The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“Venerable Fangzheng, thank you.” Qi Liya, who looked a lot better, stood in front of Fangzheng. Her smile looked abashed, but she looked to be in good spirits.

Fangzheng pressed his palms together and smiled. “Amitabha.”

“I remember what happened that day.”

Fangzheng continued smiling.

Qi Liya continued. “But I won’t tell anyone.”

Fangzheng continued smiling as he turned to his side. “Patron, if you have anything to say, you can tell it to Bodhisattva. Patron, you are kind-hearted, so Bodhisattva will definitely bless you.”

“Okay. “Qi Liya nodded and entered the temple hall. She knelt there to pray silently.

Qi Liya left behind a hundred as incense money. Both of them only exchanged looks and did not say anything else. Fangzheng was not good with words, and neither was Qi Liya. However there were things that did not need mentioning. From this day forth, Fangzheng’s meals also began changing a bit. This was because every time Qi Liya came, she would gift him some of the vegetables her family grew.

Fangzheng received it with a smile. He was not one to stand on ceremony.

After Qi Liya’s ordeal, Fangzheng realized that the class group had turned into a graveyard. Almost no one barely spoke anymore. With regards to this, Fangzheng could only shake his head slightly. As the saying went, once bitten twice shy. The danger of multi-level marketing could not be eradicated with the demise of just one group. It had much more of a terrifying influence than that! It generated trust issues between people and widened the gap between them. It made society colder.

Hence Fangzheng was fully guilt-free about transforming those people into trees. There were people that deserved to pay for their sins.

Fangzheng had also seen the news. The situation in the Bei River area had been fully exposed because of Liu Dacheng. All sorts of information was gleaned from the two Leaders’ cell phones and offices. The darkness of multi-level marketing was completely revealed by the media, causing a stir through society. In that week, multi-level marketers were apprehended all across the country. A strict clampdown was initiated, and all multi-level marketers were dealt with. Upon seeing this, Fangzheng felt a lot better. However Fangzheng was puzzled. Why had the System been so quiet all this while?

One day Fangzheng finally could not bear it any longer. “System, have you forgotten something?”

“Don’t disturb me. I’m calculating,” said the System in frustration.

Fangzheng was stunned. “What are you calculating?”

“What you have done is enormous. It has far-reaching results, and although not all the merit can be attributed to you, every person saved does contribute a little merit to you. All this merit can thus increase at any moment. That is what I am calculating now. Of course, if you think that I don’t have to do the calculations, I can chat with you.”

“Continue calculating. By the way, can I ask how much merit I have now? Pretty please?”

“Over four thousand! You struck it big this time!” said the System.

Fangzheng was instantly overjoyed. If he remembered correctly, he only had a bit over two thousand merit before! He had earned so much merit in just one mission! The feeling was… awesome! Fangzheng happily walked towards the backyard. “Jingxin!”

“What?” asked Red Boy in frustration.

“Let’s go pick mushrooms! We can have more tonight.”

“Alright!” Red Boy immediately turned enlivened when he heard that food was involved. He exclaimed in excitement as he called out to Monkey, Squirrel, and Lone Wolf. The four scourges charged out in excitement.

Time passed very quickly, and after waiting for days, Yang Hua’s wife, Du Mei, finally gave birth! As the child’s cries sounded from inside the delivery ward, Yang Hua jumped high in the sky. When the nurse carried the baby out, Yang Hua laughed so happily that he looked like a fool. Eventually even the nurse reprimanded him. “Don’t make a din!”

The moment Yang Hua returned, he ran up to the mountaintop and could not stop holding Fangzheng’s hands.

“Patron Yang, can we speak without holding hands?” Fangzheng looked bitterly at Yang Hua as he found it odd.

Yang Hua thought nothing of it. He said with a smile, “Fangzheng, I’m a daddy now.”

“This Penniless Monk knows. You have already said so ten times,” said Fangzheng bitterly. He did not even have a girlfriend, and now, a father had come in front of him to flaunt his newborn! He wanted to beat someone up!

“No, that’s not what I wanted to say. I want to say that… I have a son!” said Yang Hua.

Fangzheng looked into the heavens speechlessly. Was there a difference?

“Aiyah, look at me fumbling up my words again. It’s this. I have a son, and I want to celebrate. Could you check what would be a fortunate date?” Yang Hua only knew that he was too excited. He held Fangzheng’s hands for more than ten minutes as he kept repeating himself. For some reason, he felt extremely happy saying that sentence! However why was Fangzheng looking miserable?

It didn’t matter, and Yang Hua thought nothing of it. All he cared about was his own joy.

Lone Wolf was sprawled at the entrance far away. He stretched out his head to look at Fangzheng and Yang Hua before sighing. “This retard doesn’t know the sadness of being a bachelor dog.”

Red Boy squatted beside Lone Wolf and said emphatically, “Furthermore, he’s a bachelor dog that yearns to renounce asceticism. Buddha was right, if you do not sever ties with the mortal world, there is only misery! You can’t have it when you want it, while others flaunt it in front of you… How miserable!”

…

“Patron Yang, This Penniless Monk is no fortune teller. This Penniless Monk… doesn’t know how to tell what would be a fortunate date.” Fangzheng really had no idea.

“I don’t care. The other fortune tellers are all cheats. Since fortune tellers are all cheats, why don’t you cheat me once?”

Fangzheng: “@#$…”

In the end, Fangzheng took out his cell phone after Yang Hua’s incessant pestering. He looked at it and decided on a date. Three days later!

“Three days later? Is there a reason?” asked Yang Hua curiously.

Fangzheng looked into the sky and said, “No particular reason. The weather forecast says that the weather will be good in three days.”

Yang Hua was instantly left dumbfounded. Fangzheng was… really doing it randomly!

When Fangzheng saw this, he added, “This Penniless Monk doesn’t know fengshui, but Zen Master One Finger once said that the most direct way of changing fengshui is through one’s heart. Choose a day with good weather. Having the sun high in the sky is better for one’s mood than having gloomy clouds fill the sky. Furthermore, it’s more convenient no matter what you do. Therefore a day with good weather is better than one without.”

Although this explanation was as good as nothing, Yang Hua still went down the mountain happily.

Fangzheng, Monkey, Lone Wolf, Squirrel, and Red Boy stood there watching Yang Hua’s excited back as he departed, and they shook their heads in unison.

Fangzheng gave a Buddhist proclamation. “Amitabha.”

“This is the first time I’m seeing someone come forward to be cheated,” said Lone Wolf.

“This is the first time I’m seeing someone so happy despite knowing he was cheated,” said Red Boy.

Monkey pressed his palms together. “Amitabha.”

Squirrel said, “Why isn’t he giving us some food to eat if he’s so happy?”

…

Fangzheng woke up early the next day. Ever since he had left the mountain, Monkey had taken on the job of striking the bell. When Fangzheng left the mountain, no one had been left to strike the bell. Red Boy felt uncomfortable reading scriptures when he struck the bell, so he refused to do it. Lone Wolf had to jump up to strike the bell with his head every time. Just doing it twice was enough to kill him.

In Squirrel’s words, when watching Lone Wolf strike the bell, it looked like he was slamming into the bell to commit suicide. It was especially bloody.