The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Red Boy’s eyes welled up with tears. Was he really this darn baldy’s disciple? Why was the treatment so terrible?

Monkey laughed secretly from the side but ended up getting slapped by Fangzheng. “Enough. Whatever needed to be said has been said. Move out! Go at full speed and beat that machine!”

Just as Fangzheng finished his sentence, Red Boy jumped out with a whoosh and with a splat, his feet struck the muddy ground, sending a swath of mud flying. Then, the fellow began running and jumping around like he was having the time of his life. He left mud splattering in his wake.

When Monkey saw this, he decisively kept his distance. He raised his pants high and carefully and slowly stepped into the mud, ensuring that his clothes wouldn’t be dirtied by the mud. When he stood firmly in the mud, he gave a satisfied smile… But the next moment, a joyful figure ran over. “Senior Brother, hello!”

Bloop!

Mud splattered everywhere!

Monkey looked at the mud on his body and wore a look of calm. He silently wiped the mud away as he began chanting his self-created Clear Mind Chant. “Jingxin is an idiot. A smart monkey has no need to mind him. Jingxin is an idiot…”

“Senior Brother!” Red Boy’s voice sounded. Monkey looked up to see Red Boy turning around. He stuck up his ass, threw himself up, and flung his hands while shouting, “Take this! Mud Cannonball!”

Pa!

Monkey was covered in a huge blob of mud! This was not something that could be wiped clean. When Monkey lowered his head to look at his dirty clothes, his eyes emitted sparks of anger. Although Monkey always wore a look of indifference as though he was otherworldly, his set of monk robes was extremely precious to him. They were given to him by Fangzheng after he became his disciple. Although the robes were tattered, it was his only set of monk robes, and his most important treasure! He would usually rush to clean it the moment it got dirtied, but now, it had been splattered with a huge blob of mud! Jingzhen might be able to bear with it, but Monkey couldn’t! Monkey might not have been showing his rage, but did anyone forget how he had wreaked havoc in Baiyun Monastery to the point that it knew no peace?

Monkey silently returned to the bank, took off his monk robes and loosened his arms. He grinned at Red Boy and immediately charged down. Advantaged by his long arms, he didn’t need to bend his back to grab mud. He flung out mud and instantly, the enraged monkey became a mud-flinging cannon. He kept chasing Red Boy and soon, the two of them were caked in mud.

Fangzheng shook his head in resignation at his two embarrassing disciples. As he watched the boy and girl laughing cheerfully, Fangzheng gave up the thought of punishing the two idiots who disgraced him. He silently remembered it and planned on settling scores at a later date.

In the beginning, Zhou Zishan and company had some hope for Fangzheng, but when they saw how unreliable his two disciples were and how the clean and white monk stayed on the bank to watch the commotion without entering the fields, they lost all hope. The five of them sped up their harvesting. Despite knowing that they would definitely lose the competition, they still did it at a hastened speed.

Meanwhile Zhou Zishan shouted, “Abbot Fangzheng, you can’t agree to the competition. We are no match for the machine.”

Fangzheng shook his head and said, “Patron, I trust in all of you.”

Zhou Zishan was taken aback. When he saw Fangzheng’s warm smile without any hypocrisy or pity in them with nothing but seriousness, respect, and acknowledgment, Zhou Zishan’s heart winced. Even his nose felt stuffed. Having gone from the northwest of China to the north of China to the northeast of China, he had already forgotten how many people had rolled their eyes at him. Even employers that employed them did so out of pity or thought nothing of them. And not a single one of them showed them respect or acknowledgment!

Zhou Zishan had even forgotten the feeling of being acknowledged by others. To be suddenly treated like that by Fangzheng, his heart warmed up.

At that moment, Zhou Ziyuan suddenly said, “Abbot Fangzheng, my father once said ‘A man of honor gives his life for the one who appreciates him!’ Although I’m not an educated man, I’ve remembered this sentence all this time. Since you show us respect, we will respect you too! We will do our best to win!”

Zhou Ziheng said, “Abbot Fangzheng, there’s no need for you to come into the fields. Just stay there and watch. We can do it!”

Upon hearing these words, Fangzheng’s heart warmed as well. Humans were like this. If one treated others with kindness, it was natural that the response was kindness. Although Zhou Zishan and company did not have any substantial means to repay the respect Fangzheng showed them, they still gave him their word. It was hard to get a promise, much less the promise of a few people.

Fangzheng pressed his palms together. “Amitabha. Patrons, the competition has only just begun. It’s still undetermined who will win. This Penniless Monk shall join you!”

Upon hearing Fangzheng’s words, Zhou Zishan and company didn’t wish to demoralize him. It was just that they had a lot of experience with the machines. They knew how good the machine was. To compete with just the five of them and the obviously unreliable Fangzheng, as well as a child and monkey that only knew how to fling mud at each other? This was definitely a competition with no chances of victory.

From their point of view, Fangzheng was in a sure-lose gamble. He had entered this gamble solely to fight for their dignity. They were grateful and willing to do their best for Fangzheng, but… They couldn’t do it!

Although they didn’t say it out loud, Fangzheng could read their minds. However, a competition was a competition. The competition could be lost, but one’s morale couldn’t! Besides, the victor was still unknown!

Upon seeing Fangzheng walk into the muddy river bed, Shen Aijia, who had been silent all this while, finally couldn’t hold it in. “Abbot Fangzheng, your clothes are so white. They’re not suitable for farm work. Don’t come down.” From her point of view, Fangzheng’s clothes were just too beautiful. They were traditional style robes, and it was obvious that they weren’t cheap. To do farmwork in the mud with such white and clean clothes was a waste. Even if Fangzheng didn’t mind it, she felt her heart pain for the clothes.

Shen Aijia wasn’t the only one. Zhou Zishan and company felt the same too. They always wore tattered old clothes when engaging in farmwork. Wouldn’t this monk feel the pain?

However, Fangzheng did not seem to have any intention of replying. Instead, he stepped into the mud smiling. The next moment, everyone’s gazes froze. All of them wore looks of incredulity!

They saw that Fangzheng’s feet did not sink into the mud and instead, he stepped on it lightly!

“This…” Zhou Zishan, Zhou Ziyuan, Zhou Ziheng, Shen Aijia, and Ma Jingru were collectively dumbfounded. No way, right? This riverbed had just been irrigated, so it was extremely muddy. Even such a small squirrel would sink, so how could an adult not sink!? This… Could it be that Abbot Fangzheng had just stepped on a spot which was relatively harder? Maybe there were rocks beneath it. That was what the few of them told themselves.

But the next moment, Fangzheng took his second step, yet there were no signs of him sinking. The third step, the fourth…

The few of them stared intently at Fangzheng’s feet.

Gulp.

It was unknown who swallowed a mouthful of saliva, but everyone exchanged looks and saw the incredulity in each other’s eyes.