The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Having sensed it once again, the three brothers suddenly realized something; perhaps true filial piety wasn’t about accumulating money, but about making their father proud!

With this in mind, they subconsciously exchanged looks and nodded, having come to a particular agreement.

Another hour passed, and finally, Song Yuan staggered, unable to hold on any longer.

Song Xianhe hurriedly helped him, but Song Yuan shook his head, indicating that he wanted to stand without any help.

At that moment, Red Boy walked over and pressed his palms together. “Patron, Master said to invite you for a chat to the backyard.”

Song Yuan was taken aback as he looked at Fangzheng and back at Red Boy. He was somewhat confounded. He hadn’t seen Fangzheng speak, so what did the young monk mean?

Red Boy continued. “Master said before reading the scriptures that if an elderly patron were to come today, he was to rest in the backyard if he couldn’t stand any longer.”

“Then what about us?” Song Xiancheng hurriedly asked when he heard that.

Red Boy pressed his palms together and smiled. “What do you think?”

Song Xiancheng was just about to say something when Song Xianhe immediately said, “We will continue waiting.”

“Brother!” Song Xiancheng was already frozen stiff. He originally thought that this would be the end of it, but Song Xianhe gave up their chance of relief. He was immediately gripped with anxiety.

However, Song Xianhe shot him a fierce look, shutting him up immediately. He stood there motionless, nursing his grievance.

Song Yuan looked at Fangzheng before looking at the three brothers. Finally, he nodded at Red Boy before following him. In the backyard, he almost jumped in fright. He turned back to look at the monk before confirming that he was still in a monastery and not a zoo…

Song Yuan was invited to a fireplace to warm himself up and have some rest.

After Song Yuan left, Song Xianhe also understood that the matter wouldn’t be resolved so simply.

Fangzheng had been reading his scriptures in complete engrossment since the moment they came. There was a possibility of this having been on purpose, but it was definitely something that they could also have encountered by coincidence.

Song Xianhe looked at Fangzheng and thought, “What’s this? A test? Or is it something else? Regardless, the both of us must be cold. I don’t believe that I can’t last longer than you!”

Hence, Song Xianhe’s eyes focused.

Song Xianshu also noticed the subtlety of the situation, but he knew that he had been saved by Fangzheng. Even if he froze to death, it would only be a repayment! With this in mind, Song Xianshu fell silent and waited for Fangzheng to be done with his reading.

Although Song Xiancheng wished to leave, did he dare do so with his brothers choosing to remain? Besides, he also believed that it was highly likely that he had been rescued by Fangzheng. Fangzheng had saved his life, so what was the big deal with waiting? At the most, he would freeze to death.

And so, the three brothers stood there, their face turning pale from the cold northern winds. Their lips turned purple as they trembled. Yet they refused to leave!

In the beginning, the three brothers were unconcerned with the possibility of freezing to death, but as they really started being on the brink of death, the three intrepid brothers became infuriated. They stared at Fangzheng, completely puzzled as to how the monk didn’t feel cold despite wearing such thin clothes. Furthermore, he was sitting on an ice-cold bamboo chair. They were also facing the cold winds, and he wasn’t near any fire source.

Another hour passed as Fangzheng continued reading his book in silence. He didn’t look cold at all.

The three brothers were already chattering from the cold. Their feet had gone numb, and several batches of onlookers had come and go. There was no way about it. It was just too cold. No matter how curious anyone was, there was no way their bodies could take it; hence, many chose to leave.

However, some people persisted because they realized that live streaming the visit of these three heroes could attract tons of fans! Some of them were verified accounts while others were only ordinary people. Never ever had they received so much traffic.

For a moment, they forgot the cold out of excitement. They persisted despite the cold, jogging around to warm themselves if they couldn’t take it.

Another half an hour passed.

Song Xianhe continued clenching his teeth while Song Xianshu was on the verge of collapsing. Song Xiancheng couldn’t endure the wait any longer. While no one was looking at him, he shouted. “Abbot Fangzheng!”

This shout gave everyone a fright. No one expected this, considering how they had been facing each other for so long.

Song Xianshu and Song Xianhe were stunned as well. Just as they were about to reprimand Song Xiancheng, they saw Fangzheng gently close the book in his hands and slowly look up. He gave them a warm smile and said, “Amitabha. Patrons, are you cold?”

Upon hearing this, not only were the three enlightened, but the onlookers as well. They cursed inwardly, “Holy sh*t! Master Frivolous is indeed a trickster! He long knew that they were here, but he deliberately ignored them and silently read on!”

Meanwhile, the audience on Weibo exploded. They had never directed their attention away and had been paying attention the entire time.

The Song brothers had already stood there for hours! It could be ignored if Fangzheng was tricking them, but he should at least continue posturing until the end then! At the very least, they would feel a little more comfort about it in hindsight, having accompanied you in piousness and watched you study the Buddhist Dharma. This would be quite an amazing matter when used as a topic of conversation.

Now? Great, this darn monk had instantly revealed the truth of the matter. If this spread, all the amazement would be gone. All that would be left would be criticism of the three being retards…

“As expected of Master Frivolous. He’s freaking frivolous! But what’s the point in him tricking these three heroes?”

“Although I do find Master Frivolous somewhat a trickster, I shouldn’t make conclusions based on past experience. I’ll just wait quietly for the outcome. I want to see if there are any reversals.”

“Me too!”

“I believe that no matter what the reason is, it’s a bit too much…”

“Why do I have the shameless idea that Master Frivolous might be stepping on the shoulders of heroes to have a great time?”

“Eh…”

As everyone was engaged in a flurry of discussion, Song Xiancheng was incensed when he heard Fangzheng speak. He yelled, “Holy sh*t! You knew we were here all along, but you deliberately ignored us! Were you pulling a trick on us!? Did you really want to freeze us to death?”

Fangzheng wasn’t mad when he heard Song Xiancheng break out into vulgarities. Instead, he chuckled and asked, “Why didn’t you say that you were cold? Look, This Penniless Monk now knows after you spoke up. If you didn’t say anything, how could This Penniless Monk know whether you are cold or whether you just enjoy standing?”

Song Xiancheng nearly blew a gasket. He wasn’t good with words, and all he knew to do well was to curse, but faced with a benefactor like Fangzheng, using vulgarities was already his limit. To curse him? His elder brothers would probably beat him to death. Besides, his father was in the backyard.

Upon seeing Song Xiancheng at a loss for words, Song Xianhe stepped forward and said, “Abbot Fangzheng, even if we didn’t say a word, you should know that we were here, right? You should know that we were suffering from the cold, right?”

Fangzheng smiled. “If you’re cold, why didn’t you huddle around a fire to gain some warmth? Why were you still standing here?”