The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Taking in a deep breath, the sour smell of pickled vegetables wafted into Fangzheng’s nose. He gulped his saliva and said, “This is forcing This Penniless Monk to eat cabbage glass noodles tonight!”

“Master, cabbage glass noodles? What’s that? Is it delicious?” Squirrel came over the moment he caught a whiff of the sourness. When he heard Fangzheng mention food, he immediately perked up. He climbed up the ladder and sat on the edge of the Buddha Vat. “Are these pickled vegetables? Why did they turn from jade-white to yellowish gold?”

Fangzheng said, “This… It’s a chemical reaction. It becomes like that after being fermented for a long time.”

With that, Fangzheng reached out his hand and picked up the huge rock that was pressing on top. Without the stone blocking his view, he could see it even more clearly. The White Jade Cabbage had fermented for a long time, and the leaves of the vegetables had turned a dazzling gold. The cabbage was originally jade-white in color, but it was now white. However, there were some golden shades to it, as if a thin layer of gold covered the cabbage. It made it all the more beautiful.

However, this wasn’t important. The cabbage was meant for their stomachs anyway. Fangzheng didn’t care about that. He first pulled out a large piece of cabbage leaf and got Monkey to put it in a big basin. Then, he placed the huge rock back and returned the Buddha Vat to its spot.

When Fangzheng came down again, he saw his disciples and Salted Fish surrounding the huge basin with pickled vegetables. They were looking at the scene with curiosity.

“Is this pickled cabbage? It looks delicious…” Squirrel licked his lips and rubbed his belly. His tiny eyes were shining.

“I don’t know. This thing’s so sour, I doubt it’s delicious.” Salted Fish wore a look as though whatever he said was right thanks to his long age and knowledge that came with it.

Just as Red Boy was about to say something, he saw Fangzheng at the door. His eyes lit up as he said, “You haven’t eaten it before, so how do you know it’s not delicious?”

Salted Fish harrumphed and said, “I’ve lived for so many years, haven’t I seen everything there is to see? I’ve even eaten a Peach of Immortality! Just this? It’s definitely not delicious!”

“Very good. Salted Fish won’t be included for tonight’s dinner. Salted Fish, eat your Peaches of Immortality.” At that moment, Fangzheng’s voice sounded. When Salted Fish heard that, he was dumbfounded. He suddenly turned his head and looked at the smug-looking Red Boy. He wailed. “Reverend, you can’t blame me for this. This Jingxin laid a trap for me! Shouldn’t you punish him for cheating his family?”

Red Boy said, “You said it yourself, not me…”

“Makes sense. Jingxin can go hungry today, too,” said Fangzheng with a smile.

The moment Red Boy heard that, his smugness instantly vanished. He wailed as well. “Master, you can’t do that. If he didn’t have such thoughts, how would my question be of any use? This is his own fault.”

Fangzheng said, “It’s indeed his own fault, but your aim was to trick him. So, accompany him in starving. This Penniless Monk has said it before; you are all fellow disciples, monks who eat at the same monastery. You have to support each other and be loving.”

“Master, you say we’re fellow disciples, but… Uh, fellow disciples?” Red Boy suddenly reacted and exclaimed.

Salted Fish was originally dejected, thinking that he was going to starve despite having performed a tremendously good deed. He found it inhumane as he kept muttering in his heart. “Darn baldy and his lack of hair…”

But when he heard Fangzheng, he suddenly looked up and exclaimed. “Fellow disciples? Reverend… Do you mean?”

Fangzheng shot a look at Salted Fish and asked, “What? Do you not like it?”

“You are my esteemed master! Please accept my bow!” Salted Fish plopped to the ground and immediately kowtowed.

After having been in One Finger Monastery for so long, Salted Fish had already come to realize that the core of One Finger Monastery was the master and his four disciples. If he didn’t become a disciple, he would ultimately be considered an outsider. Even if he was considered half an insider.

Likewise, being at the core brought benefits—food being the greatest one.

The main point was that… Salted Fish really envied the relationship Fangzheng had with his four disciples. His desire of being a member of such a harmonious family made him envious.

Although he didn’t say it out loud, always claiming to be an elder that needed to be given importance, the main reason was that he wanted to show a more unique and arrogant side of himself to conceal his envy and loneliness.

Now that he finally had a chance to integrate into this family, how could he not be happy? How could he not bow down and acknowledge Fangzheng as his master?

When Red Boy saw this, he immediately ran to one side and poured a bowl of water. He threw two pieces of Frost Bamboo into the bowl and said with a reluctant expression, “Here, take this tea and offer it to master as a disciple.”

Monkey placed a chair behind Fangzheng who sat down on it. Then, Salted Fish immediately served him tea.

Fangzheng nodded in satisfaction. After drinking the tea, he said, “Salted Fish, you have been in One Finger Monastery for quite some time. Although you still have some of your ineradicable stubbornness in you, through This Penniless Monk’s observations and tests, you have met the requirements of joining the monastery. Today, I shall officially take you in as This Penniless Monk’s disciple and bestow you with the Dharma name: Jingqin. It will serve as a reminder for you to work diligently and not be negligent in the future.”

“Yes, Master!” Salted Fish hurriedly shouted.

Fangzheng nodded in satisfaction and said, “Alright, follow Jingxin around as he tends to the monastery. You can only eat tomorrow.”

Upon hearing that there was no food for him to eat, Salted Fish instantly wore a bitter look. However, thinking about how he had finally gotten a long-term meal ticket, without him needing to do odd jobs or trick others for a meal, it was still considered a joyous occasion. He happily left.

Red Boy followed them with a bitter face. As the two fellows walked, they kept mumbling.

“Really? You want to call off the previous bet, as though it never happened? You won’t take away half of my rations?” exclaimed Red Boy.

“Of course, we are fellow disciples now. As a junior brother, I’ll still need help from Senior Brother,” Salted Fish said.

Red Boy roared with laughter. “Of course. Let me tell you, with my status in our temple, that’s…”

Red Boy paused for a while and quickened his steps. After bringing Salted Fish out of Fangzheng’s sight and ensuring that no one else could hear him boasting, he continued. However, he had completely forgotten that Salted Fish had been in One Finger Monastery for quite some time. How could he not know what Red Boy’s status was?

Shaking his head, Fangzheng ignored them. He went over to the basin to take a closer look at the pickled vegetables, and he took out a small piece. He washed it with water and put it into his mouth. The refreshing sourness had a unique softness to it. The pickled cabbage was soft and gentle, and the juice in it burst out. The unique sour smell instantly exploded, and Fangzheng felt as though all his taste buds had been activated. The saliva in his mouth suddenly spiked. It was a sign that his appetite had been whetted.

He swallowed the pickled vegetables in one mouthful and felt his stomach churning before a loud growl sounded.

Fangzheng was actually… hungry!

He felt as if he could eat a horse! And everything he saw looked especially appetizing. For example, when he saw the pickled vegetables, he had cravings for pickled vegetables. When he saw Crystal Rice, he wanted to eat Crystal Rice. When he saw Lone Wolf, he wanted to eat dog meat, and when he saw Monkey, he wanted to eat monkey brain… Well, it appeared as though things were going a little astray.