Samuel Reed hurriedly shook his little head. “The abbot will definitely scold me if he finds out!” Brian Morgan frowned, then suddenly thought of a brilliant idea. He coaxed Samuel Reed into the room, pulled out his own PSP game console from his travel bag, and began demonstrating it in front of Samuel Reed.

Samuel Reed was still a child after all. The moment he saw the dazzling graphics on the game console, his eyes lit up instantly. He looked at Brian Morgan with anticipation and asked, “Can I play for a bit?”

Brian Morgan nodded and handed the console toward him. Samuel Reed happily reached out, but Brian Morgan pulled the game console back again.

Samuel Reed looked at Brian Morgan with a pitiful expression.

Brian Morgan seized the opportunity to propose his condition: “As long as you take me down the mountain, I’ll give you this game console!”

“But... the abbot said you can’t leave Shaolin for these ten days...” Samuel Reed’s gaze remained fixed on the game console in Brian Morgan’s hand; he was already deeply attracted to it.

Brian Morgan lowered his voice and said, “I just want to go down the mountain with you to have a look, it’s not like I’m trying to leave Shaolin. Think about it, I only have three days left before I can leave the Shaolin Temple. Why would I try to escape now?”

Samuel Reed looked at Brian Morgan hesitantly; he was already tempted.

“If you’re still worried, you can stick to me like glue after we go down the mountain. With your martial arts skills, wouldn’t it be easy to keep an eye on me?” Brian Morgan also took out a few pieces of chewing gum and stuffed them into his hand. “Here, try these—they’re really sweet!”

Samuel Reed was still a bit concerned. “But Henry Reed Shizhi, he...”

“He’s your junior, and there’s an order of seniority. If he doesn’t listen to you, you can make him go face the wall!”

Chapter Three: Escape from Shaolin (Part Two)

“He’s your junior, and there’s an order of seniority. If he doesn’t listen to you, you can make him go face the wall!”

To show his determination, Brian Morgan threw his travel bag onto the bed. “Now you can rest assured. I’m leaving all my stuff here as collateral.” In fact, he had already secretly taken out his credit card and phone. As long as he had his credit card, he could buy anything he needed at any time.

Samuel Reed finally nodded. “But... you have to promise me you’ll behave and not try to run away!” Brian Morgan stuffed the game console into his hands, and Samuel Reed happily slipped off to the side to play.

When Henry Reed saw Brian Morgan following behind Samuel Reed, he was startled. “Shishu! Why is he here...”

Samuel Reed answered as Brian Morgan had just taught him: “I asked Mr. Morgan to go down the mountain to help us carry rice.” Henry Reed couldn’t ask any more questions.

This time, besides Brian Morgan, Samuel Reed, and Henry Reed, there were also four monks from the kitchen going down the mountain to do chores. They drove two ox carts down the mountain. Brian Morgan was long used to modern transportation, so suddenly switching to this primitive ox cart gave him a completely different feeling. He asked the monk driving the cart about the basics and eagerly volunteered to drive the ox cart himself.

Samuel Reed sat on the cart, playing the game console and giggling nonstop. Video games really are a bad influence—whether for monks or students, they’re equally irresistible.

Because they had a legitimate reason, the warrior monks guarding the mountain gate didn’t give them any trouble this time. Brian Morgan looked back at the Shaolin Temple, which was shrinking in the distance, and wished he could shout out loud to express his joy.

Brian Morgan thought to himself, “There’s no way I believe my uncle’s bizarre nonsense. Maybe he’s been lying to me all along. Damn alternate worlds, damn alien planets—I’m clearly still on Earth.”

He hummed Jay Chou’s ‘Nunchucks’ as his mind wandered. Strangely enough, ever since the abbot tapped him on the head that day, he hadn’t had a headache since. Maybe the tumor on his pons had disappeared. Once he got to Kaifeng, he’d go to the city hospital for a thorough checkup. If he really was cured, he’d make the most of these five years of freedom. Just thinking about it was exhilarating!

Jason Reed and Abbot Carter watched their group from afar. Jason Reed couldn’t help but say, “That kid is truly incorrigible. Who knows what trick he used to fool Samuel Reed into taking him down the mountain! I’ll go bring him back!”

Abbot Carter stroked his beard and laughed. “Let him go. The new school term is about to start. It’s good for him to get some experience outside.”

Jason Reed said respectfully, “Thank you, Abbot, for doing so much for him.”

Carter smiled calmly. “Although Mr. Morgan is mischievous, his nature isn’t bad. My Buddha is merciful. I just hope he doesn’t let down your good intentions.”

Jason Reed sighed. “I lied to him, saying he only has five years left to live. I wonder if he’ll become depressed because of it. And that strange power in his body, while not fatal, is still a hidden danger.”

Abbot Carter said, “That power must come from the demon clan. It will take a long time to completely dissolve it.”

Jason Reed said, “I just hope that after this experience, he’ll face life seriously and not treat the world as a game. That’s enough.”

Carter smiled and nodded. “The world we live in may seem peaceful, but in reality, undercurrents are surging, and war could break out at any time. Maybe in the future, we’ll need someone like Mr. Morgan to resolve it all.”

“You’re giving him too much credit, Abbot!”

Carter said, “From his appearance, I can tell he’s no ordinary person. One day, he’ll surely accomplish something great!”