Chapter 367: Youth
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Lone Wolf was different. He had lived his entire life in the mountains. Even joining Fangzheng had only expanded the range in which he ventured, like to the village. Therefore the things he had seen were ultimately limited. At the very least, he had never seen modern things like skysc.r.a.pers or buses.
Fangzheng shook his head when he saw Lone Wolf look around with his mouth agape. He knew that the fellow would not be of much help this time. He had to think of a solution himself.
At that moment a group of children ran over from afar. Leading them was a boy dressed in a black t-s.h.i.+rt. He ran like the wind with a basketball in his hands. Behind him were more than a dozen boys and girls running after him. As they ran, they were saying something.
As they closed in, Fangzheng heard them.
“w.a.n.g Kun, why are you running so quickly? Save some of your strength. We will be having our match soon!” a pony-tailed girl yelled at the top of her lungs.
“Do I need any strength to defeat that trash from Cla.s.s 3? Haha!” the black-clothed boy shouted arrogantly.
“Pui! w.a.n.g Kun, cut the posturing. You will be struck by lightning for that! Wait and see. You’ll get it once the match begins! We’ll start off with a few block shots!” a huge boy who was 1.9m tall shouted.
“Chen Wei, you good-for-nothing! Do you think you have what it takes to block my shot? If you have what it takes, be my guest. I will let you know that other than those legs of yours being long, they are of no use!” Although w.a.n.g Kun was 1.8m tall, he showed no fear towards the 1.9m giant. He was able to stand his ground.
The pony-tailed girl added, “Chen Wei, stop being smug. I wonder who it was that had his slam dunk blocked.”
Chen Wei blushed the moment that was said. He had his slam dunk blocked by w.a.n.g Kun in the previous match. It had been the greatest insult to him and because of that, he became w.a.n.g Kun’s nemesis. He had challenged him several times, hoping to win a round to regain his reputation. He had even promoted the match, inviting several girls to watch the match.
Upon hearing the pony-tailed girl’s words, Chen Wei felt a little embarra.s.sed. However he thickened his skin and said, “Yu Jia, I was just careless last time. Even the famous general, Guan Yu, suffered a serious setback as the result of a careless mistake, much less me. This time, I’ll let you see the strength of a man!”
“Enough. If you are so capable, show it in the court. It’s pointless bragging outside of it. It will only sting worse when you get smacked in the face,” yelled a girl with short hair.
Everyone found it reasonable and stopped the verbal taunting. However it was evident that the fighting spirit of both sides had intensified. They looked at each other like they were at each other’s throats. As for the girls, they appeared even more excited. Clearly they were filled with antic.i.p.ation over this battle of the strongest.
The group of children ran past Fangzheng. When the boys saw a monk with a huge silvery-white dog at the entrance to their compound, their eyes flashed with a look of envy. They were boys after all. They liked huge dogs, which made you look more manly and handsome.
As for the girls, they were alarmed and astounded. As Fangzheng gained greater accomplishments in the cultivation of the Buddhist Dharma, his disposition seemed more untainted. Dressed in white monk robes, his fair skin and bald head made him exude cleanliness like he was a crystal. He was like a jet of spring water in high summer, extremely refres.h.i.+ng and comforting. The girls subconsciously took a second glance at Fangzheng, astonished at his disposition and looks. They were realizing for the first time that a monk could actually be this handsome!
They were all girls at the prime of their youth. It was hard for them to remain unperturbed. They could not help but steal a few more glances at Fangzheng.
However Lone Wolf was even more eye-catching. He attracted eyeb.a.l.l.s, and although the girls found that Lone Wolf looked tall and fierce, it only served to set off his owner’s extraordinariness. At the same time, they were a little afraid as they subconsciously circled around Lone Wolf, afraid of coming close.
As for the boys, they ran past Lone Wolf to show their bravery. Fangzheng noticed that when the boys ran past him, their eyes were clearly furtive, a display of their fear. Yet they were forcing themselves to run nearby to not lose face.
Fangzheng was filled with emotions regarding this since he had done similar things back when he was young. In front of the girls, the boys would act as though they had no enemy they could not defeat. Even if they were beaten to a pulp, they would declare victory. Then they would brag about their bravery. Only when he left school did Fangzheng realize that such acts really did make girls look at such perpetrators in a different light. In the past, they would look at them as ordinary people, but after that act of bravado, they would look at them as r.e.t.a.r.ds…
But such was youth! They had postured and acted like r.e.t.a.r.ds. All these experiences—right or wrong—would eventually become beautiful memories that one would cherish intensely. It became unforgettable because there were signs of youth and beauty in such rash acts. The moment one stepped in society, how many people could afford not to put on masks just like when they were young and live on carefreely? Youth that could not be replicated naturally became life’s most important memories.
Fangzheng watched as the energetic boys and girls ran past him. He felt immense envy for them. If he were not bald and dressed in monk robes, he would likely be having fun outside… Although he would probably be having fun as a pauper.
“Master, where do we go now?” Lone Wolf’s curiosity was finally over as he looked up and asked.
Fangzheng looked around and was a little lost. Where should he go? He wished to know where he should go too!
At that moment, there was a dull thud that attracted Fangzheng’s attention. He looked over and saw w.a.n.g Kun bouncing the ball on the ground before easily grabbing it in his hand. He suddenly turned around and laughed. “I feel like my tiny universe is about to explode soon. Come on, let me trash all of you! Haha!”
In response, he was met with a series of curses. “F**k! I’ll take you down!”
“Stop posturing! I’ll f**k open your a.s.sh*le sooner or later!”
“There are so many a.s.sh*les in the world, but yours is my only love. Wait and see!”
The boys on Chen Wei’s side yelled loudly as they burned with fighting spirit.
Fangzheng did not care about that and instead, he was staring intently at the basketball. The sound of the bouncing basketball sounded very similar to the sounds he had heard when pa.s.sing through the Formless Door! Could this mission have something to do with these youths?
Upon coming to this realization, Fangzheng immediately activated his Heavenly Eye and looked at each one of them. Fangzheng was disappointed to see that none of the boys and girls resulted in any changes for his Heavenly Eye. It was the same with his Wisdom Eye. These children had more golden light than black light. Compared to ordinary people, they had more golden light, but that was all. Fangzheng could not understand how this had anything to do with his mission.
But at present, Fangzheng did not have many clues. So after some thought, he followed them.
w.a.n.g Kun and Chen Wei’s groups entered the compound and turned a corner. They came to an open-air basketball court in the compound. It was a little old and rundown, with the lines on the ground almost faded. The basketball ring was covered in rust, and the net was torn. There were only a few strands hanging from the ring as they swayed with the wind.
However none of these details affected the two teams’ combative pa.s.sion. It was as though the court was not dilapidated, but a world-cla.s.s NBA basketball court! All of them had ardor and pa.s.sion coursing through their blood, as though they were about to begin the match of the century.