– Ah, it hurts so much...
Inside a small, rather simple thatched hut, the weak voice of a young man broke the silent atmosphere.
The young man didn't look very well; his face was pale, his lips purplish-black, yet even that couldn't hide his handsome features.
The young man's head was completely shaven, like a monk's. His face was a delicate, slender oval, with sword-like brows, a high nose, and small lips. Only four words could describe this young man: "the handsome monk."
The young man's eyes slowly opened, revealing dark pupils, but his expression was somewhat weary. At first, his eyes hadn't quite adjusted; the light streaming in from the window made him squint. After a few seconds, once he had adjusted to the outside light, his eyes slowly opened again.
The images gradually became clear in the young man's eyes. This was a small house, built of bamboo and reeds, with a thatched roof. The young man's eyes slowly lowered, and the image of a young girl caught his gaze.
The young girl was dozing beside his bed. Her long black hair was a little messy, with a few strands clinging to her face.
The young man gazed intently at the girl. Her eyes were slightly large, her eyebrows thin like willow leaves. Her round face rested on her small hands, causing her small, pink lips to pout slightly, making her look utterly adorable.
"So beautiful..."
This was the young man's thought at that moment.
"Mmm... mmm..."
A soft murmur escaped the girl's throat. Then she slowly lifted her head and rubbed her eyes with both hands. Opening her eyes, she saw the young man lying on the sickbed, gazing intently at her.
"Vô Danh, you're awake? Are you thirsty? I'll go get you some water..."
The girl asked immediately upon seeing Vô Danh awake.
Vô Danh was startled. How did this girl know his name? This was the name he had taken after becoming a monk three years ago. Only those within the temple knew this name; outsiders rarely did. More importantly, he had never seen this girl before. Vô Danh wanted to sit up a little, as lying down like this made it uncomfortable to look around, but the moment he moved, a sharp pain shot through his body, making him wince.
The girl, who had been sitting by Vô Danh's bed, saw this. She quickly stood up, then helped Vô Danh, propping him up against the pillows.
As the girl leaned in to help Vô Danh sit up, he caught a faint, delicate, pure fragrance. Her hair brushed past Vô Danh's face, leaving a waft of scent. Vô Danh's facial muscles relaxed slightly in comfort; it had been a very long time since he had smelled the scent of any girl's hair. The girl returned to her seat, then asked Vô Danh with a hint of worry:
"Are you alright?"
Vô Danh replied in a hoarse voice:
"I'm fine..."
Vô Danh paused slightly after speaking, then continued:
"Little girl... or rather, *friend*... did you just call me?"
"..." The girl froze for a moment when Vô Danh asked that, then quickly recovered:
"What do you mean 'little girl'? What do you mean 'friend'? That sounds so strange! Why are *you* suddenly calling *me* that?"
"Me...?"
Vô Danh was slightly stunned by this. What was
Suddenly, Vô Danh's gaze fell upon the clothes the girl was wearing, and after seeing them, he grew even more alarmed:
"Good heavens, aren't these ancient-style clothes, like from a movie? Why is this girl wearing them? This is really strange..."
Vô Danh thought to himself.
The girl clearly saw the change in Vô Danh's expression. She couldn't help but look at herself, but she didn't see anything unusual. Her face showed a hint of worry as she asked:
"Vô Danh, did you fall from the mountain? Is your head not right now? Let me go call my parents..."
"I... fell from the mountain??" *Am I mistaken?* A huge question mark appeared in Vô Danh's mind. He fell from a mountain? He didn't remember falling from a mountain...
Vô Danh frowned slightly, thinking for a moment, then he remembered:
"Seriously? I clearly had a car accident. I didn't fall from a mountain. Why would that girl say I fell from a mountain? This is truly baffling..."
Just at this moment, two figures entered from outside the door. Leading was a middle-aged man, somewhat tall and thin. Behind him was a woman, slender in build, with faint wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes. Following them was the girl who had just been sitting beside him.
Vô Danh guessed these must be her parents. She had run off right after speaking earlier, and he hadn't even had a chance to ask for the full story.
The middle-aged man walked to Vô Danh's bedside, then looked at him, nodding with a smile. Vô Danh could only nod back in greeting.
"You're awake? Ever since you fell from the mountain, our whole family has been very worried about you, especially Nguyệt Nhi, who stayed up all last night to look after you. It's good that you're awake now..."
"Thank you for your concern, Aunt and Uncle... I'm alright..."
Vô Danh replied after hearing the middle-aged man speak.
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