voice was rather soft, with a distant quality, as if it were to melt into the misty lake. As he spoke, he reached out his fingers from his sleeves and began to peel a dried lotus seed head he had picked by the lake earlier. The seed head contained mature lotus seeds. He carefully picked them out, then peeled off the shells and membranes one by one. Not afraid of the bitter lotus heart, he put the whole tender white raw lotus seed directly into his mouth and chewed it. Although he knew that his master had always been casual about food, the young servant couldn't help but frown, his shoulders shrinking involuntarily. Seeing his master chewing with relish, it was as if he himself tasted the bitterness in his mouth. "Young master, if you want to eat lotus seeds, there are plenty here at 'Yingzi Tower'. We have them fried, steamed, dried, in soup, sweet, and savory. If you keep eating them raw like this, you'll get a stomachache later." The man lowered his eyes as if smiling. After peeling the entire lotus seed head, he said softly, "Please ask the waiter to bring some more tea. We don't need lotus seed snacks. I'll sit here for a while longer. You can go down and rest. Get some small fruits from the shopkeeper yourself. You don't need to serve me here." The young servant's eyes darted around, and his face showed some difficulty. He mumbled, "But recently, young master has been getting into trouble repeatedly... er, being too ostentatious... ah, being plagued by rumors, plagued by rumors! Master instructed you to stay out less. We've been out long enough today. When will young master stop sitting here?" After a brief pause, the man seemed to ponder, and finally said, "After I finish this cup of tea, we'll go back." "Yes!" The young man grinned and went downstairs. Plagued by rumors? Alas, plagued by rumors... The rain continued to fall lightly. The man's lips curved into a smile that was not a smile, and a look of helplessness flashed by. He withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and inadvertently glanced at the lake below, which was full of delicate lotuses and green leaves. A slender bamboo raft was slowly passing through the middle, attracting his attention. It must be a common lotus-picking family in Jiangnan. There were two tall bamboo baskets on the raft, which seemed to be seven or eight parts full of dried yellow lotus seed heads and muddy lotus roots. However, it was too hard to be working in the rain, wearing a straw cape and a large round hat. As he was thinking, the person on the bamboo raft suddenly raised his head, as if he knew he was being watched. The distance between the upper floor and the lake was quite far, so he couldn't see the lotus picker's appearance clearly. He was about to raise his sleeve to signal the other party to bring the raft ashore, intending to buy the two baskets of lotus seed heads and lotus roots. However, as soon as he raised his sleeve, the person propped up the long pole and leaped, stepping on the eaves of each floor. With three powerful leaps, he had already darted up in the blink of an eye. The lotus picker leaped over the railing, threw off his heavy straw cape without saying a word, and threw it directly on the ground. The first thing that caught his eye was a bright golden-red outfit. He was stunned. Although he knew that most lotus pickers in Jiangnan were young girls, no one would wear a bright red shirt with a golden silk belt around their waist. The red shirt was worn over an amber-colored ruqun, and the golden-red combination made the** embroidered patterns on the light shirt stand out even more. His gaze moved up, and he saw that the girl's waist was so slender. Under the embellishment of the golden silk belt, her graceful figure was immediately revealed. At this moment, her clothes were stained with light rain, and her two gauze sleeves clung to her arms. She simply rolled them up a large section, revealing her snow-white, tender forearms like lotus roots, and her delicate fingers removed the large round hat from her head. The girl's appearance was somewhat beyond his expectations. Judging by her attire, he instinctively thought she was a beautiful woman. He guessed that such a beautiful face, to match her golden-red shirt, would surely be adorned with rouge and powder, and be elaborately decorated. When he saw her face clearly, he smiled slightly. The girl was indeed beautiful, but her features were very refined and elegant. Her willow brows were slender and thick, her nose was delicate and straight, and her skin was extremely fair. If it weren't for her thick black eyelashes, which fluttered and trembled when she looked around, her phoenix eyes wouldn't have looked so enchanting. He was appraising her, and at the same time, he was enduring her scrutinizing gaze. "Would you like some tea?" he asked gently. Before she could reply, he had already poured her a cup of fragrant tea. "This tea has been re-infused three times, so the flavor is a bit weak. I just asked someone to bring new tea. Please make do with it for now." "Don't lean on the railing alone. Leaning on the railing, you look sad. Is the young master thinking of sad things?" Her voice was slightly crisp, like the sound of rain falling on lotus petals. He smiled faintly and shook his head, making a gesture of "please." The woman responded lightly and said, "I've been waiting for the young master for a long time. I finally got to see you today. If you have any sad things, I won't be able to add another one." She walked gracefully and sat down at the table opposite him. Seeing the scattered lotus seed heads on the table and the raw lotus seeds in the round plate, her lips couldn't help but curl up. She asked, "Do you eat them raw like this too?" "Yes." He smiled, noticing that her lips were slightly full, and there was a very small black mole just below her lip. It was surprisingly charming and easily drew people's attention. "Are they delicious?" she asked again. "Hmm... If you don't remove the lotus heart, it's actually quite bitter..." "But after the tip of your tongue becomes numb from the bitterness, there's a different kind of sweetness that lingers for a long time." She chimed in with a smile. "Yes." He nodded and pushed the teacup closer to her. "Thank you, young master." She picked up the cup with her tender white hands and sipped it slowly, as if she had come upstairs just to ask him for a cup of clear tea. "You came to see me, but for what reason?" he asked proactively, although he already had an idea in mind. Seeing his calm demeanor, as if he were not in danger at all, she blinked her beautiful eyes with great interest and said, "I want to take advantage of the fact that you are alone and secretly abduct you. Would you be willing to go with me, young master?" Her words were very direct and straightforward, and her tactful tone was as if she were negotiating with him. His chest suddenly tightened, and he became more curious about her. He knew the situation was not good, but he couldn't help but want to curl the corners of his lips upward. "I can't lift anything and I can't carry anything. I'm just a useless scholar. What's the point of abducting me?" "You are very special. They all say that as long as one obtains you and is with you, one can live forever." He wasn't sure if the girl in front of him was blushing shyly. Her tender face had always been fair with a hint of warmth. At this moment, her eyes were like silk, enchanting, and her slightly parted crimson lips seemed to exhale a very faint breath. "Do you believe it?" he asked slowly, his cheeks faintly flushed, trying to regulate his breathing. "I don't have any divine blessings. I'm just an ordinary mortal. All my living expenses depend on the supply from my clan brothers. If you take me, you'll only be a burden to you." She didn't answer "believe" or "don't believe." She smiled charmingly and only said, "Don't be afraid. If you're willing to come with me, I can support you. I'll definitely raise you to be plump and fair..." She paused suddenly and sighed. Her gaze swept over his slender fingers and flat blue-purple belt, then returned to his thin face, and she sighed again in a low voice. "Is the food at your Yu family extremely poor? Or have you been wronged at the Yu family, and they treat you poorly? You look so thin, like skin and bones. It makes one's heart ache!" His handsome face visibly stiffened, and a dark red blush crept up. To say that she was deliberately teasing him with her words didn't seem entirely true. Her gaze, her tone, her sympathetic sighs were so soft and natural. Hearing them, his ears felt hot, and his chest rose and fell violently. "Miss, I—" Suddenly, a tremendous commotion erupted from downstairs, as if many people were rushing to get upstairs. His words stopped abruptly. He saw his personal servant stumble upstairs, shouting urgently— "Young master! Those people... we can't stop those people! I don't know how they found out you were here. They're all shouting that they want to snatch the Yu family's 'Buddha Young Master'! While they're fighting among themselves, we... we..." He widened his eyes, not understanding when his master had acquired a beautiful young lady to accompany him. Fortunately, this young lady looked delicate and weak, and her smile was sweet, so she shouldn't be a threat. The sounds of fighting downstairs rose and fell, drawing closer. Shouts drifted up— "Yu Chengfo is mine! Who dares to snatch him!" "Damn Scarface Xiong! Is he yours just because you say so? If you want to take my goods, you have to ask if the brothers of 'Thirteen Routes of Su Bei' are willing to give face." "Alas, Yu Chengfo is male, not female. You are all men, so why are you arguing? Aren't you a laughingstock?" "Tu Erniang, don't try to show off your little tricks in front of this lord! Even if you manage to ride the Yu family's 'Buddha Young Master' and absorb yin from yang, your old face won't look any prettier!" "Miss, you and the young master should find a place to hide quickly! We can still hold on for a while at the top of the stairs. The Yu family people should be here any moment. If we can hold on until then, we'll be safe!" The young servant knitted his brows tightly, so anxious that he was about to cry. He knew that if he couldn't protect his master today, the consequences would be unimaginable. The woman chuckled and stood up gracefully. "You're such a good child. Big sister dotes on you." Then, with a flash of golden-red, she had already darted to the top of the stairs. Without any apparent effort, the young servant was pushed aside. "Miss—" Yu Chengfo also stood up. The commotion downstairs directed at him didn't make him frown, but he was concerned about the actions of this strange woman. She glanced sideways at him, playfully wrinkling her delicate nose. "I hate them talking about you. Especially that Tu Erniang, I hate her." Yu Chengfo raised his eyebrows slightly, unable to react for a moment. He only said, "It's dangerous downstairs. Miss, please don't go." "I'm not afraid of them." Her face bloomed like a flower. It seemed that his concerned words and expression made her extremely happy. Suddenly, she took out a small ball from her embrace and threw it downwards. Rumble— A deafening roar suddenly erupted. The carved wooden stairs that wound upwards were instantly blown to smithereens. Wood chips flew everywhere, and white smoke with the smell of saltpeter filled the air. "Sui Le!" Waving his wide sleeves, enduring a cough, Yu Chengfo urgently called out to his personal servant. "Young master, cough cough cough... We're here, it's okay, cough cough cough... cough, cough cough..." It turned out that he had misjudged. The young lady was not at all weak, but a formidable character. In the smoke, Sui Le forced his tear-filled eyes open and watched her display her skills. She kept scattering hidden weapons from her red gauze sleeves under the broken stairs, causing the people below to cry out in pain and flee in all directions. "Damn it! It's the 'Hibiscus Needles' from 'Langping Water Pavilion'! That little s**t from the Hua family is here too! Hua Yuhong! Aren't you ashamed to ambush from above? What kind of hero are you?" Someone leaped up with light footwork. Unexpectedly, Hua Yuhong's timing was perfect. She suddenly kicked her opponent in the chest with a leg sweep from under her skirt. The person cried out in pain and fell heavily. She laughed charmingly at the chaotic scene below and shouted, "I was never a hero, nor a valiant man. I am a genuine, undeniably difficult-to-raise little woman!" There were many people who were not afraid of death. After one fell, two more leaped up. One of them had already swung his sword. Hua Yuhong, taking advantage of her superior position, drew out the fine golden hairpin from her hair with her backhand, dodged the sharp edge of the sword, and skillfully stabbed her opponent's wrist, drawing a long gash. With another kick from under her skirt, she sent the other man tumbling down. Her methods of dealing with enemies were truly clean and swift. "Cough cough cough... Hua Yuhong, if you have the guts, don't, don't leave!" someone challenged bravely. "Hmph! I'll leave then. Can you stop me?" With that, she quickly ran to the man who was holding back his coughs. She generously put her red sleeves around him and said with raised eyebrows, "We should go. Let's go have tea at my place." "No, wait! Miss, listen to me—" Yu Chengfo wanted to refuse, but was startled by her sudden closeness. The soft female body pressed against him. Before he could recover from his embarrassment, his body was already lifted into the air, and she pulled him down from the railing with force. "Don't be alarmed. I'll protect you. I can't bear to see you fall," she said with a smile, hugging him as they soared through the fine rain. "Miss!" Yu Chengfo's face tensed slightly. The rapid descent forced him to abandon etiquette and embrace the girl's slender waist. The scent of pure fragrance filled his nostrils. His chest swelled, aching intensely. Faintly, he heard Sui Le cry out in alarm. It was too late... The rain fell in strands, and he felt a chill all over his body. It seemed that this disaster was unavoidable, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart...