The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“Lin Lei, can’t you control yourself? Brother’s whereabouts are still unknown, yet you still have the mood to be capturing this? Also, stop shaking it. Keep doing that and the flying dragon will die,” rebuked Lin Ying.

Lin Lei was still a little afraid of Lin Ying. He scratched his head and stopped shaking the bird. As he held Lin Zicheng’s wings, he said, “Fine, fine, fine. I’ll stop shaking, alright? But so what if this guy dies. It was picked up for nothing. If it dies, we will just eat its meat. Once we find Brother, I can treat him to a great meal. Heh heh.”

When Lin Zicheng heard Lin Lei’s laughter, he was unsure if he should be happy for having such a thoughtful brother or horrified about having a brother that was akin to the devil! At the same time, this was the first time he felt warmth towards and a yearning for Lin Ying’s softheartedness.

“So, kindness towards a weakling feels like this,” Lin Zicheng thought.

At that moment, Xia Meng stood up and said with great certainty, “Someone has been here.”

“That’s for sure. My brother did. His bow and clothes are still here,” said Lin Lei.

“I’m not talking about Boss. Someone other than Boss was here too.”

“Someone else?” Lin Lei jumped in fright as Lin Ying exclaimed, “Brother Meng, don’t scare me. Did someone harm my brother?”

Xia Meng shook his head. “Let’s not be pessimistic, but to be honest, I have never seen someone so messed up after all my years as a mercenary. Ignoring the abduction, the person even stripped him of his clothes.” Xia Meng’s brows furrowed tightly as his mind was filled with questions.

“Brother Meng, your expression is really solemn. Is there something else you have yet to tell us?” As a girl, Lin Ying was a lot more sensitive.

Xia Meng nodded. “Based on my experience, I’m sure that the other party is a single person! But I can’t figure it out. Boss Lin had a bow in his hand, and a bayonet by his waist. He often enters the forest, and he is rather healthy and strong. It’s completely impossible for a typical person to subdue him noiselessly. Yet under such circumstances, he had his bow taken from him and was stripped of his clothes. Just this alone is quite odd.

Remember, we were nearby. If he had shouted or just struggled, he should have been able to last until I arrived. But Boss Lin did not utter a word. He was silently disarmed… Even stranger is that there are only signs of one person leaving.”

“Could the other person have used an incapacitating agent before dragging my brother away?” asked Lin Ying immediately.

Lin Lei added, “Don’t tell me the person wants to rape Brother—”

“Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting?” Lin Ying glared at Lin Lei, shutting him up instantly. Lin Zicheng also yearned to beat his stupid brother to death. What nonsense was he spouting?

However Xia Meng actually nodded. “That possibility cannot be eliminated. Although the other person might be too much in a hurry now. But that isn’t the main point either. The main point is…” Xia Meng took a glance at the ground before saying, “The grass here has been trampled. Some tree leaves here have fallen. Clearly someone has passed through here. But…” Upon saying that, Xia Meng’s expression turned even heavier.

“Brother Men, don’t frighten me.” Lin Ying looked at the ground as she trembled.

Lin Lei asked, “What? Brother Meng didn’t say anything, right?

“Are you silly? Look at the ground, does it look any different from the path we took?” asked Lin Ying.

Lin Lei took a look and shook his head. “There’s nothing different.”

“Idiot! The ground here is very soft. Just stepping on it will leave a footprint. But there’s not a single footprint! If the person really left from here, how did they do it? Fly? How is that possible? Is that even human?” Upon saying that, Lin Ying nearly burst out into tears. She was truly afraid. She had long heard of rumors that the mountains had all sorts of terrifying ghosts and monsters, to which she now made a connection.

Lin Lei was so frightened he nearly threw Lin Zicheng away as he ran to Xia Meng’s side and said in horror, “Brother Meng, is that for real? Don’t scare me.”

“It’s true that there are no footprints, but there are special techniques that make that possible. Alright, stop scaring yourself. There are no ghosts or monsters in this world. If there were, I wouldn’t be alive anymore. If you want to know the answer, just follow me.” With that said, Xia Meng picked up the bow, put away the bayonet, and began the chase.

Lin Lei and Lin Ying were already frightened. Xia Meng was their straw to clutch at, so how could they dare to be too far from him? The duo immediately chased after Xia Meng, following closely after him. They were afraid that they might fall behind and be abducted.

Fangzheng did not know that he had been made into some super pervert. At that moment in time, he was strolling in the woods with Squirrel and Red Boy without a care in the world.

“Master, you turned that baddie into a hazel grouse and that’s it? What happens if he dies?” Squirrel sat on Fangzheng’s shoulder as he tugged at his ear and asked.

Fangzheng smiled. “He won’t die. At the very least, he won’t die in a week.” He had the Heavenly Eye and could see the life and death in a person’s future up to a week. Since he had seen all of that, he naturally felt assured and was in no way worried.

Red Boy said, “Since he won’t die, what’s the point of changing him into a hazel grouse? It feels like a waste of time.”

“Amitabha. We shall see if it’s a waste of time some time later. Let’s go. There’s a stream up ahead. There are quite some boulders on both sides of the stream. Let’s sit there.”

Red Boy and Squirrel looked suspiciously at Fangzheng. They had a nagging feeling that he was definitely up to something. But since Fangzheng wasn’t telling, they could only put up with their burning curiosity. Red Boy scratched his ear and cheek as he followed behind. Seeing that they were about to reach the riverbank, he could not help but ask, “Master, what are you actually up to? Why don’t you tell me? I’m really dying to know.”

“Are you really that eager to know?” Fangzheng did not reply and instead replied to him with a question.

Red Boy nodded immediately.

Fangzheng chuckled. “It’s settling to see you so anxious. Continue the anxiety. It makes me happy.”

When Red Boy heard this, he wailed. “I must have found a fake master! Whose master is like you?”

Fangzheng thought nothing of it. “And whose disciple is like you? Alright, cut it out. That boulder over there looks good. This Penniless Monk will sit there. If the both of you have nothing to do, watch over me. Don’t let others disturb my Zen meditation.”

With that said, Fangzheng crawled up onto a huge boulder and sat cross-legged on it. He lifted his head slightly and looked towards the sky, like a meditating old monk.

Squirrel and Red Boy looked up from below when Squirrel asked Red Boy, “Junior Brother, why don’t I get the vibe that Master is meditating? He doesn’t really do much meditation usually…”

Red Boy sneered and held his arms behind his back. Looking up, he acted like a teacher. “Senior Brother, raise your head and look carefully. See what is to Master’s side.”

Squirrel looked carefully and only saw a tiny waterfall. Further up were some boulders and some strange old trees. Squirrel verbalized what he saw in confusion.

Red Boy harrumphed in reply. “You have good eyesight, but look further.”