The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Fangzheng did a count and smiled. “According to the time outside, you have already gone through 1.92 million years. This sure is a very long time…”

“1.92 million years? That long? Then shouldn’t I be done with my sentence? Is that why you came to visit me?” Zheng Yuan cried out in agitation.

However, Fangzheng shook his head gently. “Patron, you are overthinking matters. This Penniless Monk was talking about the time in the mortal world. Time in hell goes by a different way of counting.”

Zheng Yuan’s heart tightened. He had an ominous feeling as he asked, “Then how long has it been in hell?”

Fangzheng looked up into the sky and said, “A day.”

“A… What? How many days has it been?” Zheng Yuan’s eyes nearly popped out. Although he didn’t know how long he had been serving his sentence, it clearly wasn’t a day!

Fangzheng enunciated his words clearly. “One day.”

Zheng Yuan felt the world get tainted with gloom as though he could never see the light of day anymore. His eyes rolled over as he fainted. The huge ice boulder above him fell and riddled him with holes. Amidst his cries, boulders fell and crushed him to a pulp…

This pain jolted him awake. At that moment, it was pointless to think further. The only way was for him to finish his sentence. However, he asked Fangzheng indignantly, “Abbot Fangzheng, I was only informed of the punishment, but not the number of years. Do you know how long I need to serve?”

Fangzheng smiled. “It’s not that long. The time is multiplied by ten from the first day you committed evil to the day you entered hell. That is how long your sentence will be. This Penniless Monk has helped you do the math. It should be about a hundred years or so…”

Splat!

Fangzheng wasn’t interested in watching meat pulp again. He hurriedly turned around and left, having no interest in being splattered with blood.

“I planned on handing you to the police, but from the looks of it, you won’t be able to leave anytime soon. In that case, enjoy yourself…” With that said, Fangzheng left hell.

The moment he came out, he was met with a gust of cold wind. He instantly cooled down.

“Master, you are back? How are we to deal with this fellow?” Red Boy pointed at Fang Kui who was on the ground, moments away from freezing.

Fangzheng looked at Fang Kui and said, “Tie yourself to the electric pole and let the villagers handle you.”

Fang Kui immediately wore a bitter look. Tie himself up? That was going to be difficult! But he was truly afraid of Fangzheng and didn’t dare say anything. He nodded like a chicken pecking at grain.

“Then what about her?” Red Boy pointed at Xu Xun.

Fangzheng said, “This patron has her limbs intact and has friends. Why are you worried? If you have the time, think about how to deal with that guy…”

Fangzheng looked up at the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva on Mt. One Finger. He felt his head ache. His wrath had gotten the better of him, allowing him to figure out something new, so he had subconsciously used it. But he had obviously never expected such a huge stir!

Fangzheng knew very well that it would be impossible to hide something so obvious! From this day forth, Mt. One Finger would probably not know a single day of tranquility… As for what he said to Red Boy, it was only a passing remark.

Ignoring the people on the mountain, just the neighboring villages had numerous eyes watching. How could Fangzheng alone hide the truth?

However, with it already happening, all he could do was bite the bullet. Although it was going to be troublesome, Fangzheng’s present powers made him capable of withstanding any problems.

In that case, what was there to be afraid of?

With this in mind, Fangzheng flicked his sleeves and said, “Jingxin, return to the mountain!”

Red Boy immediately understood what he meant. With a stamp of his foot, a cloud rose up from the ground, lifting Fangzheng slowly into the air towards Mt. One Finger!

Upon seeing this scene, Xu Xun, who was still wondering if Fangzheng was an immortal, understood everything. He was a genuine Buddha!

After Ma Yuan woke up, Tan Ming had already recounted all that had happened. After he heard everything and looked at the massive Buddha figure on Mt. One Finger, he knelt down and kowtowed at Fangzheng who was flying upwards.

Then, he ran over to ask about Xu Xun’s situation. After confirming that she was fine, he ran up Mt. One Finger!

“Where are you going?” Xu Xun asked.

“I have to repay the debt of him saving my life. Even if I don’t have the means to do it, I should first pay a visit and thank him!” Ma Yuan said.

“I’ll join you!” Energy flowed through Xu Xun once she heard that. This was the first time she was seeing a real Buddha. She was still wondering of a reason to pay a visit, but with a ready reason and someone to bring her over, was there any need for hesitation? She immediately followed.

“Madam Xu, I think you should get some clothes or you might freeze to death before you reach the mountaintop,” Tan Ming reminded her.

Only then did Xu Xun realize that her feet were already numb from the cold. If this continued, she might really need to be saved by the real Buddha again. Hence, she hurriedly ran back to her car, took her down jacket, and followed Tan Ming up the mountain.

With everyone gone, Fang Kui was dumbfounded. He looked around and saw no one!

“I… This… Is no one bothered with me?” Fang Kui was somewhat dumbfounded. He originally imagined that Fangzheng would teach him a lesson once he returned, but all he was asked to do was to tie himself up!

At this moment, a thought arose in Fang Kui’s mind: Run! Since the monk has left, the world is huge, so what can he do to me if I run?

Upon having this thought, Fang Kui gritted his teeth and ran into a nearby house. He quickly found a rope and went up to an electric pole. Bitterly, he wrapped the rope around himself a few times and left his hands outside so that he could tie the knot.

Meanwhile, Red Boy mentioned Fang Kui to Fangzheng who smacked his head. “Crap… My brain can’t handle the overload. I nearly forgot that you can’t really tie yourself up… This guy sure is clever. Alright, cast a spell on him. Don’t let him freeze to death in such weather! Also, don’t let him get beaten to death.”

Red Boy helplessly cast a spell and began landing the cloud.

With a wave of his hand, the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the sky vanished.

Upon seeing Fangzheng land from the clouds, all the people on the mountain, be they villagers or tourists, knelt down to welcome him!

When Fangzheng saw this, he hurriedly signaled to Red Boy. Red Boy bitterly stamped his foot and produced a cloud that lifted everyone up. Everyone didn’t realize that it was Red Boy, and thought it was done by Fangzheng. All of them were astonished and felt even more reverent.

Upon seeing this, Red Boy couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. I’m the one who does everything, but he’s the one who reaps all the benefits. Sigh…