You are my wife, don't doubt it!

……

Xiao Yao recalled the fragments of Zhou Qi's memories that he saw in Teacher Yao's hall.

He saw Wang Ming and several girls surrounding Zhou Qi, who looked frightened.

"Stay away from Xiao Yao, unless you want to be isolated together." Wang Ming said.

"I know," the little girl said fearfully, "In fact, I'm not familiar with that Xiao Yao..."

Xiao Yao saw the valve core of his bicycle that always disappeared.

Xiao Yao saw his homework books that always fell from the drawer to the floor.

Xiao Yao saw an unknown liquid that would intermittently appear on the chair in his classroom.

……

"Forget it, just think of it as my order."

"Huh?" Wang Ming thought he was going to deny it, but he didn't expect the other party to admit it so readily.

Xiao Yao took a step closer, getting close to Wang Ming's face: "I'm just causing trouble for you, what the hell do you want?"

"Xiao Yao." Shen Jie pulled Xiao Yao.

"Good, you have the guts to take responsibility!" Wang Ming gave a thumbs up: "I ran into you here today. Your two gangster brothers can't protect you, right?"

Xiao Yao sighed softly and began to look around.

Wang Ming thought to himself, this kid is scared and wants to call for help.

He glanced around with his peripheral vision - yes, there weren't many people in this section of the old commercial street at this time.

Xiao Yao has three people, but unless they are girls from sports schools or martial artists, there is no reason to include women in the calculation when assessing the situation.

Why not beat him up first? This would not only avenge the beating he received last time, but also curb his arrogance in front of Xiao Yao's two girlfriends.

Wang Ming clenched his fist and was about to swing it, but the petite beauty was quite courageous. She stepped forward and stood between Xiao Yao and herself.

"Get out of the way," Wang Ming said contemptuously, "I'm still a little girl..."

"Wife," Xiao Yao said in a deep voice, "Let me do it myself."

Shen Jie hesitated for a moment, bit her lip and stepped aside: "Have some sense."

"Don't worry, he won't get hurt during the forensic examination." Xiao Yao cracked his finger joints.

Seeing Xiao Yao's confident look, Wang Ming felt a little scared, as he had no idea about the other party's background. But since things had come to this point, how could he give in?

The two of them turned into a nearby alley with dim street lights and no one around. Shen Jie followed Xiao Yao a few steps away.

Xiao Yao stared at Wang Ming, frowning slightly, with a grim expression. He stopped, took off his glasses, and handed them to Shen Jie.

Wang Ming also turned around and took off his glasses. He squinted his eyes with a forced smile, stretched out a hand, palm down, and made a pinky gesture.

This is a small gesture that people often use when teasing small animals such as cats and dogs.

Sure enough, Xiao Yao twisted his body suddenly and punched Wang Ming in the face with such a speed that it was unbelievable.

If you take action first, you will be at a disadvantage, Shen Jie thought.

She was a little worried about Xiao Yao's recklessness.

Wang Ming reacted quickly. He dodged the attack by leaning sideways, took a step forward, grabbed Xiao Yao's wrist with his left hand, and pulled it forward while turning around and extending his right hand to support Xiao Yao's right shoulder.

It's bad! Shen Jie's heart was in turmoil. This Wang Ming had some skills. Was this an over-the-shoulder throw, or a back-to-back throw from judo? If he succeeded, the shoulder would most likely be dislocated. Even if it wasn't dislocated, it would be difficult for the person who was hit to resist his subsequent ground pursuit after falling to the ground.

Seeing this, Shen Jie didn't have time to think and started sprinting, preparing to attack Wang Ming.

We, the ladies, don't want to talk to you about chivalry.

However, when Wang Ming grabbed Xiao Yao's shoulders and arms and bent over to exert force, he found that Xiao Yao did not move at all.

When he lowered his head, he found that Xiao Yao's left hand had been pressing against his lower back at some point, relieving his strength.

It's broken! Wang Ming secretly groaned in his heart.

"Hmph!" At this time Xiao Yao sneered, and pushed Wang Ming forward, hitting him heavily against the wall of the alley.

Wang Ming's head hit the wall with a "bang".

Xiao Yao put his left hand on Wang Ming's right shoulder, grabbed Wang Ming's wrist with his right hand, twisted his entire arm, and pressed it hard against the wall, making him unable to move.

Wang Ming's arm was twisted by Xiao Yao, and the pain made him unable to hold back a shrill cry.

Xiao Yao raised his foot and stepped on Wang Ming's knee, nailing him to the wall.

The entire battle lasted only three seconds.

"Xiao Yao," Shen Jie called out, "Is it okay?"

"Do you think you can do the same thing again after you succeeded last time?" Xiao Yao chuckled and said, "The reason I let them beat you up is because you are no longer worthy of being beaten by me, you know?"

“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts—” Wang Ming bared his teeth: “Brother, brother, I was wrong, I was wrong. Loosen, loosen up.”

"Brother was wrong?" Xiao Yao raised his eyebrows.

"I was wrong, I was wrong!" Wang Ming shouted.

"Where did you go wrong?"

"Xiao Yao!" Shen Jie shouted again.

"I can let you go, but you have to answer me a question first." Xiao Yao relaxed his grip a little to prevent the other party from dislocating his arm. "What the hell have I done to you that you targeted me for a whole year? Why did you want to bully Zhou Qi?"

"Someone is coming!" Shen Jie reminded.

Two security guards from the commercial street ran over. Xiao Yao let go of Wang Ming's hand and turned him around. Ju Aodi straightened Wang Ming's collar and reached out to pat him on the cheek twice.

"What are you doing?" the security guard shouted.

“Nothing,” Wang Ming forced a smile: “We are all classmates, playing here…playing…”

As they were talking, Yu Luying and Zhou Yao also ran in: "What are you doing? Hey, sister, why don't you stop him?"

Wang Ming glanced at Zhou Yao, then at Xiao Yao, and walked towards the entrance of the alley in silence.

"Ya!" Xiao Yao shouted from behind him, "You haven't answered my question yet?"

Zhou Yao and Yu Luying whispered something to each other and then followed Wang Ming.

"It's okay, stop looking." Xiao Yao straightened the hem of his clothes and waved to the two security guards: "Go away."

On the way to the church, Yu Luying complained: "Xiao Yao, you scared me just now."

"It's okay," Shen Jie said with a smile, "Some emotions that have been accumulated for too long must be released, and some bad guys must learn a lesson. But Xiao Yao, I think you have a talent for being a gangster?"

"Stop talking nonsense," Xiao Yao said with a wry smile, "My arms are still shaking. After entering junior high school, I haven't had any fights with my classmates. I've hardly ever had a fight with my classmates. Oh, the last time Zhang Zhengkai bravely saved you doesn't count."

"Give me back my Zhang Zhengkai Yigang." Shen Jie said with a smile. (Note: "Yigang" is a dialect in Shanghai. When added to the end of a sentence, it expresses surprise and disapproval, and has a sarcastic meaning.)

"How's it going, Gouzi?" Shen Jie asked him again, "Did you vent your anger today? Don't get addicted."

"No, it's far from enough," Xiao Yao shook his head, "The time and place are all wrong, so there is no practical significance in fighting this."

When they heard "it's far from enough", Shen Jie and Yu Luying looked at each other silently, with worry in their eyes.

By the time he reached the church door, Yu Bo had become impatient.

Beside him stood two other people.

The one on the right is Hairtail. He is wearing a tight black T-shirt with skulls and flames printed on it, which looks very violent. He is wearing a pair of dark tight jeans with a pair of thick-soled black casual shoes on the bottom of his pants, which looks a bit bulky and heavy. His black sports socks are printed with a white logo, which looks very fancy.

"Yo." Xiao Yao walked forward and exchanged punches with Daiyu.

"Sister-in-law, Yu Luying." Daiyu bumped fists with Xiao Yao and nodded to the two girls.

"Why did you come so late? How long will the meal take?" Yu Bo was also wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, with his "violin case" on his back, and his tone was a little anxious.

"I ran into Wang Ming on the road," Xiao Yao replied briskly, "and I beat him up."

"Did you fight with someone?" Yu Bo asked in a serious tone, "The spiritual fortress is not for you to use to bully the weak—"

Hairtail was also surprised, but before he could ask Xiao Yao for details, he explained to Yu Bo: "Brother Bo, this Wang Ming has bullied our Brother Xiao for a year."

"It's not for intervening in personal grudges!"

"Okay," Xiao Yao didn't want to explain himself, so he said, "I was wrong."

"Brother Bo," Shen Jie also spoke up, "If you understand what Wang Ming has done, you will know that Xiao Yao's teaching Wang Ming a lesson is just like your punishment of the little gangsters. It is also a just act. And it was Wang Ming who started it today. Even Christians have the right to self-defense--"

"Yes, yes, yes," Hairtail echoed, "My sister-in-law is right."

"She's your sister-in-law after all," Yu Bo's expression eased a little, "Of course I'll speak for him. Okay, I'll ask you about this later..."

Xiao Yao finally noticed the man standing to the left of Yu Bo. He was wearing a light blue short-sleeved shirt, beige trousers, grey sneakers and white socks. He was wearing a brown cap, had wrinkles on his face, and was of medium build but not overweight. Instead, he had a calm demeanor.

Although he was a little older, his face was still vigorous, with a broad forehead, a high nose bridge, and a deep and distinct chin. His eyes were bright and full of determination and a hint of... murderous intent?

Xiao Yao himself didn't know where the word "murderous intent" came from. He felt that this person looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him.

Where had I seen him before? Xiao Yao fell into deep thought.

Chapter 173 Where are you going?

2023-04-26

Xiao Yao finally noticed the man standing to the left of Yu Bo. He was wearing a light blue short-sleeved shirt, beige trousers, grey sneakers and white socks. He was wearing a brown cap, had wrinkles on his face, and was of medium to fat build, but he didn't look bloated. Instead, he had a calm temperament.

Although he was a little older, his face was still vigorous, with a broad forehead, a high nose bridge, and a deep and distinct chin. His eyes were bright and full of determination and a hint of... murderous intent?

Xiao Yao himself didn't know where the word "murderous intent" came from. He felt that this person looked a little familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him.

"This is Master Shi Hui. You have met him in Longhua," Yu Bo took the initiative to introduce him, "at Mr. Song's memorial service."

"Oh, it's you!" Xiao Yao suddenly realized, "I can't recognize you without the monk's clothes."

"Xiao Yao!" Yu Luying and Shen Jie frowned together and pulled his left and right arms at the same time.

"That's fine," Shi Hui said with a laugh, "Father Yu, are these young people all parish members of your parish?"

Xiao Yao thought, thanks to Brother Bo for taking care of us, we should give him some face in front of his "competent" competitors, so he answered quickly: "Yes, we are all."

"Hmm..." Shi Hui pondered, "But from the donor's aura, I don't think he is someone who has been baptized."

"Next year, we'll wash it on Easter next year." Xiao Yaoyuan said.

He seemed to have heard Yu Luying say that baptisms usually take place on Easter?

"Okay, very good," Yu Bo clapped his hands and laughed, "I'll remember that. You must keep your word! I won't hold you accountable for the fight between you and your classmates."

"Uh..." Xiao Yao frowned.

Everyone burst into joyful laughter.

"So, Father Yu," Xiao Yao felt that it was time to get to the point: "Why did you specifically call everyone out and are so anxious? What's the matter?"

"It was my idea," said Shi Hui with a kind smile. "I happen to be free today, so I want to take you to the 'Palace of the People' to experience some experiences and cultivate your mind, so as to avoid going astray."

"Huh?" Xiao Yao said.

"In your words, it's about gaining experience and leveling up."

"Huh?" Xiao Yao said.

On the way to the bridge tunnel, Shi Hui explained to the group the meaning of the so-called "experience" and "cultivation of the mind".

"You all should know what the essence of the so-called 'palace' is, right?" Shi Hui asked with a smile.

Hairtail hesitated for a moment and was the first to answer: "Bo Ge explained it to me, but I still don't understand it."

"The so-called 'hall' is actually a translation of a foreign word, which refers to the 'cognitive' world hidden in the heart of a person. It is a subjective world composed of the distortion and abnormal desires and emotions in one's heart. Therefore, the hall is the pain and struggle deep in one's heart. All living things suffer. As early as the Tang Dynasty, some Zen masters began to enter the 'hall' through meditation and concentration to help those seeking help restore their normal mental state."

"Really?" Yu Bo said to him, "I remain cautiously skeptical."

Shi Hui continued to talk to himself: "In the 'hall', the strength of the spiritual power is the only criterion that affects the ability of the 'awakened' in it. And this spiritual power can be cultivated artificially after birth."

"'Awakeners' is a term coined by Master Shi Hui, referring to people like Xiao Yao and Shen Jie who already have their own spiritual fortress," Yu Bo explained. "Corresponding to this is 'potential people', which refers to Yingying and Xiao Dai, people like you who may have talent."

"Rather than calling it 'talent', it's better to call it 'wisdom'. Buddha is not your God, they are not gods, but just enlightened mortals," Shi Hui said with a smile: "When Father Yu first met me, he said, 'Buddha statues are just grass', and I replied, 'Buddha is the same.'"

"It was because of these three words," Yu Bo admitted, "that I began to feel that this old monk was something special."

"Therefore, I think," Shi Hui continued, "it is very appropriate to call those who have found their own spiritual fortress 'awakened'."

"Master, when you say training, do you mean constantly fighting against shadows?" Shen Jie asked Shi Hui.