The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“Who are those two? Everyone is gathered around them,” asked Skeletor.

Fu Wei looked carefully and his expression turned nasty. “Duan Liu!”

“Who’s Duan Liu?” asked Skeletor, baffled.

“A zitherist recognized by the whole of China with great acclaim. She’s said to be a genius musician who will be the next generation’s leader! You might not know her because her music is not at the scale of mainstream music and isn’t played to the public. Only people from wealthy families or talents at the peak of their industries can go see her performances. Back in England, I heard her perform once with my father. I never expected her to come to Mt. One Finger…” Fu Wei mumbled.

“I’ve also heard of this Duan Liu. Rumor has it that she disappeared for quite a while, like she had quit the music industry. I never expected to see her here,” Blondie said in surprise as well.

“A tiny One Finger Monastery actually managed to attract her here. If outsiders were to learn of this, her fans would definitely surge over. When that happens, it will be difficult for One Finger Monastery to not become famous. From the looks of it, One Finger Monastery is really about to soar…” Fu Wei said.

“Brother Fu, aren’t you overthinking things? How much influence can a person who has quit the industry have, no matter how influential she was? Besides, she is a celebrity in a small circle to begin with,” Skeletor thought nothing of it as he said.

“Yeah. Forget it. Let’s not harp over this matter.” Fu Wei’s improved mood had turned slightly for the worse thanks to Duan Liu’s appearance.

Just as he took a few steps forward, someone suddenly exclaimed. “Isn’t that Queen Snow Eagle, Li Xueying?”

The moment that was said, everyone—regardless if they were just watching the buzz or taking selfies a moment before—turned their heads to look at the woman beside Duan Liu.

Fu Wei, Blondie, and Skeletor subconsciously looked over. The latter said, “No way…”

Fu Wei carefully looked at the beauty with long beautiful legs and sunglasses and gulped. He sadly realized that the more he looked at her, the more she really looked like Li Xueying!

The next moment, the woman candidly took off her sunglasses and said with a smile, “Hello, everyone.”

“Ah! It’s really Li Xueying!”

“Queen Snow Eagle, can I have a selfie with you?”

“Li Xueying, why are you here? Did you come here because of all the buzz?”

“No, I’ve filmed here before, and Abbot Fangzheng is my friend. Besides, One Finger Monastery is truly beautiful, and so is Mt. One Finger. I love this place a lot.”

“Wow! That’s breaking news!”

“No way. I have to share this on my WeChat Moments…”

Fu Wei had no idea how he got down the mountain. All he heard was the tumultuous cheers behind him when he suddenly realized that he shouldn’t have come to Mt. One Finger today. Wasn’t this just making life harder for himself!?

As for Blondie and Skeletor, who were previously consoling Fu Wei, both of them had fallen silent. A mere Jing Yan might not be able to uplift One Finger Monastery’s fame, and Duan Liu was just someone who could uplift One Finger Monastery to a tiny extent among the rich and powerful circles, but as for Li Xueying? She was a famous international superstar! She had taken off her sunglasses in front of so many people to admit her friendship with Fangzheng, praising Mt. One Finger and One Finger Monastery in the process. The influence this brought about would be enough to leave one’s scalp tingle! One Finger Monastery was really about to soar! Just Li Xueying’s fans alone were enough to flatten Mt. One Finger…

It didn’t matter how the trio fled with their tails between their legs for meanwhile, Fangzheng was shocked by the sudden cheers outside. Unfortunately, Red Boy had already claimed that he was in seclusion, so it wasn’t appropriate for him to go out. All he could do was sneakily climb onto the wall and use a tiny mirror to reflect the scene outside for a peep. As he peeped, he mumbled to himself. “Jingxin, you troublemaker. Your dinner is gone! Gone! Gone, I tell you!”

In fact, Fangzheng was aware of what had happened outside. After all, the combat grounds had reached his front yard, and he wasn’t deaf. Furthermore, he had sharp ears and was able to hear clearly, so he was very aware. He was also very grateful towards Jing Yan, Guan Xiangfeng, and Lame Ma. They had stood up for him at the critical moment.

Just as Fangzheng was distracted, he heard a series of footsteps approach the backyard. He hurriedly jumped off from the wall and quickly took his spot, picked up a Buddhist scripture, and feigned reading it. Someone who could be brought by Jingxin to the backyard was naturally one of Fangzheng’s friends.

“I knew it. You aren’t in seclusion at all! You clearly find the hooha outside too troublesome, so you hid here to gain peace and quiet!” The moment she entered, Jing Yan saw Fangzheng sitting there, drinking tea, and reading the scripture book in a calm and composed state.

Fangzheng put down the book and chuckled. “Even if you see through This Penniless Monk, don’t say it out loud. Patron, what brings you here to One Finger Monastery?” Meanwhile, he also looked at Bao Yuluo, Lame Ma, and Guan Xiangfeng behind Jing Yan. He nodded slightly and said, “Patrons, come on in and have a seat.”

The few of them nodded and took their seats. Jingxin brewed a cup of tea, which was nothing but a big bowl of Unrooted Clean Aqua with a few Frost Bamboo shoots. Although it was simple, the Unrooted Clean Aqua was extremely refreshing, and the Frost Bamboo shoots were filled with fragrance. The ingredients in this combination complemented each other well, making the taste much better than that of most kinds of tea.

The few of them heaped praises on the tea from a single sip.

Bao Yuluo said, “It’s said that monks lead miserable lives, but why do I feel like you live days way more comfortable than mine?”

Guan Xiangfeng nodded and said, “You aren’t aware. Abbot Fangzheng’s days are like those of a deity. Every day, he strikes the drum and bell, eats Frost Bamboo, tastes various flavors, chants the scriptures… Tsk, such days are truly comfortable.”

Everyone nodded subconsciously in agreement.

Jing Yan could not help but ask, “Fangzheng, One Finger Monastery has really become famous now. In the future, there will be more and more visitors. Don’t you plan on adding a few more buildings to the monastery to accommodate these visitors? Bigger monasteries all provide free lodging for visitors.”

When Fangzheng heard that, he smiled. If this were in the past, he would definitely set up some guest rooms to accommodate the visitors. However, things were different now. One Finger Monastery had too many secrets. Having outsiders would only lead to increased trouble. Ignoring everything else, just the presence of outsiders prevented him from using the Formless Door any time he wished to go traveling. He would also have to be careful communicating with his animal disciples. Compared to making himself uncomfortable, he felt that it was better to not host visitors, allowing him to live a more carefree life…

Therefore, Fangzheng said, “This Penniless Monk is a monk who prefers peace and quiet. Other than receiving incense offerings during the day, it’s best to have peace and quiet at night.”

Jing Yan and company nodded in acknowledgement.

“Jingxin, invite the other two patrons in. The number of visitors are increasing, so let’s avoid any trouble,” Fangzheng suddenly said. He was naturally referring to Duan Liu and Li Xueying. Duan Liu would still be fine, but Li Xueying was different. If this superstar were to bump into a pervert who was up to no good, it would lead to terrible consequences.

“I’ll do it. It will be hard for a little kid like him to approach Li Xueying and Duan Liu. You have no idea how fervent fans can be,” Bao Yuluo volunteered bravely.

Before Fangzheng could say a word, Red Boy said, “Don’t go or you’ll end up giving me more trouble.”