Guarding the Pure Land

As soon as the day broke, Tianhua got up and opened the door to the yard. Mr. Han and the elderly man were already awake.

"Good morning, Uncle Han!" Tianhua greeted.

"Morning, Tianhua! Up and about!" Mr. Han replied.

Tianhua nodded in greeting to the elderly man, who smiled and nodded back.

"Tianhua, after breakfast, we'll open the restaurant. You can go to town like yesterday. Estimate your time, and when it's time, come back!" Mr. Han instructed Tianhua, who was washing his face.

Tianhua agreed, and Mr. Han went inside. After a while, he emerged, carrying a still sleepy Little Bell in his arms, saying, "Little Bell, wake up! It's time for breakfast!"

In Mr. Han's embrace, Little Bell yawned widely, rubbed her big eyes with her small hands, looked at Mr. Han, and mumbled a few words. Tianhua couldn't hear clearly, but Mr. Han, after listening, seemed delighted.

Mr. Han finished helping Little Bell get ready, then re-tied the messy braids on her head. He also attached the two strands of bells to the braids. Tianhua watched the process, and as soon as Little Bell was ready, she became lively, happily playing in the yard.

The elderly man had prepared the meal, and the four of them sat down to eat. During the meal, Little Bell said, "Dad, Dad, you haven't taken me to town for a long time. I want to go to town!"

Mr. Han looked at her, then glanced at Tianhua, saying, "How about Tianhua takes you to town in a couple of days?"

Little Bell looked at Tianhua and happily agreed, "Okay!"

"Tianhua, once you're familiar with the town, take Little Bell out for a walk. When I was alone in the restaurant, I didn't have time to take her out. Now that you're here, you can help me with that!" Mr. Han suggested.

"Sure, no problem!" Tianhua said.

After finishing breakfast, Mr. Han opened the door, and Tianhua went out alone.

Wandering alone in the town, Tianhua initially found many things interesting, but after a while, his curiosity waned. Items sold by vendors, which had initially piqued his interest, gradually lost their allure as he became more familiar with them.

Since the items were not as interesting, Tianhua decided to explore the local customs of the small town. Walking and observing the town's architecture, Tianhua suddenly saw a magnificent palace. Before the palace was a large empty space. From the outside, the palace looked splendid, and there were guards at the entrance. Standing there for a moment, Tianhua thought of Ali's parents. Perhaps this was the palace built by the town lord, using the labor of the entire town. Looking at it, he suddenly had an idea: to go inside and see what this palace, which had caused the death of so many people, was like.

Feeling angry, Tianhua stared at the guards, feeling the urge to rush in. However, he quickly restrained himself. What could he do once inside? Beat up the damned town lord? Seeing what was inside might only make him more miserable.

The guard at the entrance seemed to think Tianhua had been standing there for too long, and this was not a place for him. He shouted, "Hey! Leave quickly, or it won't be pleasant for you!"

Tianhua looked at the guard, then around the surroundings. Just as he was about to say something, the guard impatiently said, "What are you looking at? I'm talking about you! Leave quickly!"

After listening to the guard, Tianhua's expression changed. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly smiled and said, "Now you're chasing me away, maybe one day, you'll welcome me walking in!"

Finishing his words, he laughed and walked away.

The guard watched Tianhua leave and muttered, "Crazy!"

Tianhua spent some time in the town and felt that lunchtime was approaching. He decided to return.

On the way back, just as they were about to prepare for lunch, Mr. Han, seeing Tianhua return, smiled and said, "Tianhua, you've only been here a few days, and you've already memorized the mealtime so well! Seems like your memory is really good!"

Tianhua, feeling embarrassed, smiled and said, "Today, I just happened to guess it!"

After lunch, Mr. Han began to prepare, and Tianhua went to the front to help. During their free time, Tianhua looked at the small signs on the wall next to the counter, which listed the names of the dishes.

Seeing Tianhua engrossed in reading those signs, Mr. Han, smiling, said, "Tianhua, your method is already good enough. Why bother memorizing these dish names?"

Tianhua looked at Mr. Han and said, "I just want to make myself more comfortable when I'm working!"

Mr. Han chuckled and said, "Looks like I made a good choice by hiring you!"

Tianhua laughed shyly.

Everything went similarly to the day before. The only difference was that Tianhua was more skilled in his work today. Mr. Han observed by the side, smiling to himself.

In the evening, Mr. Han brought out a bottle of wine and said, "Tianhua, let's have another drink tonight!"

"Sure!" Tianhua readily agreed.

They poured the wine, raised their glasses, and toasted...

After several rounds of toasts, Mr. Han smiled and asked, "Tianhua, how does the taste of the wine feel now?"

"Good!" Tianhua lightly patted the table and said.

"Alright, since you won't say, let me tell you: when you're happy, wine can make you happier. Now is such a situation. When you're troubled, wine can make you temporarily forget your worries! You'll only understand this when you encounter it one day!" Mr. Han explained.

Tianhua listened and was about to say something when Little Bell, pouting, said, "Hmph... Dad always says these things when he's drunk!"

After hearing Little Bell's words, both Mr. Han and Tianhua looked at her, then at each other, bursting into laughter. Little Bell, seemingly unbothered, continued eating.

In the joy of life, they drank to their hearts' content.

Tianhua and Mr. Han felt content with their lives. Tianhua felt that he could meet good people anywhere, and Mr. Han felt that he had found someone to accompany him in drinking.

Both were in high spirits.

Tonight, Tianhua didn't get drunk like last time. Instead, he drank just enough. He felt that he had entered the second and best stage of drinking, as Mr. Han had mentioned. Tianhua enjoyed this feeling.

Lying on the bed, Tianhua couldn't help but think about many things. However, tonight, he found more happy thoughts. All the things that had seemed annoying in the past now appeared trivial. From those unhappy things, Tianhua unexpectedly discovered some joy...

Time passed quickly, and without realizing it, half a month had passed. Tianhua repeated the same routine every day, going to the town in the morning, staying in the restaurant to help in the afternoon, and occasionally having a drink with Mr. Han every few days.

One morning during breakfast, Little Bell suddenly said, "Dad is a liar!"

"What's wrong? Little Bell, when did Dad lie to you?" Mr. Han asked in confusion.

"Hmph! You said Tianhua would take me out to play, but until now, Tianhua hasn't taken me out to play!" Little Bell said, a bit angry.

"Oh, so that's it! How could Dad lie to you! Before, Tianhua had to help Dad and didn't have time to take you out to play!" Mr. Han explained.

"Hmph, you're lying! He goes out to play by himself every morning!" Little Bell said, getting a bit teary-eyed.

Tianhua looked at Little Bell's watery eyes, then at Mr. Han. Mr. Han looked at him too. Then he said, "Little Bell, be good! Don't cry! How about today, Tianhua takes you out to play?"

Upon hearing Mr. Han's words, Little Bell immediately smiled and said, "Okay, okay!" As she spoke, the tears in her eyes fell.

The three of them laughed at her reaction.

After breakfast, Tianhua took Little Bell out. Just as they were about to leave, Mr. Han stopped them, walked up, and said, "Tianhua, here's some money for you. If she sees something fun in town, buy it for her. Otherwise, she'll make a fuss with you!" He handed the money to Tianhua while saying this.

"Hmph! I won't make a fuss!" Little Bell protested.

Tianhua held Little Bell's hand and went to the town.

"Tianhua, look at this, it's so much fun..."

"Tianhua, look at that..."

...

On the way, Little Bell would pull Tianhua to look at this, then look at that. Tianhua tightly held her hand, afraid that if he didn't, she might run off somewhere.

After walking for a while, Little Bell suddenly said, "Tianhua brother, I'm tired! I don't want to walk anymore!"

"What should we do then?" Tianhua asked with a smile.

"You carry me!" Little Bell said.

"Sure!" Tianhua squatted down, placed her hands on his shoulders, held her two small legs with his hands, stood up, and walked forward.

"You're not carrying me properly, you should carry me like my dad does!" Little Bell protested on Tianhua's back.

"How does your dad carry you?" Tianhua asked in confusion.

"You don't even know that, you're really silly!" Little Bell said.

"Then tell me, okay?" Tianhua smiled.

"Alright! Put me down first!" Little Bell said.

Tianhua put her down, she waved her hand, signaling him to squat, Tianhua squatted down, and Little Bell instantly rode on Tianhua's neck, saying, "It's like this!"

Tianhua stood up with a smile, holding her two legs and said, "Okay, sit tight, we're going!" After that, Tianhua jogged away.

Little Bell laughed cheerfully on top...

As they walked, Little Bell suddenly said, "Stop! I want to get down!"

Tianhua put her down and asked, "Little Bell, what do you want to do?"

Little Bell didn't speak, quickly ran into a store, and Tianhua hurriedly followed!

Inside that store, Tianhua understood: it was a kite-selling place! Looking at Little Bell, she was tilting her head, attentively watching those kites, her expression was filled with delight!

"Tianhua brother, do you think this butterfly is pretty?" Little Bell asked.

Tianhua looked and said, "It's beautiful!"

Little Bell looked for a while, and somewhat sadly said, "When Mom was around, every year at this time, she would take me outside of town to fly kites..."

Tianhua, upon hearing this, looked at Little Bell, suddenly feeling a slight tingling in his nose. He bent down, looking into Little Bell's eyes and said, "Little Bell, how about brother takes you kite flying today?"

Little Bell looked at him, smiled, and nodded, saying, "Okay!"

Tianhua bought the beautiful butterfly kite and then took Little Bell outside of town.

The weather was clear, the wind was gentle. Such weather was perfect for flying kites.

Tianhua held the long line with one hand, and the kite slowly rose with the wind. Little Bell clapped her hands happily, and the kite floated higher and farther with the wind!

Little Bell looked at the kite in the sky, joyfully running around, shouting, "So high! So high!"

Tianhua watched Little Bell, also smiling happily.

"Little Bell, do you want to try flying it?" Tianhua asked with a smile.

"Can I?" Little Bell hesitated a bit.

"Of course, you can!" Tianhua said.

Tianhua handed the reel to Little Bell, then bent down and taught her how to pull the line. Little Bell looked at the line in the sky, then at the reel in her hands, and laughed joyfully!

"Little Bell, I'm letting go, you can fly it yourself!" Tianhua said.

Little Bell was about to say something when Tianhua had already let go of the line, standing beside her.

The kite in the sky swayed as if it would fall down at any moment. Little Bell saw it and anxiously said, "Tianhua brother, the kite is about to fall, what should I do?"

Tianhua smiled and said, "Little Bell, quickly! Pull the line!"

Little Bell quickly pulled the line straight! The swaying kite stabilized in the sky.

Little Bell was there nervously pulling and releasing the line, while Tianhua guided her and occasionally helped. Gradually, Little Bell mastered the essentials and could control it skillfully.

"I can fly a kite now! I can fly a kite now!"

Little Bell ran happily, pulling the long kite line on the ground and shouting!

Tianhua sat under a tree, pulled out a long blade of grass from the ground, put it in his mouth, and looked at the joyful Little Bell!

The sky was blue, and the clouds were white!

Tianhua leaned on his hands, gazing at the sky, the beautiful sky allowed for endless imagination. Tianhua was lost in thought! Suddenly, he seemed to think of something, hastily stood up, and said to Little Bell, "Little Bell, let's go! It's really time to go back now!"

Little Bell wanted to play a bit more! Tianhua said, "Little Bell, you promised me that if I say it's time to go, you'll come with me, okay?"

"Okay!" Little Bell happily agreed!

Tianhua sat under a tree, Little Bell rode on his neck, and Tianhua said, "Alright, let's go!"

Little Bell happily exclaimed, "Tianhua brother, you're really good!"

Tianhua laughed, and Little Bell laughed too!

Stop!!!!

As Tianhua and Little Bell were walking, suddenly, shouts came from afar!

Tianhua looked in the direction of the sound: someone was running ahead, being chased by five others! When the five caught up, they began punching and kicking the person mercilessly.

Tianhua wanted to help, but the thought of Little Bell made him hesitate.

Little Bell saw this and said, "Tianhua brother, can you beat those bad guys?"

"Why do you ask?" Tianhua asked in confusion.

"If you can beat them, you should go help! Look how badly he's being beaten!" Little Bell said.

Tianhua put her down under a tree and said, "Stay here and don't move. I'll go take a look!"

Little Bell nodded, sat on the ground, and Tianhua glanced at her before walking towards the commotion.

As Tianhua approached, the five were still assaulting the person. Tianhua said, "Gentlemen, if you continue, it might turn fatal!"

Upon hearing the voice, the five stopped and looked at Tianhua. One of them shouted, "Fatal? I want his life!"

"He has offended our boss, Kong Ye! That's enough reason for him to lose his life!" one of them explained.

Tianhua, angered, said, "Offended? What does that even mean? Just offending someone warrants a death sentence? You're going too far!"

The five looked at Tianhua, and one of them said, "Kid, have you lost your mind? Dare to talk to us like that!"

The man continued, and another impatiently added, "Enough talk, Old Three, stop chatting with him!" He then pointed at Tianhua and said, "Kid, leave now before we get angry! Otherwise, we won't be polite!"

Tianhua suddenly smiled and said, "Not polite? I'd like to see how impolite you can be!"

The five looked at each other, and Old Three said, "Kid, you better think it over. Offending Kong Xu Kong Ye means you won't find a place in Shancheng Town anymore!"

"Kong Xu! I've already offended Mu Xiong. Does it matter if I offend a small Kong Xu?" Tianhua sighed.

The five, angered, said, "Kid, you're asking for death!" One of them drew a knife, and the others followed suit.

Tianhua looked at the knives and said with a smile, "Maybe we shouldn't resort to violence."

"How? Scared now, kid!" one of them sneered.

"Scared? I'm afraid I might hit too hard. If you end up lying in bed for ten days, unable to work for Kong Xu, and Kong Xu gets angry, your lives might be in danger!" Tianhua sighed.

The five were furious. One of them swung his knife towards Tianhua.

As the knife was about to hit, Tianhua remained motionless, smiling at the assailant. Suddenly, the man flew out, and just as the knife was about to strike Tianhua, the man screamed and flew away. The other four were stunned: Tianhua hadn't moved at all! But...

Could his movements be too fast for the eye to follow?

The man landed far away, and the four saw him lying on the ground in pain. Although he wasn't in mortal danger, standing up seemed unlikely.

The four looked at each other, realizing the young man in front of them was not ordinary. While they were not on par with experts, they had never encountered someone like Tianhua. Though he wasn't a master, his skills surpassed their expectations.

"What now? Still want to fight?" Tianhua said.

The four trembled, looking at each other, unsure. Tianhua turned away, walking towards the person they had beaten. Tianhua helped him up and asked, "How are you?"

The man looked at Tianhua in astonishment, stuttering, "You... you..."

At this moment, Tianhua had his back to the four. The two closest to Tianhua exchanged glances, drew their knives simultaneously, blocking his retreat! They were delighted: he was careless, with his back turned and no way to escape. This time, he was doomed!

The person opposite Tianhua saw the two and exclaimed, "Be careful!" Tianhua smiled and glanced at them with his peripheral vision.

Ah! Ah!

Two screams, just like the previous person, flew out. The remaining two, watching, saw Tianhua with the same posture, seemingly motionless, his back turned. He hadn't moved!

Sweat soaked their backs. Their hearts trembled!

The rescued man also stared at Tianhua in amazement. At this moment, he didn't know what to say. Tianhua smiled at him, then turned back, looking at the remaining two. "Now, can you leave?"

The two glanced at each other, nodded, and helped their fallen comrades. Then, they left.

Tianhua looked at the man in front of him, about to say something. At this moment, a voice came from behind, "I know who you are! You're the one who defeated Zou Ming and Cheng Kong!"

Tianhua turned around, five pairs of eyes staring at him, seemingly waiting for acknowledgment. However, Tianhua neither confirmed nor denied, just looking at them.

After a while, Tianhua turned away without speaking. The five exchanged glances and left disappointedly.

"Are you that young man?" the man in front of Tianhua asked excitedly.

"Which young man?" Tianhua asked.

"The one who defeated Zou Ming and Cheng Kong!" the man said.

Tianhua looked at him without speaking, then smiled and said, "Everything's fine now. You can leave!"

After saying that, Tianhua walked away. After a few steps, the man behind him said, "Not many people know about this incident. Don't you want to know how I found out?"

Tianhua turned around, looked at him, shook his head, and said, "Sorry, I'm not interested!"

Saying that, Tianhua continued walking forward. The man behind him didn't speak but stared blankly at Tianhua's back!

Tianhua walked towards Little Bell, who ran towards him joyfully. Tianhua carried her on his back and headed towards the town.

"Tianhua brother, you're amazing!" Little Bell said.

Tianhua laughed, Little Bell laughed too. The figures of the two happy people slowly disappeared in the warm sunlight!