The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“I don’t know if it breaks the law or not, but this is our district compound, not yours. None of you live in this district compound, right? Quickly scram, or I’ll find management to chase you out!” the man said furiously.

“Uncle, we are only playing basketball. Can you not do that? Can’t we just not shout?” pleaded Chen Wei.

“No means no! Leave now! Immediately! Right away! If not, don’t blame me for going to your school to complain!” The man was adamant.

With the threat of having their schools informed, Wang Kun and Chen Wei turned afraid. They were ultimately students. The repercussions would be huge if outsiders were to complain to the school.

As they were hesitating over whether to leave, a woman ran over. As she ran, she shouted, “Lu Hui, what are you doing? The kids are just playing basketball. Why are you flaring up like this?”

“What do you mean I’m flaring up?” Lu Hui asked unhappily before he glared at Wang Kun and company. “Leave quickly! My words aren’t empty threats!”

With that said, Lu Hui walked towards the woman. After the woman said something to Lu Hui, he returned to his apartment block feeling downcast. Then the woman ran over and said apologetically. “Sorry about that. My husband has quite a bad temper…”

“Auntie, he won’t really go to our school to snitch on us if we continue playing basketball, right?” asked Wang Kun.

The woman said with a bitter smile, “He might really cause quite a stir, but don’t worry. I’ll return and persuade him. Why don’t you not play for today, though.”

Wang Kun rolled his eyes. “Fine, looks like we’ve encountered someone unreasonable. Chen Wei, shall we continue our match tomorrow?”

Chen Wei nodded. “That’s the only thing we can do.”

With that said, both parties left the compound.

Fangzheng did not interfere the entire time and watched the entire thing play out silently. Only when Chen Wei, Wang Kun, and company left did he pat Lone Wolf on the head to signal their departure.

The woman shook her head in resignation as she looked at Wang Kun and company leave before she returned to the apartment block.

Finally the moment the woman entered her apartment, she heard an argument.

“Dad, what right do you have to do that!?”

“Just by the fact that they were being a disturbance!”

“Disturbing who? It’s daytime. Who are they disturbing?”

“They are disturbing me!”

Then there was the sound of a door slamming.

The woman walked in and saw the man sitting on the sofa with a heavy expression. He was puffing heavily on a cigarette.

The woman looked at Lu Hui before turning her attention to the child’s door and sighed. “Lu Hui, I know you are angry, but you can’t just flare up without any regard. Those kids were only playing basketball. Did you need to do that?”

“Little Zheng’s condition is already as such, but they even came to agitate him. How can I turn a blind eye to that?” Lu Hui snuffed the cigarette into an ashtray forcefully.

The woman gave a bitter laugh, unsure what she could say. She diverted the topic and asked, “What did the doctor say?”

Lu Hui furrowed his brows tightly and shook his head slightly before sighing. “There’s no solution with immediate effects. However the doctor suggested we accompany him more, but as you can see, he doesn’t wish to leave his room at all. And he gets agitated by those little bastards daily—”

“What little bastards? Can’t you put it nicely? Don’t interfere when those kids wish to play basketball.” The woman was Lu Hui’s wife, named Su Yun.

Lu Hui did not utter a word.

Su Yun said helplessly, “Look at you. You have been stubborn your entire life. You refuse to admit your faults even when you know you are at fault.”

“I wasn’t wrong. I will not permit them to play basketball as long as I’m here,” said a sullen Lu Hui.

“You! How can you be so thickheaded?” Su Yun angrily stood up.

Lu Hui did not say a word and instead lit another cigarette. He puffed at it heavily, and in a few sucks, half the cigarette was finished. While he exhaled, it was unknown what was on his mind. It was clear that he was very stubborn and had no intention to admit his faults.

Su Yun sighed helplessly as she knocked at her son, Lu Zheng’s, room before entering.

The room’s window was very large, but the room was dark as the lights were not switched on. The curtains were shut tightly, leaving only a crack. A youth was sitting on a wheel chair as he slumped over the window sill, looking at the empty basketball court outside in a daze.

“Little Zheng…” whispered Su Yun.

The youth turned around, his face somewhat pale. There was no smile on his face. Only loneliness, inferiority, and a hint of sadness.

Su Yun walked over when she saw her son in such a state. She gently caressed his head and whispered, “Little Zheng, everything will be alright. In the future, you will be able to play basketball. Perhaps you might become a superstar.”

“But I can’t even walk now,” mumbled Lu Zheng. There was a tinge of unhappiness, frustration, and despair in his voice.

“That will change. The doctors said it. As long as you are willing to try, there will be a day you can walk. You will even be able to run like in the past. When the time comes, you have to show me a slam dunk. I’m looking forward to it,” said Su Yun gently.

However Lu Zheng did not say a word. He only hung his head low, his thoughts a mystery.

“Little Zheng, the weather today is quite good. Why don’t I take you out?”

“Mom, I just want some silence alone.”

Su Yun wore a bitter look when she heard that. She patted Lu Zheng on the shoulder. “Alright, if you wish to go out, just shout out to me.”

With that said, Su Yun left Lu Zheng’s room. Lu Zheng turned his head back out the window. As he looked at the basketball court, he seemed to see a figure fly up into the air and execute a beautiful slam dunk…

Lu Hui was no longer there when Su Yun came out. The ashtray was filled with fresh cigarette butts. Some were still burning as wisps of smoke billowed. Clearly Lu Hui had only left a while ago.

Meanwhile at that moment, Fangzheng was on the streets outside with Lone Wolf.

“Master, what happened? That huge group of people were sent scurrying because of one person? Was that person very powerful?” Lone Wolf asked out of curiosity as he followed behind Fangzheng.

“Jingfa, remember that in this world, there are many matters that violence cannot resolve. Sometimes, the majority can be afraid of the minority.”

“Oh, just like how we are afraid of you, Master?” Lone Wolf sure could draw on inferences.

However, why did it sound odd to Fangzheng? What did it mean by them being afraid of him? Was he that scary?

Noticing Fangzheng remaining silent, Lone Wolf immediately asked, “Master, where do we go now?”

“Now? We’ll just walk around.” Fangzheng did not know where to go either. He was a complete stranger to the city. The buildings looked somewhat old, and it was at most a county city, not very huge. After walking a short distance and turning around a bend, they encountered a high school. The entrance to the school had several hawkers. They sold some finger food, snacks, and stationery. Many students were walking in and out of the school, either choosing items at the stalls or chatting by the school entrance. A few cars on the road were honking. Crossing the road was quite difficult, but everyone did not seem to mind the slow pace of life as though they were accustomed to it.

As Fangzheng looked at the school entrance that had order amid chaos, he mumbled, “How nostalgic…”