The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Red Boy looked at Monkey, who seemed engrossed in his scriptures. Lone Wolf appeared to be sleeping. Helplessly, Red Boy looked at Fangzheng who raised his eyelids. He pointed at Monkey and Lone Wolf.

Almost at the same moment, Monkey lowered his scriptures and flipped over the wall, while Lone Wolf scampered away!

“Both of you, stop there!” Red Boy swung a broom as he chased the wolf and monkey around the mountain.

Upon seeing this scene, Fangzheng said in envy, “Youth sure is nice. They run with so much energy.”

…

As the moon became bigger and rounder, Fangzheng mumbled. “The mid-autumn festival is coming.”

A gust of autumn wind blew by as it scattered the fallen leaves. A white-robed Fangzheng stood under a tree and looked up into the sky, missing Zen Master One Finger a little.

At that moment, three men and two women were walking up Mt. One Finger as they took selfies along the way. One of the men wore a black sweater and looked rather sharp. His hands were in his pockets and as he walked, he said, “Liu Ying, are you certain Fangzheng became a monk on this mountain?”

“I’m sure. Many people know of this. Li He, did you forget? Fangzheng mentioned it in the chat group previously. Besides, you can get the same information from the village. Fangzheng is here,” answered a yellow-dressed girl as she took a selfie.

“No, I just find this crappy mountain so bleak and desolate. Why can’t he choose somewhere better?” “Lin Tai, didn’t your family recently acquire a piece of land? Why don’t you give Fangzheng a part of it and set up a monastery for him?” Li He looked at the 1.96-meter-tall man beside him with a smile.

“Stop kidding. Brother Lin’s land is expensive. The houses built on it cost more than ten thousand yuan per square meter. It would be fine if we were to set up a monastery for some accomplished monk, but Fangzheng wouldn’t be able to handle it.” Beside Lin Tai, a tall girl with long curly hair sneered.

The moment that was said, everyone laughed.

Still, Liu Ying said, “It’s fine if we make jokes here, but don’t say that when we’re at the mountaintop. We were classmates after all. We shouldn’t embarrass him.”

The others nodded their heads slightly in acknowledgment.

However, no one noticed that Lin Tai’s eyes looked a little pissed! Back when they were in school, Lin Tai had a crush on Liu Ying. She was an arts councilor who was good at singing and dancing. She was cheerful and generous and could make conversation with anyone, but she did not have much of a close relationship with men. This resulted in her having many suitors, but none of them succeeded.

That was nothing, and Lin Tai did not have to be unhappy about Fangzheng because of that.

However, Lin Tai had been hoping to use the excuse of a small gathering among classmates to hook up with Liu Ying. For this, Lin Tai had not invited anyone else except for Liu Ying, Li He, and Cui Jiandong. To prevent Liu Ying from feeling awkward, Lin Tai had even brought his younger sister, Lin Xi, along. Li He was Lin Tai’s good friend and knew his intentions, so he definitely did not spoil his plans. He even created opportunities for him. Zhan Jiandong was his underling, so he naturally knew what to do as well.

As the saying goes, the best things in life are the things you do not have. Therefore, Lin Tai had done a great deal of homework.

But before the gathering began, Liu Ying suggested to head to Mt. One Finger to visit Fangzheng! What the hell was Fangzheng? Lin Tai had even forgotten about such a person! Yet it wasn’t nice for him to reject her suggestion, so he could only go along with her wishes.

While walking up the mountain which didn’t seem to have an end, Lin Tai had already cursed Fangzheng’s past eighteen generations of ancestors. “This son of a b*tch. Why must he hide somewhere so high for no reason? Can’t he just beg for food on flat ground?”

That’s right. Lin Tai’s idea of Fangzheng was no different from that of a beggar.

Since it was Liu Ying who had spoken, Lin Tai couldn’t object.

However, as Lin Tai’s lapdog, Cui Jiandong had to say something. He said with a smirk, “How do you imagine Fangzheng’s place is?”

“It’s not like we haven’t seen it before. What else can it be if not just a rundown temple? A slightly stronger wind can topple it,” said Li He with a scoff. All of them were studying at universities far away, so they didn’t return often. Even if they returned, they would while their time away in Songwu County. They knew nothing about One Finger Monastery or One Finger Village.

“That’s right. If I recall correctly, that rundown temple’s doors can’t even close,” said Cui Jiandong.

Li He said, “Yeah. The roof even leaks when it rains. By the way, does anyone remember how Fangzheng looks?”

“Eh… Now that you say it, I’ve nearly forgotten what he looks like. All I remember is that he was bald. As for what he’s like, he was too average. I don’t have an impression of his personality. Boss Lin, do you still remember?”

When the two disparaged Fangzheng while echoing each other in harmony, Lin Tai felt a lot better. He said with a smile, “All I remember is his bald head as well.”

Lin Xi said, “Sigh. A bald head reflects light. It’s quite disgusting to look at.”

The moment that was said, Lin Tai, Li He, and Cui Jiandong laughed. What they said was equivalent to cursing Fangzheng. However, Lin Xi did not know him. Therefore, what she said was unintentional, but it only made the few of them feel even better.

Liu Ying’s brows were tightly knitted together. She felt that they were all classmates, and it didn’t seem right to speak ill of another classmate behind his back. However, when she tried recalling Fangzheng herself, she realized that what they had said sounded right. Back then, Fangzheng was considered a needy student by the school. He was treated as a poverty-stricken student by the class. There was one time when they organized a trip to One Finger Temple to visit Fangzheng, and all they saw was a dilapidated scene that looked worse than a beggar’s house. From then on, although more people helped Fangzheng, they ultimately looked at him differently. Even the classmate that shared his desk requested to change seats.

With this in mind, Liu Ying could not help but sigh. However, what her companions had said was right. Fangzheng’s level of presence had been limited to his bald head. Even she did not have much of an impression of him. All she remembered was that Fangzheng had been a boy that didn’t get along well with the others. As for his looks, it was all a blur.

Her suggestion of heading to One Finger Monastery was actually a result of her discovering Lin Tai’s intentions. She wanted to find a pretext, and since she could not contact any of her other classmates as they were either out of town or working, she could only use Fangzheng as a shield. After all, he was a monk that would never move.

But at this moment, she felt a little regret. Back when she was finding a shield, she had not thought things through. Now, from the looks of it, Fangzheng was already in quite an abject state. Yet she was bringing Lin Tai and company to kick him while he was down. She felt a little apologetic.

She thought, “Whatever. He will be helping me shield off Lin Tai, so I can’t treat him badly. If he can still be saved and has the guts to leave his monastery, I’ll take him away from his mountain and let him visit the outside world. It’s better than him hiding on this desolate mountain his entire life.”

At that moment, a monk appeared at the mountainside. He was a handsome monk dressed in white, clean robes. Most important of all, his bearing could almost be said to be different from that of mortals. Despite just standing there, it felt like he was transcendental. When the monk saw them, he smiled at them with a radiant beam. It was like the sun in the dead of winter, as it left one’s heart warm.