The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Song Xianhe immediately said, “Master, you saved the lives of our whole family. You are our benefactor, so we came to visit and thank you sincerely, and we also hoped to find an answer. We naturally had to show respect to you. Since you were studying the Buddhist Dharma, we waited by the side.”

“So, do you think that what you did was right?” Fangzheng asked.

“Of course, do you think there’s something wrong with what we did?” Song Xianshu asked.

Fangzheng smiled. “Showing respect to This Penniless Monk, This Penniless Monk naturally believes that was right.”

“That’s right. In that case, why did you pull a trick on us? We were almost about to die from frostbite,” Song Xiancheng said bitterly.

Fangzheng’s smile vanished as he said sternly, “Since you ask, let This Penniless Monk ask you a question in return. If you believe that waiting for This Penniless Monk was right, then were you cold in this cold weather?”

“Yes,” the three answered subconsciously.

Fangzheng continued. “Would you have fallen ill if you continued suffering from the cold?”

“Yes,” Song Xiancheng answered.

Fangzheng continued asking. “If this continued, could you have died?”

“Yes,” Song Xiancheng replied.

Fangzheng said, “Since you knew the outcome of waiting would be the cold, sickness, and death, why did you continue waiting?”

“Didn’t we say? It was to express our respect and gratitude to you,” Song Xianshu subconsciously said. However, Song Xianhe fell into deep thought.

Fangzheng continued. “That’s right. You believe that you are doing something right, but in fact, you are just sending yourself to the cold, sickness, and even death. Do you think it’s worth it to walk further down this icy-cold path for such an unimportant reason?

“Since you are cold, you should leave this path and find a warm place to warm yourself or sleep. Wouldn’t that be better? Life is short, so why insist on staying in the cold?”

When Fangzheng said this, apart from the stupidest Song Xiancheng, the two other brothers began to contemplate his words.

When Fangzheng saw this, he smiled. “Go down the mountain. Come back tomorrow to bring your father down.”

With that said, Fangzheng flicked his sleeves and showed the three brothers the back of his shiny head before he stepped into the backyard.

Song Xiancheng wore a baffled look, thinking, “You’re leaving just like that? You didn’t even ask us why we came up the mountain. You haven’t answered our question!”

Song Xiancheng was about to shout to Fangzheng when Song Xianhe suddenly patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s go. Down the mountain.”

“Brother, this… He hasn’t answered our puzzlement. Are we leaving just like that?” Song Xiancheng felt a little confused.

Song Xianhe sighed. “Master’s Buddhist Dharma is indeed profound. He already knew about our question before we came up. He had already given us the answer.”

“Answer? What did he say? I only heard him speaking nonsense,” Song Xiancheng asked, looking completely blank.

Song Xianhe looked up at the sky and said to his two younger brothers, “After we leave the mountain, sever all ties with our businesses. In the future, don’t attack others for no reason. Be obedient sons, get married, and be filial to Dad. Wait for me to return!”

“Brother, you’re leaving?” Song Xianshu and Song Xiancheng were stunned.

Song Xianhe nodded. “It’s cold. There’s no need to continue staying outside. Otherwise, we will really freeze to death.”

“Brother, what are you saying? Why don’t I understand a thing?” Song Xiancheng became anxious.

Song Xianshu was about to say something, but Song Xianhe stopped him by saying, “Enough. Let’s head down. Let’s have a good sleep tonight and come up tomorrow to bring Dad down.”

Song Xiancheng was still at a loss, while Song Xianshu remained in thought. Song Xianhe walked with brisk steps, having seemingly understood something. There was a spring to his steps.

The three brothers continued staying at Wang Yougui’s place.

The next day, Song Xiancheng got up just as the sky lit up. He yawned and looked around when he suddenly cried out in surprise. “Where’s Second Brother? He’s usually lazier than me. How is he up so early?”

Song Xianhe, who was sleeping, sat up the moment he heard that. He looked around, and indeed, Song Xianshu was gone!

Song Xianhe had an ominous feeling as he got to his feet and ran out. The moment he stepped out, he saw a few huge words written in the snow!

“Brothers, take good care of Dad. Wait for me to return! Xianhe, I’m not educated like Xiancheng, and we aren’t smart like you. I really do not know how to earn money without staying in our line of work. You are educated, so you can let Xiancheng and Dad lead a good life even without continuing our work. Therefore, let me do it. There’s no need to look for me. I’ll definitely be faster than you. Take care. Wait for me!”

When Song Xianhe saw this, he sighed. He suddenly regretted what he had said when heading down the mountain. Although Third Brother hadn’t understood, Song Xianshu was still somewhat clever. He had understood.

Song Xiancheng was stupefied as he tugged at Song Xianhe. “Brother, what… is Xiangshu going to do? What’s wrong with the two of you? What ideas did that monk implant in your heads? This…”

Song Xianhe looked at the anxious Song Xiancheng and sighed. “Brother, do you really think that what we did in the past was flawless?”

Song Xiancheng was taken aback. “Brother, why are you asking this? We planned everything well, so obviously it was flawless.”

Song Xianhe shook his head slightly. “I used to think so too. But after meeting Abbot Fangzheng, I suddenly realized that that’s a joke. For this world to have an amazing person like Abbot Fangzheng, it means there might be others as well. I’ll be honest with you. I received news long ago that the powers that be have begun investigating our Flowershadow. Sooner or later, they will find certain clues.”

“Then?” Song Xiancheng turned nervous.

Song Xianhe said, “I’ve been using our resources to play hide and seek with them all this time, and I didn’t think much of it, but after meeting Abbot Fangzheng, I realized something. I was only lying to myself. The world is so huge, and the country is so powerful. I can play hide and seek for a day or two, but can I do it my entire life? Once our resources are depleted, all that will be left for us is to be apprehended. And then, we’ll end up executed!

“This is what Abbot Fangzheng was talking about. It was cold. Yet despite us clearly knowing that we would freeze to death, we still insisted that we were right. We were no longer doing it to survive, but simply out of habit. That’s why we kept committing crimes. We did those crazy things because we wanted more money to improve our lives.

“But there will come a day when we will freeze to death. The only way out of this is to immediately stop and seek warmth.”

Song Xiancheng widened his eyes. “Then, where do we seek warmth?”

Song Xianhe said, “Having committed crimes, someone has to bear the burden. If all three of us were to surrender ourselves, no one would be able to take care of Dad. Therefore, I had planned on shouldering everything while the two of you turned over a new leaf. This way, the powers that be would be satisfied. Besides, what we did weren’t irredeemable crimes. As long as I found the best lawyer, there was a possibility I wouldn’t be executed. After a few decades of imprisonment, I’d get released and our family could be reunited again.”