The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

When the people in the crowd who were watching the commotion saw Fangzheng’s actions, they were initially displeased. But after hearing what the beggar said and seeing Fangzheng’s bald head and monk robes, all of them were enlightened.

“One is a beggar who begs for money. The other is a monk who solicits donations. Both of them request for money, but who knew that the beggar would ultimately lose to a monk. Being a monk sure is good…”

“Tsk. This beggar sure is devout. He’s still giving so much money to the monk when he’s in such a state.”

“Are beggars perhaps foolish, but rich?”

…

Upon hearing these words, the beggar was on the brink of crying. He glared at Fangzheng angrily as though he was saying: “Watch out!”

Fangzheng shot a glance at the beggar and activated his Wisdom Eye. A cold glint flashed deep in his eyes for this person was filled with negative karma! The baneful aura that lingered around him made him appear like the devil! Most importantly, Fangzheng discovered that his negative karma was in a humanoid form. His negative karma was like a layer of black smoke, swirling continuously around his body. As such, regardless of what clothes he wore, the negative karma which appeared would seem to strip him of his clothes, leaving him with nothing to hide. Fangzheng swept his gaze over him and was surprised. Damn, so there’s such a secret to this person!

Fangzheng smiled. “Amitabha. Patron, This Penniless Monk is truly touched that you are so devout. In return, This Penniless Monk will help you grow a pair of legs and return you an able body. How about it?”

The moment the beggar heard that, his heart palpitated as he hurriedly shouted. “Mind your own business!”

At that moment, Red Boy understood what was happening as he chuckled. He pointed to the beggar’s side and cried out. “Who’s that?”

The beggar subconsciously looked over and with a splashing sound, he felt the lower half of his body turn cold. He turned back to see that his pants had been ripped apart by Red Boy. Immediately, his red underwear was exposed!

When everyone saw that Fangzheng and Red Boy seemed to have nefarious thoughts about doing something to the beggar, they wanted to berate them for going overboard. However, when they saw the red underwear, they also saw a pair of legs beneath it!

“This…” Everyone finally realized that the pants were baggy, and there was a secret to the cart. And this combination, as well as the man’s soft body, allowed him to perfectly hide his legs. As such, he turned from an able person into a crippled beggar. Everyone was instantly incensed. This bastard was a cheat!

The beggar also realized that things had gone awry. Against the angry gazes surrounding him, he no longer had the time to give Fangzheng trouble. He climbed up and pushed the cart off as he grabbed the remnants of his pants while running off pathetically. However, before he left, he turned his head to shout at Fangzheng. “I’ll remember you!”

Fangzheng laughed out loud. “Amitabha. Patron, do you plan on giving This Penniless Monk more incense money?”

“You’re doomed. Doomed I tell you!” The beggar shouted and ran off.

“Well done!” At that moment, a young lad in the crowd cried out before clapping.

When everyone heard that, they snapped to their senses. The monk was actually punishing evil! Immediately, all of them laughed and gave their kudos.

Upon seeing this, some people worried for Fangzheng. The lad which had initiated the applause walked over and said, “Venerable One, leave quickly. Cheats these days don’t go at it alone. They usually operate in teams. They are scum. If you take too long to leave, I’m afraid they will seek revenge on you.”

Fangzheng pressed his palms together. “Thank you for your concern, Patron. However, This Penniless Monk still has things to do and will not be leaving for now. If the scumbag dares return, it’s fine. This Penniless Monk will just teach him another lesson.”

The man smiled wryly. “He might not return alone. When that happens, a huge group will charge at you. It’s hard to defend yourself against a group with just two fists. Venerable One, it’s best you leave quickly.”

Fangzheng shook his head. After spending quite some time trying to persuade Fangzheng, the lad eventually gave up when he saw how Fangzheng had no plans on leaving and even had the intention to stay behind to punish evil. All he could do was bid him farewell with a shake of his head.

However, before he went far, the lad returned with a pole in his hand. “Venerable One, this is all I can help you with. If you really can’t beat them, it’s best you leave quickly.” With that said, he handed the pole to Fangzheng.

When Fangzheng saw the pole in his hand, he looked at Red Boy and then at the man’s departing back. He pressed his palms together and asked, “Patron, how should you be addressed?”

“My name is Ding Ce. I’ll be nearby. If they come, shout and I’ll help you call the cops.” Ding Ce waved his hands.

When Red Boy heard that, he laughed dryly. “This fellow sure is… cowardly!”

Fangzheng smiled. “He’s not. To do this much for a stranger is already pretty impressive.”

Red Boy thought about it and indeed, that was the case. Without any ties or relationship, who would help you fight someone else? Victory meant being imprisoned or getting a fine. A loss meant being beaten up. Ignoring the pain, a fight could even affect one’s job and salary. Providing a weapon and some kind advice, and finally being willing to help call the police, truly made him a good person.

Red Boy sighed. “Master, the standards of a good person in this world are just too low.”

Fangzheng shook his head and said, “It’s not that the standards of a good person are low. It’s that the entire world is as such. It’s the same even in your world. What is a good person? To do something when seeing injustice makes one a hero. To sacrifice oneself for justice and do one’s utmost makes one a saint! To be able to help others without cheating or harming them and still not affect one’s interest is enought to make one a good person.”

Red Boy thought about it and indeed, that too sounded rather right.

As the duo walked and chatted, they suddenly heard a voice beside them.

“Venerable Ones, do you know where Deng Xiao lives?” A voice with a little fear and bashfulness, but mostly anxiety, to it, suddenly sounded.

Fangzheng looked over and was instantly stunned.

An old woman with grizzled hair was standing before them. She held a basket with her right hand, and there were a few chicken eggs inside. They didn’t look good and were rather small. However, as a thief who had been stealing chicken eggs for ten years, Fangzheng had quite some knowledge on eggs. He could tell at a glance that they were from free-range chickens. They were the kind produced by chickens in villages.

“Amitabha. Patron, are you looking for someone?” Fangzheng looked suspiciously at the old woman. For some reason, Fangzheng felt his heart ache when he saw her.

The old woman hurriedly smiled. “Yes, I’m looking for my daughter. Her name is Deng Xiao. Venerable One, do you know her?”

Fangzheng shook his head. “Patron, This Penniless Monk isn’t a local and doesn’t know the Deng Xiao you talk about. However, other than her name, do you know anything else about her?”

The woman’s eyes flashed with a look of disappointment when she heard that. Her turbid eyes were a little glazed over as she quipped. “I only know that she works nearby, but I don’t remember the rest. Oh, I have her picture.”

With that said, the old woman carefully took out a photograph. Fangzheng saw a young, beautiful girl in the picture, but from her attire and the yellowing of the photograph, Fangzheng knew that it was a picture taken many years ago. As the saying goes, girls blossom into womanhood. Using such a photograph to find her was basically useless unless they luckily bumped into the correct person.