Hong Kong films: Starting from Shaolin Temple

Page 239

Seeing the broken knife tip lying on the ground, the kidnapper's mental defenses completely collapsed.

He let out a strange, inhuman cry, dropped the broken hilt of his knife, and scrambled away into the darkness of the crowd.

As the backup power system struggled to start, the lights in the venue flickered briefly before gradually returning to brightness.

The riots subsided, and the dust settled.

When the still-shaken people saw what was happening before them, they all gasped in shock.

In the center of the arena, a visually striking scene unfolded: several kidnappers lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.

The petite little dragon quietly held the unconscious Annie; the even smaller, arrogant Wen stood with one foot on a kidnapper's chest, smugly wiping his nose.

Long Yan, who appeared as if descended from the heavens, casually held half a broken blade in his hand, his eyes indifferent and his demeanor calm and composed.

After confirming that his daughter was only unconscious and not seriously injured, Annie's father, Li Jianbang, immediately walked quickly towards Long Yan.

This business tycoon, who wielded immense power in Hong Kong, was so excited that his hands trembled as he tightly grasped Long Yan's hand, repeatedly expressing his gratitude incoherently.

Annie slowly woke up. She opened her eyes in a daze, and the first thing she saw was Long Yan, standing tall and straight under the bright lights, like a god descending to earth, single-handedly solving all the crises.

Adoration, gratitude, lingering fear, and an uncontrollable adoration... all these complex and intense emotions intertwined, instantly filling her beautiful eyes with dazzling starlight.

Ignoring her father's objections, she struggled to her feet, lifted the hem of her pure white dress, and waded through the mess on the ground, walking towards Long Yan.

Everyone held their breath, knowing that the much-anticipated heiress of the Li Group was about to give a most sincere and romantic confession in front of everyone.

The entire world's attention seemed to be focused on Long Yan and Annie. They were a hero and a princess, the perfect fairytale ending to this farce.

However, at this moment, Pi Simao seemed to be in another world. He didn't even look at the golden couple.

In his eyes, from beginning to end, there was only one person.

He slowly turned around and looked at Pearl beside him.

In the desperate act of protecting him, Pearl pulled him away from the knife wound, and her entire arm was cut by the edge of a fallen metal display panel, leaving a deep and long gash.

Bright red blood kept seeping out, staining the sleeves of her white tracksuit red, a color that stung Pi Simao's eyes.

She kept biting her lip to endure the pain, and only when she saw that the crisis was over and that Simao was safe and sound did she finally breathe a sigh of relief. Her beautiful brows were tightly furrowed due to the unbearable pain.

Looking at the shocking bloodstain, and at Pearl's eyes, which were misty with pain yet still full of worry and concern, Pi Simao's heart felt as if it had been gripped by a gentle yet forceful hand. It ached and hurt, but was also filled with an unprecedented warmth and clarity.

The moment that glaring bloodstain came into view, all the scattered fragments of the past—her handsome back as she saved him at the alley entrance, her exasperated scolding of him from the stands, her gentle touch as she clumsily ruffled his hair, the sweetness of the lollipop she gave him… all of it converged into a torrent, like a bolt of lightning, ruthlessly cleaving through his chaotic mind.

He understood instantly.

The perfect school beauty, Annie, whom he had always pursued as a kind of faith, was just a distant and illusory dream, beautiful but unreal.

The "big sister" in front of him, who is a bit fierce, a bit cool, and has a sharp tongue, but always silently accompanies and protects him in her own way when he needs her most, is the most real and warmest light in his bumpy youth.

0 ······Requesting flowers·· ··

Just a second before Annie took a deep breath and was about to confess her feelings to Long Yan, Pi Simao made a decision that surprised everyone, including himself.

He didn't look back at the fairytale scene that everyone was watching. Instead, he turned around and, with unprecedented seriousness and focus, clumsily and carefully picked up Pearl's injured arm, his eyes filled with heartache and self-reproach that were about to overflow.

"Um... does your injury hurt?"

His voice trembled slightly and was a little hoarse, but it was exceptionally clear and sincere.

Pearl was completely stunned. She stared blankly at Pi Simao's eyes, which had never been so focused on her before, and felt the warm and tense touch of his palm on her arm. A huge surge of bittersweet joy rushed into her nose.

.... . ....

On her face, which always bore an air of untamed stubbornness, a smile bloomed—a smile more radiant than a crystal chandelier, brimming with surprise, shyness, and boundless tenderness. She nodded emphatically, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.

"Ok!"

This scene completely froze Anne, who was about to speak, leaving all the words she had prepared stuck in her throat.

She stared in astonishment at the two figures walking toward the infirmary, oblivious to everyone around them, gazing at each other. She couldn't understand why her own story, as the female lead, was so easily rewritten by someone else.

Meanwhile, the members of Wulong Temple on the other side wore knowing, fatherly smiles. Uncle Da wiped the corner of his eye with satisfaction, and Master Changmei stroked his long, snow-white eyebrows, nodded slowly, and murmured, "This child is teachable."

Long Yan observed the joys and sorrows of humanity, his face remaining calm and undisturbed.

He gently clasped his hands together, bowed slightly, and spoke to Annie, whose face was filled with astonishment and resentment. His clear voice, like a mountain spring, cleansed the chaotic scene.

"Annie, love in this world is like a mirage, something that cannot be forced. What you are pursuing may not be this humble monk, but rather your obsession and fantasy about the word 'hero.' True destiny often lies in the dim light when you suddenly look back. Take care."

"I won't listen, I won't listen!" Annie shook her head and hugged Long Yan tightly, saying, "I only know that if you like someone, you should pursue them! I like you, Long Yan! Please go out with me!"

Chapter 230 The School Runaway Dragon: Sheng Yuqiang Middle School

While Pi Simao and Pearl's tender and sincere moment became the silent focus of the entire audience, Annie on the other side finally awoke from her immense shock and disappointment.

Looking into Long Yan's calm, ancient eyes, and hearing his gentle yet incredibly distant "take care," an unprecedented sense of resentment and stubbornness instantly overwhelmed all the upbringing and dignity she had received from childhood.

She couldn't understand where she had gone wrong. In terms of family background, appearance, and talent, she was an impeccable prodigy.

But why is it that this man can act as if he doesn't see me?

"I won't listen, I won't listen!"

She shook her head violently, like a child whose favorite toy had been snatched away, and shook off her father's hand that was holding her.

Amidst the stunned gazes of hundreds of people in the audience, who were practically speechless with shock, she recklessly lunged forward and, with all her might, hugged Long Yan tightly from behind!

"All I know is that if you like someone, you should go for it! I don't care what kind of monk you are, or what your past or future is! Long Yan, I like you! I want to be with you! Please go out with me!"

Her voice, thick with sobs, resonated clearly throughout the now quiet hall.

Li Jianbang's face instantly turned from ashen to purplish-red. He was so angry that he trembled all over and wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

The members of Wulong Academy, including Pi Simao who had just helped Pearl back, were all dumbfounded. They never expected that this school beauty princess would do such a shocking thing.

A soft, warm body pressed tightly against him from behind, the fragrance and warmth of the young girl emanating through his thin monk's robe. Long Yan's body stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

He didn't immediately break free roughly, but let Annie hold him, his tone more resolute and compassionate than before.

“Benefactor Annie,” he sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his voice, “I am a man outside the secular world, and my six senses have long since turned to Buddhism.”

Severing worldly ties and dedicating myself to the path is my sole aspiration in this life. I understand your feelings, but there is absolutely no way I can accept them.

Let go. The deeper your obsession, the more bitter the fruit you will reap.

As he spoke, he reached out and gently, yet with an irresistible force, placed his hand on Annie's ten fingers, which were wrapped around his waist and had turned white from the force.

Then, one by one, gently but firmly, I broke them apart.

When the last finger was separated, Anne felt all the strength drain from her body.

She watched as Long Yan turned around. On his handsome face, which pained her to the core, there was no emotion, only solemnity and dignity.

He solemnly and deeply bowed to her, then walked towards Master Long Eyebrows without looking back.

That resolute figure, like an invisible razor blade, shattered all her illusions and pride.

"Wow--!"

This school beauty, who had always been as perfect as a delicate porcelain doll, finally lost control of her emotions in front of everyone, squatted down, and cried sadly.

This crying brought a poignant end to this chaotic and eventful night.

……

That evening, at the Pi family mansion.

The kidnapping at the Convention and Exhibition Centre was ultimately classified by the Hong Kong police as a malicious attack planned by business rivals.

The kidnappers who were caught took all the blame under the "special care" of the police, without implicating the mastermind behind it all.

But for the members of Wulong Temple, this storm has passed.

Inside the study, the antique mahogany furniture exuded a calm and composed aura, but the atmosphere was unusually heavy.

The long-browed master's expression was more severe than he had ever been since he came to Hong Kong.

He carefully took out an opened brocade box made of thousand-year-old sandalwood from inside his close-fitting monk's robe.

Inside the brocade box, the golden silk base that should have held something was now empty.

"Something has happened." Master Longbrow's voice was low and hoarse, as if he was suppressing a huge rage. "One of the treasures of Wulong Temple, the 'Golden Bodhi Leaf', which was planted by Bodhidharma himself when he crossed the sea to the East and has been formed over a thousand years by the essence of heaven and earth and the influence of Buddhism, has been stolen!"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Da and the two younger ones were all taken aback!

"What?!" Uncle Da exclaimed, his fat face trembling. "Master, wasn't that leaf something you always kept close to your body, brought to Hong Kong, and prepared to display at tomorrow's formal exchange meeting to showcase the boundless depth of Chinese martial arts and Buddhism? How could it be..."

"While the convention center was in chaos tonight, someone took advantage of the confusion to sneak into our VIP lounge and, using extremely skillful methods, cracked the intricate lock on this brocade box..." A hint of anger and self-reproach flashed in Master Longbrow's eyes. "This person's methods were extremely sophisticated; not only were they proficient in ingenious mechanisms and locks, but they also possessed a strong sense of counter-surveillance, leaving no fingerprints or hair at the scene. The police have launched an investigation, but the chances are slim."

"What are we going to do, Master? If we can't find it, all the ancestors will crawl out of the ground and curse you!" Wen the stinky man exclaimed anxiously.

Master Longmei's gaze finally settled on Long Yan, who had remained calm throughout, his eyes filled with heavy trust and unwavering hope. "Long Yan, this task of retrieving the sacred artifact depends entirely on you."

“Disciple obeys.” Long Yan did not hesitate at all; he knew what this Bodhi leaf meant to Wulong Academy 2.2.

Master Long Eyebrows took a deep breath and picked out a small, almost inconspicuous metal badge from the hidden compartment of the brocade box.

The badge is shield-shaped, with an eagle with outstretched wings engraved on it. Below the eagle are three illegible English letters—SYK.

“This is the only clue,” he said in a deep voice, “it’s the school badge that the other party left behind in their haste.”

This school badge doesn't belong to Eston Academy, the prestigious school Si Mao attends; it comes from a notorious school in Kowloon, known as a "breeding ground for evil" and a "concentration camp for scum"—

He paused, then pronounced the name almost word by word:

"Saint Yuqiang Middle School."

Chapter 231 Zhou Xingxing

Meanwhile, in the office of the West Kowloon Regional Crime Unit of the Hong Kong Police Force, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like water could be squeezed out of it.

A young police officer, wearing a faded yellow vest, with an unruly hairstyle and a toothpick in his mouth, stood at attention in front of his desk, enduring his superior's tirade.

"Stephen Chow!" Behind the desk, a police superintendent with a receding hairline, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and resembling director Wong Bing-Yiu, was pointing his finger at Stephen Chow, spitting as he roared, "Look at you! I told you to track down suspects in an arms deal, and what did you do? You drove the truck they were using for the deal back! And you even threw a party in it! Do you think you're the Terminator or a gangster?!"

Stephen Chow innocently picked at his ear: "Reporting to Inspector Wong, I did that to infiltrate the enemy's ranks and experience their way of life so that I could better combat crime!"

"Experience my foot!" Inspector Huang slammed a stack of files on the table. "Now look what's happened! The guy's gone, the trail's gone cold! Your bonus and vacation this month are all gone! I'm punishing you by making you direct traffic in front of the Police Museum for a month!"

"Huh? No way, Sir, I'm allergic to traffic lights." Stephen Chow's face immediately fell.

Just then, the office door was pushed open, and a slightly overweight middle-aged man, wearing an ill-fitting, cheap suit, with slicked-back hair and a fawning smile on his face, peeked in.