The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“The weather is good today. I’ll return home to drink some tea. Forget strolling.”

“Same for me. I didn’t see any police pass by either.”

“I heard that the traffic is terrible.”

“My stomach hurts. I need to rest at home…”

…

The crowd spoke one after another as Red Boy used his spell to project their voices over to Bai Wenshui, Ghosthead, Mole, and company. Their hearts turned cold as they saw the last person walk away. They fell into utter despair.

“Don’t go! We know our faults!”

“Save me!”

“I really know my faults!” Daguang wailed.

“Save me! Save me!” Big Ghost and Little Ghost cried.

…

“Amitabha.” Fangzheng gave a Buddhist proclamation. He waved his hand and Red Boy jumped onto the boat. As he paddled, the boat distanced itself from the group. From beginning to end, no one at the riverbank had seen Fangzheng.

“Master, don’t go!”

“Master, show mercy!”

“Save me! Save me! I’m running out of strength. Save… Gurgle…”

With Fangzheng gone, the spell was dispelled. However, the few of them were already exhausted from an entire night of struggling. All of them wailed and struggled.

On the distant boat, Squirrel asked, “Master, are we going to ignore them? What if they really manage to swim to the bank?”

Fangzheng shook his head and said, “Life and death are fated. It doesn’t change a thing whether This Penniless Monk leaves or not.” Meanwhile, Fangzheng deactivated his Heavenly Eye.

Bai Wenshui and company were good at swimming. Although they yelled for help and were exhausted, they struggled to swim to the shore in their strong desire to live. However, at that moment, two people appeared by the riverbank.

Bai Wenshui, Ghosthead, Mole, and company immediately felt a bit of hope. Just as they were about to yell for help, the two looked up at them, and their bodies froze up!

“It’s them! They came back for their lives!” Mole exclaimed in horror.

Everyone felt a chill through their hearts as they lost all their strength. A wave brushed against them as the few of them instantly sank. Some struggled, but after a few seconds, there was zero motion.

The two on the shore were none other than Lin Zhixian, who promised Fangzheng not to return for three days, and the heroic youth which Red Boy had taken away. The three days were up, so the two had naturally returned. No one wished to be thought of as dead. It wasn’t intentional that the two appeared at the same time, but certain things were just fated!

The two did not see Bai Wenshui and company. All they heard was people shouting. When they looked towards the water, the surface was calm across the huge body of water. It was as though nothing had happened.

Soon, the two left…

Before long, an official document was sent to Twin River City. Following that, a few boats were deployed into the water. A brand new voluntary corpse fishing team was established, funded by the nation. Square-face was the first to apply for it. Later on, more than ten people joined the team. They did not have any fixed working hours. Whoever was free would come. The nation also provided funding. Every corpse fishing activity was given a minimum subsidy. In the government’s words: “A good person’s actions should not be done for nothing. A good person should be met with kindness!”

Instantly, it garnered the praise of the entire city.

“Master, where do we go now?” Walking on the streets of Twin River City, Red Boy asked out of curiosity.

Fangzheng stretched his back and said, “We agreed to go on a trip. Wouldn’t it be quite sad if we returned straight away? Let’s hang around…”

“Master!” Red Boy suddenly exclaimed.

“What?”

“You have finally thought things through,” said Red Boy in all seriousness.

Dong!

Fangzheng struck him right on the head. Red Boy rubbed his head as he laughed foolishly.

The trio was in no hurry to return to One Finger Monastery. Since the mission of the Formless Door had been completed, they could return to One Finger Monastery anytime by opening it. The trio spent their time on the streets, experiencing the city life.

“Ding! Punishing the evil and sowing good. Well done. You have received merit. Do you want to have a try at the draw?” asked the System.

Fangzheng thought for a moment and shook his head. “We’ll talk about this when we’re back. I’ll save it up for now.”

“Up to you.”

City life was different from life on the mountain. Although the mountain had its interesting side, prolonged exposure to it felt rather mundane. The city was different. In this era of rapid economic growth, cities were changing nearly daily. Although people who stayed there permanently likely did not feel the difference, they would discover that things were completely different if they were away for a period of time. The city was changing daily and so were its people. It dazzled Squirrel, but the thing that really left him dazzled was the fragrance of various delicacies.

“Master.” Squirrel rubbed his tummy and looked pitifully at Fangzheng.

“You need the bathroom again?”

Squirrel: “…”

Fangzheng immediately laughed when he saw how resentful the little guy was. He bought a little piece of pastry and divided it in half. One half was given to Squirrel and the other to Red Boy. The two little guys were overjoyed.

As they walked through the streets, sobbing attracted Fangzheng’s notice. He saw an elder sitting by the road. She was staring at an ancient phone as tears streamed down her face. From time to time, she would let out a sniffle.

Fangzheng, Red Boy, and Squirrel exchanged looks and saw the pity in each other’s eyes.

Fangzheng walked forward and pressed his palms together. “Amitabha. Patron, is there anything that needs This Penniless Monk’s help?”

The elder looked up slowly and when she saw a clean monk standing in front of her, she hurriedly wiped her tears. She shook her head, feeling a little guilty, “It’s nothing, nothing…”

With that said, the elder attempted to stand up with great difficulty. Perhaps it was because she had been sitting for too long, but her body wavered while she stood up. Fangzheng hurriedly helped her up. The elder nodded at Fangzheng before thanking him. Supported by her walking stick, she quickly walked away.

“Master, why do I feel like there’s a story to her?” Red Boy asked.

Squirrel said, “She looks really flustered, like she did something wrong. Junior Brother Jingzhen looks exactly like that whenever he steals my pine nuts.”

Fangzheng knitted his brows together and shook his head. “At such an advanced age, even walking is tiring for her. I can’t believe that she would do something bad. However, there has to be a story to her…”

Fangzheng activated his Heavenly Eye, and there was nothing strange about her. After he activated his Wisdom Eye, he saw a golden halo over her. An arrow pointed above her head, right at Fangzheng!

Fangzheng was taken aback. He moved left and right a little, but the arrow followed him. It meant that he was a benefactor of the elder!

Fangzheng rubbed his nose as this was the first time he was encountering something like that.

“Master, what’s on your mind?” asked Red Boy.

“Nothing. However, this elder shares some fate with This Penniless Monk. Let’s go and see if there is anything.”

“I don’t mind. After all, I’m just here to waste time with you, Master. It doesn’t matter where we go.”