The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Sis Wang and her partner exchanged looks. They had a nagging feeling that something was amiss but as they thought through the events, there was nothing amiss. Both of them had returned to Spring City safely. Someone would soon come to collect the child and what followed had nothing to do with them. All they needed to do was wait to collect the money. The more they thought about it, the more they realized that their recent memories were a blur.

Sis Wang looked at the time and frowned. “It’s time. Why isn’t he here yet? Do they want to receive the goods or not?”

When Fangzheng, who was standing beside them, heard her he realized that the exchange happened faster than he had expected. He arranged for the the criminal to appear.

There was a knock on the door. Fangzheng looked up. He wanted to know what the receiver looked like.

Sis Wang walked to the door and asked for the secret phrase. The answer she was waiting for floated to the forefront of her mind which Fangzheng extracted and provided to the person outside.

Sis Wang heaved a sigh of relief and opened the door. Only then did Fangzheng discern the person’s appearance. She was a young lady dressed fashionably. She could be considered a young beauty if she walked on the streets. Fangzheng never expected that such a lady would be the core of such a vile crime syndicate.

“Wu, you are finally here. Where’s your accomplice? Take… take… Why do I feel dizzy…” As Sis Wang spoke, she suddenly clasped her head and began spinning in her spot before collapsing to the ground.

Simultaneously, the dream shattered. Fangzheng looked at Sis Wang who had died from profuse bleeding, as well as the woman with the black mole who died before she did. He shook his head and pressed his palms together. “Amitabha. Sometimes you must kill to protect, staying your hand might cause the innocent to suffer. All those who are evil will receive judgment. If the punishment has not struck yet, it is because the time has not yet come.”

He clutched Sun Mengmeng tightly, holding her to his chest. He patted Lone Wolf’s large head. “Let’s go home.”

This time Fangzheng and Lone Wolf did not return using their original path. Instead, they walked through the fields and ran straight for Mt. One Finger.

Moments after Fangzheng left, a pickup truck drove over.

Jiang Ye was driving his vehicle slowly with a bitter look. A cop car was following him. He became more irritated and angry the more he thought about the situation. If not for the darn white dog and the monk, would he have done so? Would he have broken the speed limit? Would he have been caught? Would he have his driving license suspended and face the risk of having his license revoked?

As Jiang Ye grumbled inwardly, he suddenly saw two people lying by the side of the road. There were shattered remains of the motorcycle to the side. It was obvious that an accident had happened.

The cop car overtook him before stopping. The police man alighted and rushed over to check the situation.

Jiang Ye ran over as well. “What happened?”

The policeman skillfully checked the duo’s situation before shaking his head. “They’re dead. From the looks of it, they were speeding, not much slower than the your speed. If not, the motorcycle would not have been reduced to such a state.”

Jiang Ye broke out in cold sweat. He was still angry at being caught by the police but after seeing the two corpses, his anger dissipated. He felt lucky that he had slowed down. If something bad had happened… Just the thought left him shuddering as he thanked his lucky stars.

The traffic police began reporting the situation and taking pictures.

Meanwhile in Lu Liang’s house in Mt. Tong township.

“Is this what they look like?” Lu Hui presented a quickly sketched portrait to Lu Liang.

Lu Liang clapped and exclaimed, “Hey! It’s the same! But the face is a little thinner.”

Lu Hui nodded and after altering it, he raised it again. “How about this?”

“Yup! It’s these two women! Dad, I’m impressed! I’m taking this with me.” Lu Liang took the portrait and ran off.

Lu Hui rebuked him jokingly, “Darn kid, go to your crappy computer next time! Don’t seek my services!”

“The computer won’t do. I still need to rely on you. Haha…” Lu Liang laughed out loud.

Lu Hui revealed a relieved smile. He had been drawing sketches his entire life. He had been revered and despised before. He did not care but for his son to not think highly of his job was something that left him uncomfortable! Finally, the day came for him to convince his son with his own skill. The feeling was great, even if the situation was terrible.

Lu Liang ran back to the police station and handed the two portraits over. He saw a colleague walk over and pat him on the shoulder. “If what you said is true, these two should be dead. An accident happened. The two of them are dead. The child you mentioned wasn’t with them.”

Lu Liang was stunned. How was that possible? Was he hallucinating after all?

Wang Yougui entered the room. He shouted, “Lu Liang, she’s found! Mengmeng said the two women forcibly stuffed a piece of candy in her mouth. She remembers nothing after eating it.”

“Two women? Do they look like thit?” Lu Liang took out the sketches.

“Why would you ask me? I didn’t see them.” Wang Yougui answered with a wry smile.

“Let’s go to One Finger Village!” Lu Liang ran out. He was eager to know if the people in the sketches he had were the two kidnappers! If that was the case, it was no hallucination but a miracle from Buddha! Even if it wasn’t… he could write it off as a hallucination.

Wang Yougui caught up to him helplessly. The duo hopped onto a motorcycle and rushed back to One Finger Village.

When Lu Liang took out the sketches to show it to Sun Mengmeng, she hid behind Sun Qiancheng and began crying. She shouted, “Daddy! I’m scared… It’s them. Sob… I did not want their candy… Sob.”

Sun Qiancheng hurriedly hugged Sun Mengmeng and coaxed her, “Mengmeng, you’re a good girl. It’s okay. These are sketches, not people.”

Lu Liang felt as though a bolt of lightning struck him. It was real. He had only done it ultimately as a Hail Mary. He never imagined that the scene in that dreamlike scene was real… It was an odd miracle.

Lu Liang jolted to his senses and asked, “How did Mengmeng return? The two kidnappers had an accident on the way and died. Mengmeng doesn’t look injured…” Lu Liang glanced suspiciously at Sun Qiancheng and Sun Mengmeng.

Sun Qiancheng shook his head, “I’m not sure either. The child just ran out of the house. The neighbors told me as soon as they saw her. If not for them, I would have long run out the village to look for her.” Sun Qiancheng shuddered from a lingering fear. He only had one precious daughter. If anything happened to her, he would be suicidal. He seemed to have lost his soul the moment Mengmeng disappeared. Apart from finding her, he could think of nothing else.

“Is that so…” Lu Liang looked at his surroundings.