The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

With that said, Qiu Baihong pushed the door open and left, leaving Eighth Qiu standing in his spot. His lips were trembling as though he wanted to say something, but he was at a loss for words.

Fangzheng sighed when he saw this. Eighth Qiu was ultimately a socially-inept person. If Qiu Baihong really didn’t care for the family, she could have gotten married without even informing him. Since she had come to him, it meant that she wanted something from the family, such as its blessings…

Unfortunately, Eighth Qiu hadn’t said anything. Fangzheng could even imagine that at the instant Qiu Baihong turned around, the hope in her eyes had gradually turned ice-cold with her every step, eventually turning into endless anger. Eighth Qiu had lost the chance to mend their father-daughter relationship.

Qiu Baihong objected to Eighth Qiu’s attendance when she got married. Without Eighth Qiu, the marriage was destined to be a strange wedding. The guests were friends and family from the groom’s side, and some of the other villagers. However, what troubled the guests the most were the words to say during such an awkward wedding. Give their blessings? What kind of blessings could be given in a wedding without one’s parents? Besides, this wedding was clearly a farce, a farce that resulted from a daughter’s anger towards her father! Worst of all, this farce actually turned into reality…

Unbeknownst to Qiu Baihong, Eighth Qiu had attended the wedding by donning a disguise. He had sat in the corner with a borrowed set of clothes without daring to raise his head. When the emcee called for the couple to kneel before the parents as a form of respect, Eighth Qiu finally raised his head. How he yearned to walk there and accept the bow. Unfortunately…

After the wedding, Qiu Baihong left the Qiu family. Eighth Qiu just couldn’t bear to let her leave. He knew his daughter best; after all, her attitude towards others easily invited trouble. Therefore, he often made up excuses to visit Qiu Baihong, such as giving some money or poultry… This was the only idea he could think of to be able to see her without being chased out by her.

Upon seeing this, Fangzheng finally understand the root cause of Eighth Qiu’s seemingly abnormal actions. It was a result of a love, and it wasn’t any kind of unfair, biased love. It was purely so that he could see if she was living well!

However, Eighth Qiu’s act of gifting became a problem. Qiu Baihong treated his actions as a form of redemption. And with one seeming in a rush to be redeemed and the other being filled with resentment, this redemption was destined to be a silent transaction without a positive outcome. One side swallowed the misery while the other accepted the gifts. At the instant the gifts were accepted, the lines were drawn.

“Master… Their relationship is really weird,” Red Boy said.

Fangzheng ruffled Red Boy’s head and sighed. “There’s a saying that no pain can stand the test of time. If Eighth Qiu hadn’t done anything back then, or had even spoken the truth, the outcome today might have been better. However, he chose to hide it from her. His so-called concern and gifting ended up an endless cycle of ripping open the wound and rubbing salt into it. He didn’t realize the outcome of his actions.”

Red Boy smacked his lips. “How complicated.”

Fangzheng nodded. “My master once said that this is the mortal world. It blinds everyone’s eyes, making it impossible for them to see the world for what it is. Nor can they see each other, much less themselves. The inability to see things clearly causes misunderstandings, and many misunderstandings build up into conflict or even hatred. As such, the vicious cycle repeats itself. Resentment and blood taint the world red. Therefore, you can enter the mortal world any time you like, but you can never leave it. To extricate yourself from this situation, you would have to go deep into the mountains to gain a new perspective of the world as a third party. In fact, many conflicts are trivial. Most could be resolved the instant they begin if discussed properly.”

Red Boy scratched his head and said, “That’s not what my dad says.”

“Oh? What’s his take?” Fangzheng subconsciously asked, only to regret it immediately. As a demon king, what good could the Bull Demon King teach? If he could do a good job educating children, Red Boy wouldn’t have become this brattish! Even Guan Yin Bodhisattva had sent him to Fangzheng to be educated.

“My dad said that who cares if it’s messy? As long you have the strength, just smack them to death if they piss you off. A real man walks forward with his head up, never turning back. This is because what was done has been done. There’s no need for regret. Just forge forward!” Red Boy said.

Fangzheng had expected such an outcome. That saying didn’t sound wrong, and in fact, if a person could truly reach that stage, their life would be carefree. However, to lead a truly carefree life required plenty of strength to support it. Otherwise…

Fangzheng stroked Red Boy’s head and asked, “Then, what’s happening with your dad now?”

Red Boy was taken aback as he said, “Uh? He’s a Buddhist and is similar to me. Although he has a position, he’s no different from an idler.”

Fangzheng said lightly, “The outcome of your dad’s theory is out. Do you still think it’s right?”

Red Boy was left speechless.

Fangzheng continued. “Your father said it in a rather redoubtable manner, but he long knew that he had embarked on a path of no return. Otherwise, would he have abandoned his child on some remote mountain? Would he really have stayed away from his wife and kept spending time with vixens? Your dad was just using such a method to protect everything he cared about. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Your family ultimately failed to escape the plot against them.”

Upon hearing that, Red Boy fell silent as he whispered. “Master, what will happen to my parents?”

Fangzheng shook his head and said, “What else? They can just be free and idle. But he can forget about occupying a mountain, declaring himself king, or abducting a bunch of women to be your wives.”

Fangzheng didn’t show any pity for the Bull Demon King. Just from what he occasionally heard from Red Boy was enough for him to know that the Bull Demon King wasn’t anyone good. If he had continued to be allowed to roam free outside, many people would have definitely been harmed. Subduing him was a meritorious act.

With them changing topics, the surrounding world began to collapse. Fangzheng knew that Eighth Qiu was about to wake up. Hence, he dispelled his divine power and left his dreams.

Indeed, Eighth Qiu slowly opened his eyes the moment Fangzheng left. He said, “I left by myself. It has nothing to do with my daughter…”

Fangzheng felt his heart pinch for him. Although Qiu Baihong wasn’t Eighth Qiu’s birth daughter, he had brought her up after all, making her no different from a birth daughter. He might have been inadequate in his child’s education, but he definitely scored full marks when it came to love! The first words he said moved Fangzheng as his eyes turned red.

“Master, what do we do next?” Red Boy was someone taken aback. The complexity of the matter far expected his imagination.

Fangzheng shook his head and said, “Let’s go.”