The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

The moment Fangzheng came out of One Finger Monastery’s backyard, he was stunned. This was because One Finger Monastery’s front yard was empty! There wasn’t a single person. Compared to the usual scene, it was so quiet that it made Fangzheng suspect life.

When he exited One Finger Monastery, however, he saw a sea of heads in front of him. There were people sitting on the ground, slumped over the trees, and even on rocks…

In short, every spot that could be occupied was filled with people.

All of them looked in the same direction without exception. Under one of the stone slabs; no, on top of it!

Salted Fish sat on a stone slab, vividly explaining sets of cultivation methods, analyzing the source of the power of Heaven and Earth, etc.

Everyone below, be they male or female, young or old, was extremely fascinated by what they heard. Some were taking notes, some were audio recording, and some were video recording. In the crowd, Fangzheng even saw Jing Yan and other reporters. One by one, they were holding their huge cameras as they crazily snapped pictures of Salted Fish.

At that moment, Fangzheng saw familiar faces. It was Wang Yougui and the female police officer, Bao Yuluo. There was also another familiar face—County Head Qi! The three of them ran over, their faces burning with excitement.

Wang Yougui was fine when he saw Fangzheng since he was able to see him every day. Bao Yuluo didn’t have much of a reaction either, but County Head Qi was different. He had come to Mt. One Finger more than ten times, but he failed to see Fangzheng every time he came. He had waited at the entrance and even at the back door. Yet, he returned empty-handed every single time. Now that he finally saw Fangzheng in person, how could he remain calm? Just like a police officer seeing a thief stealing, he roared. “Fangzheng, don’t you run!”

Fangzheng’s legs went limp when he heard that, and he nearly ran off in fright. Then, he suddenly remembered something. What was he running for? It was not like he had done anything bad.

Hence, Fangzheng stood there waiting…

Soon, the trio ran in front of Fangzheng. Fangzheng pressed his palms together and bowed.

In the end, Wang Yougui and County Head Qi each held onto Fangzheng, dragging him into One Finger Monastery like they were apprehending a criminal. Bao Yuluo then closed the door, even blocking Jingxin outside.

Fangzheng had a baffled look on his face as he said, “Lady and gentlemen, although This Penniless Monk has some money, This Penniless Monk will not submit to you even if you resort to force!”

“Shut up. Say another word, and I’ll beat you to death!” Wang Yougui also became mischievous.

“My ancestors, can the two of you stop making a scene. The county head is going crazy from anxiety!” Bao Yuluo shouted.

When Wang Yougui heard that, he recalled what he was here for. He hurriedly said seriously, “Listen to the county head.”

Fangzheng pressed his palms together as well, but when he raised his hand, he was pressed down by County Head Qi. County Head Qi said bitterly, “Abbot Fangzheng, it really wasn’t easy meeting you.”

Fangzheng wanted to explain, but County Head Qi immediately said, “Alright, I’ve let out my grievances. I understand the reason. Now, let’s talk seriously. Quickly get your fish to shut up and to stop talking!”

Fangzheng was stunned. “Why?”

“Let him shut up first, then I’ll tell you why,” County Head Qi said anxiously.

Fangzheng nodded and said to Squirrel, who was on the tree, “Go get Salted Fish to shut up. If he says another word, we’ll be beating him tonight.”

Squirrel nodded and rushed out. With a leap, he landed more than ten meters away from the wall and disappeared.

Upon seeing this, County Head Qi wore a look of surprise. Although he knew that One Finger Monastery had demons, he couldn’t help but sigh and feel shocked every time he saw such matters.

After Squirrel left, County Head Qi said, “Master, it’s this. That salted fish of yours has been chatting for the entire day. Many people have recorded his words and posted them online.”

“So what?” Fangzheng was puzzled. What was the big deal? Even if everyone knew about it, wasn’t it only something meant to strengthen the body? It was no big deal.

County Head Qi continued. “So what? Do you know how valuable the things he said are?”

Fangzheng scratched his nose and said, “It’s just a way to strengthen one’s body…”

When County Head Qi heard that, he roared on the spot. “A way to strengthen one’s body? Is that all?”

Fangzheng nodded.

County Head Qi looked like he expected better from him. He grabbed his hair and said, “What Salted Fish has taught today has already been spread by many. Furthermore, it has attracted the attention of some experts. Among them, there’s Kungfu Master Min He, who’s very famous in China. Master Min He practices neijia martial arts and is proficient in the Daoist cultivation techniques. According to his analysis, the things that Salted Fish talked about are very similar to what he understands. Furthermore, many of the comprehension bottlenecks he had were resolved by what Salted Fish said! Among the listeners, there are a few disciples of Min He. Min He is remotely getting them to raise questions, asking about very esoteric and specialized topics. Even so, Salted Fish answered all his questions completely correctly, and he gave the best possible answer every single time. His teachings are far better than what Min He learned!”

Fangzheng scratched his nose and said, “Is there… a problem?”

“Is there a problem?” County Head Qi really wanted to slap this silly monk to death. He had already made it so clear, so how could he not understand?

Looking at the puzzled Fangzheng, County Head Qi tried his best to catch his breath to ensure that he wouldn’t be angered to death, explode on the spot, or choke the monk to death. Then he said, “Let me put it this way. Min He is a famous martial arts expert in the country. With his personal combat strength, he can fight against three special forces soldiers. Of course, in a life-and-death battle, that might not necessarily be the case since no one can guarantee no accidents would happen. According to Min He’s estimations, by cultivating Salted Fish’s methods, a human’s physique can be raised by three to ten times! Different people will achieve different results, but think about it—the combat strength of a special forces soldier raised by three to ten times. What do you think of that?”

Upon saying that, County Head Qi looked at Fangzheng with shining eyes as though there was no need for him to continue.

Fangzheng was at a loss for words. Indeed, as a young monk, his position determined his views and behavior. He had never thought about matters regarding war. He had always considered the health of the people. As for County Head Qi, he naturally thought of the strength of the country.

However, Fangzheng still couldn’t figure it out. “In this era, personal strength is useless, right?”

“What do you mean it’s useless? Increasing people’s physiques, and making it so that soldiers don’t fall sick, that’s combat strength! When it comes down to firing shells, just being 0.1 seconds faster than the enemy can decide the outcome of a war! Do you understand?” County Head Qi said.

Fangzheng nodded. He really didn’t know much about war, but he understood what County Head Qi meant.

County Head Qi said, “I’m not here on behalf of myself or the county government. It’s an order from the higher-ups. They want me to rush over here and stop you from doing anything. Very soon, the country’s staff will come for you. They will discuss the details with you.”

When Fangzheng heard that, he immediately had a headache. His eyes seemed to glaze as he thought to himself, “This time, I’m afraid I’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest. I’m in big trouble! It looks like I have to find an opportunity to escape…”