The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Monkey was in charge of delivering roof tiles to the workers. Fangzheng felt envious seeing him move like the wind. When could he fly a few meters into the air with a kick of his feet?

Squirrel was the most carefree. All he did was eat and sleep. Any other time was used to watch the bustle.

After seeing Fangzheng’s influence, Luo Yang, Master Ma, and company also specially asked many people about Fangzheng. When they heard them recount Fangzheng’s feats, they felt solemn respect for him. They worked even more diligently and meticulously. They strictly wanted their work to be the best! And the result of doing this was that they would redo things if a tiny flaw was discovered. Soon, they discovered that they had wasted a little too much.

Thankfully, Fatty came the third day, fully aware of the situation. He had clearly lost weight. Apparently, he had been visited several cities without any rest. However, he likely succeeded based on the smile hanging on his face.

The moment he saw Fangzheng, he held Fangzheng’s hands and said with a laugh, “Master, it’s all thanks to you! After that debt was repaid, it instantly sparked new life into all my business connections. F**k… I have made a killing in such a short period of time! Everything is going smoothly and I can’t ask for anything better!”

Fangzheng pressed his palms together. “Amitabha. Patron, that is just repayment for all the good deeds you have done. It has nothing to do with This Penniless Monk.”

“Master, there’s no need to be humble. Regardless, I want to thank you. Master Ma, didn’t you say that you are out of material? Tell me whatever material you need. We will buy the best! Tell me how much money you lack!” Fatty shouted at the top of his lungs as he patted his chest.

Master Ma endeavored to do even better after Fatty gave him his support. He personally bought all the materials and picked the best…

“Master, I still have matters to tend to. Now that you have a bell tower, shouldn’t you also make a bell? I’ll get someone to collect some bronze. Once it’s collected, we can cast you a big bell,” said Fatty.

Fangzheng shook his head. “Amitabha. Patron, there’s no need for a bell. This Penniless Monk still has an old bell. It has already been mended. All that’s needed is a bell tower.”

“Old bell? It has been fixed? How can our monastery use something so shabby? Master, I’ll make you a new one! One that freaking huge! One that’s about five meters tall. How about that?” Fatty immediately shook his head.

Fangzheng pressed his palms together. “Patron, This Penniless Monk’s bell is an antique. Furthermore, it was handed down by the ancestors one generation after another.”

“Is that bell of yours large.”

“Quite.”

“Is it nice-looking?”

“Pretty much.”

“Will it be loud?”

“Sort of.”

…

“Isn’t that just ordinary? Sigh, I won’t say anything else. When the bell tower is built, I’ll take another look. If the bell isn’t nice, I’ll change a new one for you. A big kind, the type that it can be heard five kilometers away when struck,” said Fatty.

Fangzheng smiled without a word. Change? Hehe…

Fatty was indeed busy. He did not even sit for long. After drinking a mouthful of water, he was driven away by a series of telephone calls.

Not long later, Monkey’s phone call came. “Master, did Fatty donate you a bell tower?”

“Amitabha. Yes,” said Fangzheng.

“Aiyah, what the f**k. That grandson is being too much! He earned quite a bit due to your advice, so he gave you a bell tower. My life was saved by you, Master. I haven’t expressed my gratitude yet. If this grandson were to come back, he will definitely be mocking me. Master, I heard that a monastery should have a drum tower other than a bell tower, right? Why don’t I donate a drum tower two times bigger than Fatty’s bell tower!?” exclaimed Monkey.

When Fangzheng heard that, he immediately beamed. He discovered that he was getting luck! However, he still said, “Thank you, Patron. However, the bell tower which Patron Fatty donated seems quite expensive.”

“Master, hold on. Let me ask around.” After Monkey said that, he hung up. He called again, but there was a tinge of misery in his voice. “Master, Fatty is mad…”

Fangzheng was instantly amused. He knew that Fatty had definitely spent quite a lot of money, something Monkey could not match.

“Patron, how much you donate doesn’t matter. Bell towers and drum towers need to match. If you were to make one that’s two times bigger, it won’t look nice either.”

“Yes, yes, yes… It won’t look nice indeed. Why don’t I donate one that’s the same size. I will pay for those people and materials,” said Monkey.

Fangzheng quickly thanked him, but Monkey refused to accept Fangzheng’s gratitude.

Monkey had his own little angel and devil in his heart. His life was saved by Fangzheng, but he had not repaid Fangzheng all this while. Furthermore, he knew that Fatty became rich because of Fangzheng’s advice. As a businessman, he immediately realized something. Fangzheng did not only save lives, he could also gift wealth! There was definitely nothing wrong with building up a good relationship with him! He could not be stingy about spending such money. Therefore, he decided on the investment. It was not a small sum to Monkey, but from his point of view, he could thank Fangzheng as well as deepen their relationship. The investment was worth it.

Fangzheng naturally knew what was on Monkey’s mind. However, Fangzheng was happy to receive it. It wasn’t overboard to exchange a life for a drum tower, right? Could money be more important than a life?

After hanging up, Master Ma soon receive a phone call. After discussing with Fangzheng about the design as well as the position, he went down the mountain to purchase the materials.

Fangzheng originall believed that the bell tower would be built in a few days, but Master Ma and company endeavored to build the best. It took a month to finish building it. Furthermore, they worked day and night! The bell tower was large and richly ornamented. It was opulent and majestic! There were also numerous carvings of Buddhas. All of them looked lifelike, but they did not leave one spinning. Fangzheng fell in love with the bell tower the moment he saw the final product! He had seen world-class buildings, but the bell tower in front of him was definitely the best he had ever seen!

Even Baiyun Monastery’s and Sunglow Monastery’s bell towers could not compare with it.

And what made Fangzheng even more excited was…

“Ding! Congratulations. This bell tower was the culmination of the hard work of the artisans. It is infused with the unparalleled piousness of their craft. Every stone, wooden piece, and tile on the bell tower gathers the goodness and love of the villagers. This bell tower can undergo Light Opening by the System! The Bell Tower’s effects: Increased effects of all attributes of the Yongle Bell! The person striking the bell would increase their perceptivity!”

Fangzheng immediately laughed happily when he heard that. He could not even close his mouth! He realized that the past few days had been his luckiest days. Good things were happening to him one after another. He began to look forward to the drum tower…

The materials were still carried up by the villagers. This time, even more people came! It was even more bustling! Those that knew were aware that they were helping One Finger Monastery build a drum tower, but those not in the know would believe that One Finger Monastery was hosting a massive Dharma Assembly!

Work on the drum tower began. Fangzheng was in no hurry to hang up the Yongle Bell. He wished to hang up the bell after the drum tower was built. He thought of it as a form of an opening ceremony.

The bell tower and drum tower were not inside One Finger Monastery as the monastery was too small. Such huge bell and drum towers could not be housed inside. Therefore, they were seated outside One Finger Monastery, each lining a side. They looked like two individual city columns and gave off quite a flair! One Finger Monastery, which had not changed in some time, finally experienced a huge change. Furthermore, it looked even grander.