Chapter 2

In the west of Plum Village, there is a small lakeside. The lake water is crystal clear to the bottom, with smooth pebbles lying quietly in the water, and occasionally the figures of small fish can be seen swimming.

A young man stood by the lakeside, lowering his head to gaze at his reflection in the water. Looking at the youthful face, the timid expression, and the frail body, his expression changed from initial disbelief, shock, and anger to current helplessness and depression.

The soul inside this body was no longer the original one but that of a thief from the 21st century.

Of course, "thief" was a title he gave himself. To put it bluntly, he was a fraudster, but he specialized in cheating the wealthy who were unkind to the poor, which gave him some confidence to add the word "knight" before "thief."

He still remembered that night. He and his partners had just completed a big deal, bringing back a few million dollars from abroad. He chartered a yacht and invited four or five beauties to go out to sea for pleasure. "Enjoy life while you can, and let the birds be happy when the money is gone" was his life motto. But he never expected that while he was enjoying himself, there was a sudden thunderstorm, the sea surged, and a huge wave hit him, causing him to lose consciousness. When he woke up, he found himself in the fourth year of Yonghui in the Tang Dynasty.

At first, he didn't dare to believe it, but as waves of pain hit his head and countless memories flooded his mind, and when he saw his reflection in the lake, he realized he had indeed traveled through time. Thinking about it, he laughed to himself, "I never thought such a cliché plot from a time-travel drama would happen to me. Should I cry or laugh?"

At that moment, all he could do was laugh bitterly.

Anyone who traveled through time would find it hard to face this reality easily.

But what could you do if you didn't accept it?

Take a train back?

There were no trains here.

All he could do was laugh bitterly!

He couldn't even cry.

*Smack!*

Just as Han Yi was lost in thought, he suddenly felt something hit the back of his head. It was a slight pain. He turned around, but there was no one behind him. Looking up, he saw a boy of about thirteen or fourteen sitting on a tree branch, at least two zhang (about 6.6 meters) high. The boy was dirty all over, with a dark face, but his bright and clear eyes stood out. He was barefoot, and the right leg of his pants was torn off, as if bitten by a dog, swinging his legs.

Seeing Han Yi turn around, the boy couldn't help but grin, but it was a bit silly.

Since Han Yi had obtained the memories of this body, he recognized the boy. The boy was also from Plum Village. His father had gone to war before he was born and never returned, reportedly killed in battle. His mother was a bit slow-witted, or to put it bluntly, mildly intellectually disabled. The shock made her even more mentally unstable. After he was born, his mother didn't give him a name. When he was six, his mother suddenly went mad, ran out, and fell off a cliff, dying. Since then, the boy had become an orphan, and the villagers called him a wild child.

Recalling this, Han Yi felt some sympathy for the wild child, feeling that his own background was similar, so he didn't blame him. He just asked, "Do you need something?"

The wild child continued to grin foolishly, then suddenly extended his right hand, with his middle finger and thumb touching, and the other three fingers pointing at Han Yi.

What does that mean? Is this a Tang Dynasty gesture? Han Yi was confused.

*Smack!*

Han Yi felt something hit his forehead again. Looking down, he saw a small fruit seed. He was startled. Was it the "Finger Flicking Skill"? But whether it was or not, he knew he had been played. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Are you playing with me, kid?"

The wild child laughed again but didn't say a word, as if telling Han Yi, "You guessed right, I am playing with you."

Could he really be as stupid as others said? But a fool couldn't aim so accurately! Damn it, you're bullying me too. I'll give you a lesson. Rolling up his sleeves, he wondered how the kid climbed up so high.

"Ouch, ouch."

Han Yi's eyes flickered, and he suddenly clutched his head, squatting down and groaning in pain.

Seeing this, the wild child stopped laughing, and a hint of worry appeared in his innocent eyes.

But at that moment, Han Yi suddenly grabbed a handful of small stones from the ground and threw them at the wild child. "Damn, you dare to play with me."

He didn't have the "Finger Flicking Skill," so he had to rely on numbers.

The wild child, who didn't expect the usually timid Han Yi to be so cunning, fell backward.

"Be careful!"

Han Yi shouted in alarm.

He was already in a bad mood, and being played with like this made him angry. But seeing the wild child about to fall, he became very anxious, feeling deeply regretful.

The wild child's legs hooked onto the tree branch, head down, and he dodged all the stones Han Yi threw. At the same time, he flicked his middle finger.

*Smack!*

Han Yi's forehead was hit again.

"You little brat."

Han Yi was truly angry this time, bending down to pick up more stones and throwing them at the boy.

But the wild child moved around the tree like he was on flat ground, dodging and jumping like a wild monkey. While dodging, he continued to use the "Finger Flicking Skill" to attack Han Yi with fruit seeds, hitting every time.

The most painful thing for a man is to lose in a fight!

Damn, is this kid a monkey's helper? Han Yi quickly retreated, far from the tree, pointing at the wild child and saying, "If you're a man, don't hide in the tree. Come down and fight me one-on-one."

The wild child was taken aback, then leaped down.

"Wow! You dare to jump from such a height? Do you have a wire attached?" Han Yi was shocked.

But the wild child suddenly extended his hands, grabbed a lower branch, and used the momentum to leap again, landing steadily on the ground and grinning at Han Yi.

Damn! Is this kid even better than Jackie Chan? Han Yi took a deep breath, cold sweat pouring down his back, a hint of regret appearing on his face. Although his body had an advantage, being older and taller, and inheriting his father's height, he was still only about 1.7 meters tall and rather thin. The wild child was at most 1.45 meters tall, but with his agility, Han Yi wasn't sure he could win, especially since his body was still very weak.

But he had already spoken, so he had to face it. Han Yi, no longer a coward, clenched his fists, roared, and charged forward. After all, he was a knight-thief, and he had some skills.

But the wild child took a step, suddenly looked to the side, and then ran backward, climbed another tree, leaped to another tree, and disappeared after a few more jumps.

Han Yi looked at the wild child fleeing like a rat, feeling confused. What's going on? Did he scare him away with my aura?

At that moment, he heard someone shouting, "Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi."

Han Yi turned around and saw a villager in his forties running toward him anxiously. This villager was Han Yi's father, Han Dashi's good friend, Yang Lin, who was called Yang Ergo because he was the second son in his family. He had been the one to deliver the news to the bride last night.

To be honest, Han Yi still resisted his current identity. He didn't know how to face this reality, so he frowned and turned to leave. He needed some time to think.

But he heard Yang Lin shouting behind him, "Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi, it's bad! The young master from the city has come to your house to collect a debt and said he would take your wife to pay it. You should go back quickly."

Damn it, why are all these cliché plots happening to me? Am I really in a time-travel story? I feel like I'm in a play. I wish a director would call cut.

Han Yi stopped, feeling a sudden wave of inexplicable sadness. He knew it was the body's influence. Thinking about the beauty, he thought, "Although I'm not the old Han Yi, if the beauty is taken away, I'll definitely wear the green hat. No matter what I think, others will see it that way. How can I face people in the future? This can't happen."

With this thought, he suddenly turned around, his face dark, facing Yang Lin.

In Yang Lin's memory, Han Yi had always been a good boy, or to put it bluntly, a timid boy. But now, Han Yi's eyes were frightening, not like the old Han Yi at all, making him freeze.

After a moment, Han Yi suddenly ran home.

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